Beauty Q&A: Clinique It Girl, Paige

By Tammi Ireland

We’ve met Perth’s own 2012 Clinique It Girl, Rebecca, so now it’s time to meet one from the east coast of Australia, where Coveted Canvas is now located. Introducing Paige Penning…

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Paige Penning, 19, Student of Psychology and Marketing

You’re 6 months in – what’s been the best thing so far? Being able to use and show off all my brand new and exclusive Clinique products! I also enjoy that it’s help me kind of get some direction to what I want to do career wise, I love beauty and makeup things and being an It Girl has shown me a whole other world in the industry rather than just painting on makeup.

THE MEN’S ROOM: Reduce Eye Puffiness and Darkness

By Mark Reed

Let’s face it; We’re not getting any younger. Time marches on, and our bodies find it harder to keep up, no matter how much drinking you eschew, exercise you embark on, bizarre diets you commit to. Only Madonna has the secret to eternal youth, and look what it’s done to her arms: It’s not worth it.  So should we embrace it? Grow old with grace? Break out the blue rinse hair dye and the bingo? Not quite.  While Clinique have yet to develop an Age-Reversing Cooling Eye Gel, they have at least produced an Anti-Fatigue Cooling Eye Gel.

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In a handy pen form, easy to carry, easy to use, perfect for on the go. Clinique claims the pens reduces puffiness and dark circles. While I certainly noticed it’s effect on puffiness, I didn’t see a discernible difference in the dark circle department. Mind you, I’m not exactly a “bed by nine” type of guy, so I’m not sure how much I can blame a cosmetics company for that, and how much I can blame my continued and concerning idolisation of Keith Richards, a man whose own dark circles would almost certainly cause the Clinique eye pen to simply disintegrate under pressure.

Beauty Q&A: Clinique It Girl, Rebecca

By Tammi Ireland

The fact that I write a beauty blog is a pretty obvious tip-off that I love all things skincare and makeup.  However, what some of you don’t know is that there is one brand in particular to who I owe my love affair with all things face and skin.  Clinique first came into my radar in the same way I imagine it came into yours – as a teen looking to control the sudden breakouts that come with teen girl hormones. Dragged to the Clinique counter at my local Myer by my mum, I was given their famous three-step program to try and clear my skin.  In 2009, my editor at Flourish magazine, Jane, suggested I enter this new competition they’d launched the previous year to find Clinique It Girls throughout Australia to review their products for their online site.  I entered, I won, and my love of makeup was cemented.

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Through the ten full months I was a Clinique It Girl, I learnt more about skincare and had more opportunity to enter the makeup world using my It Girl status as a launching pad than I ever would have had without it.  It’s the reason you’re reading this blog today, as my writing as a Clinique It Girl inspired me to start my own blog the following year.  And it’s the reason I work in PR with a goal to do beauty PR full-time.  Never have I had a brand loyalty as strong as the one I have for Clinique, and it’s because their products really work, no bullshit.

Today, I interviewed 2012 Clinique It Girl, Rebecca Caldwell from WA to see what she thinks about the experience she’s currently wrapped up in.

Primary School Memories with Face Of Australia

By Tammi Ireland

When I think Primary School, I think colouring with wind-ups, fun and hints of colour in my first ever lip balms.  So, it’s no surprise that the new Face of Australia Sheer Gloss Lip Crayons evoke precious Primary School memories when used.

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A steal at only RRP$14.95 for the three shades, the Face Of Australia Crayons are a necessity for everyday.  I’ve been wearing ‘Sundae’ (middle) to work every day and have found lips to stay moisturised throughout the morning – quite a feat in the Sydney winter. ‘Macaron’ allows enough of a tint to replace a rose lipstick if moisture is what you’re after.  To state the obvious, the Face Of Australia Crayons are blatant copies of Clinique Chubby Sticks (RRP$35), however the price point and intense moisture can’t be ignored.  If the colour is what you’re after, though, a Clinique Chubby has more staying power. Keep the Crayons for everyday and Chubby for night.

‘The Beauty Night’ and why you must schedule one

By Tammi Ireland

Ladies, you have to agree with me there is nothing better than feeling sexy, confident and beautiful – just for you.  But how do you get that way if you’ve worked three different deadlines in a row, felt sick from lunch and been told some horrible news?  You schedule it!  Just like your dentist appointment or meeting your superiors, this is important, too.  Once a week is all I ask, and I’ll explain why it’s so great right now…

Tonight was my ‘Beauty Night’.  I try to schedule one a week or – failing that – one a fortnight.  On ‘Beauty Night’ everything gets done. And I mean everything.  Here’s my ‘To Do’ list…

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Obviously there’s no way I could (nor should) do all these on a daily basis, so scheduling one night a week to check everything off the list is not only a great idea, but also something to look forward to.  Because you feel AMAZING afterwards.

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It’s all in the products you use – ‘Beauty Night’ is not the night to skimp on products. On ‘Beauty Night’ it’s the best of the best.  Here are my must haves, working down the ‘To Do’ list:

Beauty Q&A: Ash-Leigh Hunter, Burn The Floor dancer

Ash-Leigh Hunter, 28, professional ballroom dancer with Burn The Floor

When I was a young teenager, my love for ballroom dancing was so strong I continued it professionally for as long as I could until TEE took over all my free time.  Seeing Burn The Floor last month with a good friend, I was on the edge of the seat, wanting to join the amazing (understatement) dancers on stage as they moved to classic songs in a way that had everyone’s eyes locked on them.  The girls had rock-hard abs to rival the guys’, the costumes were amazing and music was foot-tapping fabulous.  I wanted to instantly sign-up to ballroom dance once more (and plan to upon arrival from Europe). 

Here, we interview one of Burn The Floor‘s longest-running dancers, from our very own Kalamunda.  Give it up for Ash-Leigh!

*clap, clap, hip-shakin’, woohoo*

Beauty routine, day: I use all of Clinique products and have done for years. Every morning and night I use the Clinique 3 Step.

Makeup, day and night:  I also use Clinique make up during the day but for the show I use the MAC full coverage stage make up.

Beauty routine, night: At night I use Clinique make up remover followed by the 3 Step and a night cream.

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What’s great about everyday Aussie beauty? It is very affordable and it is an investment. It pays to have beautiful skin and makeup!

Where in the world have you seen women with the best beauty/makeup? I think the States have a bigger range of beauty makeup but not sure if I have noticed anywhere with the best beauty / makeup.

Tell us your story: I started dancing when I was 5 years old. My mum was a dancer and noticed that I was interested in dancing as I was always doing concerts in the backyard with my sister and friends. She took me to all types of dancing until I stumbled across Ballroom Dancing. I knew I had a real passion for Ballroom in my first social class. I then started competitions where I did alot of traveling both nationally and internationally. In 2001 I was approached by Jason Gilkison, the coreographer of the show and asked if I would like to be part of Burn the Floor. I remember watching Burn the Floor in 1999 and wishing one day I would be in the show! My dream came true and have been in the show now for 10 years!

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Hair Salon: I have used the same hairdresser for about 11 years. She works from home and I love the way she does my hair. Because im always on the road I take my own colour with me and get one of the girls in the show to do my colour.

Clinique Gift with Purchase at MYER

Great value!

The ONLY Makeup Products You Need!

Sometimes one’s makeup bag can be a little intense.  Multiple eye shadows, cremes, mascaras, eye lash curlers, lipsticks, lip glosses, lip balms (in all different colours!), lip pencils, powder blush, creme blush, brow gel … you see what I’m getting at.

Well, I’m here to name 2011 the year of ‘ZEN’ and that means minimum makeup – just what you need, nothing else!

Streamline your makeup kit so it's not as haphazard as this.

Here’ my take on the streamlined makeup bag (or purse, because they’re smaller).

Eyeshadow

Everyones eyes would pop with a bit of colour, but choosing many individual colours is just silly (and often expensive).  Instead, chose a quad palette that you know you’ll use.  Taupe is the most used colour, so I’m recommending you pick up a Becca Smoky Eye Palette where you can use the browns for day, and the black for night.  Simple!

Be a Clinique IT Girl – I was!

Often people ask me how I got to be interested in beauty.  If you read my About page, you’ll see most of the explanation there, but the beauty writing side of things truly came about when I was chosen as the West Australian Clinique IT Girl for 2009.  Wow, what a life-changing experience!

The pic I used to enter the Clinique IT Girls comp.

Throughout the year, I was sent a multitude of Clinique products specific to my skin type to test and review for the Clinique website.  We could review via video or text and would have long enough deadlines to get in our reviews without stressing (we know that’s not good for skin).  As well as the bonus of getting free products, the opportunity gave all the Clinique IT Girls a great chance to hone our beauty writing skills and get online!