How To: Soft Romantic Waves for Spring

With Spring in the air for most of the Australian southern cities, it's time to look at let your hair down and get ready for the warmer weather and there no easier way to do that than by adding some waves into your look.

The loose wave is quick and easy to do and is soft, wispy and romantic - perfect for the longer days as well as evenings for a bit of socialisation with friends. This looks works best with hair just past the shoulders as those loose curls will just fall softly around the face to delicately frame it.

Today I have expert tips from Wella Styling Ambassador Travis Balcke to walk us through how to achieve the look in next to no time.

1. Start with freshly shampooed and conditioned towel dried hair haired. If you are like me and have coloured your hair, make sure to use a colour-saving product (try Wella Care's Brilliance Shampoo and conditioner or if you feel you need extra conditioning powers, up the treatment level with the Brillaince Mask). 
2. Apply a good amount of styling primer to prepare hair (use Wella Professional's Velvet Amplifer to coat and prime hair to give it more manageability and improve structure and hold during styling).  Then mist with Perfect Setting lotion at the roots to get hair more volume and shine. (If you don't have these products you can try working some light hold mousse through the roots of hair for similar results). 
3. Proceed to crank up the hair dryer and blast hair dry upside down- to give maximum volume at the roots. 
4. Take a 4cm section of hair from the top of head and using a hot roller, start to roll hair up in a brick pattern and secure hair to roller with a bobby pin. A brick pattern rolling technique is basically a technique used to roll or perm hair. Rather than straight rows, the sections are offset from the rods in the row above like how a brick layer would lay their bricks to minimise any gaps in hair and false lines and parties created for a more natural-looking wave pattern. 



visual of the off-setting rollers in the brick lay technique

5. Work your way down and roll the rest of the hair. Don't worry about being too perfect as the the curls will be brushed out later. 
6. When the rollers are cool, take the rollers out and brush with a wide bristled hairbrush to tease the hair into soft loose waves.  Spray some hairspray to set the style and if required and finish off with some shine serum. 

the finished look - large soft waves

Products used:

*Wella Care Brilliance Shampoo and Conditioner 200ml - RRP A$24 each
*Wella Care Brilliance Mask 150ml - RRP A$25
Wella Professional Velvet Amplifier Styling Primer 50ml - RRP A$24
Wella Professional Perfect Setting Lotion 150ml - RRP A$24
Wella SP Exquisite Gloss Shine Concentrate 40ml - RRP A$37.00
Hot rollers
Bobby pins
Round bristle brush

What hair looks do you feel like rocking this spring season?

Wella Care and Professional products are available at selected salons nationally. Call 1300 885 002 for your nearest stocklist.

Products marked * were provided for consideration.

How to: Get it on with the Side-Part Pony Tail

Winter's windy and cold weather outdoors and heated dry conditions indoor not only wreak havoc on skin but is also very damaging to hair.

And if you find that your hair's looking shabby (as mine currently does) and you don’t have time for a cut, then the current trend of a sleek pony tail will give your hairstyle a new lease in life as you can easily hide the messy hair.

Other than using a great hydrating shampoo and conditioner, you will also need to up the anti on your styling products to keep your hairstyle looking in tip-top condition in the colder months. 

My current product of choice is the Wella SP Elegant shape Body Mousse 300ml - RRP A$33.50 as it adds a flexible hold to hair, gives it a bit more structure and adds body and volume to the roots of hair.

Applied to towel dried hair and you not only have something to work with on your hair, you're also giving your hair some heat protection from hairdrying and also has UV filters to protect again from sun rays.

Now back to the pony tail style -  it's easy to achieve and looks great on anyone any age, it’s elegant, classy, chic, seductive, hide bad hair and was all over the run way at the Marc Jacobs Fall Winter 2011/12 show.

Nars for Marc Jacob NYFW 2011

For a something a little different though, try the sleek side parted pony tail which Lucy Liu sported when she stepped out for the NYC Kong Fu Panda 2 premiere last month. The side part works as it's more wearable and helps to diffuse attention away from an uneven hair line.

image credit: John P Iblis/jpistudios.com

To get the look:
Start with straight dried hair and create a strong side part with a comb and then brush hair down. If you have curly hair, you might want to use an anti frizz serum like before hand to smooth the hair down first.

Brush hair back towards the back of the head and make sure to brush out any bumps on the side. Depending on how high your front hair line is (the higher your hairline, the lower your pony tail should sit to balance it out at the back), fasten hair with a hair tie and then smooth down flyaway bits with hair spray.

Smooth some Gloss Shine Concentrate at the ends of the ponytail to make your hair shiny and prevent frizz during the day/night

Products used:
Wella SP Perfect Hold hairspray 300ml - RRP A$33.50  
Wella SP Exquisite Gloss Shine Concentrate 40ml - RRP A$37.00  
Medium tooth comb and round paddle hair brush

What other styles do you use to hide bad hair days?

Additional image credits: Google images
Wella SP products were provided for consideration. 

Make Your Own Solid Perfume

If you love to carry around with you your favourite perfume to respray during the day but hate the fact that it's a glass bottle and prone to breakages, then have I got a treat for you! 

You can easily turn any of your favourite scents into a solid form by making your own solid perfumes with this simple DIY project! Seriously, if you can make 2-minute noodles, you can make this. 

Solid perfume Benefits 

• portability - a small solid perfume jar is easier to take around that full sized perfume bottles
• no need to decant your perfume into purse size sprays to use it on the go
• no leaks, spills or potential breakages of glass!

how cute is this jar for solid perfume?

Tools/Ingredients required:

• 1 tablespoon Beeswax or vaseline (vaseline will give lighter and softer setting solid perfumes)
• 1 tablespoon Almond Oil (or Jojoba Oil)
• 8 - 15 drops Essential Oils or 5-10 spritz from your favourite perfume
• Lip balm jars to hold your finished products- clean out old ones or buy new ones from craft shops  but any container with a tight fitting lid would work. You can even try the cute designed ones. 
• Microwave-safe container (eg. glass bowl)
•  stirrer - toothpicks, or paddle pop sticks

1. Melt together the wax or petroleum jelly with the jojoba or sweet almond oil. You can either microwave the ingredients for a few seconds in a microwave-safe container to soften the mixture or heat it up over a double boiler - I am lazy and prefer the use of the microwave. Microwave for 5 seconds each time and mix the mixture to ensure even melting of the ingredients. 
2. Once mixture has liquefied, add the essential oils if you're using that. If you are using perfume, spritz enough into the melted product until it reaches the desired strength of fragrance. 
3. Use the stirrer to mixing the fragrance and melted mixture. You can use anything as the stirrer but expect your perfume to coat it, so either use something disposable or else something you can wash (so don't using your wooden spoon, unless you want it to smell pretty forever).
4. Pour the liquid into your final container and give it a few hours to set.

Viola - your solid perfume is done and you can start to use it to any part of your skin and best of all, pop it into your hand bag so you can take it with you everywhere you go!

Easy and rewarding to make - you can even get creative by mixing different scents to create your very own customised ones - what scents would you make? Mine would be Rose and Vanilla. 

How To: Milan Fashion Week - Hair from Antonio Marras Show

I've been keeping my eyes on in the recent Autumn/Winter (A/W) '11 Fashion Shows held in New York and Milan and often find myself staring at the amazing makeup and hairstyles as much as I am at the amazing gowns that are gracing the catwalks. 

Apart from the bold colours and pale skin as the trend for makeup this upcoming season, it seems sleek and well sculpted hair that maintains its fluidity and delicate textures also feature heavily. 

Case in point: The "Clip Art" look created by Wella Global Creative Director Eugene Souleiman from the Milan's Antonio Marras show. 

I so love the multi-dimenional look of this 50s inspired style that is strong and angular when viewed from the front, yet soft and feminine when viewed from the back.  

The Makeup: 

Lips take centre stage here and it is the brighter the red, the better. Try Illamasqua Box or Elizabeth Arden Red Door Red. Remember to use a lip liner for more definition and ensure the colours stay inside the lips. 

Keep face fairly neutral with nude/naked colours on lips and cheeks. Think naked palette colours of soft browns and light shades that complement your complexion. One coat of mascara is more than enough here. Blush is kept to minimum or if you dare, forgo it all together. 

The Hair - how to:

1. Apply Wella Professionals Sleek Wonder (straightening balm) on freshly washed hair and blow dry hair straight with a round soft bristled brush. 
2. Create a side parting then take large front section from the short side parting (right side on the model), give it a spray of Wella Professionals High Hair Crystal Styler for a sleek shiny finish then lift the entire section, pull up tight and give it a tight lift by pulling the hair in upward direction with a round brush while heating it with a blow dryer. 
3. Then spray this section of hair with some Wella Professional High Hair Finishing Spray and back-comb the roots of hair with a fine tooth comb for some texture and volume.
4. Wind the hair around a chopstick or stick to create a tight roll before sliding out the stick and clipping the hair in place on the side with some bobby pins. 
5. On the other side of the parting, brush the hair flat and square against the heard and back behind the ear. Use a large contrasting colour hair clip to hold hair flatly in plate. 
6. For the back, pull hair into a side low ponytail then twist, while pulling towards the nape of the neck at the same time to get it tightened around the around the base of the head. When the complete section of the hair is twisted, pin the hair in place using a bobby pin inserted horizontally and another vertically to form a cross to secure it. 

You dont' have to be too precise with the ponytail twists as flyaways and loose hair form part of the wispy soft look. 

Eugene back-combing the curled side part

Products used: 

• Wella Professionals High Hair Sleek Wonder RRP A$23.50
• Wella Professionals High Hair Crystal Styler RRP A$23.50
• Wella Professionals High Hair Finishing Spray RRP A$23.50

Available at Wella salons nationally.

What do you think of this look? Love it or leave it?

Cleaning Makeup Brushes

If you haven't noticed, I'm quite a bit of a makeup brush fanatic and have over the years, amassed a sizable collection of brushes.

I still add to that collection on a periodic basis just so I can have many of the same type of brush and I don't have to spot clean it every time I use the brush for different colours. But at the end of the day, brushes need to be properly cleaned to remove from it, the product build up and the oil and sebum that gets transferred from the skin to the brush during use.

As I have a lot of brushes to wash, I tend to give them a deep cleanse every fortnight if I've used them frequently and have run out of clean brushes during that time. If I haven't (or am a bit lazy and don't have the time), I'd clean them every 3 weeks in bulk and the whole process of washing and towel drying can take up to an hour.

Freshly washed brushes on a towel

I use all 3 of the below products to do the actual washing of my brushes.

(1) - Clairols Herbal Essence Replenishing Shampoo for coloured/dry/damaged hair. I find that this shampoo doesn't have the silicones that many other shampoos contains, instead it has natural oils to help soften and condition the natural bristles of the brushes. Its something I use on my hair already so I don't need to go out and buy another shampoo for my brushes.

(2) - B&C AHA Cleansing Oil. I use this facial cleanser to help cut through the grease in brushes used with emollient products like foundations and creme blushes. The oil cleansing theory for your skin works the same for the brush bristles and are particularly effective with synthetic brushes which tend to contain foundation and concealers product build ups. 

(3) - Dove Cleansing Bar. I only use this for white bristled brushes where even though clean, the hairs are still stained. I would wipe the wet brushes on the cleansing bar and work it into a nice lather in my palm before rinsing out. This seems to get rid of any stains 99% of the time. I find the MAC fibre optic hairs (eg. the MAC 187 or 131 brush) and white hair facial brushes are the hardest to get back to the pristine white conditions.

 

How I clean my brushes

• Wet brush hairs with water and avoiding wetting the metal ferrule, squirt some #1 to clean the brush. If it is a foundation or concealer brush, squirt a pump of product #1 & product #2 liquid on brush and then brush the hairs up and down the palm of my hand to work up a lather. 
• Squeeze out the excess water from the bristles to remove the product build up. Wash it with a bit more water and repeat with more cleansing liquid again if required until when the brush runs clear when rinsed under running water. If the bristles are still looking stained at this stage, this is where I give it another lather using product #3. 
• Place brush bristles down on a basin/tub lined with a bath towel to soak up extra water. Continue washing other brushes. 

As you can see, my deep cleansing method is quite intensive but it is the most thorough way and it definitely gets all the brushes looking and feeling brand new again. Face brushes generally take the longest to clean whilst the smaller eye brushes can be cleaned very quickly and don't need repeated washes. 

After all my brushes are washed, I take each one and wipe it back and forth across the towel to remove excess moisture and wipe the ferrule down before lying them flat on top of another dry towel to air dry. Because excess moisture is removed with the towel drying process, the smaller brushes are usually dried and can be used again in less than 6 hours time whereas the larger denser brushes (the Sigma HD brushes or kabuki brushes) can take up to 2 days before being completely dry. 

I usually don't use brush guards when drying my brushes because I find that it slows down the drying process but I do use them to reshape the brush when the brushes are almost dried.

So that's how I deep cleanse my brushes. If you have any questions about cleansing makeup brushes or you would like to see a review on a particular brush soon, please send in your requests.

B&C AHA Oil Cleanser can be purchased online at Sasa.com for US$10.70

How To: Curl Hair with VS Sassoon's Magic Curl

My natural hair is thick and unruly, with kinks and just plain hard to deal with in mornings. I decided to end the pain and make life easier with less styling hassles by permanently straightening it with the Shiseido Straightening system a few months back.

Lately though, the grass seems to be greener on the other side and I've been wanting to have some soft pretty curls, especially after seeing friends getting Japanese perms on their hair and looking super Kawaii.

So to curb my hair envy, I thought I'd try to recreate those soft loose curls for a temporary basis.

VS Sasson Magic Curl Styling Wand

• The newest addition to VS Sasoon's Premiere Collection, the wand-like barrel curler with no clamps in sight promises to deliver curls full of definition and shine with no crimps or kinks to hair.
• The styling wand tapers from 25mm in diameter at one end down to13mm at the other meaning you can create soft loose curls on top of hair that narrows to tighter ringlets at the other end.
• Features a SolTEC™ Ceramic barrel that provides a smoother surface to wrap hair with and make its easier to glide hair off when finished with setting the curls.
• Variable temperature control with 4 different heat settings to suit all hair types so you don't fry your hair to bits when using it.
• Comes with a heat-resistant glove to help your handle the hot wand whist styling your hair.

Magic Curl showing temperature control w On/Off button

How to use:

• Turn on the Magic curl and set it to desired heat setting to preheat it by pressing the +/- button.  The temperature light indicator will remain constant once the right heat level is achieved. I set mine at 170 degrees and found it hot enough to curl my hairs.
• Put on the protective glove on side of the hand you will be using to wrap your hair around the styler with.
• Start by working on hair at the base of your neck and work your way up to the hair at the crown. Take up all the hair and clip the top layers of hair out of the way, leaving the bottom layer free to work with.
• Curl hair from the back first and move your way towards the front.
• Section hair into 2-4cm widths (depending on whether you want loose curls or more defined ones- the smaller the section of hair, the more defined your curls will be) and starting at the thicker end of the wand, wrap hair around the barrel down towards the narrow end until your hair is fully curled around the wand. Hold the hair for 5 seconds to let the heat set it before gliding the wand out of your curled hair.
• You can also half-twist the wand during the style-setting stage to get tighter curls.
• Once the bottom layer of hair is curled, you can let out more hair from the middle layer and repeat the same steps and finally curling the the top layers of your hair until you're all finished.
• After curling hair, spray plenty of hair spray to fix the style and ensure long lasting curls.

Before and after Magic Curl - I went for the loose curls look

How it performed:

• Quick to heat up, I loved the adjustable temperature setting. It gives me peace of mind that I'm not going over-board in the heat styling department. 
• Easy to use - without reading any instruction manual, I found the Magic Curl wand very intuitive to use - it was as simple as taking hair and wrapping it around the wand. 
• The provided glove helped saved me from burning my fingers. Too bad there weren't ear hoods to save my ears which I burnt whilst curling the hair too close to the ear. Hopefully my better techniques after more practice will prevent future burns.
• The on/off button is awkwardly positioned during use. I would accidentally press it while twisting the wand to curl my hair and switch it off, resulting in having to re-switch it back on and reset the temperature again. Next time, I'll use some some tape to tape over the button area once I turn it on to prevent myself from accidental switch offs. Maybe a cover over the botton or a on/off sliding lever design in future models would be more suitable.
• The wand did indeed give soft pretty kink-free curls full of shine, body and bounce and it held its shape well. This did a better job than my GHD for curls (I've given up trying to master curling with that styler).

Styling Tips 

• To practise your curling techniques, try using the magic curl without turning the power on to get used to styling at the back of hair and familiarise the angle you will need to hold the magic curl
• Remember to spritz on some heat protectant before using the styler to prevent hair from being over-exposed and damaged by heat - try John Frieda's Heat Defeat Protective styling spray.

Verdict
VS Sassoon's Magic Curl wand certainly delivered curls that would rival those created by the professionals at any hair salon.
Rating: 9/10. It would have received full marks if the button designs were fixed to prevent accidental switch offs.
RRP A$69.95 at all leading department and electrical stores.

This product was received at the MBBE event.

How To: False Eyelash Applications

I have a confession to make. I was a falsie virgin until recently.

Yes, it's shameful - in the three decades of my existence, I've never really bothered to look into false lashes. Sure painting on colours with eye shadows and liners is OK with me but attaching things to my eyes? No Way!

I think it was the fear of sticking something so close to my eyes and the risk that clumsy me might poke my eye out that held me back. For that reason, I'm also a circle lens virgin. I can't imagine sticking my finger into my eye no matter how safe or harmless it really is (thank goodness I don't need glasses/contacts or else I'd be in trouble).

I am very happy to report though, I've since overcome my fear and have been trying to master the art of false eyelash application as I've come realise how much it can transform your eye and looks - more so than any eye or face makeup colour alone can. It really opens up and enlarges my relatively small eyes, allowing me to achieve looks I didn't think was possible before.

Being a newbie with lash application, I've had lots of trouble and found a few things that helped and thought I'd share this with those who also find it tough to apply these little suckers.

Tips for easy and successful eyelash applications

• Before application, make sure you measure the lash against your eye to check for fit and cut it to size.
• Flex and bend the lash band of your falsies around your index finger for a good 30 second to make it flexible so you'll have an easier application where the lashes will follow the natural curves of your eyes
• The type of eyelash glue you use will make or break your application (not to mention test your patience). The little tube of  glue usually included with most false lashes are rubbish and will just frustrate you during use so toss it out and buy a proper lash glue. Don't think about skipping this step to save a few dollars because it is not worth the grief (trust me, I learnt this the hard way).  Most people use Duo lash glue but I find that Asian lash glues with its thin brushes gives the easiest application. 
• Apply a thin layer of the lash glue directly onto the lash band and wait 20secs for it to slightly dry and become tacky. Then it's ready to be applied to eyes.
• Some people use tweezers to apply the lash to the eye, but I find fingers and the slanted end of a wooden orange tip more helpful with pressing down the lash band againt edges of the eye and helping it stay put. Brush on a little bit more glue if the edges are sticking up and then press it down for 10 seconds.  
• Use liquid eye liner AFTER appication to hide the edges/ends of the false lashes by extending the line slightly beyond the ends of the eye. If you are using liner before lash application, it will just smudge off with you adjusting your lashes around during the application. 
• You can tight line your waterline before application.  After putting the falsies on, line your eyes over the area where the false lash band meets your lash line to hide/blur the line to give the illusion these are your real lashes :D
• Use an eyelash curler to curl your real and false lashes so they blend in together. A coat of mascara helps achieve this even more. 
• Highlight the inner corner of the eye with a white/light highlight colour to brighten your peepers. 
• Your eyes may feel slightly weird initially as there is now a foreign object fluttering against it but if you applied the lashes right, it should not hurt or feel uncomfortable. 
• Removal is easy with a waterproof eye makeup remover as it will dissolve the glue from the lash band and any mascara you have applied.
• Store used lashes in a small plastic container if you plan on re-using them. If you clean the false lashes well (with waterproof makeup remover) and don't rip it during removal, you can get a couple uses out of it before it starts to look mangled and needs to be tossed out.  

Dramatic lashes - va va voom!

As you can see from the photos above, my eyes are totally transformed using a set of falsies. If you are like me and are scared of false lashes, don't be - they are fun and with a bit of practice, you too can master it and create exciting new looks that just can't be achieved with colour alone.

I'll be doing separate review posts on the lashes and lash glue so be sure to look out for those.