All articles tagged 'beauty'

Really… how hairy are you?! Take this quiz & find out your optimal hair removal method!

Problem Skin

“My skin has really been getting me down lately – I’m 15 and it was perfect before getting spots a few years ago. Now, it’s a disaster. I’ve got enlarged pores, under-skin spots (that never surface and don’t hurt), an un-even skin tone and very minor acne marks/scars. How can I get my perfect skin back? Has it been ruined? I use M·A·C Studio Fix, but on my problem skin it just looks caked on and obvious so I don’t wear it too often… I cleanse, tone and moisturise with Simple products and exfoliate once a week. My diet isn’t bad at all either – I eat quite a lot of fruit and veg and hardly any sugar but I still break out. One thing I can think of is I do smoke… Could this cause such a problem with my skin? If so – I’m quitting starting today!”

How To Fix A Terrible Haircut

So, what can you do when your hair ends up shorter on one side than on the other? Or if your fringe is about 3 centimetres too high? Or if your hairdresser, who refused to listen to you, snipped off all the volume & bounce you’d been growing out for months?

Fafi For MAC Cosmetics -- Reviews

On Monday, I received a FedEx package that made me yelp with excitement. It was a box from a PR company in New York. It said “MAC Cosmetics” on the outside. I thought, “Pffft, it couldn’t be. I bet someone wrote that just to get my attention!” But when I ripped it open in the elevator & looked inside, my heart started pounding. My hands trembled. I think I perspired a little bit. I ran down the corridor at full speed & started hollering excitedly at my boyfriend. Yes, I am a true MAC addict — these are the signs. It can get ugly!

Fafi For MAC

I LOVE this range so much. Not just the make-up, but the accessories too! After all, who could say no to a Fafi t-shirt with striped arms? Or a silk scarf printed with Fafi characters?

What We're Using

I thought it would be interesting to do a periodical round-up on the beauty products we’re all using & how well they’re working for us. It’s a good way to trade information & find products you might like to test out yourself.

Hair Extensions

Cass has a really amazing system of attaching extensions, the likes of which I’ve never seen before (or even heard of).

Daylesford

My trip to Daylesford — what I did, where I stayed, the works!

A Model Search

On Saturday morning, I woke up at 6.30am to offer my services as an extremely amateur make-up artist at a modelling competition. Earlier that week, my teacher had asked me & a couple of other girls in my class to help her do faces at a show, & I was delighted (& totally flattered) to accept.

Eye Make-Up Questions!

“Currently, I use a black pencil eyeliner on my bottom lash, and use mascara. I’d like to create a smoky effect but I don’t want to buy heaps. Is there some sort of special brush I can use to smudge it in?”

Spray Tanning Put To The Test!

Well, yesterday was one of the most unusual experiences of my life. Yes, I deigned to have a spray tan. There was a voucher in an issue of Cosmopolitan magazine offering up a “free spray tan”, which of COURSE I couldn’t resist.

Fashion Darling #003

How to do the perfect cat’s eye — my column in Cosmopolitan!

The Power Of Eyebrows

It’s truly incredible the way a pair of well-shaped eyebrows can completely transform your face, as seen here!

Gala's Top 5 Beauty Tips

I am always fascinated when I hear other people’s secret beauty tips, & I thought you might be in the same boat! So, here are some of my beauty tricks, & I’d love it if you spilled the beans on what keeps you looking (& feeling) amazing too!

O Magazine & Ellen Barkin

What exactly is she trying to say here? That women over 50 should cover up & shuffle down the street as if invisible? That once you hit your 50th birthday, your time in the spotlight is over? Time to eat at the early-bird special, grab your Zimmer frame & don orthopaedic shoes?

My Eye Makeup Makes Me Look Like A Clown!

“Recently, some of my relatives gave me an AMAZING make-up kit. It has great color selections, especially in the eye make-up department. At the young age of 13, I want to keep my make-up relatively subdued, but whenever I put on anything other than a sheer beige color, I can’t help but feel like a clown! You often wear bright, crazy eye make-up, and I was hoping that you had some tips for wearing them with confidence.”

Hello Blondie!

I got my hair cut! Should I dye it pink or purple?

Hand & Nail Care

How to look after your hands on a daily basis, how to give yourself a home manicure & how to choose a good manicurist if you can’t abide doing it yourself!

Zee 'Air Down There

Someone asks me what I think of pubic hair grooming. I give my opinion, & then everyone else gives theirs too!

Making Short Hair More Interesting

“I had my hair cut short for the first time a few months ago, and I love it. Not having to worry about bad hair days is marvellous. But I’m getting bored with it looking the same all the time! Since you’ve got short hair, too, I wondered if you’ve got any tips for making it look more interesting?”

How To Adopt A New Skincare Routine

How to pull the old switcheroo on your skin without disaster!

Style Tips -- 10th May 2007

Bento boxes, glittery toenails & exciting voicemail messages!

Small Questions

I tackle thick ankles, long-lasting lipstick & how to make freckles look even.

How To Rock A Wig

“Oh my gosh, will you please write an article on how to wear a wig! I’ve tried cheap ones on at novelty shops before, but they just look like a Halloween costume on me. But your looks just wonderful, like I actually thought you dyed your hair for a minute. It doesn’t have to look completely natural, but I would love to know how you pulled that off without making it look like it was just a silly costume. Also, what did you do with your hair underneath it?”

Eyelash Extensions!

The end result AMAZED me. Pascaline uses thick black lashes which create a very obvious, but still subtle, effect. I was so thrilled when I looked in the mirror, my lashes were long & thick & gorgeous.

Daily Outfit -- 27th April 2007 -- Part Two!

A rejected outfit from yesterday, & what I wore instead.

Ebay Glee

I went on a spending spree on Ebay at midnight. Here’s my loot.

Super-dry Skin

“This may sound strange, but I love your skin! It’s really hard to pull off fair skin unless it’s absolutely flawless like yours, which sucks for us pale chicks. I have about the same skintone as you, but I have two major problems…”

Concealer Recommendations

“I need a new concealer. I don’t particularly want to spend heeeps of money on it but I want it to be a good one and to last a while (ie not a tube skinnier than my pinkie finger!). I like to use the creamier ones (as opposed to a concealer stick) I find these blend a lot easier. Do you have any suggestions?”

Moisturiser

Since I recently ran out of Afterlife, my favourite ever moisturiser by Lush (which has been DISCONTINUED, the horror!), I have been on the search for something as good to replace it.

How To Get A Great Tattoo And Never Regret It

While tattoos can be fantastic & beautiful, they can also be hideous & embarrassing. This article will tell you about the sort of things you need to consider before you get a tattoo, how to pick a design, how to choose a tattoo artist & how to look after it once it’s done.

How To Rock A Beehive

“Hello, lovely! First off, thanks for being awesome! Love love love the site! Secondly, I have a question. Do you know of a tutorial or something on how to do your hair like a 60’s beehive? I don’t know if mine is long enough yet but I have decided to let it grow for the moment & I am DYING to do it in a beehive! I know you have short hair, but you are the only person I could think to ask something like this. Thanks!”

How Do I Choose An Eyeshadow Which Suits Me?

“My mother is not one of those women who wears a lot of make-up. The most she’ll ever wear is foundation and powder. Unfortunately for me, that means she can’t give me tips or tricks on choosing or applying make-up. How do you choose an eyeshadow and once you’ve found one, how do you go about wearing it? Sounds silly, but I’m desperate for help.”

Matching Personality To Fragrance

I love to look through the list of Demeter fragrances & imagine myself wearing them, but often I think that I would have to be a certain type of person to wear, say, Stable (hay, muck & animal sweat) or Thunderstorm (humid air & soil). Here then, are some of my scent suggestions for various people I hold in high esteem.

Questions Answered With The Power Of Science!

Unfortunately, this is a problem where I was absolutely stumped for an answer. Haircare is a source of great confusion to me, but at the same time, I wanted to find you an answer!

How To Beat Problem Skin Into Submission

“I was wondering if you had any advice or product recommendations for those of us with “problem” skin. I still get acne at the age of 27, and though I have been searching for years, I can’t seem to find anything to control it.”

What Do You Spend Money On?

Everyone has different priorities when it comes to spending money. Some people spend up on almost everything, while others will pay as little as they can as often as they can.

Signature Scents

Coco Chanel said that you should wear perfume wherever you want to be kissed, & when Marilyn Monroe was asked what she wore to bed, she replied “two drops of Chanel No.5”. Of course, both statements were excellent P.R. for Chanel’s perfumes. I, personally, have never understood the appeal of Chanel No. 5. It’s lacking something.

These, however, are perfect — which is why I own them…

Daily Outfit -- 31st January 2007

I’m going for a Parisian theme recently. I think it’s because of the black manicure — I feel that the only people who really carry this off effectively are either the French, goths or emo kids (& I would prefer to feel French).

Makeup Basics Part Two -- Makeup Application

This is part two of my three-part series on makeup basics.

Fashion Report: Summer/Autumn 2007

Stop the presses! My personal fashion report leading through to the middle of the year. I call this the “cyborg coquette”, combining the best elements of the 40’s, 60’s & the future.

How To Age Gracefully

I recently had an email from a woman who is nearing 60 years old. She is in incredible shape (I should know, I saw the photos) & has great style but is caught in the trap of getting older & being unsure what to do about it.

How Wearing Make-Up Affects Your Career

Normally I wouldn’t make a post out of a single link, but this flabbergasted me so much I had to.

Daily Outfit -- 24th January 2007

This is what I wore to buy a lamp & a salad!

Makeup Basics Part One -- Skincare

Being a guy I don’t usually wear makeup, but on occasion when going out I’ll throw some mascara on and maybe some nail polish. I like to be exuberant at times and was thinking of getting some eye shadow too. But in honesty I know next to nothing about the basics of makeup. Can you enlighten me?

Gala Darling