It’s Not You, It’s Me.

Dear Am I There Yet?

Oh, come on. Don’t act like that. All sarcastically surprised and affronted that I’m “giving you the time of day”. Your words, not mine.

Uncross those arms, turn that toe back inwards 90 degrees and lower that eyebrow – you’re just asking for some forehead lines! You’re right, that’s not funny, you’re sensitive and feeling rejected.

But, it’s not you, it’s me. I need time, just a little break without seeing 47 text messages on my phone. I’ve had to change my ringtone from Wynter Gordon’s Dirty Talk, because even though it reminded me of you, that song has a limited shelf life as it is, without having to hear it 82 times a day when you call. Babe, it’s nothing you did, I know you’ve been nothing but there for me during my time of wondering if I’m well, there yet.

There’s just a lot going on right now… I’m busy with – Woah, calm down – No, I am not seeing some bitty called Onya on the side! Well, I am – but it’s just work, sugar, I promise! I know I’m always emailing her, that’s what I’m saying; stuff needs to get done, and then I can give you 100%. Noth-ing is going on between us. It’s just deadlines and the super exciting new print edition – noo, that wasn’t a dig at you and your unchanging online presence! I love you just the way you are! Don’t you dare smash that peach teapot, put it down.

Alright, it’s clear that you’re angry, I get it, but I need to be selfish right now.

We’ll chat when things calm down, I’m going to go for a walk. And my goodness that teapot better still be intact when I get back.

Holly xx

Natio’s New Launches!

Hot hint: They’re fabulous!

This was my write up, originally published in Onya Magazine – which of course you are all avid readers of by now, yes?

Natio Launches Mineral Corrector Range

Blemishes, redness, dark circles, dullness, makeup disappearing by 1pm; you’re a rare specimen if you haven’t found yourself subjected (at least once) to these complexion killers.

Natio, a cult favourite among the Australian made and owned beauty cohort, has recently released a fantastic new godsend of a collection; the seven piece Mineral Correctors range, which includes Pure Mineral Redness Corrector, Pure Mineral Dark Circle Corrector, Pure Mineral Concealer, Pure Mineral Eye Brightener, Pure Mineral Face Illuminator, Pure Mineral Face Primer, and Pure Mineral Eye Primer.

Designed to be ‘edge-free’, the Mineral Correctors range uses light-reflecting liquid mineral pigments to blend the products into the skin, creating a flawless finish that suits nearly all skin tones. This technology makes the collection perfect for natural makeup lovers, as it can be worn with or without, under or above makeup. How about that, correcting all your minor imperfections so you don’t even need to wear makeup!

Natio is the first brand to release a complete range of liquid mineral correctors, which means no more running from one aisle of the store to another collecting all your favourite products.

Containing nourishing ingredients such as Jojoba, Vitamins C & E, and free from talc and parabens the Mineral Corrector range is non-comedegenic (read: doesn’t clog pores) and perfect for all skin types (even sensitive) and all budgets – every item in the seven piece range retails for less than $17.95! And no, that’s not a typo.

Editor’s Picks: After almost a week of trialling the range, I can definitely say that the Pure Mineral Dark Circle Corrector, Pure Mineral Eye Brightener, Pure Mineral Concealer and Pure Mineral Illuminator are just Pure Magic.

 

Get Berry Beautiful with Natio

Has anyone been outside lately? If yes, you may have noticed the tell tale crunch-crunch of autumn leaves underneath your feet – already! Summer has quickly given way to the beginnings of autumn and winter, and the fastest way to get on board is to immerse yourself in the make up trend of the season; berry.

As fresh berries go out of season and your quintessential summer drink of berry smoothie becomes pricier, you can still get your berry fix with Natio’s Limited Edition Colour Collection; Berry Beautiful.

Featuring on-trend deep, rich and blush tones of berry, Natio has launched their Berry Beautiful collection in two different colour scheme palettes; Soft Berry and Deep Berry.

The all-in-one palettes are a first for Natio, and let’s hope they continue; the chuck-in-your-clutch size features all your need to look on-trend and amazing – three eye shadows, a bronzer and highlighter, three lip gloss shades and three applicators.

The Berry Beautiful Collection also includes two lipstick shades (subtle berry plum and semi-matte deep berry) and two nail polishes in deep berry hues (deep cherry red, and a dark plum) an eyeliner (dark navy) and long-lash mascara.

The option is there to mix and match the shades to your liking; either go soft and romantic or dark and glamorous.

The Berry Beautiful collection is limited edition so get in quick; you should be able to find the affordable range at selected Myer, David Jones and pharmcies now.

 

Rash Decisions End In Tears – Normally.

A fancy night out is always a great excuse to trial new prods, right? Well yes, and no.

Usually, the pre-event rush to get ready raises stress levels and drains blood away from where it’s needed most (the brain, more specifically the “getting ready cortex” nestled somewhere between the somatosensory cortex and the parietal lobe. Just call me a regular doctor.) and rash decisions are made. Decisions like, “Oh, why don’t I just try this new way of curling, that I’ve never done before, that I probably just made up,  maybe with this old can of mousse I’ve never used! No, that’s not rusting at the bottom! It’s just…brown metal!”

Those kind of decisions, coupled with an hour that mysteriously vanished and you have yourself a disaster, or in my case, multiple disasters. Sometimes, I just don’t learn! (On one hand, it’s allowed me to empathise with men and their extremely questionable choices when their blood rushes out of their brain…south, on the other, I usually just wonder where my blood goes and sulk about another silly choice that didn’t live up to the glamzon, Victoria’s Secret hair I envisaged 30 minutes before my taxi arrived. Is it really too much to ask for?)

So, last week, when I was looking at the clock and thought, “Sugar! Fruitcake! Where did that time go? I need to get ready for the Tiffany & Co. Recognition Dinner!” my mind raced to a new beauty product that had just arrived – Prtty Peaushun Skin Tight Body Lotion. Should I risk it? There’d be no time for a shower if all went wrong and I looked like a clag stick rolled in glitter… Oh! And I’ll also need something for my hair… (Cue rustling around my beauty drawers) These sachet samples of Tigi Catwalk Your Highness will do! Perfect! Some volume will do me good, it’s raining. The sensible part of my brain, its blood supplies rapidly draining, was shouting ‘Don’t do it! Do you ever learn?!’ before it too switched off. Oh, the dizzying high of making unsupported bad decisions about your appearence in front of Very Important People (and National Managers.)

Prtty Peaushun's funky packaging...

BUT (yes there’s a but with this event!) – finally, it all worked out, and I have these fantastic beauty products to thank! Prtty Peaushun is amazing; it gives subtle glow and shimmer to your limbs, without making you look like a disco ball, and contains active ingredients to help firm your skin and cover imperfections. LOVE! Probably the most amazing thing about it? It comes off your hands. That doesn’t seem like a huge thing, but to anyone else who has experienced the frustration of putting on a shimmery moisturiser only to find that their palms are now permanently glitter-fied will be just as excited as me. It washes easilly off your hands, yet I didn’t find a speck of it on my dress. Winning! (Couldn’t resist a Sheen-ism.)

I used the Tigi Catwalk Your Highness shampoo, conditioner, then blowdried with the Thickening Gel Cream. After only a few seconds under the heat, I could tell this stuff was working. I got worried I was creating a monster – my already thick hair coupled with this powerful stuff? How ridiculous! But my idea was to pile it up in a bun, blast with the heat, cool and then tousle out – finally, Vicky S hair! Alright, so once again VS status was sadly not achieved, but woah did I have volume. Never before seen volume. Ladies who like their handbags big but their hair bigger, get on this range!

Some evidence of my Woah Nelly volume, which is big for me as I’m not usually a ‘big’ hair kinda girl… Those smudging roots do look dark in these photos, luckily I’m getting my hair done today! Yippee! I had a couple of comments on my lippy from Twitter, in case you too are wondering, it’s this one.

I must not get too smug over this once-off success… one can have big hair, but not a big head – I’m sure next time it’ll be back to the same old circa 2002 cans of mystery…

So, do you make the same rash decisions when primping and priming? I’d love to hear of your disasters! Yep, make me feel better about some of my previous shockers, let’s just say thank goodness for the top knot!

PS. Held at Carousel in Albert Park, the Tiffany & Co. dinner was stunning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefit Ultra Shines New Nude Shades!

L-R: Nudie-tude, So Frisk Me, Nookie Nookie and Patootie - RRP: $34

Benefit Cosmetics have released four new delightfully nude shades to add to their already impressive list of wanna-kiss-me Ultra Shine Lip Shines. The perfect nude lip is about as elusive as a Leprechaun the day after St. Patty’s, but with four shades to choose from, I’m sure most ladies will find their HG nude shade.

I’ve been puckering up with Patootie, (far right of the picture) an oyster pink shade that has been working wonderfully during the day with bronzed cheeks, but even better at night; the frosty pinky-nude is the perfect partner for smokey eyes.

Have I mentioned how much I adore Benefit? (Yes, lots, redundant question I know.) From their tongue in cheek campaigns and product names to their never-fail-me prods, they’re definitely at the pointy end of my favourites list!

I’ve found a few other fab nude lip products lately, and I’m so excited to share them.

Patootie kisses,

Holly x

 

 

 

 

 

Echolife Discount Offer For Onya Magazine Readers

Because if you stop by to read Am I There Yet?, you most definitely also pop by Onya Magazine on occasion too, right? Well, I hope so, because online natural beauty store, Echolife, are offering Onya readers $5 off every order for the whole of 2011 (yes, it’s reusable!) when you enter the code ‘ onya ‘ at the checkout. How fantastic!

Read the article on Onya Magazine here for more details.

And don’t worry, my lips are sealed, I won’t tell them you heard it through me first. 😉

Smashbox’s Limited Edition ‘In Bloom’ Collection

The recently launched Smashbox‘s ‘In Bloom’ Collection has me completely sold, wanting to call the entire thing my own.

In Bloom is Smashbox’s Spring 2011 Collection (remember the Northern Hemisphere has opposite seasons, but we’ll use it as an excuse to cling to summer as winter rapidly approaches) and is all about pretty, feminine wear-ability; there’s no tricky trends to tackle here, it’s all so easy and just gosh darn pretty!

I was offered two products to trial, Soft Focus Powder Eyeliner and Limitless Long Wear Lip Gloss with SPF 15, and they are so fabulous I used them on my boyfriend RK’s big sister – not just on any old day but her wedding day. Yes, I did her makeup (no idea how that happened!) and yes I was scared shitless, but more on that in a later post. I only tested the eyeliner once, but on her, and me, it just worked, and it was the perfect look for her wedding day – or for anyone who isn’t after a harsh eyeliner, just a perfectly smudged but but definitely still ‘there’ eyeliner. The soft smudged brown is much easier to wear during the day than a more striking black, and would suit fairer girls wonderfully.

The Soft Focus Powder Eyeliner ($29.95) is so easy to use, and looks amazing either just as a stand alone liner, or blended into a smokey brown eye. Just one tip; definitely do tap the applicator a few times before applying, otherwise you’ll get some fallout of powder under the eyes.

The Limitless Long Wear Lipgloss ($29.95) in Endless Kiss was also used over the top of a light peach lipstick on the bride, and it was perfect. Most certainly long wearing, this gloss is shiny without being sticky, and shimmery without a tonne of glitter. The added bonus of SPF 15 is also a winner.

I’m dying to try the other items from the collection, especially the Blusher Duo and also the Illuminising Powder. Check them out for yourself on the Smashbox site here, or pop into your local Kit Cosmetics store.

Review: Gilette Venus Spa Breeze Razor

I’ve been using the Gilette Venus Spa Breeze razor for at least two months right now, but I haven’t written about it yet. Why? Not because it’s awful, which might be the logical assumption, but because I’ve been waiting for it to run out.

The Venus has shave gel bars surrounding the blades, which are so handy as they give extra lubrication and moisturisation to your shave, and save lazy girls like me from buying shaving cream. (That stuff is pure luxury, but I can’t justify the purchase when the shampoo scrooped from my head does a pretty bang up job too!)

RRP $13.59

The thing about these shave gel bars though, is that you usually oo and ahh over their marvellous powders to smoothly guide your blade, and then watch in horror as it disappears right before your very eyes, giving you a maximum of 2 – 3 shaves. Boo.

But I digress – I’m an impatient girl and I just can’t wait for the gel bars on the Venus Spa Breeze to disappear to write about it. Sure, they have been fading with each use, but to still have a quarter left after over two months is might impressive. Not only are they still there, they’re still doing their soapy, smooth thing! (And not a hint of rust on the blades, they’re still slicing through those leg hairs like the first day.)

Extra points: the White Tea scent and girly pink colouring. Ah, I’m a sucker for the frills! Love love.

PS: Did you know that J-Lo (Jennifer Lopez) the Goddess of Glamour herself is now the Global Ambassador of Venus razors?! I’m serious! Here’s a pic of her at the announcement in New York, looking all goddess-y and glam – check out those super slick pins!

“As the one and only Venus Goddess Jennifer has released an exclusive remake of the iconic Venus song and will help launch a new philanthropic effort dedicated to empowering women through education: the Venus Goddess Fund for Education.” said Venus.

How To: Prepare for a three-day music festival.

Ahh, memories. This was originally posted back in November 2009 on Primped.com.au – and was actually my first piece of beauty writing! Can you imagine, never having really written anything like this, and then handing it to the Queen of Beauty Writing herself, Ms. Zoe Foster (sorry, Zo, I don’t know how to make the double dots come up about your ‘o’) – I was shakin’ in my boots, I tell you. Luckily, she is actually one of the nicest people I’ve met in the industry, along with her fellow Primped crew, Yaz and Cherie. I got my piece back looking like a two-year-old had taken an artistic fancy to it with red pen – but she was right; this waffled on too long here, sharpen this up, great work there, join this to there. I count myself lucky that during my few trips to Primped for work experience that I was able to have Zoe look over my work and talk to me about it, all the while passing on some fantastic advice, my favourite being; “You want to write a book? Okay, do it!” in response to the many people who ask her how they could possibly write a book.

Here it is, my very first beauty piece, which I thought fitting to publish considering it’s coming up to my blog’s 1st anniversary!

I’m going to a 3-day music festival which means sun, dust, and no showers! What are the essentials I should be packing?

Ahh, summer festival fun – it can be rocking out to your fave live bands (or at least pretending you know who the band is) or… dreadlocked hair, lobster-esque skin and wandering around clutching your broken sandals to you chest wailing “Where ARE my friends?!”

Either way, relax. We’ve prepared a three-part prep sheet to make sure you roll out of your tent in the morning looking all Kate Moss-y at her festival best.

Part One: The Face:

• Showing your skin some love in the proceeding weeks is going to ensure it’s in top condition to be all glowy and summer goddess-y while you party hard, man. At the least, do an exfoliation-hydrating mask combo the night before you head off.

• Au naturale is the look you’re after here, so leave the heavy duty makeup at home. Stick to a tinted moisturiser, a light dusting of bronzer, and some SPF lip gloss. Try : Invisible Zinc Tinted Daywear Anti-ageing facial moisturising sunscreen SPF 30+, $14.95 or Hissyfit Saving Face moisturising tinted sunscreen SPF 30+, $55

• Mascara is probs not the best idea, as mirrors generally aren’t in abundance at these events, and checking up on panda eyes every half hour isn’t what you want to be doing – go have fun, lady! Alternatively, get a lash tint before you go.

• With all that rogue dust flying around, having a pack of makeup removing and cleansing face wipes is an absolute must to clean your face at night. Try: Nivea Refreshing Facial Cleansing Wipes, $7.50

• Throw a rapid pimple clearing gel into your beauty bag, to ward off any gatecrashing spots who think it’s a good idea to pop up and join the party. Try: Garnier Pure Active Anti spot roll on, $12.55

• And lastly, but MOST importantly: SUNSCREEN. It’s summer, and you are in a dirt field without shade! Go for a 2-in-1 sunscreen/tinted moisturiser, and make sure to reapply throughout the day.

Part Two of Festival Beauty: Hair

• Low maintenance is the name of the game, so take advantage of the SS 09/10 trends – think fat, undone-looking plaits, piecey, messy pony tails, topknots, and beachy styled waves.

• For your first day, grab some sea salt spray, layer it on with love, scrunch, make a side part, and enjoy the first day of somewhat styled hair. Try: KMS California Hair Play Sea Salt Spray, $36.95

• Then for day two, messily chuck your hair into a big fat plait that hangs to one side, resting over your shoulder.

• Day three, swipe it up into a top knot and throw on a headscarf for some pretty, coloured distraction.

• All the heat, dirt and raving may leave your locks a little lank prematurely, so have a can of dry shampoo on hand to rev them up again. Batiste Dry Shampoo is a sweet smelling winner at only $9.95, and cheaper than that can of pre-mixed vodka you’re going to line up for two hours for.

• The constant exposure to the sun can take its toll on your hair, so protect it with a nourishing UV protectant spray like, Kerastase Paris Soleil Micro-Voile Protecteur, $39.50. Or, even better, wear a hat.

Part three of festival beauty: Body

• Start building up a tan the week before with a gradual tanner, (also handy to pop in your bag for top ups as needed) Try: Palmer’s Coca Butter Formula Natural Bronze Firming Butter, $12.95

• Dust, sweat and no showers are part of the festival experience (“How much did I pay for this again?” – Tired and Dirty Girl, day three) so taking along some body wipes will help to make you feel human again, without showering. Try something like Johnson’s Baby Cleansing Wipes, $4.78

• A bottle of hand sanitiser is essential when you look down and wonder why it looks like you have been walking around on your hands all day.

• Just like your face, pile on the broad spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen to protect your skin, which is going to take a beating from a number of elements – sun, wind and that random guy’s can of VB. Nice. Try: Le Tan SPF 30+ Coconut Handsfree, $11.99

It’s going to be a long, grungy weekend, so get feral (within reason) and go with it.

Wella SP Has The Answer To Your Hair’s MCD

MCD? Multiple Condition Disorder! Unlike their bodies who they’re attached to who may suffer from the more commonly known Multiple Personality Disorder, hair strands can have a lot going on. They’re coloured, yet frizzy in areas, limp in others and could definitely do with a dose of shine.

So what does that mean for you, when you’re standing in the supermarket aisles or your hairdresser is standing there asking you what you’re after in your take-home haircare range? Well, for anyone like me who has trouble with decisions, (like that time the perplexing choice between a spinach and ricotta roll or a sausage roll for lunch brought on a panic attack. Yep, embarrassing true story!) it means a whole lot of pondering on what means more to you, smooth strands or high volume?

Thanks to Wella SP’s new take-home products designed to complement their in-salon treatments, MCD may become a thing of the past. How refreshing, a whole new world of flexibility and choice with your haircare regime!

I received three of the new Wella SP products to trial, and I have been super impressed with all of them. My hair has been loving its new routine of Shine Define shampoo ($32) followed by Colour Save conditioner ($32) – (Although I think with the state of my colour there’s no saving it now! Eek I need a hairdresser appointment badly!)

The Wella SP Volumize Mask ($34) definitely took out top honours for its amazing work on my mum’s extra fine and sometimes in need of a big lift hair. I passed the mask over to her, as my bouffant thick locks didn’t need volume as much as hers do! I saw her one morning and was so surprised about her bouncing big locks, and she told me it was the Wella SP mask, and get this – with no blowdrying, just letting it air dry.

Get outta town, Ma! I really did not believe it.

Do you feel the same way as me when standing in the supermarket aisles?

Don’t you just love the idea of a mix and match haircare regime, depending on your needs at the time?

Isn’t that story about the sausage roll ridiculous?! I know!