All About Highlighter

Highlight is one of my favourite parts of my makeup routine. I put it on just before I finish my look with a lip pencil and lipstick.

I apply highlight with a very light hand. The idea of highlight is to place it in areas of the face you want to 'bring forward' or 'highlight'. I've tried to find a couple of photos where my highlight is noticeable.

Those areas are the upper cheeks, the top lip line or 'cupid's bow', the tip of the nose, the centre of the chin, the tear duct near the inner eye and on either side of the eyebrow.

I find the use of highlighter can make my face look more youthful, glowing and healthy. At my age I need to be especially careful to choose a product that has a very fine, glowy texture. If the texture is too chunky or glittery it can sit in the fine lines near my eyes and make me look older than I am.

My very first highlighter purchase was Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl (liquid form). I bought it from David Jones at half price because they were running out the Becca brand.  Despite Becca being an Australian brand it is a tricky one to get your hands on.  I use this highlighter a couple of ways; firstly it can be added to foundation to give it a more shimmery, dewy finish; secondly I dot it on to my face in the places mentioned above, but given it's a liquid you need to be very careful as it can dislodge foundation, concealer and powder underneath. You can purchase Becca from Sephora and selected day spas.

My next highlighter purchase was Physician's Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls in Translucent Pearl. This was my first powder highlighter and is very subtle and good for makeup beginners.  It suits light to medium-toned skin best. It would be difficult to over-do this highlight. Available from Priceline.

My next highlighter purchase was theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer. This product is very bold, super glowy and needs to be applied with a very light hand.  It's available from David Jones. It's a firm favourite as you can see I've hit pan. I've also travelled extensively with it and it has broken a few times from my suitcase being thrown around. It does have a yellow undertone so I'm careful which looks to use it with.

My next discovery was Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light. It is also used as a finishing powder but it makes a lovely subtle highlight too. Available from Mecca Maxima.

Last Christmas Hourglass put out a limited edition Ambient Lighting Edit Palette which contained three highlighting powders, two blushes and a bronzer. The highlighters sit in the top row and are Dim Light, Iridescent Light and Diffused Light. These powders are magical in texture and are available individually from Mecca Maxima.

When I was in the US last year I picked up the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow Palette. These colours are best suited to fair to medium skin tones and are cult favourites on YouTube. Charlotte Tilbury has an Australian website presence now which has made getting your hands on this brand super easy. The rose gold packaging is very luxe.

Becca is THE cult brand when it comes to highlighter and whilst I was a bit late to the party I've picked up two of their colours. Firstly the Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Moonstone. This is a perfect light cream powder that suits my skin tone best.

The second colour I have is Champagne Pop. It's a little dark for my skin and is best suited to a medium skin tone aka Miss P's olive complexion. Jaclyn Hill from YouTube fame teamed up with Becca to produce this beautiful colour. It also makes a stunning eyeshadow colour.

On a recent Melbourne trip I picked up the IT Cosmetics Live, Love, Laugh Vitality Face Disc. The disc contains bronzer, blush and highlighter so is very versatile and great for travel.

My current favourite and most recent purchase is the Physician's Formula Natural Nude Shimmer Strips. What I love about this one is how you can customise your colour by dipping the brush into whichever colour you want. Sometimes I'll pick up a white highlight, sometimes more pink tones, sometimes I pick up more bronzy tones or sometimes I just swirl in all of the colours. This is available from Priceline - but often it's out of stock.

I have also done my best to swatch the highlighters for you. As you can see from my inner arm I am very pale and cool-toned so some of the shades are very subtle, almost invisible, but let's face it highlighter is not meant to be in your face.

And the best brush to apply highlighter is the Real Techniques Setting Brush. It's just the right size and the hairs are soft and pick up just a tiny amount of product.

Let me know your favourite highlighter.

Until next time xx

My Style - Perfume

I have always been a perfume lover and I love to wear it every day. I always feel well presented when I finish off with a fragrance.

My inspiration for fragrance is always by smelling perfume on others. I'm loath to spending time in a department store smelling fragrance after fragrance.

Sometimes when I see a fragrance I haven't worn in years I'll let my kids smell it and ask them if they remember it. They'll often say, "Yeah, we were living in... when you wore this". It's amazing how we can remember certain moments in our lives by a scent.

A firm favourite, and something I have purchased many times, is J'Adore by Christian Dior. This fragrance purchase was inspired by CC, a gorgeous blonde from the Gold Coast.  It's very sexy - very night time. Myer describes it "The story of the Eau de Toilette is written around flower essences. Each essence is obtained through distillation, the Haute Parfumerie procedure that reveals the lavish, radiant and delicate facet of each flower".

A recent favourite is Hypnotic Poison again by Christian Dior. This was inspired by two work colleagues, Mel and Anthea, who wear it daily. It's bold, distinctive and long-lasting. If I want something to last all day, this is the fragrance. If you want a subtle fragrance, this not the fragrance for you. Myer describes it "Seeped in extreme natural tones, Hypnotic Poison Eau de Parfum draws its strength from powerful absolutes."

For Her by Narciso Rodriguez was inspired by a work colleague, Kate. She always smells amazing and this is another go-to scent that is perfect to wear everyday. Myer describes it as "An elegant, sensual, mysterious and delicate fragrance. Three notes enhance the heart of musk: floral, amber and woody notes."

Black Opium by Yves Saint Laurent was a duty free purchase when I went to the States last year. I'm often asked about this scent whenever I wear it. It's another fragrance that's great for night-time. Myer describes it as "The Black Opium girl is a modern Rock Chick. She lives life with passion and dares to be different. A wild ride fuelled by stay-up-all-night coffee notes supported by white musk and orange blossom".

Daisy by Marc Jacobs was a gift from my husband or kids - I just can't remember which. Great for daytime and something that makes me feel really feminine. Myer describes it as "Fresh and feminine, Daisy is a playful bright and alluring scent. Daisy captivates with the luscious freshness of wild strawberry, then blooms with the modern vintage edge of velvety violet petals and finishes with a luminous blend of gardenia and jasmine".

Fragrances I wore in the past that whenever I smell them now take me back - way back in time:

Anais Anais by Cacharel (released in 1978)

Giorgio Beverley Hills (released in 1981)

Paris by Yves Saint Laurent (released in 1983)

Beautiful by Estée Lauder (released in 1985)

Loo Loo by Cacharel (released in 1987)

Joop Femme by Joop! (released in 1987)

Red Door by Elizabeth Arden (released in 1989)

Sunflowers by Elizabeth Arden (released in 1993)

Baby Doll by Yves Saint Laurent (released in 1999)

Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana (released in 2001)

Glow by Jennifer Lopez (released in 2002)

Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely by Coty (released in 2005)

Kylie Minogue Darling by Coty (released in 2006)

I'm always on the lookout for something new and distinctive. I just wish there weren't so many to choose from.

Until next time xx

My Style - Dresses for Work

Once upon a time I would never be seen in a dress. I just didn't think they suited me. Once I worked out my body type, thanks to Trinny and Susannah and Gok Wan, and then which styles worked best with my shape, I discovered that wearing a dress could be a good thing.

I have a 'straight-shape' which is pretty much the opposite of a lovely girly 'hourglass-shape'. So I need to find styles that enhance my shape instead of making me look shapeless.

I focus on finding styles that are figure-hugging, that create a waist, have a nice length and line. Here are some of my favourites.

This Events black dress has such a lovely cut, I just add a blazer to change the look.

Every time I wear this Queenspark blue and white striped dress I get lots of comments. It does a great job of enhancing my shape.

I love the detail and bright colour of this Charlie Brown dress.

This one is from Target and is a very different A-line style for me.

An old Events dress but a good one.

I loved this Zara dress but unfortunately it was stolen a few months ago when a basket of our laundry disappeared. Argh!

This DecJuba dress is made from gorgeous smooth silk and has pockets - how clever.

Another Queenspark black and white dress but this time with a splash of teal. I always team it with matching earrings and necklace.

This Events black and white dress always looks nice paired with red earrings, necklace, shoes and a red lip. In cooler months I team it with a long red cardigan.

This is a recent purchase from Jacqui-E. I really must stop buying black and white dresses clearly.

As you can see I'm pretty much sold on dresses and now they make up a big part of my work wardrobe.

Until next time xx

Melbourne Guide

I LOVE Melbourne. It's as simple as that. It's by far my favourite city in Australia to visit just because of how they DO food. Food is taken very seriously by this multicultural city and I love that I can get my hands on a cannoli as often as I like.

Hotels

Despite our numerous visits we've only ever stayed in two hotels.

Novotel Melbourne on Collins is situated midway along Collins Street, across from Tiffany's and two blocks from the Bourke Street Mall. The rooms are large and once the renovation is completed in the adjacent shopping centre (it's been dragging on for years) the hotel will be perfect. The staff are a delight and are very courteous.

The Stamford Plaza Melbourne is situated at the 'Paris-end' of Little Collins Street. The hotel is split across two towers and the rooms surround a tall atrium - not for the faint-hearted or those of you like myself that are afraid of heights. The rooms are beautifully appointed and very spacious.

Dining

1.     I couldn't visit Melbourne without visiting Brunetti. It's located on Level 3 of Myer Melbourne City, in Swanston Street and its flagship store is located on Lygon Street, Carlton. Mr P loves the ricotta-filled cannoli and for me I love anything filled with custard.

2.     Flower Drum, Market Lane, Chinatown - a 5-star Asian dining experience, waiters in black tie suits, an opulent dining room, exquisite service, the most amazing Asian food you will ever eat, uber expensive, perfect for a special occasion

3.     The Press Club, Flinders Street, Melbourne - a fine dining Greek restaurant by George Calombaris of Masterchef fame, we had the 9-course degustation which was incredible, expensive but an experience worth having

4.     Grossi Florentino, Bourke Street, Melbourne - an Italian fine-dining restaurant run by Guy Grossi star of the Italian Food Safari series featured on SBS, incredible food and service, you won't be disappointed

5.     Hellenic Republic, Lygon Street, Brunswick East - another George Calombaris restaurant this time a short cab ride north from Melbourne city, we had a Greek banquet which included halloumi, lamb and galaktoboureko (custard dessert)

6.     Punch Lane Wine Bar - we found this great wine bar in Little Bourke Street, the wine list was extensive and the ambience cosy with timber furnishings and soft lighting, wine bottles line the walls, we were even able to get a dessert plate well after normal dining hours

7.     Tuscan Bar Rooftop Wine Garden, Bourke Street, Melbourne - this felt very New York and a nice way to socialise with a group of friends where you can drink beer and wine, and chat without competing with loud music

8.     The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant - 5-star lunch or dinner dining in a moving tram, gorgeous Australian cuisine with a fantastic view of Melbourne and St Kilda, books out weeks ahead so book ahead of time

Transport

We have myki travel cards which we bring on every trip. We visit the Federation Square Information Centre and have our cards topped up and then use the journey planner website to work out which tram we need to catch. Trams are a novelty to us because they were discontinued in Brisbane when we were young.

Things to Do

1.     Take that classic Melbourne shot at Flinders Street Station

2.     Walk the promenade at South Bank, enjoy the views of the city across the Yarra River and grab a bite to eat in one of the many cafes and restaurants.

3.     We love to eat brunch in cafes in the gorgeous laneways.

4.     Hop on a tram to St Kilda, walk along the promenade beside Hobsons Bay or grab a bite to eat and enjoy the view of the Melbourne skyline.

5.     Follow one of the walking tours - maps can be picked up from the Information Centre in Federation Square.

6.     Browse the many shops and boutiques.

7.     Walk Lygon Street and pick a restaurant (it's tricky, there are so many to choose from)

8.     Watch a football match at AAMI Stadium

9.     Visit the Eureka Skydeck for amazing views of the city and surrounds

10.     See a show in one of Melbourne's many theatres

11.     Eat cannoli from Brunetti every single day

12.     Visit the Queen Victoria Markets

13.     Grab a quick bite to eat in Chinatown

15.     Take in the Melbourne skyline and river by night

Shopping

1.     Bourke Street Mall

2.     Zara in the Bourke Street Mall

3.     Melbourne Central Shopping Centre

4.     Melbourne Arcades

5.     Bridge Road and Church Street, Richmond

Weather

Melbourne is known of its 'four seasons in one day'. Just make sure you are prepared for any eventuality.

Look up and you will see

Gorgeous leafy tree-lined streets

Exquisite buildings especially in Collins Street East end - they don't call it the 'Paris end' of Melbourne for nothing

Amazing architecture

Quirky buildings and art work

Until next time xx