TICKLED PINK; BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Hello lovelies! I hope you're all having a beautiful start to the week. I'm back basking in what sunshine and warmth there is left in Greece, since fall and cool winds encroaches at an incredible pace.

I seriously don't know where this past year has gone, except we're in October already! Which means Breast Cancer Awareness month!!! I'm sure I don't have to remind you guys, when I say get yourself checked out! (Info on how to check your girls here!)  A good way of remembering your annual health check appointments is setting them around the time of your birthday, so there's no excuse whatsoever.

I'm not going to go barmy on the subject of Breast Cancer, since most of us are pretty savvy on what it's all about but it would be good to do your bit & support local charities etc.
Anyhow, I'm a sucker for fuchsia, so here are just a few fave pink coloured products that tickled my fancy: (I now, I kinda went heavy on the lips!)

1. Revlon Super Lustrous Lip balm (in Pink Crystal)  - a gorgeous sheer lipgloss in a cute pot that comes with a nifty little brush too!
2. Shu Uemura Rouge unlimited Supreme shine lipstick in Deep Raspberry
3. Origins Make a Difference (Hand cream) & Peace of mind (Peppermint balm for stress - I cannot tell you how this has saved me from many a headache or tension on my neck) which comes on a pink clip, with each purchase $3.50 goes towards The Breast Cancer Resarch Foundation!
4. Benefit Ultra shine lipgloss in Back to the Fuschia.

If you're in the States, check out what other products are supporting the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign here & if you're in the UK check out Stylist Magazine's picks where some or all of the profits are donated to Breast Cancer charities here.

My pink passion continues....

 Bourganvilla overlooking Santorini via Pinterest

 Pink interiors with a pop. Betsey Johnson's home is just a girlie pink casa, via Elle Decoration UK

Don't tell me you don't recognise these? Barbie's heels!

I only very recently came across Lela Altman's work, isn't this gorgeous? It's untitled but in the Smoke paintings collection.

original quote via here but apparently John Lennon famously quoted this.

Oakely Doakely lovers! Have a top week!

x.o.x.o

BECAUSE IT'S (A FASHIONABLE) MONDAY...

I love this shot, so much vibrancy, prints, colour... Love Anna's simple white mini dress with accents of  turquoise, Elena Perminova's cool edgy outfit (far left) & Miroslava's awesome sense of style via Style.com (Tommy Ton for RTW SS13)

Hello darlings! How was your weekend? Were you glued to all the NYFW coverage, who were you most excited about? I've managed to watch a few online already and loved the runway soundtack for Rebecca Minkoff (as well as the turquoise and coral eye makeup), Jason Wu's gorgeous & super sexy collection, Nicholas K to Kate Spades fun & girly show.
Did you watch the amazing Paralympics Closing Ceremony? Major surprise newsflash of the year for me was hearing about Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds secret wedding.
Oh and have you seen just how mind blowingly amazing Kate Hudson is in the GLEE video? Yowsers, does she look good, the mash up of Gaga & JLo is kinda interesting! Wonder what Sarah Jessica Parker will bring to the show too.

Well, it was a corker of a weekend to say the least! 

Since blogosphere is likely to be overflowing with copious amounts of Fashion Week round-ups, I thought I'd leave you with some inspirational quotes from some of fashions finest legendary talents & share a little SS13 Designer doodles with y'all! Enjoy!

Fashion Quotes all via here

Left: Oscar de la Renta & "Crystalline." — Whitney Port
Lots of gorgeous photography, designer illustrations and random image inspiration for Designers SS13 rtw collections via WWD. There are three parts; part one, part two & part 3.

Left:"Contemporary Surrealism." — Michelle Smith, Milly, "Timeless influence." — Carolina Herrera & "Metamorphosis: The spring 2013 collection acknowledges the prophetic symbolism of the Luna Moth to exhort the evolution and transformation of an ever-intuitive Bibhu woman." — Bibhu Mohapatra.
Other than style.com, or Vogue for the latest catwalk shows, I absolutely love ShowStudio.com

for their coverage too, especially the live panel discussion about Victoria Beckham's new collection a little about the woman herself. Very interesting indeed. The panel consists of the fabulous Lou Stoppard, Colin McDowell, Camilla Morton and Fred Butler.

I hope you have a super stylish week loves!

καλή εβδομάδα!

CHANGES: BE RIGHT BACK DARLINGS...

image originally via Marie Claire South Africa "Ibiza Nights'

I'm currently attempting a few changes to the layout & experimenting a little etc... but it being so damn hot here, all I've been dealing with is the spinning beach ball of death and an overheated fan... My laptop sounds like it's about to lift off! Anyhoos, please bear with me lovelies... I'll be back soon!

via  here

 via here edited by me

New month, new hair... Just how short?

Happy July to you loves! So how's the weekend going so far? 

Ok, I've finally given in to submitting some kind of photographic evidence that my hair has been cut short, above: the sleek and chic version and below, a slightly messier look (- I'm not wearing any make up so yes, there is censorship just in case I frighten you poor loves into shockosphere). Know what? A new hair cut is quite liberating & also it feels really good knowing that my hair - a whole stonking  14" has been donated to the Little Princess Trust, which they'll be using to make into a wig. My genius of a hairdresser Nick, left a few pieces at the front (the long piece so he could play with that later), pulled two ponytails, one on the top half of head and another bottom half - cutting that piece first to determine length (and just how short I was prepared to go) then the top half piece where he was able to go shorter - old snaps of hair here. I did have images with me (along with an addressed envelope/elastic bands/tissue paper to wrap hair in) but since Nick (Harringtons) has been cutting my hair for well over a decade, I thought I'd let him work his magic. Et Voila!

I'm loving the versatility of this cut and although the short length has taken some getting used to I know it'll take no time to grow out, especially in this heat. With a little salt spray or texturising wax/gum the messy look can be achieved in no time at all, which is great for someone who is relatively low-maintenance. What do you think? Would any of you ever go for a dramatic chop?

Welcoming the new month with these words...

 image via here edited with Abes quote.

This shot of Angkor Wat was taken many moons ago... words borrowed with some additional bits from moi!

Kalo Mina & have a wonderfully wow July loves!

The Bride wore vintage & miu miu's

Hello everyone!

How's your week going? It feels like my life just fast forwarded in a nano-second and here I am back in super hot Athens! I honestly don't know where the past week went except that I had a total blast.
In a nutshell this was the news I received: Just landed in London - one of the BFF's water broke so our dinner plans together were scuppered, another BFF announced her pregnancy (I now have babies busting out from August, Oct, Nov & Dec - crikey!), my baby cousin (to me she's a baby anyway) announced her engagement (woohoo!) & erm... Oooh, I have a new haircut! Yup, I went for the chop and for two days, I experienced that weird phantom hair thing, particularly whenever I brushed my hair! Photos to share soon!
Just wanted to share a little snippet of what the bride wore... More to come loves!

Aren't these just to die for??? Remember Jo the Shoe Buyer/Designer from the I want this Job series? It was her fabulous wedding &  I wouldn't have expected anything less from her choice of footwear - the miu miu wedding heels rocked! She danced away all night in these beauties! Plus her dress was something else, Jo looked a vision of beauty in a lace vintage strapless gown.

 

I am slowly catching up on everything and yes, I realise I'm lagging massively in blogosphere, but I am still around. Have missed you guys & your inspiration in a mega way! Thanks for stopping by.

 via someecards

With July nearly upon us already & I can't help but ask myself where this year went or if my dreams/goals have been achieved or wondering if I could have done more, been more... It's just that in the past week I felt like I truly lived, maybe that's just London... It was frantic but in a good busy bee kinda way and I mananged to accomplish a lot in such a short space of time. So I find myself asking if I made the most of the past six months? What would I have done differently, changed or even improved? Do any of you ever feel like you've pushed the boundary hard enough or procrastinated til the very last moment because of fear? Lastly, I remember reading this somewhere and asked myself too: "When was the last time you did something for the very first time?'

via Thought Questions

Because it's Monday...

I need me some fierce bling to brighten up my Mondays. Aurelie Bidermann Lips Choker, evil eye charm necklace via The Man Repeller

Welcome to the week loves! I'm not much of a Monday lover since the weekend feels like it flies by far too quickly, but today is a bit of an exception. So far I've had amazing news that a blogger bud has gotten engaged, one of my BFF's is about to pop, yet she's already 3 days late - I think he just wants an audience! Hopefully it won't be a Carrie situation (when Miranda's water broke all over Carrie's brand new Louboutins!) & also I'll be jetting off to London tomorrow, yay! 

 

Yep, I'm off to yet another wedding, so hopefully my friends baby will make an appearance whilst i'm there! image via L'espoir

Because it's Monday...

 via here

I'm sorry I haven't gotten round to everyones blogs yet, my laptop keeps overheating (it's been 34-38 degrees the past week!) and I am currently damned with the spinning beach ball of death & never ending 'force quit' action! Ugh!

I hope you all have a super week... I am a little relieved to say that Greece is still in the Eurozone... but for how long, who knows? Anyhoos, I'm gonna be forever the optimist. Ciao for now lovers!

x.o.x.o

Visions of a Colour-Filled Summer

 Clemence Poesy for Glamour UK (Feb 2012) by David Oldham - loved this entire shoot btw via here.

Hello darlings, are you glad it's Friday?

Summer has been in full swing over here for quite some time. It's one of my favourite seasons as that's when I truly feel I'm at my optimal best. These days I'm letting my imagination run wild, smiling at the most ridiculous things I see, along with this fantastic quote I read recently in the back of my mind: "Someone else is happy with less than what you have."

Maxi's, mini's, it doesn't really matter what, as long as there's colour! via here

I simply adore pink exteriors, love this! via here

Beautiful blooms by Thomas Blumenthal via flickr

Tropical colours depicts the perfect summer for me - think oranges & pinks. via here

The works of Eric Cahan via here

How would you describe your favourite summer colours? I always seem to struggle when describing colours I love, call me crazy but it's somewhere along the lines of sunset/dusk or a packet of Tooty Fruity's (purple, pinks, orange) or the sea (emerald greens, azure blues)...

So true! Anyways... Gotta go...

 

 My rides here gorgeous people...

Have a wickedly awesome weekend!

Because its Monday: Good vibes & Words of Wisdom

Hello loves, I trust you all had a wonderful weekend despite some of us losing an hours beauty sleep!

 via Dreams-in-fashion

I often come across words of wisdom or quotes that inspire, motivate or that I can just totally relate to & it's often when I'm lacking in the inspiration department or feeling a little bleh, that I like to re-read and go back to some of my favourite quotes (of which there are waaaay to many).

Glistening Hong Kong in the rain via here.

“I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life. I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

Tommy Ton shooting for Harpers Bazaar March 2012 ft. Hanne Gaby Odiele & Ming Xi. Via here 

  I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.  I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou (- American Author & Poet)  Even the most rational person can act or react irrational when life throws a few curveballs, just remember that random acts of kindness are always unexpected and will forever put a smile on someones face.

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar.  I think about this one when I get stuck in a rut and overthink things too much. 


“There are no short cuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills. This is just so true, for pretty much everything I have ever achieved or learnt in life, mistakes are there to be made, being focused helps and at the end of the day I'm always learning. 

"Some people dream of success, whilst others wake up and work hard at it." No idea who said this - Pinterest??? "Good things come to those who work their asses off & never give up!"


Despite all the good vibes and quotes about life, nothing else is as important as your own happiness & health.

I hope you enjoyed some of these! I'm on a bit of a quotes roll at the mo, especially since finishing Steve Jobs' autobiography, which was amazing btw and now I'm reading "The Jimmy Choo Story". I guess what I'm hinting at is that it's always good to have a little bit of constant life re-inforcement action going on. I'm going to sound a bit cheesy when I say that I love Tony Robbins acronym: CANI, what does it mean? Constant and never-ending improvement, sounds tiring just thinking about it, no? Well it's a good motivational saying you can apply to any area of life.

via here 

Thank you for stopping by, reading, commenting or even following - the whole shebang really. You guys mean the world to me. I know I haven't been around much lovelies, but I'm not going to try and beat myself up about that. When I'm done with most of my projects I'll be back in full ABG force, right now I'm not going to be able to respond to all your wonderful comments or catch up on blog reading, just yet...

Gorgeous Isabel Lucas in Prada Resort for Vogue December (Australia) 2012 via here

Wishing you a wonderful sunny week ahead! 

x.o.x.o

 

via here

Because It's Monday: Gimme Some Sparkles

Ok, perhaps not my sentiments exactly today, but I'm pretty sure most of you suffer from those Manic Mondays, or even blaah Mondays... It's the start to the new working week, so my wish for you is to grab a coffee or power shake and rock on this week!

I guess this first picture does somehow reflects my mood of late, being pulled in numerous directions, trying to do everything and trying to balance it all very carefully. I feel like those performance artists with spinning plates... and if one falls then the others may well do the same... Crash and burn.

Therefore, I'm going to take a mini break from the blog. So please forgive me if I fall behind on my blog roll and don't comment back immediately over next week or so. You guys mean the world to me, & those who know me well, will know that I always have time for you & reply back (unless you're a spammer asking to follow, if this is the case, please do me the courtesy of visiting at least a few times so I remember who you are & build up a relationship).
I am still around, I just need to focus on some other bits right now, If anyone has ever been in the position of playing role-reversal amongst other things, you may well know what I mean...

Yes please, I wouldn't mind a re-fillable glittery coffee cup

I'd like to try this soon, pretty glittery nails with black bow-tie.

The Festival of Light, Lanterns filling the sky in Chiang Mai, so beautiful. I once saw this festival in Laos, one of the most remarkable places on earth. Everyone just got together, it was amazing seeing a community of people gel together to create such a beautiful festival.

Words to live by, Audrey is often right, no?

New readers, regular kittens, silent followers/visitors, you're awesome!

Have a great week everyone! Καλή εβδομάδα!!!

images via: 1, 2 & 3, 4 - Google images & 5 (edited by ABG)

Super Saturdays: Words to live by

I hope you're weekend is going well lovelies... I couldn't be more excited and happier now that my folks have popped over for a visit. Plus, they've brought over some of my favourite things, now that is love! I swear they think i'm still a teenager, especially when the mini case is filled with edible goods and Chinese cooking products you can't usually get over here.

The night before their arrival something pretty awful happened... which makes me despise what's going on in this country even more... My Mother-in-laws place was broken into for the 3rd time in 1 year... What's even scarier is that it's pretty obvious they've been stalking her as they know when she leaves for work and when the home is free for their taking. The apartment was a complete mess and I'm just thankful she was never home when it happened and luckily, nothing of serious value was taken either. These were the same fools who broke in the previous times, no one that dumb would attempt swinging from the rooft top onto a top floor balcony... , life goes on in Greece.

I can so relate to this!

images via pinterest

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!