Wednesday, October 17, 2018
All about: Davines's magical new Liquid Spell
Magic by name and magic by nature, Davines’ new Liquid Spell is definitely one I’ve fallen under.
First up, it’s a wonder to behold. Concocted to grant texture and body to fine or sensitised hair, it miraculously transforms in texture before your eyes - from liquid to mousse – as it strengthens and compacts hair fibres, providing body and enabling strands to hold shapes for longer and shine in natural light. Want hair like Ms. Cindy C. above, then this will give you a head start, and then some.
Designed specifically for fine or sensitised hair (of which I have both, just lots of it), the liquid turns into a mousse when dispensed and grants instant texture and body to even the most limp, lacklustre locks. Thanks to a complex of amino acids, it boosts hair’s external structure to boost body, enhanced by a ‘thermo-activated molecule’. This helps to defend hair from heat damage: the formula ‘compacts’ your hair fibre to minimise damage while granting softness, shine and tone and boosting enviable vitality.
My hair has been on the limp side lately (could be the weather, stress, or just the fact that I’m overdue a haircut), and this miraculous little number has improved its condition and overall look exponentially. I love that it can be used alone or in conjunction with your favourite Davines haircare formulas depending on your needs, just a few examples being:
- Combine it with OI All In One Milk to immediately strengthen and boost your hair while reducing blow-dry time and leaving your mane magnificently fully-bodied and shiny.
- For texture and fullness, add More Inside Sea Salt Spray.
- For super straight locks add More Inside Relaxing Moisturising Fluid.
- For strong and full bodied curls, add More Inside Curl Building Serum
It’s ideal as a styling product to prevent damage caused by heat, and the pros recommend that before application gently towel dry your hair using a blotting rather than rubbing motion. I’m guessing that has something to do with keeping the hair cuticle nice and smooth, and to aid the application of 3-4 pumps of Liquid Spell from root to tip. Finally, blow-dry and style as desired.
Magic? It just may be, and it’s in salon now with an RRP of $54.00.
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Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Beauty q: can you eat your way to great skin?
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.
The Beauty Chef is an Australian company created by Carla Oates, a woman who has been writing and teaching about organic beauty and healthy living for over a decade, and their GLOW Inner Beauty Powder has been designed to deliver exactly that. Common ingredients in there include chickpeas, lentils, chia seeds, ginger, turmeric, quinoa, and more "fermented foods and probiotics". There is real evidence that probiotics alone can be good for the skin, with researchers saying that good bacteria in the gut can help eliminate the toxins and free radicals that can damage skin and cause early signs of ageing.
Closer to home, Bestow Beauty Oil is an “edible cosmetic” that really does put your skin on the fast track to a makeup free summer and a happily “plump” winter. Flaxseed oil – which is what Bestow is made up of - can help with the skin’s condition because it allows your body to build healthy new skin cells, healing from the inside and strengthening the membranes surrounding the cells. Conditions such as eczema, acne and psoriasis have been known to respond well to a regular dose of Flaxseed oil, and when you take it in liquid form it’s the much more potent than your average capsule.
One think to avoid if you’re aiming for optimum skin health is sugar. When you have sugar molecules in your system, they bombard the body's cells and attach onto fats and proteins in a process known as glycation. The proteins in skin most prone to glycation are the same ones that make a youthful complexion so good: collagen and elastin. When those proteins meet sugars, they become less supple, showing up on the skin's surface as wrinkles and a loss of radiance.
Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red grapes, shows promise in both skin cancer prevention and anti ageing, and other skin-friendly foods with increasing results to back them up include:
Olive Oil: A higher consumption of olive oil (2 teaspoons a day) has been associated with 31 per cent fewer signs of aging compared to people who ate less than one teaspoon.
Kiwifruit: This little fruit packs a wallop of vitamin C – as in, nearly 120 per cent of your daily needs – and this stimulates collagen synthesis, which keeps skin taught and smoothes fine lines.
Eggs: these offer up a hefty dose of protein without tons of fat, and less fat is a good thing for your skin. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a 17g increase in fat intake increased your odds of developing wrinkles by 28 per cent.
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Friday, October 12, 2018
Faux glow Friday: meet COOLA’s Sunless Tan Firming Lotion
It’s THAT time of the year when the layers start falling off, so if you’re not working with some kind of tanning product now then I suggest you get to it – stat! And, if you’re as rubbish as I am at applying most self-tanners then it’s high time you made a gradual tanner your friend – the best of the bunch are pretty much foolproof, and great for your skin to boot.
One I’ve recently fallen love with that is designed to “make you look like you just returned from a tropical yoga retreat” is COOLA’s Sunless Tan Firming Lotion, which little had me at the words “yoga retreat”. A lightweight, fast absorbing formula that truly is “goof proof”, it gives a gentle, gradual glow while visibly sculpting and toning.
Like many a COOLA product (one of my all-time favourite brands), it is Ecocert® Cosmos Organic Certified, which means it meets an international standard for organic and natural products that is designed to serve the best interests of the industry, its customers, and the environment. It is arguably the most rigorous cosmetic certification in the world, and when you use a product bearing its stamp you know they are processing and manufacturing in a way that is clean and respectful of human health and the environment. Go COOLA.
Sunless Tan Firming Lotion is formulated with 70 per cent plus certified organic ingredients, 99 per cent plus natural ingredients, caffeine for its firming and smoothing properties, vitamin rich Baobab oil and skin loving Shea butter. It’s also vegan and reef safe, the latter being an absolute essential for me when it comes to respecting the seas.
It’s amazingly transfer free so your clothes stay pristine, and you can use it often as you like – even as your daily body lotion to maintain a low-key tan year round. After exfoliating well I’ve been using it daily to build up a great colour akin to the one I had in Morocco just a few weeks’ ago, and now mixed with my favourite body moisturiser arsenal to keep things fresh. When things start to fade a little I’ll be back at it, guilt free! Oh and did I mention it has a Pina Colada fragrance, instead of the typical self-tanner scent? If that’s not enough to convince you that this is a winner then I don’t know what is!
This baby is available right now via coolasuncare.co.nz and at selected stockists, RRP $85.00 (and worth every cent).
Friday, October 5, 2018
NYFW Hair how to: Wella Professionals for Zimmermann S19
Zimmerman Creative Director Nicky Zimmermann’s ideas for the label’s beautiful spring collection started with an Australian soap opera from the Seventies called Number 96. Her parents wouldn’t let her watch it at the time so naturally, she was obsessed.
“It was naughty and irreverent and hilarious,” she says, “and it was even more appealing to me because as a really young kid I definitely wasn’t allowed to watch it! It was set in an apartment block of four in Paddington in the inner city of Sydney and explored storylines that were considered taboo at the time – sex, adultery, drugs and homosexuality. For a girl in the suburbs, it was all too brilliant.”
So for Spring 19, she re-imagined what the cool, confident, sexy tenants of Ninety-Six would wear now, infusing the collection with loads of paisley, minis, billowing dresses with lantern sleeves and crisp safari suits. The line up that took to the runway at New York Fashion Week was less scandalous than flirty, fresh and unashamedly pretty, and leading editorial stylist, Renya Xydis, Creative Director for Wella Professionals ANZ, brought to life Zimmerman’s subdued glamour of soap-scene suburbia through a hair look that complemented the outfits perfectly.
“I layered Wella Professionals EIMI product to create the Zimmermann S19 look, which gave us that heightened glamour that the show gave, yet still retained a soft and sweet ‘girl next door’ look,” said Xydis.
So, how to re-create the look at home? Try the following…
1. For big, sexy - but still natural - texture, apply EIMI Perfect Setting throughout the whole head, to give the hair grit.
2. Next, apply EIMI Ocean Spritz around the crown. This gives the hair ‘tease’ factor and creates a great base to build volume.
3. Dry the hair and create volume by rough-drying.
4. Once fully dry, apply EIMI Dry Me liberally under small sections, to give the hair a dusty, sexy texture.
5. Using a large barrel tong, create irregular loose curls, around (and away from) the face, using the fingers to tease height into the front and sides.
6. Use spread-out fingers to loosely pull the hair back on one side, and pin or hook over the ear.
7. Fasten and decorate with a clasp, retaining a soft natural look as the hair drops around the accessory.
8. Finish the look with new EIMI Mistify Me, for firm hold with natural movement
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Beauty news: Kaia Gerber, announced as new Makeup Ambassador for YSL Beauté
It feels like almost every other day that the world’s beauty brands are signing up new spokesmodels, with many a savvy decision being made. YSL Beauté is a brand up there in the top five when it comes to the most killer stables, and the beauty mega brand announced yesterday that the rising star with supermodel genes known as Ms. Kaia Gerber is their newest face.
Preternaturally cool and in possession of deep dark eyes, striking cheekbones and a big smile, Kaia is definitely a supermodel in the making. Only 17 years old, Kaia has a natural confidence and self-assured sense of style that has enabled her to create an impact on the global fashion community.
Now with notable campaigns and catwalks under her belt, the much sought-after model has earned a name for herself in her own right, with covers for trend-setting publications like i-D, Love and Pop as well as well-established magazines like Vogue Paris, Vogue Italia, and Teen Vogue already achieved.
The face of a new generation of fashion stars, Kaia has a serious social media following of 3.8 million, and is already at the vanguard of fashion’s new landscape. “I think these days, everything you do has to be measured with a degree of responsibility,” she says. “If there are people who view me as a role model, I really hope to be able to create positive images and messages that inspire others to feel confident about the way they look, to look after themselves, and basically to be kind to themselves.” Clearly with a similar EQ and work ethic to her famous mother, Cindy Crawford, Kaia has an innate confidence that makes her aspirational as a modern-day girl, doing things her own way. Whether she’s photographed by paparazzi while on holiday with her family, or pounding the runways with the fashion elite, she’s her own person, a young woman shaping her destiny, and inspiring others to do the same.
Starting with a campaign in January 2019 shot by renowned photographer David Sims, Kaia will star as the face of Rouge Volupté Shine, the iconic moisturizing lipstick, and will also be the muse for Touche Éclat and Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils in forthcoming campaigns.
“The campaigns were so enjoyable to shoot – David (Sims) and I had both worked with Kaia before, so everything felt very easy, very connected, and we appreciated every moment”, says Tom Pecheux, Global Beauty Director for YSL Beauté. She embodies the youthful spirit of YSL Beauté, an iconic value of the brand. These new campaigns enhance the natural beauty of this rising star, while allowing for self-expression and makeup creativity.
“Kaia is a blossoming talent with a unique sense of style and a stunning beauty,” stated Stephan Bezy, International General Manager of Yves Saint Laurent Beauté. “The perfect embodiment of her generation’s desire for authenticity and edginess, as a muse and ambassador she will convey these values which entirely resonate with what YSL Beauté stands for.”
“To be the new face of YSL Beauté is an opportunity to write a new story full of fun, colour and makeup. I love the DNA of a brand that is so subversive while being so luxurious and cool!”, underlines Kaia.
I for one, can’t wait to see what she and the iconic brand cook up together!
(photos copyright Keith Kandell)
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Love it: Jo Malone London Honeysuckle & Davana
Lord knows we need a little more happy in the world at the moment, and the wonderful people at Jo Malone London have most definitely obliged with the launch of the beautiful Honeysuckle & Davana, a happy new floral. The new fragrance captures the scent of honeysuckle, taking us on a winding, twisting journey through an English countryside where hedgerows hum with bees and bugs and untamed honeysuckle brightens the day and scents the night.
“The brief was to capture the exact scent of honeysuckle, which we were able to do thanks to the
headspace we created in the Cotswolds,” said Anne Flipo, Master Perfumer. “We added an unexpected twist to this very English flower with davana, moss and patchouli, turning it into a modern chypre.”
Global Head of Fragrance Development at Jo Malone London, Celine Roux calls honeysuckle “a quintessential English flower, and it’s not a flower we talk about a lot in perfumery. In England, it’s very rare to not have a story about honeysuckle. It always brings you back to a happy moment. It grows wild and almost surprises you. With a rose, you go to smell it in your
garden. With honeysuckle it surprises you on your walk”.
Honeysuckle does not exist naturally in perfumery, so it was very important to Roux to capture English honeysuckle in nature. She, perfumer Flipo and a technical perfumer went to Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, in Gloucestershire to begin creating the headspace they needed for the scent. Having visited Westonbirt myself just over a month ago, I can happily say that it is a perfect place to get in amongst nature and refresh your spirit and your mind, and the new Jo Malone London scent does exactly that.
The Jo Malone London twist to the fragrance is the inclusion of davana. It brings a fresh, fruity, green note at the top of the fragrance that makes it my pick for wearing right now and all through the summer months. Jo Malone London fragrances are designed to be worn alone or layered up with another Jo Malone London fragrance to create a richer, deeper and more bespoke scent. Honeysuckle & Davana is perfect worn alone or layered with Grapefruit or Oud & Bergamot, which takes it into a darker, headier profile that would work perfectly after hours.
Jo Malone London Honeysuckle & Davana is in store right now as a cologne and as a luxe home candle. Both come highly recommended.
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Thursday, September 27, 2018
Beauty news: RevitaLash NZ goes Pink for October
As a two-time breast cancer survivor, I always appreciate it when a beauty brand decides to “go pink” for the cause and actually commits to it year after year. A lot don’t, believe me! Many a brand will jump on the bandwagon to leverage a few sales, then disappear the following year when a newer, shinier charity takes their eye.
This is vastly unlike RevitaLash Cosmetics, who are proud supporters year-round of breast cancer initiatives, doing amazing things at a grass roots level for women enduring some of the toughest times of their lives. This year, RevitaLash Cosmetics will debut its annual Pink promotion in New Zealand on the 1st of October to support and celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month. Through this campaign, RevitaLash Cosmetics Founder and CEO, Michael Brinkenhoff, M.D. honors and carries on the legacy of his late wife, who was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at the age of 32.
This year, New Zealand has the honour of being one of five countries chosen to give back globally. Selected by RevitaLash Cosmetics US, for every Pink RevitaLash and RevitaBrow sold, RevitaLash New Zealand will donate a months’ supply of RevitaLash Advanced to the Look Good Feel Better Trust.
The Look Good Feel Better Trust has helped over 50,000 New Zealanders face any cancer diagnosis with confidence since the early 1990’s. Look Good Feel Better is a free, non-medical, brand-neutral public service program that focuses on problems associated with the effects of cancer treatment; the Trust aims to help New Zealanders to literally look good and feel better, year round. The Look Good Feel Better Trust will be receiving the generosity of RevitaLash to be gifted to all who are navigating their cancer journey with Look Good Feel Better and in need of eyelash treatment.
For New Zealand Distributor, Annemarie Mason, the commitment that RevitaLash shows towards breast cancer awareness is extremely important. “This is a deeply personal cause. After recently watching a friend go through her own cancer journey, I really learned the importance of eyelashes that many of us take for granted. Having lashes and brows after being so sick can be a huge confidence boost, but they also keep dust and dirt out of our eyes. Chemotherapy robs people of the option to deal with their illness privately. We want to give men and women the chance to restore their lashes and brows to full health as quickly as possible, which is why we have chosen Look Good Feel Better as our 2018 October charity partner.” Annemarie explains.
The limited-edition collection will consist of the award-winning RevitaLash Advanced (3.5mL) or RevitaBrow Advanced (3.0 mL) housed in a luxury, white cosmetic bag with the celebrated pink ribbon. And as RevitaLash New Zealand strives to raise awareness of early breast cancer detection, all orders and purchases will be accompanied by one of 5000 bespoke RevitaLash business cards with a checklist of symptoms.
I tried RevitaLash for the first time this year and have had truly INCREDIBLE results, and knowing that they are a company with heart makes me want to support them all the more. If you haven’t tried their products then I highly recommend that you do – and come this October, the timing couldn’t better.
There are 800 limited edition sets available nationwide across all stockists, made up of RevitaLash Advanced RRP$120.00 (2ml), $185.00 (3.5ml) and RevitaBrow Advanced RRP$157.00. Find out more here.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
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