OUTERGOLD! An interview with Carney Nir co-founder of Outergold the Australian online luxe beauty emporium.

Outergold is an Australian based online Beauty emporium which stocks lust worthy brands with street-chic-cred like Rodin, Uslu Airlines, Kester Black, Lurk and Embryolisse to name a few. 

I discovered Outergold on Instagram and instantly connected with their love and dedication to finding new and beautiful products for the store, every item is handpicked for its unique qualities. Outergold is a rare gem and is one a kind in the Australian beauty market, a rebel amongst the monopoly of department stores in the beauty game. Carney Nir Co-Founder of Outergold answered a few questions about where and how Outergold started and also gave me a few of her own beauty tips and tricks....

How did you start Outer Gold? Was there a catalyst or frustration which lead to the beginning of the site?

It started the way all great ideas start - over wine. My business partner Bridget and I both have busy full time jobs, and were doing a lot of online shopping. We were chatting about how there's no beauty website that looked like the kind of store we like to shop at for fashion items. We also couldn't work out why you can't buy some of the amazing brands we'd found on our overseas travel in Australia. So we decided to start our own! 

www.outergold.com

The brands which you carry all have cult status or luxe-cred in the beauty world, how do you decide which brands to stock and where do you find out about them?

It's a mixture of brands we've found overseas, brands that our friends have told us about...it's an ever evolving learning process, and nearly every week we find another brand that we love. Over the next year you'll see a few more new amazing brands added to the mix, which we're super excited about. 

Outer Gold is one of the only independent online beauty stores in Australia, do you think there will be more starting to compete with the major department stores and other high end retail outlets with the changing economic climate of the beauty retail? (i.e. the mark up on products that majors put on products and the import tax on cosmetics) 

Thank you! It's obviously a consideration for us, but we have such a specific customer in mind that so far it hasn't really been a major concern. Our objective when starting the site was that we wanted to stock brands that were niche and hard to find and to make sure that we had the best customer service for girls like us that love music, art and travel as well as fashion and beauty. Being small allows us to do that and to listen to our customers and adapt to what they want and need. 

What is your favourite form of social and online beauty media? Do you keep up to date with beauty bloggers through social media? And who are some of your faves? 

Yes absolutely, we're inundated with it! We work closely with beauty and fashion bloggers and beauty editors - we have too many faves to name! 

Holy Grail product time, what products can you not live a day without and how do you use them?

Any type of oil! I'm obsessed with oils for skin, oils for hair, oils for body...the top shelf item is RODIN olio lusso which is definitely worth saving up for. I also love Earth Tu Face's Face Serum with Blue Chamomile and Carrot Seed. It's completely natural, super hydrating and I always look like I got a few extra hours of sleep the next morning when I use it at night! 

What was your first beauty purchase and what has been your latest beauty purchase?

My first beauty purchase was probably either some lavender-scented product or in all likelihood some sort of Red Earth lipstick (it was the 90s!) My latest purchase has been a couple of Lurk Beauty fragrance oils. They smell amazing and don't have any alcohol or water in them, which is great for me as I have sensitive skin and am pretty much allergic to everything! 

Which is your favourite and most referenced era of beauty and who are some of your all time beauty icons?

I love the 20s and the 60s if I had to pick. Our favourite ladies include Debbie Harry, Kim Gordon, Linda Rodin...the list goes on. All very different, all amazing. 

What are your go to 'party girl' products for a night out dancing?

Eyeliner and bright lipstick. You don't need anything else! 

www.outergold.com

Any unique and weird beauty tips and tricks?

Bridget and I always say, when in doubt throw on a bright lip. It takes 2 seconds, brightens your mood and you don't need to have any sort of special beauty know high to do it. I always have about 15 different colours floating around in my bag. 

Finally, how would you spend your last $100 ever in an afternoon?

I feel like you can't go wrong with a bottle of champagne.

Thanks Carney! 

xxx Nella

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Tried and Tested : Elemis Absolute Eye Serum and Skin Buff

Elemis Absolute Eye Serum AUD$82.00 and Elemis Skin Buff AUD$54.00 available from Elemis spas and salons nationally for more stockist info call 1300 820 430

There are skin care brands and then there ARE SKIN CARE BRANDS. I am only newly acquainted with Elemis the UK based luxury skin care brand which has been newly welcomed to our shores. It has been hyped girled by loads of UK youtubers and I have been curious to try it out for myself. So first up the Elemis Skin Buff, it is a very very finely granulated exfoliator, the grains feel very small but are ultra exfoliating. The creme surrounding the granules is rich a creamy which gives the grains a slip to them when you are massaging it into your face. After rinsing off the scrub your skin feels fresh but not striped of natural oils, I am obsessed with this exfoliating scrub and love it for any dry patches or just reviving tired skin.

Secondly I have been trying out the Elemis Absolute Eye Serum, under my eye cream at night and under my moisturiser during the day. Oh my goodness this is liquid gold on tired eyes! It tightens the eye area and makes you look and feel wide awake without gathering in any lines and making your concealer look too heavy under the eyes.

The price points of Elemis are on the high end, it is a luxury skin care brand and its not in everyone's budget but if you are in the market to treat yourself or a loved one then this Elemis is a heavenly brand to try.

xxx Nella

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Aveda Stress- Fix Body Creme.....It's a real body party!

Aveda Stress-Fix Body Creme $59.00 available from www.aveda.com.au

My Aveda obsession has moved on from a my hair to a total body party, the Stress-Fix range is a luxury for any over worked, under slept, ambitious woman - isn't that all of us? Applying the Stress-Fix Body Creme after a bath or shower at night before I hop into bed is the time of day I look forward to most, the relaxing sage and lavender fragrance helping me drift off to sleep while my sheets soak up the scent. Everyone has a their pre-bed rituals they go through to help them get into that perfect sleep state dream-zone, some people have another kind of body party just for 2. But for my single body party the only bed buddy I need at the moment is Aveda's Stress-Fix. 

I'm a total sucker for pretty packages, the pale pink jars of the Stress-Fix range do look oh so lovely on my bathroom shelf, displayed neatly with my other skin essentials. I will say if you are a girl who likes your body lotions to smell sickly sweet like a jelly lollie pick'n'mix this is probably not the range for you, it is a natural earthy scent which adapts to your bodies natural oils.

The Stress-Fix line also includes : Body Lotion, Stress-Fix Concentrate Oil Roller Ball and Bath Salts. 

Oh and this is my other favourite kind of Body Party!

xxx Nella

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Aveda Dry Remedy Range Review

In shower regime : Aveda Dry Remedy Shampoo $49.00, Masque $55.00 and Conditioner $49.00

available from www.aveda.com.au and Aveda salons

Aveda is a brand that I have always associated as a salon brand, the products are beautifully aromatic and would linger whilst I would be having a head massage at the salon before a cut or colour.This was until the lovely people at Aveda sent me the Dry Remedy range to try at home.

The Dry Remedy range has a powerfully hydrating key ingredient : Buriti Oil!

Buriti Oil is harvested from the fruit of Moriche Palm which grows in the wet areas of Brazil. By sourcing the buriti oil from a rural community in Piaui , Brazil, Aveda is not only providing revenue to the community but also supporting the funding of much needed clean water wells over the next two years to this drought stricken region. I LOVE THIS!

Aveda is the first high end beauty company to introduce an innovative new packaging material, containing plastic derived from plants in its Dry Remedy Moisturizing Conditioner and Masque tubes.  So while you are caring for your hair, you are also caring for the Earth. They are also 100% recyclable when you are finished with them too! I LOVE THIS EVEN MORE!

SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER

The rich shampoo lathers up well in your hair coating all the strands, although it doesn't strip your hair of natural oils when rinsed out. There is definitely a coating left on your hair which made my fine hair feel much stronger. Conditioning my hair immediately softens a light veil of the buriti oil is left on the hair when rinsed. 

MASQUE

I used the Masque after having my hair heat styled and spraying to infinity and beyond for a wedding, my hair was feeling very brittle and dry and needing a mega moisture zap. Applying the Masque before relaxing in a bath is heavenly, the smell is so relaxing. After rinsing and letting my hair air dry it had returned to a soft and manageable state. This masque would also be great as a post colour treatment for highly bleached blondes. 

I would recommend the Dry Remedy line for hair which is:

-Naturally coarse hair which can handle lots of oils and drinks them up.

-Colour treated hair which needs hydration after being striped of natural oils.

-Hair which is constantly being heat styled and is stressed out needing calming oils to rebuild softness. 

Aveda Dry Remedy Daily Moisturizing Oil $40.00 available from www.aveda.com.au

Moisturizing oils are an essential part of my hair regime, without it I am left with a knotty mess of fine fly away hair. The Aveda Daily Moisturizing Oil is a daily leave in treatment, derived from 99.9% natural ingredients free of silicones. I found the best results when using the oil in half dried hair, in between blow drying add a couple of drops to the palms of my hands to warm the oil then massaged into the mid lengths of my hair, avoiding the scalp. If I am letting my hair naturally dry I apply the oil to wet hair and brush through to make sure it is evenly distributed through my hair. Did I mention, it smells so damn good!

xxx Nella

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Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow - No.9 Rosewood

 Burberry Beauty is available from selected David Jones stores and www.au.burberry.com

Burberry Sheer Eye Shadows are AU$45.00 each

So I totally caved and whilst walking through David Jones on Sunday morning I tried desperately hard to walk past Burberry...Then I thought 'I'll just swatch some of the eye shadows'...Then before you know it I was half an arm deep in swatches and the seriously sweet Burberry Rep and I were really bonding over mid-tone brown shimmery shadows and I was buying my first ever Burberry beauty Sheer Eye Shadow.

No.09 Rosewood was my pick, everything about is beautiful from the textured box to the magnetic closure to the creamy texture of the shadow it is perfect. Burberry is in the luxe category of beauty so at $45.00 each you expect everything to be on point with the price tag - and it is.

Rosewood is a mid-tone brown with a dusty rose undertone and silver micro sheen which gives a satin finish on the lid. It applies slightly lighter than the colour in the pan but can be built up to increase intensity and also worn with a brown liner to create a deeper look. A totally wearable everyday all over lid colour which I thought was was safe choice for my first Burberry beauty purchase, I wasn't going to pay $45.00 for an eye shadow that I could only wear sometimes or only at night. The texture is super soft due to the silicone infused formula and it also lasted all day without creasing or fading at all, most eyeshadow primers are silicone based which is why Rosewood has such great staying power.

So impressed by Rosewood I am already creating a Burberry Beauty wish list is growing at a rapid rate:
-Sheer Eye Shadow No.3 Porcelain - The softest wash of nude perfect for blue eyes.
-Sheer Eye Shadow No.21 Midnight Brown - Paired with Rosewood in the crease would be a beauiful brown smokey eye.
-Lip Velvet No. 305 Honeysuckle - Almost a coral almost a brown, a very wearable bright with a matte finish.

Oh Hey Burberry, I think I love you! Wink Wink! 

xoxo Nella