Femme Boulevard: Makeup Look Inspired by...

This month's installment of Femme Boulevard is a great one! The theme is "Inspired by..." and the idea is to do a makeup look based on someone that inspires us, whether it's a celebrity, a blogger/youtuber or a MUA. I decided to do a look inspired by all the gorgeous makeup artists that post their creations on Instagram. More specifically, 2 of my favourite follows are @anastasiabeverlyhills and @motivescosmetics who feature various MUA's creations using their respective cosmetics.

The specific look I tried to recreate here was this gorgeous pale purple look by @evettexo

Essie Bikini So Teeny

A quickie nail post from me today featuring a colour that I'm really really loving right now. It's Essie's Bikini So Teeny which I believe is from Summer 2012 collection but it's still available at the shops. I picked it up a couple of weeks ago at the Priceline 40% off cosmetics sale. Bargain! The colour is a gorgeous milky blue with lilac undertones. I've read in some reviews that the formula is too runny but not for me! I'm wearing 2 coats in these pics and I got opaque coverage.

On nails: Essie Bikini So Teeny
Necklace by: Lovisa
Photo from an upcoming post on Makeup and Macaroons 

What's your favourite polish by Essie?

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Everyday contouring 101: Step by Step tutorial

I've had quite a few requests to do a post on my contouring routine. I contour my face pretty much every day, it takes me about a minute and I'm left with slimmer face, higher cheekbones and a slimmer nose.

Chances are if you search for how to contour on Google or Pinterest you'll be left with lots and lots of images of women with brown and white stripes on their face. Those aren't your every day run of the mill contouring, but more like something to do for special occasions. It  does make such a huge difference to the face, yet if I'm being honest it also looks scary to do! This tutorial isn't that special-occasion contouring, rather something anyone can do with a little matte bronzer or a powder a few shades darker than your natural skintone.

3 of the best Aussie brands for lipsticks

It's no secret that I love lipsticks. Whilst brands such as MAC and Illamasqua will always have a place in my collection, the majority of my go-to lipsticks are made up of these three brands: Australis, Innoxa and Chi Chi. And it wasn't until recently that I realised all 3 are very purse friendly and all are Australian brands. So yes, here I am helping Australia's economy one lipstick at a time.

What's in my makeup bag: Office edition

I love having a sneaky beak into people's makeup bags, so I thought I'll let you peek into mine. More specifically this is the makeup bag I take to work with me. On all other days I usually have my 16mth old son with me so I carry his nappy bag around, and between his bottles, snacks, nappies and powders there's no room for a makeup bag. On those days I just carry a compact mirror and a lippy with me. Enough chit chat, let's look inside shall we?

Some goodies from Illamasqua's Christmas 2013 collection

Can you believe Christmas is just weeks away? Yep, me neither! One of the many many good things about the Christmas is seeing the brands' holiday collections. Today I have 3 things to show you from Illamasqua's Christmas collection. Long time readers will know how much I love the brand, and the fact that they brought down their prices in Australia to make them comparable to the rest of the word just cemented my love for them. Their products never disappoint, and these 3 are no exception.

Get FAT lashes with... baby powder!

I have a very simple little trick for you to get big fat lashes on the cheap... one that I used to do all the time when I was younger, i.e. when I did not work, didn't have my own money to spend on good quality products. And this trick is... using baby powder to fatten your lashes! That's right, baby powder!

All you have to do is apply a single coat of mascara, while it's still wet dab some baby powder on your lashes with a Q tip, then coat with another layer of mascara. As easy as that! The fibres of the powder will cling to your wet lashes, thickening them up, while the 2nd layer of mascara will seal it all in place.

1. My bare lashes
2. Wearing a single layer of mascara
3. Baby powder and a Q tip
4. Applying baby powder to my lashes
5. My lashes topped off with a 2nd coat of mascara after applying the baby powder.

So why baby powder? It's hypoallergenic, so if some was to fall into your eye it won't do any damage besides the initial discomfort.

What do you think of this little trick? Have you tried it? Would you?

Beautiful cheek products from the Curtis Collection

I must have been living under a rock because up until recently I hadn't heard of the Curtis Collection by Victoria, an Australian boutique cosmetics brand. That's quite surprising as the entire collection looks right up my alley! From highly pigmented bright lipsticks to baked blushes that give a beautiful sheen to the cheeks, these are definitely the sort of products that would catch my eye! So when I was contacted recently and asked if I'd like to sample anything from the range I didn't say no*.

My top 5 contour products

I'm a huge fan of contouring, in fact I contour my face pretty much every day. Without contouring I have a fairly round face, but with a bit of matte bronzer my face is slimmed down and helloooo cheekbones! Anyway, here are my top 5 contour products (one of which needs replacing stat!). The reason I have 5 on the go is because I interchange them depending on the season, and whether I have a tan or not.

WIN a David Jones goody bag or one of 2 x $50 gift vouchers (AUSTRALIA ONLY)

To celebrate the launch of Ultimate Beauty Gift on 11 November 2013, I've teamed up with David Jones to bring you an amazing giveaway.

But first, a bit about the Ultimate Beauty Gift. If you spend $250 or more on Beauty at David Jones (online and in store on or after 11 November) you will receive your exclusive cosmetic bag filled with products from cult beauty brands such as SK-II, YSL and Philosophy.

The exclusive gift, valued at $258, contains:

• Lancome Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate 7ml
• SK-II Facial Treatment Essence 30ml
• OPI Nail Lacquer 15ml
• Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Age Renewal Eye Cream 5ml
• Philosophy Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser 30ml
• Jurlique Replenishing Foaming Cleanser 30ml
• Napoleon Perdis Mascara 4.5ml or Duet Makeup Remover 26ml
• Ella Baché Gommage Délicat 20ml
- Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Éclat 3ml (must be redeemed at counter)
• Clarins Beauty Flash Balm 30ml
• Clinique Moisture Surge 15ml
• Circa Home Soy Candle 60g
• David Jones Beauty Cosmetic Bag

These are all fantastic products, and they're decent sized too! I've heard so many good things about the Lancome Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate, I really should give this a try. And you can't go wrong with anything from SKII - hey, if it can give us luminous skin like Cate Blanchett then SIGN.ME.UP!

Now, did I mention that this bag is only available while stocks last? Well, last year's one actually sold out in less than a week so you'd better get in quick when it launches on 11th November. If you need some inspiration on what to spend on to get your free gift, here's my wishlist or feel free to browse their beauty pages HERE.

GIVEAWAY

Up for grabs are:

1 x David Jones Ultimate Beauty Bags valued at $258

2 x David Jones vouchers for $50 each

That's right, there will be 3 winners. Three winners will be picked via random.org in Rafflecopter, the first winner will receive the goody bag, and the following 2 will receive the gift vouchers. The giveaway is open from 6th November 2013 until 25th November 2013. The winners will be contacted via email and announced on the Rafflecopter form on this same page. 

To ENTER

All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form and leave a blog post comment below telling me:

 "What's your favourite product from the David Jones Ultimate Beauty Gift and what would you like to see in future Gift Bags?" 

That's it! Of course there are additional ways to enter as well, such as following and sharing this giveaway via social media. All details are in the Rafflecopter form. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



One per customer while stocks last. Not available in conjunction with any other offer. ^In one transaction, excludes Gift Packs. Samples may vary.**Valued by David Jones

*Sponsored

Why yes, I did get myself some Velourlips

I did not mean to get myself another lip product. But then I saw these at Priceline. Then I swatched them on my hand. Then... ummm.. I kinda had to buy it. The colour I swatched was the most perfect neon coral, suitable for the warmer months. And the velour-like finish was unlike anything I already own.

Australis Velourlips in Rio-D