When you need to call on some inspiration...

I wasn’t going to blog today (by today I mean last night, because I write my posts at night and publish them the next morning). I’m tired and worn out, and just didn’t have the creative juices to get anything down. It happens sometimes, you know? You can’t just turn creativity on and off like a tap (if someone could figure it out, without resorting to illicit substances, they would make a fortune).

The beauty of these situations is I step away from the computer, watch TV, tidy my room, go for a walk (I’m currently on Leo watch, since Gatsby is being filmed near my house) or I bake. In fact, cooking is usually my number one go-to when I need to clear my head and recharge. Hello, profiteroles.

I wish I could say they were from scratch, but I picked up a packet mix on sale from Coles a couple of weeks ago. For a packet, it still required eggs, milk, thickened cream, and my electric mixer, so not totally cheating, right? The most complicated part was scooping the uncooked pastry from shells, and the easiest part was scoffing them down. Took about an hour and a half all up, including baking time and the custard setting. Not bad for a Sunday night, and a nice way to celebrate Fiance winning his soccer grand final and taking out the premiership. Nom.

Price: About $10 all up for ingredients
From: Coles
Why you need it: They’re tasty!
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Current obsession: Satchels

Totally obsessed with satchel bags. Nuts about them. Not only are they timeless and chic, but you can carry loads in them and feel like your gear is safe. I say this because I have an 11" Mac Air and I just don't feel like it's secure in my regular handbags, but with a satchel it's closer to my body and not so likely to get bumped and knocked.

You know I'm a big fan (and ambassador) of Cherry Pick Me, so I watch their daily deals like a hawk. When a deal from Only Midge came up a couple of weeks ago, I was on it like J.D. on appletinis. I got the small canvas satchel in raspberry red (and I know Ms. Critique got the mustard yellow, which was my second choice) and I'm very happy with it because it's just the right size for my little lappie. Not only are these bags cute as all get out, they are super-practical, with heavy italian leather trims, straps and buckles.

Three cheers for satchel bags. Next stop, a blind embossed personalised Cambridge Satchel. Hint hint, Fiance.

PS: I was given a voucher from the Cherry Pick Me team to redeem on a deal of my choice. You bet your bottom dollar I jumped on this the second it went live, and so did a whole bunch of other people!

PPS: New haircut, you like? The fab Alex at Bauhaus in Waterloo. Love that guy.

Price: $149.95 + postage
From: Only midge online store, or they have stockists
Why you need it: To keep your Mac safe while looking stylish. Just add nautical stripes.
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Oh Barbie, you visual learning tool and eastern suburbs wannabe!

In the course of writing this blog, that other one, and the freelance bits I also do, sometimes lovely brands send me products that they think I might like to write about. Occasionally they send a little treat with it too - not exactly ipads and designer handbags, but something little to demonstrate a point - think minties accompanying mint flavoured lip gloss or fairy floss for a lipstick called Fairy Floss.

Sometimes though, they send a visual aid for learning purposes, and yesterday was one of those days.

I laughed out loud, a lot, when I pulled this baby from LeTan out of the mail bag. How many times have you seen some poor girl wandering around your local Westfield rocking the Eagle - brown body, white head. This Barbie looks like she's straight out of Sydney's eastern suburbs, with her LBD and her awkward lean. LOVE.

She sends a serious message though - body tan should always match your face. I will admit that when I do get around to faking it, I use three different tanners - one for legs, one for torso and one for face (my bathroom cupboard is packed tight). The skin on your face is different to your body though, so you need a different formula - duh. I can't tell you about the LeTan product that came with Barbie just yet (it's out October) but if you're going to tan, then get a specific face tanner. I'm going to keep Barbie on my desk as a reminder.
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I'm famous on the innernets

Gross overstatement, but I have to give mad props to the kind peeps who have written about me and my blogs lately. Sure, they might be prone to exaggeration somewhat, but they make me sound far more exciting and glamorous than I really am, and I appreciate that.

The Makeup Case asked me about my nail polish collection, which, as you know, is my pride and joy. In the same way Michael Flatley insures his feet, I should insure my babies. Must look into that.

Bossy Beauty asked me about my career, my beauty must-haves and my nail polish collection (naturally).

Style Icons/Instyle for Hair asked me lots of questions about blogging. It was fun. I like talking about blogging.

 

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Raw emotion: Stories From The Wayside

It's not often I'm lost for words, but last night I had the immense pleasure of seeing Stories From The Wayside. If you're not familiar with The Wayside Chapel in Sydney's Kings Cross, they do incredible work for homeless and underprivileged people, offering meals, clothing, counselling, referrals, and a shoulder to lean on when no one else is there. My sister is a social worker who has volunteered at the youth arm of the The Wayside, and the stories she has are gut-wrenching but also so inspiring.

In fact, it was my sister who suggested we see Stories From The Wayside. The Wayside have recently completed major renovations to their complex on Hughes Street, and this is the first of many productions in their new theatre space. The production is what's called verbatim theatre, or reality theatre - 8 Wayside staff, volunteers and visitors told their stories to the actors who were playing them, and the actors reproduced their subjects voice and mannerisms with blinding accuracy. It was not only a direct peek into their minds but into their souls. I had tears rolling down my cheeks as we heard tales of children being ripped away by DOCS, seeing fathers and brothers killed, hearing about Wayside regulars who are no longer with us in this life.

Not only was it raw and emotional, but also uplifting - hearing about the way The Wayside is a tribe for those who don't have their own families, and how it's a place of no judgement for those who don't need to be judged, they just need a shower and a cup of coffee. It reminded me that there are good people in the world, led by Reverend Graham Long, and inspired me to want to do more with The Wayside Chapel in future.

If you have the time between now and September 4th, please go and see it. It's only $35, and it's a beautiful reminder of the highs and lows of humanity. More details on The Wayside site.
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Breaking news: Cloud Nine ceases distribution in Australia

I don't normally post news here, but this is Kind Of A Big Deal. News just came down the wires that the Australian distributors of Cloud Nine have reached an impasse with the UK distributors and won't be distributing here anymore.

The official spiel...

It is with a heavy heart that we today announce that Cloud Nine UK has ceased product supply to Cloud Nine ANZ Pty Ltd, and forced the closure of the Australian distribution business. Cloud Nine ANZ Pty Ltd have been forced to cease negotiations after the owner of the brand, ceased product supply. 

The UK Head Office of Cloud Nine has become unhappy with their salon-only distribution model and wanted to move it outside the salon network. Their refusal caused the UK to stop supply, pending negotiation of a new distribution agreement with Australia. Australia refused to relinquish control of the distributorship channel and their negotiations failed. Cloud Nine ANZ Pty Ltd believes that they have acted with integrity with the intention of supporting the salon business and brand that they love. 

The refusal on the part of the Cloud Nine head office to support the Australian market, in relation to the product problems, has been a major issue for the Australian team. The problem (together with other issues), has now caused the termination of their distributorship for Cloud Nine in Australia. It is understand that the head office will now distribute the product in Australia - but I am unable to provide any further details at this point in time. We can only provide you with the head office contact details which are as follows:
email info@cloudninehair.com or phone +44 1943811310 

Cloud Nine ANZ Pty Ltd are deeply apologetic that they have not been able to work this situation out and that it has had to end this way.

Gutted, but hopefully someone will pick it up and keep Australian C9 fans looking good. Their newest product, The Wand, is awesome, and I was looking forward to reviewing it for you.

Benefit - They're Real and they're spectacular

If a picture's worth a thousand words, then this post doesn't need much more than the before and after.

When the awesome chickies at Benefit (aka the Benebabes) sent me their new mascara I have to admit I was sceptical. I love a big stat as much as the next research nerd, but to claim that 94% of people saw dramatic length and volume? And that 100% saw long wearing results? What was the sample size? How long did they trial it for? Was it a controlled environment? So many methodology questions!

Then I tried the mascara and I didn't care. It really did give me huge length! It really did give me base to tip coating, and visible lift. It lasted all day and came off easily with warm water. The rubbery brush reminds me of my all time favourite mascara, Covergirl Lash Blast. I have been wearing it solidly for two weeks now and I have a stat of my own - 100% of Elise's who tried this mascara love it and would recommend it.

Benefit They're Real Mascara
Price: $38
From: Benefit stores and counters in Myer
Why you need it: Fabulous, flirty lashes - a few flutters and you can get away with anything!

This product was offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy
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What to do when you own over 550 nail polishes

You know I have a nail polish addiction, right? Of course you do, because I have written about it before. My blog, The Nail File, might have also given it away a little - you don't write a blog wholly dedicated to something you don't love! How dull for you if you do.

So these days I have over 550 nail polishes, which probably seems a little excessive (ok, it is a little excessive). I can't help myself though! I might have 23 shades of pink already, but maybe it's *this pink* that will change my life. Anyway, trying to store 500+ nail polishes and keep them organised is pretty nuts. After I tell people about The Nail File, the first question I always get asked is 'where do you keep them all!!' This is usually accompanied with curious glances, mock horror, and heapings of sympathy for my beloved.

The bulk of my polishes live in one of two perspex trays that I picked up when a magazine was selling off their old props from shoots. Any overflow from one tray lands in the other, and they have a permanent spot under the desk - they are far too heavy to move (I can barely push them along the ground, let alone lift them). The trays are divided up into little squares and all the polishes are grouped by colour for easy access. Not that I'm obsessive compulsive or anything.

Then I have my Benjiboxes. These delightful plastic drawers store my tools, my essentials, my decals, tattoos & stamping kits, and any polishes I'm doing 'something special' with. I love my Benji's - they have little rubber dots on the bottom, so when they are stacked they don't slide around. Plus, the drawers pull out - way better than the other cheap crappy plastic boxes I keep my shoes in (ebay purchase). Notice how my shoes get the shit boxes and my nail supplies get the good stuff? Priorities

Benjibox Clear Shoe Boxes
Price: $49.75 for 5 pack
From: Benjibox website
Why you need them: Everyone needs storage solutions

The Benjibox shoe boxes were offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy
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Some Friday inspiration courtesy of Illamasqua

I'm going to put my hand on my heart and apologise for being shit this week. Life is crazy and all that jazz. Seriously. But nowhere near as crazy as the hair Brad Ngata did for the Myer show last night. And considering Illamasqua have a reputation for doing mental, dramatic makeup, their makeup for the show was quite tame all things considered.

I got the chance to chat to the very talented Nicola Burford (pictured below) who was the co-director of the makeup (the other co-director was Natasha Severino, who I couldn't get a decent snap of because she was moving a hundred miles an hour). Nicola explained there was one basic look, and then three different sub-looks with the addition of colour (so four looks in total, for those of you not so good with math). The inspiration was based on the desert - colours, lights, landforms and the way the reflection plays off against surfaces. Mirage magic - glassy and shimmery.  

This look is prime for reproduction (in fact, I'm rocking a modified version today). The base was Illamasqua Cream Foundation, highlighted with Lies cream blush and a layer of sheer lip gloss for what Nicola called "a glassy, white heat effect". We saw similar glassy looks at a lot of AW2011 shows (Balmain, Alberta Ferretti, Costume National, Donna Karan) and it's as easy as a quick slick of gloss/vaseline/papaw on the cheekbones. But I digress. 

The eyes were haloed in a beautiful contour powder blush called Disobey, which is total star product (want. need. now) - it gives structure and form to the eye while also being very soft - think desert sand. The lips were muted and nude with Sonnet lipstick to keep the focus on the eyes and skin. 

The colour accent came from the pops of bright colour - we know brights are going to be bigger than normal this spring/summer in clothes, nails, accessories and makeup. For the girls who wore colour on the eyes, it was either sunset pink (Nymph powder blush), sunburnt orange (Excite powder blush) and really white heat (Sex eye shadow) . Eyeliner + shadow + glitter = mirage effect. Add clean brows and a single lick of mascara for a slight tint, and you have a beautiful look that will work for everyday (minus the glitter). It was all very soft focus and muted - word of the day is ombre.

As for the hair...well...Brad Ngata did a doozy on the poor models. I can only imagine the bastard of a time they all had getting that glitter out! It did look spectacular though. Pink eye shadow = red to pink ombre glitter. Orange eyes = gold to brown ombre hair. White eyes = white hair (complete with white hair spray - see below). Nude = clear hair, which looked like scales from a distance, and each clear sequin was painstakingly applied into the hair with tweezers.

For all the glitter and shimmer, the nails were quite pared back - check out the round up on The Nail File.

Enjoy a little visual candy and try out this makeup look yourself this weekend! I'll pop some pictures up on twitter of my interpretation.
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GHD curls - horizontal vs vertical

Ask a hairdresser whether they go horizontal or vertical and it's bound to spark a conversation. No technique is right or wrong, but they definitely produce different results. Here I show you the two and give you my opinion - hopefully it helps you next time you need to create some curl!

Products I used:

ghd Gold Classic Styler - $269 - www.ghdhair.com

ghd Thermal Protector for normal-fine hair - $30

ghd Paddle Brush - $34

ghd Tail Comb - $12

Wella Pro Series Max Hold Hairspray - $7.99 - Supermarkets

All products were offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy

My Top 5 Face Masks - stick your middle finger up to winter!

This post was originally published on Smaggle.com. Carly, the genius behind Smaggle, is probably one of my favourite internet people. Her blog is awesome. If you don't read it already, you're missing out. 

I love a list, don't you? Of course you do, everybody does. I especially love a list that's going to help me keep my skin in tip-top shape. There is something about winter that takes me from regularly doing face masks to obsessively masking my face every chance I get. If overdosing on face masks is a crime, mea culpa. Between the icy wind and the air-conditioning, colder months are a dermis's worst enemy. Ergo, my top five face masks to help fight the winter blues.

Subtle Energies Dry Mix Pitta Mud

This clay mask is the bees knees for sucking impurities out of the skin. It's a superfine clay called Ayurveda, and it has a cooling effect when it hits the skin. It's packed full of minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron and zinc, which gets into the skin to give it a huge nutrient boost, and leaves you all glowy afterwards. If you're heads (white or black) are giving you grief, look no further. At $52.80 for 100gms (see www.subtleenergies.com.au), this is a steal. I have done about 6 masks already and the level of clay in the tub has barely gone down. And that's after spilling about 4 masks worth down the sink by accident.
Fun fact: the Ayurveda clay in this mask is the same sort of clay that was used to restore the Taj Mahal in 2002 and 2009. If it's good enough for one the seven wonders of the world, it's good enough for me!

Super by Dr Nicholas Perricone Ginger 3-Minute Facial

When it's single-digit temperatures, you don't have time to be sitting around in face masks - there's cocoa to be drinking and doonas to be hiding under. Enter the 3-minute facial from Super, Dr Nicholas Perricone's new line made from natural ingredients like fruit and vegetables (all superfoods, hence the brand name). This mask packs a 20 minute facial into 3 - you get intense hydration, while the ginger stimulates the skin to make you all glowy. It actually tingles as you take it off, rather than while it's on. Perfect when you're looking a bit dull and need to be sparkly for a night out (or in). This is $75.95 for 59mls (from Kit Cosmetics) and you even get a little spatula with it, so you don't have to stick your icky fingers in the jar. Clever

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque

Sweet, sweet antioxidants. I have written about this one before, but this baby fights all the free radical damage you get from wind and air-conditioning without even trying (ok, it tries a bit). Think lots and lots of vitamins packed into the tube and they work to soothe your skin when it's angry, stop if from getting angry again in future, and then reverse the damage that has been done. If you sit in an air conditioned office all day and then stand at a freezing cold bus stop at either end, then this will cure what ales ya. At $76 for 75ml, it's about $5/mask. Worth it.

The Jojoba Company Botanical Hydrating Face Mask

This is a clay mask that doesn't feel like a clay mask because it's so silky and smooth. While the clay sucks the nasties out, marine collagen, honey and golden jojoba oil restore hydration - think of it as a push-pull action: bad stuff out, good stuff in. You definitely need to leave this on for at least 20 minutes, so have a cup of tea ready to go and spoil yourself with a good book (or catch up on your blog reading). Fun fact: It doesn't smell like a clay mask. To me this is a good old fashioned mask that does what it promises without any bells and whistles - squeeze it out of the tube, slap it on, let it work, Bob's your uncle. At $49.95 for 80mls, you can't complain (see www.thejojobacompany.com.au)

The Jojoba Company Skin Refining + Brightening Face Masque
Firstly, I have no idea why The Jojoba Company have called one a Face Mask and one a Face Masque (if anyone knows the difference, please tell me), but this is another mask that delivers what it promises without being flashy or show off-y. This is clay as well, and once it has finished detoxifying the skin it also fights pigmentation. Salicylic acid does the renewal work (you know about salicylic, yes? it cleans away dead skin) while ingredients like Kakadu plum and bearberry extract (made from real bears*) improve skin tone and make skin look brighter and more even. Genius! This one is $59.95 for 80mls (www.thejojobacompany.com.au) and smells like instant coffee. I know, random.

If you're skin doesn't look amazing after our little chat, then nothing will get you there. I have given you the tools, now go! Go forth and glow my little beans!

*no bears were harmed in the making of this masque/mask