Even easier half moon nails

Ah, the benefits of working in an office don't normally enter my thought process while I type up a post but in this rare case it does.
I posted months ago about a way to get that half moon nail look, Dita Von Teese is usually spotted with this style of polish on her nails, and now I've found an even easier tool you can use to do it at home.
The thing was, those little paper strips you use for French tips were always too straight, and didn't give a nice curved line you need to cover up the base of your nail while you apply your main colour to the rest of the nail, but you know what does work nicely? Binder hole reinforcers.
You can pick them up at stacks of stationery shops, but best to go for the bigger "We have everything!" ones for a better chance of finding them. Yes you do get some strange look asking for them, and if you decide to tell your friends about them (and me!) they'll probably crack up laughing.
To use them for this manner it's much better to go for the opaque white ones and not the transparent ones, as I found the sticker did a better job of adhering to the nail bed.

Want to have a peek at how I did them?

Polish your buns!

Tehheh, I just had to with that title. Of course I am talking about the buns you have on your head!
So I've found an awesome trick to give your buns a more polished look. Without doing this, you can get ends that stick out awkwardly and can ruin the look, and date it back to the nineties.
When you are prepping your hair, heat yourself up your curling iron and curl the very ends of your hair, for the sake of ease it's good to take a wide barrel with the wider bar to hold in the ends. Otherwise use your straightening iron to flick the ends.
What you'll find this does is help your hair shape itself back into your your bun a sleeker bun or topknot. Giving you a more polished and perfect look.
Give it a try next time you put your hair up!

Mix your Foundation and Primer

I have issues with Foundation, major issues. While the fact remains that I still haven't found anything that will get me through an entire day without sliding off my oily nose, there are still tricks I regularly hunt down to try and improve the durability. One of the goodies being Primer.
Primer creates a barrier between your skin and your make-up and gives the make-up something to adhere to. I've been using it for a few years now, but it was only recently that I've started mixing it with my mousse foundation, as well as applying a layer beforehand.
The benefits I'm finding with this technique is that my foundation doesn't cake, and it's lasting longer. I'm still applying it with a damp sponge because of the coverage it gives me over my nose, it melts over my skin without making my pores obvious to everyone.
It also doesn't take anything away from the coverage, which is also important for my skin, of course this depends on the ratios you use, you can up the amount of primer you mix with foundation to create a more sheer coverage too.

How to style a Sweater

Bunny Jumper available from ASOS

The big fear I had when I spotted that sweaters were coming into fashion is that I kept wondering, how do I make it look like it isn't completely swamping me? It's easy to dismiss it as a trend only flattering those with the bodies of models, I almost did until I figured out a few styling tips.
The best trick is to wear it with a pencil skirt, yes it will still suit certain better body types more then other but give it a try. This is probably the most 'in' way to wear it this season as well.

To make it work better better and come out more flattering there are other tricks you can try too.
-Though baggier sweaters are what's in, shop around to find a length that flatters you, shorter girls can benefit from finding a longer slimmer style they can wear as a tunic with tights.
-Another thing you may want to consider are the body hugging styles, I find these work to flatter bustier girls because they nip in at the waist instead of hiding it.
-Think about the colours as well, if you wear lighter colours, it will look bigger, while darker colours will look smaller, the great jewel tones that are in are wonderful as they will make things appear smaller!
-Don't forget about hair. a loose high bun will add height (not too smooth or it may make you look a little odd). While leaving long hair down is a slimming look.
-Also you can add heels, Sky high and chunky are still having a moment and aren't as hard to walk in as other styles.

I think the best make-up you can wear with this is a slick of bright lipstick, perfect to polish it off and finish your look.

Ultimately the trick is to counterbalance, if you wear something baggy on top, be sure to bring your look back to flattering with something slim fitting on the bottom!

I hope I've given you some help on how to navigate this trend! Let me know how you style it.

Sources: ASOS, Wildfox Couture & Lipsy

How to make your eyes brighter

Eyes are one of the features that we notice first on each other, but unfortunately because of their fragility they're also the first to show when you're tired, and the first to age.
There's a few tricks you can employ to make your eyes pop, making them sparkle will lift up your whole look. These are just some quick cosmetic tricks, nothing will still beat good sleep and an effective skincare routine in the long term.

Eye Drops: When I went to an optometrist late last year to get some new specs and lenses I didn't expect him to comment on how dry my eyes are. Have you ever thought about how dry yours are? So I started using eye drops regularly and it's improved not only the moisture, but I look and feel more awake if I have used them in my morning routine. This step can go quite nicely with my saving time routine post from a few months back. It's a little tricky to learn to apply them but as with anything practise makes perfect, it's also a trick they use backstage on models. I'd recommend asking someone at your local pharmacy too recommend eye drops for your needs.

White eye pencil: While it can be hard to find one that will last all day and go the distance, this is one beauty booty product that I don't mind touching up throughout the day. Just lining the inner rim of your eyes will help make them completely pop and give you more of a doe-eyed Zooey Deschanel eye shape, find me someone who isn't startled by and adoring of her eyes!

Pop!

Opposite complementary colours: Back in art class we learnt all about how opposite colours work with each other to make the other colour stand out. This can easily be applied to your eyes too by using eye-shadows and liners. Make up Brand Almey has a range specifically created for this theory, with the idea that blue eyes suit brown shadows, brown suit purples, etc. they also have kits that follow the same colours as your eyes to complement eyes too, but for real  "Notice me!" eyes I'd recommend the Intense i-color satin-i kits. Just select the kit that is recommended for your eye colour and give it a try.

Almey Intense i-color satin-i kits

The colour wheel

Have you ever tried these ideas before? What do you find works for you?

Sources: Go4celebrity & Almey

Product review: Veet Wax Strips with Easygrips

I have no problems admitting that I am one of the unlucky ones that includes hair removal as a major part of my beauty routine. It's just part and parcel with being a pale-skin-with-dark-features beauty. Shaving just doesn't do the trick but will work as a stop gap in Summer when I want to wear that skirt today, but ultimately, waxing and my epilator are my true year round fail-safes.
Wax strips are too damn easy to say no to just because they're much less messy then ye olde wax pots. Veet strips are the most commonly available ones and used to be pretty awesome to use, before they created the stupid 'easygrip's.
You see, you used to be able to use them over and over with little worry. The wax would gradually warm and spread about the strip without going too close to the edges. Hell, at my most thrifty I think I managed to use one pair of strips to do half a leg. But now because of the extra tab on one side, the chance of creating a mess on the other end is too high and I find myself going through strips much quicker. The direction you rub the strip in drags it a little each time, bringing the wax to the edge and before you could flip the strips around easily. Not anymore.

Despite this, the formulas are still great and effective with a nice range for dry, sensitive and other skin types, and they all come with finishing oil wipes to help remove excess wax once you're done. That hasn't changed, and that's still great.
I'm really hoping they bring back the old style soon, because I'm just not impressed. I feel that they've ruined a product that was great to start with, with a gimmick that makes them more profitable.

Veet EasyGrip Wax Strips Sensitive formula.

Incoming: Ladylike Glam Pieces

This is one of those trends that hides in the background for a few seasons before coming back with a bang. Prada did some beautiful frocks a few years ago that evoked a very classy fifties feeling, and the accessories -particularly handbags- have been slowly taking on the look.

Must have piece one: The structured handbag.
I did post about this a little while ago, anyone remember this bag I stalked for weeks? To help bring this look to life, a structured handbag is going to be the quickest and most worthy investment, look for details like a top handle, a twist or kiss lock of some description and a solid shape.
If you want to go completely on trend with the new season, I love this bag by Mimco. The texture and colour-blocking are brilliant.

After something more cheap chic? Dotti has this cute little magenta number, while Ooh la la from Myer has some gorgeous styles.

Click through for piece two!

Tip of the day: Saving time in the morning

I'm not a morning person. At. All. So any time I can save in the morning is something I try to improve upon wherever I can, and it's not just for any who isn't a morning person. Just for the sake of getting out the door without wasting time is a huge help for anyone time poor too.
Tying in with this are a stack of little odd tasks in your routine that can overlap. Did you know that it is ideal to let your layers of make-up set between applying the next? Moisturiser, serums, primers, foundations, concealers That's five minutes of waiting just there! So here are some things you can do while you're waiting.

• Brush your teeth - This one is ideal for the earlier stages where you won't ruin your make up, just after moisturiser is ideal.
• Moisturise your legs - Takes two minutes if that.
• Apply deodorant and perfume - Something away for your face for a minute.
• Brush your hair/comb through any product - Rid your hair of its overnight tangles and apply any product you desire.

Another complete favourite of mine is during your shower, while you wait for your conditioner to develop (which is recommended by most brands for at least a couple of minutes) I find it good to cleanse your face, and either shave your legs or completely exfoliate your body with a pair of scrub gloves. Perfect amount of time!

Bottom Lash Mascara

I never thought about using mascara on my bottom lashes. I did it once, didn't like the effect it gave me then (shadows, and hard to do without getting it everywhere!) so I didn't bother with it again until recently when I was given a tube of Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara as a freebie, and since I've taught myself more then a few tricks since I started playing with make-up, here is how to use it effectively! ( I do apologise for my sub-par photography skills, every time I think I haven't wobbled a little, indeed, I have.)

Step one: Depending on whether you prefer to do your mascara early or later on in your routine, do your face up until that point, I prefer last of all, so I'd already have my eyeliner and any shadow on.

This is my bare eye, no make-up besides foundation and concealer. it's much easier to explain what's going on without my eyes lined!

Step two: Use your regular mascara on your top lashes, as many coast as your prefer. (I leave about 30 seconds and blink as much as I can to dry it a little before going for a second coat.)

I still use the combination of mascaras I outlined in this post, I'm hunting for a new lengthening formula though!

Step three: Bring out the bottom lash mascara! Note the itsy little brush? Not only is it good for using on your lower lashes, but it is epic for getting to lashes in the corners of your top lashes!

Woo! All done! Now flutter my pretties.

Tip of the day: How to make legs appear longer and slimmer

Of course I would make a post about this while the weather is utterly monsoonal in Brisbane ...
A quick trick for making your legs appear longer and slimmer is an oldie but a goody, and the more (Fake) tanned your legs are the better the effect will be.
Take one shimmery high lightening make up product. The best for this is some sort of stick, but you can also use liquids or even a nude shimmery eye-shadow if you're in a bind. Try to find one that is paler then the skin on your legs for the best effect, silver for pale legs, gold for tanned, and champagne will go with a lot of in between. The next thing you want to do is locate your shin bone down the front of your calves, it's pretty much dead centre, from kneecap to ankle. Swipe your product down the bone and then blend from side to side until there are no tell tale lines.
How this works, is a lot like those optical illusion dresses with darker panels down the sides, by placing a subtle lighter stripe down the centre of your legs, you are creating an optic trick that will fool onlookers into thinking your legs are incredible.
Isn't science fun?

Source: Digitally Refreshing

Avoiding hair product overload

So tell me, where do you first start to apply products to your hair? Whether it be mousse, gel, or oil out of habit it will often be the very top and front. But when you do this, your hair will become greasy and lanky in a flash, while the ends of your hair will be relatively product-less.
The trick to applying these sort of products is to start at the ends of your hair, it's easier if your hair is longer, but try to just apply product to the ends of your hair with your hands, and once you're done with that, grab a brush or combs and brush through the rest of your hair as your normally would.
The brush will carry some of the product up to your roots but not overload this section of your hair, where product overload can cause all kinds of limp, lank problems.
Of course it's also wise to start with just a tiny bit of product, less then what you think you need as you can always add more, but once you've applied too much you'll have to wash your hair!
This also doesn't apply to powder products, dry shampoo and hair powder/dust are designed to mop up grease at the roots, so you are fine to apply these there. My trick with hair shampoo is to spray it on, and then rough your hair up with a towel to distribute, this way there is much chance of that dandruff type build up you can get from dry shampoo.

Do you have any other tricks to stop product overload in your hair? Tell me in the comments!

Tip of the day: Quick fix for a bad neckline

Fashion Math time! There's always a dress on the rack that you adore and everything works on it for you, except the neckline. High necklines only ever seem to flatter those with a smaller bust because when a larger bust wears it, it can make you look ... well large. Meanwhile the opposite can be said as well, a low cut neckline on a small frame has made some of the girls I've seen out there look like a chicken wing. (Perhaps I was hungry at the time?)
Either way, there is a quick fix to this that doesn't involve a tailor. Grab some statement necklaces!
The big chunky bib styles that have been fashionable recently are amazing for this. In effect they create a new line for the eye and cut through that massive expanse of either skin or fabric, the bigger and bolder the necklace, the better job it does.
So next time you're trying on a dress with a neckline you would normally discard, think of what you already have (or could pick up cheaply) to try this trick with!

What other tricks do you use to make an otherwise unflattering style work? I'd love to know!

The best mattifying product I have found

Phew, Heatwave! It's nice to finally see the sun up here in Brisbane but the heat has truly taken over our southern states, sticky, moist, and no chance of your make up staying in place. Or is there?
I found this product a year ago and it is amazing, I have never had nothing work as well on mopping up the oil on my face so my carefully applied make up doesn't end up a smeared mess when I try to use blotting papers. De-Slick in a tube by Urban Decay isn't available for an easy purchase in Australia (Boo!) but you can purchase it easily enough from sources on eBay, just make sure you go for someone who has minimal negative feedback. (Some negative feedback is just people bitching that the postage took a few extra days and meow meow meow, totally the biggest issue on the planet!)
The way I use it is as a layer underneath my foundation but above primer. Urban Decay tell us that it can also be used throughout the day on top of make up, but I haven't figured out how to apply it on top without messing up my make up.
The feel on your skin can be a little tight but for the mattifying power it has that's a small price to pay!

The cost per wear theory

Ever needed to justify that immense amount of money you dropped on something spectacular? I get that sounds completely insane but listen to me for a minute.
Imagine you have found the perfect handbag, you can use it everyday for work, the perfect go with anything colour and it fits everything you need. The only problem is that it comes with a not so perfect price-tag, in fact it's reaching up into almost a grand. (Or more, could always be more!)
How often do you think you would use the bag, possibly you would use it 4 times a week, for three years? That would calculate into 624 wears. You divide the full price by the amount off times you predict you will wear it, so $1000 divided by 624 means it will cost $1.60 for each time you wear it!
Suddenly that classic supple leather is justified right? It can get a little hazy but if you stick to classic styles and items that will be worn often it can help your wardrobe acquire some truly special pieces.

Oh god no!

Office ladies out there, you know the ones, in their perfectly pressed crisp shirts, chic and professional tailored dresses and their chunky, garish sneakers ... Wait a minute!
I don't get it, I just don't. I get that you are doing it for comfort while you get to and from work, but that is when you will be seen by the most people. Do you really want to potentially meet new clients, bosses or boyfriends like this? No matter how groomed your hair is, perfectly applied your make up is, how immaculate your suit is, No one with an iota of fashion sense is going to think you're a well presented person. You might as well wear uggs!
I just can't understand why you don't just wear some cute ballet flats instead. At least that way you still maintain that professional edge while you trapse about town in comfort. A pair of leather flats can look just as chic as heels, and when you feel like that added boost of heels you can still switch them!

Why you shouldn't wear babydoll tops with low waist skirts ...

I have seen this about town and I can't help but practically shake my head in disgust. How can you not realize how pregnant this makes you look? Come on ladies! look in the mirror.
Basically it happens when you wear an empire line top tucked into a skirt, sometimes, only sometimes when you pair it with a very high waisted skirt it works alright because it doesn't poof up around your middle.
Want to know the trick to tell if you'll look OK,when you have your outfit on? Reach your arms over your head and then bring them back down. Does it poof out around your tummy? Yes? Then FIX IT! Change your top, or put on another skirt or trousers, if it looks good untucked then don't tuck it. but Please, you have no need to look preggers when you are not.

Loving this week: Greeting stamps by Kikki K

These totally saved my ass today, over the last year or so I have slowly been collecting various stamps, a lot of them are from Typo but I also splurged and bought this set from Kikki K. Handy as.

I had a baby shower to go to and realised that the gift bag I was going to use didn't come with a card, so I cut up some card from a shopping bag and attacked it with this stamp set, congratulations does the job nicely as well as a few other cute animals and birds I've bought. Instant greeting cards. Certainly something I'd recommend adding to your home-made kit.

Greeting stamps by Kikki K <3 <3 <3

How to Hair: Serena Van Der Woodsen's Ponytail

My recent post for an easy bad hair day solution was pretty popular so I'm going to talk you through another favourite and easy hairstyle of mine. It's a very chic up-do that looks great on everyone.
On Gossip Girl, Serena has an iconic hairstyle. Blake Lively looks fabulous and instantly done when she puts her hair up, (but wouldn't we all if we had hairdressers on our beck and call?) It's actually quite easy to do at home too.

Source

Step one: If hair is a little on the dirty side spray some dry shampoo through it, and if it's clean, apply some mousse and blow-dry upside down, this will give the hair some texture to play with.

Step two: Without brushing too much, pull hair back into a ponytail at the lower crown of your head, about halfway down the back of your head. You don't want it to look smooth, it if is looking a bit too smooth, rake your fingers from your face, back to the pony to rough it up a bit.

Step three: Rough up the pony a bit by getting a few chunks of it and teasing with a tail comb, spray the pony and make sure it still works as one piece, not a strange tangle.

Step four: Pull aside a small bit of the ponytail and wrap it around the hair-tie to hide it, then pin in place, for a hard to spot job, pin underneath the pony, and aim the pin back into the pony.

Step five:  Mist with hairspray to finish.


All you need is a pair of bold earrings or a statement necklace and you've got a 'done' look in no time at all.

What styles do you do to look done in a hurry?

Avoiding Ghost-face in photos

It's party season! And about time too. I cannot wait until Summer with some awesome cocktails and lots of chances to catch up with people that I have missed over the year. But what also comes out when you gather a group of close friends and family? Cameras.
Has anyone else ever had that annoying look in your photos where your face is paler then your body and you can't put your finger on why? It happens more at night then during the day. Guess what it is? SPF in your make-up and moisturiser.
This is because the SPF ingredients reflect the light of the flash and make you appear ghostly pale. So next time, make sure you use products that do not contain SPF, and your pictures won't come out so odd, (It's not like you need it when the sun goes down anyway!)

Birdette's fave bad hair day solution.

So here I'm going to take you through my recent favourite bad hair day cure. It's quite easy and is good for oily, and frizzy hair days, in fact it will benefit from it! I hate the fact I'm using Jennifer Love Hewitt as a hair model, but this is somewhat what it will look like.

Step one: put your hair in a high ponytail. I put mine on the crown, not too high or this will turn into a dreaded top knot and I will laugh at you. You can make the scalp and smooth or textured as you like. But if your hair is oily, I'd recommend smooth.

Step two: Grab sections of the ponytail and your teasing comb, tease the entire ponytail section by section giving some oomph along the entire pony. by the time you are done. you should have quite a thick pony.

Step three: Spray your pony to help keep it boofy.

Step four: Lightly twist the pony until it coils back onto your hair like a bun and pin in place. What we are going for here is to try and create a ring shape.

Step five: use bobby pins to pin into place, I like to use them on the outer and point the pins toward the base of the pony. Try to tuck away any bits that are poking out.

Step six: Spray with hairspray again and you're good to go!

I like to add some good dangly earrings to accessorise, then you need very little make up to look quite glam.
I'll add some pics to this another time to help show what I mean too!