The people at Nvey Eco recently sent me their new eye palette to test and review. Nvey Eco cosmetics are made with 100% certified organic ingredients, a blend of plant and mineral, to create a product that is pure and gentle. They are also a locally produced, Melbourne brand! For me as a makeup artist, it is a must to have alternatives that work for clients with sensitive skin or certain ingredient allergies.  These palettes come in three different colour combinations and the one I tried out for this tutorials was a mix of earthy neutrals in lighter to darker shades, as well as a mid tone purple.

Results and verdict:

The pallete is nicely presented with an easy to use mirror in a long ‘landscape’ format.

The colour range creates a good variety of looks and applies smoothly.

I found the pigment to be less intense than I like meaning I had to use much more shadow than I usually would to get the intensity I desired.

I found blending these colours took more time to achieve as they didn’t seem to have the same ‘spread’ that many of my non mineral options do.

Products Used:

Eyes-

Nvey Eco eye Pallette.

Maybelline Falsies mascara in black

Prestige brow mascara in clear

Lips-

Liner by David Jones in Cinnamon

Models Prefer lipstick in City Chic

Bourjois – Effect 3D lipgloss in shade 23

Lip brush by Missha

The colour wore very well, lasting all day without separating or settling into lines.

Overall a good option for complimentary colour combinations, wear and the benefit of knowing that I have a safe and eco friendly option available to my clients.

A full list of Nvey Eco stockist can be found here.

Here are the in depth tricks to creating Sophia Loren’s classic cats eye liquid liner look. I spent many hours studying photos of Ms. Loren and just how she achieved this look over the years. Now I’ve broken it down into simple steps for you!  I’ve started this look with my face already made up with a matt base, pink pouty lips and lightly smokey eye. There are new tutorials coming on how to achieve this basic look too, but for now we’re concentrating on the liner which is all you need to add to your current day time look for a sexy alternative.

 

Products Used

Essence – Liquid liner in black with brush tip

Flat angled brush

Maybelline ‘Falsies’ mascara in black

Dark brown shadow by Physicians Formula from the Baked Sweets Trio

Lash Grip clear lash glue

Flat Nose tweezers from Manicare

There are lots of new tutorials in editing at the moment. Hair, makeup, skin care; even cooking!  If you have any suggestions for things you’d like to see, please ask away. In the meantime, make sure to subscribe to my Super Kawaii Mama You Tube channel where all the new video content appears first!

December is proving to be far more busy and fun than I thought it would be this year. It’s always a busy time, what with the shopping, the school plays, the extra juggle of children on holidays and what not. But this December, although it has only just started, is shaping up to be the most fun and fancy time I’ve had in a while.

This month I’m helping Matchbox and Kitchen Aid with a really cool new contest they are running, in which you can win allkinds of cool prize including your favourite retro coloured Kitchen Aids! All you have to do is dress up in your retro best and take a photo with a Kitchen Aid to enter. I’m having real trouble picking my favourite with the glossy cherry red and hot pink vying for the lead.

Knowing that not everyone is as vintage obsessed with me, they’ve enlisted my help to teach the secrets to getting a vintage look and help you with your entries.  I spent last Sunday down at Chadstone to launch the contest, and will be appearing again in store at Westfield Doncaster between 11-2pm to do another demonstration and answer your questions.  If you have a free afternoon or would like to come down and play Kitchen Aid pretty up with me, make sure to head on down early as it gets very busy! You can find out more about the Kitchen Aid contest details here. (If you happen to be in Queensland, Mistress Chrissy of The Lindy Charm School for Girls will be at Westfield Chermside from 11-2pm this Sunday for you too!)

Listening closely!

The lovely Charlotte from Matchbox in KitchenAid pink!

With everyone’s thoughts suddenly turning to what to buy for Christmas, Some Fancy Ladies™ have been flat out doing store appearances for our 2012 pinup art calendar.  It’s proving to be a hit with young and old, both men and women.  Some of the delightful old dears we’ve run into have told us all kinds of stories from their youth, their wardrobes and even some secret saucy moments. I’m always honoured when we get to meet people and write personal messages on their calendars for them. We’ve had messages of birthday love, Sweet 16′s, Christmas stocking surprises and even something to give grandpa an extra “get well”! Friday night Bonnie Rose and I were in at Flowers of Canterbury on Mailing Road in amongst some of the most gorgeous flowers to meet and greet. Aren’t they just stunning?!

I can be a bit of a ham..

Our swanky calendars and cards

I just adore the colours in here!

If you haven’t ordered your copy of the calendar yet and want to see it in the flesh, you’ll find it locally now in store at Flowers of Canterbury, and Anton’s Clothing in Melbourne Central! Now, time for a bit of a sit down I think!

Since July, things have gone at such a pace I’m not entirely sure what has happened to the time. I know one thing for sure, it’s been crazy around here!

Wedding season has kicked off with a bang and as a specialist vintage hair and makeup artist, it has been a haze of ivory toned lace, antique brooches, brocades, lace and all manner of other vintage bridal looks. I can’t wait to get back some of the images from last Saturday’s wedding at the amazing mid century Boyd Baker House, where the bride was a classic 50′s dream and her groom so suave, he may as well have stepped straight from the Mad Men set.

The gorgeous Marina had planned her vintage wedding with so much care and detail that she’d been collecting original fifties frocks for her bridesmaids from all over the world. She found them matching hats, shoes and even had made each bridal bouquet from a stunning collection of vintage brooches. She came to me with a vision of Audrey Hepburn for her big day and isn’t she just a picture!

Given that I live in Melbourne, home of the Spring Racing Carnival and the Melbourne Cup, it’s not only wedding season, but Racing season. And there are lots of parties to plan for, outfits to style and ladies to transform into vintage queens.  So if you live in Melbourne and you’ve been wanting to create a stunning, polished look for one of your events; you’re in luck! I’ve decided to run a special Spring Summer promotion for anyone based in the Melbourne Metro area on weekdays, to work my hair and makeup magic on you and help you entrance your audience.

But I couldn’t tell you about what’s been happening for everyone else’s special occasions without mentioning the biggest one for me this month…. the launch of my 2012 Some Fancy Ladies™ classic pinup calendar!! The calendar is only the beginning of a very exciting new business venture that I know you’ll be enjoying as each new piece is revealled.  The other fancy ladies and I are hitting the road next week to begin a round of launch parties and events that are set to be red hot.

The 2012 calendar is an homage to the 1940′s and 1950′s work of Gil Elvgren, and we’ve worked incredibly hard to not only capture the look but also the spirit of the original images. I have to say, I’m very proud of what we’ve created.  If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, do it now as the first 100 copies will be personally autographed by each of the ladies. Want to have a sneak peek at how it looks?

No doubt, there will be all sorts of other fun and games to come in the next few weeks. I have some great vintage cocktail recipes coming up for you tomorrow, another amazing pinup halloween tutorial, more scrumptious food then a great review of the shape wear you’ll need after you eat it all, and the story of some interestingly coincidental vintage finds.  If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to my Super Kawaii Mama You Tube channel where you’ll find all new footage delivered to your inbox before it even hits the blog.  And if you want even more secret tips, hints, trick and the low down on the vintage scene in Australia; make sure to sign up for the Official Glamorous Newsletter for email updates here.

Now I’m going to put my weary feet up for a little champagne and go a little crazy on Pinterest for a while. <3

Happy Halloween! – Well almost..

I’m actually on top of my Halloween planning this year and as a result I have THREE, yes count them 3 big Halloween pinup look tutorials for you!  The first of these is my classic Halloween Witch look, shot here with my Some Fancy Ladies™ team.

I wanted to create something classic, simple and easy to follow. A look that you can put together for your own private Halloween party, or perhaps with a little more on, something to take out on the town.

Outfit

In this shot I’m wearing a vintage Rago girdle with stockings by Jonathan Aston and shoes by Bordello.  The hat you can find at any discount store in the costume section. For a great alternative to this vintage, all in one girdle, the Kiss Me Deadly Vargas dress is the perfect solution.

Makeup Products 

Base – Missha BB Cream, YSL Touche Eclate no.1, Face of Australia Translucent powder in ‘Outback’.

Brushes – Eco Tools

Highlighter – Missha ‘Oven Pop Blusher’

Eyeshadow – Physicians Formula Baked Sweets trio

Eyeliner – Liquid eyeliner in black by Essence

Mascara- Almay Intense iColour in black

Lashes - Eyelure ‘ Naturalites’

Blush – MAC ‘Desirous’

Brows – Brow mascara by Prestige

Lips – Pencil in “Poppy” by Savvy, lipstick in “Frosty Berry” by Savvy

Download!

Not only have my wonderful Some Fancy Ladies™ team helped me create this great image to share, we’ve created a download for you to use this Halloween as a wallpaper for your smart phone or desktop!  Just visit Some Fancy Ladies here and it’s all your’s for free!

Stay tuned for the next Halloween Pin Up look instalment where we’ll create a super sexy 60′s Catwoman!