Archive for March, 2011
Face of the Day
Lately I have had a few requests to explain what makeup I have on in my daily pics.
I actually have a very simple daily routine which is really easy to follow (I hope) so this might be of assistance to some of you.
Let me begin by saying that all the products I have reviewed on my blog are genuinely used by me. When I review something and say that I love it - I really do. Sometimes I get sent products that work better on my skin or for my look that I will replace the previous product with, but I never lie and pretend to use something that I don’t actually use often.
That doesn’t mean to say that every product listed below was sent to me either.
So, for the moment, here’s my latest routine.
Foundation/Base – Dermalogica Treatment Foundation #2
I bought a couple of tubes of this last year and I love it. It’s very moisturising and, given Dermalogica’s fantastic track record with healing my problematic skin, feels nourishing and protective as opposed to a cosmetic brand that could be causing damage to my skin.
The coverage is fantastic and you only need a tiny amount to get a good result.
$68
Concealer – Benefit Erase Paste
This blends really well and is a fairly thick consistency, so I find that it covers blemishes nicely. I don’t think it’s lasting power is the best, though.
$47
Eyes - Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara
I don’t like to wear eyeshadow and liner everyday. If I’m going out after work or wake up particularly early and have time to kill I usually will, but on an everyday basis I don’t like to go overboard.
I love Bad Gal mascara because it doesn’t irritate my sensitive eyes and it thickens and lengthens the lashes, giving a full-looking result.
$38
Blush - Benefit Dandelion or M.A.C Pink Cult blush
Depending on how I’m feeling or the look I’m going for I alternate between these two.
Dandelion gives a perfectly baby pink rosey cheek whereas the M.A.C blush is a very deep and natural looking colour.
I also find that Dandelion has a certain illuminating factor as opposed to the Pink Cult which is matte.
In terms of defining the cheek bones, I’d say M.A.C’s Pink Cult does the job better.
Dandelion $51 Pink Cult $40
Illuminator – Benefit High Beam
I’ve been using High Beam for years. You only need the tiniest, tiniest blob to highlight your cheek and brow bones.
Just dot it along the brow bone and blend in. It will make a huge difference in photos and give you a natural glow.
$45
Since I’m sharing makeup tips, I’ll throw in some hair ones too. I get a lot of comments on how healthy and shiny my hair is and I honestly don’t think it would be without all the products I use – so read carefully if you want to abuse your hair with chemicals and heat and still get some lustre.
Shampoo and Conditioner - Joico Daily Treatment Shampoo and Colour Endure Conditioner
I love Joico! Their products always smell unusual but delicious and they’re long-lasting and effective.
At the moment I start my hair-washing routine by using Daily Treatment Shampoo ($24.95/300mL) and Colour Endure Conditioner ($25.95/300mL). I feel like my hair is thoroughly cleaned of all the product I use and my sensitive scalp is not irritated.
After brushing (I know, I know, you’re not meant to brush wet hair) I apply Fudge’s Ends Test Tubes ($17.95) to the….um, ends, and Fudge’s Violet Mousse to the roots.
This Violet Hothed Mousse is one of my favourite products in my bathroom. It leaves blonde hair with a clean, shiny and manageable texture as well as the TDF scent. You may have to stop yourself from squirting it in your mouth – it looks like icing!
I don’t know if this has anything to do with the Violet Hothed formula itself, but ever since I started using it, I haven’t had to wash my hair as often. I’ve gone from an every-other-day person to every third or fourth day.
$19.95
After a dry off, I spritz Fudge Urban’s Straight Hair Stuff through the lengths. Yes, more product. But it is essential – for me especially – to heat protect my hair.
$10.99
I feel much better about taking hot straightening or curling implements to my hair if it’s protected, and I think you will notice a huge difference in softness if you do the same.
So those are my tips for hair and makeup that I’m using right now. Do with them what you will. May they bring you happiness!
Mitchell Orr – Cleo Bachelor of the Year 2011 Nominee
The time of the year where Australia’s 50 most eligible bachelors are revealed by Cleo magazine has come by again, and this year I have the pleasure of brain washing you into voting reminding you to vote for my friend, Chef and all ’round baller, Mitchell Orr.
What a dreamboat
You may have eaten at his restaurant, Duke Bistro, sat next to him at a Parra Eels game or perhaps you’ve been grinding with him on the dance floor of a hip hop club? Either way, if your path hasn’t yet cross with Mitch’s, I feel sorry for you.
Lover of good shoes, travel and women. Hater of bad spelling and the Lakers. Mitch should be your pick for this year’s Cleo Bachelor because he’s an all-round guy who would undoubtedly love to meet all of the fine ladies who’d vote for him.
Don’t let a generic athlete or tv presenter take this one out. Do the right thing, Vote for Mitchell Orr.
To vote for Mitch (like you should) and to read more of his profile, Click here immediately!
Pic from Cleo Magazine
Lindt Easter 2011
The Easter Bunny sat alone in the late hours of Easter Saturday. He had finished packing up his station wagon with all the eggs he needed to deliver to kids around the world and felt like a night cap.
In a share house a few suburbs away, The Easter Bunny’s mates, Bugs and Bees, were planning a special surprise when the phone rang. ‘Whattup, Bugs and Bees? Feel like a drink?’ Came the voice on the other end.
The leader of the Bugs, Golden Boy, covered the phone with his spindly leg. ‘Guysssss! The Easter Bunny is on the phone! What should I say?’
‘Tell him we’re all stuffed full of chocolate and can’t go out tonight!’ said one of the posse, a lady bug.
‘Heeeeyy EB! Sorry, mate, we can’t come out tonight. We all over-did it on Good Friday and we’re staying in.’
Disheartened, but not discouraged, The Easter Bunny decided that if the Bugs and Bees couldn’t go out, he would go to them.
Meanwhile, the Bugs and Bees had decided to surprise The Easter Bunny by turning up at his house to help with the Easter deliveries.
Uh-oh.
Golden Boy lead the rest of the Bugs and Bees in pairs over to The Easter Bunny’s house. Unfortunately, The Easter Bunny had taken a short cut and turned up at the Bugs and Bees’ place without crossing paths.
When he found the house empty The Easter Bunny was terribly upset. Those bastards, he thought. They lied to me. They told me they were staying in. Well that’s it…I’m going to find them.
Over at The Easter Bunny’s house the Bugs and Bees knew something had gone wrong. The lights were off, the front gate was shut and there were no signs of life at all.
‘Oh no!’ proclaimed Beeyonce, the diva of the group. She started wailing and dropped to the floor, wiping her tears with her wings – Beeyonce was dramatic like that.
‘Pull it together, Bee! We’ll find the Easter Bunny before he makes his delivery, I’m sure it’s not too late. Get back in your lines’ commanded Golden Boy, and off they went on the search for The Easter Bunny.
The Easter Bunny came across some neighbourhood friends on his travels. He asked them all if they had seen the Bugs and Bees.
‘Hey! Cousins!’ The Easter Bunny yelled at the two hares ‘Have you seen the Bugs and Bees?’
Unhelpfully, the hares just stared at The Easter Bunny and turned their backs to him.
When Georgina crossed his path, The Easter Bunny stopped her for help. ‘Georgina, have you seen the Bugs and Bees?’
‘Ummmm are they this tall?’ Asked Georgina, raising her paw.
‘Georgina, they’re bugs and bees. Of course they’re not that tall. I’m that tall!’
‘Sorry. I can’t help you then.’
The next friend was a bear who seldom left his spot on the stairs. ‘Bear, you must have seen the Bugs and Bees walk by here, right?’
‘Nope. Not yet, Easter Bunny. But I’ll tell them you’re looking for them if I see them.’
It was a rare moment that Bear got up to go to the bathroom when the Bugs and Bees eventually wandered past.
After hours of searching, The Easter Bunny was about to give up. There wasn’t long until he had to go and deliver eggs to all the children and he was wasting his energy.
In the distance he heard the rustling of wings. Could it be?
What’s that?
It’s a lady bug!
Is it one of the lady bugs?
When she got closer, The Easter Bunny realised it wasn’t one of the lady bugs he was after. His right eye started twitching frantically which frightened the lady bug and she ran away in the other direction.
‘I’m never going to find the Bugs and Bees!’ The Easter Bunny screamed.
The Bugs and Bees were busy climbing the big, fluffy mountain that was Georgina when they heard the scream. They scurried down Georgina’s leg and jumped up and down excitedly in front of her nose.
‘Georgina, Georgina, have you seen The Easter Bunny?’
‘I haven’t seen a thing’ Georgina sighed, and the Bugs and Bees ran off in the direction of the echoing scream.
At the pace the Bugs and Bees were chasing the scream, it wasn’t long before they caught up with The Easter Bunny. But instead of calmly saying hello, they decided to keep their original plan and surprise the bunny.
They followed The Easter Bunny for ten minutes until they realised where he was headed. Using the power of their wings, they flew up and over the bunny so they could reach the destination first.
With only a minute to get organised, the Bugs and Bees hid behind the egg statues where they knew The Easter Bunny liked to sit and meditate when he was sad.
‘Wait for it…..and GO!’ Golden Boy directed the group when The Easter Bunny got within metres of the statues.
‘SURPRISE!’ They all yelled as they jumped out from behind the eggs. ‘We love you Easter Bunny, thanks for bringing so much joy to the world!’
The Easter Bunny was not impressed at all. Everyone knows rabbits have weak hearts, and this was no way to treat a friend - especially after they’d just lied to him.
‘You horrible creepy crawlies’, said The Easter Bunny. ‘You’ve been nothing but awful to me all night, and now you have to suffer the consequences.’
Using his springy legs, The Easter Bunny hopped on each of the Bugs and Bees. Squishing them one-by-one until their delicious hazelnut and crispy rice filling oozed out for him to lap up.
Not being able to stop at one, The Easter Bunny gobbled up the Bugs and Bees until there were none left. He never got to hear the Bugs and Bees’ plan to help him, but he didn’t care.
Who needs friends when you have Lindt chocolate, right?
The Easter Bunny – played by Lindt Gold Bunny in White Chocolate (also in Milk and Dark $5.49/100g)
Bugs and Bees – played by Lindt Bugs and Bees Pouch Bag (Milk Chocolate with Hazelnut and rice crisp filling $5.99/100g)
The Lindt Easter 2011 collection also features:
- Plush Bunny Ears and Milk Chocolate Egg $9.99
- Gold Bunny Milk Churn $16.99/240g
- Gold Bunny 5 pack $5.25/50g
- Easter Hunt Tube $19.99/300g
For more of the Lindt Easter range for 2011 discover www.lindt.com.au for more delectable treats.
Outfit of the Day
I am getting a very encouraging amount of hits on my work outfit posts, so I’ll keep going!
I bought this dress and a few other things from ASOS a couple of weeks ago and it arrived on Tuesday. I was pretty happy to wake up and see it would be 21 degrees in Sydney today which mean that I could wear one of my new pieces.
So here it is:
Loading Problems
Dear Readers,
A lot of you have kindly brought it to my attention that my site isn’t loading properly for them.
For me, the blog looks like this:
But apparently for a large amount of readers, the page is coming up as white, with no logo and the posts and photos running all down the left side of the page.
I apologise for this, and I hope to have it sorted out soon.
In the meantime I will still be posting so please bear with me until it is fixed.
Thankyou for reading A Fatal Attraction to Cuteness! x
Outfit of the Day
Work again today. Duh.
A variation on a pretty regular corporate outfit of a shirt and skirt but I love this top that I bought recently so I wanted to get as much wear out of it as possible.
Jeanius From M.A.C Cosmetics
Denim, the perpetual trend, has been re-formatted over the past few decades a million different ways. From trusty jeans, cowboy shirts and denim mini skirts to those his’n'hers outfits worn by Britney and Justin back in 2001 at the American Music Awards.
Classy
Despite the bad PR from tacky celebrities, denim always recovers. Now it is getting a boost even further in the right direction by M.A.C Cosmetics who have overhauled the idea of denim to create a new range of makeup called Jeanious which is inclusive of eyeshadows, lipsticks and nail polish as well as eyeliner and other essentials.
Cleverly working acid wash and black tones into the line, M.A.C have produced some great products to create truly inspiring and daring looks for Winter.
The eyeshadows are particularly cute with their copper and silver ”studs” embossed into the palette. The metallic powder makes for a great illuminator when applied to the brow bone and on the inner corners of the eyes to give the appearance of bright, open eyes.
Motorhead eyeshadow $40.00
The nail lacquer in Biker Blue will satisfy those with a dark side - dressing their fingers in a deep blue polish on short, blunt nails. For those following the nude and shiny trend that was huge on runways of Paris Fashion Week, M.A.C’s Frayed To Order - a white matte with soft pearl polish – will be your new everyday staple.
Nail Lacquer $22.00
To compliment the mysterious dark denim hues and the lighter, more frivolous ones, lipsticks and lip glasses have been matched respectively.
For brunettes and olive-skinned girls, I’d be trying Riveting Rose or Indigo Pink and lighter complexions will suit Acid Wash or Docile.
Indigo Pink Lipglass $34.00
Acid Wash Lipstick $34.00
Acid Wash is as lovely to wear as it looks in the tube. A brilliant, yet sheer, lipstick which is smooth and creamy – especially considering how glittery it is. It also features a pleasant, soft scent. I can’t quite work out what it is, but it’s very pretty.
Pink Cult Blush $40.00
Sweet powder blushes will have your cheeks as flushed as when you put on your favourite jeans for the first time. You know that moment when you realise your bum looks so good in them that even you’d hit that? Yeah, that one. The blushes come in two tones, Over-dyed which is a bright magenta, and Pink Cult which is mid tone dirty pink. I love these musky pinks. They remind me of all the beautiful browny-pink clothes and accessories in stores right now.
I’ve just bought a whole heap of dusky pink clothes for Winter and I can tell that these lip and blush colours are going to match perfectly.
The M.A.C Jeanius collection is on the shelves now!
What do you think of the collection?
Bargain Haul
I never venture down the QVB end of town, but I’d heard of a clearance sale at the George Street Supre as they’re moving in to the new Westfield. Well, technically they already have moved in there, but I guess it’s a good time to get rid of old stock.
The whole bottom floor is a complete shambles full of messy racks and thousands upon thousands of garments. There were gems like a tshirt with ‘Little Kitty’ printed on it, a lycra metallic, leopard print dress and a slogan singlet with ’Santa, I’ve been a naughty girl’ splayed across the front.
But among those were some decent finds. Plenty of leggings, harem pants (if that’s your thing) cardigans, maxi dresses, singlets, tanks and tees and I think I did pretty well for how little time I spent in there and my whopping grand total bill of $10.
Each piece had different prices on it, some of mine were marked $15.00 but the sales assistant told me everything was $5.00. When mine all scanned in at $2.50 each, I couldn’t have been happier!
So here’s what I got:
This tunic has a few pulls in it, but I like the colour for Winter and it’s the softest fabric I’ve ever felt. I figure I can sew something over the top of the pulls or even try to pull them back through. I haven’t really examined it yet, but I think this will be a great layering piece.
This maxi dress is going to be wonderful in winter with chunky scarves and biker boots. It’s such a great basic and I like that the neckline is a bit lower. It’s quite a thin cotton so it too will be a fabulous layering piece.
This top is clearly quite shapeless. But it’s very long and a good quality fabric, so I envision it hidden away under bum-length jackets over fitted leather pants with chunky wedges and scarves like so:
The last tshirt is similar in how I’ll style it. I liked the tiny studs on the pocket, it’s 10% dressier than a plain white tshirt and 5% edgier.
For $10.00 I couldn’t have even bought all the fabric in these clothes, so I’m pretty happy to replace some basics and make some new additions to my wardrobe.
If you have some spare time and a good eye, it’s certainly worth checking out the sale.
Also purchased today albeit from Sportsgirl, two new headbands. Yay!
This one was on sale from $29.95 down to $9.95 and the bow headband below was $14.95. I can’t wait to wear this in Winter.
What’s your latest bargain?
High Tea – The Observatory Hotel
Yesterday afternoon I enjoyed high tea at the Observatory Hotel with my friend Lydia.
I love going to the Observatory, there’s something so decadent about it. They have the most luxurious day spa under ground and even the bathrooms are pretty. See:
Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?
Obviously something about Saturday afternoon tea with champagne meant ‘wear sparkles’ to us as we both turned up wearing shiny things.
The food was lovely as always, but I was a bit disappointed that their Gluten Free option did not include scones for the GF recipient. Instead a plate of fruit was offered. In my opinion, if you can supply GF bread for sandwiches, you can make GF scones. Afterall, what is high tea without scones?
The non-GF option had the obligitory ham & cheese, egg & mayo, salmon & capers and cucumber sandwiches as well as a vast selection of petits fours including chocolate mousse, opera cake, a mini cupcake, fruit tart, creme brulee and cheesecake. Suffice to say I was stuffed!
Normally for high tea I would wear something puffy and flouncy; but the heat yesterday warranted a barely-there outfit. I opted for this Camilla silk dress with hand beading. It is so, so pretty in real life. I think it would make a really gorgeous wedding dress for someone with simple tastes, or a really carefree beach wedding.
I didn’t really have an appropriate bag to go with this outfit, but I remembered this clutch my mum bought me from The Corner Shop in 2003 for my year 10 formal. It’s an American brand, Claret, and, as you can tell, has been very loved. I love the pop culture reference and it’s really comfortable to hold, especially if you’re going out dancing.
I also love the bottom of the bag which has a nifty little zipper. Handy for stashing $20 so you can always get a taxi home. Who hasn’t left themselves short once or twice before?
Did anyone else have an afternoon tea with friends this weekend? Where is your favourite high tea in Sydney?
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang – Sydney
Chelsea Handler is easily one of my favourite comedians, most definitely my favourite female comedian and my week-nightly guilty pleasure, so you can imagine how wet-my-pants excited I was when I found out she was bringing her Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang tour to Australia.
I managed to nab awesome seats in the fifth row (and weirdly, a good friend from school was sitting directly behind me!) for her 9:30 show and I have been hanging out for tonight for the months since then.
I started of the evening at Glass Brasserie in the Hilton. An old favourite and in perfect walking distance to the State Theatre where Chelsea was performing.
For main I had pan-fried potato gnocchi with corn, asparagus, courgette, parmesan and lemon thyme and for dessert Meredith sheep’s milk yoghurt and peach cheesecake. I’ve had another variation of this cheesecake at Glass years ago but it was done with berries instead of peaches.
The dish featured pop rocks which kept me endlessly amused.
After dinner it was time for the show. A few of the Comedians of Chelsea Lately were hanging about in the foyer which was pretty cool as it meant people could get photos and autographs.
My mum is a huge Chelsea Handler fan so I got her book signed by Brad Wollack, Heather McDonald, Sarah Colonna and Fortune Feimster.
I also managed to grab a pic with Fortune, but it was too hard to get them with the other comedians. Boo hoo 
Fortune and I
The show was opened by Chris Franjola which I wasn’t expecting. It was a nice surprise as he is genuinely a funny guy who pays himself out quite a bit – I think Aussies can really relate to that kind of humour.
Chelsea came on after Chris and was far more energetic than I thought she would be considering a foot injury and sore throat. She re-told a lot of anecdotes from her New York Times best-selling book, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, which were great to hear with her voice behind them rather than just on the pages of the book.
Chelsea on stage
She also did a lot of racial jokes that only she seems to be able to get away with! I was laughing so hard I thought I was going to vomit when she was describing how much she hates cats and how she wants a pet dolphin.
I guess you had to be there.
It’s rare to see someone from TV who looks basically the same in real life. Kim Kardashian, for example, is so much skinnier and smaller and Dita Von Teese is far better looking; but Chelsea is just the same. I thought she’d be really, really short – but she isn’t. She’s quite toned – you could see her leg muscles through her jeggings and she has very good skin and high cheekbones.
I’m pretty upset I didn’t get to meet Chelsea. I was sure I was going to randomly bump into her in the city or something while she was here, but oh well. Meeting some of her cast was pretty awesome.
Heather McDonald said she loved my ($20 Dotti) dress. I thought she might – it’s very short and leggy – exactly her style. 
For reference, there are outfit pics below.
Did anybody else see Chelsea tonight? What did you think?
