A much lauded serum...and it's gift time!

I've been lusting over Estee Lauder's Advance Night Repair Serum for many months now.

I'm so sure my skin would love (NEEDS!) it. My 26 year old peepers are starting to show the signs of premature ageing (sure Beth, sure...!), and if I don't have this (NOW!) I'll have crows feet the size of a pelican's feet before I know it (TOMORROW, even!). I've also heard it does wonders for evening skin tone.

Oh the things we tell ourselves to justify expensive beauty products.

Need another reason to justify it? It's Gift Time at David Jones. And look at the pick-and-mix bag of goodies on offer this time 'round!!

That's right, you get to pick 6 products to suit your skin tone! Simply spend $75 in one transaction and receive all these goodies in a cute little bag to carry them all home.

How on earth will I resist this temptation...

the beauty, of revenge...

I'm loving the American drama/thriller TV show 'Revenge' - and not just for the juicy plot line!

The beauty and fashion in the show is To. Die. For.  -  the lifestyles of the Hamptons elite - wowzers!!

Lead role 'Emily Thorn/Amanda Clarke' (played by stunner Emily VanCamp) dresses to impress time and time again. If only I could play in her wardrobe!!

As with the entire cast of dames, Emily's hair/makeup combos are right on trend and hot to trot! Lush curled locks, glowing skin - and a great selection of fancy frocks.

My pick for best dressed though always goes to Emily's friend and party planner Ashley (played by Ashley  Madekwe, above) Just gorgeous! 

Revenge - best served H-O-T!

xx

Benefiting from the Brow Experts

Benefit Brow Bar via 

Brows.

They really do shape a lady's face. There's nothing like that fresh feeling when you've just had a tidy up, leaving so much more room to play with eye makeup in the area - and so much more expression.

Well, I thought I had it down pat, my brow specialist Maya had been shaping my face for the past few years. The shape was great. But I wanted more. I wanted more arch, more thickness, more more more!

Insert Benefit Brow Bar.

The ladies at Melb CBD Benefit getting their brow on!

Benefit's marketing strategy is a corker. Imagine being 'just another' beauty counter at department stores around the world. How on earth do you get cut through? Cute packaging, tick, reliable products, tick - but everyone has those bases covered! Clearly one of their best sellers, brows a-go-go got them thinking outside the cute-as-pie box --- no one specialises in brows. Let's do it!

Hats off to you Benefit, you've outdone yourself!

The whole experience was a lot of fun. I booked early to avoid disappointment, got to the counter and it was a buzzing - girls everywhere, waxing, powdering, ra ra ra! It may not be for those who like a little privacy when they're having teeny tiny hairs ripped from their face. But fun all the same!

My brow specialist, a cute pommy girl, lined up her measuring stick to make sure she had the right angle to get the super arch happening. She asked if I'd like a tint. A tint? I'd never had a tint before! Hell, why not!

Tint on, wax twirling, the whole process was over in 15 mins and the results were outstanding. Until today my brows were so sparse - but the tint really bulked up the beauty!

But then the fun really started - my pommy waxer sat me down with another girl, Hannah, who spent a good 20 min playing beauty show&tell with me. By the end I wanted to ask her if she'd be my BFF and go buy matching charm bracelets with me! ha! She was so lovely - and showed me heaps of products which I'd totally overlooked in the past.

I took home a new lippy and gloss - so stunning - and left with a Christmas wish-list a mile long (and the good sense to not purchase anything more in-store until I look online for a cheaper deal, my bad!)!

Thanks Benefit - I'll be back!

How have I lived 26 years without concealer?

Now that I know totally everything there is to know about beauty ;) , thanks to Zoe Foster and her new book Amazing Faces, my one question really is how did I ever survive without concealer?

On reading the book and watching a few YouTube vids I decided it was high time to do something about my dark circles. And, on her recommendation (and to my initial fear), I stepped away from my beloved MAC counter and walked on over to....Bobbi Brown.

Oh My Lordy! How did I not know the amazing ability of these little pots of goodness?!

 
Bobbi Brown - Corrector and Concealer Kit.

I now have no black circles, and a perfect, radiant, young looking eye area. I feel a million bucks! Thanks Bobbi!

Beauty Bliss!

Return of the mack..or was it max? And a new beauty book to knock your socks off!

I always sang 'return of the max..' - but that's very 'beth' - my Lover Boy (Happy Birthday today!) always laughs at my ability to make up my own lyrics to songs. He will forever be known as my 'shaving grace', after a roadtrip where Beyonce's 'Halo' featured prominently and it wasn't until we had travelled quite far along the Great Ocean Road that my interpretation was corrected, with much laughter to ensue...

Meanwhile, back to the topic - I'm alive! I didn't die after my surgery (my worrying once again hitting where it hurts). The surgery went well, we found Endo, treated it, and my little uterus is all ready to house many many happy fat bouncing babies (one day...). Enough of the over share - time to return to fun topics, methinks!

Like Beauty. I admit - I have a girl crush.

The other day I was walking through the city DJs on my lunch break, when I saw a cluster of people all gushing over a gorgeous brunette, who was signing books and smiling for cameras. My thoughts of 'who's the D-grade celebrity today?' were quickly overshadowed by something shining over on the MAC counter, and I quickly forgot about said brunette.

Until I saw an snippet of an interview on TV, and had to track her down. And by her, I mean Zoe Foster.

Beauty editor, author, youtube-producer-extraordinaire. This girl has serious Wow! factor. I've spent the whole afternoon looking at her YouTube clips and flicking through her new book Amazing Face which I quickly ran to Dymocks to buy today.



I just wish I'd discovered her last week so that I could have had my book signed too!!

luscious lips!

As part of the Seriously Smooth Skin challenge that I have set myself, I'm paying particular attention to rediscovering my once-luscious lips. The have been far from luscious in recent times, more like dry and cracked :( Not even Katy Perry's cherry chapstick would do the trick!

But now..behold! It's Clinique's Superbalm to the rescue!

Yep, this little baby tube of goodness came in the post yesterday, and after treating my lips to a dose before bed last night I've already noticed an improvement today. So much so that I've cracked out my favourite pink lippy to show off the pout! Mmm...love this shade of MAC lippy!

Lustering

How do you keep your lips looking luscious all year round?
xx

skin shopping

I've spent too much time this last few weeks browsing StrawberryNet and reading reviews on Makeup Alley - it's addictive to say the least!

I've tried this year to make more of an effort with my skincare routine. Being 26 and all, I'm starting to fret about the damage I've probably done as a youngster; forgetting to moisturise, wearing makeup to bed after coming home from a massive night on the town, and generally not taking great care of my body's biggest organ.

So. I've started mixing things up. A few of my latest purchases to help see me through the Winter, rehydrate my skin and undo some of the damage of the past:

Dermalogica: Skin refining masque

A skin-clarifying, texture-refining masque with oil-absorbing clays and purifying plant extracts to deep-cleanse the skin, helping to reduce oily-skin breakouts.

Dermalogica: multi-active toner

An ultra-light facial spritz that refreshes and hydrates the skin while smoothing the surface. Helps condition skin to prepare for proper moisture absorption.

Dermalogica: intensive moisture balance

An ultra-rich phytonutrient moisturizer designed to combat dry skin and reduce the signs of premature aging.

I've been using Clinique products for a while now, but have read so many great reviews about Dermalogica that I've decided to extend my routine and bring a few new babies into the fold! It's amazing how addictive beauty products can be! Let's hope these new products do as they say - and I'll be on my way to smooth-as-a-baby skin in no time!!

What skin care products do you swear by??