Alter Ego: Anja with Illamasqua ‘Human Fundamentalism’

By Tammi Ireland

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Illamasqua’s latest range, Human Fundamentalism, is fun. Really, truly fun!  The idea with Illamasqua products is that you create your alter ego, and with a focus on white and bright skin in Human Fundamentalism, what better alter ego to use as a muse than the white and bright Anja Konstantinova?  Using the photo above, this is how I interpreted Illamasqua’s Human Fundamentalism - 

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How I Started: Fresh faced, with clean hair and not a scerrick of makeup.

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Conceal: With Estee Lauder’s Disappear in ’02 – Light’, I concealed any possible dark areas, including around the mouth, under the eyes and the nose crease.

How To With House Of Ernest: Top Knot

By House of Ernest lead long hair artist, Joshua Congreve

We’re lucky to have House of Ernest, Perth, on hand to show us how to get the best looks and report back on all the fashion shows happening in the exciting corners of the world!  First up, the salon’s lead long hair artist Josh shows us how to create the Top Knot – one of our editor’s favourite looks.  Hairdressing for 8 years, Josh has worked with various magazines for their covers and with celebrities including Kelly Rowland and Carson Cressley, and is currently preparing a trip to Sydney to put on a show to inspire other Hairdressers at the Sydney Hair Expo.  We hope to catch up with him when he’s here!

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HERE’S HOW:

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Step 1: Bring hair into a high ponytail on the top of you head, being sure to smooth the hair on your scalp into the pony.

Day Makeup, Transformed For Night With Just Three Products

By Tammi Ireland

Picture this: You’re meeting the girls for dinner after work but don’t have time to drive home and change. Your chic black dress is there for you to slide into once the clock hits 5pm, but you don’t want to be lugging your whole makeup case around with you.  No need to – these three products will have you out the door and looking fab in no time.

1. The Red Lipstick

Ciccone Cosmetics lipstick in 'Aphrodite' (RRP$25)

This lipstick by Ciccone may look garish on the outside but the product itself is far from that. A deeper red than the more popular shades, ‘Aphrodite’ adds a smack of sex appeal to your look.  It’s easy to slide on and sits between matte and lux on finish.  Definitely one for the night bag.

Current Obsession: Tangerine Lipstick

By Tammi Ireland

Summer is fast approaching and there is one lipstick that will take you from day to night - NARS ‘Heat Wave’. I have never fallen so head over heels for a lipstick, let alone one with a matte finish, but the tangerine colour that pops loudly and proudly is a necessity for any summer wardrobe.

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Wear it with an all-black outfit at night, a coral top on the weekend, jeans and a simple white tee at a picnic, or – my favourite – with a top-knot and a blazer at work.  Whatever you’re wearing, Heat Wave will amplify your look, ten-fold.  Fucking hot.

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$58 from Mecca Cosmetica, and it pays for itself in compliments.

Beauty Q&A: Kimberly Nissen, beauty blogger

Kimberly Nissen, 25, blogger, writer and internet addict

On September 24, Australia’s beauty bloggers will gather in Sydney to partake in a weekend full of knowledge, networking and new product information.  Sure to be a hit, I’m devastated I’ll miss it, but with the magic of the Internet, I’ll be watching everything unfold from Mykonos.  One of the event organisers is Kimberly Nissen, a beauty blogger from the fair city itself.  Here, we ask how she got to where she is today, and what she wore on the way.

Beauty routine, day: It is a long one! Cleanse, Vitamin B Serum, Beta Serum, Spot Fader Serum, Moisturiser, Solar Gel, Sunscreen.

Makeup, day and night: I follow the same routine day and night, and just change the colours I use to match my mood. Foundation, Concealer, Brow Gel, Eyeshadow, Eyeliner, Blush, Bronzer (sometimes), Highlighter, Lip Balm, Lipstick.

Beauty routine, night: It is actually very similar to my daytime routine. Cleanse, Vitamin B Serum, Beta Serum, Spot Fader Serum, Moisturiser.

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Beauty Q&A: Holly Curtis, beauty editor

Holly Curtis, beauty editor at Onya Mag, journalism/PR student, blogger, sales professional at Tiffany & Co., and nanny.  (Phew!)

After following her tweets, reading her blog and devouring her posts for the fantastic Onya Mag, I was thrilled when I had the chance to meet Holly Curtis during a trip to Melbourne last weekend.  Sweet, savvy and absolutely sophisticated, I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation over breakfast while mentally wondering how on earth she got her hair looking so natural and her skin flawless.  So, I decided to ask her, and rather than keep her secrets to myself (it was tempting!), I chose to share them with you here.

Beauty routine, day: My beauty and skin care routines change nearly every day, because as a part of my job, I need to trial new make up and skin care products – it’s a hard life, I know!  (Well, it is when I need to answer questions like this.)  I usually apply AUM‘s Organic Rose Facial Toner, and then a moisturiser with SPF.  At the moment I am using Kosmea‘s SPF 30+ Daily Moisturiser.

Makeup routine: It really depends on what I am up to on the day, or which product is closest to me at the time!  For a casual, day time look, I love an SPF tinted moisturiser (lately I’ve been loving Bloom‘s Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 20+) or a mineral foundation powder – Kit Cosmetics do a great one. A blush (either NARS Orgasm, or a peach toned one like Face of Australia mineral blush, or a cream like Bloom’s Sheer Colour Cream in Coy.) followed by my favourite bronzer; NARS in Laguna. If the eye bags are present (near daily!) I whack on either Garnier Anti-fatigue roll on, Natio‘s Dark Circle Corrector or Clarins Instant Light Brush on Perfector. (Or on a really bad day, a combination of all three!) A quick swipe of Benefit‘s Speed Brow and I’m done!

For a more formal day look, I just add a foundation (I love Laura Mercier), heavier layers concealer, and lashings of macara. I use a combination of Benefit’s Bad Gal, Mirenesse waterproof and Natio’s Longest Lash, depending on the result I’m after. A neutral eyeshadow in the form on one of my Natio palettes, or Benefit’s Cream Shadow in r.s.v.p is a fast and easy way to look ‘done’. If my brows could use some love, I take a minute to fill them in with the amazing Benefit Brows-a-go-go kit!

Paparazzi Perfect – and that’s a wrap!

By Ali Sims

I’m going to get straight to the point and start by saying, ‘Thank you Australis, you are awesome.’

This past weekend I was lucky enough to try the new ‘Paparazzi Perfect’ Range by Australis which I can say with 100 per cent certainty is fabulous from beginning to end – that is before some strawberry/kiwi/watermelon cocktails to after said cocktails!

My Australis Beauty Routine

Let me start by honestly saying I was a little apprehensive as to how the ‘Paparazzi Perfect High Definition tinted moisturiser’ would go because for the past year I have been using another brand of tinted moisturiser.  Maybe it was the Myer assistant that introduced me to it or my laziness to try other brands, but I never really had high expectations for the simple tinted moisturiser. I didn’t spend hours agonising over colour/coverage/consistency as I would if I were purchasing a new foundation. It just simply ticked two boxes: it was a moisturiser (tick) with a small amount of SPF (tick).  And that is where my problem lies. Never did I consider that a tinted moisturiser could actually tick that third box being coverage. I am now officially a convert to Australis.

Paparazzi Perfect High Definition Tinted Moisturiser: a hydrating moisturiser (tick), SPF 15 (tick), perfect coverage ALL night (tick, tick, tick)!

Tip: Tinted moisturiser is perfect for ladies like me with normal/dry skin as it is very moisturising. If you have normal/oily skin I would recommend setting the tinted moisturiser with a light translucent powder brushed over your T-zone (forehead and nose).

After the perfect base, it was all downhill from there (just to clarify because I wouldn’t want any misinterpretation, I use downhill as a positive term).

Beauty Q&A: Louise Bell, online retailer and blogger extraordinaire

Louise Bell, online retailer and blogger of Table Tonic

 

I’m apartment hunting at the moment.  It’s hard-going out there, vying against 30 other people for the same matchbox-sized place to call your own.  But what gets me through (and actually inspired me to get out there and start looking in the first place) is the Table Tonic blog, which taught me it’s okay to have a little colour in your home.  Here, founder Louise shares her beauty secrets with us.

Beauty routine, day: I cleanse with Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel, as it’s gentle (for a foaming cleanser), but thorough. I apply Trilogy Organic Rosehip Oil to my face and neck when I get out the shower – it’s a beautifully soothing hit of moisture, plus great for sun damage and any kinds of scars. I then use a Khiels eye cream (love Khiels) and Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream (it really does smooth!). I apply some kind of body butter religiously every day (I’m currently using one by MOR), and run some Moroccan Oil through damp hair, or sometimes a dab of Terax conditioner (it’s amazing stuff!)

Beauty routine, night: Same as in the day, but with Lanolips Rose Balm Intense Hand Cream, and without the body butter.

Makeup during the day: Becca concealer in Cashew around the nose and under eyes, followed by a Kit Cosmetics bronzer, Chanel lip gloss on my cheeks (I have a compact with 4 shades, and there’s a blackberry colour which is so perfect!), and Bourjois “Blond Fonce” brow pencil. At the moment, I’m also using/loving Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour in Dark Honey.

Makeup for night: As above, but I’ll add a swipe of Bloom glitter eyeliner and some Benefit mascara. And if I’m game, my latest purchase – L’Oreal lipstick in Red Passion!

What’s great about everyday Aussie beauty? Anything goes.

What’s great about Sydney beauty? It’s diverse and it has a bit of a natural vibe, which is lovely.

Hair salon: Until recently, La Boutique in Sydney’s Double Bay. Belinda Jeffrey was the first person to ever colour my hair, and I’ve gone to her for the past 16 years! My new salon (since we’ve moved house) is Mana hair in Avalon on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Nail Salon: Hmmm. Hate to admit it, but I’m a bit of a nail bar person these days, although lately, I’ve been doing my own. Glittery nailpolish can be applied by a monkey and it still looks fab!

The Eye Shadow You Must Own

Every now and then, I receive a product for consideration that completely blows my mind.  I may be excited to receive it and then put it away before I remember to review it, or I may use it immediately and every day from then on. The latest is an eye shadow I received from the lovely girls at MAC. Among other goodies, this eye colour immediately stood out.

MAC Mega Metal Eye Shadow in 'Prance'

Part of MAC’s new Peacocky range, Prance is a not unlike Stila’s ‘kitten’ eye shadow.  It’s just that little bit more edgy, thanks to the grey base.  This shade of metallic pink/metal grey is perfect for every day and really makes my lashes pop when followed by mascara.  The particles are so fine, it barely feels as though you’re wearing anything, and yet it lasts the whole day.  Brilliance.

RRP $33.

T x

Model Moment: Miranda Kerr (pre – baby)

Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom have a son!  There is nothing more exciting than baby news, be it from your friends, family or a celeb in the LA stratosphere.  Sometimes, though, when the mother’s a supermodel and the father a Hollywood hunk, one can be forgiven for feeling a little green with envy.  Just imagine how cute the little chap would be!

But don’t be jealous; embrace Miranda’s beauty!  Here, we take a look at the best pre-baby birth glow Miranda was so known for…

Where it all started, a cover with Australian DOLLY magazine.

From day dot, she’s had that glow.  Miranda started her career after a friend entered her into the DOLLY magazine model search.  (Doesn’t it always happen like that, when they’re discovered? *cough Gemma Ward cough*)