Review: Toyota Camry Atara SX - A Family Trip

This is where we yelled "Oh what a feeling" - we're like that

Back in the days I learnt to drive in a Toyota Camry. And so it is that a great lineage of our family has driven a Toyota Camry. It's an expectation now, in our family, that when you get a new car, 90% of the time, it's a Toyota Camry.

Apparently we like the Toyota Camry.

The roses are on the verge of being dead-headed, the Crepe Myrtle is on the verge of blooming bright. We headed to the Hunter Valley this weekend in the brand spanking new Toyota Camry Atara SX. Aye. Aye. Aye.

We had such a wonderful family escape, we hung out like we haven't for ages, we swam, read, and escaped the city - all courtesy of Toyota. 

We drove hither and thither, vineyard to vineyard, checking out the scenery, the vines, the views. The gelato!

The drive was smooth! It was keyless! I love keyless because I don't have to rummage in my handbag for keys while wrangling small children. And the car? It was made in Melbourne, with love. 

I'd like to say I took it to 240kms just to check it could really go that fast - but I didn't. I trust Toyota.

I would however say this car has grunt - but it's smooth grunt. It handled well on bitumen, and I impressed Matt with my Stig-like navigation of a very bumpy, very potholious* gravel road without hitting one bump. GENIUS! 

The lowdown:
You'll like the Toyota Camry Atara because:
- it's a great family sized car;
- the keyless entry;
- the keyless lock;
- the moon roof;
- the superior safety features;
- the leather upholstery;
- the roomy boot;
- the super fuel efficiency (we drove around all weekend and still have half a tank);
- the customised lumbar support for the driver (HELLO TOYOTA!);
- it has two exhaust pipes which impressed the Doctor;
- it's a super smooth drive;
- it's customised metallic ultramarine blue - (Matt LOVES this) if you want it to be;
- it has lots of ace cup holders (I am a sucker for rad cup holders);
- it is psychic and can automatically change the temperature;
- it alters the headlights automatically - if someone's driving towards you, it will dim the high-beam

Why you won't like it:
- Because we had to give it back [insert sad face here];
- Because your partner will want to drive it and you can't hog the steering wheel

* I made that word up.

The Darling Bird

Check out my new mani ladiez!

It's called 'The Bird' for reasons only known to me. And you, if you like to occasionally flip the bird too. Like it?

I truly love playing with beauty products. The ability - and the accessibility to change how I look - I create different personas witheven  just a slick of lip colour, or a different eyeshadow. It's fun and playful and I like it.

One of my totes favourite, bestest ever beauty quick fixes is nail varnish. I can change it as often as I wish and be a new person with shiny nails with colour dripping from them - et voila.

Last night I concocted 'The Bird' - my very own manicure. I created it with two colours from the brand new Darling (Showpony - which is the best pink ever, and Trophy Wife - a Limited Edition metallic glitter like none you've ever tried).

Created by two Sydney gals, Darling applies beautifully -  even with just one coat. Can I get a bit nail-nerdy on you and tell you that the coverage is sublime - I didn't use a base coat and it applied smoothly, and chip-free.

Besides a range of rad colours - the Darling nail lacquers are 3-free - NO toulene, formaldehyde, DBP or camphor and they're animal testing and cruelty free. I am so loving all of this after searching for a quality nail varnish that comes in hot colours.

This is it baby. Darling.

Movie Review:: Rango

A couple of weeks ago I convinced the smalls they wanted to see Rango. Tiny was pretty keen - the Doctor, notsomuch. He needed a lot of convincing.

But we watched it - a couple of times. Who could resist a film starring Johnny Depp? Clearly, not I. Who could resist a film about a chameleon starring in a Western? Clearly, not I.

One of my favourite scenes - without giving too much away - is where he sheds his skin. If you've seen Rango, you may know this scene, he kind of freezes, and the skin cracks off. Exactly how my eye feels. Like a lizard shedding its skin.

But in the interests of reviewing this fairly, I'll review as two different people. The (wo)man in the mirror. And the (wo)man not in the mirror.

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1st review: from a mother of a 3.5 year old and a 6 year old

Finally a cool & quirky film with an all-star cast. I like Shrek, Cat In the Hat and all those others as much as every other person, but Rango is a bit different. Johnny Depp. Isla Fisher. Johnny Depp.

BUT Rango has some pretty serious, pretty dark undertones. The content is pretty heavy for a small person. There are some sinister characters - which - well so are there in real life, but these are condensed.

It's also violent. Gun-slinging, down and dirty Western style.

Both the smalls were a bit scared at one stage, and I had to stay planted firmly on the couch with them.

So as far as kids movies go, it was good, but be prepared, it's a bit scary. A bit dark. A bit sinister. But with a happy ending.

Now Tiny is obsessed with lizards and they're all called Rango.

3 stars

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2nd review: as a 32 year old woman

Well HELL-O Johnny Depp as a Hawaiian-shirt wearing chameleon. Hello Isla Fisher as a bug-eyed lizard.

Hello beautiful animation and quirky-cool storyline.

Couldn't fault it. Loved it. Funny. Fast paced. Laugh out loud humour. And I really did laugh out loud.

Well worth watching. A couple of times. It's a delightful movie with a moral. Yep.

4 stars

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There ends my DVD review. Have you seen Rango? What did you think?