How To: Prepare for a Summer-y Escape

am i the only person who has committed to a long and miserable melbourne winter? well, no...but it certainly feels like that! every time i log onto my facebook, my news feed is flooded with photo albums (of my sun-kissed, cocktail sipping and smiling friends) from europe and check-in's from amazing locations (the eiffel tower, las ramblas barcelona, the late show with david letterman, the pyramids, la international, etc, etc).

although i, myself, am not so lucky, seeing such adventures unfold has got me thinking...what would i pack if i was lucky enough to jet set off into the european sunset?

i have fairly normal (but slightly dehydrated) skin, which in summer tans easily, but being the end of july, hasn't seen the sun's (warm but damaging) uv rays for some time now! so, if i was heading to the sunny side of the world, extra protection would be required to keep my skin young, hydrated and pigmentation free. my trusty waterproof mascara from summer is also (almost certainly) dried up...it's had it's day.

so to help any lovely readers who are (or are soon to be) packing their bags and escaping the winter chill, below are the makeup, skin care and body care items i'm certain are necessary to your beauty survival, and an option for each product that i recommend:

the suitcase carrying cosmetics queen

 

face:

(for morning) hydrating cleanser, Ella Bache creme douce demaquillant, 210ml rrp: $67.00

(for morning) brightening eye roll-on, Ella Bache fruit d'eclat serum regard, 15ml rrp: $75.00

(for morning) day time tinted moisturiser, Mecca Cosmetica in a good light spf 30+ tinted facial sunscreen, 125g rrp: $50.00

(day/night wear) hydrating concealer, Mac select moisturecover 5ml, $34.00

(day/night wear) bronzer, Nars bronzing powder in casino, rrp: $55.00

(day/night wear) creme tint cheeks + lips, Becca lip & cheek creme in rosebud 3g, rrp $46.00

(day/night wear) illuminator, Becca skimmering skin perfector in opal 50ml, rrp: $66.00 (added bonus of spf 20)

(for morning) lip balm with spf, Mecca Cosmetica lip de-luscious spf 25 hydrating lip protectant 12g, rrp: $28.00

(day/night wear) waterproof eye liner, Estee Lauder double wear zero-smudge liquid eyeliner in black, rrp: $40.00

(day/night wear) waterproof mascara, Chanel inimitable waterproof in noir, rrp: $52.00

(for evening) makeup remover, Nars makeup removing water, rrp: $45.00

(for evening) gentle cleanser, Be in Awe vimala gentle cleanser, 150ml rrp: $39.90

(for evening) hydrating toner, Chanel lotion confort, 200ml rrp: $58.00

(for evening) hydrating serum, Chanel hydra beauty serum, 30ml rrp: $124.00

(for evening) hydrating moisturiser, Chanel hydra beauty creme, 50gm rrp: $109.00

(for evening) eye cream, Ella Bache creme speciale yeux, 30ml rrp: $76.00

spot treatment, Be in Awe amala clearing serum, 50ml rrp: $79.00

body:

hydrating cleanser, Ella Bache ultra rich body cleanser, 200ml rrp: $39.00

(for morning) moisturiser with spf, Palmers olive butter formula spf 15, 250ml rrp: $9.95

(for evening) hydrating moisturiser, Ella Bache refreshing earth body lotion, 200ml rrp: $43.00

body exfoliator, The Body Shop coconut body scrub, 200ml rrp: $27.95

after sun, Clinique after sun rescue with aloe, 150ml rrp: $39.00

the backpacking budget babe 

face:

(day/night) make-up remover, Garnier skin naturals clean sensitive 2 in 1 waterproof make-up remover, 200ml rrp: $9.95

(day/night) cleansing + toning towelettes, Garnier clean detox refreshing cleansing wipes, 25 wipes rrp: $8.95

(for morning) tinted moisturiser, Hissyfit saving face moisturising tinted sunscreen spf 30+, 30g rrp: $55.00

(for morning) lip balm with spf, Carmex Lip Balm click sticks with spf 15, 4.25g rrp: $4.99

(day/night wear) waterproof colour for cheeks + lips, Becca beach tint in watermelon 7ml, rrp $42.00

(day/night wear) waterproof mascara, Maybelline New York volum' express turbo boost waterproof mascara, rrp: $19.25

(for evening) repairing night cream, L'Oreal Paris youth code rejuvenating anti-wrinkle night cream, 50ml rrp: $35.95

body:

hydrating + exfoliating body wash, Dove exfoliating nourishing body wash, 200ml rrp: $4.20

(for morning) moisturising sunscreen, Nivea Sun moisturising sunscreen lotion spf 30+, 200ml rrp: $16.95

(for evening) hydrating lotion, Garnier body intensive 7 days mango oil ultra softening lotion, 400ml rrp: $6.95

now of course, whether you're suitcase carrier or a back pack gal, you would also have a shampoo and conditioner relevant to your hair type, and a sun protection serum suitable for your strands also. my favourite haircare brand is Redken 5th Avenue NYC (all soft shampoo 300ml rrp: $27.00, all soft conditioner 250ml rrp: $27.00, color extend sun shimmering defence 150ml rrp: $28.00), these ones are worth their weight in gold:

and do not forget (!!!) a waterproof deodorant (best on the market (in my experience) is Rexona clinical protection deodorant, 45ml rrp: $15.95).

well that was completely exhausting, but i'm pretty confident i've covered all bases there!! if any of you are off on a holiday soon (or are already on your holiday), i am extreeeeeeemly envious of you and hope that it is amazing.

B xoxo

have you been overseas lately? do you travel like a suitcase-carrying-cosmetics-queen or a backpacking-budget-babe? which product was your skin saviour? what products have i forgotten to pack?

My Christmas (in July) Wishlist

dear Father Christmas-in-July,

how are you? i can't believe how fast this year has gone! it feels like only yesterday that you last visited in me in decemeber, and that was 7 months ago!! hope yourself and mrs christmas are well, and those cute-as-a-button reindeers of yours!

now...about me! i feel that i have been a very good girl so far, so if you agree and feel that im worthy...

this is my wishlist:

Nars body glow oil 120ml rrp: $95.00

Nars smudgeproof eye shadow base rrp: $39.00

Nars illuminator orgasm rrp: $48.00

Nars pro-prime pore-refining primer rrp: $52.00

Jo Malone vitamin e nourishing hand treatment 100ml rrp:$100.00

Jo Malone orange blossom luxury candle 2.5kg $695.00

Bobbi Brown brightening finishing powder rrp: $90.00

Honore des Pres vamp a` ny eau de parfume 50ml rrp: $170.00

L'Artisan Parfumeur premier figuier 100ml rrp: $170.00

i understand that this list may be a little ambitious...but that's the point of a wishlist...right? anywho, if you're able to make some magic happen, i really would be the happiest little girl!

i hope you and your precious elves are enjoying your july celebrations!

B xoxo

if you could write a wishlist for christmas in july...what would be your top items?

The Heavy Handbag

i guess the best place for me to start, would be the products that i take with me everywhere, everyday.

the handbag. what a glorious invention it is for women like me, who feel the need to cart a large percentage of their belongings with them wherever they go, neatly held together buy a fashionable composition of materials... for me, it's preferably leather.

fun fact: although the ideal weight for a woman's handbag is no more than 1 kilo gram, the average weight carried by the lovely ladies of the world is 2.5 kilo grams. naughty naughty!

last weekend while i was bored at work (shock horror..what are the odds??!) i was reading articles on (one of my two favourite beauty sites primped.ninemsn.com.au) and stumbled upon a guest blog titled "Makeup Bag Do-Over: Or How to Not Carry 17 Lipsticks on your Back". i felt as though this article was actually written for me - personally. do they know me? have i been followed? should i smile for a candid camera? perhaps. in any case, the advice i was being given was much too helpful (and relevant) for me to inconvenience my voice of reason (guest blogger Emily Taylor) by implying that she may in fact have been following my every move. i thought i might as well take the opportunity to have a look through my bag and perhaps a spring clean if needed. Well that "if" turned out to be extremely naive by me.

before i started, i thought it worth weighing my bag, just to see how much i'm currently carrying around with me when i wander aimlessly for hours through shopping centres and the like.

coming in at 4.1kgs... not ideal, 3.2kgs more than in fact! i often carry a 600ml bottle of water in there too if it will fit...gulp!

On turning my bag upside down, this was what i found:

wow. what a mess. not quiet sure how the few scrunched tissues or the empty packet of "extra" are necessary for survival, so it seems appropriate that these are the first to go.

after this progress, i'm feeling pretty good about myself. perhaps i'm not an extremist hoarder (how very wishful of me). ok focus, back to the task at hand! but now i find myself quite stumped. all these products are in here for a reason, surely. so i figure it helpful to group the similar products together to determine how excessive my handbag collection is.

now i wont bore you with listing each and every product in this picture, but you would most likely agree that there's definitely an excessive amount of products e.g. if i'm carrying my Estée Lauder DayWear Sheer Tint Release Moisturiser, i probably wont require my Garnier BB Cream (in either shade - i have both), whilst i'm out and about on a normal day. i also don't often use all three of my large powder brushes, one is quite suffice!

i'm feeling as though now is as good a time as any, to mention to you that from sunday to friday (as a general rule) i do not wear any makeup. i'm not a natural glamour (please don't mistake the lack of makeup for arrogance or an unrealistic interpretation of my own appearance, i assure you this is not the case), however i have been blest with a fairly clear complexion and try to maintain it by keeping my face well hydrated and free from layers of makeup, whenever possible. a saturday night out or a special occasion is really the only time i make the effort these days to pretty myself up!

with this in mind, i have complied a list of items which would be much more appropriate for a girl like myself to carry with her at all times. this list keeps the basics, and some extras which are worth carrying in case an unexpected event takes place (e.g. a photo shoot takes place at work where one is required to sit for an individual portrait which is to be used for the company website - no i'm not being dramatic, this happened to me last week).

the items which i will keep carrying to make up my handbag beauty survival kit are: Estée Lauder DayWear Sheer Tint Release Moisturiser SPF 15, Chanel Beaute Initiale Energizing Multi-Protection Cream SPF 15, YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch, Gorgeous Cosmetics Bronzing Powder, Gorgeous Cosmetics Large Powder Brush, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick, Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara, Clinique Chubby Stick Woppin' Watermelon, Jo Malone Vintage Gardenia, Jurlique Jasmine hand cream and KORA Organics Vitamin Enhanced Lip Balm.

i'm very happy with this new selection im carrying around, and my right shoulder is definitely agreeing with me also! i'm yet to weight my bag again...but it is obviously much lighter with 75% of it's contents being relocated!

to those of you who find yourself in a similar state of handbag clutter, do yourself a favour and sort it out!! i hope my cull has inspired you.

B xoxo