The Live TV Edit – aka the one where I pile on as many products as humanly possible.

Hello blog world and happy Christmas Eve!

Once again I’ve utterly dropped the ball and neglected this blog for months on end…I’m sorry. But I return today with a post about the makeup I wore when I performed at Woolworth’s Carols in the Domain last week!

Because I knew it would be broadcast live on national television, I wanted everything to give definition without looking overdone or too heavy. I started out with my tried and trusted Marc Jacobs Re(marc)able foundation and MAC Pro Longer concealer – I knew these would be long lasting and look good on camera, and went in with the Cover FX Cream Contour Palette, using the darkest shade (4) along my hairline,  a bit under the cheekbones, and the lightest shade (1) under my eyes and along the bridge of my nose.

After that I set everything with the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural (which btw, I’ve had for three years and still haven’t made much of a dent!) and used the Laura Mercier Translucent Powder under my eyes. Once everything was set, I used the Kat Von D powder contour palette to further define my jawline and forehead using the ashy shade, and the banana shade on the centre of my forehead. I don’t like to go overboard with contouring on my cheekbones because I think more often than not, with down lighting, my cheekbones stand out pretty well on their own and if I add too much product, it just looks like a line of makeup.

Next, as always, I primed my eyes with MAC Paint Pot in Layin’ Low and used my well loved Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage palette to highlight my brow bone and define my crease.

The light neutral brown shade is absolutely beautiful and blends so easily – I brushed what was left over on my brush down the sides of my nose too for a bit of a nose contour. Then I went in with my newest Tom Ford love – the Honeymoon palette. I used the reddy shade to further deepen the crease, the bronze shade on the lid, and the deepest shade to create more depth in the outer V. Then lined my eyes using my new favourite Essence’s Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner (and as a bonus, it’s $5!), topped it off with a coat of Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara and added Manicare’s Cara lashes.

With the lashes on, I felt like it needed a little something extra, so I popped a tiny bit of the pressed glitter shade from Charlotte Tilbury’s Vintage Vamp palette just on the centre of the lid.

I finished off the face with Nars Dolce Vita blush, and Becca Champagne Pop Highlighter. After the initial hype surrounding Champagne Pop died down, I kind of got over it and thought it was a bit much for day to day, as I don’t really like a metallic highlight, but I was so happy to discover that it’s the perfect highlight for the collar bone and tops of the shoulders! I also applied it very lightly to my cheekbones. Note: very lightly.

To finish things off, I used MAC Cherry Lipliner (seriously, it’s magic. I’ve used it every time I’ve worn a red lip for the past two years and it’s only halfway finished. HOW?!) and Tom Ford Ruby Rush Lipstick. Tom Ford lipsticks are a massive splurge but Ruby Rush is just the perfect true red, plus it’s a non drying matte formula, it’s long lasting and transfer proof. I will never say that you need a $78 lipstick in your life, but if you have cash to splash and want something a little fancy, they are a good pick.

To finish I sprayed L’oreal Makeup Fixing Spray to make sure everything was locked down and wouldn’t melt off under the stage lights.

If this sounds like a long process, it bloody was! But makeup is my hobby and I had a great time painting my face that night. I hope you enjoyed reading through this get-ready-with-me and maybe have a few ideas for post-Christmas shopping 😉

Have a great holiday season and stay safe!

Jenny xo

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks ($40 AUD available at Sephora)

Hello beauties! I’m back from touring and I have some new lipstick loves to share with you. A few months ago, Bite Beauty announced on their Instagram that they are replacing the Luminous Creme lipstick range with a new formula, the Amuse Bouche line. There are a whopping forty colours to choose from and they posted each colour on a different celebrity and the beauty junkie in me started drooling. Full opaque pigment in one swipe, nourishing oils to keep lips hydrated without feeling heavy and it’s even considered food grade? Yes please!

I stalked my Sephora pretty much every week waiting for these to arrive in Australia and by chance I walked in on the day they arrived. The colour I knew I needed to pick up was Chai and I decided to hold off from buying more until I’ve tried Chai first. My goodness did it deliver! On my skin tone, Chai is a perfect browny pinky nude colour that can be worn with any eye look. It’s pretty long lasting – I can get about three hours of full colour wear before I feel the need to reapply (keeping in mind that I’m constantly sipping water). What I love most about it though is how nourishing it feels on the lips. It really feels like putting on a lip balm and yet it doesn’t slide around or bleed or feel heavy. There is a slight sweet scent but nothing overwhelming and I can’t smell it after the initial application. It’s very creamy when first applied but not slippery and after a few hours it dries down to a demi matte finish. The formula is really just perfection.

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Chai

I thought that with my ridiculous makeup collection that I’d just use Chai for the rest of the season and maybe buy something once Spring comes around. LOL! Part of me knew that was never going to happen. Two weeks in to rehearsal, I had a few drinks with a friend and when I went back to my apartment, I decided to peruse Sephora.com. Rookie mistake. Rhubarb and Gazpacho found their way in to my basket and within a week (much faster than my last Sephora order!) I had two new little tubes of beauty.

Swatched: Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipstick in Chai, Rhubarb and Gazpacho

Admittedly, Chai and Rhubarb are very similar and if I had swatched them side by side in person, I probably wouldn’t have picked both up. Rhubarb pulls more mauve than Chai and stands out more on my skin tone, I can tell a difference on the lips but in the photos they look more or less the same.

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Rhubarb

And finally, Gazpacho. This was one of the shades I initially wanted to pick up but upon reflecting on my ever growing collection of red lipsticks that all look the same, I decided against it. But I had no idea what I was missing out on! It’s a bright true red – the kind of red that makes my teeth look super white! I started using it as my show lipstick and it was a hit in the dressing room. It’s long lasting but not drying and the pigment just hangs around even when the shine has worn off. I will say though that I do get a lot of transfer with this colour – it got all over my bottle and unless I blotted two or three times after application it would get all over my teeth too.

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Gazpacho

Overall, I think the formula of these lipsticks are among my favourites, along with Tom Ford and Chanel, and it comes at a less expensive price. The rest of the range looks absolutely beautiful too – bright pinks, pale nudes, sultry berries.

Will you be trying any of these lipsticks?

Jenny xo

New in my collection: Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette and Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette

Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette and Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette

Longest title ever!

I’ll guiltily admit I’ve been shopping again, despite telling myself countless times that there are only so many bronze/gold/brown eyeshadows a person should own. It all began when BeautyBay sent me a birthday voucher and I jumped on their website to find the Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette in stock. I’d been stalking this palette on Sephora Australia’s website for what seems like forever and every time I check, it’s out of stock. Then the Sweet Peach palette launched a few days ago here in Australia and I honestly thought I’d skip it, since I have both Chocolate Bar palettes and there are a fair few similar shades. But as soon as I swatched the shades in Mecca Maxima and saw first hand how beautiful the colours and formula were, coupled with the “Limited Edition” sign (plus I was already on a roll) I was sold.

Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette swatched (NC30-35 skin)

Let’s start things off with the Zoeva Palette. It’s the perfect autumn/winter palette – the two matte brown shades are pigmented without being too soft and blend beautifully as crease shades. The shimmers though, are the stars of this palette. They are super pigmented (especially Pure Ganache – bottom row, furthest left) and offer a lovely shimmer without being too frosty. I’ve been blending the lighter matte brown as a transition in the crease, adding the cranberry shade to the lid, blending that out with the darker matte brown and adding the shimmery bronze to the lower lash line. The matte off-white highlight is also super pigmented, light matte colours don’t usually show up much on me but this one is great for a brow bone highlight.

Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette Swatched (NC30-35 skin)

You’re just too good to be true…I can’t take my eyes off of you… There has been a LOT of hype over this palette on social media and it has been out of stock nearly everywhere just days after its initial US launch. I snatched this up the day it arrived in Mecca Maxima and I’m so glad I did. Yes, it has a lot of dupable shades. Yes, it’s the same colour scheme I nearly always wear. But the formula is incredible and there are enough subtle differences to make this palette quite unique. First of all, it smells delicious! There’s a strong peach aroma that wafts from this palette when it’s open and I can smell it as I blend it on my eyes, but it doesn’t linger so I don’t think there’s a need to worry if you’re sensitive to scented products. I love how versatile this palette is – for a day look I blend the medium dusty pink colour (Georgia) through my crease, dab Peaches n Cream on the brow bone, swipe Cobbler or Bellini on the lid and the lower lash line and maybe add Puree to the outer V. For a more dramatic look (see below) I’ll take White Peach on the brow bone, Nectar on the inner corner, Candied Peach in the crease, Caramelised on the lid and lower lash line, Summer Yum to deepen the crease, and Peach Pit in the outer V. I’ve only had a few days to play with it but there are so many things you can do with this palette.

What are some of your recent purchases?

Jenny xx

In Flight Essentials

Recently I jetted off to Shanghai to perform some concerts that were be broadcast on Chinese radio and television. I think we can all agree that long distance flights are an experience that nobody enjoys: leg and back cramps, airplane food, exhaustion and of course, air conditioning that dries out our skin. Even if I didn’t have to be made up and ready to go the day I land, I’d still want to make sure my skin doesn’t get too dehydrated. By no means am I a skincare expert, but over the years I’ve picked up some tips and tricks that have really helped my skin.

The first thing I do when I get to my seat is take off all my makeup – there’s nothing worse than the feeling of day old foundation on your skin and for this, I like to use a micellar water infused cleansing wipe. Next, I bring out the oh so sexy sheet mask and leave that on for around half an hour. Note: people will likely give you odd looks but who cares when you step off the plane with glowing skin? On shorter flights (less than 8 hours) I’ll use something slightly less conspicuous such as the Origins Drink Up Intensive mask or the Lancome Hydra Intense mask. After I remove the mask, I pat the excess product away and apply a night moisturiser.

My lips are constantly dry due to my love affair with matte lipsticks and liquid lipsticks. I used to be a die hard fan of the Lucas Paw Paw ointment but a makeup artist told me that products that are vaseline based don’t actually help heal the lips and will in fact dry them out even more over time because the slippery feeling isn’t really the product sinking in. Since then, I’ve tried lip balms from various brands and some of my favourites have included the Dior Creme de Rose (absolutely divine, except for the price), Nuxe Reve de Miel and my current Philosophy Kiss Me Goodnight. These all leave my lips feeling soothed and hydrated, even after 8 hours of sleep, so I apply religiously throughout the flight.

Finally, I use a night eye cream  – this one by Kiehls is great – and gently tap it in to the skin around my eyes before trying to get some shut eye. And of course, I’ll always drink plenty of water.

What are your long haul flight survival tips?

These are a few of my favourite things

For my first ever blog post, I thought I’d share some of my favourite products currently. Generally my makeup aesthetic leans towards natural looking skin with a focus on eyes, or a bold lip, but if you follow my Instagram you will know that I’m not averse to slapping all the products on at once!

The Dior Air Nude Serum Foundation has been a firm favourite of mine since last spring – it offers medium coverage with a very skin like finish, not dewy nor matte. I use the dropper directly on my face and buff it in using the Tarte airbrush kabuki brush and it’s super quick application with a long lasting result.

Next up is bronzing and blush. I know all the hype is about contouring/strobing/colour correcting, but for an everyday look I prefer just a light dusting of a neutral bronzer with a big brush for a bit warmth and depth. I picked up the Charlotte Tilbury Bronze and Glow when I was in London last year and it was so worth the money, and the half day it took dragging my poor friend to Selfridges. The texture is very finely milled and it blends like a dream, and the highlighter is the perfect everyday glowy-but-not-like-a-discoball colour for my cheekbones. I’m a total blush addict and I think I may just own every peachy coloured blush on the market. Currently I’m rotating between Nars Gina, Tarte Blissful and Chanel Malice and big surprise, they’re all peachy toned. The Chanel has a beautiful subtle gold shimmer running through it so on days when I want to be extra glowy, I’ll blend that over my cheeks and sweep it lightly over my cheekbones too.

Can we all take a moment to admire the beauty that is the Tartelette in Bloom palette? I’m a sucker for bronze eyeshadow and the shade Firecracker is stunning. I sweep it over my lid and blend out the crease using one of the burgundy matte colours, and the two dark colours can be used as liner. I love having mascara loaded lashes (subtlety? No I’ve never heard of it…) and the Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes mascara delivers exactly what its name says. Admittedly it didn’t impress me when I first used it but a few weeks after opening, it’s now one of my all time favourites and I will be very sad the day it completely dries out.

I own more lipsticks than any human needs or should have, and I’m embarrassed to say that I hardly ever wear the bold bright colours. I love the look of a pop of colour on the lips but I never feel like I can pull it off, but lately I’ve made an effort to wear a bold lip and I’m loving it! My go to currently is the Estee Lauder lipstick in Restless, from the collaboration with Kendall Jenner last year. It’s such a beautiful bright orange-red, more orange than MAC Lady Danger but less so than MAC Morange. Estee Lauder’s matte formula is incredible – there’s no shine at all and yet it doesn’t feel dry nor does it drag on the lips during application.

So there you have it! These are my current favourites and I have plenty more to ramble on about – what are your beauty obsessions?

Jenny xo