NOTE: The following post is just a short summary of the items I found useful in this month's magazine. For the full Beauty Pages, I encourage you to purchase the magazine!
Front Feature:
Backstage Pass: New York Fashion Week
* BIG LASHES - instead of false lashes, add 3 or more coats of mascara, letting it dry between each coat. For big, spiky lashes, hold the mascara brush vertically and sweep it across from above. Finish by brushing it through to neaten and create little points.
* LOUD LINER - Try a bright eyeliner all along the upper lid,
teamed with big lashes and a pale lip colour.
* RUBY LIPS - bright red lips with nude eye treatment looks youthful and fresh. Use a high-coverage foundation, and especially use concealer around the mouth to provide a smooth backdrop. Use a sharp-edged brush to apply the lipstick. Blot and apply a second coat for extra long wear. A blue-based red will make the teeth look whiter.
Feature: Summer Skin that Lasts Forever
Self-Tan Your Face: * Using a small amount of self-tanner on the face will brighten your skin and cover winter redness. It also means that using heavier/more foundation isn't necessary.
* Don't use a tanner for the body, use a special formula for the face. Exfoliate and moisturise your face beforehand. If your skin feels tight, moisturise with a creamier formula and wait until the feeling goes away.
* Dilute the tanner with moisturiser and apply with a sponge. Make sure to blend carefully around the hairline and extend down to the decolletage area.
Covetable Products: Palmer's Olive Butter Fomula Natural Bronze for Face SPF 15, $9.95 ;
Le Tan Instant Face Tan, $7.99
Feature: The Bun Is Back
Buns We Love: Tips:
* Use smoothing cream or lightweight mousse to smooth your hair before styling.
* For a polished look, mist with hairspray at the end to prevent any stray hairs coming loose.
* Or spray the hairspray on before styling, then brush it through.
* Accessorise with a hairband or pin; it wil hide any lumps as well.
Buns We Love: Ideas:
* Comb your hair into a deep side part before styling for a different look.
* Plait your hair before twisting into a bun - when undone, you will have wavy style.
Uses for Dry Shampoo:
Use in the ends of hair for a textured finish. Use instead of mousse to add volume without the stickiness. Spray on if you have used too much hairspray to break it up and stop your hair from looking stiff.
Final Note:
Shop Til You Drop have changed the whole format of their magazine this month. The beauty pages are much shorter now, and they're blended into the lifestyle section. I'm really disappointed by this, and I'm not sure that I'm interested in doing the beauty pages feature anymore. (I've only been doing it for a couple of issues so far.) Lately it's the only section of the magazine I've been interested in, so if it remains the way it is in this issue, I don't think I'll bother re-subscribing. Maybe I'll do a monthly wrap-up of my favourite blog posts instead. Hm!
NOTE: All images are from Pinterest.
NOTE: The following post is just a short summary of the items I found useful in this month's magazine. For the full Beauty Pages, I encourage you to purchase the magazine!
Shop Til You Drop May 2012: front cover
Front Feature:
Neapolitan Dream
Focus on pastel colours like blush pink, lilac, mint green and sky blue.
Seen in eyeshadows, blushes, lip glosses, nail polishes.
Covetable brands/products
Illamasqua Cream Pigment ; MAC ; Estée Lauder Signature Hydra Lustre Lipstick ; The Body Shop
News Flash:
Skin Soothers: You Me & Everybody Sumptuous Skin Mousse, $14.99
Hair: Amazon Beauty Rahua Nut Voluminous Shampoo, $42.00
Memo from the Beauty Cupboard:
* Article about Napoleon Perdis products: working with neutrals. Start with a good primer and foundation. Combine different shades and finishes, matte with creamy, etc. Make sure brows are refined and mascara is defined but not over-the-top.
* Fragrance: Givenchy Very Irresistable Electric Rose.
Feature: Perfume to Suit Your Mood
Cheerful: Kenzo Flower Tag ; Vivienne Westwood Cheeky Alice ; Filles des Iles Amber Kiss
Inspired: Yves St Laurent Saharienne ; Rance 1795 Eau de Noblesse
Loud: Illamasqua Freak ; Tokyo Milk Dark in Excess ; Juliette Has a Gun Vengeance Extreme
Chilled-Out: Calvin Klein Sheer Beauty ; Creed Silver Mountain Water
Flirty: Fleurage Turkish Delight ; Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia
Creed Silver Mountain Water, $259.00. I wish!!
Feature: Be A Mix Master
Wrinkles: fruit acid (i.e. glycolic acid) product in the morning, retinol (i.e. Vitamin A) at night. Vitamin C products also help.
Breakouts: glycolic and salicylic acid in the morning, benzoyl peroxide used sparingly at night. Only use a tiny amount of cleanser.
Splurges & Steals:
Splurges: Tokyo Milk Dark Body Souffle in Chance (fig and musk), $49.95 ; Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Re-Creation Eye Balm and Night Serum Duo, $550.00
Steals: Butter London Nail Lacquer in Trout Pout, $22.00 ; The Body Shop Born Lippy The Stick, $10.95 ; Palmer's Cocoa Butter Eventone Perfecting Cream, $12.99
I love the look of Estee Lauder packaging: so 50s and glamorous!
NOTE: All images are from Pinterest.
NOTE: The following post is just a short summary of the items I found useful in this month's magazine. For the full Beauty Pages, I encourage you to purchase the magazine!
Shop Til You Drop February 2012: front cover
Front Feature:
Read My Lips - lip crayons are the newest product this summer.
They combine the colour coverage of lipsticks with the nourishing creamy feel of a balm. The crayon-like pencil tip makes them easy to apply as well.
Covetable brands/products - Australis Show Stopper Gloss Stick ;
Models Prefer Professional Lipgloss Pencil
News Flash:
Lip Balms: Lip Smackers Soda-Pop Caps in Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite, $4.99
Nail Polish: Miss Shop in Marry Me Harry (pale solid lavender), $7.95
Highlighter: Benefit Sun Beam, $45.00
Under-Eye Brightener: MAC Mineralize Charged Water Moisture Eye Cream, $64.00
Memo from the Beauty Cupboard:
* Article about 2-in-1 products: matching nail polishes, double-pot eyeshadows,
double-purpose mascara and 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner. e.g. Rimmel London Glam'Eyes Day2Night Mascara, $16.95. Has settings for length or volume.
* Pulse Point: The Aromatherapy Co. Jet Lag Pulse Point, $14.95.
* Fragrance: The Body Shop White Musk Libertine, $43.95.
Feature: Pretty Cheap
Skin:
* Look for large companies that can afford to put effective ingredients in cheaper products.
* Spend according to 'cost per wear' principle, i.e. less on wash-off products and more on leave-on products. e.g. Nivea face wash.
* Use at-home cloth masks rather than going to a beauty salon. Cloth masks have very effective ingredients.
Makeup:
* Foundation will last longer if applied with a brush. Use cheaper, synthetic brushes, just make sure there are no loose bristles and they have tapered edges. They're easier to clean than natural-hair brushes as well. Powders last longer than creams or liquids.
* Don't skimp on primers and concealers. They provide a good base for experimenting with cheaper colour cosmetics.
* Test colour cosmetics if you can to make sure they look the same on the skin as in the package. If you want to experiment with colour, buy a large eyeshadow palette rather than singles. e.g. Sax International Colour Blockbuster Makeup Kit, $24.95.
* Don't use an eyeliner if it drags on the skin. The price is no indicator of whether this will be a problem, so don't be afraid to try cheaper eyeliners.
* Mascara has the shortest shelf life of all makeup products, so don't spend too much on it.
Hair:
* Buy shampoo and conditioner in the largest size available to get value for money.
* If you want to experiment with curling your hair, get cheaper hot rollers rather than a plug-in styling tool. All hot roller brands are consistent in quality,
so you may as well buy a cheaper one.
* Hairspray is not expensive to make, so don't spend a lot on it.
e.g. Cedel Extra Firm Hairspray, $4.99.
* Hair serum may seem expensive, but you only need to use a tiny bit, so it lasts for ages.
e.g. John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hair Serum, $23.99.
Nails:
* If you use a quality base coat and top coat, you can then get away with buying cheaper nail polish colours. e.g. Ulta3, $2.00.
Tools:
* Mini size tools are often cheaper than full-size ones and work just as well.
e.g. Ecotools Bamboo 5-piece Brush Set, $25.95.
Ulta3 Nail Polish in Crystallina
Feature: No-Sweat Hair
Frizzy Hair: using a boar-bristle brush will smooth hair. Don't dry hair with a towel.
Let it dry naturally or wrap it in a micro-fibre turban.
Sea Salt Spray: wait until hair is mostly dry before applying. Spritz on generously and wait a few minutes, or wrap hair around fingers to create loose curls.
Baby Powder: works as a dry shampoo and a volumiser. Remove half the powder from the bottle so it puffs rather than sprinkles when you squeeze it. If you have dark hair, add a few drops of brown food colouring and shake well.
Leave-In Serums: Schwarzkopf Extra Care Liquid Silk Gloss Instant Repair Treatment, $8.99.
Feature: Tricked-Up Digits
Easy Nail Art:
* Use a shatter polish.
* Paint ring finger in contrasting or complimentary colour to the rest.
Look to fashion catwalks to find good colour combos.
Level 2 Nail Art:
* Try graduated glitter or ombre effect.
* Paint nails clear with French tips in different colours.
* Deco with polka dots, stripes or checks.
* Try nail stickers.
Splurges & Steals:
Splurges: Burberry Beauty Sheer Concealer, $55.00 ; Thalgo Collagen Cream, $79.00
Steals: Rimmel London Lasting Finish Scented Nail Polish, $5.95 ; BYS Large Eyeshadow Palette in Mix 2, $7.95
Eyeshadow Palette. Yes, please!
NOTE: All images are from Pinterest.
