Pore-fect Pores

By Tammi Ireland

I’ve been blessed with pretty great skin. It rarely breaks out, is fairly even in tone, and gives off a nice dewy finish when slathered with any type of moisturiser. My only gripe? The pores are a little larger than I’d like them to be.

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After reading up on what I could do to minimise my pores, I realised I’d let slip on one key step of all the best skincare routines – toner.

A product that’s often thought of as ‘meh, take it or leave it’, toner is great for removing extra makeup once you’ve cleansed, but its real hero result is in helping shrink pores, at least to the naked eye.

Bid Adieu to the Ped Egg – This is the New Must-Have for Smooth Feet!

By Jenny Ahern

I’m the first to admit my feet get a little neglected when it comes to my beauty routine, which is ironic as cracked heels are a pet peeve of mine. There just aren’t enough hours in the day to regularly exfoliate, file and moisturise my feet – and don’t even get me started on the ped egg!  So when given the opportunity to trial a product that promised to take the chore out of DIY pedicures, I jumped at the chance.

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I’ve been using the Emjoi PediSmooth (RRP $29.95) twice a week for a month now and I find it works a wonder. Quick and easy, the PediSmooth features a motorised sandpaper-like roller, which buffs away rough, dry and calloused skin in seconds. Note: it is a good idea to do this over a towel as the skin from your feet will fall like snow – a gross image, I know!

‘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.

Celebrity Crush: Jessica Biel

Tomorrow my good friend, and Coveted Canvas guest writer, Kate Murphy will have her hair lightly balayaged and cut so that she will then look like a sex bomb (inevitable).  As a result, we’ve been trawling the net for images of the best balayaged hair out there, that Ms Murphy can take to the salon and be thorough with her colourist on what she wants (you all should take pics into the salon, to avoid hair disasters).  After hours of searches, the one who proved the best case for balayage (and tanning and exercise and sleeping eight hours and cleansing before resting and …) was Jessica Biel. The girl’s a babe.

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Product of the Day!

Today I woke extremely early and drove down to Mandurah for a dear friend’s beach wedding.  In preparation, I got to thinking about skin care and how I’d like to look flawless if and when I got married.  I thought back to the skin I had at my 21st and how I’d achieved it…

The day before my party in September, I lay in the bath with a SK-II facial mask covering every inch of my face.  It had been a stressful day and I relished the recommended 15-minute relaxation period.

Affordable Soap and Glory

On October 11, Kit stores welcomed a new product line to their shelves.  Aptly named Soap & Glory, this little brand has had me the most excited I’ve been in a long time when it comes to beauty. The packaging is divine in a Mad Men kind of way, the words on said packaging are hilarious and they’re cheap to boot!

Perfectly pink with a side of wit - LOVE IT!

Buzzing, Whirring, Wonderful

When I was in high school there was a single girl in our year that used an epilator to remove the hair from her legs.  We’d never tried it, she did it every time and absolutely swore by it. One day, the rest of us went to the shops and played with one in a shaver shop.  It whirred and scared us.  I’ve never thought about using one since.

My theory is that if you can shave to remove hairs free of pain, why do anything else?  Well, my friends, I had to eat my words over the last weekend because I epilated the bajeezus out of my legs and while it hurt, the results are amazing.

‘Org…’ What Now?

Orglamic.  No, not the word you’re thinking of but still one you want to hear all about! According to the people at Grown skin care, it means luxury organic skin care – not for hippies but for those who are smart about what they put on their skin.

The new range from Grown features six new products and gorgeous new packaging and is available nationally through David Jones, Myer and other selected stockists.

Tinted Moisturiser Test: Estee Lauder

Third in the tinted moisturiser test is Estee Lauder’s DayWear Plus multi-protection tinted moisturiser SPF 15.  Maybe one of my favourites yet, this little blue-green bottle gives superb coverage and doesn’t feel like you’re wearing anything at all! I will definitely be buying this one again.