World Square Autumn/WInter Campaign: Pop-Up Store

Attention my lovely Sydney readers... if you are in the city this week make sure you head down to World Square and check out the awesome Pop-Up Store with daily beauty activities including mini makeovers, lash bars, and hair bars. See below and worldsquare.com.au for further details. 

You can also vote and win one of two $250 fashion gift cards each week until 5th May by visiting facebook.com/worldsquare to vote now. Vote for your favourite winter style to win.


Enjoy!

Winter Beauty Essentials

Now the weather has started getting cooler I have been gravitating towards my winter beauty essentials so I thought I'd share with you exactly what these are! I have included some of my favourite face/hair and body products which help keep my skin hydrated and my hair in good condition throughout the winter months.

(L-R) Loreal Mythic Oil, Tresemme Split End Remedy & Loreal Extraordinary Oil

A good hair oil (or leave in conditioner) is essential in Winter- you hair goes through the extremes of heating then cold and wind when you go outside this can play havoc with your hair leaving it dried out and a fuzzy mess. After each wash I always put into my hair a few drops of one of the above. This just helps to seal the ends and leave it less frizzy. Another great alternative (prior to washing hair) is applying a mask of Coconut Oil for the ultimate hydration.

(L-R) Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentrate & Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment

My next essential is a good facial moisturiser and eye cream I have picked out two I am currently using. I go for a thick and hydrating facial moisturiser at night and a lighter cream for daytime as I have combination skin but if you have dry to very dry skin you may need to use a heavier cream in the daytime too. A good eye cream is a must! This is my second eye cream from Kiehl's it is the most hydrating and creamy eye cream I have ever found. It is a night treatment though- much too heavy for daytime use. An excellent nightly treat for your skin.

Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment

My last essential is a good hand cream. My job involves constant hand washing so my hands can get very dry/red/sore in the winter time- the cold and wind only exacerbates this therefore a good quality hand cream is essential for me. I have found the Clarins one above to be the best. It is thick and creamy but sinks into the skin quickly so you aren't left with any oily residue.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my Winter Essentials... I'd love to hear about yours so please post below!

Review: Clarins BB Skin Perfecting Cream*

BB Skin Perfecting Cream*

I was lucky enough recently to be able to test out the new offering from Clarins- BB Skin Perfecting Cream*. I am a huge fan of BB creams I have many in my collection from Missha, Garnier, The Face Shop and Loreal and now Clarins. The Clarins Skin Perfecting BB Cream* follows the trend of the more westernised BB creams. It is a creamy skin coloured cream which blends into the skin beautifully to provide a sheer to light coverage which lasts well throughout the day. 

Key ingredients include: organic kiwi extract which is rich in Vitamin C to help stimulate skin cells and Katafray extract (a quick Google search tells me this is a tree found across Madagascar traditionally used in Madagascan medicine) used to boost the skin's natural hydration process. 

In the photo above I have featured the BB Cream without any concealer or powder so you can see how the cream covers on it's own. As you can see the coverage is sheer to light (you can still see my blemishes coming through). If you have acne or blemish prone skin you will need to conceal to achieve the coverage you need. The Clarins BB Skin Perfecting Cream* comes in 3 shades only- light/medium/warm. I was sent the lightest colour to trial and I found it was almost borderline too dark for me. For reference I am about a MAC NC 20-25 if you are lighter than this I would highly recommend checking it out in person first before purchasing. 

The Clarins BB Skin Perfecting BB Cream* retails for $50AUD and is available on counters from May 20th 2013.

NOTD: Australis Acid Rain

Australis Acid Rain

Skincare Basics: Dove Beauty Cream Bar

Source

Let me start by saying, I am not claiming I have perfect skin but I do want to share with you my little skincare secret (best of all it won't break the budget!). Each winter I seem to migrate back to my beloved Dove Beauty Cream Bar- it is one of those 'old faithful' products I turn back to time and time again. It's a cleanser that is cheap as chips and can be found in any supermarket/chemist/Priceline store.

It is a product which gets mixed reviews- for me personally I love it. It is a no fuss cream bar cleanser which removes all my makeup, cleanses my skin, doesn't break me out or dry out my combination skin in the cooler months. It's one of those products I think everyone should try at least once. Its inexpensive and you may just find yourself a holy grail cleanser!

Review: Arbonne Cosmetics

Recently I was contacted by Arbonne Cosmetics and asked if I would like to try some of their cosmetics range. I had heard of Arbonne skincare through YouTube video makers such as LisaSz09 but I had not had as much exposure to their makeup line- hence I was curious to give the brand a try and share my thoughts with you.

I requested to try some face items from their range as I feel as these types of products are usually a good test of the range. Most brands can do great lipsticks or glosses but it is harder to nail a good foundation and concealer.

Natural Radiance Mineral Powder Foundation in Light RRP $52

The first product here is the Natural Radiance Mineral Powder Foundation. It is a lightweight loose powder which allows you to achieve a sheer but buildable coverage giving this soft focus effect. What I love about this powder is how it appears to get better with time- rather than settling into fine lines or caking around nose and eyes it melds into the skin so that within 30min to 1hr it unifies with your own skin to give a really flawless finish. To be honest when I first swatched the product I was a bit scared by the shimmer- I am all for shimmer but not usually in my base products. However after applying the product the shimmer did not translate as glitter chunks on the face rather a really subtle glow. It comes in 8 shades- most people should be able to find a colour to suite. For reference I received the colour 'light' which is a good match for my MAC NC 20 skin tone.

Creme Concealer RRP $32 and Blush in Ballet RRP $40

The next product is their Creme Concealer in Light featured here on the left of the above image. Arbonne claims: "it is a soothing botanical and vitamin infused concealer that used sparingly will cover skin imperfections such as fine lines, dark circles and puffiness". It is suggested the product works best over a primer before or after foundation application. I tested the concealer as an under eye concealer as this is how it primarily appears to be marketed. I found the concealer did not cover my stubborn dark circles and had a tendency to settle in any fine lines around my eyes which was a little disappointing. As it didn't work for me as an under eye concealer I tested it as a general facial concealer and loved the product so much more! I have problems with redness around my nose and chin and I found it worked beautifully to conceal redness in these areas.

The last product I tested from the range is the Blush in Ballet. This was probably my favourite product out of the 3 items I tested out. This colour in particular was everything I had hoped MAC's blush in Well Dressed would be but wasn't on my skin. It is a beautiful finely milled powder that glides on a gives the cheeks a very natural flush. The blushes come in 8 shades from berry shades to soft pinks and flesh tone nudes. Again like all the products I tried it lasted well on my combination skin with a little help from MAC's Fix+.

Arbonne Natural Radiance Mineral Powder in Light*

Arbonne Creme Concealer in Light*

Arbonne Blush in Ballet*

MAC Haute and Naughty Mascara

MAC Browset in Beguille 

Korres Lip Butter in Pomegranate

Review: Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder is not a new offering from Rimmel however it is a product that has received a renewed hype amongst beauty bloggers recently. With the change in seasons I have returned to using my powder foundations and pressed powder for my face base. Whether it is summer or winter I still have issues (thanks to my combination skin) with an oily t-zone- automatically this is then a product that appeals to me!

Rimmel London claims Stay Matte Pressed Powder gives:

Up to 5 hours natural shine control with natural minerals. Helps minimise the appearance of pores.

What this product gives is a beautiful matte finish without being too cakey. The 5 hour shine control claim did in fact hold up- if you are heading out straight after work though you'll still need to touch up. The powder doesn't really provide much coverage so I would suggest a bit of concealer (if your skin is good) or your usual tinted moisturiser/BB cream/ foundation underneath. 

The range of colours are good for a chemist/drug store/high street brand- with 7 colours to choose most people can find a colour to suit. The powder has that old school face powder scent which I personally love. 

Estee Lauder Idealist Pore Minimising Skin Refinisher

MAC Face and Body Foundation C2 

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Peach Glow 

NARS Laguna Bronzer 

Prestige My Blackest Lashes Mascara 

Models Prefer Clear Lipliner 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lipstain in Lovesick