They put the lime in the coconut...

Lime curd and coconut gelato from Takapuna Beach Cafe

Recently I read about amazing new technology that triggers scents related to what's on your computer. If you're playing a home movie of someone's birthday, for example, you'll be able to smell 'cake'. 


If we had this technology right now, you would be able to smell the creamy, coconutty, limey (and briney - we were at the beach) deliciousness that is Lime Curd and Coconut gelato from the Takapuna Beach Cafe.


'Heavenly' doesn't do it justice. I described it to a friend as 'the best gelato I have ever eaten', and lord knows I have eaten plenty. Several times my weight at least. Who am I kidding? Several times the weight of a bus...at least. (My friend Rosie and I averaged two a day in Italy. Pasta schmasta!)


If only someone would invent 'taste-o-vision', I'm sure there'd be a Nobel Peace Prize up for grabs. What did that wise man say? Gelato makes the world go round?


Go on, lick your screen. You know you want to. Or even better, go and try it for yourself.


x

Sunday Sounds : Juno

Juno is one of my favourite films, ever. I have seen it more than a dozen times and it never fails to make me laugh out loud, and cry. Sweet and funny and touching, Juno was well-deserving of its Oscar nod for Best Original Screenplay.

This song, from the closing credits, sums up the general feel of the film and listening to it makes me happy, simple as that. If I could write a song for you, husband, this would be it.

Enjoy. And if you haven't seen Juno yet...do!

x

Saturday Scrapbook : my favourite things this week

How pretty is this blush from Lancôme? I don't think I could bring myself to actually use it. But I still want it! Get it now while you can. 

Fairy lights, check. Greenery, check. Chalky blue French doors, check. Cute vintage wooden chair, check. I'll have this as my writing space, thanks Apartment Therapy (if you've never been, go there now).

Love these shoes captured by Foureyes. If you can't stretch to Miu Miu, here's a cool local pimped up sneaker alternative.

WOW...literally. 

Gelato! Come back Monday for my post on the best gelato flavour ever, and if you live in Auckland it is within reach... 

Happy weekend Beaunz belles.

x

Hands up if you're confused about sunscreen?

Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown

I've been researching an article on sun protection, and boy did my jaw drop, more than once. I've clearly had my head in the sand since circa 1990 when sunscreen was touted as the be-all-and-end-all in melanoma prevention. It's been drilled into us to never get sunburnt, but unless you read the fine print you could be doing just as much damage, long term, as previous 'un-sun-educated' generations.

 

For years, I have tuned out when sun safety messages come on television, thinking I know it all already. 'Slip, slop, slap', right? Well, things have changed Beaunz belles, so you need to re-educate yourself. Most experts now say that sunscreen is NOT your best protection against melanoma. Sunscreens do help to prevent sunburn, but studies show that this gives us a false sense of security, so we stay out in the sun for longer and expose ourselves to more UVA rays, which penetrate deeper and cause more damage. A new 'du du duuuuu' for me was that many common sunscreen ingredients generate free radicals that actually accelerate skin ageing and can cause skin cancer themselves. If you don't apply the right sunscreen, enough of it, and often enough, you could actually cause more damage than going without (not recommended either). Sheesh...

 

Cancer experts recommend staying out of the sun altogether during peak hours (10am-4pm) and covering up with a hat, shirt and sunglasses. Sunscreen should be used in addition, to protect areas like the face, neck, arms and hands. But, this is where it gets really confusing, because sunscreens are not all created equal. Natural vs mineral vs chemical...zinc vs titanium...nanoparticles vs micronised...UVA vs UVB protection...here I was thinking as long as it was SPF30 and didn't contain retinyl palmitate, I was doing my job.

 

It is important to be informed so you can make your own decisions. There is comprehensive information and a database of sunscreens ranked according to safety and efficacy here , specific sun protection facts for kids here and a thought provoking article written by Gill South for the NZ Herald here. 

 

Personally, I have been using a newish product called Shelter on my face, and it is the best sun protection skin care product I have come across (especially as it is packed with hyaluronic acid and doubles as a great moisturiser). I stocked up on The Cancer Society Mineral Zinc for my body, and Ultra Children's sun screen for my daughter , as well as this ditsy print hat by Bébé. All I need now is a cute sun protection suit and some sunglasses for her. Who said being responsible isn't any fun?

x

 

Vintage, and jewelry, and clothes! Oh my!

Yellow Brick Road Boutique, Parnell

I have wandered up and down Parnell Road hundreds of times, and for whatever reason, today I chose to venture left into a tiny cobblestoned path I hadn't noticed before. 

The first discovery was an Ice Cream bar. In Parnell! I lived here for two years, ate ice cream (at least once) every day I was pregnant. How did I not know it was here? 

I would have been happy enough with my ice cream discovery, but I spied pretty vintage fabric and some whimsical window decals and was lured even further down the path. Oh, my. There she was...The Yellow Brick Road Boutique. I know I have suffered terribly from baby brain this past year, but really? How have I not known about this treasure trove? Am I the only person in Auckland that hasn't been here?

Owned by Ruth (and her gorgeous dog Frankie, with his colour-blocked ears), the YBRB is quite simply a chocolate box of girlie delights. Jewelry, books, clothes and more, merchandised to higgeldy-piggeldy perfection. Skull cameos hang next to hand-knitted bow necklaces, 1940s inspired tea dresses brush against dog printed sweatshirts. 

It's all the pleasure of vintage shopping, without the mothballs.

x

Every (big) kid's room needs a toadstool

Toadstool Lamp from Nature Baby

Overnight, very

Whitely, discreetly,

Very quietly

Our toes, our noses

Take hold on the loam,

Acquire the air.

We shall by morning

Inherit the earth.

Our foot's in the door.

Sylvia Plath

I have a confession to make. Until I started writing this post, I thought toadstools, like the fairies that sit on them, were a thing of fairytales. Who knew they actually exist and are a type of mushroom? I feel like someone just told me that smurfs are a species native to outer Mongolia. No? Darn.


Shiny, red and spotty in an almost comical way, toadstools lend an air of folklore to their surroundings. I have been looking for a toadstool cushion for my daughter's room, but this lamp from Nature Baby is infinitely cuter.  It emits a soft, cosy light that is perfect for when you need to be able to see what you're doing but don't want to wake your baby.


And let's be honest, even if I didn't have a child I would find a place for this sweet little lamp in my home. We could all use a little more fairytale.


x

Moochi gives you wings

Moochi Ballet Cardi

I only went to one ballet class, aged 5, and cried so much I was never taken back. I was an 80s tomboy, and just the thought of wearing a tutu was traumatic. (I lived in blue spandex tights, puff painted jumper and a bandana à la Ralph Macchio - how about you?) My mum must have looked longingly at those head-to-toe pink, piggy-tailed little darlings; I blame her for letting me dress myself from a young age. (Although, apparently my sister trumped me by wearing a nightie and Mum's veil to a birthday party. I'm sure I've since seen Kate Moss in that look!)


Fast forward a couple of decades, I'm happiest in a dress and utterly enchanted by this video. If I won lotto I would order every item, in every colour (husband...if you're reading...feel free to dance around the house in just black pants. Thanks xx) but in actual fact, it's easy to add subtle ballet chic to my wardrobe even without a Chloé budget. 


I think the prettiest thing about women is our delicate little shoulder blades, which remind me of angel wings. Ballet dancers always show off this beautiful part of their body, so my first stop is something with a scoop back. 


I immediately fell in love with Moochi's Ballet Cardi, soft and pretty in dove grey rayon. Whenever I see buttons down the back of clothing I can't help but imagine that it will be someone else undoing them for me...oh la la.


Not a real angel then...


x