pam.powder

PP BOOKCLUB: Inimitable Melbourne writer Bunny Banyai has a new book out, a cleverly titled cookbook: Around the World in 80 Meatballs—a curated culinary pilgrimage honouring the spherical dish. Despite having a stunted palate and an aversion to cooking (my idea of meal prep is to whine at Greg, “I’m hungry”), I’m so enamoured with this gorgeous book, I’m even thinking of attempting the offering from Türkiye, (hi !) the Izmir Köfte (baked meatballs in tomato sauce, the mince substituted with Quorn, of course) It never really occurred to me beyond the standard Italianesque Spag Bol which mum made occasionally that there was a whole world of meatball variants out there. I can hardly be blamed; I grew up in Tasmania on white bread and potatoes, my mum had a brother who’d never even heard of lasagne, and I’m pretty sure I cried the first time I ever smelled Parmesan cheese.
I haven’t been as interested in a cookbook since my sister and I pored over a kids’ Microwave cookbook in the ‘80s. We really thought we were living in the future: apple crumble nuked to hell in a ring pan, an authentic family recipe to be passed down, or not. Bunny has created something really special here. I encourage you to check out Around the World in 80 Meatballs. Come for the delicious recipes and stay for the numerous ball jokes. 🎀🎀🎀 PS. Thanks for generously gifting me this copy PPS. Get your own copy, or gift someone cute a meatball love letter from all lovely bookshops 💘

My Little Pony Gymkhana Glam. 🎀💫🦄 💇‍♀️: by Inspo by Lemon Drop.
💄Silver Bullet
Huge breakout on chin by HRT. ⚡️⚡️⚡️

It’s Showtime, Synergy! 💫🎤💎💁‍♀️💅🎀🎀🎀

PP Brand Spotlight: Cherrylane clothing. An Australian brand started sometime in the late 70s by Diana Kahn and infinitely cooler than Katies or Sussan could ever be. Imagine my absolute surprise to discover that they are still trading! Sadly, they’re a bit more Millers-esque than Australia’s very own p***y answer to Esprit that they were, but they do have some t-shirts with shoulder pads on their website that are worth considering. I’m sure no investigative journalist, so my facts might be light on, but what I can do is convey the exhilaration and ardour only a chainstore in 20th-century Australia could evoke.
1986, Mum’s dragging me through the Brisbane St Mall in Launceston. We’re running late for the bus home after school, and it’s starting to drizzle. I’m wearing my homemade blue & white gingham school dress with a Peter Pan collar. I feel daggy as hell, too foolish to appreciate each precious stitch sewn for me. Mass-production is my muse, not my Mum. As we pass the other harried shoppers I turn back and get a glimpse of a clothing store I’ve heard my best friend Emma tell me that her big sister Kate shops at. A flash of neon light, school bags piled up high out the front. (The OG loss prevention tactic) Clothing in the window that wouldn’t look out of place on the cover of a Mel & Kim cassette. We keep walking—no time to stop—past the colourful giant wooden blocks outside Myer, they’re supposed to be a children’s play area, but they really act as a place for teenagers in private school uniforms to smoke and little kids to p**s in. I’ve long stopped asking Mum to let me play a while. The stench is horrific. And quite frankly, the teenagers openly pashing terrifies me. I want to look like a teenager, not behave like one. The next morning, I’m watching Play School and Benita fashions Little Ted, a pair of earrings from a cherry stalk. I’m safe and unfashionable, and my Cherrylane fashion dreams can wait another day. 🍒👗✨🎀🎀🎀

Bam Salon’s #1 Beauty Influencer. Prawn cocktail x Peach delight 🦐🍑💫💞👼🎀🎀🎀

What an absolute CUNNOVAYEAR. But amidst the bleak bits, there were many glimmers of hope that stopped me from driving the Mazda into a brick wall. 📚BOOKS✨Costanza by Rachael Blackmore. My fave read in 2024. Showcasing men’s diabolical behaviour in the 1600s, it's useful to see just how consistently s**t men have been over the past 400-odd years✨Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley✨It’s Not Fair by Eloise Rickman✨The One Thing We’ve Never Spoken About by Elfy Scott✨Mrs Hopkins by Shirley Barrett✨Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan; the pithiest & poignant writer in the English language💅BEAUTY✨Estrogel HRT. Am I allowed to talk about prescription medication here? I don’t give a f**k. If you’re struggling with perimenopause put down the herbal supplements and talk to your GP ✨Okkiyo Prioritieyes Mascara in brown✨Fig.1 Retinol Night Cream #1✨Poppy King Seven Deadly Sins lipstick in Anger✨Half Magic Sparklestix in Cloud Kid. Icy Blue frosted dreams. Incidentally, Chappell Roan sports a lot of Half Magic Beauty and this year Spotify put me in her top 1% of listeners worldwide 😳✨Paula’s Choice 6% Mandelic Acid + 2% Lactic Acid Exfoliant. 🐂💩BULLSH*T(and I mean bulls**t in the most endearing but frivolous way) ✨The Rookie. A cop show with a touch of Seventh Heaven’s morality. Team ChenFord forever✨KOO Bamboo Cotton Blanket: a must for night sweats. Now a family favourite, Lex often requests the “perimenopause blanket” ✨Squishmallow Cutopia Barbie plush. Even the most experienced financial counsellor would have a conniption over my spending habits ✨Dr Mario rereleased for Nintendo Switch!✨Tarina Tarantino Hello Kitty necklace. Coveted since I first spied Cameron Diaz wearing it on the pages of NW mag at the 2003 Nickelodeon Awards✨Yo Way Strawberry smoothie. The sweetest sips sometimes come from the saddest of franchisee holders. What have been your favourite books/beauty & bulls**t picks this year? Happy New Year, see you on the flip side 💁‍♀️🥰🎉🎀🎀🎀

PP Gift Like It’s 1993 Guide! 🎄✨🎄
Being a Tasmanian teenager meant that I was unquestionably several years behind mainland Australian trends and matched with my guilelessness, I would say that at age 15 my taste teetered somewhere between toddler and tomboy. Accordingly, I would have been thrilled to find any of these gifts haphazardly hidden in my parent’s wardrobe approximately 3-4 days before Christmas because I was pathologically incapable of not behaving like a little s**t.
🎁Sylvanian Families Happy Christmas Friends figurines, $59.99 Toyworld. Yes, I was 15 and still
commandeering my little sister’s Sylvanian log cabin. 🎁 Super Nintendo, $543 WTF Amazon. Forgive yourself for your kid’s screen time sprees. We routinely clocked 14-hour stints on this thing. 🎁Goldcross Rollerblades, $71.99 Rebel. Perfect for twisting your ankle in front of the elite Tasmanian Coca-Cola Island Bladers. 🎁Snorkelbear swimwear, top $99 & shorties $89. Made with deadstock fabrics, I swear to god I remember this exact print in a Cheetah swimwear ad in Dolly mag. 🎁Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers EDT, $17.90 Big W. A sweet step up from the usual Impulse can.
🎁Blundstone #500 Chelsea boot, $244.95, blundstone.com.au. The British can keep their Doc Martens, a Blundstone boot teemed with a Miss Shop pinstripe legging will always be a 90s classic. 🎁 Who Magazine subscription, $120 for 26 issues magshop.com.au. My most trusted news source is now only second to Reddit. 🎁Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder, $2.99 Chemist Warehouse. The old Christian lady next door was a sure thing for a pressie; unfortunately, it didn’t nearly compensate for breaking my heart at age 8 by cruelly slinging me my talc-based gift over the fence with this savagely rhetorical remark: “You don’t still believe in Santa, do you?!” 💔🎅💔🎀🎀🎀

Whinging Bitch makeup! ⚡️⚡️⚡️🥰🥰🥰💁‍♀️💁‍♀️💁‍♀️
🎀Stila One Step Correct Kitten primer 🎀Estée Lauder Futurist Skin Tint Cool Bone 🎀 Trinny London Serum Concealer 🎀Givenchy Prism Powder 🎀Canmake Clear Red blush 🎀Half Magic Glitterpuck Dopamjne Sparkle🎀Okkiyo Mascara🎀 Half Magic Teal With It Mascara 🎀 Tower 28 Work of Art liner (faux freckles!) 🎀 Glossier Boy Brow Blonde🎀Poppy Lipstick Anger 🎀Half Magic Sparklestik Cloud Kid 🎀Besins Healthcare Estrogel®️ 🎀🎀🎀

When my HRT kicks in, it’s all over for youse 💅💅💅🎀🎀🎀

If you haven’t heard the news, I’m sorry if you had to hear to it here, but Fitzroy’s finest outfitter, , is closing her doors on her eponymous boutique. And I think it’s a f**ken travesty, but I’m happy she can have a break from the relentless fashion treadmill. Can you imagine trying to run a clothing brand in 2024? When people think Kmart prices are normal and to hell with the human cost! [no shade if Kmart is all you can afford, but for the love of god, if you can support small independent designers, do so before they all go belly up] Some of my most precious clothing items have come from Ms Edgeley. I think I’m so lucky to have these pieces of fashion history. No one does stretch leopard like Alice.
Besides being one of the coolest fashion designers ever, Alice is my go-to person to talk about beauty and books, so I thought we might do a little Instagram Live at her Gertrude St. shop before she closes her doors in early April. We would love it if you’d tune in at 6:30 pm this Wednesday 3rd of April. Things will probably get savage, and I’ll be cackling, and Greg will say thank god you’re not doing this at home. I cannot wait! Bonus points for anyone who comes past and bangs on the window 🎉🎉🎉💕📚💄💋🪡🧵👗🎀🎀🎀