Fab quote: 'blast them with glamour' - Rufus Wainwright

I had a total 'pinch me' day yesterday.

For Christmas I bought my friend Swanks a ticket to go to this mucho exclusive one-off Rufus Wainwright gig at the London Palladium, I bought myself one too obviously, didn't want him going on his own.

Confession time - I didn't actually know who Rufus Wainwright was. I knew the songs he did for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, but that was it.

Still, I like an adventure, I like hangin' with Swanks, I was always going to have a good time.
'Cept I just didn't know how much of a good time.

Swanks and I traveled up to the Londinium in his truck - he's havin' a 'cowboy' phase - I felt like Daisy Duke, minus those skimpy hotpants obviously, and was tempted to start herding cattle. There's not too many cows in the big city, so instead, Swanks and I did what we do best...Shopping.

We went to Libertys - it's olden days on the outside, chocolate-shop fabulous on the inside - I adore it. Swanks bought super-swanks boy perfume, some dee-lish ties for work and a very gorgeous shirt that I would happily be seen out with him in, I however bought nothing.
That was until we went to Carnaby Street and discovered the Too Busy to be Beautiful shop. New favourite shop alert...it's like a tribute to all things 50's glamour - beautiful packaging, sweet-smelling perfume and gorgeous assistants who could easily sell me ice if I were one of those li'l eskimo types - I bought their signature scent, B and am now wanting to munch on my own wrist it smells so divine!

So, to the gig...it was incredible!
I had inadvertently bought two of the best seats in the house, not only did we have a good view of the stage we also were in prime position to celeb-spot. Seems the Rufus is a bit of legend and the celebs were out in full force - Jamie McCullum, Stephen Gately, Sinead O'Connor, Simon Anstell, Jon Meyer - there were loads more downstairs too, love me some slebs!
The gig itself was awesome - turns out Rufus is a hotster.
Who knew?
Not me.
He was recreating the Judy Garland concert she held in New York and it was unbelievable - Martha Wainwright came on and sung 'Stormy Weather' so pitch-perfect I cried, Judy Garland's daughter Lorna sang too and Rufus sang 'Get Happy' which is a totes favourite of mine...I now love Rufus.
So swept away by our adventure, I bought the original Judy Garland show at Carnegie Hall on CD today - I love me a tragic gay icon!

In other news: the bed arrived today.
While I'm still miffed that buying the bed has meant no trip to NYC, I have to admit I am lovin' the comfort so much I'm delirious with happiness. In fact, I plan on climbing in it right after America's Next Top Model to read - I bought memory pillows too. Chances of me getting up tomorrow are slim.

Oh, I forgot to ask - I really NEED someone to give me a word-for-word update on Friday's ep of Ugly Betty. I missed it on Friday and missed the re-run yesterday - please help! I'll send you chocolate!

I have been full of poorly-sickness.
It seems I'm totes prone to the poorlies. Rude.
I won't subject you to the details, I told Chevverchops all about it on the phone earlier this week and completely grossed her out. Apparently, there's a line you don't cross when talking 'bout bodily functions with your pals, who knew?

Luckily, I dosed up on ickster medication and made it to the Londinium. Phew
Now I love the Londinium, but I have to take props from Lola when it comes to hitting the big smoke on my own.
Sssh, don't tell anyone, but it freaks me out.
Which is why I fake it 'til I make it.
Every time.

On my train journey I start by playin' out how great the day will be, how I will rock any situation, how confident I will be, how I will have cool convo's with the Londinium types like a movie, starring me, in my head.
I then play my theme tune - Girl Power by Shampoo - on my ipod, it makes me feel totes feisty, fun, fearless and fabulous.
Then, like the chocolate icing on a yummy cupcake, I put all my GCSE drama classes to good use, step off the train and rock out the super-hero version of me.
All the cool kids do it, Mariah, Beyonce...now me.
I pull my shoulders back, walk tall and with a slick of hot pink YSL lipstick - v.on-trend according to Grazia magazine y'know - I imagine I'm a super-cool cross between mucho successful author-girl and Gwen Stefani, and work it.
The best thing?
It works.

The dinner was yumsville - I ate a guinea fowl.
I was totes convinced it was going to be a guinea pig, but ed-girl and agent lady who have both ate plenty of funny-named food in their time because they do a lot of swanky eating in publishing assured me it was like a small chicken, I like chicken so I ordered it.
It was a complete food adventure for me.
Turns out, I love me the guinea fowl. Mmmmm.
We talked all things Lola - ohmystars, it's going to be exciting chicas, we spoke New York - ed-girl is off in a couple of weeks, it was all I could do to stop myself curling up in her flight bag in the hope she'd take me with her - and we even spoke Britney...all of us came to the conclusion that someone should be blimmin' lookin' after her, not letting her life be played out like some bad, bad reality TV programme...

It seems the icky belly wasn't totally better and I missed my train home. Boo.
I got the next one, slept the whole way listening to 'Gossip' - new fave band alert - so good, and then rushed straight to the pub to meet my Singstar buds, Vix Martin and Adam - there was a lot of high-fiving, more stories of NYC from Martinez who is just back from the big apple, is it me or is everyone getting to hang out in my favourite city apart from me? and lots of giggling - we are officially the very best people at giggling. That's factuality.

Today, I bought bed-linen.
Y'see, one day schmoozin' in Londinium, the next, borin' snorin' grown up who has to buy blimmin' bed linen.

I'm now off to watch Dancing on Ice, that's if The Man isn't hogging the remote. He doesn't enjoy my love of Duncan James, can't imagine why? ;)

OHMYSTARS - Britters Spears has shaved her head.
I've just read it on the blog of my hotline to the stars, Liane Bonin.

Now, I'm all about the personal style, and I even stopped buying Heat mag 'coz I was supes bored of them pointing out what was wrong with slebs instead of telling me what was fab about them, but Britters...geez, what you doin', girl?
It doesn't look awful and she could most deffo work it as a style choice with the right 'tude, but it seems she's all out to destroy herself right now and that's every kind of sadsville.
Is no one going to help her? It's like the media wanna watch her mess up, it ain't a teev programme, people - it's real life!

I went to see Music and Lyrics with Susie last night - Susie is my bestie from school days, we're like chalk and cheese - she's practicality personified, I am not. She keeps her house supes clean, I do not. She does a big grown up job where's she's in charge of lots of people, I do not. We do however, both love cheesy music, rom coms and chocolate - which, let me tell you, is a very successful combination on which to build a friendship upon.
It also means that when I go all drama queen about something, which believe it or not, I have a tendency to do - I know, who knew? - she brings a little practical thinking to the sitch, in the same way that I am able to encourage her to think differently 'bout things and see a little romance in life - it's true, opposites do attract - loves you Susie!
We haven't seen each other for a couple of weeks so from the second we got in the car, we were chatting. This did not stop. Not in the queue for tickets, not over dinner, not over drinks, not in the queue for one scoop of 'Love Potion' - white chocolate ice cream with raspberry swirls and chocolate hearts - yumsville, in fact, not until the film began. Even then, we could of spoken for another trillion years I'm sure... We could deffo win awards for the talking!

So the film. It was great - very predictable and I didn't quite believe that Hugh and Drew would actually get it on - but it's very funny and I love how it mocks 80s pop. I was a li'l too young to remember bands like Wham and Duran Duran, but I know how cheesy they were, and they capture that really well! It was light hearted fabulousness, which let's face it, is a very, very good thing right?

It really is Christmas - why? Because James Morrison is singin' to me on Popworld - I love him - I'm in my Pj's - pink, natch and most importantly, because I took Lola's advice over at Pink-World and decided that 'coz it was Love Yourself Up month, I'd Love Myself Up and treat myself to a box of Heidi Seeker goodies, which dare I say it, is better than chocolate - yes I know, I said that out loud and everything, but only 'coz it's truth. Anyway, my purched merch arrived this morning and I'm on a total heidiseeker fabulousity high...

HeidiSeeker is my bestie - she said so on her site and everything, that makes it factuality.
I'd just like to say that my bestie rules the school because my purched merch is soo good I can't decide what to wear, so I'm wearing it all at once.

I'm not entirely sure whether this is the look she had in mind when designing trinkets of cuteness, but right now, in my pink Pjs, I'm sporting the totes adoreable pink-tinted, heart-shaped sunglasses - Lola has totally got the right idea y'know, the world is significantly better when viewed through these - I'm wearing a bag charm as an earring and have nu-rave, smiley face hair clips on one side of my bonce and a mini lightening bolt on the other - tres chic. Well, kinda.

Luckily for me, unluckily for you as I'm sure it would of provided mucho laugh-age, the digi cam is busted, so I am unable to capture this moment of fashion fabulousness but hey, you've got imaginations, right?!

I'm going to try again at seeing 'Music and Lyrics' tonight, this time I'm going to go with Susie who actually wants to see it, unlike The Man who I was having to bribe with the promise of chocolate to come with me, he is going to see Hot Fuzz with his boy mates instead - I'm kinda bummed coz I would of liked to have seen that too, but I'd much rather a cheesy rom com with hugh and drew - I love me the Drew!

So, I just wrote an entire blog entry and my 'puter ate it. How rude.
Although, in a way I'm thinkin' it might be a good thing, as I was bein' a hella whingy minx - need new bed blah, blah, no trip to NYC blah, blah, being an adult sucks blah, blah and well...that just simply will not do.

So let's talk stuff of fabulousness instead...The man and I blew off the cinema on V night because I'd completely forgotten the Brits were on, and I love me an award ceremony.
Luckily, The Man does too, so we still went for yummy scrummy Chinese in this really rather cute place where there were no other customers, not one.
This is normally a bad sign, but we were guessing it was because we were early, we then decided it was because we were super-swanky VIP types - that's what happens when two writers get together - super active imaginations!
The food was dee-lish and the totes adoreable staff gave us chocolate hearts to take away - faboos!

We munched them in front of the Brits whilst drinkin' some pink bubbles - oh, how I loved me the Brits - Russell Brand is hilarity x 100 and didn't even mention his boy thing for a whole hour - must be a record! Take That - so, so good - Mark Owen was never my favourite the foirst time round, but I loved his solo material and I totes love that thing he does with his arm when he gets excited 'bout the chorus comin'!

In other news - I will be announcing the winners of the Sancturary competition and the Pimp my Book competition over at Pink-World later today - so good luck if you entered - I've got my fingers crossed for you! There's also some real treats comin' over at Pink-World in the next couple of weeks so keep checkin' in and sign up for the newsletter so you don't miss out on any fabulous Lola mail!

So, it's heart day and heart day is all about sharing' the love!

So you'll be pleased to know that The Man did not disappoint - there was a Doris Day CD- yay - along with tix for G4 - you may laugh, but I am quite the cheesemeister and I love G4 - so this was too, too cool! I'm meeting him from work where we're going to have a yummy, scrummy Chinese and then go see 'Music and Lyrics' - cutesville.

Although I've just found out that at our cinema, they're playing Dirty Dancing - can you imagine?
A group of your best gal pals, a bag of white chocolate malteasers and Dirty Dancing on the big screen? It's the stuff of dreams!
I wish I'd known sooner so I could of gathered up my own pink ladies. Boo.

Besides getting heart from The Man, I also got V-day mail from gal pals too - how lucky am I? Miss Liane Bonin, author girl of Celebrity Skin, sent me a personalised copy of her book, so cool - thanks Liane, am trying desperately to finish all my work so I can start reading it!
AND the adoreable Anna Butler, the fabulous lady behind Custom Made sent me my very own pair of love heart hair clips - ohmystars, they're kawaii, kawaii! I will wow The Man with my prettilicious accessorised hair when I wear them tonight!

I'm hoping V-day is fabulous for you too, it's not all about sending a card or getting a card from your crush, it's about hearting your friends and family and most importantly, yourself - so send a li'l 'I heart you' email or text to your gal-pals or boy mates and treat yourself to a li'l treat whether it's a bubble-filled bath, a chocolate bar, a back-to-back DVD-athon or a cute purchase from one of these fabulous-o websites: www.heidiseeker.com, www.custommadeuk.com or www.fredflare.com because, let's face it, you're worth it, right?!

Now, I know The Man sometimes has to have cupboard time, but as a rule, he's really rather awesome on a daily basis.

He's v.nice to look at, he reads everything I write - even the v.poo first drafts, he sends me emails right outta cutesville, he cooks - everyday, like I say, he's pretty fab.
And we really don't need a card-shop created day to share the love, but we're total suckers for a celebration, we will crack open pink bubbles and a bar of chocolate for almost anything - we totes love a celebration, which is why he's upstairs in his li'l room doing me-related things ready for tomorrow and I'm downstairs...typing this.

Don't fear, I'm just supes-organised, and if I could get me a spy-cam for his room, I'm guessing he's only writing my card and wrapping the Doris Day CD I've been hinting for everyday since I saw the TV advert, but it's still too cute!
Right out of the Swanks School of Love, I've created a li'l bag of V day love for The Man. It includes a really cheesy CD - he loves the cheese more than me, a wind up beating heart, a love tree that you water and it grows, some chocs that say 'I love you' and Stephen King's The Cell - not very romantic, but it's what he wants 'k?

As you know, over at www.pink-world.co.uk it's Love Yourself Up month, and as a treat to self I went to lunch with the lovely ladies from work - we went to Cafe Coco where we drank the most amazing hot chocolate ever and ate yummy food - so, so good! But guess what? BIG NEWS, I'm giving up chocolate for Lent. I know!
Now, while I'm not religious, I'm all about giving up something important to understand what it is to be without it, the adoreable Annette who I work with does this every year, so this year I'm going to join her and I'm going to give up chocolate - I feel positively virtuous just talking about it...
Of course, if it all gets too much I might just have to replace chocolate with buying cute accessories and make up.
Apparently though, that's not the idea.
Geez, this is gonna be a roadtrip to hardsville!

Other news: my supes-cool friend Liane Bonin, has a fabulous-o book called Celebrity Skin out now - go buy it here - it's amazing!

So, if I thought my week was sucky on Monday, geez, that was a walk in the park compared to how sucksville the week actually turned out to be. Grr.

But - after momentarily stampin' my foot, punchin' a pillow and crying a little bit, I am always able to turn a negative into a positive and a frown upside down because, like Lola, I think pink.

Which is why, today I booked myself in for a fringe trim.
I do love Mark the hairdresser and while I couldn't afford a new hair-do or a fancy schmancy hair treatment, I took full advantage of the free fringe trim.
He took it really short in a Mary Quant kinda way - I love Mary Quant, in fact she's my current 'icon du jour' so I am lovin' the fact that not only is my hairdresser supes-cute and supes-talented, he's also supes-psychic and has transformed my grown-out bob into a totally sweet-as-sugar new 'do.

Doing something to treat yourself is fab, especially when it's free!

On my walk home I passed Cafe Coco, the place I had my book launch and also home to the yummiest of dee-lish sweet treats, and figured it would be rude not to pop in and say 'hi'. Once inside, I realised it would be even ruder not to actually purchase any of the yummyness.
I picked a chocolate iced 'Sex and The City' cupcake, and because I'm the best girlfriend like, ever, I bought the man an white chocolate torte which I'm simply salivating at just typing about it...

Now I'm home, with my new do and a chocolate cupcake, I'm watching Funny Face - S'wonderful, S'marvellous!
If you haven't watched this film, go watch it now, go on, I'll wait!
It's just so ridiculously good - the opening Think Pink sequence makes me smile from ear to ear, Audrey as a reluctant model type is totes adoreable, and as much as I love me 'Devil Wears Prada', this is so, so much better!

After that I'm off to the nu HeidiSeeker site to wallow in her fabulousness. Not only does she tell everyone how great Think Pink is here, not only does she give me a high five for wearing my accessories so well, she's also got a shop full of too-cool-for-school new things that are calling my name to be bought, pronto.
Oh, credit card, how I love thee!

In other news: There's lots of new fabness for you to read over at www.pink-world.co.uk Interviews with the originator of Girl Power and inspiro-girl Hilary Carlip, Lola meets MyMy's Taryn Hipp - she's interviewed Gwen Stefani y'know - we launch Love Yourself Up month and we adopt a Fuzzbee - find out more by heading over to www.pink-world.co.uk now!

So today started out major league sucksville.

I got some bad, bad news that rendered me totes useless for the entire day. Boo.

I couldn't even look at the Beauty*licious proofs. Note to ed-girl: I'm all over it tomorrow, I promise!

Luckily for me though, I have miss Sally.

Who I met for tea, hugs and an evening with Sophie Kinsella - author of the totally fabulous Shopaholic series.

Now, I'd like to make out that Sophie is a personal friend of us both who we hang out with on a regular basis, but that would be lying, and lying is bad.
We did hang out with Sophie though, she was on day one of her promo tour for her latest book 'Shopaholic and baby' at our local library - how cool is that?

She was fabulous.
She was just how I imagined her leading lady, Becky to be. She was witty, pretty and very cool. Both Sally and I wished she really was our best friend. She read from her new book which, personally, I'm waiting to come out in paperback, I just can't read those bad-ass hardbacks in bed, and as that's where I do most of my reading, the book needs to be a comfy, bendable paperback - sorry Soph! I did buy Undomestic Goddess for her to sign though, and she was totes adoreable, and most importantly, she gave serious props to my Primark pink glitter pumps - the queen of shopaholics was diggin' on MY shoes - whoop, whoop.

Sad day became very much a fab day. Friends rule. Fact.