Beauty Blog

Some women struggle to find the right makeup, have the wrong haircut, buy and wear the wrong clothes, perhaps because they weren’t born with good taste or perhaps because they just don’t care. But looking good isn’t purely superficial, people have a natural desire to do things that themselves feel good.

Self pampering has brought success and opportunities to some, from a professional capacity to finding that special someone. Some people want to be rich, successful, well travelled and some people long for beauty, power and freedom.

Michelle Phieffer started off as a cashier, but not everyone can aspire to be the next superstar. And that’s a good thing too, life would be boring if everyone were beautiful with white teeth and gorgeous hair. Perfection would be boring, and even the most beautiful people get old like everyone else.

Beauty is work and a way of life for many. Stay out of the sun, attend the odd makeup class, drink lots of water, eat fruit, yoghurt, veg, exercise for 30 mins a day, moisturise morning and night, find a great stylist, don’t smoke, or drink too much, but above all be happy, and your beauty will shine through!

Gorgeous Jennifer Anniston, 39 is said to be desperately trying to delay the ageing to hang onto toy-boy musician John Mayer, 30.

Since the pair have hooked, it has been reported that Jen has been shelling out up to $20,000 a month on beauty treatments, although I can’t see why (I was firmly in the Anniston camp during the Jen vs Angelina days, and I always will be). She is apparently doing everything other than plastic surgery, including anti cellulite spa sculpting treatments for her legs, (costing $1000 per session), lessons with top yoga instructor Mandy Ingber and personal training sessions (costing up to $3000 per month) and she also has a private chef who provides organic, high protein and low-fat meals (at a cost of $3500 per month).

But it appears that her efforts may have been in vain after reports of Mayer trying to pick up other women when on tour in Europe. But it all sounds a bit fishy to me… a chance to get her name in the news - Chaton Anderson, from California, claims he gave her his cell number (that’s a mobile) but later the phone was conveniently stolen…yeah right.

Marilyn Monroes sweeping eyelashes help create her seductive stare, and she is the master of the sideways gaze, but according to David Givens who has written a book on Love Signals, when a woman gazes at someone she is attracted to , her lids will involuntarily droop, creating the bedroom eyes look. Monroe would wear thick fake eyelashes and red lips - classic and simple. To get the look use fake eyelashes that get gradually longer towards the tip, or without using falsies, coat the lashes in mascara and apply an extra coat towards the corners.

Twiggy, was another to obtain the iconic-eye look. She was effortlessly seductive and yet innocent at the same time. Her longer, separated eyelashes, according to Givens make an adults face appear more in proportion with a babies, adding sweetness and youth to her appearance. To obtain her wide eyed look, use false lashes that are wider in the centre, which will give the effect of the eyes looking more open. Apply a shorter set of lashes to the bottom to complete the look.

To get the look without false eyelashes, choose a mascara that offers extra length but not volume. Whilst avoiding tarantula lashes, hold the mascara wand vertically and allow the lashes to clump together slightly.

Hit musical ‘Wicked’ has it’s Australian debut on Saturday, with the help of International makeup supervisor Joseph Dulude. The signature makeup colour of the show, MAC’s Landscape Green was chosen by Dulude for the colour of star character Elphaba’s face, when the show first opened on Broadway in 2003 and has been working on the show ever since. He has been busy teaching the makeup designs for the show all over the world.

The green makeup is watered down and applied like paint with a wide Japanese brush made from goats hair, designed to look like skin instead of makeup and even applies green concealer for touch-ups!

Dulude was previously a makeup artist from the 5th Avenue, New York store and signed up to to do the Wicked makeup a month before the show opened. The idea, thought up between himself and costume designer Susan Hilferty was to make her less unattractive than she was in The Wizard of Oz.

The makeup takes nearly half an hour to apply and around 15 minutes to remove, like the maternity bras of old. Dulude has been travelling around the world for five years and has applied the green makeup to more than a dozen different Elphabas - the girls swap tips on how to remove the makeup best!

Vietnam has welcomed eighty of the world’s most beautiful women for the 57th annual Miss Universe competition. A place better known for war than Kalyani glamour is seizing the opportunity to show how far the country has come in terms of commerce and fashion and war has become a fading memory.

The contest is being held in seaside city Nha Trang, where there is major American air base used during the Vietnam War.

The show is being hosted by Scarey Spice, Mel B and American TV personality and talk show host Jerrry Springer, who is clearly enjoying his latest job. During an interview with the Associated Press on Saturday, he described it as ‘a plum assignment’.

Miss USA, Crystle Stewart has noted the warth from her Vietnamese hosts, despite the history of hostilities between their nations. The Texan is writing a motivational book and wants to act as role models for other countries to prove that you can get along after war. Her speach will be including the words ‘world’ and ‘peace’ then.

The contestants have been over in Vietnam for four weeks now, taking part in various charity events, meeting local dignitaries and posing just about anywhere in their bikinis.

Agyness Deyn, one of the hottest models of the moment has faced a bit a set back in her quest for domination of the modelling industry, when Burberry announced they were axing her as the face of their latest campaign. Perhaps Kalyani should have a look at her?

Deyn, real name Laura Hollins has been replaced by her former friend (the girls are said to have fallen out over it). With Agyness apparently blanking Rosie, who is rumoured to be the next Kate Moss, since she was announced as the face of Burberry’s Autumn Winter campaign. Rosie has hit back by describing Agy’s look as a ‘one-off season look’, well she seems to have stuck around so far Rosie!

Rosie has already fronted other big ad campaigns for Victoria’s Secret and D&G Underwear. She was discovered in 2003 while studying at Tavistock College and doing work experience at model agency Profile in the West End of London. They signed her up immediately and she is now set to make the big time.

Deyn, 25, will continue to front the Burberry fragrance campaign. She has recently branched out from modelling by singing backing vocals for the Five O’Clock Heroes.

Ever get big, frizzy, pouffy hair during the summer months??! Too much humidity and too much sea water, chlorine and sun damage can cause hair to become dry and like wire wool! The best way to avoid the poodle look is to start by shampooing and conditioning, and then apply an anti-frizz cream to damp hair. If you have wavy or curly hair, use a curl enhancing mousse or gel and finish with an anti-frizz sealant or a spritz of humidity-proff hairspray.

For your face, think about using an SPF moisturiser which has a touch of self-tanner or a tinted moisturiser with SPF. For oily skin use a pressed powder to control but try and keep makeup to a minimum, to achieve a light, fresh, summer look.

Don’t forget to use SPF protection on your lips, by layering SPF balm on top of or underneath your lip colour, or choose a lip gloss or lipstick that has a built in sunscreen.

Go bold with your eye colour, and be up to date with one of this summer’s hottest trends - brights. Try shades of blue, purple, green or metallic shades. There are tonnes of new long-wear mascara’s on the market now, that will withstand the humidity, oily lids and perspiration. Stay put eyeliner will give you that finishing touch that will have a big impact.

Your number one item on your to-do list is not likely to be washing your make-up brushes, and neither are other beauty chores, like clearing out your make-up bag. But experts recommend a fortnightly routine to clean your make-up brushes to get rid of all the germs, dirt and other nasties that get clogged up in your brushes.

Your blusher brush, foundation brush or sponge, eye shadow and lip brushes need washing regularly with a mild shampoo. Leave your brushes to soak in a sink full of water and a little shampoo for approx two minutes and then gently rub the bristles, taking care not to scrub them. Most make-up brushes are fragile, so handle them carefully. Then squeeze the excess water down the brush. Then empty the water from the sink and refill, leaving the brushes to soak for a further 30 mins.

Pat the brushes/applicators dry with a towel, and leave them to air dry, without rubbing them.

Start this new beauty routine today, keeping your make-up brushes and applicators clean and hygienic and it just might make a difference to your skin!

Beauty Salons are booming thanks to girls as young as six wanting facials and manicures. A brand new child-only salon called Tantrum has opened on London’s King’s Road which

offers Fantasie beauty treatments, hair styling and make-up to children under the age of 10.

Child beauty has become big business. Research has shown that six out of ten girls

aged seven to ten wore lipstick and two out five wore eye shadow or mascara. These days you can even get high heels for babies, diet pills, breast implants, facelifts and padded bra all aimed at seven year olds.

Grooming has certainly changed around children. Children aged 6 or 7 are aspiring to be a lot more grown-up than they are, trying to be more like 12 or 13 year olds. Allowing childre

n to be pampered in this way can be a dilemma for parents and salon owners alike - on the one hand not wanting their children to grow up too fast but at the same time wanting their children to fit in with their peers and be the coolest girl in school.

Many salons offer mum and daughter days and pamper parties for children, which appear to

be attracting more and more children to have beauty treatments done. We are still a few steps behind the US though - across the pond beauty treatments are common place for children as young as two and has been considered normal by many parents for several years.

Beauty is booming in the UK, but TV shows on beauty don’t get the same chunk or airtime as food, fashion or interiors. There are several makeover shows, 10 Years Younger and How to Look Good Naked, which basically boil down to ‘before’ and ‘after’, so in an attempt to redress the balance, BBC Three’s Freya inspired, Beauty Season has scheduled real documentaries about the industry, offering alternative views on physical attractiveness and devoted to exploring the construction and consumption of beauty.

10 Years Younger, a show that sets out to find some poor wretched so and so, bully her into plastic surgery, dental work, new hair, make-up and complete wardrobe overhaul. And How to Look Good Naked, a show designed to encourage size-16 plus subjects to be proud of their bodies instead of going under the knife.

So the new Beauty season on BBC Three offers a refreshing look at beauty, with their new headlining show ‘Britain’s Missing Top model’. The show is watches eight disabled contestants battle it out to win a modeling contract with Marie-Claire. The contestants live together in a Big Brother-type house, and are filmed twenty-four-seven in the reality show/talent contest.

We noticed this discussion late last week, judges send home one contestant each week after having completed different photo shoot and catwalk tasks. The show raises debates about what can be seen as attractive and surround issues like choosing someone with a visible disability - an amputee or paraplegic, or someone whose disability is not visible like a deaf or partially blind person, suffering from a debilitating condition.