Hair + Beauty | The Blonde Silhouette

Elevate Your Autumn Beauty with the Basics!

Cue the warmer colour palettes and berry toned pouts, my Autumn beauty overhaul is about elevating your fall beauty look using the basics: illuminator, contour, concealer, eyeshadow and gloss.

alt= "Autumn Beauty and Makeup"

alt= "Autumn Beauty"

The Necessities: Moisturiser, Concealer & Coverage

I don’t need to point out that the change of season brings about changes to your skin, but I will remind you ladies that now is the time to add a little more hydration to your beauty routine. Cue, a moisturising mist! I’m particularly loving the Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Moisture Mist, as it helps to sooth the skin and boost moisture levels with Sodium Hyaluronate and Aloe Vera extract.

Prone to dark under eye circles or the occasional spot? Me too! But I’m concealing my late night eyes and hormonal pimples with Napoleon Perdis The One Concealer in Light, as it provides long lasting coverage and reduces the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Of course, a powder to set your base is a MUST in the colder months, and I swear by the Napoleon Perdis Camera Finish Powder with its silky, matte finish.

The Dimension: Highlighter, Contour & Eyeshadow

I might be a little late to the party, but I’ve just realised how important an illuminator is to your beauty routine, as it emphasises dimension by highlighting the high points of the face, and creates a healthy, youthful glow. I love the low-maintenance, speedy application of the Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight, with it’s shimmery, oil free finish.

To create Kardashian inspired sculpted cheekbones, I use the Anastasia Beverly Hills Powder Contour Kit with it’s three natural contour powders and three highlighting powders.

The Colour: Eyeshadow & Lips

Say hello to earthy colours and smokey neutral eyes, as part of Autumn’s colour palette. This gorgeous five swatch Becca Ombre Rouge Eye Palette is my weapon of choice this season, helping me to create statement worthy peepers, using rich, decadent colours – the chocolate for your eyes. As for the lips, keep them glossy and delicious with a deep berry tone, like this Mecca Cosmetica Tined Lip Stain (similar style here).

Beauty enthusiasts, I would love to hear what beauty staples you are using this Autumn. Drop me a comment below with your favourite brands or tips! x

Va Va Voom: The 7 Hair Styling Tools Your Tresses NEED!

Looking to add more volume to your locks? Look no further fashionista’s as I’ve rounded up my favourite 7 hair styling tools to help create a little va-va-voom throughout your main mane!

alt="Hair Styling"

1. Schwarzkopf Osis+ Soft Glam Prime Prep Spray. Introducing the perfect primer for your tresses. Helping to detangle even the most complex knots, simply spritz damp hair and style as necessary. Did I mention this one doubles as a heat protector against styling tools? Now that’s a double whammy!

2. Schwarzkopf Osis+ Soft Glam Plumping Shine Mousse. Having dead straight hair, I find my roots lack volume, so for me, a styling mousse is an absolute necessity. What I love about the Plumping Shine Mousse is that it gives my limp locks extra body without weighing down my the roots with product. But the best part? It doesn’t create that crunchy hair texture that other mousses do.

3. Schwarzkopf Osis+ Soft Glam Strong Glossy Holdspray. Let’s be real, that rigid hold and chemical scent of home brand hairspray just doesn’t cut it anymore. Instead, I’m opting for a more natural hold and texture of the Strong Glossy Hairspray. Not only does this product have a deliciously fruity fragrance, but it leaves hair with a healthy shine and is super easy to brush out.

4. Superfood Hair Masques. Part of a three step treatment, Superfood Hair Masques contain the highest quality ingredients including Macadamia Oil, Acai Berry, Argan Oil, Manuka Honey and Coconut Oil. Each treatment targets different concerns, helping to restore moisture, retain a healthy scalp, control hair loss and provide nourishment to damaged locks.

5. CloudNine Original Iron. It wasn’t too long ago that I reviewed the CloudNine Original Iron, but it’s given me fabulous hair days since, with it’s heat control settings and speedy heating process. Definitely a must-have hair styling tool for creating seriously slick, straight hair.

6. Stefan Hair Brush. Brush out any tough knots with the perfectly pink Stefan Teezer Brush. Extra points go to it’s miniature “handbag friendly” size.

7. Stefan Blowdryer. Dry your hair in a speedy fashion with the two temperature setting of the iconic Stefan Blowdryer. Equipped with a detachable heat concentrator to minimise damage and control airflow, you can kiss those nasty flyaways good bye!

Do you have a favourite hair styling product that I don’t know about? From one beauty enthusiast to another, I’de love to hear it – so please leave me a comment below!

AW Beauty Workshop with Gritty Pretty

If you’re following the gram you’ll already know my highlight of last week, meeting the fabulous beauty IT Girl, Eleanor Pendleton of Gritty Pretty. Featuring as the special guest of Westfield Carindale’s AW Beauty Workshop, Eleanor dished her insider beauty knowledge of the key makeup and hair trends for the upcoming Autumn/Winter season.

Not only is she just as gorgeous in the flesh, she’s super friendly, and her presentation certainly proved one thing, this girl knows her stuff!

alt="Gritty Pretty"

Starting with an inspiring insight into her journey of Gritty Pretty, Eleanor’s story speaks of dedication, hard work and most importantly, a love of beauty!

736863_1034289796634090_6189564656406866673_o

According to Eleanor, some of the major beauty trends straight off the catwalk are seen as:

Plum Lips

Rich, berry hues are picked to be the colour of choice for plump pouts this AW season. Personally, I couldn’t be more excited at the thought of such a sophisticated (and seductive) statement lip. Not to mention, as Eleanor points out, plum lipsticks feature a blue base which creates the illusion of a brighter smile and who doesn’t love the look of pearly whites!

Sharing her tricks of the trade, Eleanor recommends applying the lipstick to the middle finger and dabbing onto the lip, rather than using the bullet, is the safest way to apply the lip stain.

alt="Gritty Pretty"

Bold Brows

I’m excited to hear that bold brows are here to stay, according to Eleanor. For this reason, it is more important than ever to invest in the right products to ensure your brows remain on fleek. When it comes to creating #browenvy, Eleanor suggests adding brow gel to your beauty routine, to add dimension and fill in any gaps. Not to mention, the gel formula helps to set brows in place and minimise smudges and sliding. Dearly noted girlfran!

11252547_1034290793300657_4881342285047491577_o

Undone Waves and Messy Braids

When it comes to the tresses, Eleanor suggests that undone is done, with a focus on more relaxed styles. Channel an effortless yet chic vibe with loose, cascading waves, while always remembering to spritz roots with dry shampoo for second day hair.

As for trending updo’s, Eleanor says messy braids and plaits are on high rotation, brought about by the 90’s resurge. As if by total fate, I happened to style a messy fishtail braid to the workshop, which Eleanor personally complimented, saying that my hairstyle was bang on trend. This one’s going in the book as one of my Top 5 Fashion Moments!

alt="Gritty Pretty"

If a picture paints a thousand words, then these snaps show off just how fabulous this event was! For a little more beauty how-to, definitely check out my write up on the Lulu and Lipstick blog, covering Eleanor’s many tips and tricks. You won’t want to miss out on this beauty guide cuties! x

Photography by Westfield Carindale

Becoming A Beauty Queen with Lulu&Lipstick!

Lulu and Lipstick Travel Brush Set

A familiar saying, often goes that a workman should never blame his tools for the result of bad job, but then I highly doubt Michael Angelo painted the Sistine Chapel with a cheap set of brushes. In the beauty world, poor quality tools can perpetuate very bad results. I’m sure I’m not the only beauty enthusiast that has missed the mark and ended up with a makeup faux pas, due to her tools. So with a resolution to revolutionise my makeup game, I have started with an overhaul, saying goodbye to my wiry, aged brushes and upgrading my equipment. Enter Lulu and Lipstick.

I’ve been following the Brisbane based beauty retailer on Instagram for quite some time, enticed by their glam name, pink packaging and old school glamour. I even received their beautiful Lilac Powder Brush in a gift bag, which has become a favourite amongst my beauty routine.

Arriving to The Blonde Silhouette HQ in beautiful pink packaging, came the Lulu and Lipstick Travel Brush Set, and like any beauty queen, I instantly fell in love! Smitten with the blush pink handle, gold hardware and matching gold travel case, I was instantly reminded these aren’t your standard makeup brushes, these are special, decadent, pristine! If Queen Tay Tay did her own makeup, she’d be using these very brushes to apply it. While these are a beautifully packaged product, they are of beautiful quality, debuting a soft, fluffy texture that feels incredible against my skin! They are also 100% vegan and cruelty free, so there’s no guild involved pre or post application! If like me, you want to upgrade your makeup game, and feel like a queen while doing so, I encourage you to check out Lulu and Lipstick and follow their beauty game on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest.

Expect to see a little more Lulu on the blog, as I think I’ve just been romanced by this beautiful brand! Stay tuned x