Lasoo Shopping and Reviews Blog

If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time (and I haven’t yet driven you away with my incessant blathering), you will know there are two things in this world I can’t resist:

1. A good pair of shoes with heels high enough to break your ankles, and
2. OTT cocktail rings that make people say “what the hell is that growing on your finger”.

So it should come as no surprise to hear that I just purchased this Holly Jones Queen Bee ring, which fulfills all my key criteria for a ring (large, flashy and shaped like an animal). I don’t feel too guilty about this purchase because it’s reduced to $20 from $99, so really it would have been foolish of me NOT to buy it (you would be surprised by the number of ways I can find to justify any purchase).

The site has some gorgeous pieces including earrings, necklaces and bracelets in the sale section, so make sure you check those out while you’re at it.

By Caroline Warnes

If you like your gadgets with a touch of nostalgia, the new Polaroid 300 instant camera will no doubt appeal to you.

It will also appeal if you like to stand out from the crowd - while everyone else whips out their run-of-the-mill digital cameras, you’ll have your retro-styled Polaroid-branded instant film camera.

However if there’s one thing the Polaroid 300 does well, it’s remind us of one of the main reasons we all took to digital cameras in the first place - cost savings. At $149.95, the camera itself isn’t overly expensive, thanks largely to the lack of fancy features and settings (it comes with four scene settings only). Unfortunately the film is on the pricey side, with a roll of 10 costing you $19.95. Thankfully, the image quality is very good for the price.

And to answer the burning question: yes, the 300 does function just like the Polaroid cameras of old, with the print shooting out from the top of the camera.

Buy a cheap digital camera on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

If you need a bargain buy to brighten up your Monday, then look no further for I have one for you.

If you download and print this PDF voucher, you’ll be able to get $6 off the normal RRP of any Maybelline Great Lash Mascara at Priceline.

While Maybelline isn’t my all-time favourite mascara (that honour goes to Dior DiorShow), for the price Maybelline Great Lash is pretty damn good, and if you throw in an extra $6 discount, well that makes it even better.

The offer is valid until September 3.

By Caroline Warnes

Melbourne accessories designer Elise Caarels is closing down her online store, and all stock is 50% off plus free shipping.

These bags and wallets are not only very stylish, but are also leather - so getting them for half-price is a bit of a steal.

I love, love, love the Felicity tote pictured here - marked down to $210 from $420. The colours and detailing are so unique and offer something different from the usual run-of-the-mill black handbags you see on your average working day.

The sale ends on July 31.

By Caroline Warnes

The LG Optimus is a budget touchscreen phone that is somewhat unremarkable, aside from the fact that it runs the Google Android operating system.

The LG Optimus certainly doesn’t have the “wow” factor of any of its high-end Google Android counterparts from the likes of HTC and Motorola (nor of the iPhone, for that matter), but what it lacks in features and stylish design it makes up for with its budget price tag.

The Optimus features touchscreen access to the standard suite of features, such as push email, multimedia playback, Wi-Fi and HSDPA. LG has also added a 3-megapixel camera and a microSD slot to expand the on-board memory. Naturally, the phone also offers access to the Android Market, which is Google’s equivalent of the App Store.

The phone only runs the Android 1.6 platform, which isn’t the latest and greatest 2.0 operating system. Because of this, some advanced features are missing, including support for multiple email addresses, native Microsoft Exchange capability, double-tap zooming and Bluetooth 2.1 support.

The LG Optimus is available exclusively on the Telstra network under the $49 cap, or can be bought outright for $509.

Buy a cheap LG phone on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

Whilst browsing through the Leona Edmiston website just now, I noted that she has launched a brand new collection of frocks.

The Leona Edmiston Ruby collection sits at around the same pricepoint as the Leona by Leona Edmiston diffusion label (prices are under $200) and consists of some gorgeous brightly coloured dresses for the upcoming spring/summer season.

I’m quite taken with this Millie Military shirt dress. Shirt dresses are a classic and stylish look for the office and can even be dressed down for weekend lunches. For $129, this dress is a definite winner.

By Caroline Warnes

These days there are so many laptop and notebook options available that it’s hard to make an informed decision when it comes to buying one - but this guide will give you a broad overview of the different types.

Laptops / notebooks fall into five main categories based on size and functionality. In descending order, starting from the largest, these are:

Desktop replacement laptops

The heaviest and most cumbersome of laptops are those that fall into the desktop replacement category (as the name might suggest). They can weigh anywhere up to 6kg and have very large screens, often of 17-inches. Desktop replacement notebooks are not a great option if you travel around a lot due to their sheer size and limited battery life, however if you want a limited amount of portability with power approximate to a desktop PC then this is the laptop for you.

Best desktop replacement laptops include the Apple MacBook Pro, HP EliteBook and Dell Studio.

Mainstream laptops

Mainstream laptops are more portable than their desktop replacement counterparts, but still aren’t ideal if you are on-the-go all day, every day. They tend to have screens on the larger side (say, over 14 inches) and decent-sized keyboards. They are especially suited towards business users who require some portability, say, people who work from home occasionally.

Many people believe the best mainstream laptops are made by Toshiba, particularly those in the Toshiba Satellite range (pictured here is the L550 model).

Thin-and-light laptops

Sitting right in the middle of the notebook spectrum, thin-and-light laptops appeal to a broad range of users (and especially students) because of their balance between portability and features. Screen size is generally between 13- and 15-inches. If you’re on the fence about which type of laptop you require, mainstream is always a fail-safe choice for most uses.

Best thin-and-light laptops include the MacBook Air and the Lenovo ThinkPad.

Ultra-portable laptops

The second smallest class of notebooks - ultra-portable laptops - have much in common with the thin-and-light category, but tend more to the side of portability, thanks to their smaller size (most screens are under 12-inches) and slimmed-down features. Performance isn’t really that great a step up from netbooks (see below), making these laptops suitable for business people who travel a lot.

Best ultra-portable laptops include the Dell Inspiron and the Toshiba Portege.

Netbooks

Netbooks are the smallest category of laptop and are designed for basic web surfing and emailing but can’t really handle any heavy-duty tasks. Our netbook buying guide can help you make a decision on the best netbook if you’re looking to make a purchase in this category.

Buy a cheap laptop on sale

Guide originally published October 15, 2009; updated July 15, 2010.

By Caroline Warnes

Taking a cue from the iPhone 3G S, Samsung has launched its next Google Android phone, which has also been christened with the letter S.

The Samsung Galaxy S is the second Google Android phone in the manufacturer’s stable, and it’s an impressive contender.

It runs the latest 2.1 Android operating system, which in itself is a massive step up from the existing Samsung Android phone, the Galaxy Icon. It’s powered by a 1GHz processor, which will offer significant performance benefits, especially when it comes to speed.

Yet another tick for the Samsung Galaxy S comes in the form of the 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA display, which is one of the most impressive on the market. Combine this with the 5-megapixel with HD recording (720p) and you have some impressive multimedia functionality.

The Samsung Galaxy S can be bought outright for $849.

Buy a cheap Samsung phone on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

My hunt for the perfect nude/neutral nail polish has been a long one, but I think my quest may finally be over.

I used to think it was OPI Malaysian Mist, but in retrospect the colour was a bit too pink for my liking. I really need a colour so neutral that it simply enhances your natural nails rather than gives them too much colour. This is mainly because I’m incredibly lazy with my nails and don’t want to have to touch the colour up every time a bit chips off.

Anyhow, my holy grail of neutral nail colour is from the same brand as Malaysian Mist - OPI Privacy Please. It’s not as pink as what it appears in the picture - I guess it’s best described as a very pale pink with a matte finish.

The site I’ve linked to here is selling it for $15.95, but I managed to find it at one of those small suburban nail salons for $15.

By Caroline Warnes

If you haven’t discovered My Clothes Horse yet, it’s a great little site for picking up Australian designer fashion on the cheap.

It offers discounts on labels such as Ginger & Smart, Fleur Wood and more.

Plus, the site has offered a special bonus for Lasoo members. If you sign up for an account and use the promotional code LASOO, your account will be credited with $20 to use on anything across the site.

Even better - the site has free shipping until midnight this Friday (July 16th), with 24 hour delivery. That means you can have your outfit before the weekend (with no shipping and a $20 discount on the listed price!)

I’m eyeing off this Cassette Society maxi dress, which is reduced to $50, down from $150. After the discount, that’s a very reasonable $30.

By Caroline Warnes