Could this be the only makeup palette you will ever need?

Well no, obviously, but this new limited edition palette called The Happening by Nars comes pretty close to perfection.

It contains the iconic Orgasm blush and Laguna bronzer, both staples in my kit, plus four beautiful neutral eyeshadow shades, which means that it would suit pretty much any skin tone. Loving that! Its a great palette for personal or professional use. I'm definitely adding it to my wishlist!

Nars The Happening Palette is available for a limited time from Mecca and retails at $105.

Product Love - Naked Cosmetics Pigments

I've been using these pigments so much lately that I thought you should know about them too!

Naked Cosmetics is the purest, most natural line of Cosmetics that exists!* The Color Collections are 100% oxidized mica...a mineral.  Contains no talc, oils, waxes or other fillers.  100% color!  The colors can be used as Eye Shadow, Eyeliner, Lipstick, Blush, Bronzer, Hair highligher...and much much more.    NO ANIMAL TESTING. No Parabens added.

I have been using the Mother Nature Colour Collection, which contains 6 gorgeous colours that are really beautiful and warm and would look good on any skin tone - trust me I've tried them on lots of different people over the past few months, models, brides, friends, even myself!

The best part about these is the richness of the colours. Because they are pure pigment, you get a really great depth, which you can apply as much or as little of as you want. You can use them wet or dry, mix them with lip gloss or balm, mix them with each other, mix them with your moisturiser and use them on your body.. The possibilities are really endless! They also come in matte shades as well as shimmer!

They blend nicely, and don't give you much fallout, which a lot of loose pigments are inclined to do. They're not the pigment that floats all around you as you apply it to yourself, nor are they the pigment that finds its way onto your cheeks when you were aiming for the eyes!

Oh, and look at how many colours there are to choose from!!

Want to know more? Check out the Naked Cosmetics Australia website (which is under construction, but has a contact email) or go straight to the Facebook page, where you can see all the pictures that I have used in this post, plus lots more - they even have a shop.

Invisible Zinc Tinted Daywear SPF 30+

At the beginning of this year I went and had my first ever skin cancer check-up. 

I have pretty fair skin, and even though I have never really intentionally gone and sun baked, like most kids who grew up in Australia in the 80's and 90's, I spent my school holidays either at the beach or in the pool, so I was pretty scared about the doctor finding something. I had a couple of moles that I thought looked a bit suspect. I thought I knew all the signs to look for, and I thought that for sure I'd need to get something cut out. Thankfully, I was wrong. All that worry for nothing. Phew!

Within the next few days I was at a shoot at the beach. For seven hours. There was no shade apart from a couple of beach umbrella's, and copious amounts of sunscreen. The day started out cloudy and even a bit rainy, but by the time we had made it to the beach to start shooting, the sun came out and it was one of the first really hot days of the year.

Needless to say, I burned. For about 3 days, I glowed in the dark. Then I peeled. I peeled non-stop for a month. I was using macadamia oil after the shower and before bed to try and stop the peeling, but  I was already cooked, and my skin was coming off in sheets. It was disgusting, and I vowed never to let it happen again. 

You could say I became a bit obsessed with sun protection.

I'd seen lots of advertising around for Invisible Zinc, and remembering the neon zinc sticks from my childhood, was intrigued that they had made this product in an invisible form! I was grocery shopping noticed a sample tube of the Tinted Daywear on the Women's Weekly magazine. Yes! 

So I tried it.. and I fell in love!

Anti-aging? Check! SPF 30+? Check! It's also tinted, and comes in two shades. It makes your skin glow. Glow! Makeup sits nicely on top if you'd like a bit extra coverage (I do), or you could wear it on its own, maybe with a bit of translucent powder to combat the shine if you wanted.

The best part is that I know that by wearing it, I am protecting my skin with a physical barrier, reflecting the suns rays away from my skin. Chemical sun creams work by absorbing the rays. The chemicals are also absorbed into your skin. Yuck.

Today is the first day of Autumn, which means Summer is over for another year, but this doesn't mean that we should stop wearing an SPF every day. That's right, repeat after me. Every. Day.

Here's why:

There are 2 types of the suns rays that reach us - UVA and UVB. 

UVB rays are the ones that cause sunburn. Generally you will feel them as heat on your skin and will feel when you are getting sunburnt.

UVA rays are the ninjas of the sun rays. They're the ones that cause premature aging as they penetrate deep into the skin. They are stealthy and you won't feel them. Don't think that because its not summer that UVA's wont get you. They will. And you wont even know until its too late.

Invisible Zinc is a broad spectrum sun block, which means that it blocks both UVA and UVB, making it a great all year round moisturiser.

If you need more proof of what a lovely product this is, its also won the Judges Choice Award at the 2010 Australian Beauty Awards.

Invisible Zinc retails for around $32 for a 50g tube, which will last you a couple of months. To find a stockist near you click here.

Note: I strongly recommend that you go and get a skin check up. It only takes about 15 minutes and it doesn't hurt, nor is it embarrassing or invasive in any way, and its only once a year. It's important! You already know the statistics, but here they are again, just to jog your memory.

Gold Fever

Without wanting to sound like I'm showing off, one of the best things about my job is that sometimes I get sent products to try and to use in my kit. Today I went to my mailbox and found a little package that contained some pieces of excitement from Illamasqua. 

I have blogged about my love for the Precision Ink in Alchemy before, and now I have one of my very own! Yay! 

I was also sent the most gorgeous set of #17 lashes..

Perfect for the party season!

What I love most about the Precision Ink is the colour of the gold - its not a cheap and nasty gold, its not too warm or too cool, its more like antique gold (thats actually how they describe it on the website too!). It really is the gold liquid eyeliner that you have been looking for all your life!

It also helps that its waterproof (perfect for the dancefloor), is buildable, as in you can apply it in layers until you get the oomph factor you are after (I went for 2). Its gives you that sparkly effect without the pitfalls of glitter, think of it as liquid foil rather than a glitter eyeliner. No more glitter falling all over you and your friends! Hooray!

You can use it as you would use a black liquid eyeliner and sweep it along your lashline. It would look great with a chocolaty smoky eye with a fine line of Alchemy running along your upper lashline! Try it!

Or, you could pat it on over your entire lid using a flat brush for a beautiful waterproof gold foil effect. Like so:

Allure Magazine (US). Photo by Tom Munro.

Or possibly the look I'm most excited for you to try is to do your night time eye makeup as per usual, then lightly pat it on the inner corners of your eyes like this:

CK by Calvin Klein Beauty. Photo by David Sims.

Easy, right? I know what makeup looks I'll be wearing once the festive season really kicks in.. er, next week! Eek!

Preview: Illamasqua The Art of Darkness

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited along to the Pro Preview of Illamasqua's new collection, The Art of Darkness.

For those of you who haven't had a chance to check out the cult UK brand yet, Illamasqua was launched here in Australia in June this year.

Creative force behind Illamasqua, UK makeup artist Alex Box (below), was responsible for the gorgeous avant-garde makeup at this years Myer Spring/Summer 2010 show.

As well as these really soft and wearable beauty shots below.

I featured some of Alex's work on Another Makeup Blog a few months ago, which you can check out here.

Anyway, lets get to the products! Presenting.. The Art of Darkness..

Deep in an enchanted forest, the scene is set for a sumptuous feast. The chosen have arrived. Where this night will end no one knows. Not even death is inevitable. 

Lured by the promise of immortality, a host of fantastical beings try their hand at creating the ever-elusive Elixir of Life. The resulting potions dazzle the eye and ensnare the senses, a beautiful array of jewel-like substances. They may not deny mortality, but they do make the theatre of life a more colourful stage on which to play.

It’s a melting pot of individuals, where ideas are exchanged, and new ones created. A surreal gathering from which the guests might never awake. Which is why this night can never end, and the game must be played for eternity.

So take your place at the table and let the banquet begin.

This is Art of Darkness.

The collection features some absolutely gorgeous jewel-toned products, which you can have a proper look at here.

I particularly liked the Liquid Metal, which could easily be used on the lips or the eyes for a rich glossy finish, which you can buy individually or in a pallette.

I also loved the Precision Ink in Alchemy, a beautiful rich gold, that didn't bugde until I washed it off that night.

I also had a good play with the rest of the range, and I have to say, I'm hooked!

The pigments in every product at Illamasqua are so rich and gorgeous. They really pack a punch but can also be toned down for everyday wear. The colour choice alone is astounding! We learned at the presentation that Alex Box has tried to fill in the gaps in the market for products that she personally felt were missing.

The best part is that if you are a makeup artist, they offer really great discounts! There is no membership fee (like certain other brands that I won't name!), and signing up is really easy! The only thing is that in order to get your discount you must purchase online from the UK. But trust me on this, its worth it (I came straight home and ordered quite a few products for my kit! When they arrive I'll post about them!)

We were given a lovely goody bag too, which included full size products (yay!), a cream blush called Rude and a lipstick called Test, both of which I am in love with.

Cream Blush: Rude, Lipstick: Test

So, what did I order?

Lipstick called Perilous - a perfect matte tangerine colour that I have needed in my life for a long time! This one might find its way into my own makeup bag!

Nail Polish called Hectic - an opaque olive green which will be so hot come Autumn/Winter..

Pure Pigment in Ore - from The Art Of Darkness collection, its a prefect cool bronze shade of loose shimmer pigment.

Gleam Cream in Flex - an iridescent highlighting cream for using over or under foundation.

Medium Pencil called Hex - a soft biscuit nude, which I'm going to try out as a concealer pencil for the inner rim of the eyes. See how we go!

I'll let you know when they arrive!

Illamasqua is available exclusively at Myer in Australia, or online at Illamasqua.com.

Go and have a play!

I'd like to thank the gorgeous Christabel Draffin for inviting me along to have a good play and a long chat! Check out her work, she's amazing!

Product Love - Givenchy Phenomen'eyes Mascara

This mascara has changed my life. Not kidding!


Because the brush is small and round, it grabs onto each lash, giving you just the right amount of curl and definition, section by section.

It would take a little bit of getting used to using it on yourself, as its very different to "usual" mascara, but it is by far the best mascara I have ever, ever used. It perfectly coats every lash and gives a nice curl, as you can work in small precise sections, pushing the lashes up and outwards as you go.

Also available in a waterproof formula. You can get it at Givenchy.