Yesterday, I had the honour of going to the Cosmo Blog Awards where I was a shortlisted nominee in the Sex and Relationships category. Over 15,000 blogs were nominated by blog fans for the awards, so to have even made the shortlist is pretty mindblowing.

I’m pleased to announce that I was the runner up in my category. It was an incredibly proud moment for me, not just because I work so hard on this blog, but because it was voted for by the readers. So, I cannot thank you enough for your continued support and encouragement and for getting me into that room with some amazing bloggers yesterday. I had an absolute blast.

After the awards I got so many messages on Twitter and Facebook from people congratulating me and saying I should have won. It was really overwhelming. All I can say is, it’s made me want to work even harder to continue to get some recognition for what we bloggers do.

Cosmo Blog Awards 2011 – it’s mine!

Thank you all again so much – I wouldn’t have been there if not for you.

God, I hate September. It’s such an awkward wardrobe month. I spend the whole summer clinging on for dear life to sandals and pretty dresses, but making sure I shove my umbrella in my bag, just in case. Of course, there’s barely enough room in my bag, what with my ‘just in case’ sunglasses and ‘just in case’ cardigan. But somehow, I battle through.

I actually look forward to the autumn where I can be guaranteed cold, blustery weather. I like a few long months where I know that whatever I decide to do with my hair that day with be obliterated by a gale force wind the moment I leave the house. I know where I stand: boots, warm jacket, thicker tights, possibly a scarf. And nice woolly cardigans – oh I love a woolly cardigan. But what on earth am I meant to do with September? Inevitably, after keeping us guessing all summer, the weather decides to play a particularly evil trick and get all ‘Mediterranean’ on us.

I can’t wear sandals in September – I remember from my ‘back to school’ days, there’s just something unseemly about September sandal-wearing. Can I even do open toe? What are my options? A slip-on flat? Maybe, but then if it rains and I get a case of the soggy-toots, I won’t be happy. Are bare legs acceptable or should I be opting for a 10 denier tight? These decisions plague my day so much, I have to get up half an hour earlier, the whole month, just to stand in front of my wardrobe looking confused, or curse at the weather channel.

I find nothing more satisfying than shopping for my autumn wardrobe. Well, there are a few things that may pass as being more satisfying than that, but we won’t go into them. Chunky knits, the waist length jacket and the knee length jacket that have to be just heavy enough, the tights – plain and patterned, the hats. *sigh* I love them. Oh and don’t even try to tell me you don’t dance a secret Irish jig on the inside when you buy your first knee high boots of the season.

But none of that quite seems to fit in in September. It’s a throw away, limbo fashion month. I must brace myself to see many-a-confused outfit over the next 30 days. Heavy jackets with sandals, boots with tank tops, oh I’m sure I’ll see it all.

Make a decision September! You’re making it too hard!

[This is the latest installment of a series of blog posts on Woman Law. Check out Smarty, Jaded and F%$K It List's blogs for more.]

Ladies, we go through a lot to look fabulous. I know of some girls whose morning routine takes two hours. I don’t hang out with them much because, obviously, you don’t get a lot done, but you have to admire their commitment to presentation. So, when our fabulosity gets thrown off track, sometimes by forces out of our control, it is our duty as women to tell our sisters in arms, give them a heads up and a chance to rectify it before losing face.

I first realised the importance of this when this little incident happened last year. After enjoying a delightful hot chocolate, I apparently walked around the city for a good half hour with bright red lipstick smeared all over my chin. The horror! What’s worse is nobody told me. Everybody looked at me and let me think they were admiring my good looks/slammin’ body/lovely outfit – oh yes, they looked, but no one actually pulled me aside, gave me a tissue and told me to sort myself out. I had to discover it by taking a chance glance in a shop mirror.

That day, I went home and cursed womankind. I was outraged and appalled that no one spoke up. I always speak up in those situations. I mean, it’s a no brainer, right? Tag sticking out, zip undone, button missing, toilet paper on shoe, skirt tucked into knickers, lipstick on teeth, food in teeth – whatever the case may be, you tell a woman when it’s happening. Or do you? DO YOU?!

Would you rather sit in smugness and think ‘that’s another bitch down’ while hoisting yourself further up the flagpole so everyone can see how great you look in comparison to this chick with mascara running down her face and lettuce in her teeth? If you don’t mention it, isn’t it actually kind of vindictive and bitchy?

Of course, it all depends on the situation. Most people would tell a friend in a heartbeat. But surely the time and the place should count for something here. I wouldn’t yell across the table at a dinner party that she’s had a nip slip. Kick her under the table, use sign language, morse code, discreetly pull her aside, whatever you have to do, but don’t say it so other people overhear it and draw further attention to what is a potentially mortifying situation.

But would you tell a stranger? I say, as a general rule, unless the woman looks like she could take you down with one sucker punch, you absolutely should. Again, discretion is key. This doesn’t extend to you telling someone their outfit sucks – for that, you can and should expect to be bitch slapped with great force. No one’s talking about your personal taste. But for something that can clearly be classed as a wardrobe/make up type malfunction, it’s only right you speak up and save a woman the embarrassment.

You’d want someone to do the same for you, right?

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I’m shortlisted for a Cosmo Blog Award in the Sex & Relationships category and I will booty grope you like you’ve never been booty groped before if you vote for me! Vote Bangs!

Recently, a bunch of bloggers, myself included, blogged about Mac’s latest make up collection (in partnership with Rodarte), inspired by the city of Juarez. Juarez is a town in Mexico where over 400 girls have been raped and murdered and the killings never solved.

They namd items in the collection things like ‘Ghost Town’, which was highly inappropriate, given what has actually happened there. They also had no plans to donate any of the proceeds to a cause that could help the people of Juarez. It seemed like nothing more than profiting from people’s pain.

Hundreds of blogs were written about this and nearly 1300 people signed their name to a petition against it. Yesterday, the news came from Mac that they will now be donating 100% of the profits from this collection to the people of Juarez.

I’d like to congratulate each and every one of the bloggers who wrote about it and readers who shared the links with those they know. It was fantastic to see people coming together like this. I’d also like to give a special middle finger salute to the asshole who left a sarcasm-laced comment on my post saying how I was an ‘armchair activist’ and if I wasn’t donating my own money I should shut up. I may not have millions of dollars like Mac, but myself and the other bloggers did what we could to raise awareness of this issue and as a result, the people of Juarez will benefit from it rather than be bled dry.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts the power of blogging, this should be all the proof you need.

Far be it from me to make out as though I have any knowledge of the make up industry (I own like, two lipsticks and a powder – to say I’m clueless is an understatement), but my Twitter army of beauty bloggers recently brought something to my attention that deserves to be shouted about.

MAC Cosmetics new collection is inspired by the factory town of Juarez in Mexico. Nothing wrong with that, you say, inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere, right? Well yes, but when you do a little research, you’ll find that more than 400 women have been raped, tortured and murdered in Juarez in recent years. Amidst allegations of police and government corruption, most of these killings remain unsolved. I don’t know about you, but the last thing that brings to my mind is a frikkin’ lipstick.

Most of these murdered girls worked in the factories in Juarez and were murdered while walking to or from work. MAC, in a moment of genius (or sheer, unadulterated stupidity, whichever way you wanna look at it) have called products in their new line ‘Factory’, ‘Badlands’, ‘ Ghost Town’ and other such mind-numbingly insensitive and offensive things, you’d be forgiven for believing they have trained chimps running the company.

MAC put out a statement saying that on a recent road trip to the area they were inspired and the collection is intended as a ‘celebration of the beauty of the landscape and the people’. First off, you went on a road trip which I’m assuming you made it back from. Congratulations, so many other women didn’t. Secondly, what exactly about the beauty of these people’s suffering did you want to celebrate?

When news spread, as it tends to do, like wildfire around the internet of this grossly insensitive collection, MAC responded with a statement saying that ‘MAC will give a portion of the proceeds of the MAC Rodarte collection to help those in need in Juarez’ and they’re trying to figure out a way to do that.

Umm, what? First of all, why are we talking about a ‘portion’? Furthermore, what is there to figure out? Just frikkin’ do it!

You know what the people of Juarez need? Some help, some hope and a non-corrupt government and police force who are actually willing to investigate these horrific crimes – not some goddamn lipstick and nail polish!

Here’s hoping someone over at MAC gets their head out of their ass in time for this giant blunder of epic proportions to be remedied. But as I said, I know little about the beauty industry. There is an army of extremely talented (and lovely) beauty bloggers out there, who are much more clued in about this subject matter and express it far more eloquently than I – I encourage you to check out their blogs on this topic (we are all posting our blogs at 8pm UK time tonight).

Mizz Worthy, British Beauty Blogger, Lady of The Lane, Big Fashionista, Vex in the City, So Far So Chic, London Makeup Girl, Get Lippie, London Beauty Queen, Krasey Beauty, Make Up Loveer, 6 Inch Stilettos, Sparkles & Bows, Healing Beauty, Really Ree, Just Nice Things, Make Up Advice Forum, Liloo, Make Up By Katy and of course Beauty Mouth

That lovely yellow mac I’m wearing is called a Splashmac and I think we can all agree, it’s rather fetching. A limited edition collection of Splashmacs (from MandMdirect.com) have been designed by Philip Treacy, Erdem, Ben Grimes and Holly Fulton.

This mac is perfect for me because a) clearly, living in England, I’ll have ample excuse to wear it and b) I plan to wear it while riding my bike so motorists can’t possibly say they didn’t see me. But it’s also ideal for the festival season – it folds down really small and fits into its own little bag.

They’re one size fits all and only cost £9.99. All the proceeds go to the Teenage Cancer Trust. There’s really no better way to stay looking sexy during those summer showers and donate to a good cause.

You can purchase a Splashmac (available in four styles/colours) from MandMdirect.com here.

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NOMINATE ME!

Cosmopolitan has launched its Blog Awards and I would be so grateful and honoured if you would take a moment to nominate  Bangs and a Bun in the ‘Lifestyle’ category. It only takes a second and I will love you long time if you do. Click here and make my day. Thank you!

The Social Media Mafia, (which consists of myself, Smarty Jones, The Jaded NYer, F$%k It List and Reina Song), have decided it’s high time we set down in bloggery, The Woman Law. On the whole, chicks seem to have lost their way (See: Kat Stacks), so we’re here to help you get back on track. Today, I discuss the importance of being a lady.

Women today are seriously misguided . Good manners and etiquette have fallen by the wayside. The role model count is way down. I look to women of the past, who actually had some class, then look at women today and despair.

On the left we have the divine Grace Kelly, on the right we have full time drunken train wreck and part time actress Lindsay Lohan. I rest my case.

Here are some basic tips on how to keep it classy:

Getting into Cars

I do not need to know the intimate details of your womb every time you get into or out of a car. If you’re wearing a skirt, it’s bum first, legs follow. Please keep your legs together. It’s much classier and no one thinks you’re at your gynecologist appointment. It really goes without saying that you should always be wearing underwear. If you have, at any point, left your house wearing a dress and no underwear and gotten into a car like you’re mounting a horse, give yourself a slap right now and let’s move on.

Being Drunk in Public

Huge no no. If you are past college age and you still go out and drink to get drunk, you should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself. As a lady, you should be able to enjoy a drink and still remember your name at the end of the night. Nobody is interested in your drunk tales the day after either. It’s not brag-worthy that you behave like that, it’s embarrassing.

Fighting

If you ever come to physical blows with another woman, you should have your vagina revoked immediately. Fighting is the most classless thing you can do as a woman. Stop making an ass of yourself, control your mouth and your fists and act right.

Potty Talk

If you belch, pass wind or whatever, don’t ever do it or make reference to it in public. No one needs to know about your toilet habits.

Don’t Groom in Public

That’s what bathrooms are for. Why are you clipping your nails on the bus? Applying your make up at the table in the restaurant? Brushing your hair on the train? And while I’m on the subject, stop applying your make up with a trowel. Minimalism is key. Some of you are looking like drag queens.

Stay on Top of Your Grooming

If you’ve chosen to dye your hair, you’ve also signed up for the upkeep. Don’t let it get to the stage where we see more of your roots than the actual hair colour. Do your eyebrows. If you have a moustache, wax that crap. Shave your pits and your legs and make sure your bikini region doesn’t resemble the Amazon. Single ladies, don’t think you don’t need to ’cause you don’t have a man – we need to stay ready. Girls in relationships, don’t think you don’t need to because you’re secure in your nest. If you’re not doing it anymore, your man will go out and find someone who is. Fact.

Wear Nice Lingerie

Your undergarments are, quite literally, the foundation of your outfit. If you’re wearing four year old knickers with holes in and a mismatched bra, you’re starting off totally on the wrong foot. Wear a nice, matching set of underwear and you’ll feel better and more confident. Operate by the ‘what if I get hit by a bus?’ rule.

The above is the bare minimum of what you should be doing as ladies. I’m tired of hearing women say ‘I don’t care.’ You absolutely should care. This stuff is important. Let’s get it together ladies!

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NOMINATE ME!

Cosmopolitan has launched its Blog Awards and I would be so grateful and honoured if you would take a moment to nominate  Bangs and a Bun in the ‘Lifestyle’ category. It only takes a second and I will love you long time if you do. Click here and make my day. Thank you!

When I arrived in Toronto in December of 2006, I got a job doing PR for an independent designer. She’d never had someone to do her PR and didn’t really have the budget. She was paying me $10 a hour and would only hire me part time. Meanwhile, my rent was $600 a month so, well, you do the math. It was a struggle, but I was desperate.

It would’ve been nice if I actually got the chance to do some PR, but it turned out there were all these other things involved that were never in the job description, like being the main point of contact for the 80+ stores we supplied to across Canada and the States. And shipping clothes out. And doing quality control. And entering every single item of clothing into Quickbooks. And sometimes doing invoicing. And the whole time, I’m being paid $10 an hour. I can barely even afford to get to work.

While I’m there, the designer talks down to me and the other members of staff constantly. Actually, the way she spoke to anyone was shocking. I wanted to grab her, shake the crap out of her and say ‘Honey, you ain’t no Karl Lagerfeld. Dial the ego down about 10 notches.’ She was rude, obnoxious and completely up her own ass.

She eventually asked me why she hadn’t had any press coverage yet. ‘Well perhaps if I wasn’t your personal UPS service, I might actually be able to do my job,’ I said. I struggled on for the next few weeks, but the new collection had just come out and who better to ship it out to the stores than the person who’s meant to be doing PR? The designer went to trade shows in LA and New York – a perfect opportunity for me to do some PR and network with journalists – but she never invited me.

She got me to ship things to a PR agency in New York. A few days later she told me she was letting me go because that agency would be doing her PR from now on. She had made me send clothing samples to the people who were taking my job. I wasn’t mad. I was relieved actually. Though I did wonder how much a New York agency would be charging to do her PR when she was supposedly struggling to pay me $10 an hour.

She gave me two weeks notice and said I could work those two weeks or not. I opted to focus on finding a new job and didn’t go into the office. At the end of those two weeks, I called her for my pay cheque, she said she didn’t owe me anything. This, of course, was nonsense. She owed me for the two weeks notice. Going back and forth with emails was futile. I went to a workers rights group who calculated that she owed me over $700. Thankfully, they had a legal team who dealt with her on my behalf for no fee.

Meanwhile, I discovered she hadn’t been taking tax or insurance out of my pay so I wasn’t entitled to job seeker’s allowance. I was flat broke. I had to borrow $600 from a friend to pay my rent.

After much back and forth, I settled with the designer for less than I should have and by the time all the back tax was taken out, I think I actually only got $127.

I got my $127 a week before I had to leave to Toronto and move to Nova Scotia as I couldn’t find any work. In short, my dealings with that woman changed my whole life at the time quite dramatically.

Cut to a couple of weeks ago and I get an email from someone who is now doing the PR for this designer. They inform me that she is apparently in a competition being held by a major Canadian fashion magazine and they’d love for me to feature her on my blog. I laughed. A lot. Then I sent the following email:

Dear ——

I used to work with —– —— so am well aware of her and her work. I have no interest in either and will not be featuring her on my blog. I’m sure if you ask Ms —– about me, she would rather I didn’t feature her either.

Word to the wise, you might want to make sure you get paid before you do any more promotion for her.

Regards,

Bangs

Karma, my friends, is a bitch. Be careful how you treat people when they’re on the come up because some things, will almost certainly, come to bite you in the ass.

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NOMINATE ME!

Cosmopolitan has launched its Blog Awards and I would be so grateful and honoured if you would take a moment to nominate  Bangs and a Bun in the ‘Lifestyle’ category. It only takes a second and I will love you long time if you do. Click here and make my day. Thank you!

You know I love you, right? I do, I love you long time. And what better way for me to show that love than with a giveaway? (Well, aside from all those virtual booty gropes I give you all day long).

So, to celebrate the fabulousness of you and show you how much I appreciate your continued support of my bloggery, the lovely people at Paul Mitchell have given me some stuff to give you sexy people.

I have 3 sets of the following to give away:

- 500ml I ? Awapuhl Shampoo and Conditioner

- Limited Edition Freeze and Shine Spray

- Limited Edition Fast Drying Sculpting Spray

- I ? Paul Mitchell shopper

Pretty amazeballs, right?

Paul Mitchell are currently celebrating their 30th birthday. To find out more go to www.paul-mitchell1980.co.uk

Three of you lucky devils are in with a chance of getting one of these packs. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling me when your hair is at it’s best: it could be a haircut you’ve had or a style you like to wear your hair in. If you leave a comment on my Facebook page, you get entered again. Simples!

Entries close at 5.30pm UK time on Wednesday (July 14th) and I’ll announce the winners on Thursday.

It’s open to everyone, so get commenting!

**** NOW CLOSED ****

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NOMINATE ME!

Cosmopolitan has launched its Blog Awards and I would be so grateful and honoured if you would take a moment to nominate  Bangs and a Bun in the ‘Lifestyle’ category. It only takes a second and I will love you long time if you do. Click here and make my day. Thank you!

Fellow fabulous blogger, Big Fashionista is for tattoos and I am against. Today, we debate. Check out her blog for her take on it.

There’s been a definite rise in the popularity of tattoos over the past few years. There’s the Suicide Girls (sexy chicks, posing half naked, showing off their bad ass tatts), shows like Miami Ink, LA Ink, London Ink, Peckham Ink (I made up the last one, but let’s face it, it won’t be long). People are pretty quick to show off their tattoos and sit you down for lengthly discussions about their meanings. I don’t necessarily object to tattoos per say, I just object to bad ones.

Little known Bangs fact: I actually have a tattoo. Yeah, that’s right. Check this bad boy out:

Yeah, you didn’t think I was that bad ass did you? (Excuse the attire – I was rushing out the door to boxing class, which in itself, proves that I am in fact, pretty bad ass).

I got that when I was 17. It means ‘love’ in Japanese. It is the corniest of corny tattoos. I agonised over what to get for months. Talked it through with my parents (who are obviously very liberal). I initially wanted to go with a sign of where I’m from, so was going to have half a shamrock and half a maple leaf (Ireland and Canada) – oh the horror. As I’d always been fairly obsessed with Japanese culture, I somehow settled on this.

Now, 12 years on, do I hate it? No. But I am super glad I have it in a place that is covered most of the time. If I ever get pregnant, it’ll just be a bunch of nonsensical random lines on my stomach. I don’t particularly want to go through the pain or expense of getting it removed, so it remains, as a sign of my youth. I made great decisions as a youngster – I didn’t drink, do drugs, have underage sex – but the tattoo? My one error in judgement.

As errors in judgement go, at least I had the sense to keep mine small and discreet. Other people clearly don’t think their body art through. Don’t get me wrong, I have friends who are tatted to the rafters and I think they look great. It’s part of who they are, they have put a lot of thought into what they get, it’s who they are and it’s a lifestyle choice. But then there are the women who get them on their upper arms, which is awful. I don’t care what you have there, you look like you’re ready to fight at all times. It gives off a horrible impression. Most times it tends to be something terribly tacky like a heart (bitch please!), a devil, their star sign – yawn, yawn, yawn. Come on! Or a tramp stamp, which it synonymous with tackiness.

Worse is someone’s name. If you have someone’s name tatted on you, you’re an idiot. A partner’s? That’ll look great when you break up. Your kids? Why? You can’t remember their names? If you want something to show how much they mean to you, walk on hot coals and take a picture. Your own name? Why in the frik would you get your own name tattooed on yourself? That is the height of douchebaggery.

Overall, there are very few people who can pull off tattoos. I say, if you’re gonna do it, go big or go home. None of this devil on your shoulder crap. I’ve never seen an old person look good with tatts and that’s what I always think when I see these young chicks tatted up – what happens when you have to wear a ball gown to a formal event and you have ‘Mike’s 4Eva’ inked across your shoulder blades. Hmm, classy. Think it through!

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NOMINATE ME!

Cosmopolitan has launched its Blog Awards and I would be so grateful and honoured if you would take a moment to nominate  Bangs and a Bun in the ‘Lifestyle’ category. It only takes a second and I will love you long time if you do.Click here and make my day. Thank you!