♥ Ain’t no party like a Kiehl’s club party! ♥

Kiehl’s. Since 1851. EIGTHTEEN FIFTY ONE. These guys have got looking after your face down to a fine art. So how are they helping the modern gal quash her skincare concerns? Let’s find out…

Kiehl’s Supremely Gentle Eye Makeup Remover – $36

I have a very real fear of getting things in my eye that will burn excessively, but recently I was involved with a project that meant I had to wear a lot of heavy eye makeup 6 nights a week and I knew that I was going to have to do something, nay USE something, to get it off. So I tried Kiehl’s Supremely Gentle Eye Makeup Remover with much hesitation and told those around me that if it hurt I would hurl the bottle out the nearest window with the intensity of a thousand suns.

Of course, my dear logical reader, there was no hurling. The lightweight formula doesn’t smell, doesn’t sting, doesn’t burn, doesn’t HURT. It seems completely free of the things that would lead to causing irritation in the eye or the delicate skin around the eye. Now you might be wondering with all this delicacy and cucumber and apricot kernel oil – does it actually work? You bet your eyes it does. A little on a tissue or cotton ball completely removes the make up from your eyelids and eye lashes. And in my case eyebrows as well (I told you it was HEAVY makeup).

I’m in ur makeup cupboard, testin ur productz.

And for those contact lens wearers – completely safe for you too. You can rest assured knowing its Ophthalmologist tested (see image above). This product easily does the job without causing any discomfort or pain.

Kiehl’s Epidermal Re-Texturizing Micro-Dermabrasion – $84.

This no pain, max results thing seems to be a reoccurring theme with the Kiehl’s crew, because I am in full-blown love with Kiehl’s Epidermal Re-Texturizing Micro-Dermabrasion. It’s a super duper exfoliator that you have complete control over. Squeeze out a small ‘nickel sized’ amount and apply it to your clean, damp skin in circular motions. Wait – if feels too rough! Then just go easier! Wait – I’ve had enough! Then just stop! See? You ARE in control. My skin felt cleaner, clearer, smoother and better without any makeup on it, which for me is always the benchmark of a product doing its job superbly.

I guess I really lost sight of how important exfoliation is after a bad Micro Dermabrasion experience at a salon. But not getting rid of the dead skin cells, product build up and other things that get in the way of good skin can contribute to bad skin no matter how much you cleanse it. I’m sorry I have neglected exfoliating my face for the past couple of years but it is back and boy oh boy it is great.

Kiehls’ Double Strength Wrinkle Filler (Available on Kiehl’s counters)

And finally we have the Kiehls’ Double Strength Wrinkle Filler, espousing to fill those wrinkles and lines you may wish weren’t there. Now, I’m a long way off from what is maybe the desired clientele of this product BUT I’m a smile-y kind of person, and continually creasing my face in the same place in the same way is starting to show.

Did this instantly fill my lines? No. Did it improve the condition of my skin in terms of elasticity and how moisturized and smooth it felt? Absolutely yes. Would I keep using it? Yes again. Because better skin condition of those areas that do get a work out (facially speaking) will surely lead to a reduced appearance of fine lines. And short of invasively having them filled with something from the inside, I think taking care of the outside is a smarter, safer and much more enjoyable bet. Good one Kiehls.

Reviews by Adriane Daff, dream babe extraordinaire.

Be well,

xoxo

♥ Kit Lippy in ‘Hip Shaker’ – $24.95 ♥

As a makeup artist, I need to know which beauty products are good, which are bad and which products are not even worth putting on your clothes, getting into the car, going to the shops and paying good money for.

It’s hard though, there really are so many products out there, how are we supposed to get through them all? Well that’s where I step in (cue superhero music) and with the help of Kit Cosmetics hopefully we can make your next trip to the shops easier.

When I think of Kit, I envisage fun, international beauty products… but did you know they also offer their own makeup range? The line includes Lipsticks, Tinted Moisturiser, Mineral Foundation and more. The products come in wonderful black sleek packaging and are all Australian made.

♥Kit Mineral Tinted Moisturiser – $32.95

First up in my review is the Kit Mineral Tinted Moisturiser. Containing Grape seed oil and Vitamins C and E, this tinted moisturiser is nourishing which gets a big tick from me. The coverage of this Tinted moisturiser is sheer but there is enough there to even out the skin tone and add a glow. The whole point of a tinted moisturiser is exactly as it sounds, to moisturise and tint. You don’t need or want too much coverage otherwise you are essentially wearing foundation.

♥ Close up!

Next up is a lipstick from Kit’s new collection, Capture the Moment. This lipstick is soft and creamy and when I first applied it I did scoff a little to myself, thinking there was no way it will last half an hour on the mouth. But I was proved wrong when three hours later, I still had strong colour on the lips and no flaking. The shade I was given to review is ‘Hip Shaker’ which the website describes as a rich magenta rose. Personally I prefer shades with more pop but I think this would be ideal for a woman needing a simple colour to wear during the day.

♥ All the new season shades! (Ed: Isn’t she cute?!)

Lastly I was sent four shades from the Capture the Moment nail polish range. These are pretty pastel colours, all perfect for Summer (and Autumn!). My favourites from the range were Phase in, a bright eggshell blue and Play Down, a pastel Lavender colour. The shades dry fast, with minimal streaking and the colour pigment is strong.

Phew! So there we have it. Kit’s aesthetic is fun and fresh, but the makeup products are seriously good. The sleek packaging appeals to women of all ages and the products themselves have a great colour pay off and lasting power. An all round win in my books!

You can shop online or head to Kit Cosmetics in the Enex100 building or Perth city Myer in town.

Hope you enjoyed!

Review by Jacqui, fashion blogger, make up artist and all round cute thing.

Be well,

xoxo

Let me share some of my New Years Resolutions with you:

♥ Call or catch up with Mum and Dad once a week
♥ Try Omnilux and microdermabrasion
♥ Call my friends on their birthdays
♥ Finally learn, ONCE AND FOR ALL, how to apply makeup with at least a 1% degree of skill!

Last Saturday I turned up at Bella Hart in Subiaco in order to work on that final point. With my notoriously hard to match skin tone and eyes that I was certain just couldn’t ‘do’ eye makeup, the ‘Flawless and Minimalist‘ makeup workshop had found itself a tricky participant, but I was also hopeful my woes would turn out to be no match for the makeup experts.

The start of the class. The cute thing, which you can’t see very well here, is the cups! They have hearts on them 🙂 I thought it was a nice touch.

The workshops go for 2 hours, from 9:30am-11:30am, usually on a Saturday, and there were 6 of us workshop-ees in total, a mixed bunch – all with very different skintones and colourings, as well as one main makeup artist & her model / assistant.

Dani (makeup model / assistant) and Rachael, who ran the event showing us how to achieve an easy day look. I’d also like to note here that Rachael’s makeup was gorgeous, when she came up and greeted me at the start I was very impressed with how good it looked.

Armed with our sheet to write down the products we used and liked, an array of brushes, a personal mirror & our eyes and ears to watch and learn, we worked through each area of the face

As a makeup novice, I feel like I learned a lot!

Some of the highlights include:

♥ Finding a makeup shade that gives a bit more coverage than I would usually use, but looks great in photos. (Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation in Porcelain Ivory (yep, I’m a ghostie!)
♥ Finding out you can apply primer using a foundation brush.
♥ BECCA Fine Loose Finishing Powder in Sesame. Winner.

The BECCA powder in question!

I did struggle with the eye makeup section of the class, as I literally have only the most minimal skill in that department. Another member of staff who wasn’t involved in the workshop came over and helped me by doing a great look on me with eyeshadow – unfortunately it wasn’t the one that everyone else was learning, and I have no idea how to replicate it, so I’m still lacking the basic eyeshadow skills.

Half the group!

The other half. (sorry about the pics!)

Overall I would recommend this master class for sure! It was a bit rushed towards the end so it would be nice if there was an extra half hour or additional staff member on hand to help out with the workshop, but all in all it was a success and I left with some new tools under my beauty belt.

I think the best thing about the workshops are the range of products available to try – because there is a wide range of makeup brands, you’re not going to get forced into a ‘not quite good enough’ shade like you might if you attended a brand-specific event.

I did laugh though, because the minimalist look that we did on ourselves was actually WAY more makeup than I would usually use – even for going out at night as I don’t tend to wear a lot of makeup!

I will be attending and reviewing another three workshops being run by Bella Hart in the coming months, so please stay tuned for more photos and reviews 🙂

I was invited by Bella Hart to attend the workshops.

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Wella Shine Define Shampoo ($32) & Colour Save Conditioner ($32)!

♥ Despite my hair being in shocking condition at the moment (hello frequent GHD, and no haircut for 7 months…!) the new Wella System Professionals range, relaunching in February, is currently injecting some life and love back into my sad strands.

The Shine Define Shampoo in particular impressed me. It lathers up and disperses through the hair REALLY well, it was honestly the first time that I’ve felt like I was achieving an in-salon experience at home. I’m also using the Colour Save Conditioner and my hair is loving the combo. My hair is shiny, swishy and feels great – which is not always the case for me!

Repeated uses has confirmed that these are great for my normal-combination hair with damage, my hair is actually behaving, and I’ve been raving about it to my workmates.

The Wella SP range is only available in salon, you can call 1300 889 886 for your nearest salon!

Pretty much my favourite thing at the moment!! (dorky photos ahoy)

♥ Organic n Green Fruit and Veggie Boxes

My boyfriend and I have been ordering boxes of organic fruit and veggies lately, and it’s AMAZING! The taste, variety, cost and time saving / stress reducing-ness of these boxes of joy is amazing.

It’s also SO MUCH FUN when the box comes… it’s like Christmas because they send different goodies EVERYTIME!

There’s another proper article on it coming soon, but it is my giant crush right now!!!

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser – $78

♥ At $78, this isn’t a cheapie, but I have found myself using it, loving it, running out, trying other tinted moisturisers with average results, and ultimately coming back to this great little glow-getter.

The porcelain shade is perfect for my notoriously difficult skin colour (very fair, with freckles, yellow undertone) and it just makes me glow without looking greasy.

Often I’ll wear it on it’s own when my skin is having a good day, otherwise I mix a bit into my regular foundation (Bobbi Brown). It’s like healthy skin in a bottle and I lurve lurve lurve it and have been using it for years now.

Get it online at Adore Beauty or in store at David Jones.

What do you think of my current crushes? Are any of them a crush for you too?

Be well,

Annette

xoxo