Beauty: Travel Kit

Hello! From Adelaide! This week I headed back to my hometown to see family for the first time in forever (well, almost a year), and thought I would share a quick travel beauty post. I hate over packing (or under for that matter- particularly overseas- trying to explain tweezers in another language is just tough!), so take the essentials for skincare, everyday makeup and an extra piece or two to kick things up a notch for going out (you, know, on the town). {While small, in it's defense, Adelaide does have a town}. 

Skincare:

Kosmea Facial Cleansing wipes, dispose as you go and watch your luggage get lighter! But seriously these smell like roses and cleanse the skin much better than many other wipes products. I am only away for a little while this time so did not pack a separate cleanser- if I were staying a week I would throw one of those in too. 

Kora Calming Lavender Mist, acts as a refresh and tone product. I love these, they smell beautiful, and I can get addicted to spraying my face. 

Kora Soothing Day and Night  Cream. My current moisturiser, some times a little heavy, but great for winter. Contains lavender, pomegranate, chamomile, olive and evening primrose oil to nourish the skin. 

Kosmea 24/7 Radiance Youth Boost oil, to lock in moisture after toning, or i, sea buckthorn and pomegranate oils, rich in antioxidants to help keep your skin young. 

Makeup:

MAC BB Cream, a good light hydrating foundation, containing an SPF, just paint on with your brush and go. 

Alison Jade eyebrow palette, cause I can not go anywhere without touched up brows!

Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara- for the best lashes, without fail. 

Covergirl Colour Show Kohl pencil, for darkened eyes, which can be simple or winged for a bolder effect.

Not pictured but in my handbag all the same: 

YSL Touch Eclat, for brightening the face, Burt's Bees lip balm.

xx Jenelle

Beauty: Chanel Paris x Dallas

When my friend Heidy recently invited me to her Western themed Birthday party, I could not wait to go. My love for all things Mid-western took over. With the recent Chanel Dallas show and subsequent Kristen Stewart Chanel campaign, browsing through inspiration images was all too easy. The makeup looks for the show created by Peter Philips featured silver and gold metallic strokes on the cheekbones (not unlike a tweed) with nude lips and neutral eyes. So here is my little pre-party makeup planning.

For an easy quick foundation, I am using the Mac BB cream, Maybelline Colour Show Kohl pencil in black, Maybelline Matte lips in nude, Gwen Stefani for OPI nail polish, silver and gold eye pencils and Mac Mineralize Skinfinish powder. Also on a slightly unrelated note- I was stoked to find this Led Zeppelin t-shirt at Westfield the other day, via Cotton On of all places. How much I love them. A whole lotta love.
Jewels via Amber Sceats (gold pieces), Kailis (pearl). Mag image via this months Russh Mag.
xx Jenelle

Beauty Road Test: The Beauty Chef and More

 

I just got this one in before the end of March! One more Beauty review post, following on from my story on dry body brushing last week. I really have been trying a lot of new products over the past month to six weeks, here are some of the skin and hair care products. I am still aiming to be as natural as possible in my skin care, but find hair products a little trickier to manage. See more about that below. 

Mother Earth Aromatherapy Rehydration Facial Scrub

I picked this little jar up from a health food store in the Claremont Quarter a few months back when I noticed a huge gap in my skincare routine. I'd moved over and thought I would buy a facial scrub later. I looked at a bunch of natural brands, and wanted to try something inexpensive and locally made. This one by Mother Earth Aromatherapy also smelled the best. Made in Fremantle, the brand is described as being truly natural, made with the highest quality natural organic ingredients (no parabens or bad chemicals), love and care. I would say that a little goes a long way, so I will be using this jar for some time, and have found it to leave my skin smooth but hydrated and smelling of natural oils. It is specifically developed with dry and mature skin in mind- which doesn't really fit my profile, however it is a beautiful product to use. With daily scrubbing, the skin can retain more moisture, being up to 25% more effective. That's got to be good. 

The Beauty Chef Glow Inner Beauty Powder

I came across this powder in a health mag at first, then began to notice it pop up on Harper and Harley's Instagram, in Harper's Bazaar etc. Reading the story and philosophy behind The Beauty Chef founder Carla Oates, (find more here) I decided to give her Glow Powder a try. I have had it for a few months now and add it daily to my muesli, energy balls or smoothies. It is made up of twenty three skin loving super foods designed to assist with radiant skin. It tastes like Acai berries, is rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and amino acids. The unique natural fermentation process breaks down foods making them ready for the body to absorb allowing probiotics which colonise the gut and promote a heap of health benefits. It also contains prebiotics which encourage the growth of good bacteria. So basically the powder helps to create healthy skin from the inside out. There are no preservatives, colourings or flavourings, so it looks like a yellowish green colour, and tastes great.  

At $59.95 per 150g it seems like a bit to spend on 'powder' if you think of it that way, but, if you are anything like me and have bought a ton of different super food powders, minerals and supplements before individually, you will no doubt know how much these can add up to. By combining this formula in one, I can guarantee that I get a healthy dose of excellent vitamins, minerals etc in one easy container, without having to buy, store and open a bunch of different products. I prioritise looking after my skin, and would like to hope that the evidence is obvious. I love this product and highly recommend it to anyone who choses to look after their health and skin. 

Dr Browner's Magic All-One! Organic Lotion

Well, with a name like that, and packaging resembling something of a 90's hippy dream, it would be easy to overlook this item on the shelf. Needing a good natural body lotion, I really asked the lady at the health food store to recommend a few options. I absolutely go mad for lavender and coconut, so ended up choosing this one. The packaging and name may seem OTT but the product is great. I found this one in a health food store, so keep an eye out, or else find it here.

Peaches and Clean Fragrance Oil

Mario and I kept seeing the Peaches and Clean products around, and I was drawn to this natural oil fragrance so strongly I just had to get it. With a purse size roll on glass bottle, I can take it with me to touch up and feel fresh through out the day or night, and as it is entirely natural, made up of lavender oil, it is beautiful on the skin. From the same brand (also made in Fremantle) I bought Mario a bottle of the Beard Oil, which has worked wonders in keeping his beard soft and tameable between visits to his 'beard trimming guy'. So sophisticated! 

Burt's Bees Acai Rejuvenating Lip Balm

Full of all the good stuff, this Acai berry balm is good enough to eat, and actually hydrates the lips unlike the majority of unnatural lip gloss products which dry out the delicate lip skin. 

Kevin Murphy Shimmer Shine

While visiting Me. Style salon a couple of weeks back I mentioned not liking hairspray and needing a sea salt style spray to hold my wavy hairstyles. This Kevin Murphy spray was recommended as the right product to retain some of the styling shape- without that coated in sticky, dry spray feeling, and contains a shimmery powder which picks up light. Now, it isn't a 100% natural product, but as I said, finding GOOD natural hair products seem to be harder than finding natural skincare, so I am adopting a bit of a mixed bag in my beauty kit. Kevin Murphy products do not contain parabens or sulphates and use renewable and sustainable resources where ever possible. The Shimmer Shine Spray contains Baobab seed extracts (from the African Boabab tree, which contain vitamins A, D and E), bamboo extracts (which prevent irritation, and damage to the cell structure), essential fatty acids, vitamins A, C and E as well as Immortelle (derived from the Helichcrysum plant, rich in antioxidants to stop sun damage to the hair). It is a non-oily formula, I like the hold it gives my hair, and the shimmery part is pretty cool too. Overall, this is a lot better than using hair spray for me, and is less strongly scented and heavy with chemicals than that of some other sea salt sprays I have tried in the past. 

That is it for March, and I still did not get to my cosmetic products photographed, and ready to share! Stay tuned, and by all means, please share any other beauty or hair care finds in the comments below. 

xx Jenelle 

Beauty: Dry Body Brushing

I vowed to post one 'Beauty' post per month this year, but in the last month to six weeks I have tried a whole heap of products to share, so this month I have more for you. For those of you who have read my other beauty reviews and stories you will know I try to use products in my skin care routine which are as natural as possible. I am finding that this is easier to do with skincare, but not as easy when it comes to hair care and cosmetics. More on cosmetics and hair in the next post, but for now, having good skin is like having an excellent canvas. After all, the skin is our biggest organ.

Dry Body Brushing
I recently picked up a bamboo dry body brush, which had been on my list for a long time to try. I got this one for under $20 at the local health food store, but you can also order them online (eg here). As long as the bristles are made of a natural fibre, you are onto a winner.

Why Body Brush: 
Well, it opens the pores to release toxins, promoting circulation to activate the lymphatic system assisting it to process the lymph fluids. Basically this means that those toxins can be processed through say the liver and the waste can be eliminated properly, rather than sticking around. This is why you must brush in a circular motion from left to right starting from the feet, moving upwards toward the heart- the same direction the lymph fluid travels. The lymphatic system does not have its own 'pump' like the heart does, so stimulating it through muscle stimulation via exercise and massage help get it working. Brushing also helps stimulate circulation. If you have bad circulation you may experience varicose veins, water retention and fatigue. By massaging the skin the brush stimulates blood flow which in turn activates oil and sweat glands moisturizing the skin.

Body brushing is known to help target cellulite as well, which is caused by lack of blood flow and lymph drainage leading to fluid retention and toxin build-up in fat cells. This build-up stiffens the septa (connective tissue) which then pushes down fat leading it to break through the dermis giving the dimple like effect which no one wants. It also probably goes without saying that using the brush exfoliates the skin to prevent ingrown hairs and remove dead skin cells, naturally leading to smoother skin with a more even tone.

How to brush:
 Brush in a circular motion from left to right, starting from the soles of the feet moving up toward the heart- likewise from the palms along the arms to the heart. Don't brush too hard, then jump in the shower/ steam room and later moisturize with a good oil like coconut. Rinse the brush with hot water regularly to get rid of dead skin cells and make sure that the brush is left to dry properly. You can also spray a little Tea Tree Oil spray once a week to kill off any bacteria.
I recommend brushing in the morning, showering then moisturizing with a good natural moisturizer or coconut oil. It is a calming way to start the day- weather you do it for a few minutes or up to 20. I guess the main thing is that it means you are spending time massaging, invigorating and caring for your body, which is a positive promotion of self love and appreciation.

If you don't feel very comfortable in your own skin, (at least this is how I have felt in the past), learning to look after it, and yourself is a really important step into letting those body hangups go. Now, don't get me wrong, you aren't going to suddenly have a Miranda Kerr like body, but it is a good step toward that glowing, healthy skin. Trust me people notice. If you have ever had someone notice your tan (lack there of or faux) it is evidence that healthy glowing skin does not go unnoticed.

Combine body brushing, or exfoliation in general (remember my last post testing out the fun natural coffee scrub Frank?) with drinking water throughout the day, eating healthily and regular exercise and you are looking after yourself. Probably don't scrub if you have weak skin (I am NOT recommending this to anyone who is suffering from sunburn, or say my Nanna who has super weak skin), to prevent unnecessary damage.
Respecting yourself is a really valuable place to start in gaining respect from others, and encouraging this of others toward themselves too.

xx Jenelle

Beauty Road Test: Frank Coffee Scrub and Evo Hair

Frank Body Scrub in Original and Coconut Grape-seed, Evo The Therapist Conditioner, Gluttony Shampoo, and Haze Styling Powder

Lately I have tried a few products which I honestly saw so many times on my Instagram feed, that I just gave in and ordered. It seems like the ultimate in brainwashing-buy-what-you-see-often shopping, but, combined with a little research, I decided to see what the hype was all about. I will warn you that my product choices are filtered for the most part through a list of what I consider acceptable chemical ingredients. So in the end, I might be feeling the brainwash- but I make sure not to commit cash to just anything. 

Frank Coffee Scrub

I love coffee. The smell, the various methods of production, the colour... the taste. While I limit myself to one cup per day (if that), I was really interested to try what has become one of my new favourite products, Frank Coffee Scrub. Frank, in all its messy glory certainly lives up to the gazillion Instagram shares and hype. With a very clever branding and marketing campaign, Frank invites you to get down and dirty with him in the shower, scrubbing twice a week. The antioxidant content in coffee targets free radicals while the coffee stimulates your blood, targeting cellulite, stretch marks, psoriasis, acne, eczema and varicose veins.  Something I was surprised to learn was that coffee is actually the same pH level as your skin, so it won't dry it out, but Frank have also added good oils like almond or grape seed oil to moisturise your skin. Grape seed oil comes from the seeds which the silly wine makers tend to throw out, and are full of antioxidants, adding those back in is a win. 

The smell is amazing, it feels great as you scrub- it is not harsh but can actually produce a really good massage and the end result is super smooth, hydrated skin. I have only been using this product for a few weeks, so am yet to notice any big differences to things like cellulite, but I will keep you posted. 

At $14.95- $17.95 per pack and free postage Australia wide, the pack will last for a month if used twice a week, or longer if you aren't making a mess so often. I call that a good deal. I can not tell you how much I love (and my partner Mario also loves) this product. It ticks all of the natural boxes, using all good ingredients, with excellent waterproof packaging, super fast postage and it is also suitable for oily skin. What is not to love?! 

Evo Hair Products

In the past eight months I have busily been trying out a heap of different more natural more safe hair shampoo and conditioners. I have mostly bought these from a health-food-shop, but have found that even those labelling themselves are organic, safe etc, actually do still contain some chemicals on the bad list. So, after feeling like my hair was experiencing dry ends, flat scalp and sometimes even getting a little flaky, I decided to give another salon brand a go. Not without researching first! While finding the right 'good' chemical product has eluded me, I had tried samples of O&M and Evo Hair. I saw Evo pop up on Instagram as well, as one of my fave bloggers Sara of Harper and Harley recommended them. Now, Sara has beautiful hair, so I thought why not give it a go. I headed into a salon in Perth who were a stockist- Head Studio, and asked for product info and recommendations. Next thing I knew, a really helpful and lovely hairdresser sat me down to chat about what my hair does on its own, where my concerns were and demonstrated some Evo products. This was service unlike that I had found at a couple of salons selling O&M, so Evo won. Evo are affordable salon quality products, with out things like parabens, sulphates or propylene glycol or gimmicky added chemicals to pump up the bottles sell-abilitly (no false claims here). The packaging is 100% recycled and they use natural products wherever possible. Those are all good things that aren't often found in salons. I like that for the most part the Evo products are developed in Australia for our climate, we have a lot of sun, and European products really don't cut it. 

I have been trying the Therapist Calming Conditioner to help calm my dry ends down. It is soft, smells good, my hair feels stronger and overall I am happy with it. I would recommend this one for anyone who find their hair to get a little on the frizzy, flyaway side, or who may have a little colour damage control to do. Something I have noticed is how glossy my locks have gotten, which makes it look and feel healthy. 

The Gluttony Shampoo is all about getting that extra bit of volume back into my roots. It has extra protein and definitely works a treat. This one smells the best too. 

Haze Styling Powder is like a dry shampoo, texturising styling product. Again, this one I wanted to try to help combat my back of the head helmet look which had been going on. Who want's your hair to bounce all around your face but fall flat against the back of your head?? Not me. I think the Haze powder feels super foreign to me because I am really not used to styling products, but it does create a huge lift and hold. Anyone can give this a go, sprinkle a little into your roots in small sections on the trouble areas, work it in a little, teasing is optional, but a little seems good. Really rubbing this in will kill that lift, so go easy. 

Finally at the moment I have been styling my hair up in a side parted pony tail or pulled back a lot, to keep the heat away- I have a lot of hair, it traps in a lot of summer heat, and donning a bright red lip. Both feel a little refreshing and right on for summer. 

At the moment we are changing things around Shut My Eyes, with a completely new name, site and overall, rebranding. I would love to hear what sort of stories you want to read, what products you want me to road test, tips or how-to's to share etc etc. Please let me know what you would like to see, and I will get it going! xx Jenelle

The Perfect Little Black Dress

Georgia dress via The LBD, ASOS heels, Chanel Brooch, 4th and Bleeker for Billabong Clutch, Ray-Bans, Vintage Jag Denim Jacket

In my last post I talked all about the perfect little black dress, adding one to your capsule wardrobe and all about the new online boutique The LBD. I can not recommend this brand enough and its unique site. The concept and execution is just right, and I can see it being a really reliable one stop shop for women of all shapes, sizes and ages.

There are so many ways that you can personalise and style a little black dress. Add a belt, jacket, heels, sandals, converse, jewellery and more… anyway you like. Since this Georgia dress arrived from The LBD I have worn it non-stop. Featuring a cap sleeve, a rounded neckline, classic waistline with a flat bind waist detail and A-line skirt, it is comfortable and flexible to style. The cut is perfect for all body shapes. For me I would maybe take up the hem a little, as it comes up a little long on me but then again I am not super tall. I love the blind hems and minimal seams which reduce bulk, it is super flattering.

 Here the dress goes from dressy to casual with the addition of my beloved vintage denim jacket gifted from my Mothers wardrobe. A classic denim jacket is such an easy throw over and compliments a black dress without making it seem too formal. Pinned to the dress is my Chanel brooch, a present to myself for turning 30 last year. Saving up for a Chanel bag is still on the bucket list, but for now, this little gem is a welcome treat and a nice touch to a black dress. 

 I love to wear a really bold lip like this, it creates such confidence, and when getting the hue right, can create that 'pop' of the eye colour. From Gwen Stefani to Miranda Kerr, a great red lip always draws the eye.

xx Jenelle

Shots by Mario Recchia

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Travel Beauty

Everyone dreams about getting away, while I haven't traveled in far too long, I do have a travel beauty bag packed at any given time (ready for a few nights away, or in reality- just staying over at someone's house at the drop of a hat). I don't think that just because you are heading away somewhere that your beauty regime should be compromised. So either I decant my regular skin care products into smaller travel bottles, or stock up when the brands I love make handy travel packs. Particularly around Christmas, a lot of department stores add travel or gift packs to their shelves at a really good rate, so it is worth stocking up. This year I happily found a Kosmea travel pack which at $30 and stocked with products retailing up to $70 was a great buy. The Discover Collection gift pack is pretty similar, with great Kosmea products and a handy way to try before you commit to bigger bottles.

So what have I got in the travel bag? Obviously thanks to that gift pack, a lot of these are Kosmea, a brand that I have talked about before- their certified organic rose hip oil is lovely. 

Kosmea Hydrating Rosewater Mist is a beautiful and refreshing mist that sneaks its way out of the travel bag and into my handbag a lot. I also pop this into the fridge and use it as a cool mist on a hot day. I use it as a toner or simply to rehydrate my skin after the sun (also probably handy to spritz onto sunburn- but wear sunscreen and avoid skin cancer!). It smells so pretty, and feels light and fresh. 

Bamboo Environmental Toothbrush from the organics store, it is super soft (which I need) and tiny, so perfect to travel with. I use this with Grant's toothpaste (which I talked about back here). 

Aromas Argan Oil Spray by Nak Hair, given to me at the Cenote Swim launch a few weeks ago, this leave in shine spray with argan oil protects the hair from our sun damaging UV rays and hair straighteners. I love that this is paraben and sulphate free but smells delish containing lavender oil, patchouli and geranium. I spray this onto my hair while it is drying after washing and the bonus is that it gives me no tangles. :)

Kosmea Clarifying Facial Wash  an SLS free (see my breakdown of all of the nasty chemicals to avoid here on my Beauty Lessons post) using a coconut foaming agent instead, to wash away make-up and nasties morning and night. This cleanser is not a heavy cream cleanser, but uses macadamia oil to dehydrate as well as rose hip oil, wattle seed, lily pilly and quandong to cleanse and tone. This is another refreshing cleanser to help wake me up in the morning and get rid of the days oils or makeup on my face. It smells very Australian too, which is nice. I gotta say that I also hugely value that this cleanser doesn't contain alcohol. I hate that on my skin! 

Kosmea Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost, a certified organic blend of oils to give a nice hydrating kick. After cleansing and toning I massage a bit of this morning or night to my still damp skin to keep the good oils in and prolong the moisture (or youthfulness ?!) :). Made up of Kosmea's rose hip oil, seabuckthorn, pomegranate, camellia and apricot oils there is nothing not to love. It's a nice treat. Also very useful for applying to scars, burns, cuts, and spots like elbows, knees, nails and heels. 

Kosmea Replenishing Moisture Cream with green tea extract and of course that rose hip oil. The rose hip oil is the organic part of this, and I must say it is nice, but it does also have things like alcohol in it which as I said before, I don't love on my face. I couldn't find this for sale on their site, so it may be discontinued or under development. 

What are some of your travel beauty tips? Please share! 

I find on a bigger trip that I tend to pack bigger bottles of hair and skincare products, and discard them as they run out. The bonus is that on the way home your suitcase has less in it so you can throw in a holiday buy or two. :) 

My main tip is to pack only what you will need, and don't leave things out. Trying to explain in other languages what you are trying to find can be tricky, or costly. I have a gold plated pair of tweezers that I bought on my first overseas trip- I was 18, solo and my eyebrows had sprouted a few unexpected hairs that I could not ignore. I spoke some German, but no one understood what I was after- even with my gestures. :) 

Pack minimal makeup- or a decent small pallet with a few colours and keep things easy and natural. You can always pick up a colour for a special occasion should you need it. 

Then again, just don't wear any makeup! Your skin will thank you. 

xx Jenelle

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Beauty Road Test: Alison Jade Cosmetics

Last week at the Alison Jade Summer 13 / 14 cosmetics launch I picked up one of her Xtreme lipsticks in a bold pink. As a fan of bright red and orange lipsticks I wanted to mix it up for summer and give this a try. The results are just rock and roll enough for my tastes. Pink can feel a little girly, but in a bright hue like this it's rockin in a Gwen Stefani and Blondie kind of way. Fitting that she named this lip colour 'Superstar'. 

I wore the lipstick last week, putting it on at about 10am, then heading out to various meetings and later working on the Up Late Mt Hawthorn event. At around 7pm a couple of friends dropped by to say hello backstage (while I was taping the models shoes) and asked what my lipstick was. I hadn't had time to look in the mirror, let alone touch up my lips all day (despite having eaten) so was really surprised it had stayed on. I can definitely vouch that this is a stay on all day lipstick, which doesn't bleed. It is a matte, so conditioning the lips before applying (not right before- at least ten minutes so the conditioner has time to dry, otherwise any lip colour will feather) is a good idea. The good thing about a matte lip is how strong it is- but you can always add a gloss to the centre of each lip if you want to tone it down. I think since I have such a thin upper lip, I gravitate toward a bold colour to open up my face. I also find that it photographs well and is a good pick me up if you are heading out but feeling tired. I also like to think that it draws some attention away from the bags under my eyes which I have had since birth. :) (It's a quirk- embrace it!).

The Alison Jade lipsticks are available online here. The Xtreme Lipsticks are only $30 each and come in an orange, a lighter pink, and various shades of red. In these pictures I was also wearing the Alison Jade Illuminating Lotion (in Paradise) which is $48.00. I have just added it to the outside of my eye area, mainly following the bone line. I think it looks best in person, as it picks up the light and creates a nice glow. I hadn't really worn an illuminator before but the added glow is actually really pretty. 

PS. I shot these photos after I had run coconut oil into my hair as a treatment- hence the oily look. I try to do a coconut oil treatment once a week to keep it shiny and healthy. You can get an organic coconut oil from health food stores and some supermarkets. Next week I am actually going to the hairdresser (first time in over a year), which is quite exciting. Watch Instagram for that one!  

If you have any lipstick tips, I would love to hear them so please share them in the comments section below. 

xx Jenelle

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Alison Jade Cosmetics

To launch her Summer Cosmetics range, the beautiful Alison Jade invited us to sip rose champagne cocktails in the courtyard of a secret garden. The collection has been designed to suit Perth women going into our hot summer, embracing bold lips, natural but enhanced rose or lightly bronzed skin. Avoiding a heavy made-up look, the products can be worn beachside, into the city or out at night embracing a lighter, natural beauty.
You may remember my talking about visiting Alison for a brow makeover back here.

I love to do a bright lip, so I grabbed one of the Superstar Pink Xtreme lip colours, but equally love the red and orange Fetching and Vino hues. The entire range is available online here. I have never really bothered to try an illuminating product (or at least, the ones I have tried I promptly got over using), but decided to give this one a try- it looks amazing, I will shoot photos to share soon. In the meantime, be sure to head to the site and check out the stunning new campaign images. 

I can still smell the posy of roses kindly gifted as we left, thank you to Alison!

xx Jenelle

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Beaufort Street Festival Behind The Scenes

A few quick snaps from the hair and makeup chairs at the Beaufort Street Festival Fashion Headquarters. Pierrots hair and Lauren Wood makeup artists enjoyed the freedom to create these individual looks with models from Scene Model Management. Dressed here in clothes from Department and Steph Audino. Those pink, red and orange eyes? Lipstick. Cool right? 

More to follow. 

xx Jenelle

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The Haul

Sometimes when fishing around in my bag I almost feel like it is an oversize makeup bag which happens to fit my phone, wallet and book (at the moment Naked by David Sedaris- but I did just read Leandra’s Man Repeller, and it was equally entertaining). So, for someone with a pretty minimal makeup routine, what on earth do I feel the need to be carrying? And why, with all of the bits and pieces rooting around the bottom of the bag, have I not managed to drop them all into some sort of zip purse to save them spilling out onto the car floor if I happen to break suddenly (also why do I never zip up my handbag?- my Nana reminds me of this each time I see her). Well, today I snapped a pic of most of the items as a random sample.

(Note to self- must order a zip purse for this stuff)

So gents, (or gent- I imagine my boyfriend is the only man who actually reads my blog- fair enough too, but I think it is only so he can keep up with what I am talking about where it is concerned), if you ever wondered why the heck we all need to carry so much crap around in our handbags, here is a random sample of the products typically found inside, give or take a few things. 

The haul:

Rose Hip Oil: You never know when you will want to use it. If you wear heels a lot, there are always scars, or healing blisters that can benefit from the occasional rose hip oil massage- best applied when you are waiting for something or someone.

Perfume samples: I am not privy to carrying an entire perfume bottle around, but make use of the samples snapped up in sample bags or from department stores. Also each Christmas Chanel release a series of mini perfume's in one box. While I don’t get through one per year, they cost about $90 and I can have one in every bag or purse, they are strong, long lasting, and if you don’t love one particular scent, make perfect little presents.

The Lip Balms: Moo Goo Tingling Honey and Burt’s Bees. Both natural, highly moisturizing and reliable, without nasty chemicals that slick your delicate skin with chemicals designed for repeat application.

Bobby Pins/ Ties: I always need these. I do very little with my hair but, they don’t go astray. Also I don’t have any hairspray, so pins are really handy.

Mascara: Not a natural product, but at times the eye opener I need to make my face feel awake- or prevent my eyes disappearing behind my giant glasses. Yep I am a geek. You know it.

Lipsticks: In bright red, orange and a pretty pink. MAC and Chanel, not a natural product, but I love the punch of colour. Worn when there is no man with me- usually to fashion things.

Hand Moisturiser: Also one on the desk, in the kitchen. I know that the Aesop aren't natural alternatives, but I love the smell. I do for the record mix them up with my natural ones. 

xx Jenelle

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Spring Beauty

She's at it again... here is a little beauty update to share what I have been trailing and using lately. 

I am still trying to use organic products where I can, but have been using a few other things as well, so it is not all organic but a bit of a mixture. 

Since I last spoke of it all, I have used up all of my Kora Organics Foam Cleanser, which I LOVED, and this time thought I would try the Kora Organics Cream Cleanser for something different. While I have never really used a cream cleanser before and I probably prefer the foam cleanser, it is really nice. It is very gentle, with Rosehip, Avacado and Macadamia Nut oils to nourish the skin, I feel as though it would be best for someone who tends to have sensitive or dry skin. The smell is really nice, but subtler than the Foam Cleanser. Also for something different I decided to try the Calming Lavender Mist. I love lavender (actually some may say I have a thing) it is just as nice as the Energising Citrus Mist, and I can see I will get through it just as fast. One thing I have tried is spraying some onto a makeup disposable pad, holding it to my eye, then wiping it off to remove the mascara that cleansing misses. The same goes for my MAC Matte lipsticks- which tend to be tough to remove, but using the Mist as a toner is perfect. 

Finally I use the SKII Facial Treatment Essence to retain moisture and balance throughout the day (happily got this small bottle from the Marie Claire last month just as I had ran out!) before the Kora Organics Soothing Day and Night Cream. The cream is beautiful, with Evening Primrose Oil, Pomegranate, Chamomile, Olive Leaf and Lavender. You can tell it smells good from that list! I find that after a long day my forehead can get a little on the oily side, but not using this. Hoorah! I have tried a LOT of moisturisers, and this is a definite favourite. 

When I visited Alison Jade she set me up with this brow kit, to perfectly fill in my brows without being too heavy or unnatural. I love it, the colours are light, and the wax (used lightly) keeps them in place. 

Finally I went in and got a blush from the Chanel counter, as I had only a bronzing powder with me. I decided on this lighter pink shade Rose Initiale #72 for something different. It has a light sheen finish, and the pigments are subtle, so it doesn't stain or scream PINK from the second it hits your cheeks, but can be built up more in layers. The best part is the rose smell. While these are a bit more pricey, they last such a long time so I think of it along the lines of cost per use, and the smell won me over. 

I never got around to talking about haircare products, and I am still trying some new products from the health food shop, so I will let you know eventually.

xx Jenelle

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