Saturday 31 March 2012

An Epic Beauty Survey

I thought my first beauty related post should be something that introduces me a little. So, in the spirit of all things juvenile and fun I've done a beauty survey. I hope you enjoy and I would absolutely adore it if you'd like to respond or fill it out yourself. Onward!

Skin...
What skin type do you have?
Fair, dry and sensitive. My upper arms, brow area and cheeks are particularly prone to redness.

What is your current facial wash?
Nivea Daily Essentials Cream Cleansing Wash. It does the job.

Do you exfoliate?
Why yes.

What brand do you use?
At the moment Kosmea Daily Facial Exfoliant. I received it in a Glossy Box. I have to say the smell isn't my cup of tea but it does wonders for smoothing my skin.

What moisturiser do you use?
In the mornings I use Sheer Cover's Nourishing Moisturizer (another Glossy Box goodie) and at night I use Elizabeth Arden's Millennium Night Renewal Cream. The former I really like because it's light, fragrance free and contains SPF. The latter I may need a little more time to decide. I only bought it recently.

Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
No. Occasionally I'll get a few on my body, but never on my face.

Makeup...
What make-up tools do you use in make up application?
Some Mac brushes, cottonbuds and my trusty hands!

What foundation do you use?
At the moment I'm using Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation in the colour 52 Vanilla. It smells divine and blends nicely too.

What concealer do you use?
Rimmel's Match Perfection concealer in the colour 010 Ivory. It ok, but I think I'll move onto something else when I'm finished. It tends to go ashy on me throughout the course of the day.

What is your favourite eyeshadow (colour or shade)?
I must admit, my eyeshadow collection is nothing epic at the moment. That being said I do love my matte purple Make Up For Ever eyeshadow. There's no colour or number on it which is odd but it's a lovely deep violet.

Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
Gel liner for the most part.

What is your favourite lipstick?
Currently it's a Chi Chi lippy in Hot Stuff which is a beautiful coral colour.

Your favourite lip gloss?
I'm going to cheat and pick a lip balm which is a MAC Tendertone in Purring. It feels really creamy on the lips, sets off lipstick wonderfully and smells like watermelon which is always a positive in my book!

Favourite blush?
MAC's Frankly Scarlet. I use this on my cheeks and eyebrows as I currently have bright red hair.

Mascara?
I still haven't settled on one to be honest. I think everyone's guilty of never staying loyal to any one mascara! For a while I was using Maybelline's Full and Soft and at the moment I'm using L'Oreal's Volume Million Lashes.

Do you like drugstore makeup?
Of course. A girl's not made of money! Plus you can always find some inexpensive gems.

In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
MAC. They have such an extensive colour range and very nice quality products. Plus their brushes are great. I want to cuddle my 182 brush it's so soft!

Name a makeup crime that you hate.
Clumsily drawn on eyebrows. I'm such a perfectionist with filling in mine that when I see a pair of asymmetrical, one-line brows I want to take to them with a pencil!

Which celebrity always has great make up?
Zooey Deschanel.




I love the way she does her eye makeup. Winged eyeliner gets me every time! Also her foundation is always flawless. Just lovely.

If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,
what would you use?
Probably foundation. A flawless base makes me feel a little more confident.

Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
I have done, but it's usually on my day off when I'm heading out to run a few errands.

What's the most time-consuming part of your makeup
routine?
Definitely filling in my brows. I'm a stickler for getting them even.

What part of your routine is the most fun?
Lipstick! It generally makes a world of difference and is really quick and easy to apply. Plus you can play around with lots of different colours.

Nails...
Do you like natural or false nails?
I like natural on myself (I feel like my hands and nails are too small for falsies).

What is your most worn nail polish?
OPI's Glitzerland. It's a nice metallic colour which is in between silver and gold. It matches everything and I love wearing it on my toenails.

What is your favourite nail polish?
OPI's Rainbow in the S-Kylie. It's a rainbow glitter polish from the Nicole range and is basically a dupe for Rainbow Connection from The Muppets Collection. The glitter is a combination of chunky and fine and it has the ability to look like a different polish depending on what you wear under it. I personally love wearing a black polish underneath. 

How often do you paint your nails?
Maybe twice a week. Generally I'll repaint when my nails start to chip.

Are you a fan of nail art?
If it's simple on each nail or detailed on a feature nail I'm onboard. I don't like Christmas themed art on nails. It's too much.

Hair...
What type of hair do you have?
I have long, thick hair (as in, there are plenty of follicles on my head), but I also have fine hair (as in, the diameter of each individual hair is very small). Also because it's bleached and colour treated it tends to be fairly dry.

What is your natural colour?
Dark brown. It's currently a bright red/pink though.

How do you wear it day-to-day?
It changes every day to be honest. I love doing different things to my hair. I have a huge collection of ribbons, flowers and other bits and pieces. I can safely say that most of the time it's styled in some form of up-do though. Bobbypins and hairspray are my best friends!

What are your favourite haircare products?
I love Joico's K-PAK  Intense Hydrator. I use it every time I wash my hair and it always leaves it feeling so soft and nourished. Also, RPR's Themal Defense Spray soley for the wildberry scent. It's A-MAZ-ING!

How often do you wash your hair?
Once a week. It helps the colour last longer and means my hair wont dry out.

How often do you go to the hairdresser?
Never as often as I should. Maybe every four months. Because my hair's styled up so often I lose track of when it needs a cut!

Which celebrity always has great hair?
Paloma Faith.



I'm unsure whether she's wearing a wig or not in this particular picture but regardless her hairstyles are always brilliant and she knows how to maintain a vibrant red.

Fashion...
Describe your style in 3 words.
Playful, romantic and intricate.   

Do trends have any impact on how you dress?
Only in the sense that they sometimes restrict the fashion pieces available for me to buy.

What shoes do you wear most often?
Apart from my Shape-ups (for work) I'd say I wear my black, suede boots the most. They're kind of in between a runner and a casual boot. They have zips, buckles and laces and are extremely comfortable. Great to dance in too! 

How many pairs do you own?
24 pairs. That's including a couple of pairs in storage though.

What is your most worn article of clothing?
Tights! I have possibly the biggest and brightest collection known to man. I would say I wear the mustard coloured pair most often though.

What is your favourite colour to wear?
Just one? Oh boy. I'm going to say purple.

What is your most expensive article of clothing?
My strapless, teal, tulle Betsey Johnson cupcake dress. It's magical! 

Do you have a favourite designer?
See above.

What is your favourite chain store to shop at?
Forever New.

Do you have an op-shop gem?
My cropped leather and faux fur zip-up jacket. Such a find. I'll admit, at $40 it wasn't the cheapest thing I've ever found at an op-shop but it's definitely the best quality item of clothing I've found.

Do you have a favourite piece of jewellery?
I have a long silver necklace with a rabbit pendent with a pearl hanging off it in place of it's tail. I wear it so much it's now beginning to tarnish.

Finish this sentence : "I can't live without my..."
Dresses! I'm a bit of a girly girl.

What item of clothing do you feel the most comfortable in?
I have a black, button-up, hooded, mid-thigh length coat that's been a staple in my wardrobe for ages. It can be thrown on over most outfits and is nice and cuddly in winter.

What item of clothing do you receive the most comments
on from other people?
My bright red, chinese print, underbust, steel-boned corset from Victoian Gothic. And rightly so! It's amazing.

Which celebrity always has great style?
I'm going to have to say Paloma Faith again!



She's not afraid of colour and unusual designs but at the same time she keeps it girly and sophisticated. Plus even though there's a very definite nod to vintage glamour she tweaks it enough to make it her own. She's remarkable.

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Let's Kick This Baby Off!

Ok, the title may have been a little too much, too soon.

My first post is merely a heads up for the next few weeks during which, like most bloggers, I will be attempting to use my far-from-technically-apt brain to tweak my page. There will be swearing. There will be items propelled across the room. There will be bribes for my computer savvy friends. Hopefully though, I will come out the other side with a nice, simple, easy to navigate page of delight.

On a side note I am thrilled to be starting this blog! Only a small collection of people in my life share my enthusiasm for getting dolled up, trying new products and playing around with diffrent looks. So this will be a nice little way of sharing my thoughts and possibly hearing what you guys think also.

Right on!