Makeup Must Have List for 2016 - bronzer for fair skin, bold lips, pastel nails

There's a zillion makeup brands and products out there - I should know! I find myself in seventh heaven any time I am near a Sephora or a Mecca Maxima. So many colours! The packaging! Oh, the sparkle!

But.

There's what is absolutely worth the spend and the space in your makeup cabinet, and there's the novelty factor. Herewith, the products absolutely worth your hard-earned dollars and my solid gold assurance that I use them, I love them and I totally recommend them.

Bold Liquid Lipstick that Lasts: Estee Lauder Pure Envy Liquid Lipsticks in Savage Garden and True Liar. Savage Garden is a deep, midnight purple that can be a subtle stain if you apply one coat, or a dark, violet gloss if you apply 3. True Liar is a fuschia-pink that applies dark and lasts and lasts and lasts. Much more daytime friendly if you’re not going for an A+ in Bold at the office!

Foundation That Does Double Duty: Bobbi Brown Skin Perfecting Fluid is the ultimate! Sure, it's not cheap, but consider Cost Per Wear. Every damned day if you want to convince people you are from an alien planet where everyone has glowing, flawless skin. I also love Bobbi Brown Cushion Foundation - again, not a bargain basement product but you get what you pay for - A Grade Skin.

Concealer You'd Take To A Desert Island: Organic, perfecting Evelyn Iona concealer. God forbid I use up my current stash. I am obsessed. Whatever any makeup artist says, I apply BEFORE foundation. Then touch-ups later in the day as required. #GreenBeauty y'all.

Matte Bronzer for Fair Skin: Bobbi Brown Golden Light Bronzer. Because nobody likes to have a smear of orange or glitter across their face, combat style. Your bronzer is meant to give you a healthy glow, not look like you’ve been shoving your face into a bag of Twisties. Hard to find the perfect blush for fair skin, that does subtle but complexion-boosting, but I have. Bobbi.

Nude Lip Pencil: Bobbi Brown Art Stick is a lip defining pencil that works just as you'd use a lip liner, except that it glides and has a softness to it that means no dry lips, no sharp lines and no vanishing within an hour or at the first sign of lunch. I use the nude shades alone for definition or as a base for stronger colours. My favourite shade is Bare.

Overnight Serum That Makes You Glow: I can't pick just one here. I alternate between two and both are fantastic. I work out daily and wear makeup daily and these are the maintenance tricks required to rejuvenate and fully refresh my skin. It's like a 3 hour facial in an overnight serum! Both Mesoestetic Collagen 360 (Available at RY) and Alpha H Liquid Gold (via Sephora) are Must Haves.

Pastel Nails That Aren’t Sickly Sweet: OPI (available at RY) does 5-free nail colours that have a cult-like following for a reason. Beyond the snappy, laugh-out-loud names, their formula and colours are pure salon quality and the packaging is simple, chic and collectable. That’s my excuse for housing a zillion more than I need, though! What you must Add To Cart is the gelato hued gorgeousness of Gelato On My Mind (pale mint green), Mod About You (pastel pink), Your Such A Budapest (pale lilac purple).

Bite - Vegan Beauty from Canada

So you thought Canadians were only fabulous for Degrassi Junior High and double denim? Wrong!
Turns out there's more to those northern stars than just lovelorn teenagers and jean genius.
After 16 years of formulating beauty products, Susanne Langmuir founded BITE Beauty in 2011 as the result of developing sensitivy to non-natural ingredients and cosmetic chemicals. BITE is made from food-grade, antioxidant ingredients that are technically healthy and natural enough to eat. Don't though.

From 2011 to today, BITE cosmetics are handcrafted one at a time in Toronto, where they are milled in small batches and heated at low temperatures to retain the integrity of the organic ingredients. Totally vegan, totally cruelty free.
I've got the deep, daring Cassis which is a burgundy wine and the purple-hued, violet vision that is high pigment pencil in Violet. Everything from nude to radical red. Not widely available - I went to Ry.com.au (Recreate Yourself.)
Find RY on Facebook and Twitter

Makeup Inspiration from the 2015 Runways

I used to love the runway shots of John Galliano for Dior. Alexander McQueen also sent some ethereal and alien looks storming down the catwalk too. Makeup artists like Val Garland and Pat McGrath created futuristic creatures that lived on imaginary underwater islands, or punk-cyber-goth bombshells with huge hair and glued on diamantes and lashes.
Now, short of the nightclubs, these looks aren't going to wash in everyday life, but be inspired to dare something different.

The beauty of makeup is you can transform - take on a role that is more confident, more daring, more adventurous than you feel. 

Then you can wipe it off and change again.
Here's my pick of the 2015 looks you can adopt and adapt.

Nanette Lepore did iridescent purple lips, spidery lashes and metallic gold nails. Try doing ONE of these things at a time. As a purple lover, my preference is daring the lilac lip. Go on! Maybelline Color Elixir in Vision in Violet. Try a gold shimmer from NYX (Roll On Shimmer in Almond).

The Givenchy runway shots were ubiquitous. Sure, it's extreme.

The Victorian Chola Gang looked tribal and dark and confronting, but editors swarmed to the images and the clothes were not lost beneath the styling. While in Barcelona, I noted gleefully that all the beautiful young things were tattooed and pierced. The once rare septum piercing was no longer confined to hippies or punks. And the
super small rings that merely glinted under lights were super chic. If you're not ready for the real thing, I recommend a faux septum piercing. I got mine
from Junylie on Etsy.

As ever, Chloe and Michael Kors runways gave us a youthful nude palette that emphasised flawless skin, blushed cheekbones and beige toned eyes and lips. Go for the super luxe foundation (Urban Decay Naked Skin) and then pick budget friendly NYX for the entire nude palette.

Depending on whether you're gothic pale or Naomi Campbell, your nude colours will fall within a spectrum of flattering shades. Go for peachy (NYX Lipstick in Snow Cap) through rose beige (Pops Explosif) and make a subtle statement with the NYX Love In Rio eyeshadow kit of three shimmery beige/brown options. Skip the eyeliner and emphasise the lashline with Over The Taupe eyeshadow. Blush is mandatory - hit the apple of your cheeks and trace up to the outer corners of your eyes. With a subtle brushstroke - we're not going for a warpaint look.

Need a bit of oomph to your lips? Put a subtle dot of Angel Food Cake Butter Gloss in the cupid's bow and in the centre of your lower lip to finish. The light-reflecting gloss will make your lips appear fuller and smoother.

Purple Lilac Mauve - Be A Rebel Flower

Rihanna wore a particular purple lip gloss a week ago and it sold out almost INSTANTLY! Purple lips are not easy to pull off, but with some prep and playing down the rest of your makeup look, it can be seductive, sweet or even...subtle.

Maybelline Orchid Ecstasy

Firstly, apply a base lip liner colour to ensure your deeper purple colour doesn't bleed and to give it some hold. My go-to is Napoleon Mauve Minx (David Jones) because it has a hint of lilac but is very pink-based and can safely go just beyond the lip line.

Then it gets fun. There are so many amazing purple shades to choose from but here are my favourites.
NYX in Power and Immortal from the Wicked range. SUPER cheap and super high quality. The chain store buy that makeup artists love. Trust me, I've asked! Find it at Target for under $10.

Maybelline Rebel Flower range is all about purples: mauve, lilac, orchid, royal purple...oh it's heaven! My picks are Orchid Ecstasy for a bolder purple, or the sweeter, pinky Lilac Blush. Available at Priceline.

Keep your eyes shimmery or matte but pick shades of pale beige, coral, gold, copper or peach. My favourites, and my daily obsession is shu uemura. Their pressed shadow refills are compact, collectible and I double the pale coral shade as both an eye and blusher colour. Cost per usage believers, unite. Find the whole colour range at David Jones!

I'm also new to the Napoleon Radiant Reflections Eye Color but totally loving it for some gloss and glimmer. Again, David Jones is your go to.

Finally, sweep on something illuminating on the cheeks like Laura Mercier Pink Shimmer Bloc (so luxe, so lovely). Online or in store at David Jones, go for a blushy-lilac chic shade on the nails like Essie Go Ginza (Priceline) and go break some hearts.

Fifth Element Yoga Wear - From Melbourne With Love

My new obsession! Melbourne made, designed for yoga by a yoga lover. Fifth Element is the design brand of the gorgeous Alissa, who has taken the time to answer my questions about her yoga wear and her yoga practice. Get into these leggings - they are amazing. My personal faves? The purple Lalitha full leggings!

Alissa from Fifth Element

Why did you name your brand Fifth Element?

The idea for the name is based around the theory of five elements. It is said that we are an embodiment of 4 major elements of nature - fire, water, air and earth. And we are striving to balance these elements when practicing asanas. The fifth element is known to be space. Which I understand as being everything that we get in contact with physically and/or intangibly. 

Fifth Element is a collection of items that aims to fill space of a yogi with colour, comfort and harmony! Each item is designed individually and hand-crafted in Melbourne with love and care, and charged with positive energy. 

What is your favourite yoga style and how long have you been practicing yoga?

I've been practicing yoga for the last 10 years and started with Ashtanga which taught me a great deal on discipline and helped me to build basis for further exploration. I still do Vinyasa Flows when I feel that I need to build up strength. But I much prefer yoga classes that are not routine-based, but more of a free flow sequences with focus on various types of poses each class. I'm trying different styles of yoga and enjoy learning new things. I mostly practice Hatha & Iyengar on day-to-day basis. But also amongst my favourites are - Anusara, Arial Yoga (yoga in suspended hammocks), Acro Yoga. I'm hoping to soon try the new Ballet Sculpt classes I've heard so much about!!! Excited!

What makes a pattern or colour a definite must for your collection?

I've always been fond of colours, textures and patterns. I collect and draw patterns all the time! For this range of Fifth Element leggings I focused on patterns that are complex and encourage observation, and yet flattering to body curves. I've tried to make this collection versatile with some patterns that are more graphic, some more folk, some more delicate, some on classic black background or tonal, some bright and patchy. In other words - there is a legging for any yogi! I've also got a lot of help on choosing patterns and feedback on testing the prototypes from my yogi friends. So it is true to say that Fifth Element leggings is designed, tried and tested by real yogis :)

How often do you add or vary your range?

I've only had one range so far, as Fifth Element is literally only 2-month old. I'm going to add new things/garments as I get inspiration. I don't want to tie myself with strict deadlines and range plans, as Fifth Element endeavours to bring joy and positive energy and thus designing has to be approached with creativity and passion.

At the moment I'm prototyping simple crop tops/bras and tanks to complement leggings and complete outfits. I'm also planning to work on trans-seasonal cover-ups and autumn/winter type of yoga pants. 

Like us on Facebook to stay in to date with the releases of new products! 

Where do you do yoga in Melbourne?

Oh heaps and heaps of great studios Melbourne has to offer! Some of them are - The Yoga Social, Breathe, Bridge Yoga, Yoga Corner, Union Yoga, The Yoga Lab, Body Flow Yoga, Vibes Yoga in Fitzroy - these are just a few of my favourites to mention!

Favourite post-yoga cafés or juice bars?

This is a hard question...Frankly, I tend to forget names of the places. The only one that comes to mind is a small Cafe Bambino in Docklands. This is not what you'd call healthy yoga food...but it is run by passionate Italian guy and offers the freshest and tastiest food I've even tried! Not to mention plenty of Italian speech on the background to make you feel like you are magically transferred to sunny coasts of Italy! 

Where is Fifth Element available?

Fifth Element leggings are sold at The Yoga Social studio on King street. And the full range (which also include canvas totes and meditation pillows) can be viewed and purchased from www.fifth-element.com.au 

Bear in mind that we can also create custom-made leggings to suit your body perfectly - special size, body length, curve, crotch-rise, or any other speciality - enquire via Facebook or alissa@fifth-element.com.au 

Rainbow Warrior

Aloha! I wore all black in class last week, breaking my own "No All Black Outfits" rule. It did NOT go unnoticed. So, in the spirit of not being boring, and in fact, being inspired by exotic island life, here's my latest colourific haul.

L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara: You've seen manga cartoons - those girls are tiny, heart shaped faces and huge eyes. This mascara promises length, density but most importantly, comes in Turquoise and Purple. Can't decide which one? Wear both shades!

Orly Sugar High Nail Collection colours in Cake Pop and Key Lime Twist. Neon lime nails are going to give your downward dog an extra oomph. Try it!

L'Oreal Mythic Oil Seve Protectice - sure it's not strictly colourful, but it is exotic and it protects my poor, unruly waves and curls from the dreaded straightener - which is lime green, of course.

OPI Hawaii Nail Collection colours in
Is Mai Tai Crooked? Aloha From OPI and This Colour's Making Waves (hot orange and dark teal)

Caribbean Wild Flowers (Crabtree & Evelyn) smells exactly like an explosion of exotic island blooms and if you can't go lie on a beach in Waikiki, this will have to suffice!

Onzie Yoga crop top. My yoga outfits of choice are made BY yoga loving yogis. Love this brand. Love the colours, the cut, the fact it makes activewear joyful - which it should be! Yoga shouldn't be a grim-faced chore.