Daily delight: Kim Kardashian for KKW Beauty's Mattes Collection

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All about: the M·A·C Love Me Lipstick Collection

Yesterday was the rainiest, moodiest day, so when I was lucky enough to get a delivery of some new beauties to play with from the new M·A·C Love Me Lipstick Collection it’s safe to say that my frown was instantly turned upside down! Reportedly created to “express the love and respect you have for yourself”, it will sweep you off your feet and then some. 

Doing a little research on the collection, I discovered that it’s a lipstick collection with none other than Mary J. Blige as a collaborator, which gets a MAJOR tick from me. MJB is a M·A·C fan from way back, and epitomises the independent spirit behind their vibe as a brand. The Love Me lipstick collection - which is made up of a whopping 24 lipsticks - includes MJB's ultimate pick: a light, pinky-nude called French Silk. According to M·A·C, it features the perfect combination of brown, peach, and pink undertones, flatters a wide range of complexions, and has a lightweight formula that's silky, with a moisturising satin finish. Sound like you? I know it definitely sounds like me. "I love a nude lip because it's just effortless and it doesn't fight with everything that's going on," Blige said in a statement to Allure about why she chose the shade. "Even if you're all glammed up, there's something about a neutral lip that makes you look younger."

But back to the collection as a whole, which features a revolutionary new cream formula that has been designed to be the next step beyond the iconic M·A·C mattes – representing a stunning innovation in sensation, application and wear. With a lighter-than-air texture that redefines wear-all-day comfort, Love Me Lipstick delivers intense colour and soft shine, along with all-day moisturisation in one sassy swipe.

Nourishing lychee fruit extract and Argan oil are two of the ingredients that are included in there to deliver immediate and long-term suppleness to lips, while the collection’s game-changing True-Colour Gelled System enables ultra-refined pigments to disperse evenly in a translucent gel matrix, yielding bright and smooth colour with high-impact payoff.

“This season, the backstage lip was nothing but lush,” says Chantel Miller, New York-based M·A·C Director of Senior Artists.  “To get there, it’s no longer about just a single lip swipe, but rather a crafted lip – emboldening the feature by using pencils and even glosses to amplify contrast.” Best used straight from the bullet (love that), it is recommended that they are layered on top of Prep + Prime Lip (to build that coverage in double time) and then perfectly lined and glossed.

The shade lineup is:

VANITY BONFIRE Vibrant hot pink

FRENCH SILK Light pinky nude

DADDY’S GIRL Soft, light pink

TRES BLASE Light peachy beige

UNDER THE COVERS Dusty rose pink

AS IF I CARE Deep mauvey pink

DGAF Chocolate

COFFEE & CIGS Greyish brown

MY LITTLE SECRET Bright pink coral

YOU’RE SO VAIN Fuchsia pink

NINE LIVES Deep magenta

SHAMELESSLY VAIN Bright orange

GIVE ME FEVER Vivid true red

JOIE DE VIVRE Deep plum

E FOR EFFORTLESS Burnt deep red

MAISON ROUGE Burgundy red

LAISSEZ-FAIRE Muted greyish pink

PURE NONCHALANCE Lavender

MON COEUR Deep rosy pink

HEY, FRENCHIE! Deep mauvey nude

BATED BREATH Warm pinky brown

KILLING ME SOFTLY Mauvey plum

LA FEMME Deep eggplant purple

LET THEM EAT CAKE! Electric lavender

These beauties are on counter now and quite literally, on fire. Head to a M·A·C location near you and dive right in!

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Daily delight: Candice Swanepoel for Vogue Hong Kong

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Love it: Trilogy Rosehip Transformation Cleansing Oil

When the temperature drops, it’s a good idea to bring out the big guns when it comes to skincare. And if you’ve got skin that’s on the dry side all year round, boost yourself up with some nourishing oils to keep your largest organ looking and feeling as hydrated as possible whenever and wherever you need it. Anyone that checks in here regularly will know that I’m a huge fan of oils - body oils, hair oils and facials oils - and love the fact that nine times out of ten, they are brilliant multi-taskers and are great travel companions too.

Cleansing your face with one is a given with me, but for many oil may seem counterintuitive, especially for those who associate it with breakouts and the like. Well it just ain’t true, and there are more and more great oil-based cleansers arriving on the market all the time that are making their way into bathroom cabinets across the globe.

Cleansing your skin is one of the most important parts of the skincare regimen, and it’s always a good idea to track down a richer, heavier cleanser when the temperature plummets. It can definitely help address the dryness that comes with the cooler air and when used correctly can make a real difference to your skin’s health and wellbeing. Cleansing removes makeup, dirt and debris from the skin. It also helps to cleanse pores (hair follicles actually) of dead skin cells and sebum to help prevent acne. For ageing skin, a cleansing oil can be a great way to help remove makeup, dirt and debris and also to help fight off free radicals that actually cause skin to age quicker. 

One key element to maintaining great skin over winter is keeping your barrier intact, and when it comes to skincare, for me that means starting things off right with a rich but gentle cleansing oil. My current favourite is a stellar performer that definitely won’t break the bank, and comes in the form of Trilogy’s Rosehip Transformation Cleansing Oil. A certified natural, super silky and lush feeling pure plant cleansing oil, it’s a little wonder that effortlessly melts away make-up and any impurities simply and gently. One of the many formulas out there that transforms from an oil to cleansing milk when emulsified with water, it also comes enriched with nourishing rosehip, sweet almond and papaya so that it cleanses skin without stripping any of the good stuff and leaves things feeling soft, hydrated and perfectly clean.

To use, gently massage a few pumps into skin then mix with a few drops of water to emulsify. If makeup is particularly stubborn a double cleanse may be the go, but either way, leave it a few seconds and then rinse with water and a soft face cloth.

Highly recommended, this baby is on counter now and believe me, your skin will love you for it.

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Daily delight: Rihanna for Savage x Fenty

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Fragrance Friday: introducing Curionoir ’s Curiosity Set

We all have different reasons for stopping to add that mist of perfume before leaving the house – it’s a tool for seduction, can evoke happy memories and just add an extra element of individualism to the way you approach your day.

The current winter season doesn't just invite the opportunity to overhaul your wardrobe, but also your scent arsenal. With a bounty of uniquely beautiful fragrance options on offer, it's a good time to reconsider your scent and perhaps discover a new favourite for the cooler days. From the bottles to the base notes, winter-friendly fragrances are a celebration of the bold, and I am all for a statement scent.

Coco Chanel once said that a woman should apply perfume in the areas where she would like to be kissed, but the experts generally agree that the "pulse points" are the optimal spot. These are locations on the body where the blood vessels are closest to the skin, and as these spots emanate heat, they help fragrance to travel from your skin into the air. Experts say to apply your perfume to these points - namely, the inner wrists, the base of the throat, behind ear lobes, in the cleavage, behind knees, and the inner elbows – and this is where I most enjoy applying my favourites from the beautiful Curionoir collection. As well as a couple of larger bottles, I have more than a few of the brand’s Pocket Parfums, which are perfect for on the go and even more so for travel. They are also a great ways to play with a new scent before making a commitment, and make beautiful gifts for fans of the brand old, and new.

With this in mind, this October Curionoir is releasing the Curiosity Set, a beautifully boxed offering that contains five of their best selling Pocket Parfums; Tobacco Night, Diaphanous, Cellar Feels, Opia and Dark Bouquet. Encased in Curionoir ’s signature ‘muddy mauve’ box, which is 100 per cent recyclable, this set of most sought after offerings in their petit pocket sized bottles will be available in store, online and from all retailers from October 1st for $195. If you’re unfamiliar with these heady and hypnotic fragrances, a brief run down follows…

Tobacco Night: herbaceous and leathery. Inspired by the lingering scent from a smoked tobacco pipe with notes of sage, coriander, dried tobacco leaves, elemi, amber and musk.

Diaphanous: fresh, floral and ambery. Inspired by the bewildering emotion of clarity with notes of mandarin, saffron, sambac jasmine, narcissus absolute, cayenne pepper and amber.

Cellar Feels: fruits in the woods with leather. Inspired by the scents and dust in a wine cellar with notes of, apple, blac k tea leaves, orange, lavendin super, matē, nutmeg, grape leaves, cedar wood, tree moss and atlas cedar wood.

Opia: resinous, balsams and the wood. Inspired by the emotion one feels when you make eye contact. Pupils black, glittering and bottomless, with notes of rhubarb, red berries, oud wood absolute, cedar wood, sandalwood, labdanum.

Dark Bouquet: earth and flowers. Inspired by the undergrowth of a citrus orchard, with notes of orange flower, jasmine, cypress and vetiver.

So there you go – the newest from one of New Zealand’s most luxurious home and beauty brands, and perfect for gifting or as a gift to self. 

www.curionoir.com

76a Ponsonby Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland

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Daily delight: Angelina Jolie for Elle US

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All about: Elizabeth Arden Great 8™ Moisturizer and Sunscreen SPF 35

Pretty much every woman I know is familiar with Elizabeth Arden’s world famous Eight Hour Cream, which now has a skincare collection built around it that regularly gets some stellar reviews. The latest tool they’ve added to the Eight Hour arsenal is called Great 8™ Daily Defense Moisturizer Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 35, and it’s a true a do-it-all beauty multi-tasker like its original namesake that serves as your trusted skincare sidekick for wherever life takes you.  As an extension to the iconic Eight Hour line, it works triple duty as a primer, moisturiser and SPF.  More than just your average moisturiser, more than an SPF, the brand calls Great 8™ “your all-in-one protector and perfector”.  How cute is that? 

As per the name, it comes packed with 8 benefits in one simple step, protecting against the damaging effects of sun, blue light, infrared and pollution, as it hydrates, purifies, brightens and fights excess oil.  Its super high performance – and unique – ingredient deck is pretty cool too, and includes:

African Whitewood Tree Bark Extract: Visibly reduces oil on skin and the appearance of pores 

Deep Sea Organism Ferment: Derived from an ocean organism that thrives under extreme conditions, it helps protect, calm and soothe skin from harsh environmental exposure

White Horehound Flower Extract: Helps neutralise oxidative stress on skin’s surface and helps reduce the signs of aging, while also protecting from effects of pollution and blue light

Vitamin E Analog: Purifies skin for a more radiant look

Clary Sage: Brightens and evens skin tone 

Japanese Bloodgrass Extract: Provides long- lasting hydration by attracting water to the surface of the skin

Great 8™ is ideal for all skin types, and its semi-translucent, lightweight gel formula literally melts into the skin on contact leaving no white cast or residue. The light as air finish really is a winner under all kinds of makeup too – from mineral to liquid and powder formulas and more. 

With an RRP of $69 and available right now, this beauty really is a no-brainer if you’re after a no-nonsense, great moisturiser and sunblock with a multi-pronged approach. It comes highly recommended.

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Daily delight: Dakota Fanning for PORTER Edit

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All about: Van Cleef & Arpels Santal Blanc

The cooler months are for me the ideal time to search out a new fragrance, and a time when slightly headier options are the perfect fit. Lucky for me I was just gifted a bottle of Van Cleef & Arpels’ sublime new fragrance, Santal Blanc and it definitely ticks all the boxes when it comes to an unashamedly sexy yet still super chic scent.

Santal Blanc marks the time when the joys of sandalwood officially join the brand’s Collection Extraordinaire of luxe scents, with the ingredient reinvented by legendary perfumer Michel Almairac. Originating from New Caledonia, sandalwood is a rare variety discovered by Western perfumery during the 19th century. Since then, perfumers have not ceased to tire of its unique, warm and velvety aroma.

Santal Blanc is a creamy milky woody perfume, and a very wearable one at that. It is composed of a precious balsamic sandalwood essence and is the perfect balance between what the brand calls “authenticity and olfactive excellence”. The sandalwood essence is a soothing, relaxing scent, and superbly balanced by the careful addition of a little citrus. Grasse-born Almairac says that he always sought to create “a woody, milky fragrance, more sophisticated than gourmand,” and Santal Blanc is most definitely that. 

The layered, textured fragrance is intended to evoke a type of “white material”, enhancing the most delicate and cottony facets of sandalwood. And for the first time, the iconic Collection Extraordinaire bottle is lacquered in immaculate white to reflect that. “I wanted to recreate the sensation of a soft, soothing wood oil,” says Almairac. “Sandalwood, with its creamy texture, was an obvious choice in my mind because it subconsciously evokes the idea of a pure and tender white. To accentuate this facet as much as possible, I added a note of fig milk and a powdery musk accord.” 

This alchemy is what makes this scent such a winner for me, and one that I have worn pretty much daily since receiving it. I’m such a fan of spicy, woody scents but this has won me over with its stunningly complex yet soft and wearable approach. If you’re looking for your own new signature scent for the season then this comes highly recommended.

Van Cleef & Arpels Santal Blanc is available now at Smith & Caughey’s and Ballantynes department stores, with an RRP of $230.

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Daily delight: Alessandra Ambrosio for Vogue Greece

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Beauty news: Mānuka Health enters the world of beauty supplements

They say what you put on your skin is only half the story, and ingestible beauty products are huge right now. Part of that is due to the endless flogging of them on Instagram by Women In Stretchy Pants, and part is due to the fact that for some people, they really do work.

In 2014 Elle Macpherson launched The Super Elixir, a supplement produced by WelleCo, the wellness company she co-founded. Taking two teaspoonfuls a day of the green powder is supposed to increase vitality, aid digestion, and ostensibly, give you Macpherson's bod, all thanks to the fact that it keeps your body running at an alkaline level. Alkalinity basically means that everything is working optimally, so in theory, you should expect better skin as an added bonus. Many I know have applauded its ability to control bloating, but at $169 for a 300g caddy it’s somewhat of an investment. 

Since the growth in the beauty supplement industry has really taken hold, some local brands have created their own solutions with some solid results – and an attractive price point. Mānuka Health – which was founded way back in 2006 – is the latest name to join the category, developing a whole new category of dietary supplements that leverages the benefits of New Zealand Bee Propolis and Royal Jelly. Combined with other researched natural ingredients, they work hard to support some common modern health concerns. These include the perils of blue light damage from over exposure to digital devices, healthy skin aging, and year round immune support. 

The new range utilises the magic of the aforementioned Propolis, which is a product made by bees using plant resin that is used to protect the hive. New Zealand’s unique environment produces plants rich in bioactive compounds, making New Zealand Propolis one of the most potent in the world. It’s full on antioxidants and is a bit of a hero ingredient in many Mānuka Health products. 

Mānuka Health Vision Shield is one of the key new releases, and has been developed to provide essential nutrients to support the eyes from damage and strain associated with screen use and blue light exposure. Vision Shield has been formulated with scientifically researched FloraGlo® Lutein which is backed by more than 20 years of research and is hailed as the most trusted lutein brand globally. FloraGlo® Lutein paired with Zeaxanthin, provides the essential antioxidants needed in the eyes to support protection against light damage.  This powerful ingredient is then complemented by the natural protector, New Zealand Propolis. 

Mānuka Health Beauty Enhancer is the pick for those of you keen to support the health of your skin round the clock, and aims to promote skin radiance and plumpness. It lends support for ageing skin and can address the likes of pigmentation and skin elasticity, as well as providing protection from damaging free radicals. It has been developed with an advanced form of hydrolysed collagen that is more bioavailable and bioactive than other forms of collagen, making it easily absorbed. It also helps the skin’s own collagen metabolism, increasing moisture in the skin (bonus!) over time and delaying the formation of lines and wrinkles (love it). The combination of this beauty powerhouse, with the magic of Royal Jelly, results in a high performing addition to your beauty regime. Also included in this powerful blend is Evening Primrose Oil, Grape Seed extract, Biotin, Vitamin C and Zinc. 

Vision Shield has an RRP of $49.99 for 60 capsules, while Beauty Enhancer costs $65.99 for 120.

To find out more visit www.manukahealth.co.nz.

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Daily delight: Rihanna for Harper’s Bazaar China

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All about: Shiseido Ultimune Eye Power Infusing Eye Concentrate

Some beauty insiders call them an afterthought, but I believe that a skincare regime isn’t complete without a great eye serum, gel or cream. The skin around the eyes is the thinnest you’ll find on your body as well as having fewer oil glands than the rest of the face, so needs extra special care when and where it can get it.

Most good eye creams and serums are formulated specifically for the skin around the eye, so tend to be a little richer and packed with active ingredients aimed at issues associated with that area. It is more fragile, more prone to dryness, and quicker to show age and fatigue. Squinting can hasten the appearance of lines and wrinkles, and fluids collect under the eyes and cause puffiness and dark circles. 

A good eye-specific product can address at least some of these issues, but first make sure you are applying it for optimal effect. First, don’t over do it. Follow instructions and go gentle - patting in with your ring finger is the best forms of application for this most fragile of areas, and allows your chosen product some time to sink in. 

Which brings me to the newest formula that I’ve been lucky enough to have a play with, which focuses directly on friction delivered to the delicate eye area. From the masterminds at Shiseido and known as Ultimune Eye Power Infusing Eye Concentrate, it has a 24 hour moisturising formula that helps to prevent signs of ageing such as dryness, visible wrinkles and loss of resilience for skin that is left looking smooth, radiant and firm.

The formula’s “Smoothing Defense Complex” protects skin from friction like a shield, whilst other essential ingredients moisturise and help prevent oxidation. ImuGeneration Technology is the final piece in the puzzle, a powerful cocktail that contains botanical extracts of Reishi Mushroom and Iris Root, to continuously fortify skin’s ability to defend itself.

The silky-feeling gel is a pre-treatment that absorbs instantly to smooth, hydrate, and visibly brightens the delicate skin around eyes for a full 24 hours, and targets those all-important issues such as dryness, dark circles and fine lines. You apply it morning and evening after cleansing and balancing skin and before your regular eye treatment, and it the dermatologist-tested formula is also a star when used prior to concealer to prevent creasing. Like most J-beauty offerings it also looks gorgeous in the bottle, and is destined not to be hidden away in a bathroom cabinet.
It comes with a light floral fragrance with hints of rose and lotus to “help relieve stress and soothe the senses”, so if you’re averse to fragrance in your skincare then this is not for you. If you’re all good with it then by all means go forth and give it a go – like all Shiseido offerings, it comes highly recommended!
Suitable for all skin types, Shiseido Ultimune Eye Power Infusing Eye Concentrate is available right now with an RRP of $119.

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Daily delight: Christy Turlington and Marc Jacobs for Marc Jacobs FW19

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