For my Australian readers, this is probably the last thing you want to read about right now. Winter?! Cold?! What’s that! Tell me how to melt-proof my face in 40 degree heat please.

No. I’m cold and I’m sick and I’m going to tell you about my winter beauty essentials instead. So there.

I can say this, wearing my smuggest smug face, that I love being right.

I posted back in February last year that I thought Clare Bowen would be the next big thing. I saw her in Spring Awakening at the Sydney Theatre Company and fell in love with her big blue eyes and soulful voice – girl crush alert. Fast forward and she is now part of the cast for one of the years biggest TV shows over here – Nashville. Perhaps I have a career in talent-spotting. Listen to this song and try not to fall in love.

It’s on repeat.

Sometimes you don’t need anything more than a bangin choon to get you through a Friday.

I love Azaelia Banks. I love 212. You should probably not play this in your office cos it’s massively NSFW (the video is fine, but the lyrics are a bit naughty)

While we’re talking about Azaelia (or Zay as I call her – we tight), she recently fronted the Fall 2012 T by Alexander campaign video with her song Van Vogue. I wonder why she didn’t call me about choreography? Last time we had Friday wine I told her I had some great ideas. Call me next time, Zay.

When this video landed in my inbox earlier this week, I took notice. Not because it’s a clever campaign (it is) but because I recently had a home dye horror experience. I have long championed the home hair dye job – to this day the number one search term that brings people to this blog is DIY balayage. But I had a doozy of a mess up and had to go to my beloved hairdresser, cap in hand, looking very sheepish indeed.

My pattern for the last few years has been to get my balayage professionally done, and then do my roots at home every 4-6 weeks. I don’t mind spending the clams to get the whole head done, but I can’t justify the time and expense just for root touch ups. I’m sure you can relate. I have spoken to my hair guru Barney Martin about this, and the routine was working pretty well for me. We discussed which home colour I was using and worked out the best brand/number/method. All was right in the (colour) world.

Anyway, a few months back I went to the fancy launch of a new at-home hair dye. It wasn’t a brand I had used before, but it was all very impressive…lovely lunch, great demonstration, the models hair looked fab. ‘Wow’, I thought, ‘I’m definitely going to use this and look like one of those models’. It did not go so well. I can’t slag the brand because I’m sure it works well for some people, but for me it didn’t cover any greys (yes, I get greys), dried my hair out, and the medium brown was incredibly red. It took a few weeks of clarifying shampoo and some serious time in the hairdressers chair to undo the do.

I wrestled (and am still wrestling) with writing about the product. If I am given a product to try and it has disastrous results, as a blogger what is my obligation to write about it? What are the ethics around this? I kind of feel like that’s another post altogether, but the point is home hair colouring can go very wrong. As Goldwell says, don’t be a victim. Seek professional help.

Have you had any DIY disasters? Share them and make me feel better.

(PS my hair colour is amazing now)