Halloweeen version 3.0!

Good evening, lovelies!

I'll let you in on a secret; I love Halloween, and I've always been rather disappointed that I've never been able to experience 'trick or treating' in the United States, where Halloween is celebrated with a passion!

I love the idea of being able to dress up in costumes, go crazy with your make-up, overindulge in spooky-themed candy and generally have a great excuse to scare the crap out of your friends! Unfortunately, I won't really be able to get the chance to do much of that this year, as Halloween falls on a Monday and I will be at work for most of it.

I have, however, made arrangements to have dinner with friends at an American restaurant here in Melbourne (TGIF), which I know will be getting into the spirit of things by having their waitresses/waiters dress up and even putting together a little ghost house for the kiddies! Now, as I'll be going to dinner straight after work, I won't really have much of a chance to dress up as such, and so I'll just be experimenting with my hair and make up a wee bit, and possibly popping on a cute headband to complete my 'look'.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, I'll be doing something like this:

I'm calling this 'channelling my inner she-demon'...all I've done is use some grey eyeshadow for a smokey eye, black eyeliner on the upper and lower lids, a smidge of pale gold liner on my waterline, and lashings of mascara. I also drew on some 'tears' with liquid eyeliner, and applied a wee bit of glitter to the tears to make them stand out. I used some brow powder to fill, darken and shape my eyebrows slightly (because every she-demon deserves dark, well accentuated brows!). I then applied some concealer to my lips to block out my natural lip colour, and finished off with a nude lipstick. Last but not least, I popped on a cute headband with horns to complete my look!

I think having a pale, shimmery polish or dark polish would go really well. In these photos, I was wearing Orly 'Go Go', which I picked out when I had a manicure three days ago.

However, since GlossBandit informed us all that the Sally Hansen limited edition nail polish strips for Halloween were available in Australia, I just HAD to go out and pick some up to wear with my new look, and 45 minutes of painstaking application later, voila!

 I used 'Spun for you', which is a metallic silver with lacy black cobwebs over it.

Sally Hansen nail polish strips: Spun for you

Well, that's all from me, beauties! I hope you all have an ah-mah-zing Halloween!


Much love,
MM.

UPDATE: To Pumpkin or not to Pumpkin

(check out my update at the bottom of this post!) :)

I’m sure now that we are all grown up many of us don’t find Halloween candy that fascinating anymore (if we ever did!)…. However, all budding beauty enthusiasts must acknowledge that a dress up party for Halloween is a fantastic time of year to experiment with make up!

I thought I would get into the Halloween spirit a little this year:

I named him "Trevor"

As I will be working said All Hallows Eve, rather than go all out on face makeup I thought I’d have a little play around with nail art.

I think Sally Hansen has read my mind, and has come up with some fantabulously ghoulish limited edition salon effect nail art strips!

***UPDATE***
Ok since posting this, I have come up with a few pointers about carving a pumpkin, based on personal experience:
1. Don't plan to use the inside of the pumpkin for cooking soup or ...anything... I had to run out and buy more pumpkin for the planned pumpkin pie after I failed miserably at saving the insides of the pumpkin (which looked gross enough that you wouldn't want to eat it anyway)

2. Cover your pumpkin with plastic and put it in the fridge during daytime.  Trust me, that pumpkin will detoriate like it's nobody's business...After a night away from home, I returned to the pumpkin patch (a la my house) and found that my pumpkin was no longer a nice orange shade -rather he'd 'gone green' -and not in an environmentally safe sense, rather a mouldy and downright disgusting sense....

3. Get that moudly pumpkin outta there! -did anyone else know they collapse????? the bottom of the pumpkin gave way, and what was left was something out of a horror movie (pumpkin themed, perhaps we could call it 'nightmare on pumpkin street' or 'silence of the pumpkin' or 'the rocky horror pumpkin show')....i was left with a sloppy pumpkin mess that has turned me right off pumpkin carving for a good few yeras (I even removed my pumpkin nail polish, grrrr)


All I can is.. no pumpkins will be taking part of my next year Halloween festivities!!!!!!!!!!

A ghastly zombie green, spooky spider webs and eerie (although I think they are just plain adorable) mini ghosts are included in the collection, perfect for accessorising your outfit (and the spider webs would look awesome on toenails!)

Sally Hansen  Salon Effect Nail Strips retail for around $14.95AUD (one pack will be enough for a full set of nails)

After my pumpkin carving escapades I am loving all things orange hued for my chosen Halloween flavour:

I used Orly nail polish, in shade “Papaya Punch”

So tell me:

-What is your favourite Halloween make up?

-Are you dressing up this year?

-What do you think about the Sally Hansen limited Edition Nail Strips?

Halloweeeen

Hey Ladies (and Gentlemen),


Even though Halloween isn't massively celebrated in Australia its still fun to get into the spirit of it with make up, costumes and crazy hair - maybe even some fun decorations for your house! :) This is especially true if you are attending a Halloween party!!


There are soooo many looks/characters to choose from - you can literally go as ANYONE or ANYTHING!! But i've chosen a romantic/gothic Tim Burton look, inspired by (Tim Burton and his characters obviously..) But also Michelle Phan and her wonderful YouTube videos teaching us how to create such looks - and making it look ridiculously easy. It so was not as easy as she makes it look.. but anyway - Heres my experience! :) - - -


I started by curling my hair as curly and whimsical-y/romantical as possible. I also applied my moisturiser, primer, foundation, setting powder and eye shadow primer. I then filled in my brows with Benefit Brow-Zings.

Next I followed the steps of Michelle Phan's video to create my smokey purple/black eye (using many different shades and eye shadow palettes). Applied about 5 layers of mascara and contoured my cheeks with blush (rimmel) then used my Benefit Daffodil on the apples of my cheeks.
I concealed my lips, then lightly pressed my lipstick onto my lips with my finger.
I then messed up my curls by running my fingers through to separate them, and getting as much volume as possible, finishing with hairspray.
And Voila! This is the finished look!

These are the products I used  >>>

VS Sassoon hair curler and ghd hair clips to hold my hair in place while I curled it

(Photographed in the order I used them - and no need to say the names because they are pretty clear..right?) :)

Brow-zings Benefit eyebrow kit in 'light', momo cosmetics eye shadow palette (bought from Sasa in Hong Kong), Revlon colourstay 12 hour eyeshadow in '13 Lavender Meadow' (I used the darkest purple colour, at the bottom of the palette), Maybelline 'The Falsies' in Very Black/Noir Intense, Avon eyeliner in 'Black Noir' (I forgot to include it in the picture, but I used my Shu Uemura eyelash curler before the mascara)

Benefit blush in 'dandelion', Rimmel blush in 003 Autumn Catwalk, M.A.C Viva Glam lipstick in 'Gaga Lustre' 

Hairspray to keep my curls in place and perfume to finish the look.. 'La Lune' is mysterious and edge and super sexy - not sure if it really suits me, but I like wearing it occasionally when I go out at night time. 

And ANOTHER photo of me.. I seriously could not stop flicking my hair around!! haha

So there it is! My chosen Halloween look.. Check out Michelle Phan's YouTube account, specifically the video that I got the inspiration from - HERE.


To be honest I'm not completely happy with the eyeshadow, but I have small eyelids so I need to 'pick my battles' and accept it lol.. And although I really like my finished hair, if I ever need super curly hair again I will definitely buy a wig! an hour and a half is way too long to be doing my hair.. haha


So ladies, What do you think of this look?
                What costume/look are you going to be wearing for Halloween, if anything?
                Have you heard of Michelle Phan before? If not check out her videos!! they're great! :)


-Kathy xx

squeaky clean hair tip!

Good day beauty addicts,

One of the three everyonelovesbeautyettes here (hmm must come up with a better name to describe the three of us -perhaps the three beautettes, in beauty musketeer fashion?) -I might call myself the glossbandit to differentiate myself.

I came across a rather unusual product the other day after a friend mentioned it, thought I would share it with you!

Redken Sea Polish. Basically, it’s a scrub… but for your hair, not your face or body!

The idea of rubbing a scrub into one’s hair is not everyone’s cup of tea  and  as anyone who has tried to remove the salt and sand from a day at the beach from long hair could attest, it sounds like a fright to remove from long locks!

Right?

Hmm well actually… its not.  It’s so crazily easy to get rid of it’s ridiculous! Just washes right out J

So what does the product actually do?

First things first, it’s an exfoliator.  As we know with a normal face or body exfoliator, this gently buffs away impurities and removes dead skin cells, leaving a fresh and clean surface on the skin and body.  Same thing for the hair! It cleanses and exfoliates the hair shaft, removing product build up and restoring hair to a clean base.

I was a bit perplexed when I heard this, and set about busily trying this out for myself.

After easily  scrubbing the product through, washing out as normal, I found the hair felt cleaner and softer.  I think it also helped my piece of mind to think my hair had been removed of product build up (personally I think I put more product in my hair than on my face, but don’t wash it off as often as my face).

I did notice a little more frizz than usual the first time I used this product, but after a few weeks (using this product weekly) that settled down, and the hair looks healthier and shinier!

I would recommend using this if you are worried about product build up.  If you use minimal products I would probably say you could skip this product, but it’s up to you!

Retail for approximately $28.00 (all hair care stockists such as Petra Hair Care should have Redken brand)

Check it out for yourself at: http://www.redken.com/products/haircare/natures-rescue/refining-sea-polish

And tell me:
-has anyone tried this product out?
-if so, yay or nay, does it work?
-are you as intrigued by the idea of hair exfoliator as I am?

Spoiler Alert: New OPI Collection!

Has anyone noticed the most recent OPI mini collection???

If you haven’t, about to give you a spoiler alert………

Da daa da da (my impression of a drum roll)… it’s the MUPPETS SHOW!!!!

Yep that’s right, apparently you can turn a troupe of crazy furry puppets into nail polish shades, complete with cute as a button names!

I won’t divulge all the colours and names (you may want to rush out and peruse them yourself, I can’t ruin the surprise for you!) but I will shine the spotlight on just one of the colours, with a gorgeous name:

Gone Gonzo!

What could also be construed as the Cookie Monster on acid (he he), this is a bright electric blue glitter with silvery flakes….craziness!

I have to admit I wasn’t sold on the colour just by viewing the bottle alone, rather I started lusting after it when I saw it being worn.

Perhaps this picture will help you judge it better:

I have used three coats, I found two quite enough for coverage (very sheer with just one coat) but three gave a nice coating…I then topped it with a clear coat (to smooth down the rough edges of the glitter) and sprinkled a dot of OPI rapid dry over the top (a lovely little product that makes the nail polish dry toot de suit)

A full size bottle from the OPI collection will set you back $19,95, there is also a mini pack of 4 colours with little bottles for $24.95… just suss out the colours though, I prefer the other shades than the ones in this pack J

Best location for the biggest range of OPI is David Jones (and very helpful staff) or selected chemists and cosmetic chain stores.

Happy OPI hunting everyone!

PS -a little update, three days on and the nail polish has not chipped once (not at all!)... however when I had to remove it, the stubborn polish refused to budge! It took an hour and a big bottle of nail polish remover to get the glitter off -just bear this in mind if you need to remove it quickly :)

Do expired products still work?

So I have this product called 'Sun Silk Summer Care leave-in sun protection spray' that I found in the back of my beauty closet* today and decided to use because I knew I would be outside all day.. the thing is.. its at least 7 years old.. maybe more! :S (I cant even find the expiry date on the bottle, so I don't even know how many years its been expired for)
So my question to you (and i'm actually extremely curious what you think) is do expired products still work??
My experience with the product was really pleasant (provided it wasn't secretly killing my hair because it's so old) as it smells awesome - like coconuts - and it had the exact effect of a good sea salt spray. It left my hair in its natural wavy state, minus the frizz and gave it amazing texture and insane volume.

             Here it is! Except mines so old that it has a big 'NEW' label on it!

The purpose of this product (if you haven't guessed already) is to protect your hair from the sun, salt water and chlorine and its infused with coconut milk and UV filter to make this possible.. they encourage you to use it before going swimming to act as a barrier against the harsh chlorine/salt water, but you can also use it afterwards for the nourishing and hydrating effects.

  And heres my hair after using the product! Sorry about the crap quality.. it's quite difficult to take a good picture of the back of your own head :S but you get the point.. doesn't look too awful, right??

So EveryoneLovesBeauty Beauties..
                                                Do you ever use expired products?
                                                Do you think they might still offer the benefits that they once did?
                                                Do you think something this old could actually be bad for my hair?!

*Everyone has a beauty closet, right?! You know.. full of products that you haven't ever finished/ used more then once or twice and you know that if you really set out to finish them then you could prob get through them in 6 months or so.. Except that you never do, because new, exciting products come along that have top priority.. but then they will probably end up in there as well.. anyways hence a closet - or at least a very big shelf - full of skin care/ hair care/ make up products..  wow.. really hope im not the only one!! haha :S

-Kathy xx

Perfumes, perfumes, perfumes!

Hello lovelies,

Thank heavens that Thursday is almost over, and the weekend is almost upon us! What has everyone got planned for the weekend?

Melbourne has been having some unusually warm weather this week, which is where Kathy's excellent post on EOS lip balms below comes in handy...you can never go past a great, moisturising lip balm when it's hot and your lips keep cracking from lack of moisture!

But in addition to dry lips, warm weather also contributes to feeling sweaty, and generally hot and bothered. While deodorant and anti-perspirant help considerably, it also means that your perfume/cologne just does not last anywhere near as long as you'd like it to, leading to the need to spritz yourself throughout the day.

But who wants to be lugging around large bottles of perfumes in their shoulder bags?! In addition to adding to the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, it would be all too easy to accidentally drop the bag and smash said bottle of (frightfully) expensive perfume, and what a waste that would be!

This is where the amazing Travalo perfume atomiser comes in! This nifty little product is built in such a way that you can refill it directly from your existing bottles of perfume, it works with any bottle with a removable nozzle. All you have to do is pump the travalo up and down a few times, and it refills automatically! Each travalo holds approximately 50 sprays (gracious, think how long that would last, and the new range actually holds 65 sprays per bottle) and is even safe for carrying on board an airplane! It also has a handy little window to show you how much perfume is left. All of this makes it the ideal travel companion!

It comes in a variety of colours (pink, red, gold, black, jet black) and the new range comes in even more colours! The best part, is that the profits from every pink Travalo purchased in October from the manufacturers website will be donated to a breast cancer charity! Love a product with a social conscience!

All in all, it's a nifty little product and I absolutely love mine. I bought mine from BrandShopping, although I believe they are also on sale from Myer, David Jones, Adore Beauty and Perfume Connection stores nationwide.


Much love,
MM.
x

evolution of smoooooth

These adorable lip balms, named 'eos smooth spheres' have just been brought to my attention, but have been celeb favourites for quite a while.

                                       
There are 6 awesome flavours, and my favourites are 'summer fruit', 'honey suckle' and 'sweet mint'- which leaves your lips feeling slightly tingly, which is awesome :) The 'lemon drop' one is also great - smells refreshingly lemony and tastes great - but take note that it contains SPF 15, so try not to be horrified surprised (like I was) the first time you use it and its really grainy.. the graininess soon melts away to smoothness and sets the SPF into effect. The SPF factor means its great for festival days, beach days, and really any time when you plan on being outside in the sun!! :) 

                                 

         Good enough for Kellan Lutz and Mr Chuck Bass?! ummm... Yes please, I'll take all six!


I bought all six flavours at addicted2lipbalm for $36 including postage and 10% off as a first time buyer.. pretty good, eh? Great value and totally worth it!! :)


Plus these babies contain vitamin E, jojoba oil and shea butter, are gluten, paraben & petroleum free as well as phthalate free (whatever that is...) ha.
They're also 95% certified organic and not tested on animals - which is excellent news! 


Sooo... Has anyone else tried these?
            Do you love them as much as I do?
            Have you even heard of them?!?! 
            Well now you have... =D


-Kathy xx
                                      

The Rise of the Argans

As many of you are well aware, on any daily basis there is a new ‘beauty wonder product’ hitting the market.

Following closely in each arrival are a whole host of companies hoisting their wagon to the chain, and bringing out their own version of each wonder product.

I thought I’d take a little moment and investigate the latest hair wonder… the Argan Oil.

Not to be confused with a Gladiator (Argan would be a great name for an ancient gladiator don’t you think??) Argan oil is the little magic ingredient that makes your world famous Moroccan Oil brand  the fab product that we know it to be.

Who is this little beauty??

Mr Argan hails from the super exotic land of Morocco (aha! That’s where the name comes from).  He is a tough little guy (actually he’s a tree, not a super hot Gladiator style man god), can grow in the craziest dry conditions and provides not just lovely cosmetic qualities, but is supremely healthy  for cholesterol levels, anti-inflammatory properties, heart, digestion (you name it, he has it covered)

Did I mention he is super fabulous for your hair? (although I do believe that you knew this already if you’re a fan of Moroccan Oil products)

He works his gentle self into your hair, smoothing down the frizz, repairing split ends, and all the while making your hair stronger (sounds like a great dude to have around!)

If he couldn’t get even nicer, he is fantastic to apply to the skin as well –reducing scars and stretch marks, providing a super duper hit of moisture for dry skin, and giving a lovely glistening glow to your gorgeous limbs! Ahh bliss.

As the cheeky head honcho ingredient in the Moroccan Oil products, this brand has claimed a global cult following (mostly due to Russell Brand and his shiny locks I think).

If you haven’t tried and tested them yourself, now is a great time to check them out.

Most hairdressers (including Hairhouse Warehouse) will stock their range, and if you are a nifty online shopping princess you can check out Adore Beauty.

So if you love beauty as much as we do, tell us:

-Have you used the Moroccan brand before and what did you think?

-Have you tried Argan oil for your skin or food properties?

-Do you have a favourite hair warrior names as sexily as Mr Argan?

Welcome to Everyone Loves Beauty!

Dear readers, welcome to our brand new blog! Who are we, you ask?

Three beauty lovers who met on an online beauty forum, and decided to set up our very own blog, dedicated to our great love, sharing all things beauty related! As time passes, you'll get to know us a bit better and learn the things we are passionate about! These will include make up, nail polish swatches, and whatever else strikes our fancy! So pull up a chair, get comfy and do stay a while, won't you? :)

For now, let me introduce myself, I'm MadeUpMaiden and my passions are make up and nail polish! I love nothing better than wandering amongst beauty aisles checking out new make up, reading beauty blogs, shopping online for the best beauty buys, chatting with fellow beauty enthusiasts and experimenting with different make up techniques!

Well, that's probably all the introduction you need from me for now, so it's time to get to the good stuff, some photos of the manicure I'm currently wearing...I was a bit bored yesterday yesterday and decided to play around with a new nail polish I picked up the other day at Myer from the Chi Chi range. It's a cute taupe called 'High Heeled Housewife'! Isn't that a gorgeous name?

The colour is actually quite similar to OPI 'You don't know Jacques'. I then added a couple of nail decals to make things a bit more interesting. I only did the thumb, middle finger and pinky to make it a bit more work-friendly!

What do you think? If you're interested, Chi Chi Cosmetics can be found at Myer, Target and many other stores through Australia. At $5 a pop, it's a really affordable way to play around with different nail polish colours!

Feel free to leave us a comment, we love questions/comments/observations!

Much love,
MM.
x