Right Now: Stimul8 Mask by Gr8ful Skin Couture

Posted on June 1, 2013 by The Makeup Mole

Skin Couture It’s been a loooong time in between mask uses for me – as in I think the last time I used one, Bridget Jones’ Diary was on at the movies and Beyoncé was still in Destiny’s Child. Definitely before I had children, that’s for sure. Having kids will do that to you – radically cut into your self-care and pampering time, that is! So given that my son is bigger, and I’m not getting any younger, let’s face it, I thought my skincare routine should pick up a bit.

Enter a fabulous all natural 100% vegan mud mask from the US called Stimul8, by Gr8ful Skin Couture. I love that it’s a natural alternative to some of the more, ahem, chemical anti-agers out there. It’s mud! All natural, and vegan, and it’s converted me back to mask use again.

The first time I used it, it was WARM – I have no idea what’s in that mud but it’s like chilli for your face! It doesn’t hurt but you can definitely feel a tingling whilst it works its magic. Rinse it off and your skin looks fresher, brighter and more rested. The best thing to do is use for three days in a row to make you look as young as you did when Bridget Jones was around (I’m talking pre-Facebook, so that’s pretty young). Although I’m still not one of those natural pampering types who loves getting her bath on, I liked the effects of this mask so much that I intend to do it again. And soon. And not leave it quite so long in between masks that Beyonce can have a whole solo career. And get married (to one of the world’s richest and most influential rappers, no less) And have five Number 1s. And get 11 Grammys. And have a sold out world tour. And star in three movies. And sing for the President. And have a baby. Damn, what that woman can do in a decade! The least I can do is make time for a mud mask.

But I digress. As it’s a dark mud it’s too messy for clients at work, but I don’t want to let it out of my bathroom anyway. Now for more time to relax with a glass of wine and some Skin Couture…

Check it out at http://gr8fulcouture.com/

PS I also love this product as it doesn’t test on animals, and every component is derived from plants – even the lactic acid she uses is sourced from sugar beets and cane sugar. It’s nice to know that choosing natural products doesn’t mean skimping on performance.

Right Now: Dr Hauschka Sandalwood & Lavender Body Milk

Posted on January 4, 2013 by The Makeup Mole

Dr Hauschka Sandalwood and Lavender Body Milk

Happy New Year! I love having a fresh start – and let me tell you, 2013 is only a few days old and already it’s looking like it’s going to be a good one.

I’m not going to talk about New Year’s Resolutions and all that business, although I have a few, “ahem” improvements that I’ll be making – namely, being less of a makeup pack rat and getting more into organic products. So I thought I’d use my first post of the year to tell you about one of my favourite new natural finds, which is Dr Hauschka’s beautiful new Sandalwood and Lavender Bodymilk. This is the loveliest body moisturiser I have tried in ages. I’m usually pretty loyal to standard old Nivea or Kieh’s Crème de Corps (the Rolls Royce of body moisturisers), but I’m telling you, Dr Hauschka’s might just be taking that crown. I love not only what’s in it (ie no nasties, and lots of good moisturising oils), but the packaging as well. It’s a beautiful glass bottle with a pump that actually works, so using it is enjoyable (unlike tipping bottles of moisturiser everywhere – not mentioning any brand names!)

Having had something of a health epiphany in 2012 I’m now keen to find more gentle and non-toxic alternatives to some of my every day makeup and beauty staples. But they need to function AND be as fun to use as their more chemical cohorts, so this year I’m planning to explore some more organic brands, and I’m happy to report there is lots of gorgeous, non-toxic and chemical-free products out there. I want my outsides to be as healthy as my insides!

The Dr Hauschka Bodymilk a mix of macadamia nut, apricot kernel and avocado oils with wood sorrel and lemon balm to heal parched skin. And, as its name suggests it has sandalwood and lavender oil so it smells divine, and it melts into the skin leaving it non-sticky, non-greasy (even in pretty hot weather as I’ve been testing it through summer. My legs get a delicious lizard like appearance without daily slatherings of some sort of body unguent), and it even, as an added bonus, makes the skin look sort of sheeny and expensive. Unfortunately it can’t make you thinner – but that’s what those New Year’s resolutions are for.

www.drhauschka.com

Right Now: Burberry Complete Eye Palette In Mocha

Posted on December 10, 2012 by The Makeup Mole

OK it’s official. Burberry can do no wrong in my eyes. They have new eye quads that are, in a word, divine. Buttery soft, smooth and the colour combinations are just perfection.

It comes housed in a sleek gunmetal case which I am THRILLED to say, is lighter than the single eyeshadows I own. Because if I had one gripe with Burberry Beauty, it was the weight of their beautiful products. For the lady at home carrying a lippy and a blush they would be OK (still heavy, but just about manageable). But if you’re a makeup artist and you have a stack of those bad boys you want to carry, it’s just death. And then you have to choose which ones to take on a job. And then it’s MORE death because they’re all so lovely, and you can’t choose. And then you have to hack them up with a pallet knife which makes you want to stick the palette knife in your eye because it’s so sacrilegious to hack up those gorgeous Burberry eyeshadows to put in teeny plastic cases so you can carry them all. Can you tell I’ve been there? More than once?

So now the packaging feels lighter, and Burberry have given you not one, but FOUR lovely shades to choose from. I have Mocha, which is rich, yummy golden browns (you know, the browns that are surprising hard to find in other ranges? Yeah, those). There is a cream, a golden brown, a nutmeg/caramel colour and a rich brown that’s perfect for lining eyes. These babies can go natural and nothing, or very, very glamorous. What I love about the Burberry shadows is they are matte but they still have a sheen to them, so they don’t look flat on the eye.

The eye quads are called the Compete Eye Palette and come in 6 different shade variations, ranging from Plum Pink to Smokey Grey. I for one will be needing more of these new lightweight! Burberry goodies.

And here’s a video which has very little to do with Burberry, except it’s the Burberry model, Cara Delevigne, rollerskating in an elf hat. Shot by Angelo Pennetta for Love magazine, I thought it was super cute. And it’s Christmas, and who doesn’t love rollerskating elves at Christmas? Especially ones as pretty as Cara Delevigne.

www.burberry.com

Right Now: Luxury Nudes

Posted on November 14, 2012 by The Makeup Mole

Let’s get naked. Not clothes-wise, lips-wise. I’m all about lips at the moment – I can’t tell you how many gorgeous lipsticks and glosses I have received lately, so with your indulgence I will be posting about the best of the bunch over the next few weeks.

I was starting to get pretty bored with my nudes palette – not that it isn’t chock-full of classic nudes, creams and beiges and it has given me many good miles of service, but sometimes you just need something new in the mix to stop you poking the model in the eye from boredom. Enter my new naked lippy love, which is Burberry’s delicious Lip Cover in 01. It’s a beautiful creamy beige peach nude that has a very slight silvery reflective sheen to it, so it helps to stop the lip from looking too flat (a problem with some nudes).

But then! (And this is where it gets really interesting), I’m now slathering Sisley’s new Phyto Gloss in 1 on top. This is the perfect biscuity hi-shine gloss that instantly takes a look into the realms of luxury. A good nude gloss can be hard to find as many of them are too pale, and pale, goopy beige gloss is never a good look. This one has enough density and pigment to make it chic and not Kardashian.

I do need to put a disclaimer however – obviously nude lips need to be based on what is nude for your skintone. What is one woman’s Claudia Schiffer Guess bombshell lip is another woman’s Corpse Bride, so always try before you buy. And nude lips are best with a hint of cheek and something delicious on the eye – either full –on smoky or at least some black, brown or grey liner and mascara for definition. Otherwise you will look like the Woman With No Features.

So channel your inner Brigitte Bardot and get naked.

Right Now: Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out with Chanel

Posted on September 4, 2012 by The Makeup Mole

Every year Chanel do incredible events for Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out, around the world. Here’s a lovely video from London a couple of years ago, with two of my favourite people, makeup artist Kay Montano and lovely British supermodel, Daisy Lowe, getting into the spirit of the evening:

Chanel is also renowned for launching special, liimited edition products for the occasion, and this year in Sydney is no exception. This Thursday, 6th September, will be the launch of Les Twinsets de Chanel, created exclusively by Peter Phillips, Creative Director at Chanel Makeup. Les Twinsets will be available exclusively at The Chanel Makeup Studio, Myer, Sydney City for Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out.

There are three unique harmonies in the range, matching lips and eyes like a twinset – resolutely feminine.

ROUGE ALLURE VELVET and LE VERNIS:

LA PROVOCANTE & PROVOCATION: a unique Autumn plum shade.
L’INFIDÈLE & INFIDÈLE: an intense pink with a burst of energy.
LA DÉLICATE & DÉLICATESSE: a refined expression of beige to play on the
natural side of sophistication.

This is the perfect excuse to indulge in a bit of Chanel lipstick and nail polish action – like you ever need one of those.

Right Now: Carine Roitfeld for MAC

Posted on August 31, 2012 by The Makeup Mole

Love a bit of Carine Roitfeld, the uber-fashionista and ex-editor in chief of Paris Vogue. Here’s a behind the scenes video of her new collaboration with MAC Cosmetics. I. Want. Everything.

Right Now: Illamasqua Fight for a Fair Price for Beauty

Posted on August 29, 2012 by The Makeup Mole

First off, apologies for not posting last week. Suffice it to say I’m having some house dramas at present, involving lots of tradesmen clumping around in fluorescent vests and work boots. It’s not exactly conducive to beauty writing, or even beauty thinking!

However, there is something I HAVE to tell you about (tradies notwithstanding). Illamasqua, the maverick British beauty company, has started a petition to ask Australian consumers whether they want to pay a fair price for beauty. Founder of Illamasqua, Julian Kynaston, explains the initiative here

Basically Australian consumers are getting royally ripped off when it comes to makeup and skincare. I found this out the hard way when I lost my work blush bag during the move from London to Sydney. I strutted up to the makeup counters to replace at least my favourites, pointing with gay abandon to different colours, “Oooh, that one… and that one… and that one over there – and how about that new blush? How much are they by the way?”

Oh.

Put all those back. I’ll take one pink, and one peach.”

And that, my makeup-loving friends, was the end of my aimless wandering in cosmetic halls, dropping my credit card whenever I fancied.

So now Illamasqua are helping to us, by joining the fight against these criminally high prices in Australia. I’ve signed the petition – will you?

http://www.illamasqua.com/fairpriceforbeauty/

Right Now: Fly the Friendly Skies with Chanel

Posted on August 17, 2012 by The Makeup Mole

Blue Illusion de Chanel

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of using the brand new Spring/Summer Chanel collection on a beauty shoot. Chanel products are always a dream to play with, and this collection even more so than usual as it’s all blues! Mr Lagerfeld must have been reading my recent post about my lust for blue eyeshadow as he has released a whole collection just for me (I like to think so, anyway). Mr Lagerfeld has us taking to the friendly skies with his fabulous new collection – and it made me dream of air travel in the 60’s. Here’s a vintage Pan Am video to get you in the mood:

The collection itself was inspired by air and travel, so it’s a medley of beautiful blue hues that reflect the sky and inky nights (and made me think of Pan Am uniforms). It made its debut at the extraordinary Chanel Couture Spring/Summer 2012 show, where Karl Lagerfeld designed the whole runway and its surrounds as an aeroplane – genius, non? Check out the video:

Pretty much all of this gorgeous collection is a stand-out. For starters, there are two new Ombre d’Illusions, and we all know how I feel about those. There is one pale, sky blue one called Destination which is divine either on its own or as a base for a smoky eye, and another deeper inkier blue called Apparition. It’s beautiful as a solid sweep of colour (as the sparkles give it depth), or combined with Mirifique, up until now my favourite dark Chanel Ombre d’Illusion.

The Ombre d’Illusions range of eyeshadows have to be some of my most favourite, favourite products in the world. Put it this way, if there was a fire and I could only save some of my makeup, these guys would be some of the first rescued! I love these for a smoky eye with a twist.

Then there’s the two new eyeliners (two I tell you! Mr Lagerfeld, you do spoil us) – Marine Intense Eye pencil, which is a deep blackened blue, and Blue Aerien Precision Eye Definer which is a lovely, rich cobalt.

Rouge Coco Shine lipstick in Chic is the lip colour to go with it, which is a, well, chic little nothing of a lip. It is on the pale brown side which channels perfectly with the current shift back to the 90’s with its love of brown lipstick. But as this is sheer its easy to wear and very a la mode.

The nailpolish in Skyline continues Chanel’s straight run of stand out polish shades. It’s an incredible, vivid sky blue and such a nice change from the usual bronze/peach/gold summer collections. It makes me think of tropical water, clear blue skies and sunshine and it’s the first thing I’m packing for my current trip to Bali (far more important than say, sunscreen or clothes). If I could float way on this little jewel of a polish colour right now I would.

Also makeup maestro Peter Phillips used all the colours of the new collection IN the Chanel Spring/Summer Couture show. So if you’d like to look like Lindsey Wixon, just head to your local Chanel counter *

* Gap in teeth and jewel-encrusted Chanel accessories not included.

Right Now: www.neilmoodie.com

Posted on July 20, 2012 by The Makeup Mole

It’s a great week at MM HQ as one of my favourite hairdressers, Mr Neil Moodie, has a brand, spanking new blog out, and it’s gorgeous. Neil is not only an amazing hairdresser (the hair at the Burberry shows and in the ads – that’s Neil, every season), and he’s done everyone from Victoria’s Secret’s Angels to Gwyneth Paltrow. He began his career working with iconic photographer Corinne Day throughout her career – Corinne’s photos of Kate Moss? All Neil.

Most recently he’s had a gorgeous British Vogue cover with Arizona Muse, so he knows his stuff. Oh, and he’s the loveliest guy with a super-cute dog, and did I mention he’s hilarious? As in I would clap my hands when I saw his name on a call sheet for a job as he would just have me in stitches all day long.

Now you can regularly visit MoodieWorld with interviews, how-tos, behind-the-scenes and general glamness at www.neilmoodie.com

I’m going to be a regular visitor.

Right Now: Karl Lagerfeld for shu uemura

Posted on June 15, 2012 by The Makeup Mole

This is the most exciting (and unusual) beauty collaboration I have heard about for ages – Karl Lagerfeld for shu uemura, out Christmas 2012.

Apparently Karl Lagerfeld has long been a fan of Mr Uemura’s, and the collaboration follows a friendship and relationship of mutual admiration spanning twenty years.

Karl has used shu uemura pressed eye shadows to sketch with for many years. He said: “I love sketching in the morning. When I go to sleep, I always put my pens and papers next to my bed. I use shu uemura eye shadow [to] sketch, since shu uemura has fantastic colors. I design with shu uemura make-up because other manufacturers do not offer such beautiful colors.”

I have had the good fortune to meet and work with Karl Lagerfeld in his extraordinary atelier in Paris, and he is not only a wonderful designer but an impeccably mannered man with an unfailing understanding of the zeitgeist. I’m sure the shu uemura /Karl Lagerfeld collaboration will be well worth waiting for – with shu’s luxurious cosmetics knowledge and Karl’s amazing design talents, it will definitely be one for the Christmas stocking.

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