A bronzer is a must-have for your Winter beauty bag — it can give your skin a healthy sun-kissed glow without the harsh rays and is the perfect product to wake up tired and dull skin. When it comes to choosing the right bronzer there are a few options you can choose from that are suitable for different skin types. Want to know whether you should use a cream or a powder? Read on!
Now that our skin is done being exposed to excess sun and heavy sunscreens, it's time to get that glow back. Chantecaille Bamboo and Hibiscus Exfoliating Cream ($86.95) is just what a Summer complexion needs to smooth out and brighten up the new season. Bamboo powder, in the form of tiny smooth spheres, gives this creamy formula physical scrubbing action to gently slough away dead skin. For even more smoothing and brightening power, plant enzymes help to dissolve flaky layers, while hibiscus flower acids improve cell turnover for a healthier complexion. And the natural floral scent is enough to keep you mentally in Summer!
Today marks the date 12/12/12, and what better way to celebrate than with our top 12 party-ready lipstick picks? A bright lip is a bit of a commitment, so be sure to keep everything else relatively low-key in the makeup department. We love a matte, bright lip with very full lashes and nude eyeshadow, for example, because it's a look that's both office Christmas party and girls night out appropriate. If you want your loud lips to stay put through more than one champagne, be sure to exfoliate and moisturise with balm, and then go in with a similar-coloured lip liner all over the lip before applying lipstick. Ready for our top 12?
As you may already know, we had a wonderfully educational chat with Bobbi Brown's right-hand man, international director of artistry and education, Kai Vinson, about practical makeup. After quizzing him on the basics, we then moved onto the daytime smoky. What is it and how on earth do we do it?
"The soft smudge. I think the daytime smoky eye is keeping most of your eye makeup the same as you normally do it, but then it’s just diffusing the liner. So instead of having a crisp liner, you’re going to smoke out the liner," says Kai. "And what I would say is make the level of smokiness of your eye to what is comfortable to you."
And what about the colour — can we do black during the day? "One of my favourite smoky eyes is a navy blue. I think it’s a very modern look and very fresh. It brings your eyes wider, so you take like a bold navy pencil and smudge it out and it looks really amazing and it’s not as harsh as dark black or grey . . . Pencils are more forgiving and easier for doing smoky eyes for most women."
Well, we're very excited about this. To prove it, we've rounded-up our top five navy blue eye products. Click through for daytime sexy.
Our first makeup category is up! Tell us which one of these new primers you think deserves to win: Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Primer, not a newbie but the cult classic did update its packaging this year, Estée Lauder Illuminating Perfecting Primer, this recent release adds an instant radiance to the skin, Chantecaille Anti-Glycation Primer, which primes, protects against collagen damage and offers SPF 15 protection, Revlon PhotoReady Color Correcting Primer, which helps to treat the red undertones and any sallowness in the skin, L'Oréal Paris Lumi Magique Light Concentrated Primer, this hydrating formula offers a lit-from-within glow or Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer — uses plant-derived hydraplex to lock in moisture.
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2012 BellaSugar Australia Beauty Awards: Vote For the Best Primer
In an ideal world, when we exercise we’d get just the right amount of colour on our cheeks. That just-flushed effect. Kind of like how the models at Christopher Kane’s Spring/Summer 2012 show looked. At the time, lead makeup artist Lucia Peroni said: “The effect was as if the girl had just come running up the hill, very fresh, natural and windswept.” In reality, our post-exercise glow isn’t quite as chic, but that’s not to say you can’t fake it. Especially since Chantecaille will be launching a shade inspired by Christopher Kane’s runway look — that we’re told comprised of three Chantecaille cheek colours blended together — later this month. Poudre de Perle: Akoya Pearl ($85) is the perfect iridescent coral pink but it doesn’t just look pretty. Oh no. True to the brand’s philosophy, it’s also good for your skin. Replacing talc with zinc, iron and mica, the formula is paraben-free, suitable for sensitive skin and protects against environmental elements.
Chantecaille Poudre de Perle: Akoya Pearl will be available at Mecca Cosmetica from May 29.
There was no shortage of standout celebrity beauty looks this week, with both models and actresses providing plenty of hair and makeup styles for us to recreate. For a low-maintenance look, try Jess Hart's barely-there makeup and soft, loose waves from the Ferragamo Signorina fragrance launch, or for something a little more colourful, check out Helena Christensen and Solange Knowles' standout lip looks. Click through to see who else topped this week's list.
Gel-based or cream-gel foundations are great for those who like their coverage to be buildable, yet still have that second skin look. As well as being a dream to apply, they also come with heaps of other skincare benefits. Of these five finds, which vary from $18 up to $190, some add radiance, others turn back the hands of time, and tones down sebum production, eradicating the oil slick. Good one!
There was plenty of red carpet action this week, making it a tough job to narrow down our favourite beauty looks to just five. Angelina Jolie went colour-coordinating with her dress and lippy, Whitney Port wore her long hair out in voluminous waves and the X-Men: First Class premiere in New York brought us two eye-catching eyeshadow looks to try — January Jones went for bright and bold, while Zoe Kravitz chose smouldering and sexy. Which celeb sported your favourite beauty look this week?
Yes, we're done with the Globes for another year, but we thought you might want to know about the lipgloss that Angelina Jolie used in her super-speedy reapply during Matt Damon's speech at the Golden Globes, no? Thought so. Well, her makeup artist Toni G. told UsMagazine that it's the gorgeous Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss in Love ($42), which you can pick up at Mecca Cosmetica. Winner.
The light pink is beautiful and Ange reportedly likes it because it "maintains lip moisture and is fresh and sexy." The stunning actress — whom you all agreed brought sexy back on the night — is a fan of the luxe natural brand that is famed for blending advanced technology with the principles of Chinese medicine, aromatherapy and flower pharmacology. LOVE. Now that Angelina Jolie has proved that she does it, do you think everyone will top up their makeup in public now? Or is it still a big no-no for you?
