Summer Skin Special : 3 Must have beach essentials

From left to right: Korres After Sun Cooling Lotion €22.00 www.korres.com, Neutrogena Beach Defence $13.59 www.priceline.com.au, Uriage Thermal Water $26.95 www.adorebeauty.com.au

It was still only 17 degrees in the water yesterday and it has been taking all of my dutch courage to jump in the water so most of the time I lay on the rocks lapping up the sun, warming off any winter vibes that are still lurking in my bones.

Today I spent the afternoon at Coggee in a special spot, Wiley's Women's Baths. It is an area of the headland designated for women ONLY- Keep out boys! Packing my favourite Benah beach bag I was excited to use my 3 essential beach must have products.....

Korres After Sun Cooling Yoghurt:

When I was little I got really sun burnt on a summer holiday at Currawong. I was laying on a blow up tire ring face down with a snorkel on watching fish for hours as a result my bum got so burnt it blistered and then I had to lay on my tummy for 2 days. Mum put Greek yoghurt on the burn and I still remember it being the most soothing sensation on my boiling hot legs. So when I saw the Korres After Sun Cooling Yoghurt I had to try it. Even if you aren't sun burnt but your skin goes red and blotching from the sun this cream is magic, removing redness and cooling hot skin.

Neutrogena Beach Defence Water and Sun SPF 50:

A little PSA (Public Service Announcement) : Sunscreen has an expiry date and it's usually within the year of purchase, so if you are lugging sunscreens from last year to the beach with you then go and buy a new one and make it SPF 50! Neutrogena's new Beach Defence Water + Sun Barrier Spray SPF 50 is my new ultimate beach accessory, it is so light because of the aerosol can so you have no excuse not to pack it in your beach bag. It sinks into the sun so quickly without being greasy, it is also super easy to spray onto hard to reach places.

Uriage Thermal Water Spray:

For the French Thermal water is considered a pharmaceutical remedy to treat psoriasis and eczema and I totally agree that it as amazing healing qualities. Uriage Thermal Water is such a versatile product for me, it sets my makeup giving me dewy glowing skin and when I get hot and bothered in the sun a little spritz calms me right down.

Photos taken at Coggee Beach 3.30pm Monday 30th September at Wiley's Women's Baths

xxx Nella

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Manicure MONDAY! Gold French Tips with Rimmel Brit Manicure in English Rose and Revlon ColorStay in Fall Mood

Rimmel Brit Manicure in English Rose $8.95 and Revlon ColorStay in Fall Mood $16.95 available from www.priceline.com.au

This Monday's manicure was inspired by chipped nails and no time to reapply a whole new nail colour.....So I thought what about I just bang on a contrast tip! Ta-da! After seeing the images of Dior's very golden makeup for the SS14 show on style.com I have been wanting to golden gild everything and anything.....first stop the tips of my nails.

After a weekend of work and being a little ruff on my nails my existing Rimmel Brit Manicure in English rose was looking a little worse for wear, it is my new favourite 'no nail polish' nail polish, transparent with a slight baby pink cast.

My gold of choice was Revlon ColorStay's 'Fall Mood' which is an incredible bronze gold with flecks of red and green only noticeable in direct sunlight. I applied the tips with a fine craft paint brush, dipping the brush directly into the nail polish and carefully mapping out the tip of the nail with the first coat. After that dried I went over the tips again to intensify the gold.

I am glad that my laziness and lack of time can inspire the most creative of manicures!

xxx Nella

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GOT MILK? Milk's new skin care for her and an Interview with Lindy Klim

Milk for her products from left to right: Beauty Wipes $9.95, Body Oil $12.95, Ultra Light Moisturiser $19.95, Face Cleanser $16.95, Rejuvenating Masque $19.95 and Body Scrub $14.95 for more information visit www.milkandco.com.au

Got Milk? Milk is a natural line of skin care created by the stunning Lindy and Michael Klim who is most well known for his work in the pool. If you have been reading Beauté Gazette for a while you would know that I am huge fan of Milk's Dry Touch Sunscreen (read here!) which is a summer beach bag staple for me. Since Milk's launch it has expanded from just Men's skin care and sunscreen to natural products for babies and children and now Milk for Her! I was so excited to have the opportunity to interview Lindy about Milk, she was incredibly graceful and talked me through the new line:

Beauté Gazette: I first fell in love with Milk's Dry Touch Sun Screen, it has an incredibly different texture, smell and absorbency to traditional sunscreens, what was your original idea when creating it?

Lindy: It was a new formulation from the company that develops our products that they were working with and it had never been used before. They asked me to come in and see if I liked it. Myself having a darker complexion regular sunscreens always gave a white cast to my skin because of the zinc. So with the dry touch formulation I fell in love with it straight away, it sinks into the skin so quickly without any work and is hardly noticeable. And then we added the Tea Tree which is  fantastic ingredient for Summer to keep away bugs.'

BG: I love Milk's packaging, it's so refreshing to see a brand on the larger market scale which isn't gaudy and highly branded, something which will look great in bathrooms for men and women....

Lindy: That's something that when we were designing the men's range we wanted, the original design was shaped to look like a whiskey bottle. I like beautiful things and at the time of developing it I didn't see why men couldn't use products that looked good in the bathroom as well as work on their skin, we wanted to keep the products natural and the design simple. 

BG: The whole range of Milk for her products are made up of 95% naturally derived ingredients, how important is that for you?

Lindy: It's really important for me, there are so many chemicals out there in the world, if you are using a natural product its going be in no way harmful to your skin for the majority of people. For me its not about how many products you use because the market is saturated. Its about bringing it back to basics, I use the Milk for Her Face Cleanser and Ultra Light Moisturiser during the day and mostly at night I use rose hip oil.

BG: Were you a skin care and beauty junkie before you designed the range, because it would be and beauty junkies idea of heaven to design their own range.....

Lindy: Yes, I was a big beauty junkie.... I still am. I love Mecca and buy so many products which just sit in my cupboard because I just love looking at them. And my daughter loves it too, we play makeup together all the time. Over time trying so many products with different ingredients and with seeing not much of a result or change in my skin- there were no miracles happening. That's when I thought I am going to try this myself and bring it back to basics when creating the line. Working with chemists to design the line I realised what was going to work in the products and what wasn't. It was so important for me that the products were available for the everyday time poor woman who doesn't have time to shop for skin care in department stores. It is available for her to pick up at her local Woolworths or Terry White chemist when she is doing her weekly shop and the price needed to be accessible for her too, she didn't need to feel guilty she was spending too much money on her skin.

BG: Coming into Summer what are your beauty tips and must have items?

Lindy: I live in Bali full-time but am constantly travelling back to Melbourne for the business so transitioning between hot and cold climates is a nightmare for my skin and there has been a water change in Bali at the moment which my skin has hated. But I would say the best thing to do for your skin would be to stay hydrated all the time. Especially with summer coming up, using the Milk Body Scrub with the Coconut and Rose hip oils which will exfoliate and hydrate your skin at the same time and then topping up with the body oil out of the shower. The Ultra Light Moisturiser is an amazing for your face, it sinks right in and you can feel it hydrating right away.

With the very beautiful and tall Lindy Klim at the Milk for Her press showings.

p.s I would just like to Thank Lindy for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to do this interview, it was amazing to meet you!

xxx Nella

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PEDESTRIAN BLOGSTER AWARDS! Beauté Gazette is an Instagram Finalist

If you didn't know already, I am a finalist in the PEDESTRIAN BLOGSTER AWARDS! In the 'INSTAGRAM' category, which is so exciting because I am totally obsessed with instagram.

Why am I kissin' a fish tank in the photo above? Well I am quite obviously re-enacting the famous Romeo and Juliet fish tank scene! Duh! Pedestrian gave the finalists the challenge to photograph a scene from our favourite movie..... Here is what I wrote about my love for Romeo and Juliet:

'I remember seeing Romeo + Juliet when I was 14 at the movies and I didn't understand a single thing they were yabbering about during the movie. 'Shakespear...boring!'  But what I did understand was that Leonardo Di Caprio is a total floppy haired hunk and from that day 'til now I have always wanted my own fish tank love scene. It is still the coolest movie I have ever seen and I can watch it on repeat at anytime day or night. 'Love me, Love me, say that you love me! Fool me, Fool me, go on and fool me!' 

Today is the last day to vote, so please click HERE! and vote for me, all you have to do it click the 'LIKE' button. Thank you if you already have voted and thank you if you are going do it right now.

xxx Nella

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MANICURE MONDAY! Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat in Tweedy

Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat in Tweedy $9.95 available from www.priceline.com.au

Sick of glitter nails? And plain jane flat colour doesn't make you giddy with excitement either? Well Sally Hansen has upped the ante with their new Fuzzy Coat Collection. Coloured streamers suspended in a glossy clear polish, Tweedy jumped out at me because I have been having a monochrome moment this week, the black and white streamers look like TV static fuzz on your nails which sounds weird but it is totally the coolest thing ever.
I applied two coats, leaving the first to completely dry before applying the second so not to make it too clumpy. The polish applies quite thinly compare to a glitter polish because the streamers are so small and light. I did find the finish had a bit too much texture so I applied a thick glossy topcoat after the Fuzzy Coat was completely dried.

Fuzzy Coats from left to right : All Yarned Up, Peach Fuzz, Tight Knit, Fuzz-Sea, Fuzzy Fantasy, 
Wool Knot, Wool light and Tweedy.

I like the Fuzzy Coats, applied on their own onto bare nails but you could layer them onto a bright base for a more poppy effect.

Hope you are all enjoying Manicure Monday being back in full effect.....Sorry for the lack of other posts I have been busy over on Oyster doing Beauty Round Ups for the European Fashion weeks, check them out HERE!

xxx Nella

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Manicure Monday: Strange Beautiful 'Dickensian' & O.P.I 'The Living Daylights'

SAXONY x Strange Beautiful 'Dickensian' set of 3 $25.00 available from www.saxony.com.au & O.P.I 'The Living Daylights' $18.95 available from www.hairhousewarehouse.com.au

Manicure Monday is officially back! I am going to stop being lazy with my nails and I am going to post every monday with something new.....I don't know what yet but there is going to be a Manicure Monday post every Monday from now on OK. (I have written that on the Internet so now I have to do it, because there are no lies on the Internet!)

I went to the most amazingly beautiful wedding last weekend, it was a celebration for my friends Jolyon and Mitch. Sadly and shamefully they cannot get married in this country, so married earlier in the year in New York. It was a lovely day and night catching up with old friends surrounded by flowers, tearful heartfelt speeches and the most out of this world cake from Hartsyard.

My dress was emerald green with black beading so I decided on a black base with gradient glitter for my nails. Applying the glitter from the base of the nail and gradating to the tip, I have been loving applying glitter this way as it chips less and is easier to remove. When choosing what to put on your nails for an event you should always choose a colour that pops from your outfit and your compliments your skin tone, if they blend in it looks washed out, boring and not as flattering.

The sunset over the harbour before the Groom and Groom arrived on a love boat!

xxx Nella

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ALPHA H : Triple Action Cleanser with Thyme & Liquid Gold Smoothing and Protecting Mask with Lavender

Alpha H Liquid Gold Smoothing and Perfecting Mask $47.25 & Triple Action Cleanser $31.50

available from www.ry.com.au 

Alpha H is an Australian skin care brand which has had a lot of buzz around it from the UK Beauty Bloggers and YouTubers more so than local Australian bloggers. I was super excited to be offered to try out 2 of Alpha H's key products, to give an un-biased review - the more products I try the easier it is to develop an even playing field for new products to be tested. Here are my thoughts:

Alpha H Liquid Gold Smoothing and Perfecting Mask with Lavender $47.25:

The first time I apply this mask I was suffering from an eruption of active acne on my chin, the mask tingles on the rest of my face but burns on the acne which is red sore and weeping (gross, sorry). So I wash it off my chin and leave the mask on the rest of my face for about an hour, when rinsed off the mask my skin feels super soft, it is calm and has no signs of redness. I would not advise this mask for skin with active acne or breakouts it is far too harsh and will only inflame your skin, if you have spots and apply any products which burn or sting remove them immediately. 

After my breakout healed I started using the mask on my entire face twice a week for 3 weeks, and I noticed a significant difference in the texture of my skin. With fewer dry patches this is due to the mask containing 15% Glycolic Acid a chemical exfoliator. My skin has become used to the mask and if I skip it, I notice that dry patches start to form and it feels like I need to exfoliate. After I finish the Soothing and Perfecting Mask I am going to try the original Liquid Gold Mask to compare the two....So if you are skin care obsessed be sure to keep reading in the coming months.

Ingredients: Aqua, Glycolic Acid,Kaolin, Glycerine, Cocoglycerdides, Talc, Potassium Hydroxide, Glyceryl, Sterate/Peg-100 Sterate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Diazolidinyl Urea, Ceteth-20, Propylene Glycol, Lavendula Angustifolia Oil, Allantion, Xanthan Gum, Mel, Rose Flower Oil, Methylparaben, Proplyparaben, Linalool, D-Limonene

Alpha H Triple Action Cleanser $31.50:

This Cleanser really confused me the first couple of times I used it, it didn't remove my makeup at all and my face didn't feel clean after using it. So I did a bit of research on Beautypedia and found the best way to use this cleanser is by removing makeup first with an oil based makeup remover and then use the Triple Action Cleanser as a second cleanse. Really?!? Another step in my already way too long skin care routine at night....So I tried it and WOW! By removing my makeup with the oil cleanser it melts the makeup off instead of washing with a soapy cleanser rubbing it back into your pores, after you remove the makeup your skin feels oily and weird but once rinsing with warm water and double cleansing with the Triple Action Cleanser you skin feels soft, clean and still plump rather than the tight squeaky clean feel you get with soapy cleansers. After a week of this new cleansing routine my pores were smaller, my skin was producing less oil and I had barely had a single zit! 

Ingredients: aqua, PEG-7-glyceryl cocoate, aloe barbadensiss leaf, glycerin, polysorbate 20, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, cucumis savitus extract, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, potassium hydroxide, disodium EDTA, parfum.

Yesterday I took part in Go Naked Day which was in support of Look Good Feel Better a charity which helps raise the confidence and self-esteem of women affected by Cancer. Being bare faced without a scratch of makeup on, on the Internet is a very scary thing but I think my skin looks pretty good, a lot better than a month ago and I think its because of my new Alpha H steps in my skin care routine.

xxx Nella

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Becca's New Pressed Shimmering Skin Perfector Compact in Opal

Becca Pressed Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal $60.00 available from late September 

from David Jones Stores Australia Wide and from www.beccacosmetics.com 

HOLY HIGHLIGHTER!

Becca is about to release their new range of Shimmering Skin Perfector in a pressed compact form and I think I may have died and gone to highlighter heaven. If you have loved the liquid Shimmering Skin Perfectors you are going to swoon over the pressed powder sister versions. The powders are creamy and melt onto the skin with a light hand using a fan brush, applied to the cheekbones, bridge of the nose and cupids bow.

During summer I love a shimmering highlighted strong cheekbone, it is my Victoria Secrets angel influenced look, natural but not natural at all. This gives you that ultra glowing skin that is almost reflective when applied in heavy doses, but in small amounts using a fan brush it can just pick up where light naturally catches the angles of your face. The powder is very long wearing and will last a full day without creasing or becoming patchy outlasting most of the other makeup on my face.

If you have never tried a highlighter and are a little intimidated by them, the best way to start is to see how intense you want the application to be, try using different brushes with the highlighter to see which works best.  

xxx Nella

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New hair! Cut and Colour by Prema featuring Goldwell products

Prema Shop 5, 490 Crown St Surry Hills 9360 8080 www.premalove.com

(Check Prema's site for pricing on styling and colour)

After my beloved colourist Gilly (Hi Gilly, I know you're reading this in India and having the best time ever!) left the country I have been on the hunt for new colourist who would be able to freshen up my tired blonde locks. The lovely ladies at Prema understood and listened to me before starting my colour, I told them about how sensetive my scalp was and that I was trying to get my blonde hair back into a more healthy state. Going into summer I wanted a beachy-blonde and not such a 'done' look so they suggested a half head of foils to let my darker natural blonde come through a bit more which would add texture and depth to my hair. The process of colour was relatively quick compare to previous colour appointments which can take up to 4 hours, only taking an hour and a half.

I was really happy with my colour, it is a little different to what I am used having a lot more of my natural colour coming through but it feels much healthier and I have had far less breakage since the colour. The salon was a comfortable friendly environment, and I felt relaxed chatting whist enjoying a hot chocolate.

Alarna gave me an amazing cut, taking a much needed 2 inches off my length, addingsome body to the ends so that when my hair dries naturally I would have a natural wave.

Dualsenses Blondes & Highlights Anti-Brassiness Shampoo & Conditioner $24.95each, Dualsenses Blondes & Highlights 60Sec Treatment $24.95, Dualsenses Blondes & Highlights Shine Serum Spray $24.95 available from www.hairhousewarehouse.com.au

When having your hair coloured is really important to continue at home to maintain the colour at home with complimenting products, also your colourist needs to know what you are using at home because some shampoos and conditioners can interfere with the bleaching or dying process. Goldwell's Dualsenses range for Blondes and Highlights has been amazing in keeping my hair looking a lovely creamy vanilla blonde and not turning brassy or too warm for my skin tone. I am also obsessed with the Serum spray, so obsessed I have used a quarter of the bottle in 2 weeks, it is amazing to spritz in wet or damp hair before brushing through. It helps with any knots or tangles and gives your hair a little moisture boost. The 60 second treatment I have been using weekly for a little pampering and especially since I have been heat styling my hair more frequently.

I love the natural texture my hair has now without being thinned out with layers. The length is perfect for summer and stopping just below my collar bone. With my new do I am ready for the warmer weather, salty swims and leaving my hair to dry naturally in beachy waves.

xxx Nella

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Saxony X Strange Beautiful : The Blacks Nail Polish Trios

Saxony X Strange Beauty Collaboration Nail Polish Trios $25.00each available from

www.saxony.com.au

Saxony X Strange Beautiful is my newest favourite fashion X beauty collaboration! Saxony is known for its monochrome simplicity in the fashion game and Strange Beautiful is a collectible cult brand in the nail world : I couldn't think of a more perfect pairing for an amazingly unique collaboration.

The collab named : The Blacks is a limited edition range of 3 sets of polish trios Dickensian, Malevich & Muybridge.

The trios are inspired by 'Surreal deep pit caves in Croatia captured by photographer Nenad Salijic, Katsutoshi Yuasa's thoughtful translations of photographs through the ancient art of woodcut printmaking, the silhouette's and sculptural forms of our clothing collection and the raw concrete textures of the Saxony store experience.'

I am really impressed with the polishes they are a very opaque and glide onto your nails with one coat giving full coverage to the nail, the polish doesn't well into your cuticules and dry time is about 5-10mins for a no smudge 'out the door' ready manicure. The colours are a 90's minimal Haim goth girl dream,  which is totally my vibe at the moment.

                                        

xxx Nella

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ARDELL 'Glamour' Lashes Starter Kit

Ardell Lashes Starter kits $14.95 available from www.priceline.com.au

Glamour Lashes on Lisa Marie Presely as Marilyn Monroe from Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin

False lashes are one of the most intimidating makeup application processes for me, everything from the glue to getting them to sit on your eyelids in a natural yet totally unnatural way. Ardell sent me a whole heap of lashes to play with (Thanks Georgie xx) last week and I thought this is a sign that I need to try them out and face my fear. 

I decided I was going to wear my new Ardell 120 Demi lashes to the launch of the One Direction fragrance which was quite a fancy party. Since I have never worn or applied strip lashes before I allowed an extra 30mins when applying my makeup for the event assuming I will need a few attempts till they looked right. I use tweezers to apply and the glue in the pack was fantastic, it is easier to make the lashes hold when leaving the glue a minute to get tacky then place on lash line and push the falsies into your natural lashes with the tweezers. To conceal any small gaps or glue I used a Matte pencil liner Make Up Stores Darkest Shadow Soft Matt $34.00 which is soft enough to not disturb the lashes. As for removal, I uses an oil cleanser gently rubbing my lashes and they came off quickly and without a fuss.

My favourite thing about falsies is the shadow they create, it's instant drama and sex-eyes, they also give the illusion of a cat liner flick.

Here is a photo from my instagram of moi wearing my new favourite Ardell lashes you can definitely notice a how dramatic they are. (Excuse my under eye bags....)

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xxx Nella

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This Works. Perfect Cleavage Review

This Works Perfect Cleavage For Neck and Chest $64.75 available from www.feelunique.com

Perfect Cleavage.....Really?!? Yes really. One of my completely superficial insecurities about ageing is my chest becoming wrinkly, sagging and awful sun spots coming up. Over summer there is always one day where you forget to apply sunscreen on your chest and being in Australia sunburn is a terribly painful and damaging experience that causes premature wrinkles and pigmentation. Perfect Cleavage contains Larch Extract, Vitamin Rich Algee, Tonka Bean and Frankincense which naturally plumps the skin and reduces the 'apparence' (the lines are still there, but the appearance of them is less) of fine lines.

I have been applying this morning and night to my chest, boobies and neck and I can honestly say this is an area of my body which I have neglected from moisturising for years and since starting to use Perfect Cleavage I have seen dramatic difference in the hydration of the area.

I feel my ageing insecurity is completely warranted living in a country where the sun is so damaging and harsh and although I was gifted this cream I would definitely spend the $64.75 on it again. The best defence against sun damage will always be sunscreen and staying out of the sun.

The best boobs in a film goes to Amanda Seyfried in Mean Girls predicting the weather with her chest bombs.

xxx Nella

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