Category Archives: How To

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

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Oh the last few days of Autumn and the first few days of Spring are just so delicious aren’t they? Gradually you stop reaching for your big woolly coat, those fun, floral prints work their way back into your wardrobe, your makeup becomes more fun, and you daydream of long days spent picnic-ing in the park or lazing on the sand as the waves roll in. It seems like ages since I’ve done a Face of the Day (that’s what the abbreviation “FOTD” means, for anyone who doesn’t actually write a beauty blog.) Actually looking back it hasn’t been THAT long, but still… This is a makeup look I’ve been wearing a bit lately, it feels fresh, fun and most certainly spring-worthy!

A lot of people have been asking me to do a “how-to” post on this particular look, so here it is guys: An easy peasy spring makeup look!

1. SKIN: Skin was prepped with Face of Australia Face Base Primer, then I applied Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Medium/Deep with my fingers, warming it first, before spreading it onto my skin. I followed with a light dusting of MAC Cosmetics Prep+Prime Transparent Finishing Powder. I used quite a stiff powder brush to then dust Dior Amber Diamond Highlighter onto my cheekbones, nose, and just above my brows. Then buffed the foundation over with the same powder brush. A little highlighter in the cupid’s bow above your lips never goes astray either.

2. EYES: Using the MAC Colour Added Eyeshadow Quad, from the Shop MAC range, I washed “Laundry Daze” on the inner corner of my eyes across the lid to about halfway. Then using “Self Serve” I filled in the outer corner, swept it into the crease and up towards the brow bone. I double lined my eyes, first with Australis StayPut Liner in Black, then with Smiink Eyeliner Pen in Black/Noir, flicking it out beyond my lashline a little. I finished by curling my lashes and applying a coat of Face of Australia Impact Curl Mascara — starting by placing the brush at the base of my lashes and zig-zagging it to get some product build up for added hold — then sweeping the brush upwards through my lashes. Two coats minimum, and then combed through with a final coat of Maybelline’s The Falsies Flared Mascara just on the tips of the lashes for good measure. Then blended the shadows out to remove the harsh edges.

3. BROWS: Using a q-tip dipped in makeup remover, I swiped it across my brows to remove any foundation residue, then combed my brows into place. I tamed and filled with SAX Cosmetics Perfect Brow Shaping Kit (awesome, awesome product, go and buy it now)!

4. CHEEKS: Rimmel London’s Sun Shimmer Matte Bronzing Powder works really well as a contour as well, I used the Medium shade for this look in the hollow underneath my cheekbones, across the top of my forehead near my hairline, under my jawline and down the bridge of my nose. NARS Blush in Sin provides a beautiful soft, berry pink glow on the apples of the cheeks.

5. LIPS: Face of Australia Sheer Gloss Crayon in Cupcake

6. HAIR: Bed hair by my bed

Has the warmer weather inspired you to change your makeup or your wardrobe? What changes have you made? Let me know!

Love,
Rosie
p.s. sorry ’bout the crappy photos, I’ve been snapping far too much with my phone lately. Need to take some time to stop, smell the roses and shoot things properly with my SLR!

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7 Days of Braids

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I love a good style dare. 30 Days of Lippy, 7 Days of Braids… count me in! Andrea from Fox in Flats recently challenged her readers to wear some kind of braided hairstyle every day for a full week. Talk about shaking up your hair routine!

Day 1 – The Relaxed Ombré Pulled Out Braid

How To: Braid your hair, secure it with a hair tie. Then starting at the top of the braid and moving downwards pull each section out a little to make it looser and fatter. This is a great trick for fine hair, it gives instant volume and thickness.

Day 2 – Boho Braided Outstyle
How To: This is an easy-peasy way to shake up your usual all-out style. Curl (or straighten) your hair as normal, then add a few tiny braids at the front and sides of your hair. You can pin them back for a more polished look or leave them out for an urban hippy vibe.

Day 3 – Scruffy Saturday Side Braid
How To: Take a section at the front of your hair (or just off-centre) about three fingers wide, and divide it into three, begin the braid and gradually pull hair in from both the left and right until you get to your ear, then finish by plaiting the end. Secure with a hair tie. Starting at the top and moving down to the bottom gently pull each segment out a little to fatten and loosen up the braid.

Day 4 – The Fishtail Braided Cage of Curls
How To: Curl your hair, then sweep all of it to one side and gather it into the shape of a ponytail. Taking a slim section of hair from underneath on the left side bring it up and over the ponytail, then do the same with the right. The key to the fishtail braid is small sections and taken from underneath. Keep the braid very loose and soft and make sure you keep a decent chunk of curls in the section inside the fishtail. Plait the last few strands down to the end and secure with a hair tie. Fluff up the curls underneath and ensure the end of the braid curls nicely too.

Day 5 – The Wraparound Braid
How To: Sweep all your hair over your right shoulder. Starting at the edge of your hairline just below your left ear (and around about where you feel your skull bone finish) take a section of hair approx 3cm thick and divide it into three lengthways (so the beginning of the braid faces along the back of your head). Begin to plait this section, bringing in a piece from the top and a piece from the bottom as you go. Keep the braid fairly loose so your scalp doesn’t show through. When you run out of hair, continue the plait down and over your shoulder. Secure with a hair tie.

Day 6 – The Braided Topknot (aka Braid Fail)
How To: I still haven’t mastered this one (as evidenced from the ghastly photograph) and my extensions didn’t help this look either. But basically: tip your head upside down and section out an approx. 5cm wide chunk of hair in the middle at the nape of your neck. Start like a normal braid, sectioned into three and one folded over the other, pull a piece in from each side as you go. Once you get to the crown of your head, gather the remaining hair into a high ponytail and secure with a hair tie. Twist the ponytail around itself to create a topknot and pin the ends underneath with bobby pins.

Day 7 – The Headband Braid
How To: Part your hair on the side. On the side with the most hair, divide it into three equal sections, so you have some hair near your face, some in the middle and the rest which can be left with the majority of your hair at the back. Make sure you use a comb to get your sections and divisions very straight, otherwise this can look messy. Taking the middle section, divide it into three and begin like a normal plait, one piece over the other. After you’ve done left over right and right over left once, begin to pull in small sections from either side, being sure not to go outside the section. Continue down until you get to where the hair ends just above your ear, then continue with a normal plait down to the ends. Secure with a hair tie. Brush the rest of your hair out so it’s nice and soft and shiny!

Could you wear braids for seven days straight? Have you come up with any signature braided looks? Let me know. Looking for some inspiration? Check out my Hair Inspiration board on Pinterest.

Love,
Rosie xox

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Delta Goodrem’s Vogue Cover + Get The Look

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I always get a little antsy waiting for the new Vogue to come out each month. And I’m even more excited to get my hot little hands on the July 2012 edition (on sale today) as everyone’s favourite singer/song-writer/TV personality/all-around glamour goddess Delta Goodrem makes her first-ever appearance on the cover and features in an 8-page fashion editorial.

The super secretive shoot took place at a private residence in Sydney and was directed by leading photographer Nicole Bentley. The makeup guru himself, Napoleon Perdis, designed and created what he described as an “old-world-meets-today” look for the shoot, combining classically flawless skin with strong, modern eye makeup and bold (swoon) almost-Androgynous eyebrows.
The images are HOT! Delta looks amazing, she seems to sizzle from within. It’s nice to see her looking a little harder around the edges and not so perfectly polished. I love the look that Napoleon has created for her, it’s sexy, sultry but still strong. It’s sirenic without being overly girly and ‘pretty pretty’, and wowza-inducing without suffering from bombshell syndrome. I think it’s perfectly pitched to catapult Delta into the next stratosphere of stardom, where you need a little bit of rockstar attitude and somethin somethin to kick it up a notch.
“Working with Delta was an amazing experience,” explains Napoleon. He describes her as incredibly down to earth, genuine and ‘the ultimate muse for any artist’. “With that flawless face and those incredible features, she is the perfect canvas and a true natural beauty!” he beamed.

And the feeling was certainly mutual. “It was my privilege to work with Napoleon,” said Delta. “Napoleon is a true artist and we shared such a special experience with all the Vogue Team. He gave me so much faith and took me into a mystical world of creativity with warmth, compassion and belief. He is truly amazing.”
 I managed to get my hands on a face chart from the shoot, (and… squeee! Napoleon’s notes) so you beauties can re-create Delta’s smoking look yourselves.

Your key products for this look: 1. Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Skin Primer, 2. Sheer Genius Foundation in Look 1, 3. The Ultimate Contour Palette, 4. China Doll Eye Liner in Copper, 5. Color Disc in Green Living, 6. Dévine Goddess Lipstick in Demeter. All products available from Napoleon Perdis.

1. Apply Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Skin Primer all over the face to smooth and hydrate the skin.

2. Apply Sheer Genius Liquid Foundation to the feature focus area of the face (triangle of features; eyes, nose, lips) using Artist Foundation Brush 19b. Blend away to nothing at the jaw and hair line.

3. Sculpt the face with Napoleon’s Couture Contouring technique: Using Foundation Stick in a shade 2-4 shades deeper than your skin tone shade under the cheek bones, temples, jaw line, inner bridge of the eye, socket and nose. The High Definition Foundation/Concealer Brush g20 is the perfect shape and density for sculpting the face, it will apply the product and blend as you go for easy application.

4. Highlight the face using Mighty Concealer Pen Mellow Yellow. Take product in a V shape under each eye (the tips of the V should meet the corners of your eye to smooth dark circles and continue product onto the top of the cheek bones to lift). Take a little product along the bridge of the nose, cupids bow and under the shading on the cheek to emphasise your contours.

5. Now set in place for a matte finish with Camera Finish. Use Polishing Brush 35r for larger areas and Contour Brush 16b for more hard-to-reach areas like under the eyes and around the nose.

6. For killer contours, set your shading (under the cheek bones, temples, jaw line, inner bridge of the eye, socket and nose) with The Ultimate Contour Palette contour colour. This will not only keep the cream textures in place but also strengthen the intensity of your sculpting.
7. Apply a very light coat of Mesmer-Eyes Mascara to the top lashes using the fine comb.

8. Using Contour Brush 16b sweep Color Disc Green Living across the mobile lid, through the socket and along the lower lash line.

9. Line the inner rim with China Doll Gel Eyeliner Copper and smudge a little into the top lash line.

10.  Line the inner corner of the upper and lower water line with Eye Pencil Onyx Factor to give the eye a feline finish.

11.  Strengthen the brow with Eyebrow Pencil Chocoholic. To create this more masculine shape, fill in your arch a little lower so the lower edge of your brow becomes straight.

12. Coat lips with DeVine Goddess Lipstick Demeter. Tap onto the lips with your finger tips for a modern finish.

13. For a very subtle sheen, tap a little Luminous Lip Veil Cafe Au Lait onto the centre of the lips.

What do you think of Delta’s Vogue debut? Let me know!

Love,
Rosie xox

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All images courtesy Vogue Australia. Photography by Nicole Bentley.  

MBFWA: Backstage at toi et moi (and How To Hair)

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One of my favourite catwalk looks from Mercedes Benz Fashion Week was created by KMS California and the Makeup Store for toi et moi. Two hair looks alternated on the catwalk: soft, carefree, beachy and sexy waves, and a chic, slightly messy high top knot. Makeup was focused on the eyes. I was so excited to see gorgeous black winged liner (after a few shows left out liner altogether).

Makeup Director Maria Gabriel of the Makeup Store explained that the look was inspired by the toi et moi collection. “The black winged eyeliner and white shadow was the key feature of the look. The toi et moi collection really focuses on black and white, so the makeup is a reflection of that.”

Maria and her team managed to capture the essence of francophile beauty with a clean white eye shadow on the lids, white liner on the inner corners of the eyes and gorgeously dark winged liner that both elongated and widened the model’s eyes. “The eye look is sort of Twiggy meets Cleopatra,” she said. Eyes were widened even further with masses of mascara to create gorgeously lush jet black lashes.

Hair Director Stephen Seago and his team from KMS California created two amazingly wearable hair looks for the show. (And I scored details on how to get the look yourself…)

How To Get Look 1: The Top Knot
1. Prep your hair with KMS Free Shape hot flex creme (which if you don’t own, you should. I am addicted to this stuff) and Free Shape quick blow dry lotion before you start blow drying for a beautiful smooth, glossy finish.
2. Using a soft paddle brush, section out two separate pony tails, one on the crown of your head and one just in front.
3. Back comb both pony tails to create texture and apply Hair Play dry wax for hold and definition.
4. Lightly brush each pony tail to create a smooth finish.
5. Join the ponytails together, bnringing them forward towards your face and then in a clockwise motion, begin wrapping your hair around the base to create the bun.
6. Secure the bun with bobby pins and Hair Stay maximum hold hairspray.

How To Get Look 2: Sexy Tousled Waves
1. Prep your hair with KMS California Add Volume volumising spray, being sure to apply it evenly.
2. Apply Add Volume root and body lift spray for extra va-va-voom!
3. Take large vertical sections and apply Free Shape hot flex spray (soooo addicted) to the mid-lengths and ends and then use hot tongs, ensuring you tong away from your face. (Don’t forget to tong both sides of your hair in the same direction, especially at the front.)
4. Continue around to the back of your hair (mix up the direction of tonging as you go for a more natural looking finish.)
5. Lightly brush out the sections, apply Hair Play sea salt spray to finish the beachy curl look and power dry for a sexy tousled finish.

In between model makeovers, I managed to steal Hair Director Stephen Seago (of Roar Hairdressing in Melbourne) away for a quick chat about his favourite products and a few sneaky expert tips. “I love KMS California Hair Play Dry Wax. It does absolutely everything. It’s a super easy to use spray that gives a gorgeous matte finish, great hold and that beautifully ‘undone’ look that so many people crave. Spray it into towel dried hair then blow dry for a gorgeous tousled ‘I’m not even trying’ style with a great second day hair feel (without the ick factor), or even use it in dry hair to add hold and definition. It helps create texture as too!”

As the temperature drops, hair can start to look dry and flat, so I just had to ask… what’s a girl to do in winter to keep her hair looking great?

“Every six weeks, get your hair trimmed!” he said emphatically. (And yes, that means YOU too long haired people.) “You need to keep it moisturised so make sure you get regular treatments from your hair stylist as well.” For balayaged babes like me? “KMS Colour Vitality Blonde Treatment is perfect for brightening balayaged ends and all shades of blonde, while all hair colours and types can benefit from a KMS Colour Vitality Shine & Shield treatment to lock in moisture and shine. Don’t over-dry your hair, you can still blow dry, but don’t let it over-heat and don’t stretch out the length with a brush too much while you’re drying. Let it dry naturally every once in a while too. Keep it super hydrated with Silk Sheen leave in conditioner.”

Have a great weekend!
Love,
Rosie x

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Pastel Prettiness NOTD

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Now this is a super-easy, super-fast way to dress up your nails for a special event! Who doesn’t love a high-impact, easy-to-execute nail project? Fashion and beauty (me included) are having a love affair with pastels lately, so I decided to create a pretty little pastel manicure.

You will need:
* Five different pastel nail polishes
* Nail polish remover
* A Q-Tip to tidy with
* Clear top coat to finish

If you don’t have five pastel nail polishes (I didn’t, I only had four) but you’ve got a colour that’s close, add a bit of white nail lacquer to the polish and mix until it’s more pastelly. I mixed mine in the metal container from a tealight candle!

The colours I used were:
* Revlon Top Speed Pink Lingerie
* Revlon Blue Lagoon
* Sportsgirl Lace
* A peachy coloured Miki Mini (9155), and
* Revlon Top Speed Electric (which is a yellow that was far too bright, so I added some Face of Australia Cool Cotton to mix it up into a pretty pastel yellow)

Paint each nail a different colour. If you’ve got two colours that are similar, (for example: I had a pink and a peach) separate them. I put the pink on my pinkie and the peach on my thumbnail. Then tidy any messy over-paint on your fingers or nail bed with a nail polish remover-soaked Q-tip and finish with a clear top coat for long wearing pastel goodness. And voila!

Have you got a great easy-peasy way to dress up your nails? Please share!

Love,
Rosie xox

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