A Fatal Attraction to Cuteness

The Aromatherapy Co. Wild Rose and Vetiver Bath & Body Oil

A friend of mine, Rosie, was always the most prepared girl in my highschool year. She’s a Cancerian, meaning she’s organised, and in particular was always well-equipped in the health and beauty area with a school bag full of essentials. Hand cream, lip balm, tampons,  tissues, bandaids and yet not a Panadol or Nurofen in sight. Rosie swore by essential oils to cure anything and everything. From a headache to cramps to a sore throat; where most people would turn straight to medication, she’d always take a whiff from a bottle of oil.

Seeing this, and noticing how much better it is for you than popping a pill, I decided to adopt the same idea. Since then, I’ve always preferred to turn to natural remedies to cure what ails me. I was so excited when one of my favourite, pretty brands, The Aromatherapy Co., brought out a range of essential oils in the form of bath and body oils, candles, massage oils and pulse point products. My latest obsession is their Wild Rose and Vetiver Bath & Body Oil.

Although touted as a healer of skin conditions such as eczema, redness and inflammation, I’ve found that the Wild Rose and Vetiver Bath & Body Oil has been instrumental in helping me get a fantastic sleep every night. Originally, when I first started applying it to my eczema affected areas, I was having a far better sleep than normal but now I have started applying it to my pulse points for what is the best sleep I have had outside of a general anaesthetic.

The pulse points are:

• Forehead
• Behind the ears - for earache, sore throats or glandular problems
• Under the nose – to aid blocked noses and symptoms of a cold
• Temples – for headaches, fatigue or sore eyes
• On the wrists – for the menstrual cycle and the hell that comes with it

Not only are The Aromatherapy Co. helping keep this girl bright-eyed and bushy-tailed throughout the day, but they’re also a member of 1% FOR THE PLANET, an organisation which sees its members donate 1% of their annual profits to environmental causes. They also don’t test on animals.

For more information on The Aromatherapy Co. and their products check out www.thearomatherapyco.co.nz

What’s your best natural remedy for everything?

February 6, 2012 at 10:10 am 2 comments

Revitanail Cuticle Remover Gel

My nails are in an absolutely shocking state lately. Too many applications of red nail polish resulting in stained nails, forgetting to moisturise my hands daily, using nail polish remover that dries out the cuticles and not pushing them back.

Thankfully, I have Revitanail Cuticle Remover Gel on hand to fix me up. Revitanail Cuticle Remover Gel contains Sodium Hydroxide to lightly (you won’t feel it) dissolve the disgusting cuticle build up as well as green tea extract and aloe vera to soften the cuticle, allowing you to push it back and start fresh.

Put some gel on each cuticle. The tip of the tube is quite thin so it shouldn’t be too hard to get the right amount.

Leave the gel on for 1-2 minutes. The directions say ‘no longer than 10 minutes’. I’ve never left it on for more than 10 minutes so I’m not sure what happens if you do, but I’d just do as I’m told and go the 1-2 minutes if I were you.

While the gel is still on your nails, push the cuticles back. You shouldn’t have any difficulty doing this and the gel will turn a milky white colour instead of being clear because the dead cuticles will have dissolved off. Once all the cuticles are pushed back wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

All done! Ready to moisturise and paint. No more crappy cuticles. Huzzah!

Revitanail Cuticle Remover Gel can be purchased from Myer, David Jones, Priceline, Priceline Pharmacy and selected pharmacies nationwide for $14.95/30mL

January 29, 2012 at 8:29 am 3 comments

Nad’s Gel Facial Wand

I’ve been meaning to write about the Nad’s Gel Facial Wand for a few months now. It’s the highlight of my day whenever I need to wax again. It actually makes me wish I had a moustache so I could wax that off too.

If you’re like me and extremely skeptical about having your brows ‘done’ by anyone else, this is the perfect tool. It’s also a great product if you want to save money and start doing your brows at home. Honestly, this is the only option for me. I’ve had my eyebrows waxed about three times in my life and the beauticians have never ‘got’ my look, leaving me with thin, sparse brows that had heaps of space in the middle.

Nad’s Gel Facial Wand is SO easy to use. Here’s how:

I like to start by brushing all the eyebrows in an upward direction so I can see the natural shape of the brow. This helps in finding the strays and for determining how much you want to take off. It’s good to brush your eyebrows regardless – I do it at least once a day – to encourage growth and get rid of dead hairs.

Because the wand has such a fine tip, the shape you’re going for will be really accurate. I’ve actually been enjoying trying out different brow shapes and arches just because I can. Although I hate thin eyebrows, I went for a thinner look this time around because I think it looks good with dewy, Summery makeup with highlighted brow bones.

Apply a thin layer to the hairs you want to remove and lay a small fabric strip over the top. Smooth over lightly and rip in the opposite direction that the hair is growing.

My apologies for the grossness of the next picture, but I wanted to show you how effective just a small bit of wax can be.

Here’s the final result. Obviously, like with any wax, you’ll have some redness. This subsides quite quickly particularly because you’re not using hot wax. I find that any excess wax washes off really easily with water.

My only problem with the wand is that it only comes with about 10 strips. I go through at least two per wax so I’ve had to make do with other bits of fabric or wax strips from other packets I had at home.

Although the wand is small (6g), I’ve only used about a quarter of it for about half a dozen waxes so at $13.95 you’re getting a huge bargain.

A little tip – don’t leave the wax on too long before ripping it off. Although not hot, the wax does melt with your own body heat so you can be left with a wetter, not so tacky/sticky wax which won’t work as well if you’re not relatively quick.

You should be able to pick up Nad’s Gel Facial Wand from Coles, Woolies and Priceline stores. What are you waiting for? Take back control of your brows!!

January 19, 2012 at 11:12 am 4 comments

Hair and Makeup How-To

I had a lot of people asking me via the blog, email or Twitter to write a post on how I did my hair and makeup for the Kardashian Kollection launch. Well, I’ve finally got around to it, so here you go. I’m no makeup artist or hair stylist, so a lot of it is trial and error and just knowing your own features, so have a practise and you’ll soon find your own style.

Makeup

Hair

To start, wash your hair the day before with Schwarzkopf Ultimate Repair Shampoo and Conditioner. You don’t have to wash your hair before you begin, but it gives a far better texture to work with so can you just trust me on this? Thanks.

After towel drying, spritz with the Schwarzkopf Ultimate Repair and Gloss Treatment. This will not only moisturise the hair but also act as a detangler. Mousse the lengths AND the roots with Schwarzkopf Ultimate Styling Mousse and then blowdry…dry.

I always straighten my hair before curling so that I have a clean slate to work with. If I have a bit of frizz and then curl it, I’m never happy with the curls so even a half-assed job of straightening gives me a better result. Before running the GHD over my hair I apply Fudge’s Straight Hair Stuff to protect against the direct heat and also to give ultimate straightness. Once the whole head is straight, you can begin your curls.

If you’re anything like me and have very fine hair, you’ll be thankful for all that mousse you put in earlier. I like to heat my curler up to 170 degrees and create tight curls which eventually fall to the level I want them by the time the event comes around. Spray each section lightly with Schwarzkopf Ultimate Styling Hair Spray before curling and if they’re too tight, you can always brush them out to desired tightness as well. Since I did this look before work and then went to the event at 6pm, you can see how much they would have dropped. I mean, I went to work looking like Shirley Temple and 9 hours later had the above – so just deal with the embarrassment for a couple of hours in the morning and you’ll look hot later.

I parted my hair at one side and back-combed the back sections to give a bit of sex hair and I Do Not Give A Fuck-ery to the look. I think it matched my dress. Do not be afraid of hairspray, my friends. It is on your side – use and abuse it until you’re happy that style is not going anywhere.

For the makeup I start with Dermalogica’s Treatment Foundation. Using Benefit’s Erase Paste, conceal any blemishes. You know this, why am I telling you?

Everytime you’re doing a full eye you have to prime. I like Benefit’s The POREfessional. Not traditionally a primer, it seems to work very well for me and you’ll never see me with an unsightly crease in my eyelid so long as I’m wearing it.

After priming, I cover the whole eyelid with the lightest colour in the Australis ‘Snap Attack’ palette. Starting at the inner edges and working up to the crease I apply the darkest colour with a thin brush and work my way over the out edge of the eye. Blend.

Using the lightest brown/bronze blend into the bone of the eyelid to highlight this area and using the darkest colour again, with an angled brush, create a small flick on the outer edge of the eye and continue the colour underneath the lower outer edge. With the same dark colour but a smaller blending brush, work the colour towards the middle of the eye and upwards over the crease. With the rim of the eye now shaded in the darkest colour, and with the lightest colour as a base, I brush M.A.C Woodwinked (which is a bronze shadow) over the middle remaining section of the lid to give dimension and create the illusion of a bigger, more open eye.

With the colour applied, it’s time to put on falsies. I received the Revlon lashes in a gift bag and I found these super easy to apply. Usually I’m a bit uncoordinated with fake lashes but I had no problems and I also didn’t have to cut the lashes down to size. Once they’re on, fill in any gaps with eyeshadow and apply M.A.C’s False Lashes mascara.

Now that the eyes are all done it’s time to concentrate on cheeks. Not everyone will suit the same M.A.C blush I use, so use your desired colour. Apply blush below the cheekbone in the ‘hollow’ section of your cheek and then to the apple. With the bronzer, I apply it to my temples and down along side my cheeks, the apples of my cheeks, the tops of my cheekbones, the tip of my nose and chin and collar bones.

Finish off with some Benefit High Beam on your brow bones and the highest point of the cheekbones, just under the eye. Don’t forget to brush your brows with Benefit’s Instant Brow pencil and fill them in if needed.

Rub Napoleon’s Whipped Dream Tan Enhancer into your limbs and you’re good to go!

December 29, 2011 at 11:37 am Leave a comment

Finger Waves at Brad Ngata Hair Direction

Last night was my work’s 1930s Circus-themed Christmas party at Hyde Park Barracks.

I decided to channel Reese Witherspoon’s character in Water For Elephants and wear a drop-waisted silk dress that was very performer-ish with t-bar heels and finger waves which are synonymous with that era.

I found a tutorial on LC’s blog, The Beauty Department, but it took me an hour just doing a tiny section of my hair during practise so I decided to have it done.

I’ve had up-do’s at Brad Ngata before, with great success, so I decided to go there for this ‘do.

Elise at the Ivy salon created my look and I absolutely loved it!

The process took a shit load of product (which I totally endorse) and tonnes of hair and bobby pins.

It started off by wetting the front section and applying lots of gel. Despite the name, I didn’t realise finger waves were actually created with the fingers. The hair is combed and then held with one finger, combed in a different direction and secured with another finger and so on. It’s then pinned into place and left to set until it’s actually rock hard and then softened with a hair dryer (and soft diffuser) and given a little bit more volume and shape.

I didn’t manage to get a photo of the back, unfortunately. It looked stunning and was actually quite thick and luscious as opposed to the textured curls that Reese wears in the movie.

The result was a comfortable, secure and accurate hairstyle and I couldn’t fault the service of the staff at Brad Ngata. I’ll definitely be back again (obviously!)

Up-do’s at Brad Ngata Hair Direction start at $129. They have salons at Surry Hills and Ivy in Sydney’s CBD.

PS – how cute is this little friend on the door at the Ivy salon? Squeee!

December 10, 2011 at 11:21 am 6 comments

Rimmel London – I Love Lasting Finish Nail Polish

A beauty product has never made me feel like a creep before but I just can’t help it. The way these I Love Lasting Nail Polishes smell, I simply have to keep smelling my fingers.

I know, I know – super gross - but with flavours like Strawberry Fizz, Cranberry Zest, Apricot Punch and Lemon Drop you soon learn to not care if people are looking at you funny because your nails smell like a fruit salad.

Obviously Rimmel London love their customers so much that they are not content with only giving us beautiful bright colours, but also understand how nauseating the nail varnish fumes can be and have completely masked it with these pretty scents.

The I Love Lasting Finish Nail Polish range also has about a dozen other colours that are not scented and they retail at only $5.95 each (8mL bottle).

Pros include the extremely quick drying time, the seemingly thicker than usual brush and, of course, that next-to-nothing price point. The one thing I don’t like is that the colours come out a little sheer. The orange (Apricot Punch) is absolutely gorgeous and suits me whether I’m tanned or pale (like right now because of this hideous weather!) but the yellow (Lemon Drop) is a bit see-through for my liking and even after 3-4 coats still wasn’t a deep colour.

Overall, definitely worth a shot. My picks are definitely Apricot Punch and secondly, Strawberry Fizz which is a sweet bubblegum pink.

Available now from David Jones, Kmart, Chemist Warehouse and selected Coles, Woolworths and pharmacies nationally.

December 4, 2011 at 10:33 pm 2 comments

Stance By Veet

Some brands are bad at social media. Veet isn’t one of them. If you like Facebook pages that are engaging, fun and give you the chance to win awesome prizes for you and your friends, then Stance By Veet is for you.

Even if you’re not a waxer, take part in quick surveys like “Bikini or One-Piece” to be in the running to win prizes such as Zimmermann swimwear, Jimmy Choo shoes and high tea for you and your girls.

Now in its second month, Stance By Veet will keep developing to bring you fashion and beauty advice, a Q&A area and inspirational articles as well as the latest in hair removal.

The products behind Stance By Veet are, of course, waxes and depilatory creams. Making hair removal easy for over eighty years, Veet offers a range of at-home products for use in the shower, the intermediate waxer and those a little more experienced.

Since I’m getting the hang of it, I’m loving the new Veet EasyGrip Ready To Use Wax Strips. Instead of applying any wax to yourself, the strips are pre-loaded so you simply need to warm them between your hands slightly before use. Huzzah! No messy microwaves! The EasyGrip tabs means that you can always get that important steady grip which results in maximum hair-pulling every time.

The best part about Veet EasyGrip Ready To Use Wax Strips? Their berry scent makes it smell like red frogs every time you wax. Mmmm lolly legs.

Veet’s new EasyGrip Ready To Use Wax Strips are available now at supermarkets, pharmacies and independent retailers nationwide. They retail for $10.99.

December 3, 2011 at 6:39 am 1 comment

Playboy – Play It Rock Fragrance

Playboy’s Play It Rock fragrance is described as opening “with a juicy blood orange and sugary apple candy top note” and that’s quite apt. There is something very ‘rock’, masculine and dirty (in a good way) about Play It Rock on first spray. As it settles, though, there’s a sweet and succulent undertone that lingers and is quite unique.

I was first attracted to the Playboy perfume because of its bottle. What’s not to love about a bunny wearing a bow tie, right? But I find myself craving this perfume and, even more so, its accompanying body spray.

I haven’t worn body spray since I was a pre-pubescent girl raiding every last bottle of Spice Girls Impulse from Priceline stores, but I’m starting to re-discover it and it’s ability to make a sticky afternoon feel like a fresh Spring morning. It’s one thing to top-up your deodorant in your lunch break, but feeling (and smelling) like you’ve just showered is a whole other thing. At $4.49 for the body spray, you really can’t afford not to have one in your desk draw.

Other notes present in Play It Rock are saffron, crimon, patchouli, black ebony, vanilla and fleur de cuir but if they’re not your style you might like Play It Lovely (citrus, blackberry and pear), Play It  Sexy (pink grapefruit, mandarin, licorice) or Play It Spicy (Bellini cocktail, pomegranate, passionfruit) which all retail for a tiny $19.95/50mL. You should be able to pick them up at your local Priceline or for stockists, call 1800 812 663.

Bunny rabbit tick of approval

What’s your style of play?

November 26, 2011 at 3:11 am 7 comments

Hello Kitty Cosmetics

If there were any products made for me and the target demographic of my blog it would have to be Hello Kitty Cosmetics; afterall, I did start my blog based on stories about Hello Kitty.  The ultimate in cuteness, pink and shimmery adorability – I can barely even talk about it.

What looks like quite a high-end collection – like something you’d see an exxy brand collaborate with – is actually cheap as chips and really accessible. Ranging in price from only $9.95 to $14.95, it is available only at Pricelines stores nationally. The Hello Kitty Cosmetics line is perfect for nights out when you don’t want to put your daggy old compact in your clutch, the young, emerging makeup fanatic in your life, or just your everyday collection.

Here I’ve created a whole look using the range:

Compressed powder – I’m not much of a powder wearer. For full coverage I prefer to wear a liquid foundation so I felt a bit self-conscious wearing only powder as a base. You can see in the photos above that my blemishes and freckles are quite evident, so if you like light coverage or have flawless skin this would be great for you. As far as powders go, though, this went on smoothly and evenly and I was wearing it on that extremely hot Saturday night and it didn’t sweat off, feel sticky or change consistency. It was light and didn’t cause dryness or look like powder on the skin. I used a kabuki brush for more even application. I used the darker of the powders as a bronzer.

Eyeshadow- This didn’t look very strong on the brush, but it loads very well. The baby pink colour is beautiful as a base and an illuminator. The purple was quite strong and probably not to everyone’s taste, but purple does look very nice against green eyes.

Mascara - I LOVE the mascara. It is so fine you can’t even tell you’re wearing it. The photos don’t really prove this, but in real life each lash is coated so evenly and without any clumping whatsoever.

Eyeliner – The liquid eyeliner has a nice sturdy tip but seemed to not apply to finely. I think it needs to be tapered more so you have the choice of doing a very thin line or a thicker flick.

Blush – I really liked the blush although, apart from being a nice colour there’s nothing extraordinarily good or bad about it.

Diamond Gloss and Diamond Stars - This isn’t really something a 24-year old would wear but I would have gone nuts for this as a tween. Since the range is probably aimed at tweens I think it’s really cute.

Lipstick – The plum colour is gorgeous, right?! Staying power was really fantastic, too. I drank something right after the photo was taken and only the tiniest smudge was left on the glass. 

Overall, I think this collection is marvellous. Easy on the wallet, no irritations to speak of, expensive-looking packaging and super girly. What more could you want?

Hello Kitty Cosmetics are in stores now! 

Gallery pics: Beauty Directory

November 22, 2011 at 11:04 pm 1 comment