Pastel Pink Paisley: July 2011

22.7.11

Sun; Sea; Sand

Well I am off tonight for my 2 week sail around St. Vincent and the Grenadines! Yayy... My days will be spent soaking in the sea, basking in the sun and sipping on delicious cocktails. I will have no internet for these TWO WHOLE WEEKS and I cannot figure out if this is a good or bad thing..either way the relaxation will be simply ideal and I have never been so excited to do nothing.

Kimberly*

Images: Pinterest, The Bottom of the Ironing Basket, Everything Fabulous, Grey Goose, Food Gawker

21.7.11

6 months or 3.5 years..

If you can start the day without caffeine;

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains;

If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles;

If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it;

If you can forgive a friend's lack of consideration;

If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when,

through no fault of your own, something goes wrong;

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment;

If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him;

If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend;

If you can face the world without lies and deceit;

If you can conquer tension without medical help;

If you can relax without liquor;

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs;

If you can honestly say that deep in your heart you have no prejudice

against creed or color, religion or politics; then, my friend, you are

almost as good as your dog.
- Unknown Author

Kilo will be turning 6 months (or 3.5 years) on the 24th July. I will not be here to celebrate it with him then so Happy 6 months Kilo! Don't we all wish we could take a page or two from our dogs...

Kimberly*

20.7.11

Bliss

I am happiest when....

* My room smells of pure vanilla
* My laundry basket is empty
* I FINISH cleaning my room and apartment
* I am lying on the beach chatting with my girls
* My linens are freshly washed and smell like heaven
* I have a really healthy lunch
* I have freshly cut flowers in my room and bathroom
* I laugh so hard my stomach hurts and my eyes water
* I receive an unexpected letter via the post
* I am at the airport going somewhere.. anywhere
* I am cooking
* All my chores are complete and I get to fiddle with my blog
* I am eating something that is mind-blowingly good
* I get a kiss for no reason (hello or good bye obviously does not count)
* I am captivated by a really good book and can not put it down
* I see someone trying to conserve their environment and surroundings i.e. their life
* I am at the cinema eating popcorn and M&M's
* I get home from work or running errands and all I have left to do is relax with my boy

So Remember..

Kimberly*

Images: Via The bottom of the ironing basket

19.7.11

Would Love to have me a Karl Lagerfeld Sketch

How brilliant would it be to own an original Karl Lagerfeld sketch and have it beautifully displayed in your house. ohh dreams... Karl Lagerfeld, this extremely talented and busy man. Since becoming the art director for the House of Chanel, he also established his own label; designed for Fendi, Chole and recently H&M; created AND photographed his own advertising campaigns; designed costumes for operas; opened a bookstore and publishing house; designed cars for Volkswagen; designed Coca Cola bottles; and then lost about 100 pounds and wrote a best selling diet book about his experience. There is just something about him that is inspiring, probably his extreme determination, motivation, and ambition. All that aside, his sketches are simply stunning.

Kimberly*

Images: Eye In Form

18.7.11

Screening

I decided to post this because, not only is it summer (AKA many many long days at the beach) but also because at the end of this week I will be sailing down and around the Grenadine Islands for 2 whole weeks! That means constant sun for 2 weeks! Although right now, majority of us are following all the rules of our derms and applying sunblock consistently, it just so happens that new cases of skin caner seems to be ever increasing especially in women between between 15-39.

Firstly, I will look at - reading the bottle. Sunscreen always screams at us "SPF", so we have become accustomed to just looking at the "SPF" on the bottle. However, little do we know that SPF only relates to the UVB rays (which yes damage the dermis of the skin and leads to burning) not UVA rays (which have longer wavelengths allowing them to penetrate deeper into the skin, destroying collegian and elastin, which greatly contributes to photo-aging and may initiate cancer). Therefore just because a sunscreen offers excellent UVB protection does not necessarily mean it offers good or any UVA protection. When buying sunscreen, do not trust the term "broad spectrum". Instead, San Fransico dermatologist, Katie Rodan recommends consulting the ingredients on the bottle. We should always look for either Avobenzone (which absorbs UVA once it hits your skin) or Zinc Oxide (which reflects UVA rays off your skin). The latter ingredient, zinc oxide is often preferred as not only is it better for our skin because it is a natural mineral, but also avobenzone disintegrates as the sun hits it , therefore, it is only effective for a maximum of 2 hours.

Secondly, the numbers. What do they mean and offer? Well, according to David Leffell, chief of Yale's Dermatologic Surgery and Cutaneous Ongology program "there is very little difference between SPF 30 and SPF 60". As the numbers get higher, the increment of protection gets lower. So, at SPF 30 you receive about 96% blockage; at SPF 45 you get about 97% blockage; at SPF 60 you receive about 97.5% blockage and so on it goes. The key is not so much the number as it is application. Let us use a seanrio here, you go to the beach and put on SPF 100, you only apply this once OR you go to the beach use SPF 30 but apply this consistently through out the day. Which is more effective, the latter, without a doubt!

So in a nut shell, look at the ingredients and reapply!

Happy Sunbathing!

Kimberly*

Image: Vogue

15.7.11

Let There be Light

There is just something about walls of glass that I love. They allow so much natural light to enter the room + create the illusion of a larger space. I hate nothing more than turning on an incandescent, or worse yet, a florescent light. In addition to a great energy saver, walls of glass are a trendy alternative to this awful looking and feeling electrically generated light.

Kimberly*

Images: Unknown, unknown, unknown, 79 ideas, desire to inspire, home and garden, country style, Chris Barrett, Everything Fabulous

14.7.11

Resort 2012

I had a lot of different reactions from this years Resort 2012 collection, however all in all it was very creative, visionary and intriguing. Sixty-eight collections from some of the industry's top names showed over twenty-three days and I must admit, in my opinion, some were outrageous and some could only be pulled off by the tall perfect bodied models; but many MANY were still to die for. I must remember that fashion is an art and beauty lies in the perception of each individual, therefore I should not really be judging in the first place. Anyways, many of the collections were ready to wear and below are some of my favourite pieces.

Calvin Klein

Chloe

Chanel

Christian Dior

Valentino

Bottega Veneta

Stella McCartney

Zac Posen

Alexander McQueen

Lanvin

Kimberly*

Images: Via Vogue

13.7.11

Every Dark Cloud has a Silver Lining..Correct?

Why is it that only through disaster can we see a brighter future? Why is it that we live in a reactive world rather than a proactive one? Why is it that money and materials take precedence over long term well being? And why is it that only from blunt traumas do we realize something HAS to change?

The March 11/11 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan has opened the eyes of both the Japanese Government and people. Although Japan's energy consumption per unit of GDP is 20% below the world's average (and 30% below USA), according to Professor Keiko Tanaka, "Japan is a country where 18-year-old girls take the elevator to go up a single flight of stairs because they don't want to sweat, where most toilet seats are heated, and where there is an electric noisemaker in the women's toilet to mask the noise. People have really gotten used to creature comfort at very high energy costs."

Due to the loss of the nuclear plant Fukushima Daiichi and other massive amounts of grid infrastructure, Japan is in the midst of one of the most severe energy shortfalls in history (International Energy Agency, 2011). It is due to this immense lack of, that Japan has looked to geothermal and other natural resources like its nearly 200 volcanoes; 28,000 hot springs and large quantities of land-based wind. Not to mention, Japan has aggressively sought to 'up the ante' on its solar potential and usage. Prime Minister Naoto Kan set a new goal of 10 million solar-powered homes by 2020, and of increasing solar photovoltaics, mostly in rooftop panels, from 3,500 megawatts in 2010 to 53,000 megawatts by 2030.