How To Keep Your Makeup Looking & Feeling Fresh This Summer

The heat is back again for another year and with it comes the difficulty of keeping your makeup looking as perfect as when you first put it on this morning. Melting makeup, smeared eyeliner and sticky lipstick is never a good time so here are some tips to keeping your makeup looking fresh throughout summer. 

Invest In A Primer

Primers are a makeup essential during summer. This step takes only a few seconds to apply and does wonders for you all day long. Primers keep your makeup in place and there are so many on the market to choose from. Some can even double as a moisturiser so you have less layers to put on in the morning. 

Keep Things Light

Less is definitely more in so try to keep the layers as thin and as minimal as you can. Instead of using your normal full coverage foundation, opt for a CC or BB cream. These babies still offer great, buildable coverage but will feel much lighter on your face. Like primers, there are so many on the market now to suit every skin type and coverage need. Some even have sunscreen already added to them which is perfect for protecting your skin during the summer months. 

Have the Essentials On Hand

Carrying a little purse in your bag with a couple of touch up weapons can definitely help keep your makeup looking fresh. A few of our essentials are below. 

Oil Blotting Papers

Nothing is worse than having sweat and excess oil build up and settle into your skin for the rest of the day. These papers instantly remove any excess so you aren’t just applying more makeup over the top of dirty makeup. 

Powder

Once you have used some blotting paper to remove any excess oil, putting a bit of extra powder on can really help re-set your makeup back in place. We recommend using a matte powder that matches your skin tone. To keep the layer light, use a brush slightly smaller than your normal powder brush to target those problem areas. This will prevent your makeup from looking cakey. 

Cotton Buds

Cotton buds are perfect to remove any small imperfections. Use them to wipe off any smudged mascara or mistake you may have made whilst touching up. Never underestimate their power to fix a situation. 

Top Fashion Moments in Music Videos of 2016 (so far!)

When fashion meets music, it doesn't get any better than this. These two have always been the perfect pair for years, allowing artists to showcase the latest fashion trends, or push the envelope with artistic fusion. 

Music videos serve as the visual story-teller of the song, unearthing the imagination of artists of a life beyond our own. This past year so far has provided us with a stellar lineup of fashion-infused music videos giving us serious fashion envy!

We've scrolled through the internet and youtube to reveal some of our favourite fashion moments in music in 2016 so far:

(Which one is your favourite?)

Beyoncé - Hold Up

Solange - Cranes In The Sky

BØRNS - American Money

GRIMES - Kill V. Maim

Kiiara - Gold

Gwen Stefani - Misery

TRENDING: OVERSIZED BUTTON SHIRTS

Fashion weeks never fail to provide us with the best street style and up and coming looks. The next big trend according to fashion influencers is the ‘Oversized Button Down’.

Grab your boyfriend’s button up or shop for your own, and you can easily update your wardrobe with this is new style this spring.

Whether you want to pair it with a floral skirt, wear it on its own; We have a few photos of the different ways you can wear it for some fashion inspo!

Wherever we go, we like to be prepared. From the office to the bar we have ourselves covered! Step inside our office and see what our top handbag essentials are. 

G:         I’ve always got some nude lipstick or balm in my bag and a compact face powder for touch ups during the day/after work if I’m heading out for a drink. 

J:          I always have some Carmex in my bag (I’m obsessed – my boyfriend even bought me bulk Carmex for my birthday) and my Miu Miu sunglasses – I love this style, I feel they work with almost any outfit and colour 

S:         I don’t leave the house without a tube of trusty Lucas Paw Paw ointment (the most versatile and soothing product ever) and of course my credit card – you never know what you’ll come across that you simply must have! 

Z:         I really don’t go anywhere without some business cards, they come everywhere with me – you never know when you’ll need one. I usually always have some tampons, even if they’re not for me, you never know when you’ll need to help a gal out. Also, my super handy mini sewing kit, were talking needle & thread, pins, bra strap, buttons etc. 

E:         Perfume is my handbag essential (GIVENCHY Very Irresistible is my favourite) and of course like the other girls, no one can stand dry lips - a Chap Stick. 

FITNESS CRAZE: BARRE CLASS

Working out can feel like a chore and we are always on the hunt for a new fitness trend to keep things fun whilst getting our summer bods ready!

I’ve always wanted to be a ballerina but never liked the idea of the feet-destroying slippers! Well, now we can have the best of both worlds where we can get fit, have fun and still be a wanna-be ballerina (without the tutu!).

We’ve recently discovered a group fitness class called “Barre Fitness” or “Dance Barre”, which is fast coming a fitness craze.

Barre is ballet-inspired workouts that use the ‘ballet barre’ (hence where the name is from), and is a dynamic mix of dance, Pilates and fitness. It will almost feel like you’re not even working out at all! Don't be worried if you've never done anything ballet, because the best thing about these classes is they are for all fitness levels!

Barre Dance with Katie Dickens (Albion)

If you’re looking to get lean, build your core, flexibility and tone your legs and bum, then this may tickle your fancy!

With this class now becoming higher in demand, we’ve found a few spots around Brisbane near you:

BARRE BRISBANE, WEST END

http://brisbanebarre.com.au

DANCE BARRE, ALBION

http://dancebarre.com.au

REVIVE STUDIO, ASHGROVE

http://revivestudio.com.au

BARRE BODY, CBD

http://barrebody.com.au

XTEND BARRE, STONES CORNER

https://www.xtendbarre.com/studio/stones-corner/

XTEND BARRE, ST LUCIA

https://www.xtendbarre.com/studio/st-lucia/

STYLE SPOTLIGHT: NYFW STREET STYLE

New York Fashion week is soon coming to an end and its safe to say we have some serious street-style envy: we saw a lot of beading, oversized button up shirts, feminine dresses paired with sneakers, and the new off shoulder trend that we saw grace the runway.

We’ve put a collection of fashion forward outfits we loved (and want) hot off the streets of New York!

Summer Ready Detox

With summer looming we are puling all the stops to ensure that summer body is looking better than ever. Along with regular exercise we have a few (delicious) secrets to help us on our way. Brewing your own infused waters and teas has many benefits from digestion to fat burning and immune defense properties – did we mention that there are also delicious!

Make yourself a large jug and sip on it throughout your day for a healthier alternative to regular juice/coffee/energy drinks.

Here are a few super easy recipes to get you started. 

Slimming tea fusion

2 x cups of chilled green tea

2 x cups of filtered water

1 x small handful of fresh mint leaves

1 x fresh lime sliced

2 x cups of Ice

Blood sugar & digestion

1 x kiwi fruit peeled and sliced

1 x handful of strawberries slices

½ x cucumber sliced

1 x small handful fresh mint leaves

4 x cups of filtered water

2 x cups of ice

Immune defense

1 x lime sliced

1 x lemon sliced

1 x orange sliced

1 x spring of rosemary

4 x cups of water

2 x cups of ice 

Your Cruelty Free Beauty Crash Course

So you have probably heard a lot about cruelty free beauty lately. You might have seen it online or have a friend that shops cruelty free. But what does that really mean? Not only is it important because we love animals but also so you can make informed decisions as a consumer when shopping for your beauty products. 

What you need to know first. Animal testing has been done for generations as a way to determine if products were safe for public use. Not only are final products tested but individual ingredients. Long story short testing of ingredients in no longer required for many reasons and here is why:

• There are thousands of ingredients available to cosmetic companies that have already been proven safe they can use to formulate their products. 
• With the continued development of new technologies there are alternative methods available that makes animal testing uanessacry. These include in-vitro testing and the ability to replicate human organs that can best used for testing. 
• There is a genetic differences between animals and humans meaning that although something could be determined safe for animals it doesn’t make it safe for humans. 
• many countries around the would have realised the many reasons animal testing is uanessacry and have taken action to ban animal testing on cosmetics. These include the European Union, India, Norway and more. Australia can soon add its name to this list after annoying in June that they are banning cosmetic testing on animals. You can read more about how awesome we are becoming here. 

The term Cruelty Free refers to testing on animals and the term vegan refers to products without animals by-products. In cosmetics these can be bees wax, Carmine, Lanolin and many more. 

The easiest way to think about it is their are many different things that can make your beauty products are home cruelty free or not. 

Do they consider themselves cruelty free? 

Whats important to know here is the term “Cruelty Free” is not regulated so it can be used by companies, when in fact they could be testing on animals. Where it can get a little confusing is that the final product (e.g. your cleanser) may not have been tested on animals so companies will state it is cruelty free however the ingredients inside your cleanser may have been tested. Just to add another factor into the mix, much of the time the products will be tested by a third party which is where we talk about selling in China. 

Do they sell in China?

When beauty brands enter the Chinese market and are selling their products in China they agree that their products can undergo animal testing before they can be sold. This is a requirement by the Chinese government. 

Note: Companies can manufacture products in China and still be considered cruelty free as it is only if they are selling in China they are required by law to test. 

Only tests on animals when required by law.

This section is important because it is a statement you will see on a lot of cosmetics websites. Many companies are cruelty free and do not test their products or ingredients on animals. However many of these same company sell in china making them not necessarily cruelty free. 

Are they owned by a parent company that tests on animals?

Some brands are owned by bigger cosmetics companies and many of these companies do test on animals. Because of this many people believe that companies that are owned by larger parent companies that do test are not consider cruelty free because the profits for the products go to the parent company. This is an issue that is not black and white and looked at differently by many people. 

So what now?

There is a lot of information out there on the topic. Its important for each individual to decide whats important to them and the educate themselves. Lucky for us their are many great beauty bloggers that have done all the hard work on this issue. Blogs such as Cruelty Free Kitty and Logical Harmony provide a wealth of knowledge and have developed their on “Cruelty free list” you can use as a reference. 

You also have many organisation that are dedicated to ending animal testing and have approved lists of companies that don’t test on animals. Your top three you can refer to are

Choose Cruelty Free // Leaping bunny // Peta

Have a look at the massive list of cruelty free beauty brands you can buy from. Cruelty Free Kitty is a good go to list.

x

Bella Hadid: Style File

Her signature bad-girl minimalism has taken the platforms on social media by storm. Her dreamy and strikingly beautiful looks are undoubtedly mesmerizing and it’s no wonder Dior Beauty wanted her as the face of their brand.

The 19-year-old sister of supermodel Gigi Hadid has become a modelling force in her own right, with high profile runway appearances in New York and Paris, as well as on the Grammys Red Carpet with boyfriend The Weekend. You can’t help but admire this gorgeous genetically blessed beauty and we are just loving her timeless style!

Must Try Hairstyles for Winter

We all love to change up our look every once in a while, so why not give one of these trending hairstyles a go this season.

Revamp your look with the textured fringe. Featured on our fave girl Selena Gomez, this simple change can really add some shape to your face.

If your brave why not get a chop like the stunning Jennifer Lawrence? This surprising versatile hair style is so hot right now.

But if you love your hair don’t panic, long luscious hair full of body is always in fashion. Why not try adding some layers to create a naturally soft wave as seen on our girl Ciara. 

Skincare Saviours

Keep your skin looking fabulous all year round with these super easy tips.

1.     Cleanse
Cleansers can be very drying. Swap your current cleanser for one with milder ingredients.

2.     Moisturise
Face, hands, body, everything! It is even more important during this time of year.

3.     Exfoliate
Gently. It will help to brighten your skin.

4.     Masks
Applying a hydrating mask every once in a while can do wonders for your skin.

5.     Hydrate
You’ve heard it all before, drinking water is essential to maintain smooth soft skin.

You wont believe how much following these simple steps will improve your skin.

FACE UP

Navigating the beauty minefield can be tricky, but a quick vote at Studio depicted bright eyes and full lips make for the perfect femme fatale. With Friday night creeping ever so near, turn heads with a concoction of 90’s grunge and new millennia cool… Featuring leather chokers, chunky earrings, and a face palette filled with deep hues that tread the line between the boldest of reds and the blackest of blacks. The shade of the season and the colour of the night. Line your lips, layer up those lashes, and prepare to become one with the dark of night. Shop our favourite’s below: 

Mirander’s Post Met Gala Detox

It’s tough stuff being a celebrity, the constant flights, parties, travelling and no one does a post-party rejuvenation like Mirander Kerr. After stepping on the red carpet in a structural Louis Vuitton ensemble and posing for cameras all night, she headed back for some much needed sleep and a morning jump-start routine with healthy eating, meditation and a quick in-room blood pumping workout all before catching a flight back to LA. When it comes to looking your best the day after a big party, Mirander is your girl!

Best Met Ball Party Pics!

This year's Met Ball is here and we are loving the fashion that has come with it. The Ball has become on of the most watches, and envied, events of all time! What we are also looking forward to is the after-party and behind the scenes shots! Here are some past celebratory shots from inside Met Galas from the past!

Travel Like a Fashion It Girl!

Are you tired of being jealous of IT girls travelling the world and doing it in style? Well we surely are and that's why we have put together a list to help you travel like you fav Instagram girls! So firstly, pack lightly!! Easier said then done but this is a must. We're all guilty of sneaking a few extra pieces into our suitcases at the last minute… but ladies, the secret here is to take as little as possible. Next is to plan your outfits out, coming up with outfit combinations is also a great way to pack lighter yay! Finally, don't forget to bring accessories, your go-to beauty products and your fav three pairs of shoes. Now you are set to take on the world!

Coachella Hair and Make-up Trends

The first weekend of Coachella was a mix of flower crowns and festival styling but of coarse we couldn't keep our eyes off the hair and make-up trends. We loved Kendall's high glitter buns and Kylie's rainbow braids! Our fav girls were also all sporting Kylie's new Coachella inspired lipsticks! Then there was the beautiful Vanessa Hudgens who mixed braids, curls and feathers together for one of the best Coachella hairstyles ever!!!

Natural lip plumper

We have all be fascinated over Kylie Jenner’s lips for some time and have watched numerous tutorials to achieve the notorious plumped lip look, but here’s a way to achieve this fashion statement without buying expensive products.

What you’ll need:

·      Soft toothbrush

·      Utensil for mixing

·      Cotton buds

·      Oil, such as olive, avocado or coconut

·      Sugar or baking soda

·      Cinnamon

How it works

Cinnamon helps stimulate blood flow to the lips as it is a mild irritant that causes mild swelling and a tingly sensation the temporally plumps the lips for a few hours. It is a safe method but should not be over used to avoid drying and scaling of the lips.

Lip Scrub

Brush your lips with the oil and baking soda mixture using the toothbrush to remove any dead skin and give your lips a smoother appearance. Wipe off excess mixture with wet cotton bud

Lip Plumper

Mix half a teaspoon of oil with cinnamon to achieve a pasty mix and apply to the lips with your finger and massage until your lips begin to tingle. Leave for 10 minutes and dab off with cotton buds