NSO beauty: Spring chic

The second installment of my fortnightly beauty blog for Never Shopped Out!
Living in the southern hemisphere can pose problems on the fashion and beauty front, since being a season behind yet having access to upcoming trends presents a dilemma—should we stick to being season appropriate, or should we follow international trends and show those antipodeans how fashion forward we can be? Luckily on the beauty side of things, a little AW08/09 can be easily worked into your spring-summer look, thus giving us the option of having the best of both worlds, and not having to worry about sweltering in a cocoon coat in 30 degree heat.

A prominent look on both SS and AW catwalks this year was a perennial favourite: the smoky eye. For spring the look was more diffused and often paired with a metallic highlight—think softly smoked with lightly gilded edges. For the colder months, le smoky takes on a more rounded, panda-eye look that is both dramatic and intense (especially when paired with a dark burgundy lip... can you say phwoar?). To combine the best of both, use a black kohl pencil to line around the whole eye (I use MAC Eye Kohl in Smoulder). Smudge this up to the crease using a pencil brush, then add a soft layer of black or brown shadow to diffuse the liner. Follow with a bronze, gold or silver shadow at the edge of the dark shadow (just above the crease) and blend well to give your smoky eye a metallic finish. I use ModelCo Colour Box eyeshadow in Seychelles, or Stila’s Kitten if I’m going for a more day appropriate look.

Strong lips appeared in their various incarnations on both catwalks again, so you can’t go wrong with a bright (or dark) pop of colour on your pout. On the stage loud lips were paired with striking eyes, but on the street I always think it’s best to focus on one feature—either lips OR eyes. I suggest pairing your dramatic lip look with a simple eye such as a sweep of a nude or champagne shade plus liner and a lick of mascara. Colours to covet range from dark cherries (more AW obviously) to bright orange, fuschia and coral pouts. Try NARS lipstick in Mindgame , and don’t forget your liner (especially for the darker shades) to keep it all nice and neat.

Skin for AW and SS has again stayed away from the dewy look of days gone by and favours a nude and natural, slightly matte yet still luminous look. If you’re brave and possess glorious skin you can try the Isabel Marant no make-up catwalk look, but for the rest of us who need to fake it til we make it, I suggest using your preferred foundation, then adding a light dusting of oil-absorbing powder (to keep the oilies at bay). For my fellow contour enthusiasts, a sweep of beige blush under the cheekbones should suffice, followed by a cream or powder highlight on top of the cheekbone—I adore MAC Mineralise Skinfinishes for their subtle shimmery sheen—my latest love is the skinfinish duo from the New View collection in medium.

Images: Never Shopped Out

Cartoon couture

Images: mijo.com, 80spurple.com

First, there was Murakami for Louis Vuitton.

Then, there were teddy bears for Fendi.

Now, we have Disney couture.

Ok, so that might not be in the correct order, and the items listed might not necessarily be of the same calibre (or even close). However, if like me you like your bling big, gold, flashy, kitsch--and a little bit twee--you might also like the ever-expanding range of Disney trinkets based on childhood classics such as Peter Pan, Snow White, and my personal favourite Alice in Wonderland.

Recently I have acquired two pieces from the range--oddly enough they are both part of the Peter Pan collection which heavily features the lovely Tinkerbell. The locket pictured above has attracted many admiring glances, and the ring offers sage advice to those who wish to never grow up (oh the powers of positive thinking). There's even a red delicious necklace for the fairest of them all.

Mirror, mirror...

Deco delights

Image: merivale.com

Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival took place this week in the glorious town I call home--and for those not in the know on this one, the festival is basically a public, edited and condensed version of the (usually) industry only Fashion Week. I didn't go to any of the shows, but I was lucky enough to be given an invitation to a party Wednesday night at the Ivy hosted by leblackbook (many thanks to the lovely Kellie for thinking of me).

So along with other fashion fillies, i trotted on down to the Ivy for a short and sweet fashion show plus drinks. Sadly I still don't have my digi cam (I blame Paxton's camera store for this) so I couldn't take any pics to share, but the dresses were all previews of new season stock soon to be available on leblackbook. The party took place in the Den, which was decked out in gorgeous art deco style--kudos to the interior designer, because in my opinion, the Ivy is one of the most luxuriously well decorated spaces in Sydney (ok, so maybe I'm not really any kind of authority on the subject, but I know what I like when I see it!).

Needless to say, I had a lovely time and even managed to make it home and into bed before midnight. Bliss.

NSO beauty: Desert island

If you are familiar with Never Shopped Out, a great Australian online shopping resource, you may have noticed they have a new beauty blogger on board--if you are doubly observant, you may also have noticed that it is none other than yours truly. Each fortnight a new beauty posting will be up on NSO as well as up here on this blog. So please click on the link or read on and enjoy!

They say you can often tell a lot about a woman by having a quick peek inside her make-up bag/drawer/cupboard. If one were to cast their eyes upon my stash it would probably reveal a number of things about me including the fact that I am a massive hoarder and probably own enough beauty products to keep myself occupied til about the year 2037.Despite the fact that I honestly NEED everything that I own (and intend to purchase in the near future) if I had to play beauty desert island and pick 4 items which I think should take pride of place in anyone’s beauty regimen (whether you spend 5 minutes or 50 minutes in front of the mirror each day) these would be it:

Sunscreen

This is definitely the number one must, since sun damage from exposure to UV rays is one of the biggest aging factors (second only to stress). I wear at least an SPF 30+ year round, even when indoors—sun damage is cumulative and doesn’t show up until years after the damage has already been done. Get a moisturiser or foundation into your routine which contains a high SPF: I use Shiseido sun protection liquid foundation 30+. (AUD$49.00)

Eye cream

Moisturising the skin around the eye is crucial from the early twenties onwards. Even though your skin may not be dry, dehydration (lack of water, not lack of oil) is one of the first signs of aging, with dehydration lines around the eyes often being confused for wrinkles. I believe prevention is better than cure, so keep the fine skin around your eyes plumped up with an eye cream suitable for your skin type (I use Elizabeth Arden Intervene eye, AUD$52.00), and remember to tap the cream lightly around the eye socket, never on the actual eye lid.

Lipstick/gloss/balm

Some kind of lip product must be on my lips at all times to guard against dryness and to protect from the wind and sun. Two lippies that are always in my handbag are MAC Jubilee lipstick (AUD$35.00) and Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula lip butter.

Mascara

Oh so obvious and clichéd, but my teeny lashes are so spindly they are virtually invisible without this most wondrous item. With the infinite range of mascaras now on the market you can find one to suit almost any look you desire, but if you like them long and thick like I do, I highly recommend Max Factor Masterpiece MAX —I’ve tried Diorshow, I’ve tried Lancome Hypnose, I’ve tried Chanel Inimitable, and this one trumps the lot at around half the price.

Images: Never Shopped Out

No apologies

Image: abcnews.go.com

In a world increasingly and sometimes excessively obsessed with a need to be politically correct at all times, it can be refreshing to hear the un-censored (albeit rehearsed) opinions of some people who have the balls to tell it like it really is. Last night I was lucky enough to spend a few hours laughing my a** off at Chris Rock's No Apologies show at the Entertainment Centre, part of a year-long world tour which kicked off in New York on NYE last year. In classic Rock style, topics of conversation included politics, race, as well as the relationships and differences between men and women.

Highly recommended, there are two more Australian shows in Melbourne, tonight and tomorrow. Otherwise, I'm sure the footage will be available on DVD next year, or up on YouTube despite a blanket ban on cameras at the show (courtesy of those with little understanding or respect for the intellectual property of others =p).

High tea is for ladies

Image: Cupcakes by Zalita from flickr.com

When it comes to all things social, I would have to say I am neither a wallflower nor a social butterfly... I suppose if I were to romanticise my behaviour I could be described as a sort of Cinderella who is nearly always struck around midnight with a strong desire to go home--although in my case it has less to do with my car turning into a pumpkin and more to do with the fact that I can be a bit of a Nana and require 8 hours of beauty sleep nightly (minimum). Needless to say, I am not a creature of the night and prefer to keep my social hours during the day, preferably around meal times when lots of food and conversation may be had by all (and heard, which is more than I can say for the Sydney bar scene of late).

One of my favourite things to do with my friends during the day is to have high tea, especially if it involves a buffet and a five star hotel. I have partaken of high tea at a few different places and in my humble opinion, the afternoon tea buffet at the Intercontinental is both delicious and great value. I returned to the Cortile for the second time recently, and I found that the quality and service had not changed since my first visit about a year prior. However, one thing that has changed is their introduction of two seatings (from 1-3pm or 3-5pm) as opposed to the original 2-5pm session, which (sadly) means less time to gorge oneself on cakes, tarts, savouries, petit fours, crepes and waffles.

Also included of course is a glass of bubbly and a nice pot of Prince Charming. I mean, Earl Grey.