Beauty

Arch Angel

"Don't worry about me.

Worry about your brows."

It's all in the eyes! I truly believe that eyes are the first thing people see when they look at you and they are just so damn captivating. There is absolutely no better feeling of confidence than having your eyebrows perfected and your lashes elongated. It shapes your face and accentuates your features. I had first heard about Amy Jean about a year ago and so to hear that she was making her way to Perth was so exciting! I booked in for a brow sculpt and lash lift, and let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed.

Amy and her assistant Montana were so lovely and friendly, they created such a happy infectious vibe from the moment I walked in the door. Montana started with my lash lift and I'm one who has a little trouble getting curl and volume so when I saw the instant results I was mind blown! The beauty of it is that it is completely your own lashes and lasts 6-8 weeks. The lash lift is perfect if you're always on the go. Such a hot trend at the moment.

"We also take the time to apply a light eye make up application so there are no tell tale signs. We educate you on home-maintenance and guide you through the art of "filling" the brow line with a tailored brow product from the Amy Jean Eye Couture cosmetics range." As stated on Amy Jean's website that is exactly what my visit to the "Arch Angel" entailed. Amy works so fast yet she is efficient and pays close attention to detail, giving me the perfect arches. I loved how she took the time to apply make-up so I looked presentable when leaving and I especially loved getting a couple of tips and tricks. Brow love indeed! I purchased Brow Velvet - Light (as seen on Amy's website listed below).

With some of her clients being big names such as: Dannii Minogue, Naomi Campbell, Courtney Love, and Mel B, it's no wonder Amy and her team are in high demand. I was amazed at how talented this brow Queen is yet not surprised as she has a huge fan base. Now Amy is finally opening up a salon in Perth in the very near future so stay tuned girls! Very exciting news!!! In the meantime, Amy will be back at the end of July - I've got my appointment booked! ;)

www.amyjean.com.au

- L xo ♡

Beauty

Top 5 Essential Make-Up Brushes

There are so many brushes that us girls collect over the years but how many actually do the job? I have gone from brand to brand using brushes that just did not work until I came across Sigma! I have been using these brushes for the last month or so and can not rave about them enough! I bought the five that were most popular and that I personally believe are must haves to keep in your make-up kit.

1. E55 - Eye Shading $12.00

I love this one as the soft and dense bristles make it ideal to get into the creases and perfect your eyeshadow. It ensures an even application of colour and also, applies smoothly and effortless no matter what eyeshadow you have on it like glitter or pigment. For an even and strong application of product, place it across the entire eyelid.

2. F15 - Duo Fibre Powder/Blush $23.00

The Duo Fibre brush generates a diffused blush application. It is a fibre blend with deep beveled edges and gives a soft application of powder and mineral product. This brush is super soft and smooth, it's perfect for applying blush.

3. F25 - Tapered Face $29.00

Tapered brushes are perfect to reach the corners of your face and this brush is no exception. My favourite bronzer is Nars Laguna and my favourite blush is Nars Orgasm and this brush gives exact placement of product, which is what you want. It highlights my cheekbones and temples beautifully. 

4. F70 - Concealer $12.00

Everyone needs a concealer brush in their collection! It is a standard, small and slightly tapered flat brush. Also, it's super great for concealing the hardest to reach areas such as around the nose and eyes, giving your unwanted blemishes full coverage.  

5. F84 - Angled Kabuki $21.00

Purchase this brush if you are after full coverage, people as they are really dense brushes. They blend easily and the biggest difference I have noticed is that they give me a natural flawless finish. This one is by far my favourite! I will be keeping this in my collection for years.

These are what work best for me so if what you're doing is working then keep at it, everyone is different! However, if you are interested in trying out new brushes then I recommend the above.

I swear by Sigma! You can purchase any of these from sigmabeauty.com xx

- L xo ♡

Beauty

Spring Into Summer

These are some of my favourite things…

I haven't blogged in awhile, however I have some great posts coming up for you all regarding all things spring/summer. I am actually super excited that the weather is warming up! Summer is so near!! So in honour of this beautiful weather I want to share with you all my current favourite beauty products that will prove to be handy in the upcoming seasons.

Nars Bronzer "Laguna"  

I walked into Mecca Cosmetica a few weeks ago and I was drawn to the Nars make-up section and, like many girls out there, I was sucked in to all the amazing products. I ended up choosing only a few of my faves and one of them was the Nars Bronzer in Laguna. It is literally the nicest bronzer with a gorgeous golden shimmer. It will be perfectly fitting for the summer months as it is a true brown-based bronzer with a gold shimmer fusion that's excellent for creating or enhancing the look of healthy, glowing, tanned skin.

Nars Blush "Orgasm"

The blush is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L peachy pink with a shimmer and it goes hand in hand with the Laguna Bronzer. This blush is a very subtle pink for a real natural day look and it can definitely work well for nighttime too. Enough said. It sure did win me over!

Rouge Coco Shine "74 Parfait" 

This lipstick is soft and sensual, which makes it the perfect pink for summer. I have had it for quite some time now and constantly use it. I definitely recommend it if you are after a light colour with a nice shimmer.

Napoleon Luminous Lip Veil Lipgloss "In The Flesh"

This lipgloss adds so much gloss and shimmer and another bonus - it's long lasting. I usually apply this over my Coco Chanel lipstick just to add extra shine so I guess you could do that with one of your favourite light coloured lipsticks.

EOS Lipgloss "Strawberry Sorbet"

One of my ultimate FAVOURITES!!! It's my newest lipgloss and it is the only lipgloss I have that smells so good that you just want to eat it! It is so soft and sensual that your lips are literally left feeling as soft as a babies bottom. EOS products are exclusive only in America, however you can purchase yours online at a very good price like I did. I recommend!

Olay "Complete Moisturise Lotion" 

Okay, I think I have saved the best for last because although make-up is great, I personally love nothing more than the feeling of a fresh face that doesn't need any beauty products! I am so proud of girls who can go outside of the vicinity of their own home with minimal to no make-up and I am proud to say that I have no shame in doing it either. As the good old cliché goes, "beauty is skin deep" and "it's what's on the inside that matters most" - absolutely true! So that brings me to Olay. It is a moisturiser in the form of sunscreen and I've been wearing it whenever I have no make-up on. I recommend this product purely based on the fact that by using it you will hopefully be able to be confident in wearing no make-up as it is a fantastic facial cleanser and best of all, it prevents ageing!! How good is that? Also, another tip for anti-ageing: consume as little sugar as you can because while sugar itself is not necessarily the enemy, the way the cells in your body recognise and use sugar may speed up the body's aging process and make your skin look older. Reading that definitely changed my mind about eating and drinking yummy things that contain prolific amounts of sugar - why oh why are the delicious foods/drinks so damn bad for us!? 

Well there you have it beauty Queens! Stay tuned for more.

- L xo ♡

Fashion and Beauty

My Winter Favourites

Well, it's hard to believe that we're at the end of winter and the warmer months are fast approaching! Seriously, where does the year go? I love winter in general so I'm sad that it's almost over as it's been an amazing few months fashion wise and just having those much-needed snuggle days by the heater, watching a favourite movie with a cappuccino in hand. In honour of winter I have decided to let you all in on some of my winter favourites. Enjoy! 

Bombardier Designs Soy Candle $34.95

If you follow me on Instagram and have read my post from June then you know that I am totally loving Bombardier Designs' soy candles. So far I have purchased two personalised candles from the lovely Kayla Bombardier, and have been burning them all winter long! They are such a fabulous idea for a gift, which is what I have just purchased my mum for her upcoming birthday. Being black and white, these candles look so beautiful around the home and I know that my collection will definitely be growing as I just can't get enough. My favourite scents are Pink Peony, French Vanilla and Roasted Coffee.

S&P Reflect Mirror Tray $29.95

I LOVE my latest purchase, which isn't just my winter favourite as I will be using it all year round. In saying that, this S&P has become a must in a lot of homes (as I've noticed on Instagram) and it's not hard to see why. It's such a gorgeous tray to serve drinks on or to just have looking pretty as a main feature on your coffee table. You can put candles, skulls, and/or any other interesting and beautiful accessories on it. So far this is how I have styled mine although I'm always changing it up and doing something new so watch this space!

Williamsburg Bucket Bag $39.95

LOVE LOVE LOVE! As soon as I saw this beauty I knew it would be fab for a casual day out or a dinner date. It's such an Alexander Wang inspired handbag, which is great for the bank account! ;) I have used this so much lately and recommend it. You can purchase the Williamsburg Bucket Bag from Dotti, either online or in-store.

Coco Chanel Noir $248

Two words come to mind when I think of this perfume… Très chic! It is the perfect scent for winter and it is just so AMAZING that I have been wearing it all day every day just about. I recently blogged about Coco Noir so you can read all about it in my previous post, "My Chanel Favourites".

Senso Ita Boot $295

I personally think that each girl should have a pair of these bad boys in their shoe-drobe as they are without a doubt the most wearable booties. I have worn these day in and day out, whether it be on a shopping spree or out for dinner. PERFECTION! These shoes are a staple for the winter months and I am so glad I purchased them as they are worth every cent.

There you have it! Goodbye winter and hello to spring. I am really looking forward to the upcoming season, especially for the fashion and trends. It's going to be a fun few months!

- L xo ♡

Beauty

My Chanel Favourites

Hi everyone,

I feel as though I haven't blogged in awhile so I'm going to make this post an extra good one. ;) Today I updated my Chanel beauty products as I was long overdue! I mean, who doesn't love a bit of Chanel in their lives... (this post is sounding good already.) I am super happy with my new products and have decided to share them with you all. 

Coco Chanel Noir

I love love love the smell of this gorgeous perfume! It is a perfect scent for these cold months and is very long-lasting. I recently used up all of my Chance Chanel perfume and was in desperate need of a new one. I couldn't decide on whether or not to stay with Chance or try another so I decided to try Noir and after one whiff I was sold! If you're looking for the perfect Chanel perfume then look no further than Coco Chanel Noir.

Perfection Lumièr Long-Wear Flawless Fluid Makeup: SPF 10 30 BEIGE

I am absolutely obsessed with this foundation! Three amazing facts: it's perfect for people who have oily skin (like myself), it's long-lasting and leaves a smooth, photo finish look. I dislike foundations that leave girls looking like a cake face so once the Chanel consultant applied this shade to my skin I knew it was going to be my new go-to. Effortless to apply, with seamless blendability for a naturally flawless effect, this breakthrough foundation is the ideal all-day, everyday formula - suitable for a majority of skin types in a diverse range of 20 shades. The shade I purchased is the SPF 10, 30 Beige. My skin is quite fair and I've always had trouble finding a perfect shade that isn't too light or too dark and I'm so glad this one is the perfect match. 

Correction Perfection Long Lasting Concealer: 20 BEIGE IVOIRE

To go with my foundation is this Correction Perfection concealer. I will be using this for random blemishes on my face as well as those dark circles that nobody likes. Again, this concealer leaves a flawless finish and does exactly what the name says - corrects your imperfections.

To all my Chanel lovers, you can purchase any of these items from Myer and they aren't exactly inexpensive so I would suggest that you get a Chanel consultant to advise you on the perfect shade that will match your skin tone. 

Happy Shopping!

- L xo ♡

New Week

Monday Vibe

Who said Monday mornings aren't ideal? If you get off to the right start and set a happy and positive vibe then you will be guaranteed to have a fabulous day and even a fabulous week! This week represents a new beginning in my life. I love new and exciting endeavours!

I am off to work soon so currently I am enjoying a delicious cappuccino (extra froth) with some raisin toast and catching up on some morning reading ... VOGUE ... what else? Just so you know, fashion magazines and E! News are possibly two of my greatest guilty pleasures. 

Recently I have learned that life is all about how you look at situations that are thrown at you. There is no point perceiving something as negative right from the get go because believe it or not, you will be setting yourself up for a major failure. Life is way too short to let misfortunes cloud your shine. Be present. Be content. Be happy. That's my message to you on this fine Monday morning so I hope you take it in your stride and have a week to remember.

Love and Light!

- L xo ♡

Cooking

Banana Bread

Who doesn't love a delicious winter warmer? Why not try one of the most popular recipes - Banana Bread! This super moist treat is easy to make and even easier to eat. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour

I tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup (80ml) sunflower oil 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

4 ripe bananas, mashed

65g pecan nuts, roughly chopped (optional)

Butter and honey, to serve

Method

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line the base of a 900ml loaf pan.

Step 2: Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar with 1 teaspoon of salt into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, oil and vanilla.

Step 3: Add to the dry ingredients with banana and pecan and fold until just combined - do not over mix.

Step 4: Place into the loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove, and slice thickly. Serve spread with butter and drizzled with honey.

ENJOY!  

- L xo ♡