January Jones

Claire Danes

 To compliment this look you need a good nude/rosy-pink lipstick, shimmering eyeshadow (prefs with gold tones), teamed with a flawless complexion. Here are my picks:

Bobbi Brown’s ‘Burnt Sugar’ Metallic Shadow offers high shimmer and accentuates the baby blues…

Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow in 'Burnt Sugar' rrp: $44

Benefit Full-Finish Lipstick in 'La La Land' rrp: $30

Divina Natural Finish Loose Mineral Foundation rrp: $60

False eyelashes can conjure up images of drag queens, glamour models and sixties groupies.  However, they are becoming more and more popular in the beauty world with the development of in-salon extensions and at- home kits, that provide natural and gorgeous lash enhancements. I recently trialled the Ardell DuraLash Naturals (rrp: $8.50) in black. They provide individual lashes which you can attach at home, will last up to four weeks and are super easy to apply. You can add as little drama to your look as you wish; I started with 3 individuals applied on the upper lash-line from the outside corner, which is what I would recommend to keep them looking subtle. I would advise adding some mascara to your natural eyelashes, so that they blend in better with the extensions; 3-4 lashes on each eye are probably all you need to get some impact!

Ardell DuraLash individuals rrp: $8.50 for a pack of 56

 Ardell advise using their eyelash adhesive, LashTite,  which comes out crystal clear, it is also designed to last for a couple of weeks so very durable. Individual falsies are the perfect way to enhance your eyes and offer a chic way of  prettying-up your make-up look.

LashTite Adhesive rrp: $6.50

  For ‘Lashings of love’ at a very pocket-friendly price point, check out: www.ardelllashes.com

Totally Rad, totally Lauren con-RAD!

Lauren Con-RAD

Vani-T Mineral Eye Crayon rrp: $28.95 each

 For beautiful eye make-up that really pops, try these nifty Mineral Eye Crayons by Vani-T. Each eye crayon provides a shimmering eye-colour shade with one soft sweep! The jumbo pencil application provides easy definition and has a creamy, glide-on formula, which means you can achieve eye-popping perfection in an instant. I would recommend the ‘Steel’ shade: a smoky, silvery-grey colour which creates the perfect rock-chick eye. Team it with a translucent powder base for extra hold. 

Vani-T’s Mineral Eye Crayon is priced at $28.95 and is available in six shimmering shades including: Bronzalicious, Champagne, Crystal, Gold Digger, Platinum and Steel.

For more info, check out: www.vani-t.com.au

Not surpisingly, all beauty eyes were focussed on the nails at the Chanel Cruise Collection show at Saint Trop recently, proving that pretty pastels are still hot to trot! Dainty talons were treated to egg-shell blue polish, which (boo hiss!) won’t be on sale for a few months here in Australia.

In the meantime, i’m buying the ”Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” line and making-do with the following perfect-match shade: Bloom Nail Polish in ’Kate’ (rrp: $19.95)

Picture credit: www.milliande.com & www.stylecaster.com

 Picture Credit: www.hotcelebshome.com

Perhaps it’s the English eccentricity in me, but I do love it when fashion gets quirky and whimsical, and generally takes a bit of a risk.  I have therefore chosen two shows from RAFW which really stood out for me for their WOW factor and get my vote for outstanding hair and make-up. First up is Alice McCall’s “butterfly bohemia”, where models were branded with neon eyes, created using punchy M.A.C pigments carefully applied by hand.

My second vote goes to the wonderfully talented Ellery, who opted for full-on gliteratti with rhinestone studded arms and spanglydescent faces: think David Bowie meets Ke$ha. Not your everyday make-up vibe, but I hope you’ll agree that it’s a welcome change from the au-naturale image of recent runway looks?

Picture credit: www.bellasugar.com

Rosemount Australian Fashion Week started early with  über -cool side-shows commencing last week. On a very unseasonally hot Wednesday,  I dropped by Carla Zamps stunning house in Woollahra for the showing of her glamorous collection, which took inspiration from 70/80’s YSL. Her elegant abode provided a comfortable and unique runway for the show and guests were treated to shots of  expresso and biscotti in her courtyard beforehand: a very relaxed and sophisticated unnoficial start to Fashion Week!

I of course, had my eye on the make-up and was delighted to see bold lips take centre stage. Nicole Thompson, Senior Artist for M.A.C Australia, was the lady responsible for the bright, poppy-pouts, which perfectly complimented the colour-blocking featured in the clothing collection.

The main colours used were bright pops of orange, fuchsia pink, tomato red and here, Nicole,explains how she created the look above…

Products used:

Lips:  Bright orange tomato red. Products used: M.A.C Orange Lip Mix & M.A.C Lady Danger Lipstick rrp: $35.  (To get the look in one try M.A.C Neon Orange Lipstick rrp: $35)

Lips were made Matte by brushing Matte Texture over the top. This played up against the creamy porcelain skin. 

Skin: M.A.C Face & Body Foundation rrp: $60 and Studio Finish Concealer rrp: $32. 

Key for skin: Cream Colour Base in ‘Pearl’ (rrp: $35) applied to the highpoints of the face is what made the skin look glossy.

Cheeks: The final touch was a wash of the lip colour, pressed to the top of the cheek bones.   

M.A.C Lipstick in 'Neon Orange'

Picture Credit: www.zimbio.com

Pretty Plaits

Cute Colour

check out more at: www.generalpants.com.au

It all began with a serious case of hair envy when I saw this shot of Miss Emily Blunt:

Here, she demonstrates how to do gorgeous, smokin’ hot hair, without looking overly-styled; this is otherwise referred to as ‘accidental excellence’. This is the type of style that gets my attention, since it looks so completely effortless, like she just spent 5 mins on her hair, then slipped into her red carpet gown and was ready to go!  

I’m always after ways to save some styling time and get the relaxed, tousled hair-look minus the fuss, so I’ve been on the hunt to find the perfect styling companions that deliver simplicity in hair styling and provide the perfect quick fix.  

The best step to achieving the above look is to start with adding texture to your tresses. I’ve tried a number of great texture sprays, but I’ve been extremely impressed with evo’s mister fantastic creation. Here is a spray that delivers perfect texture and hold, yet doesn’t dry-out your hair and still manages to maintain softness. The easy-peasy method is to spritz already blow-dried hair: for the above look I would recommend just spraying the tips of the hair and then using your fingertips to scrunch upwards and create volume. Then the trick is to add a few defined waves using a curling tong and finish with a slick of MoroccanOil to smooth down any fly-aways.

Easy ready-to-go glamour and completely fuss-free.

evo mister fantastic texture Spray now comes in a set with their miraculous hair bungees. These nifty little hair bands are designed specifically for holding thick hair and they are ideal for creating textured ‘up-dos’ and easy pony-tails. The pack is a pop at $34.95.

For more info check: www.evohairproducts.com

Picture credit: www.temptalia.com