Beautyista and the Office Beast

Find me at my new blog...

2010-11-11T14:40:00.001-08:00

www.demeterstyle.wordpress.com

Mini Obsessions

2009-05-19T03:46:00.000-07:00

I often get on board mini obsessions. Whether it be a brand or a product type, I get a little kick out of having a "thing" of the moment. It's really as fun as having a crush on the new boy in the office!

A mini obsession to me, is something that you might pine after, buy lots of, think about all the time for about 6 months to 2 years (I think beyond that is just a plain obsession). I have had many in the past, from anything glittery in my mid-teens, to brow products in my late teens and lip gloss in my early 20s. It's currently all about creme blush for me at the moment. I can't seem to get enough! That sheer, glowing from within touch of colour for the cheeks makes me drool at the thought!

I'm not sure what my next will be, but I feel the urge for a new MO.

Nail Polish!

2009-05-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

I am a big believer in using nail polish as that finishing touch to really pull your look together! From a sheer pink to a deep dark burgundy, they can make or break your hard thought out outfit!

My choices for the best brands are as follows:

3. Bloom- A great aussie company that makes really nice quality polishes. They have a great selection of colours and they sometimes get designers and celebs to design colours!

2. OPI- I just can't go past the names of these polishes. They are such fun! I love that they bring out collections as each season rolls by. They always come up with fashion forward creative colours!

1. Essie- These polishes are amazing! I love the way they glide on and laaaast. Like OPI they have a vast collection of colours and you never have to worry that you won't find the right colour for your look!

Review: theBalm Sexy Mama Powder

2009-03-21T00:03:00.000-07:00

Best. translucent. powder. ever. This stuff is so amazing. It contains corn starch so it keeps oilies at bay all day! It is a true translucent powder in that it will not change the colour of your foundation. It just sets and mattifies and keeps you looking fab all day.

The packaging is super cute too but it is made of cardboard and it can start to look scungy pretty quick! All in all it gets 5 stars because I can't live without it!

Work Clothes

2009-03-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

I found out recently that I am fairly alone in the fact that I am more than happy to spend a bit of extra money and wear good quality clothes to work (at least at my office). I know, I know it's not as fun to go out and buy work clothes, but I wear them 5 days out of 7 so in my opinion it's crazy to scrimp!

My fave places to shop for work clothes are Country Road, Witchery and Cue and yes their clothes might cost you more, but in the long run they last longer and I actually get great pleasure from getting dressed in the morning.

Sure I mix cheaper items back with my work wear (usually tees underneath a suit jacket) but I feel alone on the world that I spend on suits and shoes! Am I the only one?

Holiday Beauty

2009-02-25T15:37:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a very relaxing sojourn in the Victorian countryside. I have noticed something about myself when if comes to packing for such travels, and whether I am going for a beachy holiday (as I did this last August to Fiji you can see from the dreamy picture above) or to the country I am all about downsizing and simplifying.
When I am at home I have a plethora of options from skin care to body products from hair contraptions to makeup. I can get up and choose from 3 morning cleansers, a few day creams and which sunscreen do I want to apply today? Which foundation is most appropriate and what blush will go best with my gloss? I love that about being at home, but I don't want to be weighed down with so many options when I am meant to be chillin'!
However, I do find it monumentally hard to decide which of my pretties will be coming with me. I find it really tricky to decide what products will be the best and most versatile. When I went to Fiji it was all about getting that beachy relaxed "I put no effort in, but look great" look. Obviously it's not really a smart idea to be taking a pair of hair straighteners to the beach and I would be spending my time by the pool and in some form of water. So they were out, and in went the beach/salt spray (I love John Frieda Beach Blonde spray). I gathered up some mini sizes of shampoo and conditioner from Kevin Murphy and my hair was set!
As for makeup, again I was going to be spending a lot of time in the pool and beach, so I wasn't going to take a full face but I wanted to be able to amp it up if we went for dinner or cocktails. Tricky. I ended up going with Invisible Zinc Tinted Moisturiser (very high sun protection is a must for me!) a translucent powder (IZ is quite shiny!), a brown stay put eye liner that could double as brow colour (Jemma Kidd), brow gel, tube mascara (I too BECCA The Ultimate), creme blush that doubled as lip colour (BECCA Lip and Cheek creme in Tuberose) and a gel bronzer (Georgio Armani). I think I managed to keep my look relaxed but put together and I was very happy with my small but effective collection.
When it came to skin care I knew I had to be careful, my skin can get very sensitive when I comes in contact with salt water so I decided to be kind and not too minimal. I bought myself a travel pack of Ultraceuticals goodies and I was ready to roll and not over burdened with big suitcase filling bottles of product.
Going tot he country was slightly different. I was happy to take a few more options as I knew I would be wearing makeup daily and I didn't want to get bored (and I do easily). For makeup I took two creme blushes, (0ne pink and one peach) two lip colours (again one pink and one peach), illuminating bronzer, tinted moisturiser, neutral eye shadow, olive green eyeliner pencil, translucent powder, a brow kit, mascara and that was it! Easy!
I did take my straightener, but not a blow dryer as I shower at night and my hair would dry overnight. Not taking a hair dryer really frees up space!
As for skin care I just kept it simple and hydrating with non-foaming cleanser (Aesop Fabulous Face Cleanser), moisturiser (Ultraceuticals) and a sunscreen (again Ultraceuticals).
I have to say I feel very virtuous when I manage to keep my products minimal when I travel and it always feels good to come home and get stuck in to all the other stuff I left at home!

Review: Sugarbaby Bronzer

2009-02-12T15:11:00.000-08:00

While this is not my favorite ever bronzer (that prize goes to NARS Laguna), it is an absolute staple of mine for the working week. It gives a subtle but buildable bronzed tone that has a very slight luminescence, but no glitter which really is vital for work. The reason I use this one on weekdays has a lot to do with the sheer size (it's huuuge) and the price (I think from memory about $17). I can go through this and not feel guilty at the amount of bronzer I use as I would if I was using a very expensive bronzer everyday. It's just great value and a nice product.
I also have to say the packaging is really pretty. The compact is, as I said huge but it's also glamourous rose gold colour that will have people swooning when you whip it our of your beach bag. Lovely!
I give it 3 stars, but certainly 4 stars for value!

Review: Aesop Parsley Seed Antioxidant Toner

2009-02-10T16:43:00.000-08:00

Mmmmmmm Aesop! One of my very favorite skin care brands has delivered yet another wonderful product! I have used a few of their products in the past (I am currently also loving their Fabulous Face Cleanser and Resurrection Hand Cream) and I have never been disappointed.

Let's start with the gorgeous packaging. I love love to have Aesop bottle lined up in my bathroom cabinet, they look to old fashioned and... science-y!

The toner inside is just divine. It's alcohol free, which for my alcohol sensitive skin is ideal. I just put a few drops on a cotton pad and swipe it all over my face including my eyes. It never stings the skin and never feels uncomfortable and tight. It smells great too, fresh and herby and very clean.

All in all I have to give this two very inthused thumbs up and a 5 star rating!

Review: BECCA Glossy Lip Tint

2009-02-09T20:51:00.001-08:00

This lip gloss has to be one of my all time faves. I am not the kind of person that flees from sticky gloss because I like the staying power. However this is not a super sticky gloss at all! I think it's right there in the middle of the road and should keep everyone happy. The staying power is great too. I find I can apply it in the morning and only have to re-apply if I eat something. So I apply it again after lunch and I am fine until leaving my desk at the end of the day!

It is a nice shiny gloss, not so much so that you look like a teenager who has been waiting to use make-up since they were five and is bit over zealous. Just a nice glossy sheen that makes you look ever so kissable!

I have found some of the colours to have a very strong vanilla smell and then some others have barely any scent at all. I prefer the ones that are less vanilla-y personally!

All in all, this is one great gloss (my fave colour would have to be Julep, a soft sheer pink). and I give it 5 stars!

Get The Look: Drew Barrymore

2009-02-03T16:08:00.000-08:00

Fiiiine! Don't make any requests! I will just do this one anyway. Drew can be very hit and miss with her fashion, hair and make-up. Thankfully here she looks like an absolute goddess! The shiny hair! The glowing skin! Ahhh. So pretty! Here's the way I would achieve a similar look!

I'd start with a silicone based primer like Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. You'll want to use fairly heavy, velvety foundation for this look. One of my all time favorite beauty products ever is the Georgio Armani Designer Shaping Creme Foundation and this is what I'd be using here. Apply it with a brush and then use your finger to finish the look. A light dusting of loose translucent powder such as Ben Nye's version over the T-zone will help keep it looking perfect all night. For contouring I would use NARS Laguna bronzer. Just sweep some under your cheekbones and a small amount on the nose, forehead and chin to look ever so slightly sun kissed! There is not too much illumination going on here so I would just use a matte neutral pink such as Bobbi Brown's Pale Pink on the apple of the cheek for that hint of a flush.

As for the brows, just slick them in to place with some brow gel. I like The Body Shop's Clear Brow Gel for a cheapy but a goodie!

Now for eyes... Always, always prime those peepers. I never do my make-up with out a bit of Too Faced Shadow Insurance and neither should you! Once you have done that use a matte neutral shadow over the whole lid all brands will have one of these and I am sure you have one (or two, or three) in your collection! Then on the upper lid apply i.d Bare Mineral Eye Glimmer in Disco to just above the crease line. I adore adore this colour and it is a perrrrfect match to the colour on Drew's eye's here. Now you need some serious smudgy smokey goodness for that sexy bedroom look! I would be using Smashbox Gel Eyeliner in Caviar for this. Use a flat, stiff brush to apply it all the way along your upper lash line and then get out a cotton bud and smudge that line! Then do the same to the lower lash line but only take the liner half way across. Add a small amount of the aforementioned Disco to the inner corner of the lower lash line for that extra dazzle.

As for mascara, well you need some serious va va voom here and I think Diorshow will do the trick. Do 2 or 3 layers and really work to coat every single lash.

Last but not least- lips. Use a nude slightly pink toned pencil (Georgio Armani no. 2) to line the lips and then apply you lipstick. Again you are looking for a pink tones nude and for me you can't go past Harlotte lip products when life calls for a nude lip. The colour I would choose here is Peek A Boo. Cute!

So there you have it. Enjoy!

Get The Look requests!

2009-02-02T16:43:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

If you have a request for Get The Look, please let me know in the comments below. Just let me know who, where and when and I will do my best!

Review: Too Faced Pink Leopard Bronzing Powder

2009-01-31T17:04:00.000-08:00

Too Faced has so many amazing products, with there fun packaging and products that do what they say they are going to do they are hard to go past!
This bronzer is really great and pretty. I mean just look at it!! Too cute! First and foremost let me say, the brush in the little drawer is USELESS, so don't even bother using that, get yourself a nice big fluffy brush for this. It's quite luminous and I am more likely to use it as a highlighter than a contour. It works a charm. The great thing about this powder is that it's sooo fine that when applied it looks more like you have use a liquid. Another great aspect is that it has the pink sections that really means you won't look orange or ruddy- ever!

For this gem: 4 stars!

Review: BECCA Aurora Pallette

2009-01-19T13:46:00.000-08:00

Oh swoon! This is an amazing little palette! I love love love every little aspect of it! Let me go through each item and tell you why!

Eye Colour Wash, Madras: The perfect colour for a softer smokey eye if you don't want to go down the matte black route. I love to use it with a black pencil liner or a plum. It's a bronzed plum colour with a hit of shimmer to make your eyes sparkle! 5 stars

Compact Eyeliner, Aubergine: If I was to name this colour, I'd call it Heather. It's not reaaaaly dark enough to warrant the name Aubergine in my opinion, but it is gorgeous none the less! Works back perfectly with the Madras Eye Colour Wash. I use a thin liner brush dipped in water to apply it along the upper lash line and it looks smashing. This would make green eyes really pop! 4 stars

Creme Blush, Terracotta: Just stunning! The colour doesn't look all that exciting in the pan, but a quick swipe of this on the apples of your cheeks and you are the freshest, prettiest gal in town! Just too too delicious! I like to use Benefit Georgia over the top of this to 'set' the colour, this works well and Georgia has very little pigment and doesn't effect the amazing colour. 5 stars

Creme Eye Colour, Ametrine: Love the colour, but don't love the staying power. The colour is one of the best contour colours I have ever seen. It's a soft pearly pewter and it mimics the colour of a 'shadow' on skin amazingly well. The staying power is okay in the world of creme eye shadows but still not perfect and I find that I need to give it a bit of a blend with my finger every couple of hours, to me it's worth it for the colour. 3 stars

Nude Lip Gloss, Hibiscus Tea: Wow. Great colour that will work on almost anyone! The texture is the right amount of stickiness and lasts and lasts. 5 stars

Dual Ended Brush: The longer flat side works absolute wonders with the gloss. It's perfect for getting right into the corner of the lips. The smaller side is great for smudging any eyeshadow along the lash line. 5 stars

All up I have to give this palette 5 stars. It really is one of the most useful make-up palettes I have ever owned.

Get The Look: Scarlet Johansson.

2009-01-18T20:32:00.000-08:00

This is one of my absolute fave looks on Scarlet! So soft and pretty but not too 'barely there'. Here's how I would re-create this one:

First I would prime with Clairns Beauty Flash Balm. Here Scarlet's make-up looks fresh but not too too dewy and I think BFB is the perfect place to start. Make sure you 'pat' on your BFB or you will run in to trouble! Next will be your foundation, for this look I would choose something of a medium weight and for me that would be Jemma Kidd Light As Air Foundation in your appropriate tone. No need to powder over this one, which is such a bonus. Then I would say she has a very light contour of bronzer under the cheekbones. Don't go too dark with your choice of bronzers here, and maybe go with something luminous such as Too Faced Leopard Bronzer. For the cheeks you will need a nice soft peachy blush such as Harlotte Peach Frenzy.

Now for brows. It's so important to this look that the brows are beautifully groomed, and I'll say it once and I am sure I'll be saying it again, but go for Smashbox's Brow Tech in an appropriate shade for you and you are on like Donkey Kong!

For the eyes you need to start with a great primer and I won't go past Too Faced Shadow Insurance, not only does it stop creasing but it makes the lid ready for shadow and blending is much easier. Then you want to apply some Jemma Kidd Define Stay Put Eyeliner pencil in Pitch, very softly along the upper lash lash line and on the bottom water line and smudge using the smudger on the end of said pencil. Then pat some BECCA Cream Eyeshadow in Ametrine into the contour of your eye socket. Then BECCA and eye colour wash in Madras smudged along the lower lash line and again on to the contour but this time take it further in to the outer corner and smudge along the upper lash line as well. As for mascara, keep it on your top lashes only and use Too Faced Lash Injection Pinpoint to get every lash lash coated!

Last but not least you need to do your lips! I recommend Georgio Armani Armani Silk lipstick in Shade 16 for an almost perfect match here. Then put a blob of Too Faced Status Gloss in Private Jet in the centre of the lips for that glossy plumped up look!

So you might not be blessed with Miss Johansson's perfect looks but you can have her make-up look! Have fun!

Review: Stila Sheer Colour Tinted Moisturiser

2009-01-15T18:39:00.000-08:00

This one is a recent purchase for me. I have to say I have really enjoyed using it this week! I have quite dry skin so I need to layer a moisturiser underneath this product, but that's nothing new for me and tinted moisturisers!

It's lovely and sheer as the name would suggest and the colour bare is just perfect for my skin tone. It just dissapears on to the skin.

While it does not have a heavy coverage, it does have a reasonable amount for a tint. Enough for me on a work day anyway. I do find that I have to powder it slightly to avoid shine, but I would do that with almost any foundation.

It could have done with an SPF of 30+ and that is probably it's biggest fault. I just don't understand the point of SPF 15, I figure... why bother?

So for me this one gets 4 stars!

Review: Too Faced Shadow Insurance

2009-01-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

I used to be a the world's biggest fan of Benefit's FYEye to keep my eyeshadow in place all day and it worked just fine! I had two issues with it though, the fact that it would dry out and the pot was a little unhygenic in my opinion.

Then I found this little gem. It really is perfection in a tube. You just apply it and let it set (I usually put it on at the beginning of my make-up application, so by the time I am up to doing my eyes it leaves the perfect canvas). Not only does it make sure that your eyeshadow doesn't creep in to the creases but it makes application of your favorite shodows soooo breazy! It's smooth and even and ready to go! So it does everything I could ask and get's rid of those little hassles I had with FYEye. Five Stars from me!

My Holy Grails of Make-Up

2009-01-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

I am a fully fledged beautyista and I adore every aspect of it from skin care to fragrance to bath and body, but I have to admit that my first love and the thing that brought me into the world of all things beauty was Make- Up. Here is a list of some of my very favorite things!

Primer: Smashbox Photofinish Primer in Apricot

Light Coverage Base: Invisible Zinc Tinted Day Wear- Light

Medium Coverage Base: Jemma Kidd Light as Air Foundation- Ultra Fair

High Coverage Base: Georgio Armani Designer Shaping Cream Foundation- 4

Pressed Powder: The Balm Sexy Mama Powder

Loose Powder: I have yet to find one that I love

Bronzer: NARS Laguna

Powder Blush: NARS (when it come to blush I can't choose just one shade)

Cream Blush: BECCA Lip and Cheek Cremes (see above)

Brow Shaper: Smashbox Brow Tech- Taupe

Eyelid Primer: Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Pencil Eyeliner: Jemma Kidd Define Stay Put Eye Liner- I love all the colours, but the Peacock is especially special!

Gel Liner: Smashbox Gel Liner- Caviar

Liquid Liner: Haven't found one I love yet

Eye shadows: MAC- there is no way I am picking a shade!

Mascara: Too Faced Lash Injection Pinpoint

Lip liner: Benefit D'finer D'liner

Lipstick: MAC Mattene- Shame they were Ltd Edition

Lip gloss: Too Faced Status Gloss- Trophy Wife

I think that's it, but I might be editing this in the future!

Stockings, the bane of my existence.

2009-01-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

At my place of work, along with lots of fun little 'rules' I have to wear stockings (well pantyhose, but I hate that word so I say stockings) and I really think there is nothing worse. I hate the with a fiery passion. They make my legs itch, they won't last one wash (even in a lingerie bag), they are expensive, they are uncomfortable, you can't wear peep toes with them... basically they suck.
I have found some that i find okay and they are the Wicked Control Tops, I am still going through them at a rate of about 2 per week, which sucks but they are at least comparatively comfy and they have a nice glossy sheen that makes your legs look nice.
Here's the web address http://www.stockingsonline.com.au/categories.asp?cID=142

First thing's first...

2009-01-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

Welcome!

I am writing from work for the very first time. Tres exciting. One thing I do have to say (because I am wearing them today) is that every girl should own a pair of killer blue heels! Well, I have two but that's not the point.

Seriously, you would think "Oh, blue is not that versatile and won't go with everything" and you would be dead wrong. They go with a whole host of other colours! I swear! http://www.tonybianco.com.au/product.asp?page=8&categoryID=37&productID=746 Here are some fab ones!