A Little Slice Of

Tuesday, 30 October 2012

Perfect Brows

As a natural blonde with almost invisible eyebrows, I hadn't given my brows much thought since I started plucking them in 1992. That was until I recently visited a beauty salon and the therapist asked me who had been touching them and whoever it was should stop! I knew they were on the thin side but she said 'makeover' and 'hideous' and, well you can imagine how I felt. Anyway, I stopped plucking immediately and googled eyebrows to find out all I could. I discovered that caster oil naturally promotes growth so started massaging this on to my brows each night before bed. The first 4-5 weeks were extremely difficult, but by week 7 they were looking much better, if not a little unkept.

At this point I needed a brow specialist to shape and tint them. So I visited the Brow Bar. I figured that a salon that only does brows would be best and I wasn't wrong - my fury brows were waxed, plucked, sculptured and tinted into perfection and have since become a bold new accessory!

I had underestimated how essential eyebrows are at framing your face. My tips for making the most of your brows:

1. Find your natural arch - it will instantly give your face a lift. If you've plucked your brows to buggery, I recommend not touching them for 8 weeks and visiting a professional to help reveal your natural arch.

2. Go thicker. Eyebrows become thinner as we age and thin brows can actually show our age (if you look at girls in their 20s, they don't have the 90s 'Sharpie' style brows that were popular at the time). Thick brows look more youthful and add definition to your face. Be patient, it will take 7-8 weeks before you can see a brow expert and up to 3 months before they're truly at their best.

3. Length. The beginning of your eyebrows should not extend past the indent above your nostril - too close together and you're verging on a monobrow and too far apart and your face will be off balance. Likewise you don't want your brows to stop too short either.

4. Tinting. If you're fair like me, it looks better when brows are a little darker and more defined. It's important the colour of your browns compliments your hair and skin colour so don't go more than one or two shades darker than your hair colour. If you're scared of tiring, fill them in with a light shadow or brow pencil - again a few shades lighter than your hair colour. Something with wax like Maybelline Master Shape Brow Pencil works really well as the wax helps keep them manicured and in place.

5. Clear mascara or eyebrow gel. Always brush hairs upward with clear mascara to hold and enhance shape.

Find A Good Tailor

I'm a big advocate for tailoring. Nothing makes cheaper priced clothing look more expensive than having them tailored to your shape. I have a brilliant relationship with my tailor - they know my style, shape and what looks good on me. I recently purchased this Tigerlily jumpsuit on sale, but as you can see in the before picture, the huge palazzo style trousers did no favours for my short legs and made me look stumpy. I loved the material, the top section fit lovely and I knew it would be perfect for summer with a little help from my tailor. So I had them taper the legs and remove some of the volume and now they work for my shape and lengthen my legs.

French Apple Tart

This is an easy take on the classic French Apple Tart. I use store bought puff pastry which I find almost as good as homemade for this particular recipe. The result is a light delicate tart that's delicious served immediately or at room temperature. You will need:

1 sheet puff pastry
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter, diced small
2 tablespoons apricot jam
2 teaspoons rum or water

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with paper. Trim the edges of the puff pastry and place onto the lined tray (I made my sheet rectangular by cutting off one side and adding it to the top). Place overlapping slices of apples onto the pastry. Sprinkle with sugar and dot with butter. Bake for 40 minutes, or until pastry and the edges of the apples have browned. (I rotate the pan during cooking). Heat apricot jam and rum together in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, then brush the apples and pastry completely. Serves 6.

What I Wore

1 B A L I

Rosemin Maxi Dress | Vintage Bag | Wittner Sandals

2 W O R K

Zara Dress | Zara Heels | Balenciaga Bag

3 C A S U A L F R I D A Y

Shakuhachi Dress & Belt | Vintage Bag | Wittner Sandals

I'm Back

I'm still attempting to get back into the swing of things after an incredible week in Bali! I promise not to go overboard with photos from the trip, but I thought I'd at least share a few that you might appreciate.

We had the most amazing time - tanning and cocktails at our villa by day, afternoon massages (you MUST try the 'Body Bliss' at Bodyworks - two people massaging you in unison, wow!), a little shopping (I came back with way too many dresses) before getting ready for dinner and a night of cocktails.

Then there was the wedding. It was absolutely beautiful , the bride breathtaking, and I feel so blessed to have been part of the special day. One of my favourite details from the wedding - our bridesmaid hair! I'm not giving away any more photos from the beautiful day though - I'll leave that to the professional photographers.

Alas, I'm back to reality and a very full inbox of emails! Yep, I'm back!

Carry-on Essentials

A well-stocked carry-on not only helps make a long haul flight bearable but it also assists in freshening up before landing. This is what I'm taking...

1. Tote or Handbag – Roomy enough to hold all your carry-on goodies. This Longchamps one is great as it folds right down.
2. Passport – You can’t go anywhere without it!
3. iPad/iPhone – To browse the net, watch moves, read, play games etc. And don’t forget earphones so you can listen to music and give yourself a break from the crying babies
4. Lollies – I always pack some lollies, not only for my sweet tooth but to prevent my ears popping on take-off and landing
5. Magazines & Books – New glossies or a novel will help pass the time
6. Cardigan or Jacket – It’s always freezing on the plane so keep chills at bay with something you can layer. Also great if you're going to/from a different climate.
7. Cleansing Wipes – Even if you’re not wearing make-up, these are great for cleaning your face and freshening up before landing.
8. Moisturiser – Planes dry you out. Keep ultra hydrated with a good moisturiser. I lather it on as soon as I’ve cleansed my face.
9. Lip Balm – Keep you lips moist with a good lip balm
10. Toothbrush & Toothpaste – Nothing beats fresh breath during the flight and right before landing
11. Sunglasses – To glam up and/or cover up puffy tired eyes
12. Eye Mask – Allow you to sleep at any time throughout the flight
13. Underwear – I always take a spare pair just in case my bag is lost/delayed (it’s happened to me before!)

What I Wore

1 W O R K

John Lewis Dress | Wittner Heels | Balenciaga Bag

2 W O R K

3 R U N N I N G E R R A N D S

COS Dress | COS Long Sleeve Top | D.Co Copenhagen Boots | Vintage Bag

Bali Bound

On Wednesday I’m finally off to Bali for the wedding and some fun and sunshine with my lady friends. Packing the perfect ingredients for a girly summer holiday are simple – bikinis, shorts, dresses and sandals will be the daily uniform. I will also take some shirts to wear over the bikini, a maxi dress, some slinky cocktail dresses and heels for night and a few accessories to have a little fashion fun. Now it’s back to cleaning before I start packing my suitcase for the beach…

1 Zimmermann Maxi Dress | 2 Zimmermann Dress | 3 Zimmermann Tee

4 Topshop Shorts5 Zimmermann Clutch | 6 Sambag Sandals

7 Zara Heels | 8 Zimmermann Bikini | 9 ASOS Necklace

Double Denim

J.Crew Shirt | Zara Jeans | Michael Kors Watch | Sambag Ballet Flats | Mulberry Bag

Living With White

If I were forced to decorate in just one colour it would have to be white. It's timeless, classic, great for maximising light and can work in just about any home. As it is, the majority of my furnishings are white – walls, dining table and chairs, bathroom and I favour white for nearly all of my crockery and dinnerware. The perfect blank canvas, white always looks clean and bright and allows you to play around with colour and texture. These rooms successfully mix different shades of white to create warmth.