Tools of the Trade

When we start to accumulate the things we need for the arrival of our little bouncing babies, our houses are suddenly stocked with all sorts of equipment.  Bottles, breast pumps, high chairs, prams, carry cots, nappies dispensers....and the list goes on.  We need to equip ourselves with the right tools of the trade to do the best job we can. So why should it be any different when turning the attention on ourselves?

You wouldn't pull out a set of stake knives to prep for a night of indulgent cooking,  or if you were training for a marathon you'd purchase the best pair of runners you could find in preparation, right? The point i'm getting to is that when it comes to makeup, you need to make sure you're using the best tools you can, to do the best job you can.  It makes things easier - so today i'm going to tell you what you need and where you can get them from.

If you've ever had your make up done by a professional you may have seen their serious quiver of brushes, tones of them! You probably thought wowzer...do they really use all those brushes, well yes they do, but you don't need to go over board. I am pleased to tell you that in my opinion there are five essential brushes you need.

The first brush you need is an eye priming brush.  Before you even start to apply colour to your eyes you need to firstly prime the eye with a natural/ nude colour eyeshadow.  Think of your eyelids as a painter's canvas, you need to prep the canvas, make it one even tone before apply colour.  Applying some concealer and a nude eyeshadow is going to do this. For my examples today i'm focusing on brushes i like to use, which are Napoleon brushes, but you can by the below brushes from a Mac, Bobbi Brown or even a make up supplier store. 

  Eye Priming Brush

The second brush you'll need is a small to medium flat headed brush.  This is for the application of your first colour (if you are using a three colour palette technique).  The first colour is the lightest out of the three and will be applied to the inner half of the eyelids. Using a S/M flat headed brush will distribute the colour evenly and will cover a larger surface area with less room for fall out error. What is fall out you ask? It is eyeshadow that can fall from the brush when applying eyeshadow and land on your cheek.

Small to Medium Flat Headed Brush

Ok so once you've applied your first colour, you'll need a contouring brush to create shape and intensity. There are two types of brushes you can use and if you have the money, i would invest in both.  There is what i like to call the bullet brush which is great for creating smokey eyes. This brush is a must have in your quiver, its short hairs and shape makes it easy to use, even for a beginner and can create some amazing looks.  There is also what Napoleon calls a Diffusing Brush which has a small flat face and round edge and is a great all rounder.  What i like most about this brush though is that its short hairs and flat face means it's great for applying eyeshadow under the eyes as it will create less fall out than the bullet brush and can apply a really fine almost eyeliner like shading under the eyes. I would definitely say these two brushes are a must have.

 Bullet Brush

Small Diffusing Brush

The last brush i would invest in is a bronzing and contouring brush.  This is a large full brush that can apply powder, bronzer or blush.  There are many great brushes out there but my fave at the mo is the Nude by Nature Kabuki Brush.  It's not made of sable hair, which most good quality brushes are, but it's cheap, doesn't scratch the face (which i think the Napoleon Finishing Powder Brush does.....shhhh), and it's a good size.

Kabuki Brush

So there you have it.  If you invest in these five essential brushes, you'll be looking and feeling fabulous in no time.  You'll be surprised at what you can do with these brushes and how much easier it is to create different looks.  It is a big investment up front, if you buy them all at once, but they last a life time and with the right love and care they'll never let you down.  The Napoleon brushes i've just described are all sable and the best way to keep sable brushes in good nick is to shampoo and condition them, as they're real hair! I also wash and condition my Kabuki brush as well and it works a treat.  I'd wash them every 3 three months or so. Happy makeuping!!

Don't Tell Me it Doesn't Suit You - We're Creatures of Habit

How  many times a week do you eat the same thing for lunch? Order the same morning coffee? (Large skim latte) Recycle the same outfit? Or do the same exercise routine? I'm guessing a lot. The evidence is stacked, that one of our fundamental traits is that we are creatures of habit.  We like consistency and knowing what to do as it gives us a sense of confidence and control.  This habitualness doesn't just stop with food and how we dress ourselves.  It also plays a massive part of what creams we put on our face and how we apply our make up, what we think 'suits' us.  We get used to applying makeup the same and using the same old colour palette, applying the same old techniques, applying the same old lippy.  We have an expectation of how we are going to look...basically we think we know what we're doing and we know what 'suits' us. Well i'm here to tell you that the 'same old same old' is boring and it's time to break out of your makeup shackles!

Over my ten years as a makeup artist i hear countless times...'it just doesn't suit me' or 'i always use eyeliner, i don't look good without it'. It's sad that we think this way and how do i know this? Well, i do it myself as well, except that with knowledge and experience, i've learned that there are lots of different colours and makeup techniques that suit me.  It's just about stepping outside of the proverbial square and taking risks with your face.  Makeup isn't permanent, you can wash it off, that is the beauty of it.   

Now i'm not saying absolutely everything suits everyone, and that you should pull out the electric blue mascara and pink frosted lipstick (although that would look hot some people).  I'm saying that you should start to explore different colours and techniques and with this safari exploration you may just stumble across something new that you may fall in love with.  You also need not spend countless hours in front of the mirror trying to master a new technique, as we're all time poor, especially with little bubbas in toe. I know my baby Willow gives me around a 5 minute express session to apply makeup. Experimentation is all about baby steps.

I'm going to set you a challenge.  Over the next week, pic a colour that you've always loved to wear and have been too afraid to use, and try to incorporate it in your makeup application every day.  Let's take green for example.  I don't just have to go straight for the green eyeshadow and for a full on aqua green colour.  It's about taking the colour green and being savvy as to how to use it, so it will enhance my look rather than making me look like Tina Turner.

Ok back to the colour green.  I have blue eyes and as a general rule, green is not the best colour for blue eyed ladies because it sits close to blue on the colour wheel spectrum - they're both cool colours.  What does this mean you ask? Well it competes with my eye colour.  You want to enhance the eye so using opposite colours to your natural eye colour on the grand colour wheel is going to do that, but that doesn't mean that green is off the table for us blue eyed babes.  Like i said it's about being savvy.

What can i do then? Well, i can choose a warm toned green like an olive colour and i can also be savvy about how i apply this olive coloured eye shadow. Instead of applying it on the top of my lids, i can apply it on the bottom of my lower eye rim, which is going to be a more subtle way of using the colour whilst still being affective, or if you're game, you can use it all over. If you are using olive just on the lower rim you can use a bronzed colour for shading and contrast on the eyelids and vuala! You have incorporated the colour green and  made it work for you.

Oh no, little Willow has stirred, it's time to sign off and put on my mama hat again.  I do hope you all take up this challenge.  You might surprise yourself and discover a new love.  Just remember....safe is boring and don't just use a new colour once. Give it a little while to get used to and if after a week you truly feel like you and your chosen colour ain't friends anymore, then move onto a new one! Experimentation in baby steps is the key.

If you are looking for make up inspiration, follow me on Pinterest

Please note i take no credit for these photos.

The Babymoon is Over - Time for a DIY Pampering Sesh

I'm sure you've all thought it and believe me, i've thought it more than once....'i'm over my little bundle of joy'! Well, today at least. Teeth, growth spurt, i don't care what it is, she is driving me crazy!

Little Willow is 9 months old now and has gone from this little sleeping angel to the devil child, waking up in the wee hours of the morning, standing up in her cot, crying for some mama time.  I'm so used to my unbroken blissful sleep that i feel like a total deer in head lights trying to figure out what to do at such an ungodly hour.

 [Here is the cheeky monkey and moi]

Come morning, i feel like i've once again been at an all night disco, expect this disco diva didn't get her groove on and dance the night away like old times.  So now i'm feeling a little sorry for myself and am in need of a quick fix and something that isn't going to break the bank.  Oh how i would love to tottle off to a day spa, where someone can massage my baby anxiety away,  pluck and primp my wayward bikini line and douse my eyes with some heavy duty eye mask to banish the bags away, and let's not forget the champagne! However, the reality is i can't justify that kind of money anymore.  I'm sure all you mamas out there are the same.

The next best thing i can think of is a DYI day spa at Chateau Le Home. I tell the hubby-to-be (baby came before wedding) to take bub out for the day because it's all about me for the next two hours.  I start the oil burner and write down a plan of action, which body parts need the most attention? Hair, Face, Body, pretty much all of me, so i start from the top and work my way down.

My hair is blonde and is always on the dry side, so i get out the coconut oil and lather it into my dry hair, starting at the ends, call me crazy but it works.  If you don't have coconut oil you can use jojoba oil, almond oil or some olive oil. It's a great way to add moisture back in your hair that is extracted when you apply heat.  I leave it in my hair for about 30 minutes.  In the mean, time i start on my facial.  I wash my face with my Dermalogica face wash (i use Special Cleansing Gel, love it) and mash up an avocado and add a little natural plain yoghurt. Like my hair, my face is dry so avocado is perfect for a moisture boosting mask and the yogurt is a natural cleanser that contains lactic acid which can help to refine pores and refirm the skin.  If you have oily or combination skin, you can do a banana face mask. Mash up a banana, add a teaspoon of honey and 1/2 the juice of a lemon.  Banana helps to nourish your skin, while the honey has anti-inflammatory properties for pimples and the lemon juice will cleanse the face.

After I leave my face mask on for 20 minutes, whilst horizontal trying my hardest to do some sort of meditation but just end up fantasizing about my latest man crush, Joel Madden, i'm ready to hop in the shower to wash it off, wash out the hair mask and start on my body treatment.  The body treatment i'm about to tell you about is an ancient Greek recipe (so i've been told) and has just two simple ingredients.  Olive oil and sugar and it leaves your body feeling silky and smooth - hopefully like a Grecian goddess as well.  I have found over the years since i've been doing this treatment is that caster sugar is the best type to use.  Raw is too harsh and brown doesn't really work.  I mix about 4 good lugs of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of caster sugar, stir with a spoon. In the shower i work from top to bottom, face to toes, and massage the mixture into my skin using a small firm circular motion. I shampoo and condition my hair and now i'm on to the next phase of my DYI day spa - the pedicure.

As i float out of the shower, the anger and agitation starts to melt away.  I'm feeling like a million dollars.  My hair feels fabulous, my face already seems like it has a rosy glow (that could be the champagne) and my skin is so soft i don't even need to finish off with body lotion. I truly wish this could become a weekly routine but alas, being a mum means that scheduling a bit of regular 'me' time is unlikely.  I think i've got more chance of scoring with Joel Madden.

Now i must say, my feet are always neglected, they are reminiscent of Gollum's tootsies out of Lord of the Rings.  It's time to give them a little attention, so i pour myself another glass of bubbles and plonk my feet in a bucket of luke warm soapy water, close my eyes and pretend i'm in Bali.....ahhh.  After a little soaking, i start with the hardware. After attacking my feet with a pumice, it's another quick soak and a sip of champers and then on to picking a colour for the toes.  I'm really into reddy orange at the moment, be it lipstick, blush, nail polish or clothes. It's been such a popular colour on the runway and in the magazines over summer (in Australia), i just hope it's here to stay.  I apply a Revlon base coat and then two coats of my fave Revlon nail polish, Pretty in Papaya.  

Revlon Website

To finish off my pampering sesh, i add some moisturizer to my feet and i'm done.  It has been a rejuvenating 2 hours and has snapped me out of my Wicked Witch of the West mood.  The best thing about it is it cost me under $10, not including the champagne.  Cue, hubby-to-be and bub walking in the door and i welcome them with Hollywood style and grace.  This little mama is back to her old self.

Beauty Bella Basics Intro

Let me introduce myself again, my name is LuLu and i've been a beauty blogger for....about 1 day.  I've been a makeup artist and general makeup enthusiast for over ten years.  Along the way, i have learned some great techniques, i've learned about skin and how to look after it, and lastly with age has come wisdom about the important inside stuff - confidence, appreciation, individuality and my own sense of style. 

More recently, i've become a mother to one super cute baby - totally bias i know, but seriously, she is super cute. Pre-baby, i was well and truly deluded in thinking that i could invest the same amount of time in my beauty / makeup routine. I thought 'hey, i'm a professional, i can breeze this in,' I was dreaming.  Baby = number 1, me = number 2 and  i wouldn't have it any other way, but i still miss the time i used to spend creating new makeup looks and generally just making myself look presentable! But it's not all bad, i've learned to manage and have come to a happy compromise, and i'm hear to help others.

Through this blog, i aim to pass on my post-baby knowledge about how to create great make up looks and not spend hours doing it.  I will also be providing info of fab products i've used and love and to generally just help you feel good about yourself any which way i can. So let's begin!

Now that little Willow (my daughter) is mobile, my simple trick of just putting her under the play mat whilst i slap on some make up is null and void. My new trick is to put her in the bouncer! It gives me approx 5 minutes before she cracks it.  So what can you do in 5 minutes to jazz your face up?  My three essentials things.... cream blusher, mascara and lippy.  I am in love with Max Factor Miracle Touch Cream blushers, they come in little pots and have the right balance of shimmer and dewiness.

http://www.maxfactor.co.uk/uk/products/Face/Blusher/CreamyBlush/detail.aspx

I often see beautiful women walking around with stark faces, by this i mean loads of foundation on, but no contouring blusher, not even a teeny bit!  It just looks plain wrong. A little blush is going to give you that rosy glow we see in the glossy mags, it completes the look.  The best thing about a cream blusher is that they're easily controllable.  I find too, that Max Factors' Miracle Touch Cream Blushers allows you to build the intensity.  I little applied on the apples of the cheeks just looks stunning.  Choose which colour suits you best make it an essential part of your makeup routine.  

Now on to mascaras.  I've been using Rimmel mascaras of late and can i say, i think they're good quality and great value. My most recent purchase is Glam Eyes Lash Flirt.

http://rimmel.rimmellondon.com/products/glameyes-lash-flirt-mascara

This mascara is lash defining, it doesn't clump over time and builds intensity. I always do two fine coast on both lashes rather than trying to glug it on.  This way you can separate and define the lashes better and it's always easier to add than take away.  The only thing i would say about this mascara from Rimmel is that the wand takes a little getting used to.  I like the comb but the wand moves which is good for getting a hold of those inner and outer lashes, but like i said, takes a little getting used to.

Finally, lipstick. There are loads of lovely lipsticks out there but for a quick 5 minute makeup applying sesh i tend to just use a little of the blusher i've applied  on my lips then some Lucas' Pawpaw Ointment over the top for a nice glossy finish.  I'll talk more about the benefits of pawpaw ointment later.

http://www.lucaspapaw.com.au/

Ok well, i could go on and on but i think that's enough for one day. Oh and yes....bubba has woken up so it's time to start the day!

I hope you like my tips so far, i'll be back soon, so stay tuned.

LuLu