When’s the last time you heard someone say “I made you a mixtape”? Maybe you’ve never heard it! Sure, it’s probably a sentence that’s not been uttered since the early 90’s, other than here on Gurlinterrupted of course (back when I made you THIS MIXTAPE). Even burning CDs is passé in the era of Spotify. However, and you can call me old-fashioned, I think sharing a playlist via a physical gift is just so adorable. Enter the Milktape – a USB cassette tape, breathing new life into the tradition of exchanging mixtapes. (Oh and don’t worry – I really did make you a mixtape – featured further down).
Milktape puts a new 21st century spin on the old mixtape by hiding a pop-out USB drive within an iconic cassette case, enabling users to upload 128 megabytes to the device (approx. 15 songs). I’m not saying, you should turn into a Milktape, mixtape-gifting maniac! But for a long-time friend, perhaps one you’ve known since the mixtape’s heyday, or maybe for that special someone on Valentines Day (which isn’t that far away) as a cutesy little keepsake, I reckon the Milktape is worth checkin out. Milktape is also customisable – just drag and drop your favourite tunes onto the drive, eject the device, and then you’re free to decorate the blank label, case and stickers. Go all out or just bust out the sharpie and doodle away to your heart’s content. Milktape ships to pretty much every country in the world, is compatible with MAC & PC, and costs US$15.
Does Milktape appeal to your inner-awkward-teenager? For more info head to: www.milktape.com
Since music is a huge part of my life (I am as obsessed with music as I am with fashion & beauty) I wanted to make you a mixtape (well, share my playlist with you, is probably more accurate). Whether it’s heading to concerts, listening to my iPod or Spotify, or checking out other people’s playlists – music is always a part of my everyday life! I don’t actually know how people function without it. So this mixtape features tracks that I currently have on my playlist – some are newly released, some are from back when the mixtape was in its heyday. Regardless of when the songs were released, they’re on my playlist right now, they’ve seen me through 2013, there’s new and old faves, and I love them!
As my music collection contains thousands of songs, its impossible to list them all. Containing both chilled and upbeat tracks in the one playlist, I’ve selected the tracks that I just never tire of hearing, and so yeah, I made you this mixtape….
Starting with my absolute number one track of 2013, it’s a cover of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ performed by Beyoncé and Andre 3000, and it’s ultimately one of my all time favourite Amy Winehouse songs. This is my ‘hit repeat’ track of 2013…
Gabrielle Aplin & Bastille – Dreams (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Refugee Camp All Stars – The Sweetest Thing
Sarah Blasko – Hey Ya! (OutKast cover)
Chloe Howl – No Strings (WARNING – contains coarse language)
The Vamps – Can We Dance
HAIM – The Wire
Naomi – How Many Loves
Santigold – Starstruck
Bruno Mars – Gorilla
Mark Wilkinson – Middle Ground
Jake Bugg – Broken
The Roots featuring Erykah Badu – You Got Me
Mo – Waste Of Time
Sia – The Girl You Lost To Cocaine
Die Antwoord – I Fink You Freeky
Die Antwoord – Fatty Boom Boom
Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way
Mark Ronson – Toxic (Brittany Spears cover)
Kery James feat. Imany – Le Mystere Feminin
AlunaGeorge – Attracting Flies
Pedar – White Lilies
Lissie – When I’m Alone
Delilah – Never Be Another
Iva Lamkum – Raise Your Glass
Beyoncé – Love On Top
Lana Del Ray – Young & Beautiful
The XX – Fiction
Amy Winehouse – Half Time
Frank Ocean – Lost
Alt-J – Breezeblocks
Nelly Furtado Manon Dave Remix – Say It Right
Hall & Oates – Kiss On My List (don’t judge me – this is 80’s radtastical! Useless fact: H&O are also the original singers of Maneater)
I hope this playlist gave you some music inspiration, reminded you about some long forgotten ‘oldies but goodies’, or maybe there’s even some artists in here that you hadn’t yet discovered that you will soon come to love as much as I do. If you see me out and about with headphones in my ears, you’ll know exactly what I’m listening to.
Don’t take life too seriously, listen to awesome music, dance your ass off!
Ange xx
Gurlinterrupted
A Girl Interrupted By Fashion, Beauty & Anything Pretty That Catches My Eye
If you haven’t yet discovered Mr W. & Me, then it’s probably safe to say that you personally don’t fall into the ‘shoe-obsessed’ category, as Mr. W & Me is pretty much the hottest go-to for shoes! No chain-store shoes for this online store, Mr. W & Me stock only the highest quality (and super affordable) select range of footwear, only those that they deem worthy (and I have to say, I agree with all their selections they deem worthy). Mr. W & Me have been popping up all over the show – NZFW, VIVA, Remix Magazine, you name it, their shoes are noted and coveted. After discovering Mr W and Me some time ago, I featured them here on Gurlinterrupted.com as I was so enamoured (you can read about it here: 
You all know my love [see: obsession] for DRY & TEA. Well, why not treat your loved one to a hair treatment of their choice with a DRY & TEA gift voucher. They can choose from DRY & TEA’s extensive menu that offers everything from a blow wave to an up-do, a specialised cut and colour service, to tints, foils & belliage. There’s nothing DRY & TEA don’t do when it comes to the full-service hair salon! Maybe a ‘mens mini groom’ for your guy, or the ‘catwalk and party ready’ for your girl. No matter the service they choose, they’ll be looking fab in no time. If you choose to get your gift card from the uber-trendy City Works Depot, then I have to recommend you see Kurt (and YES – I’m biased, because he’s my stylist and he’s beyond amazing!). Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that they share a space with Petal Cupcakes and have a tea menu to die for! For more info head to 
Ok, so I don’t know about you, but my guy is obsessed with poker! Whether it’s online, having his mates over for a friendly match, or heading out to a local pub tournament, he’s there! Gosh I’ve made him sound like a gaming nerd – he’s really not (to be fair, I think he probably got into it when pondering what to do during those hours I have my hands glued to the keyboard blogging), he just really enjoys playing poker when he has some down time, and it seems, after talking to my guy-friends, poker is where it’s at! It would seem it’s the hottest hobby on the block right now. So, wanna be the ultimate better half, mate, sibling… how about something from 
If you have a beach babe in your life who suffers from dry, sun damaged, lack-lustre hair, enable them to look after their locks with Holistic Hair’s latest addition to their already fabulous range – Sea Shine. Leading Servilles hair stylist and tutor – Nigel Russell, uses only natural ingredients in his Holistic Hair range. Sea Shine spray contains Argon Oil (sans the silicone and any other nasty ingredients) as well as lemon and rosemary essential oils. Not only does it smell delicious, Sea Shine spray creates the ultimate shine, nourishment and hydration your hair needs to look its best, by banishing dull, frizzy, flyaway hair. It comes in a handy purse-size bottle, making it perfect for the girl (or guy) on the go! For more info, head to the Holistic Hair online store: 
From Smashbox’s new 2013 Holiday Collection comes Wondervision Eye Sets. Three fabulous Limited Edition collections feature a kaleidoscope of six eyeshadows, a mascara and eye liner. Ranging from matte to metallic, these covetable sets are available in Flash – pinks and pewters, Sparks (my personal favourite) a summery collection of shimmering bronzes and rose golds, and Cosmic – smoky neutrals and blues. Complete with the Limitless Eye Liner in Onyx and Full Exposure Mascara for an utterly show-stopping look. As with all Smashbox eyeshadows, each shade is velvety smooth in texture, glides on effortlessly with zero fallout and gives 100% colour payoff. The only downside with gifting Smashbox’s holiday collection… having to part with it!
From the 100% natural range of Nude by Nature comes a skincare collection so luxurious and effective it’s hard to believe it’s 100% naturally derived. Cleanse, exfoliate, replenish and refine the skin all without using parabens, petrochemicals or fragrance. The range includes a daily cleanser, face scrub, intense moisturizer, oil-free moisturizer, bright eyes gel, nude oil for intense hydration, and a miracle serum to illuminate the skin from within. Buy the complete range or select the perfect skincare solution for your eco babe.
If you’re after skincare that TRULY provides an ever-youthful appearance that effectively delivers on fighting the signs of ageing, you cannot go past Elizabeth Arden’s PREVAGE range. The Anti-ageing Treatment Boosting Cleanser provides a multi-dimensional approach to deep cleansing that is second to none! It promotes cell renewal and focuses on enzymatic exfoliation that leaves skin more receptive to further anti-aging treatments, such as the PREVAGE Anti-aging & Intensive Repair Eye serum. This Eye serum has had such amazing results; it’s said to reveal youthful look eyes after just one use! Whilst it’s on the expensive side – with good reason – this is the BEST anti-aging eye serum you could ever purchase for your beauty babe wanting to erase the signs of time. It is hands down the best anti-ageing product I have ever used. I call it the ‘peter pan’ of skincare. I may not know what it is that makes this serum work, but I know that it does!
If you’re looking for inexpensive, yet fabulously effective beauty and skincare items to top up your beauty babes Christmas stocking, the Palmer’s range has got you covered for summer essentials. The ever-popular Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E lotion is formulated with SPF15, so not only does this it smell fabulous and hydrate, it protects you from harmful UVA/UVB rays. RRP $13.50
For the true beauty babe – these Australis makeup items are not only inexpensive, they’re great additions to any girls makeup bag, and they’re available in an array of fabulous on-trend colours.
Ok so I don’t have acne, although if I did, this new Blemish Control primer has the ingredients to treat it. Nor have I ever had really bad problem skin, however I do indeed get the odd breakout now and then (why does this always happen right before a big event?) so I’m well aware of that sinking feeling of wanting a flawless makeup look, but knowing that any makeup I apply is probably going to make my skin look worse in the long run by further clogging up my pores in the bid to cover up blemishes and breakouts.
Whilst on the topic of Smashbox, they’ve released another fabulous new collection with their Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liners. I swore I would never use the term “game-changer” (many years in a marketing team, repetitively hearing, and admittedly using this double-barrel descriptor will do this to a girl), however I really can’t come up with a better term to describe Smashbox’s new Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liners (especially the colour ‘Bare’)!!
So I say ‘new on my beauty counter’, and yes this is a new tin of Steam Cream that I’ve received, but no it isn’t the first time I’ve tried it. Many beauty bloggers will be talking about Steam Cream right now as it’s fairly new arrival here in NZ, however it’s been collecting many a beauty award over in the UK (including the 2010 UK Beauty Insiders Choice award) where it was formulated, and I’ve actually been using it for a couple of years. So what is this Steam Cream all about? Well, other than the fact it comes packaged in the most adorable tin (there are a number of different designs available and they make quite the collectable once you’ve used all the product) it’s the process for making Steam Cream that gives it a point of difference. Taking its name from the boutique French process in which it is made – raw ingredients are fused together using a shot of bubbling hot steam, thus ‘Steam Cream’ (rather than mixed artificially using chemicals). It happens at a speed which defies most traditional cream making methods and gives the finished product a unique texture. Steam Cream contains ingredients such as Orange Flower Water, Almond Oil, Cocoa Butter and much, much more, all of which gives Steam Cream an absolutely heavenly scent. Plus all ingredients are from sustainable sources and its 100% cruelty-free.
Well, safe to say Trilogy needs no introduction. Even with their new-look packaging design, Trilogy is instantly recognisable. I for one am more than familiar with their skin care line, of which is nothing short of magnificent. What I didn’t know until very recently is that they produce Botanical Body Wash.
Ahhh the ever-fabulous MOR. As if their exquisite spa, beauty and personal care range wasn’t enough, they then dazzled us with their 2013 Holiday Gifting Collection, and now they’ve released a limited edition ‘tantalizing tangerine Pantone 178’ Destination Summer Collection!
Weleda has released a 100% NATRUE certified (yes natrue, not nature) natural hair care line, and each product in this range is free of SLS, parabens, preservatives and artificial ingredients. I have been treating my hair to the new OAT shampoo and conditioner for dry and damaged hair and it’s pretty darn good. The scent is lovely and the result – super lightweight, shiny hair. It took a little getting use to the shampoo not lathering up (as most do) but this is probably due to Weleda’s holistic approach, where no artificial ingredients are used, and it’s the artificial ingredients that generally cause the foaming. A fabulous range – definitely worth trying!
In need of a luxuriously creamy, long wearing, hydrating lip liner that won’t flake, feather or fade? Look no further – these Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Precision Glide Lip Liners are absolute perfection. They glide on effortlessly, define and contour lips, and the icing on the cake – they contain a unique waterproof, non-drying formula infused with ingredients that make lips feel moisturised and conditioned, with the added benefit of a liner that has staying power like no other. They even feature an automatic component with an ergonomic grip (which actually really helps to trace lips with accuracy) and it’s complimented with an innovative, flexible lip paddle and sharpener duo, ideal for precision application and evenly blending colour onto lips.
The world of alphabet creams welcomes a new player – ModelCo’s BB Plus. This all-in-one daily skin perfector has a beautiful consistency and gives a healthy, glowing, flawless finish. With the combination of serum, moisturiser, primer, foundation and sunscreen, BB Plus covers blemishes and imperfections, maintains hydration, assists regenerative processes, corrects signs of dullness or fatigue, all whilst protecting the skin from UV rays. BB Plus is available in two shades, light to medium and medium to dark, suitable for all skin complexions and types.
Oh how I do love to paint my nails, but oh how I detest removing nail polish! Maybelline has has the answer with their soon-to-be-released acetone-free ‘Express Remover’ which erases nail polish in just one dip. Maybelline’s Express Remover comes in the form of a cute black & pink pottle which contains a foam centre that you dip your finger into, turn once or twice, and viola – nail polish gone! I know there are other similar products out there that claim to do the same, but quite honestly this is the best one I’ve tried to date! If you love playing with nail colour (especially the gritty, glittery ones that are a pain in the butt to remove) then you are gonna love Maybelline Express Remover. There’s not really much more to say on this little gem – it just works!!
With rising concerns for damage caused by harmful UV rays it was only a matter of time before a cosmetics brand saw that UV protection needed to become a focal point when creating foundations. Shiseido has done exactly that with their reformulated Suncare Foundation range. Not only does it help provide strong UV protection preventing skin damage, it also offers optimum foundation coverage for a natural flawless look. Water and sebum resistant, it provides a freshly applied look that lasts for hours, making it ideal for any summer occasion. The packaging, a beautiful combination of bright blue and yellow, screams summery and sporty and is available in three different forms:
The exhibition features work by giants of twentieth century photography including Edward Steichen, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and David Bailey, alongside contemporary images by Miles Aldridge, Corinne Day, Rankin, and Tim Walker. The V&A Selling Dreams – 100 Years of Fashion Photography exhibition runs from 6 December 2013 till 28 February 2014 in the Special Exhibitions Hall, Auckland Museum.
