The winners of the Napoleon Perdis Patrol - Conceal It palettes are:

R. Christie, NSW; N. Brewer, WA; L. Hunt, NSW; C. Gunnulson, NSW; L. Kelly, QLD.

We have a brand new Nikon COOLPIX S210 digital camera to give away to celebrate the launch of “my Picturetown”, Nikon’s smart photo storage and sharing service.

my Picturetown is a free online service that lets you share and enjoy your digital snaps anytime, anywhere by linking cameras, the Internet and computers.

If you own a Nikon Wi-Fi COOLPIX digital camera you can transfer your photos wirelessly to my Picturetown to share with your friends and family with the touch of a button.

Offering 2GB of storage free of charge, the standard account is a great way to store and organise your digital photos - otherwise you can sign up for a Gold account, offering 20GB of storage, for a small monthly fee.

To celebrate the launch of my Picturetown, we have a Nikon COOLPIX S210 to give away to a Lasoo member, valued at $299.

The S210 is a nifty compact digital camera featuring 8-megapixels of resolution, up to 4x zoom, a variety of shooting modes and lots more in a compact, lightweight body.

To enter the prize draw, email competitions@lasoo.com.au with the word NIKON in the subject line and tell us in 25 words or less how my Picturetown can help you. Entries close next Thursday.

Competition terms and conditions

Target is giving your family the chance to win a trip to China with this week’s big DVD sale.

To be in the running to win, you must purchase any two DVDs on page 9 of the Frighteningly Cheap DVD sale catalogue - available here. DVDs on the page start from as little as $8.99 and include popular titles such as “Dora the Explorer” and “Bee Movie”.

The trip to China is for a family of four. Visit your nearest Target store for more information and competition terms and conditions.

Photo courtesy of the China National Tourism Office

Firstly, let me say how sorry I am that this sale is for Sydneysiders only as it’s a beauty.

Krites Fashion is holding a massive clearance sale of its brands, with up to 75% off clothes and accessories by the likes of (excuse the long list) Alice McCall (love the dress pictured here from last season’s collection), Natasha, Buddhist Punk, Religion, Obey, Pani, Nookie, Tight Knickers, Freesoul, Cotton Candy, Ra.Re, Something Else, Sass & Bide, Minus Ung, Vintage Vantage, House of the Gods and more. Phew. Deep breath.

Merchandise on offer is for both women and men and you can pick up a selection of winter shirts, jackets and even snow gear.

The event is for three days only - this Friday (8am-6pm), Saturday (9am-6pm) and Sunday (11am-5pm) at 85-91 O’Riordan Street, Alexandria (building 4, it’s behind Officeworks).

If you head in on Sunday between 2pm and 3pm you’ll save an extra $20 on every $100 spent (though be warned that by Sunday the best stuff will most likely be gone).

It’s unfortunate that I am moving this weekend and therefore have to spend all my money on boring stuff like rent and cleaning products, otherwise I would likely be waiting on the doorstep like a deranged stalker at 8am on Friday.

By Caroline Warnes

The first thing you notice about the Panasonic SDR-S7 camcorder is its size - and my goodness, is it small.

In fact, this model from Panasonic is just about small enough to fit in the palm of your hand (if you have a largish hand). It measures in at just 102×41x59mm, making it small enough to stow in most bags without you even noticing.

Obviously given its petite size, the SDR-S7 does not have all the features of more fully fledged models (for example, there is no hand strap, increasing the likelihood of dropping the camera), however it is a nice option for entry-level camcorder users.

It carries the very affordable recommended retail price of $549 (although Ted’s Cameras has it for just $454 here), which means it is the entry-level model in Panasonic’s 2008 range of camcorders.

It’s a flash memory model - footage is recorded to SD/SDHC memory cards. SDHC camcorders are very convenient to use because they have a longer battery life and allow you to play back your footage easily.

Video peformance is reasonable for an entry-level camcorder - just be warned that you’re not going to be creating any cinematic masterpieces on the SDR-S7.

Click here to find offers on the Panasonic SDR-S7 camcorder from retailers near you.

By Caroline Warnes

I must admit when I first heard about bamboo clothing and fabric I thought the whole thing was a bit strange.

However reading into it a bit further it appears that bamboo is the ideal choice for use as a fabric.

Bamboo fabric is apparently softer and more breathable than most cottons and hypoallergenic as well as being naturally antibacterial and odour-resistant (good news for anyone who sweats a lot).

It also has a natural level of UV protection and keeps you cool when it’s hot and hot when it’s cool.

Bamboo Body is an online shop devoted to selling bamboo clothing that has some nice pieces for women, men and kids, as well as a devoted maternity range.

I really like the Long Sleeve Cross Front Top, pictured here, which is well-priced at $45.

Incidentally, Jag has also just introduced a range of bamboo socks for men, so head into your nearest Myer store to check them out.

By Caroline Warnes

Witchery’s mid-year sale has commenced, with many pieces reduced by up to 50% and more.

I had a look through the website this morning (a selection of sale stock is available to buy online as well as in-store) and was excited to see that the Contrast Jodphur Jacket has been marked down to a very reasonable $59.95 from $149.95.

I remember mentioning earlier this year (here) that I liked the look of this jacket so this is great news.

The Spliced Tie Waist Tee also looks like a nice basic piece and has been reduced by 50% to $39.95.

There are also reductions on knits, accessories, shirts, tops, dresses and more so head into your nearest Witchery store or shop online.

By Caroline Warnes

Pharmacy Best Buys is giving you the chance to win a PlayStation 3 console and games bundle.

To be in the running to win, all you have to do is buy any product advertised in the Winter Specials catalogue before June 29.

There are five prize bundles up for grabs, each valued at more than $950.

Click here for more information on this competition.

If you’re looking to buy a speaker system for your iPod that is going to give you a fairly decent sound, be warned that you’re going to have to spend a bit of cash.

Of course there are many cheap iPod speakers on the market, which are fine if you’re not expecting anything spectacular, but don’t expect to get anywhere near the sound quality that would would from some of the mid-range and higher-end models.

With a recommended retail price of around $300, the Altec Lansing inMotion iM600 speaker system is by no means cheap, however the sound quality is truly exceptional.

The sound is clear and there is a decent amount of bass - many cheaper iPod speakers lack bass and end up sounding tinny.

Plus the iM600 has some other features included that help justify the price tag, including a built-in alarm clock (you can awaken to the sound of your iPod, FM radio and a docking station that charges your iPod.

Also handy is the rechargeable battery, so you can use the system outdoors without requiring a powerpoint.

Click here to find offers on Altec Lansing speakers near you.

By Caroline Warnes

I’ve spent a lot of time in shops in my day and I also worked in a shop when I was at uni so trust me when I say there are some nasty people out there.

Working in retail or hospitality you no doubt come across the best and worst of humanity, in the form of people who seem to think it’s ok to treat someone like dirt just because they are working in a shop. Newsflash: they are not there to listen to your abuse.

Now I understand that we all have bad days. I myself have been known to have the occasional (ok frequent) stinker. However I am of the opinion that it’s best to keep one’s bad mood to oneself, rather than taking it out on the sales assistant at the supermarket, Myer or Target just because they are the nearest easy target.

If you have a problem with the shop itself, what is the point on taking it out on the poor sales assistant? Chances are they have nothing to do with setting the store’s policies or ordering in stock. Ranting at them won’t help. It will only make THEM less likely to help YOU. Write a nice letter or email to the store’s management or even make a telephone call later. As some smart guy once said, you’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. If something can’t be done, it can’t be done. Deal with it.

Then there are the obvious food service issues. Perhaps it’s an old urban legend perpetuated by bad American teen movies, but does anyone want to risk the ol’ “bodily fluids in the food” trick by being rude to service staff at restaurants?

Anyway. The point is that being nasty to shop assistants gets you nowhere, unless your aim in life is to look like a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum. Smiling, chatting and saying “thank you” will earn you lots more points on the karma scale.

By Caroline Warnes