Archive for the ‘grooming’ category

No need to thank me: Beauty tricks from Aunty Selina

March 27th, 2012

So you know how it goes: your top lip’s looking a wee bit fluffy on it so you’ve whacked on a couple of facial wax strips and sure they’ve done the bizzo and gotten rid of the hair, but you’re left with sticky wax residue on your skin and none of your cleansers will remove it so you’re stuck with it and by the end of the day every single piece of dust and fluff and hair and small animal that you’ve come into contact with is stuck to your top lip and your moustache is looking even more impressive than before you waxed it?

Surely I can’t be the only person this happens to?

And don’t even get me started on those wee wipes that come with the wax strips. Yes they work, but they work because they’re loaded with mineral oil and I don’t know about you but the last thing my face needs is MOAR OILZ!

Well never fear my pretties, Aunty Selina is here to help. Once you’ve finished with the wax strip, simply use the wax-free area around the edge of the strip to pick up the wax stuck to your skin. Trust me, it works. I mean that’s exactly what the paper those wax strips are made of is designed for – the wax to stick to!

True story for you: years ago I had a friend whose elderly aunty had a moustache of such impressiveness that everyone referred to her as “Aunty Hairy”.Not within her ear shot, obviously. Thing is, I never actually learned Aunty Hairy’s real name, so every time I saw her I was all “Hello Aunty Haa…ow are you?”. Alway learn names, people. Always. Learn. Names.

Cheap, chic and cheerful

March 5th, 2012

With the various Fashion Weeks now a thing of the past, and New Zealand’s own fashion festival under way, there’s plenty of pretty things on the Internet that might be singing your name.  However, we’re not all  Ms Wintour or her well-heeled buddies and therefore we won’t all be buying up large at Prada in a few months daaaaaahlink.

If you do want a cheap and cheerful treat (while keeping things chic)…read on!

Shoes

I actually have these lovelies in red.  They’re seriously high, so they’re not for the cautious girls who want to maintain their ability to walk long term.  However, if you’re okay with a high heel, these are comfy.  I wore them several days in a row without (a) back pain or (b) cramp in the arch of my foot. Winner! And they’re now $99.95…which is a discount of $100!  Go and see the nice girls at Hannahs about it.  It’s not their fault that Hannahs stocks the Kardashian Kollection.

Flatty flat flats, lurvely.  These are very “on trend” and also extremely cheap. They’re currently AUD$20 from Jay Jays. I think that if you are down with buying a pair of shoes that you will wear for one season and then have to chuck away, these will fit the bill. However, I would recommend saving your pennies for a bit longer and getting something that will last a bit longer. Having said that, I’ve bought $40 ankle boots from Number One in the past that are still going strong, about four years later, so…

Alright, let’s have a bargain spa day.

Beauty

Farmers is having a great wee sale on Natio at the moment – any three items for $40!  They have a great spa range as well as normal beauty products (moisturiser, serums et cetera) and a full range of make up and nailpolishes.

If you’re after a wee beauty pick-me-up on the SUPER cheap, then you might like to pop along to The Warehouse and check out their LA Colours range.  The polishes, lip pencils and liquid eyeliners have all enjoyed a little visit to my bathroom cabinet (for research, of course).  The polishes are toluene and formaldehyde free, and dry quickly to a reasonably chip-resistant finish.  These are seriously good, and for some reason my local Warehouse is currently charging just $5 for anything from this company (I suspect they’re selling it down as the rack isn’t being topped up, so get there quickly!).

Maybe you’re just topping up the staples but you want something fun! and new! and weird! Then have a go with the Dove Foaming Make Up Remover:

It’s so foamy! The thick, luxurious-feeling foam can be used over your entire face – yes, even around the eyes – and gets off all the makeup without stripping your skin.  It even gets off my mascara. I think they might be channelling some kind of pixie magic.

Clothing

Baby, it’s cold(er) outside.  It might be time to treat yourself to something cozy and cute, yes?

How about a bobble jumper from the House of G (that’s Glassons, just bein’ fancy):

Maybe you like to be a bit more unique?  That bobble jumper is a steal but this little knitted jumper with cable sleeves from Asos works out even cheaper!

You know what looks adorable with a chunky knit? A floaty little skirt creating a contrast and flipping around in the breeze (wear tights though, cold legs ain’t cute).  This basic number would be a wardrobe workhorse for years, so it’s a double bargain at $49.95 on Ezibuy:

A treat can be as good as a holiday (but a lot cheaper!).  What are you ladies loving from the budget-friendly end of the spectrum?

 

Garnier thinks they invented something: A Review

February 19th, 2012

Imagine, if you will, that you have 15 minutes to kill one night and you are directly outside a supermarket.  If you’re me, this is an invitation to go and cruise the beauty aisle for new products.  Which is how I found myself throwing down $18 on Garnier’s Miracle Skin Perfector.

Garnier calls this a “B.B. Cream Innovation” to which I say: whatever, Garnier, the Japanese invented BB creams ages ago. You are just jumping on their bandwagon – which is totally fine because BB cream is hard to find in NZ – but make it clear it wasn’t your idea please.  If you’ve improved BB cream then perhaps say something like “A New Generation of BB Cream Skincare” (yup, copywriting is not my day job).

For $18 I was willing to give it a go and review it here.  BB creams were designed for people with scarring.  They basically act as a foundation which also heals your skin, i.e. all my dreams coming true in one product.  It is a mystery to me why they didn’t catch on years ago.  However, the Internet has been lighting up with BB cream love in the last year or two, so the big brands seem to be developing their own hybrid products.

About my face: I have some light acne scarring, mainly near my hairline, which is hidden by light foundation.  I suffered with eczema for several years so I am very cautious about products irritating my skin.  In recent years I have been more prone to breakouts.  My skin gets very dry at the start of winter and I am obsessed with dewy, glowing skin.  I can’t really complain but I do anyway.

Pros:

  • it’s a moisturiser and a foundation so you cut out a step in your routine.  This is a winner and buys me about 5 minutes of additional snooze time per day.
  • you can slap it on with your fingers so I don’t have to constantly wash foundation brushes.
  • it is buildable. This was important because I often find tinted moisturisers are too thin and are a pointless waste of my time.
  • it gives you a bit of a glow.  I would say this evens out my skin but it is not high coverage.  It is just enough to look polished at work (two layers) or slightly less pale and uninteresting on weekends (one layer).
  • it’s SPF 15.
  • I honestly think it is improving my skin slightly.  This may be placebo effect but I feel like my skin is loving this.  At the very least I haven’t had any break-outs and the hormonal spots on my chin healed super quickly once I began using this product.

Cons:

  • It only comes in two colours: light and medium. What the hell, Garnier?  I bought light which works well.  It’s number 2 so I do wonder if there is a wider range but we just aren’t seeing it here.
  • It stinks. Not gross-stink but “let’s tip all the perfumes ever into the mix” stink.  I can’t smell it once it’s on, but it is choking in the tube.
  • It slips. If I double-layer it is better but it doesn’t wear as well as foundation.  You cannot touch your face if you want this to last. It took me two days to get on board with this realisation and in those two days I hated this product.

My recommendation?  If you want a quick and easy foundation-esque product then I would give this a try.  It is much cheaper than foundation and is relatively foolproof, so it would be great if you aren’t that into makeup but sometimes need something to give you a boost.  But if you can dedicate yourself to using it everyday, I think you will see results in your underlying skin quality too.  In summary: worth a try.

A rush of words to the keyboard and a rush of blood to the head

February 12th, 2012

I’m not the only one who gets a tremendous rush from knowing that I’m going to buy some new beauty products, am I? That feeling of walking into Farmers with money in your pocket, and there are so many shiny things competing for your dollar. I’m only two beauty club points away from a $20 voucher as well, and so I think I need new lip gloss to wear to Webstock. I have been loving my Rimmel Vinyl Max lipgloss that I have in purple, so I think I need a red one as well. It’s easy to apply (although I do get it everywhere), and is a plumper, so it’s tingly and fun. I know it’s ridiculous to be turned on by material things, but I gotta get my kicks where I can, y’know?

What gives you a beauty rush? Is it thinking about dressing up like Paula Abdul and making out with Keanu Reeves? Is it going to for a haircut at Rush? Waiting for packages from StrawberryNet or Gracie Lou to arrive? Seeing Rush-ia from your house? So many ways to get a happy on! I think buying cheap beauty products for a cheap pick-me-up is okay, but I have also been loving the rush of getting to use a friend’s nailpolish (Rainbow Connection!), and sharing mine in return. You both get new things at no cost to yourself! And speaking of which, I’m thinking of organising a fatty boom clothing swap in March. Who’s in?

I’m calling it: it’s summer

October 30th, 2011

Look, I had my legs out today and I didn’t need a jacket. That’s summer around these parts, so I am going to write this post and knock on wood, because if I don’t get to start wearing my nice summer shoes and dresses soon then I may cry.

 

The great thing about winter is being able to hide under layers of clothing and blame the wind and lack of sunlight for your pallid girl-from-Twilight complexion.  But those days are over, and now you may want to defoliate, exfoliate, and paint those toesies a pretty colour. If not, then you are going to have way more time than me this summer to make cocktails and organise pool parties. I salute you.

 

If however, like me, you wish to have a (fake) tan and just generally have an excuse to buy fun new things from our friends at Farmers, please read on.

 

Summer = tan. But tan = early death. So the first product in my summer arsenal is always fake tan.  I’ve used Piz Buin a lot, since my Mum used to use it and introduced me to it, but since the arrival of gradual tans things have gotten a lot more convenient. So much so that I don’t think I would trust myself to do a proper fake tan job now.  I’m currently using:

 

Now, the colour is good, it’s non-streaky, I don’t mind the smell too much, but the spray thing is useless.  I spray it into my hand and then apply (I paid good money, I will use it up).  So it might pay not to buy the gimmicky spray version.

 

In summer I also want to look well-rested and “glowy”.  Get ready for my number one product of all time (and not just summer, all year round) – I recommend this product 100%. It is:

 

This is the Maybelline Dream Touch Lumi concealer. It is wonderful. It brightens, it doesn’t crease, and it’s basically the best concealer I have ever used. It makes me look awake even when I’ve had five hours of sleep.

For additional glowy-ness, I recommend a good highlighter. This product is ridiculous, I know. But trust when I say that it does make a difference for night-time “yes, I look naturally fabulous” makeup. The one I love is discontinued (dang it, Natio) but for overall glowy-making goodness, I hear Mac’s Strobe Cream is good.  Someone try it and tell me whether I should buy it.

This summer has a very distinct beauty trend, which I plan to embrace whole-heartedly, even though I think beauty trends are dumb. Get the chapstick out girls and drink plenty of water because it’s time for a bright coloured lipstick.  My personal summer selection is:

 

Revlon's Love that Red

Rimmel Funtime Fuschia

 

Chi Chi Lah de Dah

 

Yup. Red, hot pink, and a lipstick that is bright orange regardless of the outrageously poor photo quality above.

 

We gotta look after the tresses and with my curly mop this is particularly important.  I already use Kerastase’s Ultime product which I highly recommend. It smells amazing and it is the reason I haven’t had a cut in 6 months and don’t have any split ends. Hooray! Summer is a great time to start using a good quality conditioning product as your hair gets pretty dry from the sun and salt water combo.  V05 oil treatments are really good too, and are super cheap times which is cool if you have masses of hair.

 

Finally, don’t forget the sunblock on your face AND your decolletage at a minimum, and break out the waterproof mascara because you never know when an impromptu after-work swim will happen. Have a FAB time this summer and remember that having fun and enjoying all the good stuff out there is what will really enhance how gorge you are!

Shellac – the nails, not the band.

May 9th, 2011

Another guest review from Vanessa, yay!
Chelly's sister's shellaced nailsIn this post, we go from the wildness of Katy Perry to a more grown-up kind of manicure – Shellac. I’ve been hearing buzz about this for some time, but being on the economical kind of nail enthusiast (read: cheap), I only gave it a go when an opportunity showed up on Grab One for $25.

Shellac is a unique treatment in that it is a polish, applied on top of your natural nails, which is cured with UV light to make it dry super-fast and super-strong. The company which produces it (CND) claims a 14 day life with no chips or cracks.

Thus, on an overcast Wednesday afternoon I arrived at The Nail Studio in Newmarket, Auckland. I was promptly received and shown through to the treatment room, where, with some embarrassment, I explained to the technician that yes, this is only my second manicure, yes, I cut my cuticles off with a pocket knife, and no, that odd yellowing is due to a nail strengthener, not cigarettes. (Anyone else have this problem?)

We began with some filing, the nasty yellow staining being buffed off, and my cuticles being pushed back (all fairly standard, I understand, but rather new to me). From there, a base coat was applied (followed by ten seconds under UV light), two coats of the colour (followed by two minutes each under UV light), and a top coat (more UV light). I went with a pale pink colour, as I had a job interview later that day. Following this, isopropyl alcohol was applied to remove any stickiness from the nail, and some oil to moisturise the nail bed. And a mere half hour later, we were done!

I’ve been pretty impressed with the finish so far. I found myself wincing slightly as I delved into my handbag for my keys, but, reassured by the vigorous way the technician had buffed my nails afterwards, I went for it, and all was well. The lack of drying time once you leave the salon is a huge advantage, and if the finish lasts for the 14 days promised, well, in the immortal words of Arnie, “I’ll be back”. It’s been almost a week so far, and I only have one minuscule chip incurred – very impressive. The shine has lasted well, too – the polish still looks like it has just been applied.

With regards to the removal of the polish: the nail technician said that, while it is recommended to get it professionally taken off, the Shellac can be removed at home by soaking your nails in pure acetone for five minutes.

Shellac is available at a number of salons, and typically costs $50-$65 a treatment.

Black Shatter – a guest review

April 28th, 2011

Thanks Vanessa who accosted me on the street and asked to do a guest post!

black shatter nailpolish and bottleAs a lifelong devourer of nails, it came as a surprise to me a few months ago that I could kick the habit in a couple of short weeks. My secret? Making them look sufficiently pretty that I wouldn’t want to tear them to pieces. And since then (aided by a surplus of time, due to looking for work) I have been rapidly advancing through Nails 101. Words like ‘jelly’, ‘cream’, and ‘matte’ have become a second language to me. (Although, to be fair, I’m not entirely sure what a jelly is, even though I do use the word).

I started keeping up with nail polish blogs, checking reviews on the polishes I had my eye on before buying them. And it was there I first started hearing murmurings of a mythical ‘shatter’ polish, a fluid of such beauty and novelty it seemed almost too good to be true. Until, one day, I came across a display in Farmers, and lo and behold, there it was. Or should have been, if it wasn’t sold out. A quick word with a salesperson confirmed that this had been the case almost immediately.

Since then, I have checked OPI stands across the country (well, in Auckland and Wellington) for the OPI Black Shatter, part of the Katy Perry collection. And it was in the Queen Street Farmers last week where it finally came to pass that I held one of my own in my hands.

As a connoisseur of cheaper nail polishes (amongst my favourites, Chi Chi’s $8 mini range) this is the most expensive polish I’ve ever bought, but man, was it fun. You need to use it with a coloured base coat – in my case, it was two coats of Chi Chi’s Cyberella (a metallic silver).

The polish itself is very thick and dries extremely quickly – so much that it gathers around the mouth of the bottle in a rather alarming fashion. Application is both tricky and non-demanding – swiping from the cuticle to the end of your nail often results in an uneven distribution of colour, with there never being enough on the brush to reach the end of the nail in an even fashion.

But that’s where the non-demanding part comes in – as the polish begins to crack and fragment, the evenness of the application begins to matter less. In general, I’d say if you’re looking for chunkier pieces of black, put it on thicker, but for a finer, more shattered look, a thin application is best. My application is on the chunkier side (and my apologies for the state of my nails; they’re recovering from years of neglect).

The look? When you’re not directly looking at it, it reminds me of animal print. Which is odd, because I’m not really down with the leopard skin. I’ve really enjoyed having it on my nails – it cheers me up every time I see it, and it is such a joy to apply.

If I ran out, would I buy it again? Possibly, but in a different colour, to mix things up a bit. I understand it is available in other colours overseas, but I haven’t seen it here yet.

OPI polishes are sold in a range of outlets, and Black Shatter retails for $26.90.

Dry is good!

February 8th, 2011
A guest post from the wonderful Hilaire.

insta-dryI’ve been wanting to write something for PPP for a little while now, but everything I seem to get excited about has already been well and truly covered by the community.
Until I found Sally Hansen Insta-Dry nail colour.
Oh baby is it fast! I put it on less than a minute ago (yes that’s right less than 60 seconds) and I’m already confidently bashing away at the keyboard, no petite taps for this lady – Sally lets me get on with my business, pronto!
The bottle is pretty comfortably for holding, it’s right-angle triangle shaped, but with the corners curved or planed off.
The brush is shaped a little different from what I’m used too, it’s a lot flatter and slightly tapered at the corners giving more coverage over the nail per stroke. But it does the job well.
The polish itself is a great consistency and it covers fairly evenly. I didn’t have to go back and fill in gluggy or patchy spots. As I am a busy lady, sometimes I don’t take as much care in application as I should. So the bits which I have got on my skin have dried and seem easy to peel off with my fingernails, but the actual polish on the nail wants to stay right there where it should be. I like that a lot.
I got mine from Amcal Pharamcy on Cuba for $16.99. They had an amazing range of colours, including a brilliant banana yellow. I went for the Jumpin’ Jade which pretty much matches the online swatch – it’s just a tad darker than a British racing green. (sorry my digi is broken so no actual photos)
I’ve yet to see how long it lasts and how chip proof it is, but for me it gets four keyboard love hearts <3 <3 <3 <3. Right, GTG it’s a busy life being fabulous!

These are a few of my favourite things…

December 14th, 2010

I think every lady has an arsenal of key items which they fall back on whenever they need to feel just a touch prettier. They run the gamut from cosmetics (expected) to websites dedicated to an adorable Scottish Fold cat (for your inner happiness, see: http://sisinmaru.blog17.fc2.com/). After all, nothing says pretty like a girl with a smile on her face.

So, apart from the adorable Maru, these are a few of the things I am finding myself loving.

Lucas’ Papaw Ointment. This stuff is the bomb-diggetty. Never have I had lips so chapped that this stuff couldn’t heal them, which is grand because in the past chapped lips have led to a resurgence in my eczema. It is like some kind of hippie magic, which I love, because sometimes you decide that tomorrow you want to wear bright red lipstick but you know that your lips are waaaay too chapped for that action – enter Lucas (who is Lucas? Is he single?) and his fresh fermented papaya. Buy from health shops.

Lindauer Limited Edition Summer “champagne”. This will come as a surprise to all who know and love me, because I swore off all Lindauer products after a wee incident in my first year at University involving tequila and a bottle of Lindauer. Turns out, they aren’t a good combo. However, the other day I got some jolly good news and my good friend and all-round bad influence Kerina suggested we drink to my success. Enter Lindauer at $10 a bottle. This is no good for the ladies who love the dry wines but its cheerful label and deliciously drinkable taste has added it to my arsenal. There’s just something about a glass of something sparkly (with the mandatory strawberry soaking for later) that makes the world seem brighter.

Butter nailpolish in “Chancer”, Orly nailpolish in “Glitz”. Both of which I have worn to work. Potentially metallic gold fingernails are a touch inappropriate for a lawyer, but watch my face and see if I care. I am deeply into metallic or glittery nailpolishes at the moment; they are tough to remove but they look so pretty in our summer sun! Thanks to Farmers Beauty Club for giving me a voucher at just the right time – at $30 each the Butter polishes are a bit of a sting to the wallet. The Orly polishes come in the convenient mini size for just $10.

Any song by Katy Perry. That girl knows how to sing an uplifting summer anthem. It’s all very well to love some little-known band who only play in basements and sing about global terrorism, but come summer you want to blast some sweet saccharine pop about how you’re great (baby you’re a fiiiiiiirework!) and walk around in the sunshine feeling uplifted. I only wish I had a jeep like Cher from Clueless so I could spread the Katy Perry joy everywhere I go.

Chanel Chance fragrance. So, in winter I wear Chanel Coco. Every day. And I was getting a bit sick of this and thought “why don’t I ever wear Chance?” Well, in winter it felt…wrong. It wasn’t musky and heavy enough for my winter feelings (i.e. everything I am around or touch needs to be warm). But then the miracle of summer happened, for approximately one day, and it was just enough to get me back on the Chance wagon.

Hydrating face masque. I am planning to write a whole bit about this, comparing a high end and a low end product. For now I will just say that air-conditioning is a cruel mistress and a hydrating face masque, slapped on while I paint my toenails and listen to my girl Katy, cures all ills. I wear as little make up as humanly possible in summer – which I know technically is no makeup at all, but that’s a topic for another day – so I may as well make sure my skin looks good.

Summer fruit and veges. Oh yes, after a long winter of f’ing apples and pears, we are finally at nectarines, strawberries, apricots, watermelon et al. I am going to eat my own body weight in strawberries by Christmas: believe it. In addition, it’s the season of fresh salads, avocado on toast with ripe sun-sweetened tomato and a whisper of cracked pepper, crunchy cobs of corn and capsicum grilled on the barbecue. All of this is good for the body and the mind. Shove as much of this down your gullet as you can before we’re back to pies and comforting pastas.

Shorts, skirts, breezy dresses. I am so sick of my jeans. If I wear another pair of leggings ever again it will be too soon. My white legs want to get amongst it and (controversially) really want a bit of tan. So, right after I slap on a layer of Piz Buin (the fake tan favoured by all women in my family) I will be getting out my denim shorts and I will be putting on a white shirt and I will be marching myself down to the beach to read a book. If the wind stays away I might wear that really cute white dress I bought two years ago and have only had the opportunity to wear twice.

So, that’s my list of cheeriness for this time of year. Naturally it would be totally different in winter – pies would be getting a lot of screen time for starters. I’d love to know what everyone else is enjoying at the moment (maybe we can all steal from each other!) – the more happiness the merrier. And Christmas is the season of merriment after all!

Oh Miki, you’re so fine…

December 9th, 2010

Hurray, a guest-post from longtime reader, first time poster AM

I was thrilled to read Sarah’s post about Miki nail polishes the other week, as these little gems are my new favourite thing at the moment. I really wanted to share a few more colours with you, so here are some swatches and comments. As with Sarah’s post, I have done four colours, four nails, two coats and no top/base coat. Normally I’d put a drop or two of Essies Quick Drying polish on top, which doesn’t affect the colour and dries soooo fast (the downside is the $40 price tag).

AM's nail swatches

On the small nail is the same green Sarah used – this is my all time fave green. It’s hard to get a good green polish, and I prefer darker shades, so am delighted with this one – the small price tag is the icing on the cake. I keep meaning to try this with a layer of black underneath, I think that would suit it.

Pretty polishes

Next we have the gorgeous dark purple shade. I have been trying to find a colour like this for awhile, and the closest I came to it was the L’Oreal dark nail polishes they released last year which were ok but just lacked something for me. Like the green, a layer of black underneath might increase the depth and intensity of it, worth a try. I put some clear nail crystals on this colour last time I applied it, and that gave it an elegant yet slightly gothic look. I also experimented painting one nail green, one nail purple, next nail green, then purple, etc and I think it looked great (not everyones cup of tea, I agree).

Then we have the ‘other purple’. (not to be confused with the lovely blue shade they have). Wow! I just don’t know what to say about it and photos can’t do it justice. I’m a big purple fan, and this is one of the nicest and most unique I’ve seen yet. It is very sparkly but doesn’t have those big annoying particles of glitter that are hard to remove. It is predominately purple but has so many other colours within it like blue, red, green and more – hold it up to the light and you’ll see what I mean. It is quite dark, and you’ll want to apply at least two coats, I’d recommend three. If you see this colour and have a spare $2.50, go on and buy it – you probably won’t be disappointed. The batch number on mine is B14960 if that helps anyone?

Last, and I’d say least (the bar has been set pretty high here!), is the red. Its a rather Revlon-ish red, and I like it though it’s quite pinky. It has a bit of a pinup girl/vintage/rockabilly type of feel to it, if you need something to top off your 1950′s costume then this is it! (Batch number B14920).

The rest of the collection are too light/pastel/neon for my tastes but there’s a huge selection to choose from, and the price is right. These would also make an awesome stocking filler, or Secret Santa gift.