But I’ve been at a lot of different stages in my life and each had its own look. Not many of you might remember but when I started my blog I looked more like this:

That shade of red has always been my favourite, I spent a year in it then and maybe 4 years with that colour in high school. My look was much more toned down during this time.

Even before then I had short black hair like this…

Back in those days I was a Lolita. I wore Lolita clothing pretty much 24/7 and I loved it to death. I was obsessed with it completely and uncontrollably.

I couldn’t find any photos because before that I was quite camera shy so I made you an artist’s representation of how before that… I was really into punk and alternative styles! I wore red eyeliner all the time and I had spiky blue extensions. I even had blue/green hair at one point but I still can’t find photos of it on my hard drive. Apparently I was wearing this style was before I understood the importance of labelling photos for future reference! XD

Back in those days I was also a pirate 😉 Historical re-enactment for the win! I need more excuses to wear my corset again!

Now you’re probably wondering what the point of this is right? Well the one thing that all of those fashions have in common is that they are full of layers and very un-summer friendly.

Australia is hot. With the exception of Melbourne right now everywhere I’ve lived in Australia has been ridiculously hot. If I was picking fashion based on climate I pretty much failed miserably.

So the question is how do you keep cool in summer when you’re wearing like 20 billion layers of clothing? I’m not proud of this but….

A funny thing happened when I was going through my accessories section. I picked up an Angelic Pretty bow and it was exuding Lolita…

So much so that I was accidentally pulled through a time machine vortex which was swirls and swirls of petticoats and frills. I was lucky not to be crushed by the sheer weight of the petticoats.

It took me back in time… but as I didn’t have a camera for my magical adventure you’ll just have to make do with my time machine induced “artists representations”.

This was me:

Unfortunately this was the climate I was in:

See the thing about Lolita clothing is that under the dress is a blouse, under the blouse is a petticoat and under that petticoat modesty says wear bloomers… plus socks or stockings. Pretty much the only places you’ve got to sweat are your knees and arms if you’re wearing a short sleeve blouse.

In Summer it’s not fun. Bloomers are great for protecting modesty but they are also insanely hot to wear under so many layers!

But I was a crafty Lolita.

I used a trick which has been in play since fridges were first invented…. underwear (in this case bloomers) in the freezer!

Epic cool = EPIC WIN!

And this allowed me to be cool and breezy as I did the miserable walk to the train station to work in the mornings.

Hopefully you enjoyed my little walk back through memory lane ^_^

COMPETITION TIME!!

So Panasonic and Nuffnang are holding a giveaway for those of you who are just coming in to Summer (like me ;_;)

Panasonic have just launched a new range of Eco air conditioners which are aparently both smart and stylish. They’ve even won awards like “Good Design” Award. They have also launched a smart phone application to help people with choosing an air-conditioner easily. Here’s what they say about it:

The simple-to-use Air Conditioning Sizing Wizard application allows customers to enter information on their room environment and receive product recommendations. Once you have made your selection, you can access product details, features, images, videos and locate your nearest retailer instantly.

• You can view and download this application in iTunes here.

Panasonic has launched a new stylish range of Air-Conditioners featuring improved energy efficiency for reduced power consumption.

• The 2010 range features the new Eco Patrol Sensor – a human sensing technology
• Inverter technology, providing temperature control for greater energy efficiency and comfort in the home.

AC Sizing Wizard App features:

• Easy navigation that allows you to find the right Air Conditioner you, and locate your nearest dealer/installer.
• Enter information about your room and then it pops out recommendations for the right a/c.
• Scroll through product recommendations and see the main product features, specifications
• You can also find out more information through videos, images and handy hints.

• Once you have chosen the right Air Conditioner you can use the ‘Where to Buy’ function to find your nearest retail outlet or specialist Air Network Installer on Google Maps, or contact Panasonic Customer Care for more info.

They are also starting to make little webisode things to explain the technology in simple terms. Here is one of the videos/TV Commercials from their site:

So the prize for this competition is an air-conditioner from Panasonic’s new range PLUS the installation into your home! That’s pretty damn awesome, I want one… I need an aircon XD

What you need to do is leave a comment answering the following question:

“What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done to stay cool in summer?”

You know what my craziest thing is so I’m looking forward to hearing all about yours 😛

This competition is for Australian residents only and you can view the full terms and conditions here and the information from Nuffnang here.

*edit* Please note that the date has been extended until the 25th of November. The updated terms and conditions can be found here:
http://www.nuffnang.com.au/wp-content/themes/nuffnang-2.0.1/uploadedstuff/2010/11/Terms-and-Conditions-of-Entry-for-Panasonic-Air-Conditioner-competition-v2.pdf

The update Nuffnang information is here:
http://www.nuffnang.com.au/blog/2010/10/18/competition-win-a-panasonic-air-conditioning-unit-just-in-time-for-summer/

Good luck, I hope you enjoyed this post and I can’t wait to see your entries!