Beauté Gazette's Favorite Things

1. Night Jasmine

Walking home through Sydney's leafy green streets the night air is filled with Spring Jasmine, it is so strong and so sweet you cannot help but skip with a huge smile on your face

2. Korres Lip Butter in Plum $18.95 and Great Lash clear Mascara $10.40

My makeup at the moment is very simple with nothing crazy going on. Korres Lip Butter's are delicious and are super moisturizing the sheer plum tint is perfect aeroplane jelly port wine colour which I have been searching for in a lip product for ages. In summer I tint my eyebrows to avoid looking like I am in a Die Antwood cover band. All I need is a few brush strokes of Maybelline's Clear Mascara to shape and set my brows and I'm done.

Korres available from www.kitcosmetics.com.au

Maybelline available from Priceline stores

3. Demalogica Skin Hydrate Masque $61.50

After being in the sun and being hot and bothered I like to do a big cleanse using my clarisonic and then use this mask, as well as hydrating it balances the surface oils and any dry spots.

Dermalogica available from www.skinstore.com.au

4. Benah Kodi bad in pistachio $420.00

Aghhh I caved, this bag is the cutest. I love it as much as a girl can love a bag. It is going to come on so many adventures with me. When I have a small bag with just the bare essentials : 4 lip glosses, my wallet, coin purse, iphone with large gem encrusted case, gum, hairbrush, Mac fix plus powder and some sesame snaps. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN! I become a carefree and reckless. 

Benah availabale from www.thebenah.com

Also check out Benah's excellent blog www.thebenah.blogspot.com.au

5. Bronte Beach

To be specific one rock which is under the pool, it has the perfect slant for lazy afternoon sun bathing and gossiping.

6. JT Coconut Water $3.50 and Dr Karg Tomato and Mozzarella Crisp Bread $7.95

The combination of these snacks is just the best thing ever! Go and get them from your local health foods store.

7. INSTAGRAM!!!! FREE!!!!!

I have an instagram stalking addiction, the other morning at brunch one of my friends asked how another friend was and I piped up with 'Well she just got back from an arty trip to Melbourne then she made a pavlova and bought some new lipsticks and has been getting coffee from the Alexandria Bourke St bakery when she is at work' everyone looked at me confused and the first friend said 'How do you know this? You guys aren't even that close?' to which I replied ' Oh no we're not at all, I just instagram stalk her all the time.' Sometimes I even feel people are more interesting on instagram than in real life. Sick Sad World.

Follow me on instagram @nellavanveenendaal

Beauté Gazette LOVES Maison Balzac by Elise Pioch

I find it so incredibly tricky picking a candles to sit on your desk, bedside table or next to the bathtub. Firstly there are so many to choose from it seems there is a tsunami of candles on the market at the moment. You don't want a candle that everyone has or that has a scent which is over powering and un-naturally scented which are completely suffocating. Candles in your home should be individual and mimic the notes in your favorite perfume. 

My candle dreams and prayers have been answered! Maison Balzac Candles created by Elise Pioch are a unique and beautiful line of candles inspired by her memories of the South of France. 5 scents have been perfected by her perfumer to recreate the smells of the French Mediterranean.

Le Bois The Wood The warm perfume of an old wooden floor board.

L'Englise The Church The dreamy vapours of incense and burning candles in a church.

La Rose The Rose A french garden filled with sun and old fashioned Roses.

Le Soleil The Sun The raw perfume of the Sun.

Le Sud The South The authentic smell of Provence.

Maison Balzac Candles $45.00 each

I met Elise before she had her sea change and she told me about how she was creating a line of candles, knowing Elise I knew I would love them. She speaks with warmth and listens to you with genuine interest, when you are in her company it makes you feel special. With qualities like that you know whatever she sets her mind and heart to is going to be truly amazing. She was also lovely enough to answer 5 questions I had been desperate to ask her:

What scents are you drawn to and why? Does scent hold nostalgia? Are you drawn  to scents that bring back memories? 

I am in love with scents from the sea and the land. Sea mist, fresh fish, prawn head, oysters, sea weeds on the rocks... But also mushrooms in a forest, soil after the rain, thyme, rosemary, the bark of a pine tree. My parents took us hunting and gathering every week end so these smells are familiar and comforting.

What are your beauty treasures and treats? Are there any special products that you could not live without?

I don't use many products as I believe in natural basics: eating fresh food, drinking lots of thyme/ lemon/ honey tea, being happy and getting surrounded by the nature as often as possible. Of course I tried La Mer and La Prairie products, I don't mind miraculous help from the science!  At the moment I am using Carita serum and moisturizer, they smell like the sea! I could not go anywhere without my New York Red Chanel lipstick.

Current Obsessions?

Totally obsessed with Marni current Pre-Fall 12 in store now, my zucchini seedlings, FIP radio station and home made couscous. Ah also I am in love with Iris Apfel.

What is your favorite thing about what you do? In the process of your candles? 

In order to create my range of candles I have used every piece of knowledge and experience I have gained throughout my professional and personal life. Everything suddenly made sense. I particularly enjoyed the process to decide on a perfume, it is extremely poetic and subjective.

Who is your favorite beauty Icon? 

La belle in The Beauty and The Beast by Jean Cocteau.

Maison Balzac candles are available online from My Chameleon www.mychameleon.com.au

Australian Stockists include: Belinda Stores, Blood Orange, Mark Tuckey, Laine, Poepke, The Corner Shop & Mariposa

Beauté Profile : Romance Was Born's Anna Plunkett

Bumping into Anna on Oxford St below her studio, where we had arranged to meet I was super excited to see all the beauty favorites she had brought along to show me. But as we are waiting to get a fresh juice (beetroot, ginger and carrot) I notice she has barely anything on her face, her skin is glowing, her naturally blue eyes framed with a small amount of mascara and she has her signature bright lip on. Anna's style is usually what she is noticed for clashing silk prints from her own label Romance Was Born which she designs with business partner Luke Sales. Her hair is on a rainbow rotation at the moment changing every couple of weeks to which ever colour she feels like, with such intense colour and bleaching a treatment every 2 weeks at Oscar and Oscar salon keeps her hair as healthy as it can be. Monthly facials at Millk Studios would be ideal but it is more like 'Whenever I can get there'. The first time I saw OPI's Mod about you was on Anna's nails, which are rarely not painted and they have the distinct glossy top coat of a Sexy Nails devotee. Bikram yoga is very important to Anna - I wish it was more important to me, she practices 2-3 times a week at The center of Yoga sweatin' it out and staying centered.

Anna's Favorite Things:

Aesop Catherine Oil Burner Blend

'Burning this oil in the studio it has really soothing citrus smell that we have become fond of. Our friend Tess who works at Aesop got us onto it'

Aesop Rose Moisture Facial Hydrosol:

'We have this in the studio for whenever we need a pick me up!'

Aesop APC Poo Drops:

'Actually a close friend put me onto these after I was complaining about a certain person always doing #2's before I need to use the bathroom - Pretty funny!'

Aesop Fabulous Facial Oil

'My skin is combination and makeup dries it out, when it is feeling like it needs a lift I use a couple of drops of this in the morning or before I put a face on at night if I'm going somewhere.'

All Aesop available from www.aesop.com

Aveda Light The Way Candle

'This is a lavender soy wax candle, it's always nice to have a candle burning when we are working. As long as we remember to blow it out, there was a really close call unrelated to us down the road and we are super conscious of it now.'

www.aveda.com available from Aveda salons.

GHD Ultimate Hairspray

'Morning, noon or night, you never know when you will need to tame the fly aways. A little thing I do is spritz the end of a finally toothed comb to shape my thick eyebrows in place, works a treat for the Brooke Shields look! Ghd have nailed the Ultimate hairspray and they have ideally named it!'

Ghd available from www.ghdhair.com

Lavera Rose Body Spray

'I try to avoid aluminium based deodorant and I was really struggling with a tea tree oil one I used to get at the supermarket, but my book keeper put me onto this one. It's not a hardcore repellent but I think its a good alternative to regular deodorants.' 

www.lavera.com Lavera is available from health food stores.

Chanel Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum

'I like any Chanel fragrance really, and it's all I like to wear - I consider myself a Chanel girl. Since a very young age my Auntie always wore Chanel fragrances and she gave them to us for Christmas. My favorite is Allure but I have recently fallen in love with Beige.'

www.chanel.com

Chanel Mademoiselle and Allure fragrances available from Chanel counters.

Chanel Beige exclusively available at Chanel Boutiques.

MAC 

'My friend Tessy told me the other day she thought she was sitting next to a mermaid (me!) and that made me really happy. I love MAC makeup, the pigments are so super spot on for colours, recently been loving the moonlight Pink Opal iridescent pigment - it reminds me of the finish of white pearls. For the mermaid look I like to dab it on my finger (not sure if that's is the right way, but its my way!) and dab it on the high moons of my cheeks up to the brow bone. Glitter on your eyes is always a good quick effective trick. My favorite lippy is MAC's Dear Diary, it is the best party girl colour ever. Even in Winter I like to wear sunscreen so Mac's Studio Moisture Tint SPF 15 is good for a bit of coverage when the suns not too crazy. We all need to look after our skin now to avoid botox in the future, not that I ever would!'

pigment in Pink Opal and Pink Glitter, Studio Moisture Tint in Light, Dear Diary pro long wear creme lipstick from the Beth Ditto Collection.

All available at www.maccosmetics.com.au