Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Brisbane Hair & Make Up

It's no secret; I adore fashion. But even more - I love all things beauty. Yesterday was the second last evening of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Brisbane, which featured my favourite hair & make up look from the whole week.

Models strutted the runway for the Mercedes-Benz Group Show with sultry make up looks by Napoleon Perdis. Brown smokey eyes, strong eyebrows, nude lips and defined contouring was perfectly complimented with wispy up-styled hair by Schwarzkopf.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Brisbane Bridal

This past week I have had the opportunity to intern at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Brisbane. While working the event last night I was offered a front row seat to the Monili Jewellers group show, which of course I could not pass up. The bridal group show featured Brides Desire by Wendy Sullivan, Bertossi Brides, Darb Bridal Couture, Rayner Lee, the funky George Wu and my favourite, Jack Sullivan Bridal. Who could not love the princess-y dresses by Darb Couture, the intricate detail by Jack Sullivan and the edgy designs by George Wu. In no particular order, here are some of my favourites of the night.

Intern Attire - Monochrome

The inspiration behind my intern outfit for the first day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Brisbane - loving my MAC Crosswires lipstick. Excited for the second night tonight!

Beauty Body Products For Shower Time

When I go shopping, I almost always leave with some sort of body wash. I think I tell myself it doesn't count as 'shopping' because soap is an essential. Today I am going to show you guys the body-related contents of my shower.

I am cheating a bit because the very first product isn't actually used inside the shower - it's a body brush. In short - dry body brushing is a form of exfoliating, read more here. I like to do this when I remember on a regular basis before my nightly shower. The second 'tool' I couldn't go without is this exfoliating mitt - there is a rough side for your body and a softer side I use to wash my face. Both these items can be found at Priceline.

On the topic of exfoliating, I will start with body scrubs. Chances are by now you will know all about Frank body scrub and its benefits, however I do have a post reviewing it here. I am nearly out and decided I will be repurchasing Frank. Another product that I am nearly out of, Radox Revive shower gel. This gel has micro exfoliating beads, and smells so zingy and fresh - perfect for an early morning 'wake me up' shower. The Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub is a must have item which I have already repurchased- it is the perfect pre-tan scrub as it doesn't leave any residue on the skin. The newest addition to the shower is the Palmolive Coconut Scrub, which I bought purely based on the scent (I am a bit coco for coconuts right now). So far I really enjoy it as it is exfoliating, yet still moisturising.

As you can see with my shower gel, there is a very recurring scent (and colour) - pink berries! The I Love… body wash is my favourite, and sadly discontinued at Target (so if anyone knows where else to find this brand?). It smells good enough to eat! Plus the smell lingers on your skin, my boyfriend always comments after I've used this in the shower. A close second to the I Love… gel is the Original Source Vanilla & Raspberry shower gel. This smells like a milkshake, but sadly doesn't linger on the skin. At under $3 it is a winner though! The last one, although pink too, has a bit of a different scent. The Radox Uplifting shower gel is great for when you need… well to be uplifted. With grapefruit and basil, it is such a fresh, zingy scent.

This last product I have, I've only used once but I wanted to mention it anyway. I think it is quite a great idea for for summer. This Nivea In-Shower Conditioner is like a moisturiser you use in the shower. It leaves your skin soft and moisturised, without that lotion residue. As I said, perfect for the humid summer heat!

And thats the body related contents of my shower, maybe I'll do some haircare soon!

Intern Outfit Inspiration

This is the look I am going for today, my first day at a new fashion marketing event & PR internship  - wish me luck! x

Massive Collective Beauty Haul

I have been doing a lot of shopping.. more than I should be, as I will be earning less now that University is back in full swing. Sharing my purchases on the blog always makes me feel a little less guilty, so here are my recent beauty and make up purchases. Brought to you from my South African trip and also Priceline's recent 40% off skincare sale.

Above are three cleansing products I have recently purchased. Both the Bioderma and St.Ives scrub are repurchases, and products that I would not be able to get by without. I use Bioderma daily to remove my make up (which I follow with Cetaphil cleanser).  I also picked up The Body Shop Camomile cleansing butter after I received a sample. I don't use this on an everyday basis, but it is a great product for when you need to remove a full face of make up.

Serums are my favourite, and most expensive, part of my skincare regime. This is my third tube of Indeed Laboratories Hydraluron serum, it is all kinds of amazing for dry skin like mine. I use it every morning under my moisturiser and I can honestly say it makes a huge difference in my skins' all over appearance. Also from Indeed Laboratories is the Fade To Bright brightening treatment. I have been using this product for about a week but I can't say I have seen any amazing changes to my skin (I will report back after more use).

I recently wrote a post about the Antipodes Mini's (view it here) in which I mentioned I was looking to purchase a full size Joyous serum, and I finally did after much hesitation. The serum retails for AU$85.99, which for me is A LOT of money, however I did pick this up when Priceline had their 40% off skincare sale. The serum does come in a 30ml size, which is a lot of product considering you only need to use a few drops. I use the Antipodes Joyous Protein Rich Serum as a night oil under my moisturiser, which leaves me with plump, fresh, glowing skin in the AM.

I have very dry skin, however I do sometimes get oily on my forehead, which causes blackheads along my hairline and T-zone. I decided to try out the Biore Self-Heating Charcoal Mask next time I get these bad breakouts. From Asian beauty company Luxola, I got the Vita Bight Skin Renewal Mask. There are a variety of these masks available but I thought it is best to try one before I buy from the rest of the range and this one seemed least likely to cause skin irritation. I am thinking of doing a post all about facial masks soon.

On to the other random skincare bits: sunscreen, moisturiser and a body scrub. I'm hoping because of the lightweight texture of the La Roche-Posay sunscreen I will be more motivated to wear sunscreen on my face on an everyday basis. Being in my twenties I am becoming more active in preventing ageing, and I think protection from the sun is the most important factor. The second sunscreen is a face spray that I got as a sample from my Luxola order. It contains SPF45 and would be perfect as a beach touch up sunscreen when you can't use your hands to rub sunscreen in.

Since I am so big on serums, I have found that a simple facial moisturiser works best and I love this one from Palmer's. It works well with my dry, sensitive skin but is still lightweight. The last two products here speak for themselves, Vaseline spray body moisturiser (which I love for hot, sticky summer days) and the Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub (perfect for pre- fake tan).

104 Buffer Brush $20.59 / 106 Powder Brush $18.00 / 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek Brush $18.87 / 232 Classic Shader $12.00 / Tweezerman Mini Slant Tweezer $18.87

 I haven't bought make up brushes in a long time! I made a Sigma order about three years ago and still use most of those brushes. So when I heard beauty guru's rave about these Zoeva brushes, and saw their crazy affordable prices, I had to get some. I only got these four brushes to start with, but I think I will be buying more.

The only two make up purchases, how surprising! I got the MAC lippie in South Africa, and I really wish I got more because it worked out at less than AU$20! The lipstick is called Crosswires, it is a Cremesheen, muted red (less bright than it is showing up in the photo). I love it because it is low-maintanace and easy to wear. I also caved and bought the Chi Chi Bases palette that I have been wanting for a long time now. The colours are very pink-based and reminds me of the Naked3 palette.

I have also been doing way too much clothes shopping, so there will hopefully be a follow up post soon!