Lets 'Er Rip!

I’ve always wondered how many precious minutes and hours of my life I’ve lost while been locked up in the privacy of my bathroom warming up my Sally Hanson wax pot, preparing to coif my seemingly uncoiffable bikini region. I usually wonder this while doing deep breathing exercises while wishing I had a glass of vodka to scull down and enjoying the last few precious peaceful seconds before pulling off the strip .

You probably know the rest of the story as this may have happen to you once or twice before. The strips comes off with three measly hairs, the wax gets caught on some hair that I wasn’t expecting to remove and your left with a Sally Hanson wax strip dangling between your legs. After enduring the pain of yanking that off, I realize that I now have a couple of bald spots in places I did not want to be bald.

So when my girl friend was talking about booking her next Brazilian wax I offered to come along and some what try it out. For years I’ve heard and read horror stories of the Brazilian wax. Getting out on all fours, raising a leg like a dog peeing on a tree, spreading your butt cheeks to allow a complete stranger to apply hot wax in the most private crevices of my body; this was not a thing I need to rush out and experience. But only leaving once I decided to go out there endure the un imaginable. Summoning my courage, I decided to join my friend and book an appointment.

The salon is located in St Leonards, upon arrival I was greeted by a friendly staff who led me to a almost private room. Inside the room I was told to strip down. As I began to unbuttoning my jeans I had assume I would be left alone to take my clothes off but instead to my horror I found that I had an audience, the friendly staff member was there watching my every move. “Shit!” I thought, “I have to undress in front of her! Kill me NOW!” I laughed nervously as I bounced from one leg to the other to remove my jeans.

There I was my womanliness fully exposed for a stranger on a table. As she prepared the wax, I had a horrible, sick feeling. I wont sugar coat the remainder of the story for you, the removal of my hair at the top of “V” hurt like a mother. But I had faith that the tiny little lady knew what she was doing and she did it quickly and as I later saw perfectly.
The next phase was something I dreaded even more. She’d be removing the hair further down, in the labia region. “Sweet Jesus, where’s the vodka when you need it?” as I thought knowing any minute now the wax would be pulled off! For this, she pushed down both my legs forming a somewhat diamond shape. I felt beyond exposed! I readied myself for the most horrible of my life, at this point I’m sweating bullets. As I felt the heat of the wax, I wished for a leather strap to bite on. I tried to play games on my phone… then rrriiipp to my surprise it wasn’t that bad nor was it pleasant! As I relaxed I assume the remainder of the waxing would be some what similar but boy was that an under statement! The following could not have hurt even more, I almost positive that this is what child birth would feel like! Ohh the pain! I felt as though my entire body was on fire, but this did not last long. Another couple of rips and I was done!

My learning is this: its not as bad as you think, sure it does hurt but its over before you know it. If you get your eyebrows, under arms, arms lips or any form of waxing you most likely withstand the pain on a Brazilian. If you’re remotely curious, I say go for it! But do a little homework and go somewhere either your friend have been or somewhere reputable so your not crouching down on all fours! I can confirm that It feel great to give this area a little care and love!

- By Severine Duval

Does every woman have a Mr. Big in her life?

Brought to life by fiction, most of you ladies must be familliar with Mr. Big (played by Chris Noth) The question is however, do most women have a Mr. Big in their life? Either currently, or someone in the past who still holds that very cliche, yet true... "special place in your heart." More like, we are the ones that are powerless and completely, utterly consumed by this successful, gorgeous, yet arrogant commitment phobic man :)

In Sex And The City (SATC) Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) falls in love with Mr. Big who clearly has commitment issues and is ever so fickle minded. Mr. Big in SATC is one of those men who shudders at the thought of commitment yet, cannot see Carrie Bradshaw (his on-again, off-again girlfriend) with anyone else without sparks of jealousy setting off. Now, how well can you relate to that? I certainly can! There are men that just don't want to put a label on it, yet still think they can push their weight around and call the shots when you show interest in someone else.

Personally, Mr.Big represents that one man in your life, who you fell for, pined for and for no good reason, but it remains to be one that you will never forget. In the case of Sex & The City the movie, Mr. Big leaves Carrie standing at the altar on her own but as the movie unfolds, they do eventually get married in the end.

So for the sake of entertainment they do find their "happy ending". However, in real life... to love a man like that takes patience and a woman that is not emotionally so driven. So, in other words it's highly unlikely for most women to get that happy ending with your Mr. Big.

There are women out there that would patiently wait for the man to eventually come to his senses and realize that it doesn't get better than this and voila! A very rare happy ending.

And what is it about Mr. Big, even in the TV show that makes him so sexy? He's always suited up, charming yet witty. There's something about a succesful man, a gentleman, yet one with edge that we find sooo irresistable don't we?

Now, speaking from personal experience though, in my most cases Mr. Big ends up being that "one that got away" or "that one that never realized how much you loved him". It boils down to women ultimately always pining for that emotionally unavailable man doesn't it? What makes them so darn sexy? It's as if we love rejection, we love to just give, give, give and feel emotinally disconnected. Or is it just because we always want what we can't have?

This video of Mr. Big jilting Carrie at the altar as he succumbs to commitment phobic issues had me stunned. Every woman's worst nightmare..... this is why, Mr. Big should remain in just the past :) But, you just can't help but forgive them over time can you?




Stay tuned ladies, to see what happens between Mr. Big & Carrie Bradshaw in Sex & The City 2, showing in the cinemas June 1, 2010.

- By Simran Sagar.

'The break'

So you’re on a break with your other half- how do you stay busy enough so that your mind does not wonder towards the worst-case scenarios. 80 per cent of us out there will probably let our minds wonder and wonder and just come to the worst conclusions. Next thing you know your on the phone to him begging him to come to a conclusion towards the relationship.

The first thing to remember is that Neediness is by far the biggest turn off, aside from nagging, farting, hair extensions and way too much fake tan and make-up (Samantha 2010) so don’t act needy. Guys need their space! And for us ladies sometimes this very difficult so here is a list of what you can do in order to keep yourself busy during 'the break'.

1. Clean out your cupboard! throw out what you don't need.

2. With all the extra space in your cupboard - you'll need some new outfits- so go out shopping with your girlfriends- there's nothing better then the company of your girlfriends.

3. Get DVD's and have a quite night in with your friends or family.

3. Read a book that you've always wanted to but have had no time to do so.

4. Start a Diary- its a good venting point, you can let out your feelings without literally screaming at your partner.

5. Clean the house- cleaning has been known as therapeutic!

6. Go out to dinner with your girl-friends! Try something new that you've always wanted to have never been able too.

7. Get your nails done!

8. Go for a facial!

9. Go for a massage

10. Have a old fashion sleepover- there nothing better then a night in with your besties bitching about your relationships!

- By Severine Duval

All TV'ed Out.

Why is it that we sometimes get so painfully addicted to a television show and sit at the edge of our seats for the new episode or season to be released on air?

If you haven't had withdrawls from a television show that you've been obsessed with, get hooked because there are so many great shows on air nowadays! Ofcourse, it completely depends on the genre that interests you most but there is no shortage..... from reality shows, to drama, to your everyday chick flicks, comedies etc etc. Ones that I have been so utterly obsessed with are Dexter (the best show ever!), Breaking Bad, Crash, Gossip Girl and 90210. Some of you might think shows like 90210 and Gossip Girl are of no substance, but that's what makes them fun!
Why do so many girls/women still continue to watch shows like Gossip Girl?


Because they transport you into this world that girls love to deny any association with, but hey admit it we all love to gossip or be let in when there is gossip! It unravels you into the lives of the elite that live in the Upper East Side of New York City. As a girl/woman you could easily relate to either/or both the protagonists, Blair Waldorf (played by Leighton Meester) and Serena Van Der Woodsen (played by Blake Lively.) SHOPPING and FASHION a common weakness amongst us women is played up in the entire show amongst the common catfights and guy trouble!
Not to mention, it takes us away into this fictional world where the cute boy-next-door is allowed
to take your breath away... and I'm talking about Chace Crawford (Nate) from Gossip Girl (left) and Matt Lanter (plays Ethan) in 90210 (right). It's amazing though how a television show, a gorgeous actor/actress that consumes and breathes this fictional character can take such a strong grip on you!
It's always intrigued me... why do we love our TV shows? I think apart from just merely being entertained it's because we don't have to go too far, we sit nice and comfortable in the safe surroundings of our humble abode where we get to watch people fall in love, get their hearts broken, make new friendships... etc. All circumstances that we at one stage might have been through and most importantly, can relate to. I got so engrossed in Gossip Girl that it made me want to go to New York even more, 90210 made me re-live the school days where there was a pocketful of drama, bestfriends, bitches and lots of boys.

So, what better way to relax and be nostalgic than be teleported into a different virtual world?

- By Simran Sagar

Hot Yoga

For you out there wanting to start something new i recommend giving Hot Yoga a try. Hot yoga involves a series of 26 postures conducted over 90 minutes. It begins with a breathing exercise to warm up, it then progresses through with 26 postures and it finishes with a toxin-eliminating breathing posture. This series of postures was scientifically designed to systematically work through the entire body. And boy does it work! I recently attempted a class a couple of weeks a go with a girl-friend at V Club. The yoga class was held in a hot room, which was 38 degrees. Doing hot yoga in a warm room allows for greater flexibility, it minimises muscle strain, reduces the chance of injury, promotes greater cleansing of the body and helps builds stamina and endurance. The room was mirrored to enable better body awareness and refinement and deepening of postures through easy self-correction. A lot of people ask why hot yoga and not normal yoga? So i decided to do some research and here is what i came up with from a site called Bikram Yoga.

Well the benefit of doing hot yoga is you constantly sweat which assists the detoxification process. Blood becomes thinner, clearing the circulatory system. Endurance is boosted through consistent practice. Your body turns fat more effectively: fat may be redistributed and burned as energy during the class. It is common to loose centimetres in a short time. Your metabolism speeds up the breakdown of glucose and fatty acids! Your hear-rate becomes elevated, and the cardiovascular systems gets a thorough workout- hear and lung.

So when and where can you do hot yoga? there are a few places in Sydney and North Sydney. There is currently a studio in lane cove. Prices start from 20 dollars per class. But there are great deals and specials running all the time. Especially for students. Currently there are student passes going for 20 dollars for 10 consecutive days - unlimited yoga. A casual class at the moment is costing 16 dollars. If you do not feel comfortable doing hot yoga with a full class there are also private classes available. 1.5 hour private class involves about 1-3 people. So you and your besties can give it ago if you are too embarrass or uncomfortable to do it in front of people!

- By Severine Duval

Sex: just another factor that seperates the nature of men and women.

Can women really just enjoy sleeping with someone with no emotional attachment? Many would say yes there are some women who are strong enough to do so. But honestly, it does get tied down to the nature of the sexes doesn’t it?

Men are capable of having multiple partners to just enjoy the physical act with no emotional attachment whatsoever. But why is it if women take that road, they are considered trashy? That question has always had me intrigued. Just like men, we want physical attention but along with that physical what do we really want? We want to be made to feel beautiful. Do men score at the end of the night so that a woman can make them feel beautiful and attractive? Or do they simply want to score because of their basic need of just wanting to have sex and nothing more.

After a one-night stand a woman would often find herself asking questions like “is he going to call me?”, “was I up to his standards?”etc. But what do men think after? If there was no alterior motive to bringing a girl home, don’t they usually just go to sleep and block off any sentiment shared with a partner?

Men can have multiple partners and can innocently find nothing wrong with that as they are "living every single man's life". However, when we wind up with a boyfriend who has had x number of partners he has slept with we think of it as something so sinful. Is that because for us women sex is always more than just an act and we are always on a quest... for something more?

The fact is, women are always on the hunt for wanting more. No matter how many times we tell ourselves when we are single that we are doing it in the name of fun and there is no attachment, I don’t think our minds are tuned to cut out all emotional attachments no matter how hard we try. There would be no game, no fun, no mystery if both the sexes were emotionally disconnected when it came to the art of sex in the mating game now would there?

- By Simran Sagar

The Break-Up Blues.

Most of us have been through a break up at some stage or another and they have happened for different reasons and hence brought forward different reactions. It all depends on the circumstance doesn’t it? It usually depends on who’s breaking up with who and of course finally, it boils down to personality traits. What I remember distinctly through a lot of the really hard break-up’s is as women sometimes you simply just don’t know what to do. Where do you start? Some of us love to emotionally badger ourselves by caving in and beating ourselves up emotionally with self-reflective comments such as “I cant be without him it's just not the same". "I feel so alone" etc etc.

And I know it's easier said than done but seriously ladies, there is plenty we can do to pick up the little pieces that are sometimes left behind from break-ups. There were many times I wondered, wouldn't it be great if there was some sort of list of things you can do to get your mind off things? There have inevitably been many magazine features of this genre and the good ol' internet is full of worthy tips! But here are some which are fairly more "do-able" and don't just involve self-reflective changes to pacify that nasty break-up.

- The most common one is, CALL A GIRLFRIEND!

Get on that phone or meet up with a friend and just vent and get it all out of your system.

- Get to the nearest store that specializes in bath products, such as LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics that are available globally, and have plenty of stores in Australia. Their Bath Bombs are divine and the best way to pamper yourself with some aromatherapy candles and a relaxing bath!

I reccomend the Comforter Bubble Bar for only $10.50 which leaves you feeling relaxed and fresh!

- Read a book, there are so many good books out there and they are a great way of keeping yourself distracted and getting locked into something away from the real world. A few good reccomendations are, The Twilight Saga if you like the dark, mystic Vampire fictional romances. Shantaram by Gregordy David Roberts is a big book but highly recommended! And, Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis which is an autobiography by the vocalist from Red Hot Chilli Peppers! Those are 3 books that are top reads from my selection of books!

- Exercise!

One of the best ways to vent out all frustrations, keep yourself distracted and have it at your own full advantage! There are so many great things that are available at gym's now or even fitness DVD's you can do in the comforts of your own home. Such as Zumba, Yoga, Pilates, Body Combat and if you are keen to join a gym there is nothing as stimulating and relaxing than Bikram Yoga! The two great gyms in Sydney that offer a few or all of these classes are Fitness First and V Club.

If you aren't interested in any of those, just get out on the road or any cardio machine pump up your iPod to some fast, motivating tunes that you fancy and sweat it all out! I promise, you will leave feeling better!

- Get hooked onto a TV series of your fancy, they are always great at keeping you distracted and addicted! Here is a list of some great ones you can watch online on www.casttv.com, your television provider or on DVD.

• Gossip Girl
• 90210
• The Vampire Diaries
• Dexter
• Glee
• Brothers & Sisters
• Grey's Anatomy
• The Hills
• The City

- Lastly, just head out to the nearest restaurant/bar with your girlfriends and just enjoy good company of friends that always stick by you over some nice cocktails, martinis or even a pitches of good ol' sangria! Two of my favourite places in Sydney are Gazebo Wine Bar as they have amazing Sangrias!

And, North Bondi Italian, located on Bondi Beach as their food and their Skapino's (Vodka and Lime Sorbet) are to die for and are bound to get you in a good mood with the company of your girl friends!

So, do we really need a man, a relationship to hold on to in order to be happy, content, or what everyone sees as normal?

- By Simran Sagar

The latest craze to hit out shores!

Zumba is the latest phenomenon to hit Oz. Zumba is a fusion of latin inspired dance workout that creates a dynamic, exciting and effective fitness system!

My first experience of Zumba started about a month ago, my sister, mother and I headed off to the sport centre to try out this new craze. We did not know what to expect other than what we had seen on recent TV commericals. I expected to see gym fanatics, or even teenie poppers! But instead found myself in a room full of over eager 60-70years old women!

I'm not even sure how to begin describing my zumba experience over the next hour. The closest description I can come up with is that it was a zumba exorcism. Now imagine your grandmother or great grandmother screaming, shaking, sweating, gyrating, panting and flailing all over the place. Boy was it an experience, one that would haunt me for the next month. My sister and I kept sneaking panicked/ amused glances to one another the entire class. These grannies were exerting more energy screaming then they were moving their bodies. I could not concentrate on anything other than this over eager, 60 year old Asian female trying to shake her hips like Shakira and I mean TRYING to! It was more like she was experiencing an electric shock all while bouncing up and down, while hyperventilating! I suppose she was trying to find her own path to her inner Shakira!

I'm somewhat curvy and definitely have hips and thighs, so as i became more comfortable with the insane choreography our instructor was teaching us, I braved a look into the mirrors to see what i looked like. BIG MISTAKE. Being on the front row allows you to see every move you make- it wasn't a pretty sight people. I was dong my best to keep up with the instructor, but every time she yelled to me "SHAKE IT" I could not managed to "GIGGLE IT" At one point I swear i am not exaggerating here- My sister can back me up, she forced us to spread our legs apart as if we were doing a pile style squat. We then had to plant our hands on the ground in front of us. In case you are having a hard time picturing this- my feet were on the ground, my hands were on the ground and my butt was STRAIGHT IN THE AIR! we then proceeded to "shake it" up and down for 16 counts - which felt like about an hour! Now remember i was in the front row! to say i was mortified would be an understatement. I had to resist the urge to turn to the granny behind me and apologies. I have some serious junk in my trunk and i cant imagine what it was like for the cute little granny behind me. I also did a quick little glance to my crotch and to my horror I had a tiny hole that was expanding ever so fast as we giggle our cha cha! glancing back at granny to cute, who i had hoped did not notice was smiling at me with her two front teeth missing! As 9 o'clock approach I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel! I figured the warm down session would be next. But boy was i wrong! Somehow, this crazy women (the instructor) managed to cram 3 songs into the remaining 6 minutes of class- and she actually increased her enthusiasm! She was literally in my face screaming for everyone to "shake it", "move it", and "let me hear you." The class finally came to end and I am almost positive that every granny left feeling as if they barely escaped with only a shred of dignity left. I would definately recommend you try out Zumba with your girlfriends if not for the experience but for a laugh!

- By Severine Duval

Loving the chase...

I was reading 'The chase' over the weekend by Samantha Brett and came across a quote, "Once a girl becomes too available your self worth increases and you may begin to tell yourself that you can do much better..." - Tosh.

This got me thinking. The fact is men need the chase. I decided to practice this theory on my boyfriend over the weekend, and as it turns out its true! I completely ignore him, and acted as though i had better things to do then worry about his every need. I wasn't needed, clingy, overly affectionate and basically didn't give a damn. And as it turned out the less I cared the more he did! He became much more attentive and seeked my attention more and more. Men love to play games, they love the challenge of earning something much more then be given something. Over the centuries men have been chasing after something, and more importantly been rewarded for it! Men feel empowered if they've gone after something and gotten it, claiming something rather than having it given to them is a sense of accomplishment and really that is what has driven mankind for centuries. While mentioning this theory to my boyfriend he admitted that men value something or someone they've had to win over much more. I've always thought that by making things easier in a relationship such as by always checking up on him and worrying about him i was been a good girlfriend but the fact is men find independence sexy and are much more attracted to girls who either don't give a rats about them or who are too busy for them. By making things easier for a men were boring them death, but by living our own life we are making things much more appealing and interesting for them! I've always wondered how and why men stay with their girlfriends who are complete bitches to them and I now know why, it all about the chase!

- By Severine Duval