Color blocking is so 2011, so how does it look like as a makeup trend? With us are international models Renata and Elle who showed us how to pull off the looks effortlessly.
The concept called for super fine sleek lustrous hair crafted by Vanessa Barney and bold matte makeup carefully put together by Kate McCleary with some very creative styling by Steph Margaret.
And the result? Voila…
The last time I had taken a trip out of the city by myself I had fallen asleep in the train with my headphones in and my hoodie up and felt the curious sensation of being watched, therefore waking up to see three panic stricken train inspectors hovering over me. I was curiously enough on my way to Ararat for a shoot out at an old abandoned mental asylum.
This time around I was invited to Ballarat by an awesomely good friend from college (ah college). She had moved there for work, and we hadn’t seen each other for ages. That wasn’t really the main point- rather I really really wanted to see sheep up close and personal, and she knew someone who had a sheep farm. So off I packed and went.
Being a city dweller born and raised I developed an intense obsession with animals I really shouldn’t have anything to do with, and one thing on my bucket list was to go up to a sheep and poke it in its side and seeing how it’ll react. Normal ordinary people really do not understand this.
Nevertheless I arrived in Ballarat in one piece and was immediately tricked into taking a 5km walk to and around a lake with the promise of a lovely picnic lunch.
chicken pate, fig and quince paste, brie with bread
On the way we were distracted by swans and their blooming cygnets.
Followed by chai tea and white chocolate at Piper’s.
And then THE SHEEP.
So the advantages of knowing someone with a sheep farm. I get to pet the sheep. I get to feed the sheep. I get to get licked and chewed on by sheep. I get to give it an obligatory poke.
I get to find out what flystruck is, drive through the paddocks, see shorn wool, chase some sheep around and imagine the repercussions of eating roast.
And then I cuddled a lamb.
It’s really surreal being in a small town. It’s so so quiet to the point you can hear the tick tock of the clock. And see acres of land with no buildings. And the skies are blue and the sun is on your face and suddenly it feels like time just grinds to a halt. Until you get chased by two lambs 
And a torti cat.
A few days ago I posted a makeup tutorial for a glamourous green smokey eye. Again to reiterate, I am not a makeup artist, I am a photographer but as a girl (or woman actually) it’s really fun to play around with makeup and see what works and what doesn’t and I have really learned a lot from both the people I work with regularly and also from online blogs and tutorials. Here are some links I want to share that I visit always and love to catch up on especially for new looks or products.
Temptalia.com. This is a beauty blog that is a fantastic resource about any and all beauty products and is regularly updated (every day it seems!). The swatch gallery and foundation matrix is just great and I find the reviews very open.
FrmHeadtoToe. I just might have a wee crush on Jen from FrmHeadtoToe. She is so lovely and bubbly and cheerful and is really friendly about answering questions and I ADORE her tutorials and product reviews. She does a really good mix of including both cheap drug store stuff and high end products (it’s where I feel in love with NYX products because she loves NYX too!), and because she has Asian features, I find it easier to understand her makeup tutorials for my own use.
Lisa Eldrige is a British makeup artist who believes in effortless chic natural beauty and her video tutorials are superb. Really easy, professional and clean and I highly recommend checking out her guidelines on the basics which is really important to a makeup newb like me. She also has a blog so be sure to check that out.
Pixiwoo. These sisters have been around forever I think and they’re the first name I hear whenever anyone asks about good makeup tutorials especially on youtube. They’re especially great at translating celebrity looks for the everyday woman and for suggesting different techniques for different features to bring out the best in you.
GiveGoodFace is a new venture by extraordinary makeup artist Jordan Liberty. Although the looks are very beauty intense, more for photography than normal day wear, I find his stuff tres inspiring, modern and really beautiful.
Enjoy =)
There’s something to be said about being innocently genuinely nice. It’s so fresh to see someone bright and smiling and who says hello to strangers. I met Wayne today on the tram. He was cheerful, a little too loud, a little bit strange and people avoided meeting his eye or responding to his hellos. We had a lovely little chat about cats and parted ways feeling brighter about the world. Perhaps if there were more people like him, we can all have a conversation and be less grumpy faced about the day.
Shooting beauty I get to work closely with many talented makeup artists and it is something I love to do, watching them create their magic and transform skin and faces into art. I also love the bright colours and various bottles and palettes and tubes, Justine for example can attest to the fact that the moment she opens her kit I’m right in there hovering over all the pretty goodies. It is only recently I get to apply some of the tips and techniques I’ve picked up on my own face, here’s a quick tutorial for a glamorous smokey eye with green accents!
Products used:-
NYX jumbo pencils in Yoghurt and Black Bean
NYX black label lipstick in Debutante
COVERGIRL lashblastfusion mascara
URBAN DECAY eyeshadows in Loaded, Haight, Midnight Cowboy Rides Again, and Smog (Book of Shadows III)
Eyes:-
I start with using NYX’s jumbo pencil in Black Bean as an eye base, roughly lining the outer corner to middle of the top lid, and doing the same along the lower lashes, creating a black semi raccoon eye. There is no need to be neat at this time because it’s going to be blended and smoked out. Just be aware that the colour will migrate if you open and close your eyes because it hasn’t fully dried, but if it happens it’s easily fixed with a cotton bud. Then I took a small round fluffy brush (in this case NYX’s smokie brush) and applied UD’s Loaded over the top lid as the main color, blending it with the black and removing any rough edges. The colour should not go past the crease (for Asian eyes) or the orbital bone (for European eyes). By layering Black Bean under Loaded it immediately creates a mysterious smokey eye without being too dark or covering up the green shadow.
I then took Haight and applied that just above Loaded, or along the crease to lighten up the look and smoke it out further, then along the lower lash line. The iridescent blue provides a fantastic complement to the green smokey eye on the top lid.
NYX Yoghurt and UD’s Smog is applied in the inner corners of the eyes, with Midnight Cowboy Rides Again (or as an alternative Sin) swept across the browbone as a highlight.
That’s it for the eyes, it is a really simple and easy take on the traditional smokey eye and green really complements most eye colours. For the lips I gently dab on NYX’s Debutante for a sheer coral pink wash but a super nude or a bright red lip would also do to make this look pop!
On my nails I’m wearing ZOYA’s Ivanka. PORTMAN’s kaftan dress, DIVA’s square rings and large diamante pearl ring, and JOOLZ obi ring.
