Hola minxes! So, yesterday, I was shopping in town and a gorgeous girl came up to me to tell me how nice my shoes were – they are pretty – I also got told I looked like Cleopatra and that I had a pretty flower in my hair – I was like a walking-talking compliment collecting machine!

I love to collect compliments in a jar for those icky, not-nice days when I feel glumsville personified. They’re the perfect pick-me-up and a compliment will always make you stand taller, smile and feel good about yourself – what’s not to love about that? Which is why I want to encourage you gorgeous girls to become Compliment-giving girls o’ fabulousness!

How to give a compliment…

1. Don’t be fake – don’t say something you don’t mean, as it’ll just sound flaky and false.
2. Telling someone how great they look is a great way to spread the love – has your gal-pal got a bag you love? Tell her! Does your bro look better when he’s combed his hair? Tell him! Has your mumma started wearing a new eyeshado that brings out the colour in her eyes? Tell her!
3. Don’t feel you have to justify the comment – a compliment shouldn’t be given in return for another, nor should it mean you’re creeping or that you want something. Sometimes the best compliments are given in passing. Like the lady who said I had great shoes yesterday, she was literally passing me in the street, I didn’t even have time to say thank you, although I did shout it after her…There was no doubt it made me walk taller for the rest of the day!
4. Keep it simple. Send love through your eyes and your voice and imagine your lil’ gesture of goodness is like a bunch o’ blooming flowers.

Are you in?! I wanna hear about it!

I LOVE a ‘To Do’ List.
I fill it to the brim with things like, return this call, write that article, pitch that idea, buy that book, hoover and…well, you get the idea, right? A list helps me get my focus on and stops me feeling so stressy and overwhelmed. It’s like a li’l ritual each morning to kick-start my day…

Thing is, we get so caught up in the things we ought to do, and forget to the add to that ‘To Do’ list all the things we absolutely, positively should do every single day, like:

♥ Laugh out loud
♥ Step outside, take some deep breaths and thank God/Goddess/The Universe/N-Dubz for a rather fabulous day ahead
♥ Look in the mirror and tell how beautiful I are
♥ Call a friend – leave them a happy voice mail if you can’t get through
♥ Send a txt/email to someone you haven’t talked to in a while

What’s on your “To Do” list today?

Glamour camping is a luxurious girly version of the original and what with the IOW festival kicking the season into touch, it only seemed fair we gave you the heads up. You won’t catch me in a tent this year, the boy has a V-Dub camper van – but I love getting my head down on a bit of earth and watching the stars up above.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

Zandra Rhodes teepee 119.99 and Zandra Rhodes sleeping bag, 24.99@ Milletts.co.uk Cherry coolbag@ Cath Kidston.co.uk, 30.00, Femibion radiance 9.99@boots.com, Durex extra safe 8.29@durex.com/en.gb, soap and glory face wipes, 4.00@soapandglory.com, Dermalogica Extra Rich SPF 30 faceblock 27.45 from www.pure-beauty.co.uk, Cotton Knickers, 5 for 12.00@lasenza.co.uk, Camo box, 15.67 @ ww.thebrowncorporation.com

The best looking Tiger Lilies in town sleep in a te-pee and this Zandra Rhodes one, from Milletts certainly stands out in the crowd! The range also includes chairs, and sleeping bags so you will be getting the ultimate in beauty zzz’s. Store your food in this lovely cool bag by Cath Kidston, and rock the floral trend all over-you might not be the most comfortable lounging it on the floor, but if its made prettier X10 by your inner tent surroundings, it’ll be a pretty haven away from the crowds. Speaking of comfort, keep to cotton knickers for the endless days and nights. Cotton is breathable even if you can’t grab a shower.-and showers might not even be that difficult if you have a nifty pocket shower which can hold up to seven litres of water. No-one likes queuing for the toilet, so pick a spot to hide and set up your own camo box-with bags, wipes and a recyclable toilet you can sit on, you won’t be wasting anytime. Now, if you are anything like me, its a little bit difficult to take your whole beauty case with you-but I promise Soap and Glory’s ‘In Your Face’ wipes clean away all that dirt, and Dermalogica’s Extra Rich face block will make sure it stays super smooth and protect your face from the festival rays. Unless it rains, but I can’t prepare you for that. With all the junk food at stalls, it’ll be worth popping some Femibion radiance tabs, which are full of essential vitamins to boost your diet and look after you. Finally, it may be all well and good to get right down and dirty with an indie-boi, but make sure you strap it up, before you whack it up and go for Extra Safe-Sassy and Sorted.

CAPSULE GLAMPER

BDG batwing coat, 65.00@urbanoutfitters.co.uk, Madhavi carry Playsuit, 65.00@laden.co.uk, Studded Slip Dress, 50.00@topshop.co.uk, ditsy bandeau and brief, 14.00/12.00@warehouse.co.uk vintage minidisco feather bag, 284.00:angeljackson.co.uk, Vivienne Westwood Mellisa Jellies, 90.00@hervia.com, feather headband, 8.00@accessorize.co.uk, faceted heart studs, 6.00@temporary-secretary.com, Glitter stackers, 5.95@barrym.com, Gloss Pur by YSL, 20@debenhams.co.uk, Eyelure false lashes, 6.15@justbeautifully.co.uk.

Lets face it, you can’t exactly carry that much to a festival and you’re only there a few days. I prefer to jazz up my looks with makeup-see Lily Allen and Bat for Lashes for ideas, and keep it classic elsewhere. A lil’ bit retro is easy to carry off-a silk dress looks everso 90’s grunge, and feathers add a fun element which is why Angel Jackson for bags and Accessorize for the best headbands and accessories rock. A playsuit, like this one from Laden.co.uk, always looks cute and they are mega comfy, and ditsy florals are best for bikinis to liven up a summer of love. One of my favourite pieces-the mac, is great updated like this one from Urban Outfitters, with its batwing details which gives a twist on the traditional 90’s Oasis style, and I have seen others with cute prints and ruffles on the high street. Work with the basics and you can still rock on.

Whats your favourite festival ? Care to share your favourite experiences?

Quick an’ Easy?
Feeling a little bit fruity, but only have about ten minutes before you have to leave for work/can’t really be bothered before you go to bed? Then the best thing to use is a toy with a small motor, which hits the nerve endings of the clitoris directly and help you reach your destination quicker. According to Steph, the best products to buy are the ones with different speeds and pulsations built in so you can beat to the rhythm of your own drum and avoid ‘numbing your fun’. Because they have smaller motors, they are also usually quieter and are good for solo sessions.

SASSY RECOMMENDS; Clockwise from LEFT; LAYAspot magenta, 43.00@funfactory, LELO Mia, 36.95@lovehoney.co.uk, Pink bullet vibrator, 10.00@annsummers.com, LoveBunnies, 10.00@lovehoney.co.uk

Big Boys
A toy with a larger motor, creates a lower, yet more powerful vibration that has a deep and throbbing sensation that travels through your muscles, rubs against the clitoris indirectly, hits the g-spot and is the next best thing to sex. Steph’s best recommendation is Fun Factorys bestseller, the Semirealistic SmartVibe which has 8 speeds, 3 pulsations and a BOOST button for that crucial ‘O’ moment. For dual penetration, vibrators like the famous Ann Summers Rabbit, stimulate the clitoris and internally and if anything else giving you a good once-over, with different types of waves and throbs.

Double the Fun
If you are using a toy with a partner, Steph says it is best to find a toy that works the clitoris, easy to hold and operate and is small enough to be used at the same time as sex. If you are a beginner, she says it is best to experiment together, beginning with a vibrating ring-I recommend Durex’s Play ring- and then work up towards more ambitious toys, like the We-Vibe II, which hits the clitoris and the g-spot and can be attached to your man.

Semirealistic SmartVibe, 55.99@ funfactory.co.uk,Doc Johnson Jenna Velvet Jewel Multispeed, 16.99@lovehoney.co.uk, Rampant Rabbit G Pulse Remote, 49.00@annsummers.co.uk, Play Ultra, 10.99 @shop.durex.com, We Vibe II Clitoral and G-Spot Vibrator, 77.49 @ lovehoney.co.uk

Ain’t Nuthin but a G thang
Or so they say. Dispelling the myth, that it doesn’t exist, Steph says, that you have to find a toy which suits you. The G spot is usually an inch or so inside the vagina, behind the belly button, and to be able to reach it during penetration, the focus must be at the tip of the toy, otherwise you won’t feel the benefits. The Delight, by Fun Factory has been designed to reach the G-spot at the same time as stimulating the clitoris, and it has been awarded as Sex Toy of the Year by Company magazine and was the Winner in Good Housekeeping’s Sex toy survey.

Electric Feel
Erotic toys can be made of many things from the more luxurious wood and glass crystal, to the flexible and jellier feeling toys. Although these are usually made of natural silicone-which doesn’t degrade or fade, some of the cheaper varieties contain bad emollients and solvents that can be absorbed by internal mucus membranes, and are harmful to long term use. Steph says to avoid any toys that smell really plasticy, as they usually contain these types of solvents. If you want to save the world, and rock your own too, there are many sextoys which are now rechargable, and the new Click N Charge range from Fun Factory also do this.

SASSY RECOMMENDS; Shiri Zinn Minx vibrator, 99.00 @ exclusivelyeve.co.uk, , Hot and Cold Ceramic Dildo, 115.00@ coco-de-mer.com, Promises G-Spot vibrator, 18.00 @annsummers.com, JimmyJane Little Chroma special edition inked, 108.00@exclusivelyeve.co.uk, The Delight, 85.99 @ funfactory.co.uk, 16.99@lovehoney.co.uk

Good Vibrations
Of course, this guide would be no good, if we didn’t recommend where to shop from.
My personal favourite is Coco De Mer, the erotic emporium which hosts a variety of products from lingerie, oils and books to toys and accessories. I also really like Pleasure Chest, which is stateside -NY, LA, Chicago-as it stocks similar items and salons, and their staff are just great. Steph’s favourite is Shhh! in Hoxton Square, London, where she says the staff are really helpful and informative as well as showcasing samples of the toys. It depends on the experience you want-a group of girls usually find Ann Summers a haven for toys and games, which is great for those that want to have fun sex, rather than an erotic experience. It’s also a great place to take your man, as he won’t find it too intimidating. For those shysters amongst us-me included!- lovehoney.co.uk and exclusivelyeve.co.uk are brilliant, as they are really female orientated, but boys might prefer sextoys.co.uk which is more factual.

But no matter where you shop, or what you buy, be safe and only do what you feel comfortable with. Sassy AND Sorted!

If you have any questions, or even care to share, comment below!

Here are our top tips for this springs uniquely fun and crafty salons…

Super Swingers and Fascinators…

We have mentioned Ruka@ Sugarlesque and What Katie Did, a few times on Sassy already, so we are quite excited that they’ve decided to team up on nipple-tassle and hat making classes at the Portobello Road boutique. Pastie swingers can learn how to embellish and create burlesque nipple covers for £30.00, and top-hat or fascinator lovers can go wild with feathers, ribbons and trimmings for £45.00. The classes on Sunday 6th June and Sunday 4th July, run from 12.30 to 5.30 and if you choose to go to both, they are available at the lower price of £65.00.

Find out more at www.whatkatiedid.com, or to book, email sugar@sugarlesque.com.

Neck-a-loada this…

We told you a few weeks ago, that one of our favourite jewellery makers, has shut its doors to the public, but this is still not stopping Leona Baker at Lady Luck Rules OK!, from sharing her wisdom with the world. From personalising glittery broken hearts, printed acrylic pendants, fuzzy wooden animals and learning about techniques that can be applied to not only jewellery, but clothing, stationary and homeware, her workshops promise to teach you about the beginnings of product making, like where to buy materials and sampling, to finishing and detailed production information. The three hour classes run on the 23rd, 25th May and 12th June at Superette, Off Brick Lane, in London and are only £25.00.

For more information, email; leona@ladyluckrulesok.com

Beauty-Queen…

Nadira Persaud AKA the Make-Up Mistress, has made up the faces of many: Jaime Winstone, Beverley Knight, Denise Van Outen to name a few, and has also created the make-up and hair for Agent Provocateur and various ELLE and Marie Claire shoots. Now she’s on-hand to offer her expert advice, with her Makeup Mistress Makeover.. Teaching you how to perfect your makeup, she will educate you how to get Lush luxurious Lashes, and show you how to achieve an instant face lift with her High Brow lift. Not only this, she will go through your makeup bag and show you what works-and doesn’t work, so you have star quality all the time.

Contact Nadira through her website;www.nadiramakeupmistress.com

Please Yourself…

Getting to know yourself is one of the most intimate and expressive things you can do, and those clever people at Coco De Mer in London, have formulated a whole range of erotic-based salons from Tricks to Please a Man, Spanking and our featured Please yourself, which is all about female masturbation. Rachel Foux is on hand to teach how to do this and show you how to make the most of your, uhm, potential. Apparently even the staff at Coco De Mer, who are highly experienced in the sexual arts, learned a lot from this lecture, so it’s surely saying something!
Find out more at Coco De Mer.

I am all about list-making, so, have made a list of the things that inspire me on a daily basis…

1. Journal writing – every day, in every way, it makes my life sweeter ★ 2. Pugs – I WILL own one. I will, I will ★ 3. Tarot cards – blow me away every single time ★ 4. The smell of rain ★ 5. A really good night’s sleep under my goose-feather duvet – bliss ★ 6. Benefit make-up ★ 7. gypsy magick – charms, spells and all the Romany goodness ★ 8. stationery – l heart it. Fact. ★ 9. a pay check ★ 10. Reading a Francesca Lia Block book ★ 11. pink ★ 12. kissing – love me the kissing ★ 13. chocolate ★ 14. colouring-in ★ 15. Cupcakes ★ 16. Rainy days spent watching DVDs under a blankie ★ 17. Adventures ★ 18. Buying new books ★ 19. My Ipod on shuffle setting 20. Listening to Kelianna on full blast ★ 21. the sunshine ★ 22. Dancing to the Glee soundtrack ★ 23. making a full moon vision board ★ 24. Panthers – new favourite animal ★ 25. The smell of cinnamon and ylang ylang ★ 26. Pesto pasta ★ 27. Bubble-filled baths ★ 28. Elemis products ★ 29. Tattoos ★ 30. Getting lost in a book o’ magick ★ 31. Glastonbury ★ 32. New pyjamas 33. A long and laughter filled convo with my favourite people ★ 34. Watching Glee on repeat ★ 35. walking ★ 36. Spending WAY too much time in bookshops – are you sensing a theme?! ★ 37. bubbles ★ 38. speaking to people who are passionate about what they think and feel ★ 39. San Francisco ★ 40. learning – love learning new things ★ 41. crystals ★ 42. A good massage ★ 43. Sleep ins on a Sunday morning ★ 44. Pink retro typewriters – I really want one ★ 45. writing books ★ 46. self-love ★ 47. Workshops and classes and the people I meet in them ★ 48. People watching ★ 49. Money in the bank ★ 50. Hot chocolate with marshmallows ★ 51. The beach ★ 52. Emails from girls who have read my book and tell me how it’s changed their life.

What inspires YOU?

Exercise from: 52 Projects: Random Acts of Everyday Creativity

A poem by my favourite author o’ awesomeness, Francesca Lia Block…

What Not to Wear

according to that bitchy pair on tv
you mustn’t wear a pink and black plaid mini kilt with black fishnet shirt,
black studded belt, knee high skull socks and danger pumps
even if you are a beautiful twenty-something dj/designer
who can rock it well

so what would they say of me
in my blush frothy tulle ballerina mini skirt
or my frayed hem jeans?

I have worn hats with veils, eccentric platforms
men’s engineer boots and prom dresses
ripped t-shirts and torn stockings
a piece of orange satin wrapped into a dress
distressed knit “depression wear”
and silk kimono patchwork big enough for clowns
I’ve had bleached hair with black roots
pale powder face without blush
too-big silver hoops
mostly I’ve worn my heart
bleeding all over both my sleeves
it’s not a pretty sight, my dears
and now my fear
like ridiculous armor to keep you out

hey tv bitches, bring it
at least I still
got up this morning
and wrote this thing

Who is the Barefoot Doctor? Apart from being my man-crush? Well, he’s quite the dude. He studied yoga and Tai Chi in his late teens, lived with the Native Americans for four years in New Mexico, has studied acupuncture and Taoism while also doing experimental performance events, workshops, seminars and talks, making healing music and teaching Tai Chi and meditation. He now spends his time writing, running the site and www.superchargedtaoist.com, making music, doing workshops, seminars, talks and musical events around the world and well, being 200 shades of awesome.

Spirituality – did you find it, or did it find you?
I was born with it and it just never went away. I think we all are but it gets obscured by the trance of everyday life. For whatever reason, and I do consider myself blessed, the everyday trance never really took proper root in me. I could always see there was something operating behind the scenes, within me and around me. And I had confirmation – at 6 I heard the universal om coming from the depths of space into my midbrain and knew it was the universe talking to me, for instance. And those instances of serendipity and telepathic connections you get, I had loads of those always. Then I got into martial arts at 11 with a master who also taught meditation and healing, so it was always going to be a spiritual ride in any case. Though I’d prefer calling it an adventure in consciousness rather than spirituality, as the word’s been so overused it’s lost all meaning.

Flow with the slow – how do we do it and why should we do it?
with dwindling space and resources, competitiveness naturally increases and with that the pace of life accelerates. The temptation is to speed your head up with it, mistakenly thinking you have to match the pace in order to make the right decisions. In fact, the opposite is true. The more you slow down your mental process, the more efficient they become and the better the choices you make. This is achieved primarily by slowing down your breathing and shifting your consciousness backwards inside your brain.

However slow is more of a metaphor than a measure of speed. It means being soft and sensitive enough to flow with the deeper underlying (hence relatively slower moving) current of life and consciousness – the Tao, the God or however you want to call it – and by doing so be led on a fabulous adventure in which you get whatever you need to succeed in your mission of expressing and fulfilling the uniqueness that is you. ACtually the phrase was coined by Ruby Warrington in Style magazine, writing about the Dub Spirit club night I do in Ibiza – it’s not that slow in fact, around 124-126 BPM but the feel is slow because the consciousness is deep.

You’re based in Ibiza – what drew you to the island?
The Tao. It kept whispering in my ear: you have to report for duty in Ibiza because of the music young Barefoot, then I got invited over to perform and one thing led to another. The magic of the island grabbed hold of me and hasn’t let me go yet.

2012 – what are your thoughts?
My thoughts vary. I lived with the Native Americans for 4 years once so know they know what they’re talking about when it comes to prophesies, hence wouldn’t be at all surprised if we all fell of the edge of the planet on the winter solstice that year – hence why it;s so important to love and celebrate being alive now and not waste time moaning and groaning because it isn’t going like you thought it should be or whatever. On the other hand I wouldn’t be surprised if nothing happened or if things continued happening in the same crazy mad way they are right now.
Main thing is to contribute as much as you can to the human experiment, to love as much as you can and to spread as much joy and warmth to everyone as you can.

What’s your motto for life?
rely on miracles

What book are you ALWAYS telling people to read?
Politics of Experience by RD Laing

What’s been your best life lesson?
That no matter how crap things get, they always swing round and get equally as wonderful – that it’s all just theatre and it doesn’t matter if one day you play the loser/idiot or one day the hero in the top hat, it’s all just a play and the point is to love it regardless.

What could you not possibly live without?
Breathing.

Your books rock my world – especially your recent book The Man Who Drove With His Eyes Closed – could you share a little about your writing practice please?
I relax. I love the laptop from my heart. I make contact with the Tao or whatever it is shunting the material through me, I rest my fingers on the keyboard (lovingly), I empty my mind, I remind myself I’m allowed to write utter nonsense if I want and then I let my fingertips dance as if there’s no tomorrow. Then I read back and delete the real rubbish and hey presto another few thousand words have been born. I tend to write a fair bit every day in the same way I do a fair bit of martial arts practice every day, simply to keep the relevant muscles in shape.
For a book – each one has been different – some have taken 8 days (and nights) to write 64,000 words, others four years – there’s no rule – the book itself dictates the pace of writing).

What can we expect from your MBS workshop?
a sound training in how to access the more profound level of life and hence feel the slow-down effect so you’ll walk away with actual methods to practice and make yours, and an real life experience of the state, which I’ll help engender as a taster for everyone there, enveloped in a lot of love and good humor.

If, like me, you want to experience The Barefoot Doctor’s workshop at the Mind Body Spirit Festival, he’ll be there on Saturday 29th May and will be hosting Flow With The Slow..Intensive Relaxation Technique.

The festival runs 26th – 31st May at the Royal Horticultural Halls, Victoria, London SW1 2QD
www.mindbodyspirit.co.uk or call 0207 371 9191 for full programme details, tickets and prices.

Firstly, don’t panic – I, your Diva o’ Destiny, have been doing the research so you don’t have to, by the time you’ve finished reading this feature you’ll have EVERYTHING you need to deal with all the pesky April/May Mercury retrograde craziness!

For an easy-peasy breakdown of what Mercury going retrograde actually means – check out this fab 10 step explanation at Tarot.com

So yep, it’s that time again, from April 18th through to May 12th Mercury is Retrograde – boo.

THE GOOD: It’s a great time to revisit Taurean-type stuff: food, love and all things ohh-la-la. This is a time to tweak though, NOT to start anything new, ‘k?!

THE BAD: Taurus is all about the money. So check, check and check again when it comes to all things money and property related. Don’t sign contracts in this phase and if you can, put off buying anything, especially property, ’til after the retrograde is finished doing it’s retrograde-y thing. Please don’t rush or skim anything. When you’re communicating, think Taurus. If you get into a battle, prepare for the long haul. My advice? Don’t.

Instead, spend this period participating in fruity ohh-la-la shenanigans, eating better and a li’l light yoga although the fruity shenanigans is a way more fun way to keep fit – wink, wink.