Pretty Pretty Pretty

So cold my lips are turning blue? July 20, 2008

So recently, I’ve had a hankering to have blue lips. Dark, glossy, blue lips. I don’t mean in a gothy kind of way, I just think it would be great to have something really different going on with normal eyeshadow and clothes, to make people do a double-take. The trouble is, blue lip gloss is pretty much impossible to find. So I settled for ordering Lancome Juicy Gelee in Casiss thinking it looked good and dark. I should have gone into Kirk’s and tried it out in real life first though, because in reality, it looks like this:

So you can clearly see how clear that gel is, and how little colour there is in it. But! Next to it you can see the stage makeup that I bought for $3.50 from the Life Pharmacy at the James Smith Corner. It’s a tiny little amount, but I figured I’d try it out first. How well did the trial of mixing the two together go? Judge for yourself. First I put on the blue lipstick:

It was rather difficult to put on, as it went squish, and had a dry, waxy consistency, not unlike crayons. I applied it with my fingers, because I’m not clever and well-stocked with brushes like Amy, and it really dragged. I think in the future, I should cut it half’n half with chapstick, then apply it with a brush. But in this case, putting the lipgloss on top made it feel a little better:

That felt a lot better, but didn’t help keep the blue crayon taste and look off my teeth. I’m very not used to wearing lipstick, obviously, I am all about the gloss.

I put the blue lipstick on with slummy weekend clothes and went to the supermarket. People gave me strange looks. I suspect it would go down a lot better with more makeup (but not over the top eyeshadow), and some fancy clothes somewhere like Mighty Mighty. In fact, I look forward to trying that idea out sometime soon. Now, tell me about some interesting makeup that you’ve done lately, please!

Pretty pretty people: Ginny of Swonderful

Continuing our series of inspirational people we love who are making good things, let me introduce the wonderful Ginny from Swonderful. I was lucky enough to meet Ginny in person yesterday at Craft2.0 at the NewDowse.

Ginny runs Swonderful in Brooklyn with her mum, writes a blog and creates awesome fashion, accessories and pretty pretty things.

1. What made you open Swonderful?

The shop was an idea we had been toying with for a long time. We finally decided to do it when the perfect space came along & the agony of our 9-5 jobs got too much! We love shops like ours- that sell lots of different bits & pieces & it was kind of a dream to open one of our own. We were both working jobs we didn’t really like while trying to start our label Papercup & in the end the desire to risk it all & open Swonderful was too great!

2. How do you decide what to stock?

Our stock is about 60% stuff we make ourselves, So I guess that’s the major deciding factor. The beauty of it is- it keeps our prices down as there is no middle man. The rest of our stock is either products we have admired for a long time or things we come across through friends or the internet etc. We have quite a few people come in & approach us with their wares too. We have quite a specific aesthetic direction so all our products complement the “Swonderful style”. We try to keep most of our stock local & like to support emerging designers, We do however stock art prints from the States & Australia.

3. What are the constant best sellers?

The Bro Brooklyn tee! I think just about everyone in Brooklyn has one now! It’s pretty much the uniform of Brooklyn school! Our high waisted skirts have been a real winner this season too along with The Lily Rosemary owl necklaces & world sweet world magazine.

4. What do you wear/do to make yourself feel good?

Wearing heels & having clean hair. I can’t stand the feeling of greasy hair, even though others probably wouldn’t notice I can feel it & it’s nasty! I recently got a pair of shooties & I love them! They make any outfit feel finished. I’m also loving my black pleather jacket, it makes me feel like a cool rocker chick & I love how it contrasts with pretty frocks. Oh & if I’m feeling kinda blue all I need is some Flight of the Conchords to make me feel chipper again.

5. How would you define pretty?

Pretty is girlyness, cupcakes, having “done” hair & lipstick on. Pretty is wearing a frilly apron while cooking & having all your perfume bottles neatly lined up on your dressing table. Embrace it!

Visit Swonderful at 54 Cleveland St, Brooklyn, Wellington

Craft2.0 on at the Dowse!! July 17, 2008

I’m crafting my little heart out at the mo for Craft2.0 organised by the very lovely and awesome Sue.

If you’re in the Hutt, Welly this Saturday you should totally check it out - so many pretty things there, you won’t believe it. Your gob will be smacked!

“Science” of heels

I say “science” because I’m not entirely convinced of the validity of the underlying variables in this equation. But here’s the “science” anyway…

I found this formula on Eurekalert to calculate the appropriate height of high heels for the individual wearer.

Apparently, I can only handle a piddly 2.3cm. Which is probably close to the truth, but I’m still gonna keep teetering in my 10cm wedges anywho.

h = Q•(12+3s /8)

h is the maximum height of the heel (in cm)
Q is a sociological factor and has a value between 0 and 1 (see below to work this out)
S is the shoe size (UK ladies sizes). This factor makes sure that the base of support is just good enough for an experienced and sober, high-heel wearer not to fall over.

‘Q’ is defined as follows:

             p•(y+9)•L
Q = ———————————-
         (t+1)•(A+1)•(y+10)•(L+£20)

The variables are:

p – the probability that wearing the shoes will help you ‘pull’ (in a range from 0 to 1, where 1 is pwhooar and 0 is stick to carpet slippers). If the shoes are a turn-off, there’s no point wearing them.

y – the number of years experience you have in wearing high heels. As you become more adept, you can wear a higher heel. Beginners should take it easy.

L – the cost of the shoes, in pounds. Clearly, if the shoe is particularly expensive, you can put up with a higher heel.

t – the time since the shoe was the height of fashion, in months (0 = it’s the ‘in thing’ right now!). One has to suffer for one’s art, and if the shoes are terribly fashionable, you should be prepared to put up with a little pain.

A – units of alcohol consumed. If you’re planning on drinking, be careful to give yourself a little leeway for reduced coordination.

 

OK so my first problem with the formula is: isn’t cost relative to the individual? I’m never gonna pay a ludicrous amount for shoes, but I would still bare a bit more pain for slightly pricey, or even second hand shoes that were pricey for second hand.

And what about nostalgia? I have some good ol’ shoes that I wear because I’ve had some fun adventures in them, even if they are painful.

 

I also don’t like the condescending tone of the article: “Although at first glance our formula looks scary”. Do they think people who are interested in high heels are gonna be scared of a little mathemagic? Bring it on professor!

New shoes! July 16, 2008

These babies were $70 from the Country Road sale - there’s still heaps of pairs left in brown (pictured) and black. Sure, they’re way high, but the wedge heels are much easier to walk in than normal pointy heels. And they have a non-slippy rubber sole and are all leather (sorry cows). I had a diabolical plot to buy up all the wedge heels I could so that I’ll always be able to wear them even when they’re out of style and not in the shops. Sadly, this is only wedge-heel-purchase number two. Must…buy….more….wedge heels…

Review: Nad’s wax strips

A few weeks ago I tried Nad’s. I’d been intrigued by this product since I saw an item on some current affairs show years ago about the lady who set up the hair removal business in Oz. And I’ve finally gotten around to trying their wax strips - wax already applied to strips, so you just warm them in your hands a tear away.

Now I think I’ve only tried waxing one other time in my life - I have a vague memory of me and a friend waxing our legs when I was a teen. Which is why I wanted Nad’s easy version of their waxing products. And winter is a perfect time to start waxing as you need to have a bit of hair growth before removing. I’m not ashamed to say I had been cultivating a good crop of leg hair for some time this winter.

They say:

A quick and easy way to remove unwanted hair, Nad’s provides 24 strips for longer lasting smoothness. The innovative new contour weave paper technology is softer and more flexible to conform better to your body’s curves. Nad’s Hair Removal Strips, are the quick and easy way to keep your skin hair free for weeks. We also include the NEW Desensitizing Kava Wipes to help relax, calm and reduce the “ouch” factor of waxing. Suitable for legs, arms, underarms and bikini. With regular use, hair growth is progressively slowed down.

It took me about 20mins for 2 legs. Compared to shaving, which takes me about 5mins three times a week, this isn’t so bad, as you should only have to wax every few weeks.  

Don’t be fooled by the Desensitizing Kava Wipes though. It’s still very painful. I swore lots and lots. Though going through the pain is strangely satisfying.

I wouldn’t wax before a going out - I had lots of little red dots form over my legs (not quite the streams of blood I was expecting with this kind of pain). The lotion that comes with the strips is real nice and calming and cooling though.

 I don’t think it keeps your skin hair free for weeks either. I started to notice hair coming through after about four days - not very visible but still there. Stubble is much softer and less noticeable than following shaving though. I did have a day of itchiness a few days after too, that I thought was probably caused by regrowth. And now, about three weeks down the track I’m in desperate need of another waxing.

Over time waxing does enough damage to hair folicils to stop hair ever growing again. So with continued use you can expect forever bald legs.

I’m definitely gonna use this product again, since it’s been long enough for me to forget how really painful it is. The Nad’s site has lots of tips to reduce the pain, which I’ve only just read. So maybe next time it won’t be so bad. 

In the news: beauty price-fixing July 15, 2008

I wonder what the story is in this part of the world? This from the Herald about beauty product price-fixing in Europe…

Concealers July 14, 2008

I recently purchased a fabulous concealer from Minifies.co.nz. I haven’t had the time to do a proper comparison of this product with other concealers, but my feeling is this one’s a winner.

I buy concealing products for just one reason - dark circles under the eyes. They are impossible to get rid of, though I’ve spent years trying. And no concealing product will erase them completely, even for a short time. Below is pictured the raft of concealers I currently have for my dark-circles - but over the years I have owned many more.

The minifies’ product is the Ben Nye Blue Corrector (pictured top right, in round pottle). It’s peach-based which counteracts blue-tinged dark circles. It works really well. And I wonder why other cosmetic companies don’t recommend peach for dark circles. The Lancome palette pro compact pictured recommends yellow as a base for dark circles. The YSL touche eclat uses ‘light reflecting technology’. The Estee Lauder cream concealer to the left is a white-mauve recommended by a stranger at the EL counter. And the EL cream concealer on the right is a shade lighter than my skin tone - which is often recommended by cosmetic counter brands.

Here they are on my hand:

From left to right - YSL touche eclat, Ben Nye blue corrector, Estee Lauder in ‘barely-mauve’, Estee Lauder in ‘light’, Lancome yellow base.

The Ben Nye is one of the best concealer of dark circles I’ve used. It’s really hard to say “the best” until I do a proper comparison where I photograph my eyes with all my products. Which is what I’ll do real soon. In the meantime, if you’ve any experience with concealers please comment - maybe there’s a perfect product out there you know of.

Post-PPP party post #1 July 13, 2008

I had the awesomest time at the 3-month anniversary party, mainly thanks to Jo’s fabulous party hosting. I’m bound to post heaps more about the party ’cause I’m still buzzing about it. But for now a couple of quick thanks to our guests.

And check out this fabulous bag Megan gave me (and also one to Jo). I love it!

And we did a dud-swap, where everyone brought along products they didn’t quite like. But a few them found a welcome home in my bathroom. Anti-frizz stuff, shampoo & conditioner, eyeliner, and Revlon make-up (that i was gonna buy anyway because it’s really good for night time).

live bloggin’ from the PPP party July 12, 2008

We is at the PPP party we’ve been waiting oh so long for. We’ve eaten cupcakes, jellybeans, vodka jellies, cheese (kelly cut the cheese) and crackers, and the PPP signature cocktail (parfait amour and vodka). We’ve painted each other’s nails, had foot spas, swapped clothes, swapped cosmetics, and distributed the PPP giftpacks (full of Jo’s own handmade goodies).

Shirley says “great food, great drinks, great japanese jeans. I’m going home with better stuff than i came with.”

Karen “I got a top!”

Gabrielle “I’m gonna be wrinkle free next time you see me thanks to the “Frownies” from Kowhai”.

Jo says “like f*cken sh*t it’s awesome - thanks for coming guys. Now for the Brazilians!”

Megan says “I have the hands of a six month old.” (thanks to the mary kay hand treatment).