The Makeup Case

When I first saw the television ad for Prada Candy I have to say I was very confused! What did it mean? It made me want to go out to Myers and smell it, then maybe the ad would make more sense.  After testing the perfume, I still really didn’t understand completely how the ad links with the perfume but it did get me to get off my lounge and see what all the fuss was about. Then I got to thinking, what clever advertising.

I have to say though Prada Candy smells delicious! Not at all like their past perfumes, suited more for the older lady who doesn’t mind smelling a lot like toilet cleaner. This perfume is different, it has youthfulness and charm wrapped in it, topped off with a touch of seducion and class. The packaging is also divine! Hello, a Pink (The Makeup Cases most favorite colour) and gold bottle, need we say more, so very sophisticated. This fragrance rocks so many wonderful ingredients like Caramel, musk and Benzoin. All of these ingredients combine to create an elegant fragrance with so much character and one that is deliciously addictive. I am not kidding, I cant stop spraying myself with the stuff.

I just know this perfume is going to be a hit this summer and also maybe a great christmas present.

RRP: Eau de Parfum Spray 30ml $90.00, Eau de Parfum Spray 50ml $129.00, Eau de Parfum Spray 80ml $170.00. Available from Myers and David Jones.

*Image courtesy of Prada.com and video from YouTube

Its only been on the shelves for a day or 2 but make sure you get to your nearest newsagent and grab the latest issue of Cleo magazine (it has Miranda Kerr on the cover) Once purchased, please turn straight to page 82 and check out the beauty panel, you’ll notice a familiar face as one of the test subjects.

I was lucky enough to review two great products, Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Reviving Leg and Foot Mist and Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips. I wont tell you all about them now but we have reviewed the nails previously and you’ll have to check out Cleo for the foot spray (just quietly, it was really awesome).

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Lately I have been wearing lots and lots of lipstick and lipgloss that my poor lips are in need of some attention. They are dry and rough at the same time and really need a good exfoliation to make them smooth and luscious again (okay, that might be taking it a bit far). I am sure you lipstick loving girls out there know what I am talking about, holla.

Then one night an amazing flash back come to me..I had the very thing I needed to make all this go away, and the product was sitting right in my bathroom draw. I don’t know how I could have forgotten about this little product, considering I see it everyday when I take out my toothpaste. The little miracle that I am ranting on about is Lush Lip Scrub in the sweet Bubblegum flavour.

Lush Lip Scrub is such a sweet product, I’m serious, sweet tooth beauties out there beware, you maybe inclined to eat it. Not only does it smell incredibly delicious it also contains organic jojoba oil and exfoliating castor sugar to erase all that rough skin, leaving your lips feeling soft, smooth and ready for more lipstick.

And it’s so easy, all you need to do is scrap a little scrub on your finger and rub it over your lips. When you are finished rinse it off with water, I also like to apply a lip balm after just to make my lips feel extra special.

HOT TIP: If you need a good exfoliator in a hurry and have no time to go to the shops, you can whip up one at home. All you need to do is mix a teaspoon of honey with some raw sugar and there you have it, a home-made lip exfoliator. This one is also good enough to eat!

RRP: $9.95 for Bubblegum, Sweet Lips or Mint Julips flavour. Available from all Lush stores.

*Image courtesy of beautydirectory.com

I was recently inspired by Tilly Devines choice of lip colour in the new Underbelly Razor, deep purples and deep reds applied in the style of the time. Being a red girl myself I thought I would venture out of my fashion shell and go for a deep purple.

Now to let you in on some news, I have NEVER worn a colour like this before, sure I have applied it to many people but, never on myself! I have always really stuck to what I know works best for me, scared of making a big makeup blunder. Knowing this about myself I really did not want to spend a lot of money on a lipstick that I may never wear again and one that just might sit at the bottom of my makeup bag for all eternity.

We recently had the chance to try out a couple of the new Kate Moss Lasting Finish lipstick for Rimmel London, which were pretty impressive. I knew there was a deep purple lipstick in the collection (number 11) so I headed out to Priceline to grab mine, and lucky I left when I did because there where only two left in the display! Other Tilly Devine makeup stalkers like me perhaps?

I applied the colour as soon as I got home, anxious to see if I could pull it off. Sadly, I don’t think I did, the colour itself though is Devine (pun intended, ha). It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I have never worn a colour like this on myself before, I am sure if I continue to wear it I will get used to it. I hope so because I just adore this look so much. Maybe I will wear it out at night first to ease my way into it.

When applying a lipstick colour like this one always go slowly, one little mistake is so noticeable and not always easy to remove. Stay inside your natural lip first and then decide if you want to take it a bit fuller. The great thing about a colour like this one is it will stand out and make a statement so make sure your eyeshadow is not that out there or you could end up looking like a scary clown.

RRP: $11.95, available from Priceline, Kmart, Target, Big W, Coles supermarkets & selected pharmacies.

It’s funny that even when you grow up, have a career, your own car and maybe even your own home, there are still some childhood dreams that never leave you. I am going to share with you my fashion and makeup idols from way back, women that inspire me as a makeup artist and as an adult in this crazy world.

My first makeup idol, one whom I have idolized for most of my childhood and still to this day is the original blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe. I had her pictures plastered all over my walls, the DVD’s, the books blah blah blah and the list goes on. Any one that has known me long enough can testify that I was (am) a tad obsessed!

Marilyn always wore such timeless makeup, um hello, the classic red lip (maybe that is why I love it so much), she had a style that seemed so effortless, although at the time it was probably considered to be a bit racy. With all the constant rumors, which for the most part were negative she managed to shine. And to quote the lady herself  ”we are all stars, all we ask for is our right to twinkle”.

Now when I grow up, if I could pull of a mad bob and over-sized sunglasses like this lady my life would be complete. Can you guess who it is? Only the most influential woman in fashion our time has seen da da daaaa Ms Anna Wintour. Although she isn’t know for her pleasantries (umm hello, The Devil Wears Prada was based on her) the woman sure has style, a style that I for one love!

She can be seen in the front row of all the major fashion shows and still manages to pull of  her signature look (no not cold hard*****) but a true lady of style and grace. Anna has shaped the face of fashion and has been a leading star in the magazine world for over 30 years. She was the first person to use actors and actresses on the cover of magazines, the coveted spot usually being reserved for models. Whether you like her or hate her you have to admit Ms Wintour has created something special and looks fantastic while doing so.

Making it as one of Australia top model exports and gracing hundreds of runways across the world is Miranda Kerr. Not only is she famous for being beautiful she has also caused great jealously for millions of woman around the globe by marrying Orlando Bloom.

Miranda never seems to wear very heavy makeup instead opting for the natural look, which I love! Even though achieving the ‘natural’ look is not always as simple as it sounds. Busy being so fashionable and beautiful it is a miracle that Miranda has managed to create her own organic skin care range, Kora Organics (keep your eyes open, more on this range to come).

This is in no way a complete list, if I had the space I could rant on for ages. Everyday there seems to be more and more people creating new trends and I can guarantee next week I will have a few more idols to add to the long list.

Now at The Makeup Case we love colours and being the hot trend right now, pop colour, I thought I would try a little colour on my eyes. A lot of the time I wear a coloured top so I try to keep my eye makeup simple and natural, but when you wear black you have no excuse and should go wild! I dug through my kit and found my colours, I chose a MAC satin eyeshadow; Electric Eel. Whenever I think of blue eyeshadow, I immediatly think 80′s but this is different. I promise.

• Start with your normal eye base or primer, try to use something close to your skin colour so you don’t change the eyeshadow too much, maybe try concealer.
• Using a medium firm-ish brush, pat the eyeshadow all over your eyelid, then blend it with a softer brush.
• I used a really small amount of a dark grey just in the outer corner to give my eyes a bit of depth.
• I finished with a bit of white shimmer on the inner corner, close your eye when you apply the shimmer then it will go where you want it and you don’t get it in your eyes.
• Finish off with a black eyeliner on top and bottom and your favourite mascara. I also blended the Electric Eel half way along the bottom eye line, just for a little bit more colour.

You could do this look with any colour you want, purple, green, yellow, gold, pink, orange, its up to you! Why not try it next time you step out in your little black dress. Best of all it is so quick and easy!

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Okay so here it goes, our first Wishlist! We are always rambling onto each other about amazing products we would love to try, and always seem to forget them in a week or so. It then baffle us how we can be so in love with a product one week, wanting it so badly, and then the next week we struggle to remember what the product actually was. Until we are talking about a completely separate topic and the product would then spring to mind again. So we got to thinking, if we wrote it all down then we would have a constant reminder, a kind of check list that we can always refer back to. And here it is, our wish list (or should we say ‘our I want it so badly I could die list’).

Rae Morris Brush Set.

The ultimate item on our wish list. Not only are they an amzing set of makeup brushes they are also designed by our idol Rae Morris. There are 26 brushes in the set and are all made from animal hair with bamboo handles. Oh how we would love one of these babies in our makeup kit. RRP: A hefty $899.00. We might be waiting a while for this one, a girl can dream. *Image courtesy of crownbrush.com.au

Rimmel London Kate Moss Lipstick in No: 11.

A really pretty deep purple colour. Kind of like the one Tilly Devine wears in Underbelly Razor. I am not quiet sure if I can rock this colour but, I sure am going to try. And it will be a nice change to the usual red lipstick that has become my usual color of choice.

An Ecoya candle in the French Pear fragrance.

It is amazing how much this candle actually smells like pears! I just want to buy one and burn it all day long, and with 55 hours of burn time I really could. RRP: Around the $50.00 mark for the 270g metro jar.

M.A.C Posh Paradise Paint Pot in Pure Creation.

With out a doubt no matter what M.A.C counter I walk into this baby is SOLD OUT! The paint pot is a little tub of eye shadow. When you apply it to your eyes it goes on creamy and then dries to revel a viberant colour of amazingness (okay, that’s not technically a word but, there is nothing else to describe it). RRP for this hard to find wonder is $35.00.

*Image coutersy of maccosmetics.com.au

Do you guys have any beauty wish list items for October?

 Not only is Chloe my most favorite name, it is also the name of my most favorite perfume. I have been wearing the original Chloe perfume for about two years now, and I can’t get enough of it. I go through this perfume like Taylor Momsen goes through black eye shadow. It has become one of my beauty staples and besides the gorgeous smell, the bottle is so adorable.

After hearing all of this you can imagine my delight when Chloe released a limited edition Rose fragrance, I just knew this cute as a button bottle with a red ribbon was going to be mine! I was going to cherish it and wear it everyday, and I actually did! I wore it so much that the bottle was empty within a couple of months. I am now onto my second bottle and I’m still in-love.

You probably want to know what is in this perfume that makes it so amazing, what makes me go back time and time again to re-purchase? Well it all comes down to the perfectly placed ingredients, including the floral scents of magnolia and lily. These two flowers smell fantastic on their own but, together they create something beautiful. Chloe Rose also contains hints of amber and cedar wood, making the fragrance fresh and feminine, the perfect mix for spring.

I suspect that I am going to be buying another bottle of this beautiful perfume over the next couple of months, I just go through it so quickly. As I said, I really can’t get enough of it. I pray and hope that Chloe chooses to keep this pretty thing around for a little bit longer or I may have withdrawals. At least I have the original Chloe to go back to!

RRP: $130.00 FOR 50ml. Available from Myer and David Jones.

*Image courtesy of beautydirectory.com and productreview.com

I found this great blog “I really like weddings” with some great how to hair styles, make sure you chack it out. DIY up-do « i really like weddings.

Since having my baby I have become an almost daily regular at my local Westfield. We go because no matter what the day is like outside it is always comfortable inside. On a recent trip I had seen that Westfield was offering free 20 minute styling sessions with a Westfield stylist, and having signed up to the newsletter upon receiving my invitation I RSVP’d straight away. They kindly booked me in for a Sunday appointment.

I turned up right on time to the Style Lounge and was greeted by a very fashionable Olivia Waugh. A bit about Olivia……as a fashion stylist she has styled innumerable fashion, accessory, and celebrity shoots, she has been Fashion Editor for two of Australia’s highest selling magazines, including Executive Fashion Editor at Shop til You Drop Magazine. In 2010 Olivia became a freelance fashion stylist and has collaborated with many of the Australian fashion industry’s top photographers.

Being makeup artists we are always up to date on the latest trends in fashion but for me, when it comes to fashion, I am very boring. So I thought this would be a great opportunity to not only be a little bit more fashionable but it means I also get to do some shopping!

Olivia started off by determining my body shape (pear, blah) then what sort of things I wanted to wear more of. She took me through all type of tops, sleeve lengths, necklines, skirt shapes, belts,dress types and of course colours.  The biggest tip she gave me that applies to all people is to not wear tights that stop at your calf, these will make your legs look fatter than they are because it emphasises the widest part of your leg.

She finished off by highlighting the trends at the moment, pop colour, white, florals, neutrals, and suggesting the best shops for me to go to. She also said that if you aren’t sure on whats hot, shop at places like Sportsgirl or Dotti, these places are always up on the latest fashions.

I had a great time and walked away with a new confidence to buy some different styles of clothes. You can book a full style session with a Westfield stylist, so you can learn all the best tips and tricks for your body shape.

To see if the 20 minute style sessions are available at a Westfield near you, check out Westfield for all the details.