On Counter Soon

It was only the other day where on Pinterest (my latest addiction besides Maltesers – pass me some, will you?) I stumbled across this photo of one of my girl crushes, Adriana Lima…

 

 

Totally amazing, huh? Then I saw this pic which got me thinking about how I do my makeup everyday.

I never use a watermelon-ish lip tint which is what’s going on here. To look more Lima-esque I also need to up the mascara factor and only the teeniest amount of blush.

One of my favourite makeup brands OF ALL TIME, Benefit, is releasing lip tints to match their cheek powders. These arrive on Australian counters on Sunday. While I won’t be going for the matchy-matchy I can definitely see some of the new Bella Bamba lip tint going well with some Dandelion cheek powder a la Adriana here.

Here are the lip goodies:

What do you think? Knocking people out of the way to grab yours on Sunday?

What colour combinations do you use most days?

Is Adriana Lima your girl crush too?

 

 

On Counter Now

 

I have to admit I’m WILDLY excited by these limited edition NARS nail polishes. The 5 colours are the result of a collaboration with designer Thakoon and are perfecto for Summer.

I’ve already got way too many colours but I think I can just about justify one or two of these to add to the collection – the only problem is deciding which!

 

Desperate to get your digits all over them? They’re available at Mecca Cosmetica NOW!

 

 

 

 

 

Trend Report

 

It may not quite be Spring yet but all our favourite retail stores are already gearing up with goodies for the warmer weather.

Trending on shelves are bright accessories – and a lot of them.

But why wait ’til Spring, I say! Start getting your cost-per-carry and bust them out now with your head-to-toe black ensembles for a much needed pop of colour.

 

 

Don’t feel like splashing out your hard-earned pennies for an item which could be met with ‘that’s so S/S2012’  eye rolls in a year’s time? Opt for a bright mani instead.

 

 

Will you be sporting bright hues next season?

Seen any items that have gone straight to the wish list?

Hair share

I’m in a charitable mood so I thought I’d share with you 3 hair products that will transport you to hair nirvana in between salon visits. You can thank me later.

 

The new Moroccanoil Weightless Hydrating Treatment is lighter than the original, making it ideal for fine hair types.

Fudge Hot Hed. This also comes in a violet option for blondes. Imagine a product that protects, moisturises  AND styles. Say ‘why hello’ to bouncy blowdries, smooth tresses and heat protected styles.

 

 

Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal. Long name, fab product. You can use this for just about anything – add a little to your conditioner in the shower, use it as a treatment, style your hair with it, combat frizz… Love it.

 

 

The 4 things that make you at least 100% more good looking

 

New underwear – Victoria’s Secret is the place to pick up some hot new under garments for not much coin.

 

Get a tan from a can – being a little more bronze goes a long way to hiding the dodgy bits like cellulite, veins…

 

… then douse yourself in a hydrating body lotion.

 

A delightful fragrance – pick one you can’t resist… and eeeasy does it. The whole point of perfume is to be subtle enough to lure those a little closer…

 

Statement Pieces

I’m a big subscriber of ‘statement pieces’ in a wardrobe. They’re what can pull a bland outfit together, make it look special, high fashion and really make an outfit your own.

What’s important to note, though, is that they don’t necessarily have to be expensive. A lot of my favourite pieces have been under $50. Of course, they can extend to pieces of jewellery but I’m going to look specifically at clothing.

Here, an edit of some of my favourite statement pieces and what you can pair them with.

Statement heels. I picked this pair up when I was living in Cape Town. The bright silver really offsets the nude and the unusual shape adds some interest to any outfit – wearable with light jeans and a T.

 

 

Sequin shorts. You could wear these in so many ways, dress them up with a woollen top and a sharp blazer for drinks or dinner or dress down for street cool with a sports logo T-Shirt for instant Rihanna-style glam.

 

Statement skirt that I picked up from Zara for $10 during a last ditch sale. I wear this with soo many basics I already have in my wardrobe. A body-con grey marle top or white singlet is a good idea.

 

 

Needless to say it’s wise to wear these skinny pants with something reasonably plain. Again I’d look to a fresh white singlet for a relaxed (yet interesting) look for Spring.

 

 

I’ve had this dress for a few years now and immediately gravitated to it because of the geometric pattern. It’s a perfect day to night dress.

 

 

Do you deliberately include ‘statement-y pieces’ in your wardrobe?

Do you pair them with your basics or go a little nuts and wear a few together?? Tell me stories.

Bathroom Cabinet

For the last few years I’ve become a tad obsessed with all things makeup, not realizing that skincare was kind of taking a back seat. I’m guilty of not always washing my makeup off, using cleansers that are too drying for my skin type, not exfoliating enough, bla bla bla. This was until the other night when I had an epiphany walking up the stairs to my apartment. What’s the point of all this fab makeup if the canvas is crap? I’ll be honest, my skin never really looks that bad – maybe a little dehydrated and dull at times, definitely a little pasty white but nothing that actually taking regular good care of my skin can’t fix.

 

So what are the skincare things I’m using to turn everything around and MAYBE even ditch the makeup altogether once in a while? Models and actors do it all the time, I’m constantly reading about how they pair everything back when they aren’t working – not dyeing their hair, no makeup and really focusing on their skincare.

 

After doing a bit of research about what these people love to use (and what I love to use) I’ve come up with the ultimate bathroom cabinet list. Think model on her day off – mostly skin care with a TINY bit of makeup sneaked in for good measure. Seriously natural beauty.

 

Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing cleansing oil advanced formula

Organic Rosehip Oil

Shu Uemura Depsea Hydrability lotion

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturiser

Kiehl’s Papaya Enzyme facial exfoliator

 

Armani Face Fabric

Moroccanoil Treatment

 

Whitening toothpaste (to counteract all those on-set coffees)

Korres Mountain Tea Shampoo

 

A peek at some of the skincare goodies I’m using at the moment along with my Shu Uemura cleanser (above).

 

The health kick

Snarky. It’s a word that conjures images of mums describing their teenagers. It’s also how I expect to be feeling when I attempt to cut the excess sugar and fat out of my diet in an attempt to get healthy.

While the only obvious (external) effect my poor diet has had is a noticeable increase in cellulite (who knows what’s going down on the inside) I’ve decided it’s time to tackle my pathetic attempt at being healthy and go for it. The aim isn’t to lose any weight but just to be healthy in a more holistic sense than ‘I only got ONE cold last year!’. The other goal is to look a little more toned by Summer.

Exercise, vegetables and green tea are going to become my life. Goodbye whole- blocks- of- chocolate- in- a- day days and McDonalds most weeks.

Without a gym membership or personal trainer I’m going to have to get creative but it also means that whatever I do should be pretty affordable. If you have tips or if you feel like joining me in my health crusade give us a shout out!

 

I’m going to have to get over my fear of legumes because day one starts tomorrow.

 

Anatomy of a handbag

What do you carry around in your bag? Almost everyone has those regular items that will always be in there – lipsticks and glosses in a multitude of shades, pens…

Here, I thought I’d empty out my bag to show you the anatomy of a handbag.

Everything you see here I almost always have with me, they’re my essentials. There are the usual suspects; purse, phone, sunglasses, but there are a few other items I always like to have on me.

A  notebook and pen – I always keep a notebook to write down notes, and particularly ideas for writing as well as beauty tricks I learn at different points.

A random magazine for reading on daily trips on public transport.

I’d be lost without my diary, it keeps me organised – and sane.

Gum and a lip treatment for getting fresh with the husband!

Something I never used to carry but have started to is a hanky, I got this vintage one from my Mum.

What do you keep in your bag? Is it similar?

Wardrobe Overhaul – Accessories

Over the last few months my wardrobe organisation has fallen into a pretty sad state. I keep a shelf in my wardrobe for things such as jewellery, perfume and hair things and it was this shelf that was crazy messy – tags from clothes I’d bought, hair elastics scattered everywhere…

The rest of my wardrobe got an overhaul too, out with some things that I didn’t want or need any more to make space so I can store my favourite items more easily and actually see them without having to dig for them. But that’s another story.

Here, the new improved shelf. I use old Kiehl’s paper carry bags to store my hair brushes and combs in. The box for my jewellery I’ve recycled from a purchase from Peter Alexander.