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Thursday, March 13, 2014
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Love it: MOR’s Jardinière home fragrance collection
Coming complete with an invitation to “breathe in the
fragrance of bygone times and relax in your own secret garden,” the
always-incredible MOR have recently released their Jardinière Collection - and
what a treat it is.
Inspired by the secret gardens and carefully considered
conservatories of bygone eras, Jardinière features three luxe scents that are
available as soy wick candles and diffusers. True to MOR’s usual modus operandi,
the products are decadent and beautifully designed inside and out, and it seems
almost a crime to remove them from their exquisite hiding places!
With a burn time of 60 hours, the soy wax candle has a great
fragrance throw and a 100 per cent cotton, lead-free wick; while the reed
diffuser disperses fragrance continually for up to six months thanks to its quality
blend of natural vegetable-based ethanols and the rattan reed sticks that
perfume efficiently and evenly. Both come in gorgeous glass vessels
that are finished with decals in the scent’s signature colour and, in the case
of the reed diffuser oil, a glass stopper finished with a hand-tied ribbon and
pretty fragrance tag. Too beautiful and very MOR.
The three fragrances are all very different but equally
delicious, with La Serre a delicate evergreen offering, La Bohemienne a
fruity-floral mix, and my personal favourite, Le Maroc, a spicy hit of
Marrakech without the need to board a plane.
These babies make for the perfect gifting option but I say
pick some up for yourself too - this collection is simply too good not to enjoy
alone or with a friend!
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Love it: Ecoya’s new Celebration candle
I recently lost a close friend, and despite the awfulness of
the circumstances I knew not long after that what I most wanted to do was
celebrate her life. It was a life lived well, and some of her favourite things
were great wine, seriously fabulous shoes and scented candles.
It was around the same time that I was sent Ecoya’s newest
candle release - Celebration. The timing could not have been more perfect, and
it was immediately put to work honouring an amazing woman.
The company created the beautiful white candle “to
celebrate, commemorate, honour, congratulate, or create a memory anew”, and it
is a wonder to behold. With up to 70 hours burn time, the breathtaking new
candle is housed in an elegant, white cut glass jar and presented in a refined
silver and white gift box with a simple ‘XO’ print and the timeless message
‘With Love’ highlighting the box. It goes without saying that it is made using natural
soy wax and plant-based waxes, rather than the paraffin bi-product of the
petroleum industry. All of the
company’s soy wax candles create significantly less carbon emissions than most
other candles and offer a burn time up to a third longer, as well as burning
cooler than other waxes. They also have candlewicks are made from pure led-free
cotton.
The fragrance was created by ECOYA ‘nose’ and Master
Perfumer Isaac Sinclair, and has the freshness of citrus and leafy green notes
to create a warm, mossy floral heart, atop a rich, creamy base of Sandalwood,
Vanilla, Balsam and Musk. It is beautiful and unique and I for one can’t get
enough.
"Lighting a candle provides an opportunity to create
those moments in time that are destined to never be forgotten,” said Sinclair, “one
note of a half forgotten fragrance is enough to place us at the heart
of every moment ever lived – be it birth, life, love or death.” Amen
to that! I highly recommend you find a person, an occasion or a moment to
celebrate with this beauty, and ASAP. Just gorgeous.
The ECOYA Celebration candle is in store late March.
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Tuesday, March 11, 2014
What a steal: Nivea In-Shower Smooth Lotion
I haven’t laid hands on a good beauty ‘steal’ for a while,
but the brand spanking new Nivea In-Shower Smooth Lotion is most definitely one
- as well as a bit of a godsend for busy people.
The newest edition to the global mega brand’s range of
in-shower moisturisers – all designed to indulge and moisturise dry skin in the
comfort of your shower - it is rich in shea butter and specially formulated to
nourish dry, parched skin. And as well as smelling pretty delicious - think vanilla,
white musk and sandalwood notes - it absorbs incredibly fast, making it the
perfect companion for your morning shower.
The four steps to this baby’s use are:
1. WASH – cleanse with shower gel as usual and rinse off
2. APPLY – stepping back from the shower stream, apply NIVEA
In-Shower Body Lotion. You can go crazy a bit here too - you’ll be amazed how
quickly it rubs in.
3. RINSE – the caring formula is immediately absorbed by
your skin. Rinse off.
4. READY – dry off and get dressed immediately! Too easy…
Arriving in April, these tubes of goodness will set you back
a teeny tiny $9.49 - making them most definitely a timesaver AND a right steal!
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Beauty news: M.A.C Cosmetics x Lorde
It’s news that hasn’t come as a
huge surprise to many give a) her unique beauty and b) her close relationship
with the super talented Senior Artist Amber Dreadon, but that doesn’t dull how
damn exciting it is that Lorde will be collaborating on a limited edition
collection!
The New Zealand teen phenomenon’s
collab will be sold at all authorized M.A.C locations throughout New Zealand, exclusively
on MACcosmetics.com, and at select M.A.C Cosmetics stores globally in Winter
2014. Lorde has been using the mega brand’s products for quite some time and
working with them since 2013, so it was a natural fit. Her official statement
was: "I have loved M.A.C Cosmetics since I was a little kid. I remember
saving up to buy my very first M.A.C lipstick [Snob] at 14, and it was used by
about 20 of my friends! M.A.C has a very clear aesthetic that has always felt
fashion forward to me. So I was really excited to work with them on these
products, which I use pretty much every day and night. I hope you will
too."
M.A.C Senior Artist Amber D has a
longstanding relationship as Lorde's makeup artist, working on her amazing tour
looks and videos, as well as her looks at the 2014 Grammy Awards and Brit
Awards. “One of the great things about Lorde is that she is accessible and
relatable to people her own age,” she said, “her look and style are a testament
to just that.”
Bring it on!
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Monday, March 10, 2014
Love it: Manuka Doctor ApiNourish Foot & Heel Cream
The beginning of Autumn is all about coping with seasonal
change on the beauty front and getting ready to hunker down for the cool
months. It’s when you start to address things that have maybe needed a little
extra TLC over the last little while, which for me is often my feet! I usually
spend summer barefoot or in trainers or Havaianas, and my poor old tootsies are
starting to look a little worse for wear. I often have a few foot soothing
treats on hand when I finally get a chance to look after them, and have to
admit that there are a lot of products out there claiming a lot more than they deliver.
Thankfully, my new best friend - AKA Manuka Doctor ApiNourish Foot & Heel
Cream - is not one of them!
Harnessing the skin rewarding, all good powers of UMF 18+
Manuka Honey, this tube of foot-loving goodness from Manuka Doctor is a super
rich and beautiful to use moisture rich formula that pretty much instantly
nourishes the skin on your feet. After just one application (and a night
wrapped in socks) my feet looked transformed, and have only got better.
Great when lathered on an the end of the day, ApiNourish
Foot & Heel Cream has a cooling effect from the addition of peppermint to
its formula, whilst moisturising Shea Butter and Avocado Oil leave feet feeling
soft, supple and just plain soothed. It’s definitely a winner in my book, and
at $19.75 for 75ml won’t break the bank. Love it!
For stockists visit www.manukadr.co.nz or
phone 09 300-3025.
All about: the Pureology Strength Cure collection
I love the Pureology range of “good for
you, good for your hair and good for the environment” range of high performance
haircare products, which are amongst the best on the market for those that like
their beauty with a conscience. Jim Markham created the Pureology haircare line
in Irvine, California in 2001. The very clever chap revolutionized colour care
and gave it a moral compass, launching the first 100 per cent Vegan formulas
and ZeroSulfate shampoos for colour-treated hair to an eager audience of consumers
much like myself. Jim identified a need among professional colourists and their
clients for gentle, naturally based products that deliver superior performance
and keep your colour looking great for longer, and today, Pureology is the
number one colour care brand in the USA. And as an added bonus, the company are
committed to delivering superior hair colour care through the most indulgent
products and services, while preserving and promoting environmental
sustainability.
The core values of Jim and his team have led the company to
become one of the first prestigious haircare brands that embraces and pioneers
sustainability. “We continuously strive to achieve the most decadent experience
while preserving our environment with sustainable practices,” they say, which
is about as eco luxe as it gets!
They have several systems on offer
depending on your hair type, the latest release being the Pureology Strength
Cure collection, the first hair cure for what they have termed “micro-scarred,
damaged, colour-treated hair”. Its beautifully luxe, super formula works by
restructuring the hair from the core to provide velvety, smooth locks. The
collection features their brand new “Asta-Repair” technology with Astaxanthin -
a nature-derived antioxidant that ensures colour preservation even in the
weakest hair fibre. Astaxanthin was first sourced for use by Fuji scientists in
the film industry as a way to preserve the quality of light-sensitive particles
in photographic films. Now, for the first time, the potent antioxidant has been
used in a hair care range, and the results are apparently amazing.
Strength Cure’s formula envelops the hair’s
strands in a smooth coating, to provide the perfect balance of strength and
velvety softness, and the collection consists of five strengthening and
repairing products. The star product - Strength Cure Fabulous Lengths - helps
breakage-prone, colour-treated hair reach unimaginable lengths, and it is most
definitely the one that got me excited. Far too many times I’ve lopped off my
long locks for the sake of hair health and condition, but with this on board
now I’m all for the big grow! Strength Cure Fabulous Lengths helps break
through the hair growth plateau, the luxurious serum strengthening the fibre
from within to decrease breakage and take colour and strength to new lengths.
Magic!
Also in the range is a cleansing,
reparative shampoo, a rich conditioner, restorative hair masque and the Split
End Salve, which is a leave-in split end smoothing treatment with healing
formula to help strengthen and prevent further damage.
The Strength Cure collection is available
from selected professional salons from March 2014.
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Friday, March 7, 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Love it: hair at makeup at the Chanel Ready-to-Wear Fall-Winter 2014
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There has been much talk of the set dressing choice by
Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld for the labels’ recent Fall-Winter 2014 foray in Paris,
and with good reason. The Chanel creative director transformed his catwalk into
a high-end supermarket all in the name of fashion, whilst ‘it’ face Cara
Delevingne, a favourite of the French fashion house, and Chanel newcomer and
fashion's new darling (and little sister of Kim Kardashian) Kendall Jenner
pulled the media attention firmly into place.
I fell in love with the beauty look however, which was sheer
perfection. Unique and beautiful as per the usual Chanel brief, make-up and
hair was kept simple with pops of colour.
Skin was flawless with subtle hints of blush to define
cheekbones and a wash of pink lipstick to showcase the flamboyant clothes in
all their glory. The base was The Complexion Perfection Lumiere Velvet - a new
foundation arriving soon - topped with Poudre Universelle Libre Loose Powder
and Correcteur Perfection Concealer where needed. Joues Contraste Powder Blush
in "Canaille" was used for a healthy flush.
It was only right that brows were big and bold when the
queen of brows herself Cara, was there and they perfectly framed the colourful
eyelids. They were tidied and defined using the likes of Le Crayon Sourcils
Precision Brow Definer, whilst Illusion D’Ombre crème eye shadow in "Epatant"
and "Fantasme" provided the perfect base for flat tints of pink,
green, orange and dark red (not for sale), which were applied with the Chanel
brushes N°13 and N°15
Lips were slicked with Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip
Colour in Charmeuse" and "Conquise", or Rouge Coco Hydrating
Crème Lip Colour in "Chéri". Nails were nude perfection in Le Vernis
Nail Polish "Ballerina".
Sam McKnight was in charge of creating the eccentric hair
look, incorporating crimped extensions and Chanel tweed rags into sleek high
ponytails. He explained how he created the chic, tweed dreadlock hairstyle
thus: “I exaggerated a simple pony and blew it up in proportion and detail,
incorporating crimped extensions, braided hair in multicoloured Chanel tweed rags,
lace and pearls.” He used Fudge Salt Spray to create a dry volume, which was then
crimped randomly, woven and braided with the Chanel fabrics, and fastened at the
base with one of the woven braids.
Stunning.
Photos: Vincent Lappartient for CHANEL
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Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Beauty destination: Lucy & The Powder Room for Autumn Hour
Despite many a protestation, if you live in the Southern
Hemisphere then you’ll be well aware that Autumn - AKA Fall - is most
definitely here. In the past I’ve tried to fight it but really there is nothing
feel good about shivering in a bikini in the wind, so this year I am all about
embracing change and all of the natural goodness that Autumn brings.
It helps that one of the first things I did was spend some
time at Lucy & The Powder Room at Takapuna’s Department Store to experience
their latest seasonal promotion, the Autumn Hour.
The Powder Room has decided to create “the ultimate package
to get you fully rejuvenated, primed and nourished… just in time for the colder
months,” and what a package it is.
It begins with a Synergie facial treatment tailored to what
your skin needs at the time (in my case, a moisture-packed kick up the arse) that
will give your skin a power kick with a cocktail of lipids, super charged
bio-available antioxidants and a pumped up dose of vitamin C. I almost floated
off into a bit of a nap in the process, coming to with deliciously glowing
skin.
Next up I was off the table and out to the pedicure station,
where an Epsom Salt foot soak was waiting for my tired out, post-summer
tootsies. A scrub and a stimulating foot massage with Sans [ceuticals] Goji
Cleansing oil later and I was all set for a nail shape and polish with Zoya’s
beautiful nude tone, Avery.
I left feeling like a million bucks and seriously prepped
and ready for a little seasonal change. To winter I say - bring it! The whole
shebang will set you back just $110 for 60 minutes of bliss, after which you
will be more than ready to face the elements. To find out more and for booking
details call (09) 488 0585.
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