Ever since the first four lipsticks were released a couple of years ago (I have all of them by the way) I’ve been hoping she would release some more colours, and at long last a new range has hit the stores.

I’m particularly excited about Coral Dawn, having not yet added an orange shade to my collection. Carnation Mist looks very pretty and wearable, Fuschia Shock I will have to try before I buy because from the photos it looks like it may be a wee bit blue-based for my colouring, and Sand Storm is likely to make me look like I have a bad case of Mannequin Face (not a good thing, if you were wondering) but would be a lovely neutral for other skin tones. So that’s two, and possibly three, out of the collection I’m lusting after. What about you?

Karen Murrell lipsticks are available online, or a list of stockists around New Zealand can be found here.

PPP recently received an Australis mascara to review.  After several weeks of trying it out, I am finally ready to report on whether or not you should spend your pesos on this product, or whether it’s another well of big promises and empty dreams.

I have been using Covergirl Lashblast Volume for nearly two years, and it is a pretty serious love affair.  However, I was willing to put it aside for a bit and give another product a go – but my standards were rull high.  It would take a serious contender to push LB aside.

Here it is:

I didn’t do any research before I started using it, and I observed:

• they weren’t lying about that length situation.  This coats your lashes to the very end and possibly beyond.
• it came off easily with my Dove foaming makeup remover, but in pieces rather than dissolving and washing off.
• I didn’t observe any transfer under myeyes.
• the wand is skinny, which I liked since it meant I could get every lash, including the ones right at the end and in the inner corner.
• it created a very natural look.  There was no clumping – essentially this just made me look like I had super long natural lashes.

Having made my highly scientific observations of the product, I had some feelings about it: this is nice.  But too boring for my liking. When I wear mascara, I want to look like I have double my actual lashes (which is why I use a volumising mascara).  This product does not do that.  The answer was clear – I had to try and combine this with LB and create a wonderful symphony of length and volume.

It worked like WOAH.  The Australis mascara dries quite quickly so I used a coat on each eye, then used the LB just at the very root of my lashes (i.e. I didn’t swipe it all the way to the ends).  This was a fab combo, as the ends of my lashes were coated with the Australis product while the LB gave thickness at the base and mid-length.  I will be using this combo every day of my dang life.  Yes, it may be ridiculous to use two mascaras, but since I already use two blushers and two concealers every day I figure, why not?

The Australis blurb on this product states:

All true.  This product retails for $11.95 on the Australis site and can be purchased from those lovely ladies at Farmers.

I’m including a tube of this in the prize pack I’m currently putting together for a giveaway in May – it’s my birthday so I figure you guys should be able to score some goodies (following what will hopefully be fierce competition).  In addition to this mascara, I’m collecting some of my fave products – lip gloss, hand cream, blush and much more – all you’ll need to do is answer a simple question on May 17 and I’ll select a random winner.  Easy peasy!  Tell a girlfriend and perhaps she’ll split the prize with you if she’s the lucky winner.

The show kicked off with Robyn Mathieson

“Robyn, who is originally from the deep New Zealand south, brings to her designs a clever, colourful simplicity.  She has a strong eye for creative and innovative fabrics which form the basis of her signature style.  Floral, abstract or geometric, her astute choices celebrate fine quality and outstanding style.  Her love of retro homewares, loud prints and bright colours are always hinted at within her seasonal collections.”

This was a bright and summery collection featuring teals and neons, with the occasional dingy colour and black off-setting the candy brights.  Soft tshirt shapes and relaxed blazers dominated, resulting in looks that could be thrown on effortlessly.  I enjoyed the trapeze dresses and the way they moved, as well as the colour blocking and occasional chevron print.  The stylists had once again put the models in socks, which truthfully is beginning to get a bit mystifying since this is a summer collection. Socks in summer?

Neverblack

“The intention behind neverblack is to deliver high-quality and cutting edge fashion for men and women at a price that won’t break the bank…Neverblack’s up and coming AW12 collection, An/Insignificant/Being, was inspired by Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s tale “Where The Wild Things Are” and the decadence and decay of 70a documentary “Grey Gardens”, An/Insignificant/Being fuses natural fibers with extravagance to bring the  juxtaposing stories of fantasy and reality to life.”

To me, the reference to Grey Gardens was reflected firstly in the colour palette of soft neutrals and sage green.  The women’s clothes were girly, accessorised with loosely knotted ropes at the waistline.  Once again, the girls wore socks.  The designers had included velvet, but kept the weight light and moveable.  The womenswear was demure, while the menswear was slick but workingman – the rolled trousers tucked into smart but practical boots spoke of boys from the factories out in their cars and picking up girls at the milkbar.  The menswear showed a nice use of layering and detail, including trim on the pockets and a shirt with pintucking in white just down one side.

philippa & alice

“The label draws upon the tension between the innocence and naivety of youth and the sometimes painful but necessary rites of passage to adulthood to explore the spectrum of the feminine aesthetic and identity. Bringing together the two very different but complementary aesthetics of the designers to create a unique look consisting of very structured tailored pieces and softer more feminine elements.”

philippa & alice showed their 2012/13 collection, which included more printed pants.  Seriously, get those printed pants.  We also saw more shirts buttoned up to the throat, but with collars in a contrasting fabric.  The colours were soft and animal prints (and screenprinted animals) were repeated.  There was more print-mixing but at times it was more clashing than complimentary. There were a number of dresses and tops that were cutaway and laced up, which unsurprisingly looked good on the models but I suspect will be tough to wear.  The collection used an interesting Aztec print on skirts, dresses and tops as well as a lot of floral against black.

Silence Was

“Silence Was… A simple everyday apparel brand , launched in July 2011 with a simple mission to make the perfect “silent and romantic” shirts and dresses. Silence Was… aims to offer an updated concept of bespoke tailoring to modern day classic with the pieces you would love to wear until they are fallen apart through time…”

More shirts buttoned to the neck, so I guess while we’re all buying printed pants we should probably also buy a few shirts to button right up. However this collection was initially more wintery, with heavy textured fabrics and colours like plum, charcoal, navy and cream.  While some of the clothes were obviously textured, there was more subtle use of contrasting textures in various items resulting in a collection that bore a second look.  As more items showed, there was seemingly a transition to lighter summery pieces, with my pragmatic side dismissing various light, flirty skirts as far too insubstantial for the Wellington winds.  The tailoring was careful and refined, with well-executed cutaway details and in particular, a blue silk dress that featured a number of barely-there straps.

Kelsey Genna

“Founded in 2011, Kelsey Genna is a handmade label based in New Zealand. The label is proudly hand crafted locally with all pieces being made to measure in limited quantities. The collection is sold exclusively through the online boutique and occasional pop up stores. Kelsey, 20 years old, recently graduated with a degree in Fashion Design.”

This collection was saccharine girlishness in full flight. Puffed sleeves, pale pink, ruffles and gingham were offset by a Francophile soundtrack and small posies of flowers.  I thought the dresses were perfect for a 21st or a day at the races, although the use of the flowers did occasionally suggest bridesmaid duties instead.  There was a particularly divine red dress with a full skirt that I coveted, as well as the candy coloured platform sandals worn by the models.

Storm

“New Zealand label STORM is known for its moody palette and distinctive edge. For the new season, STORM’s signature look and feel is reflected in ice-cool shades of black, winter grey and midnight blue.

These classic neutrals are warmed up with autumnal berry hues, splashes of metallic and a dash of animal. Once again, STORM brings you unique, custom-designed prints that you won’t see anywhere else.”

Storm used tough touches like studded belts and liquid leggings on a palette of black and red, as well as the occasional touch of lurex. The coats and jackets were well-tailored, and the styling was good, but individually the items were relatively conservative.  As with other collections shown at WFW, some of the Storm looks used various layers of different textures in one colour scheme to create interest.  There was a huge amount of black underpinning printed tunics.  I enjoyed a belted chocolate jacket with a fur trim.  The winter vibe was reflected in anoraks and chunky, slouchy knits.

Starfish

“At Starfish we believe that you should look and feel beautiful in any situation. That is why we combine relaxed fits and classical silhouettes with a splash of extravagance – to create a versatile look best described as ‘easy glamour’.

We also believe that a love for fashion can go hand-in-hand with caring for the environment. Our designs have an enduring timelessness, which ensures you’ll love your Starfish garment for many seasons. They are also 100% made in New Zealand using natural and eco-friendly fabrics that feel wonderful next to your skin.”

Starfish created a cool combination of sherbet pink and rusty brown, and also used rope belts (although they were more refined).  There was fringing and a beautiful feather print, as well as great braided necklaces in a kind of jersey.  I’m thinking DIY?  The clothes were smart but comfortable – and yup, more patterned pants.  I also noted breezy peplums and draping around the hips, as well as high necklines (although not as high as the throat).  The sporty trend seemed to be reflected in a pair of 3/4 pants with a drawstring waistline.  Colour-blocking with navy and jade gave me huge Air New Zealand flashbacks.  As with Robyn Mathieson, there were unconstructed blazers and hoodies.

It’s been a full-on week and there’s a few more posts to come, including an update on the Young Designer Awards, some dishing on the closing night party, and a round-up of what I’ve learnt over the past few days…

Are you a fan of winter or summer collections?  And would you rather wear braids or fingerwaves this year?

EDIT: if you’d like to check out photos you can find some right here and here.

First and foremost: I greatly enjoyed getting to sit in the very front row.  I was cool though guys, I even put my goody bag aside without even peeking into it. In fact, I shoved my fur vest into it, such was my nonchalance.  There was enough people-watching to last a lifetime, and yes, the shoes were pretty amaze.

This group show encompassed Trelise Cooper Wellington, Moochi, Taylor, Lucy McIntosh, Mardle, Nouveau, Ashley Fogel, and Hermione Flynn.

It was interesting seeing several designers all at once, particularly because it highlighted trends and common themes throughout the collections.  If you don’t own a pair of printed pants, now is the time to buy a pair because judging by this show printed pants are going to be everywhere.  Other common trends that were reflected in these shows included:

• the high-low hemline: this is the mullet skirt but in all variations, including coats.  This was also combined throughout with handkerchief hemlines, which just clamours of the 90s for me.  I cannot get on board with this personally, but I do think that if you pick the right thing and style it up this can give an outfit a bit of edge.
• layering: seriously, every single designer layered bar one.  There was also a lot of draping; clothes that clung but weren’t tight.
• neon: I expected to see pops of neon and these showed up in Moochi and Mardle.  Mardle used an acid green which I particularly liked.  These colours were used mainly in trims and accessories but Moochi did have a neon blouse.
• sportswear: this was big in the recent global collections and there was an element of sportswear in the Moochi collection. I really enjoyed a pair of black pants with a wide waistband with a drawstring.  They would be a fun pair to wear to work as they are still appropriate.
• prints. Or rather, PRINTS.  While there were tonnes of black, cream, grey and taupe pieces (it is New Zealand after all) there were also prints galore in bright summer colours.  Trelise Cooper dominated the prints – they were highly detailed, whimsical, and played together beautifully.  Print-mixing, as you might expect, also made an appearance.
• socks with heels.  The stylists used both slouched ankle height socks, and knee-high socks.  I love this look, but haven’t been able to work out how to integrate it into the daytime.  However, maryjanes with high socks and a demure skirt = excellent date outfit.

(in the order they showed…)

Hermione Flynn

“Inspired by the relevance of clothing in a social context, Hermione Flynn creates her collections from social oddities – a gentleman on the bus wearing a waistcoat and tie over his rain jacket… an obese woman dressed in head to toe sportswear… a gay man designing his wedding “dress”…“.

My overwhelming impression from this collection was: the colours of the winter sea, and the feeling as your clothes billow in the breeze.  The opening outfit featured sleeves that came down over the hands and hung loose for several inches; the rollneck on the dress was pulled up over the lower half of the model’s face.  I loved a pair of billowing 3/4 pants in a light chiffon that moved sensually as the models strutted.  This collection juxtaposed draping against occasional severe items, like structured cropped tshirts layered over the jersey items.

Ashley Fogel

“Beautiful tailoring, luxurious fabrics and feminine designs characterise the Ashley Fogel collections. As a label that consistently delivers high quality ready-to-wear garments to many women and loyal customers, Ashley Fogel has cemented its own special place in the New Zealand Fashion Scene.”

The first model stepped out in printed pants with a leather jacket and a quiff, and I knew I was going to like this.  In a hair note: the girls had incredible unusual French braids running down the back of the head (without a tail) – if I can find a pic, I ‘ll add it later.  This collection felt like it was in two parts to me: the first was masculine, almost rockabilly and super cool.  The second part was more French Riviera, with bright skirts, shirts knotted at the waist or done up sloppily, with a kind of careless holiday vibe.  However, throughout this collection the stylists had used huge amounts of sparkling jewels from Dyrberg Kern which gave the looks a more luxe vibe.  My favourite item was a pair of hyper-floral pants which looked like an updated cigarette pant.

Lucy McIntosh

“The Lucy McIntosh Fashion label underlies the basic Sculptural, and tailored need of a woman’s body. All collections are inspired by a form of architecture or construction, Lucy takes the sharp masculine forms of a structure and creates feminine fluid lines. Focused on the organisation of space around the human body, Lucy McIntosh builds a wearable environment for her customers.”

The core of this collection is a play on a men’s shirt.  An initially monochrome palette was relieved by splashes of cornflower blue, ink blue and an almost mustard yellow.  The clothes were severe, with no accessories and every collar buttoned up to the neck.  It really felt like this collection consisted of variations on themes.  Most particularly, the shirts and jackets were made up of self-contained layers, almost as if a cropped shirt had been put on over an otherwise identical but longer shirt.  The atmosphere was dreamy and low-energy.  My favourite item was a divine black collarless coat with a tobacco-coloured lining.

Nouveau

“Nouveau combines unique illustrated prints with fashionable women’s street wear and apparel. Nouveau is designed and made in Wellington, New Zealand.”

This collection was very reminiscent of lounge wear, with oversize tshirts in soft jersey (including one that could definitely double as a nightgown – albeit a very stylish one).  The necklines were high, almost to the throat, or a boatneck.  In a few items that high neckline was relieved with a keyhole just above the sternum.  I enjoyed a pair of full, blousy black shorts that sat just above the hip and which I think would look great with a structured shirt, a pair of high denier tights and some high boots.  The last dress was a combination of blue shiny crinkled fabric and red satin, with a shoestring and a really seriously pointy hemline.  Words can’t describe, but it gave me a strong sense of nostalgia.

Moochi

“The name moochi was created to describe the clothes you want to wear, it is all about a style, not an age. Whether racing around town, meeting friends at night or chilling at your local on a saturday morning, it is all about looking and feeling amazing, mooching in style.”

Love those black drawstring pants!  There was a sequin shift dress with long sleeves that I thought was absolutely amazing and would be great for a bridal shower or rehearsal dinner, as well as a pearly silver dress which featured an uneven dropped waist (sounds weird, was amazing) and moved like water.  I loved that some of the looks verged on “ghetto fabulous” with tight, shiny fabrics and accessories like a leather baseball cap.  Even the more sophisticated looks had an element of bling.  The clothes were fun, and young.  Moochi also showed a pair of neon yellow and grey plaid pants with a jacket featuring leather and (probably) faux fur, which looked sensational.

Mardle

“It started in 2008 in pursuit of the perfect tee-shirt. Fuss-free and practical, but feminine and flattering, that tee remains the heart of all that is Mardle. But while its beginnings may have been humble, designer Shiana Weir has her sights set on bigger things. Her designs are classic – the perfect backbone of your working wardrobe, and yet they have enough intrigue that you’ll look forward to wearing them. Ultimately, Mardle is understated elegance, proudly made in New Zealand.”

I loved this from the first outfit.  They used texture, digital prints, and sharply-coloured accessories to create a fresh and innovative look.  I particularly noticed the use of longer belts knotted across the torso, and the colour of those belts as an anchoring point in looks with extremely brave print-mixing.  Skirts and dresses featured a low-profile bubble hem and the silhouette was ladylike.  There were splashes of watermelon pink (including a beautifully tailored maxiskirt) and acid green.  The print reminded me of Van Gogh’s Starry Night.  My favourite look was a full maxiskirt in the print with a gorgeous red, textured top.  Although that sounds like a lot of look, it worked perfectly.

Taylor

“taylor boutique fosters individual creativity and experimentation while ensuring wearability in an exclusive fashion surrounding. We’re small and unique with constantly changing styles. Our fabrics are sourced and imported from the best mills in the world and are always the main focus of our styling – with many fabrics allowing only three or four garments to be made in each fabric.”

Immediate contrast to Mardle with a post-apocalyptic, Winter of Fire vibe immediately obvious.  This was definitely the most “art as fashion” that we saw all evening, although there were more wearable items as well.  The first model wore all cream, with a fitted cap (reminiscent of Jean Batten’s aviator hat, actually) and a long cape.  Her clothes were layered and reached to the floor, and featured a shorn fur as well as other textures.  As she swept past, you thought of primitive queens or goddesses.  The makeup deviated from that in the other shows, by including broad swipes of a white, chalky substance.  The models wore fingerless leather elbow gloves in a matte, pebbled leather.  Many of the outfits featured large woollen cowlnecks.  There were some slightly discordant moments, including a sheer, plaid overskirt that seemed school-girlish.  The palette was almost entirely black and cream, with just a very few items in blood red. My favourite item was a cream dress in a chunky knit, with a contrasting jersey insert down the length of each arm.

Trelise Cooper Wellington

“The sassy spirited saloon girls have emerged this winter bringing Cooper the 1800’s Americano Prairie Couture. Smoke signals transpire from the Wild West into the oceans beyond revealing ships sailing into the misty pink horizon. Brambles and berries intertwine to devise delectable berry pie, raffia wrapped especially for the rodeo.

Frolicking Foxes and whacky magical birds are relishing this winter’s vintage bouquet whilst fantasizing over Trelises’ return to colour this winter. Diamond dressed bunnies at the animal tea party spot the swan fluttering its feathers frivolously from afar. The little crowned kitten creeps through the forest of forget-me-knots in the spring country garden; in search of wonderland!”

As mentioned above, Trelise Cooper just blew it away with their prints.  They were complex, detailed and fantastical – I spotted a kitten peeking out from under a jacket at one point.  It was obvious that this brand has access to some of the best in fabrics and workmanship (even if the style isn’t your cup of tea).   Some of the items did veer a little far toward “child” for my taste, such as a smocked dress, but the cowboy hats with a disproportionately deep crown were fantastic.  The saloon girl outfits had a faded colour scheme, including butter yellow and Wedgwood blue which worked beautifully with the slightly old-fashioned vibe.  I particularly liked the use of ribbons at the neck of blouses, fastened at the throat.  The collection included dresses that were heavily sequinned, and again we saw the use of knee high socks.  However, in this collection the socks had furry pompoms on them, or came up in a point behind the knee.  Everything was just more carefully constructed and rich in detail.  For example, one dress covered in a swan print also had a slight wing flowing from behind the shoulder; there was also a coat with tails, cut as though it was peeling open.

It’s off to bedfordshire for me now, but before I go: tell me about a trend you hated but came to love.  And which of the designers above sounds most like your cup of tea?

The group shows kick off at 6.30 on Thursday and Friday evenings, with doors opening from 5.30.  Since I am not a lady of leisure (yet), I have work all day and will be jumping in a taxi and racing across town in my effort to get to shows.  This means that whatever I wear has to be work appropriate, but since it’s Fashion Dah-link, I think I’d be a fool to turn up in the corporate uniform of Lambton Quay.  It’s a chance to dress up!

Luckily for me, my workplace does not require suits and so I should be able to cook something up pretty easily.  And so, I turned to a Google image search of “street style” to see what inspiration would strike.  It wasn’t my best search ever, but it did throw up these pretties:

From here

Digging the pink suit and the pastel contrast.  Probably would use the sleeves for keeping my arms warm though.

From here

Can you really go wrong with a black dress and geometric shapes? I can’t show that much leg at work, but the concept is sound…

From here

Killer coat and a pair of jeans (on Friday) – yes. Easy peasy but still smart.

From here

Oooooh, pretty blouse! I also love a cuffed pant.

 Turns out I like pants quite a bit.  Luckily I own pants in various bright shades so mayhap I can slap on a business appropriate blouse and some canary yellow pants and call it a day.  What do you guys reckon? Should I seize the day and go fashion mad? Or should I keep it somewhere in the middle ground and retain my long term career prospects?

As Jo has previously posted, PPP is going to Fashion Week, and frankly I can’t wait to get my accreditation (woooo, fancy) and start drinking in the fashion-y goodness.  I’ll be blogging with updates on the shows, retail slots, competitions, events and trade slots that I attend.  Sadly there’s the small matter of my fulltime job, so I won’t be able to attend every single thing, but I will be taxiing all over the city in a frantic attempt to see as much as I can.

If you want to drink up the glamour and see some kick-butt NZ fashion in real life, you can check out the events at: http://www.wfweek.co.nz/events and buy tickets online.  If you’re on a wee budget at present, no worries, a number of events are FREE. This is the inaugural Wellington Fashion Week and I think it would be superb to have it become an annual feature.

Leave me a comment below and let me know which designers you think I should be sure to check out from the list on the WFW website.

Anyway, this got me thinking about my must-have makeup products. So here’s a challenge for you my pretties: if someone told you they were taking away all your makeup for a month, and you could only keep three things (with a free pass for any makeup brushes or applicators you may need) which three products would you choose?

After some very serious thought, here are mine:

Holika Holika Clearing BB Cream

Obviously I’d have to have a foundation to disguise my horrid skin, and this one does a good job of that, plus it has skin care benefits specifically targetted at acne prone skin like mine, and SPF30. A great multi-purpose product.

Lanolips SPF15 Lip Ointment With Colour in Dark Honey

A slick of glossy colour on your lips can take you from undone to pulled together in an instant, and this is a go with everything ‘my lips but better’ colour with SPF15 that does a fabulous job of moisturising your lips.

Lancome Hypnose Mascara in Black

No other product gives you instant va-va-voom in the way that a good mascara does, and this one is my pick. I don’t normally pay high-end prices for makeup, but no other mascara I’ve tried comes close to matching this for giving me drop dead gorgeous lashes.

So, those are my three must-haves, now it’s your turn.

All of these products are good enough to warrant their own review, which I will do in good time, but in the meantime you can purchase Holika Holika BB Cream from Bellogirl on Ebay, and Lanolips from Adore Beauty. And if you don’t know where to get Lancome from you need to get out more!

Wellington Fashion Week explores the unique creations of the fashion industry and the many concepts that make Wellington’s fashion its own. Join us as we explore and experience the latest in fashion and as we take time to give our designers the accolades they deserve.

Tickets are available for some of the shows, and you can buy them online. Megan and I will be going to some of the events, along with Martha over at the Wellingtonista, and will report back to you. It appears that WFW will be as inclusive of plus size people who like clothes as every other fashion week ever, so I am looking forward to the makeup and the hair.

From top: Fairytale Ending, Glam Rock, Floral Fantasies.

Glitter! So. Much. Glitter. Look at Floral Fantasies, isn’t it gorgeous?

I have quite a few Kit polishes in my collection – some that I bought when I visited Australia and some that I’ve bought from them online. Which brings me to my next point – somebody needs to be stocking Kit Cosmetics in New Zealand, I love their polishes. Until then you can order these polishes from Kit for AU$15.95 each. Don’t wait too long though, they’re limited edition. Which just makes me want them even more!

Z-Palettes are empty customisable magnetic makeup palettes designed to be filled with your choice of makeup pans. If you’ve ever bought refills of any makeup products you’ll know that if you don’t shell out the extra for the matching compact then finding ways to store them so they don’t get damaged can be tricky. I have several Z Palettes (which I had to order from America, hence my excitement at being able to get them in New Zealand now), and in fact I reviewed them a couple of years ago on my blog Pretty Clever so click through and read my post because I’m too lazy to type it all up again. Suffice to say this is a great product.

Z Palettes are priced at NZ$42.00 for the large and NZ$26.00 for the small, which is comparable to what I paid to order them from America. Check them out at Gracie Lou.