Pretty Pretty Pretty

How Does She Do It? Complexion May 19, 2008

Meet sisters Kim & Fran. These gals have fabulous skin, and always look fresh and glowing. So they’ve got genes and youth on their sides… but there’s also some secrets they let me in on….

Kim’s routine:

I’ve maintained a similar beauty regime for over 5 years now, adding bits and pieces based on the advice of my sister (she’s an ex-beauty therapist!).

First, I cleanse my face day and night with Simple Moisturising Foaming Facial Wash. This can be a bit ineffective on make up around my eyes, but I like the Simple brand, so I’ve stuck with it. They are perfume free and good for sensitive skin. Then, every second day I exfoliate with Estee Lauder Idealist Micro-D Deep Thermal Refinisher. This is a ‘splurge product’ (about $52 on Strawberry Net or $100 + at the counter!) but is well worth it as I still get a bit of acne now and again. I really noticed the difference in the way the surface of my skin felt after using it. After that, I always use Simple Rich Moisturising Cream.

I find it good to clean my face and apply my make up straight away, so my face doesn’t get greasy again. I start with Aveda Liquid Foundation. It has a fairly light coverage, so feels like you’re wearing nothing and is really easy to apply. Recently I’ve started using MAC pressed powder on top of my foundation. This product is wicked if you’ve got oily or combination skin, especially in summer. Sometimes if I’m going out after work I’ll re-apply the powder.

On Sundays I go make up free. I read somewhere that it is a good idea to let your skin breath once in a while. Also, I figure it’s a good idea to remember what you look like completely natural once a week to keep it real!

And here is Fran’s…

· First I apply primer. Currently I’m using Mac Prep + Prime face. This smooths and softens your skin.
· Next I apply my foundation - Estee Lauder Double Wear - with a foundation brush. This gives a smooth, even application.

· Next I apply Mac Select Sheer powder. This sets my makeup and gives it a nice soft look, being so sheer it doesn’t give that dry cakey look that many powders do.

· After this I always use blusher, again Mac Powder Blush. I always use makeup brushes that I clean regularly. They range from pricey Estee Lauder ones to Mac and cheap QVS brushes from Farmers.

· I do not touch up anything during the day except lipsticks, as all my products are applied properly to last, or are specific long lasting products.

· At the end of the day this all gets removed with a thorough double cleanse!!

Cheeky Chignon May 8, 2008

Welcome to my first ever instructional video dear ones. It demonstrates how to do my version of a chignon (fancy bun hair-do). You’d look fanatastic in it! 

I figured out how to do this style when I asked a pretty lady how she got her hair into this beautiful bun (a “how does she do it” moment). She explained very vaguely, but i think i worked it out. And here it is…

You will need:

• two elastic hair ties
• bobby pins or discrete hair clips
• hairspray
• long hair

The video has no audio, so as you watch it read these instructions:

• You’ll need straight hair, so straighten by blow drying or using straightening tongs.
• Start with a neat pony tail, not too low, but not too high either.
• Grab the tip of your pony tail, hold your pony tail straight out from your skull, and fold the pony tail in half towards the top of you head.
• Hold the tips of your pony tail around the base of your pony tail and secure the tips with another hair tie - creating a loop.
• Now select a section of hair from your loop, starting at the top. Gently pull this section forward towards your face, and secure the underneath with a hair pin.
• Repeat sectioning your loop and securing it with pins all around the base of you pony tail. Play around, fiddle with it and start over if you have to to getting looking right for you. It’s quick and easy and you can have it as smooth or messy as you like.
• Smooth with hairspray.

How does she do it: killer curls April 23, 2008

“How does she do it” is gonna be a regular post of mine, where i get in fabulous gals to talk about how she does it. For my first post in this series I asked my curly-haired friend to spill the beans on how she keeps her killer curls…

Most important thing of all…
Is to get regular haircuts.  This is because curly hair is a lot drier than normal hair and so it gets damaged really fast. AND never brush your hair (unless you really need to)

Second most important thing…
Is to get a really good haircut.  I find that light layering works well with my hair type.  Too much layering and you start to look like a sheep.  I also try not to get short layering around my face….. again to avoid looking like a sheep.  Some hairdressers like to straighten your hair first and then cut it, I find that it doesn’t really work with curly hair.  The best hair cut I’ve ever gotten was when the hairdresser cut my hair when it was dried curly.  This way you can actually see the finally result.

Shampooing
I have really oily roots and really dry ends and my hairdresser told me once to use a little bit of shampoo and lightly rub into roots and avoid shampooing the ends.  This helps the ends from getting too dry.

The best shampoo by far that I have tried is Redken-Fresh Curls, it’s around 30 bucks from hair salons.  It leaves your hair beautifully soft and really manageable and my curls actually behave!  It’s great because you don’t have to use very much at all and it lasts for ages.  If you wanna buy something a little e cheaper but good, try Simple Shampoo (around 6 or 7 bucks from supermarkets).  It leaves your hair really really soft too.

Conditioning
I normally make sure that I never condition my roots, as this makes them really oily and only means you have to wash your hair more often. Try conditioning from half way down your hair and make sure to get all the ends. 
Best tip from hairdresser. always make sure to ring out all the excess water from your hair before putting conditioner on.  This helps the conditioner to really penetrate your hair and really improve silkiness!

Unfortunately, the matching Redken Fresh Curls conditioner does not do such a great job as its counter part.  I have found that since Redken revamped their hair care collection with their new formula, the conditioner seems really watered-down and doesn’t really do much.  I have found that any supermarket conditioner does just a good a job as the Redken one.

Really great hair products for curly hair:
Redken – Fresh Curls - Curl Refiner and Curl Boost
Redken – All Soft – Velvet Whip
Sebastian – Evokativ – Exotic Erotic
Fudge – 1 shot+