With so much commercially available music on the internet today it is very easy for ones’ perception to be skewed, particularly among the younger generation.

Big name artists such as Metallica, Pink, Coldplay and Robbie Williams greet you at every turn, not only on the sites of major distributors, but also in ads on a multitude of social networking sites. Make no mistake, I am in no way criticising these artists, they just sprung to mind. I actually happen to like them, despite being trapped in the rock music of 1972 as far as my taste in music goes. These artists are not only extremely talented but they have worked extremely hard for a long time to get where they are. There is no such thing as ‘overnight success.’

So where do lesser known or barely heard of artists fit into this picture? As far as the major distributors are concerned, they don’t. They are not making the distributor vast amounts of money so when such independent musicians puts their material up for grabs on the likes of iTunes and Amazon, etc, unless people in their droves download their mp3 and download it quickly, the artist may as well not be there.

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The bogan likes to laugh. It also likes to be comfortable in the fact that jokes about farts and dicks and mothers will remain funny for all of eternity. For there is nothing more revolting for the bogan than to be challenged in some cerebral way when it comes humour. Here’s where Rove McManus, the paragon of the “this is bound to make your mum laugh” quip, neatly satisfies satisfied all of the bogan’s comedic needs.

Not only is was Rove armed to the teeth with painfully uninspired jokes, he is was also self-deprecating, had romantic dalliances with starlets from Home and Away and Blue Heelers, and boasts boasted a cousin who played AFL football – all being decisive bogan prerequisites for winning their coveted affection. Realising this sacred (and lucrative) connection to his audience, he never misses missed an opportunity to use his show to shamelessly plug the movies, artists, albums, books and agendas of celebrities he desperately needs needed to come back for another anodyne, often awkward interview. Particularly galling were international guests, who constantly appeared befuddled that this guy managed to get his own TV show. Meanwhile, he remains remained the televisual equivalent of comfort food, which was sad, after his edgy, Channel 31 beginnings. After all, heaven forbid, he alienates his audience, forcing Pink to settle for 20 concerts nationwide instead of 54. Not on Rove’s watch.

Flanked by the affably stout Peter Helliar and a team of mildly entertaining, inoffensive larrikins such as Dave Hughes, Rove Live is was the ideal Sunday night televisual escape for the bogan. With a wonderfully generous interviewing style (read: poorly researched and overtly fawning), Rove never dares dared challenge his guest with anything remotely controversial, but safely steers steered his questions to the thunderous applause of his faithful. Drenched in immaturity, the show annoyingly veers veered between bad timing and awkward delivery while Rove constantly laughs laughed at his own jokes with gay abandon.

Validated by three Gold Logies, the bogan it seems simply can could not get enough of Rove’s unique brand of (un)funniness. Until now. The decision to end the show has, unsurprisingly, caused outrage among bogans. No longer can it while away another Sunday night perched in front of the telly snug in the knowledge that the next hour will be safe and familiar, like ordering lemon chicken from the local Chinese take-away. No more riding dirt bikes with Pink or another episode of Kevin Rudd, P.M. or a giant bowl of smarties. No more silly attempts at “really getting to know the celebrity” with edgy titles such as “Public Probe”. No more relying on Hamish and Andy for ratings. No more Rove. Phew.

Been playing with colors lately. Browns and blue, brown and pink, navy blue and different greens; this is what I got.

stacked

What I like about these little ones is that the play goes on: the flap is reversible, so you get two pouches in one.

Flap on

Flap off

and so on

fully lined

Here is a vintage-inspired engagement shoot I just came across on one of my FAV blogs, Style Me Pretty. I just love the soft pink palette mixed with warm hues of peach and champagne! Really the perfect set of pinks if you asked me. and how fitting that she’s wearing a vintage-style rose cut ring! It realy is oh-so-pretty in pink!

photography by Jeremy Harwell

Here’s today’s look.  It is soft and simple.

Please excuse the shabby brows, I am growing them a little for a reshaping.

Products/Technique

(all products are Stardust Cosmetics unless specifed)

Face:
Matte Veil as primer
50-50 blend of Pale/Light Warm Original Foundation
Kiss me! on cheeks, stippled with duo fiber brush
Winter’s Kiss on cheeks to blend Kiss me and add a subtle blue sheen (PRETTY!)
Bling luminizer as finisher

Eyes:
Rose Frost cream eyeshadow, Bare Necessity cream eyeshadow as base (discontinued)
Polar Rose, Limited Edition (lid)
Dream Cloak, Limited Edition (crease)
Winter White, Limited Edition (highlight, blend)
Midnight Velvet to line and in outer V to define
Black mascara (CG lashblast)
Taupe liner (private label sample)
Fall’s Farewell smudged into pencil on lower lashline

Lips:  Rimmel l/l Wild Clover, Rimmel Moisture Renew #700, Nude Delight, Mac Lipglass-Clear

(lips were more nude, less peachy in real life)

This movie is so magical

via non solo kawaii

you can’t go wrong with a pink disco ball!

via beauty in everything

This pretty bow. I wasn’t intending all these pictures to be pink..

artwork by Mary Blair via lavender days

a little humor…

via fantasy action

via we heart it

cred

cred

colorful imaginations via Motley Photos

hope you all have a  Monday! xoxo

So I can cross two more things off my list!  Yay!  I got a fabulous paperweight on Saturday from Michaels.  It’s- ok are you ready for this?- a PINK diamond LOL  I love it too.  I forgot to bring it to work, I started using it in my scrapbooking. 

Then yesterday, I joined a gym.  And I did a work out.  Well, I did the treadmill for 45 minutes and it kicked my butt but I still worked out.  I have an appointment on Friday with one of the trainers to do a sort of fitness orientation so I can get going in a good workout routine.  I think Mondays are going to be my days of rest since I’m going to be in therapy. 

I am so glad that I got the gym out of the way.  I felt better too.  Until I got home and cooked and that sort of took everything I had left out of me.  It was a long exhausting day yesterday.

On a brighter note, I’m going to be an Aunt Twice in July!  Not only is Katy pregnanat, but I found out last night, Lori is too.  I’m so excited. 

Things are looking up!  I am trying to stay in my good, safe, happy  Pink zone!  LOL.  It’s not easy but I’m trying. 

How are things going for you?

Several years ago while on a vintage treasure hunt I came across an old chair. It was simple and sturdy but what I found most intriguing was the chippy paint and delicate details.  I didn’t have a plan for it, so there it sat in my office, lonely and bare, until a few months ago when I decided to give it a purpose and adorned it with a quirky vignette in pink. The hat was found at a vintage clothing shop and the umbrella was used for a recent photo shoot but the shoes are special. They are seldom worn and aren’t the easiest things to walk in but when I do, I become a princess. Why you ask? Well, it could be the silky fabric or maybe it’s the ruffle detail and perfect craftmanship. They are beautiful but I think it’s the way they delicately grace my foot and come to the perfect little point that make them special. It takes me back to a time when I was a little girl playing dress-up in grandma’s closet. 

There is a part of me that desperately wants to de-clutter this place and live in a house of clean lines and open spaces but then that other girl with her quirky style comes out and leaves her trinkets and treasures all over the house. There are days when she really gets on my nerves but at other times she makes me smile and reminds me of the little girl living inside this woman in the mirror.

xo-jj

What’s not to love about pandas? They’re big, lazy, and oh, so cute! When I think pandas, I think of these creatures as big balls of fluff that don’t do much of anything, except for sleep and eat bamboo. Perhaps this is the exact image that Rotten Thread is trying to dispel with their “Panda” tee. This design has a tough-looking panda with a bandana around its neck. I’m not so sure that this animal would enjoy to being called “adorable” or “tubby,” and I definitely wouldn’t risk it! The men’s version is printed on green, while the women’s version is printed on pink. I don’t think that there’s a particular message behind these color choices, but I’d like to think that Rotten Thread is saying that the girl pandas can be just as tough as the boy pandas!

If you love these tees as much as I do, then you’re in luck because Rotten Thread is giving away a panda tee to one lucky reader! All that you have to do is follow the instructions below and you’ll be in the drawing for the panda tee of your choice. This contest is open to U.S. residents only.

The rules are simple. All that you have to do is leave a comment with names for the two pandas, one for the male and one for the female.

The commenter with the best names for the pair of pandas will win his or her very own Panda tee from Rotten Thread. This time, the winner will not be selected by random. Instead, I’m going to let a friend decide which names are the most creative. So, put on your thinking cap and name some pandas! You can submit as many names as you want, as long as they are in pairs. Please also make sure that your e-mail is somehow linked to your comment(s). The contest will end on Sunday, November 22 at 11:59pm Eastern Time. I will announce the winners next Monday, so be sure to check back to see if you’ve won! Good luck!

Diane Arbus   “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.”

Melissa’s Chair – Los Angeles, California, USA

view larger image

copyright 2009 O. Bisogno Scotti  All rights reserved.

Nikon D1X DSLR, Nikor 50mm f1.8, exposure: f2.8 1/125 sex, ISO 200, exposure mode: manual, Nikon SB-24 Speedlight, Mafrotto 3221 tripod, Manfrotto 3047 studio head.

Download AI URL: http://www.imgcapture.com/?p=723

Material description:

This is a very beautiful series of pattern pink material. Brings a romantic bright pink color, either visually or heart is a kind of joy to enjoy. Coupled with pink heart-shaped petals and five leaves and gorgeous branches, material added to the incomparable beauty of gorgeous colors. Applicable to a variety of decorative designs, great material

ORLANDO — The results of a much-awaited study could hardly be worse for Merck’s big-selling cholesterol drugs Zetia and Vytorin.

A small 208-person trial that used ultrasound to examine arteries found that Zetia was clearly inferior to a version of the old drug niacin in preventing clogged arteries. Moreover, in a surprise finding, patients on niacin appeared to have fewer heart attacks and were less likely to die from heart disease than those who got Zetia. It is unusual for such a small trial to show a difference in heart attack rates.

While the results are hardly definitive, top cardiologists said the findings provide yet another hint that Zetia–and its sister drug Vytorin–may do little or nothing to prevent clogged arteries and heart attacks above and beyond what cholesterol lowering “statins” like Lipitor can do alone. Cardiologists also say it provides evidence that niacin is not being used aggressively enough.

The new trial was supported by Abbott Laboratories ( ABT – news – people ) and compared Abbott’s Niaspan, a proprietary formulation of niacin, to Zetia in heart patients. The results are the main event at American Heart Association meeting here and are also being featured in the New England Journal of Medicine. They come on the heels of another artery imaging study in 2008 that also showed that Zetia didn’t do much for clogged arteries.

“You can look at this and say, ‘is this the nail of the coffin of Zetia?’” says Anthony DeMaria, professor at the UC-San Diego and editor of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. “For me I think not quite yet, but it’s getting closer and closer and closer.”

Merck ( MRK – news – people ) argues the results should be viewed not as an indictment of Zetia but as a triumph for niacin. The patients in the study were particularly likely to be helped by niacin, notes Merck senior vice president Luciano Rossetti, because they had low levels of good cholesterol, or HDL, which niacin boosts. Zetia’s main effect is to lower elevated levels of bad cholesterol, or LDL. And he says that many patients can’t tolerate the high doses of niacin used in the study as it causes patients’ faces to become uncomfortably pink.

Still, the new findings raise questions about whether the Food and Drug Administration approved Zetia prematurely without requiring big trials to show the drug can prevent heart attacks. The problem is that Zetia does not lower cholesterol in the same way as Lipitor, Crestor and other cholesterol-lowering “statin” drugs, which stop production of cholesterol in the liver.

“How is it possible for a drug to have $4 billion in sales without any evidence of benefit?” says Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist at Yale University. He said that the small size of the two imaging studies mean they couldn’t render a clear verdict on Zetia. “But they don’t instill any confidence in it either. ” Douglas Weaver, head of cardiology at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit says: “We’ve used Zetia without sufficient amounts of clinical data to support it. Using it may be right, it may be wrong, but we don’t know right now.”

Even some who have reservations about the new study are getting worried about Zetia. Roger Blumenthal of Johns Hopkins University wrote an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine detailing various flaws in the new study, including the fact that it was stopped prematurely after only half the number of intended patients had completed the full study period.

But he says the weight of the evidence should still lead doctors to reach for Niaspan or other drugs over Zetia in many patients. Most of the 13 cardiologists who reviewed the paper for Forbes agree. “It’s a big win for Niaspan, and yet another disappointment for Zetia,” says Blumenthal.

Zetia and the combination pill Vytorin, which combines Zetia with the generic drug Zocor, together are Merck’s second biggest product with $4 billion in annual sales. They were the driving force behind Merck’s $41 billion purchase of Schering-Plough ( SGP – news – people ) two weeks ago. But sales of the two have dropped 25% over the past two years as a string of negative results raised the possibility that Zetia and Vytorin may not prevent clogged arteries. Also during that period, AstraZeneca’s ( AZN – news – people ) competing drug Crestor was shown to prevent heart attacks and save lives.

Zetia’s slide began two years ago when Forbes reported that Merck and then-partner Schering-Plough had delayed unveiling on another ultrasound imaging study, called ENHANCE, for more than a year. When those results were finally presented in January 2008, it turned out that the expensive Vytorin combo was no better at preventing arteries from thickening than its generic Zocor component alone.

At the time, Merck and Schering-Plough argued that the patients in the ENHANCE trial represented a special case. They all had a genetic disease that causes high cholesterol and had been treated for years with high doses of statin drugs like Zocor, Lipitor or Crestor. The intense treatment made it difficult for a new drug to show a difference, Merck’s argument went.

But the niacin study was conducted in more typical heart patients who had not taken statin drugs for years and years. Abbott’s drug reversed atherosclerosis, while Merck’s didn’t. “It certainly blunts that criticism enormously,” says UC-San Diego’s DeMaria.

The niacin study, led by cardiologists at Washington Hospital Center and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, used ultrasound to measure the thickness of patients’ neck arteries. Thicker arteries have more plaque. The arteries of patients who took niacin got slightly thinner over 14 months, indicating plaque was going away. But there was no improvement in the arteries of those on Zetia.

Moreover, nine patients taking Zetia died of heart problems, had heart attacks or needed heart surgery, compared with two on Niaspan. While statistically significant, the numbers are to small to draw firm conclusions, cardiologists said. “You need more than 200 events in a cardiovascular trial” to be confident about the results, says Terje Pedersen of Ullevål University Hospital in Norway.

Cardiologists were also highly critical of a decision to stop the trial about a year early, which severely limits the conclusions that can be drawn. Pedersen called the decision to stop early “completely ridiculous.” David Brown, head of cardiology at Stony Brook University Medical Center, says he “doesn’t know what the scientific basis for stopping came from” and that it “significantly weakened the study.”

Lead investigator Allen Taylor of Washington Hospital Center, who has done paid speaking for Abbott, says he had always planned an early look at his data. Upon seeing that the results were already statistically solid, he ended the study for ethical reasons. “You can’t sit with a patient and say, ‘Ma’am, will you come into this study?’ when you know the answer,” he says.

The only thing that is likely to resolve the controversy surrounding Zetia and Vytorin is a big trial showing the drugs prevent heart attacks. But Merck didn’t start such a trial until late 2005, a full three years after Zetia was first approved. Results won’t be available until at least 2012. John Kastelein of Utrecht Hospital in the Netherlands noted in another New England Journal editorial that the trial is so large and unwieldy that it may never yield a clear answer.

Merck says it is working hard as it can to get the big trial done. “We are doing everything we can,” says Merck’s Rosetti. “If I had [the results] faster I would love it.”

Ops, não é bem assim, deixe me explicar melhor, sou fã da Le Lis Blanc, em todos os sentidos, adoro as roupas, o estilo, a marca, até a história da marca, vi uma entrevista no GNT que me deixou fascinada. Quando lançaram a coleção de verão, vi umas sapatilhas liiiiiindas, com uma flor em cima, de tudo quanto é cor, amarela, coral, pink e verde. Fui correndo na loja, mas achei o preço meio salgadinho, por volta de 300 reais.

Sapatilha Le Lis Blanc

Até que passeando pelo shopping e já desencanada daquela gracinha, olhei a vitrine da Via Uno, não é que a sapatilha era I DÊN TI CA? Juro, vi as duas ao vivo, não estava enganada, claro, entrei e comprei na hora. O preço? Só 99 reais, parcelavam, mas não sei em quantas vezes. Só vi nas cores abaixo.

Sapatilhas Via Uno

Viu, quando somos menos impulsivas, às vezes conseguimos melhor preço.

Bjs,

Fe

I made a new batch yesterday with my new food colourant. It was a simple cinamon batch with 2 layers blue and purple (or at least that was my intention). The purple shown up really well when i mix the colour in while the blue looked abit greyish. I thought may be when its dry, it will turn back to the colour it supposes to be. This morning, i woke up to see that the purple layer on top look pinkish. And when i took the batch out of the mould, the beautiful blue i hoped for was purple and my purple did really become bright pink. I don’t know how that happened. May be i need to add less pigments in?

Anyway, may be the batch wasn’t anything like i expected, it actually looks reaaally nice … and smells heavenly, too.

Ah, i used the hand mixer for the 1st time yesterday. And the mixture traced in 5 mins. I went frantic trying to put all the additives in. I was sooo use to my soap taking 45mins to trace lol.

Pictures to come soon

Light pink is being used more as a neutral these days, and I am loving it! From super fem and fresh to elegant, this color isn’t going anywhere!