Crazy like a Coconut - Comparing Skinbooster & Multitasker Coconut Oil

How to shop for the right quality Coconut Oil: I really love a no nonsense approach to skin care, having worked in the beauty industry for years I came past quite some seasonal miracle creams, most of which fail to deliver what they promise. Are you a bit of a beauty geek and always want to know that little bit more about skincare & skin health? Well I certainly fit into that category. Have you tried Coconut oil on your skin before? Chances are you have read about it already as it's a traditional and wonderfully effective remedy! I have lately experimented a little further on how to use it correctly and learned how important it is to get the best quality. How wonderful Coconut oil is for your skin was briefly mentioned before in my Get The Glow Series. In it's natural raw state it's full of enzymes and nutrients but it's also anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and anti fungal. It's great for all skin types and contains antioxidant s to protect your skin too. Some peole even swear by it as a deodorant. I like to remove waterproof eye-makeup with it, knowing that it conditions my lashes at the same time. Being great for sensitive skin and a 100% natural product it has quickly become a beauty favorite of women all over the world. Using the average coconut oil from the supermarket, unfortunately doesn't always cut it. Even buying organic doesn't insure that you get the right oil for your skin. Cheap refined or under heat produced oils can clog your pores or simply just sit on the skin without getting absorbed properly or even worse can be full of toxins and chemicals. You can go for the best coconut oil hunt online or at your health food store, or even buy one in fancy packing from some skincare brands like RMS, if you like a nice pot in your bathroom. As you my gorgeous readers are all based in different countries around the world I rather give you a shopping checklist than a recommendation for a certain brand, so you can find an equivalent product where ever you are! The quality of a product depends on how it's made.

Your Checklist:

~The best quality is made from only fresh, not dried coconuts! ~No refining, bleaching, or deodorizing chemicals! ~No heat!...should be involved in the process! ~Centrifuge based extraction is the information you are looking out for! ~Stay away from any inferior oil which also often sells in a health food stores! ~Make sure you use only the best, purest and freshest oil for your skin!

And now: Have fun experimenting!

3 Liv's & Plenty Of Lipstick

Behind the scenes - White Magazine shoot from Nicholas Sim on Vimeo.

I just discovered that White Magazine released the little makeing off video of our previous shoot "Sweet Moments". Can you spot the little sweet & cheeky flowergirl? Her name was Liv as well, so we had a lot of name confusion fun , as we had 3 Liv's on this shoot. Makeup Liv, aka me, Little Liv aka Flowergirl and big Liv, who was our gorgeous model for the day. Little Liv loved my lip glosses, and the only way we could make her collaborate was to constantly top up her lips with some sparkle... and a pink brush, obvsly. It really made my day to see this. Hope you enjoy too!

Credits: Location Mindaribba House Photography Ben Adams Hair Toni & Guy Makeup Liv Lundelius Florals Oh Fleur Models Olivia Bourillian, Amy Cooper, Olivia Henry Gown Lisa Brown

I love my job- thoughts on being a makeup artist

Have I lately told you how much I love my job?

Well, in case I haven't : I love my job a lot. And even more. Everything about it. And I am striving to keep learning and building on my skills. Being a make up artist, is such a rewarding job. Not two days are ever the same, I am constantly meeting new people and that inspires me. Connecting with people and creating something beautiful. I feel so grateful that I am able to do what I love. It's definitely one of those job's where you never stop learning, which is perfect for my curious self.

Fashion VS Weddings

I love every little bit about it. Making the decision to become a freelance makeup artist was one of the best I have ever made. As many of you know I do two different kinds of work, makeup for brides/private clients AND fashion/editorial work. The two are very different from each other and I truly love them both. Working weddings and being able to make the brides look their best is such a fabulous job, however also very challenging.

There is a common myth in the makeup artist world, coming from artists, that do weddings, although they don't enjoy them, doing it "just for the money" or as their "bread and butter", referring to their brides as if they would be the worst task on their to do list. Even to the point that some artist think that no good makeup artist would do weddings. I work for the love of it. Life is tooooooo short to do anything that you don't truly enjoy. I feel I am wasting my time if I spent it with things that I don't really care about, and I can only do a good job if I am enjoying and loving my work and bringing all passion and focus to it. And yes, I dearly love the fashion work as well, the creative, quirky side of my job, meeting new people, listening to vibes & trends and finding a way to mirror whats happening on the catwalks and on the street.

The Best Of Both Worlds So here is the truth: Many of the worlds best and most famous makeup artists are working on weddings! I love weddings full stop. I even used to design wedding dresses and am just totally in love with LOVE. A hopeless romantic that can't get enough of real love stories, it's the right environment for me. I have not worked on any tacky weddings or with any bridezillas ever. I have only ever worked with beautiful people inside and out. And I don't take on every client either, if I find they have a completely different style and philosophy about beauty, I do turn clients down from time to time too. Another thing that really surprises me is that fashion and weddings are still seen as too almost opposite industries by many. It's time to wake up and see the signs! There are so many fabulous fashion designers creating wedding dresses today, there are magazines like Vogue Brides who are highly editorial and so many wonderful online magazines like The Lane and countless blogs that show that fashion and weddings belong together! Recently Refinery 29 features regular wedding posts as well, and I think the trend is for fashion and weddings to go hand in hand. There is so much more room for creativity and opportunity to splurge on great design or simply loose yourself in your best ever DIY projects. Not that every wedding has to be a fashion spectacle nor an over the top event. But where else can you wear couture gowns, big head pieces or get a professional hair and makeup artist? I love the big and the small weddings, the simple and the extravagant ones.

And I find it's time for fashion&weddings to grow together! I will try and find a nice balance here on the blog in the future.

I am looking forward to all the coming years and where my career will take me. Thanks for taking the time to read through this LONG post! What do you love about your job?

Editorial For White Magazine

Just a little peek out of the wedding editorial for White Magazine . It was such a lovely team to work with and we had the best time putting these together. It such a wonderful honest magazine, that I always enjoy flicking through. So grab the current issue, which you can get online or Australia wide at the newsagent. There is also a feature of my must have makeup products in there!

And psssst.....we did another super exciting editorial for the next issue, which is coming out in August. I will keep you up to date.

Liv At The Lane

Do you know The Lane? If you somehow managed to miss THE most stylish and coolest website for wedding inspiration, check it out NOW. I have always really loved browsing through their dreamy and cool editorials and was over the moon when I got invited to join their Directory of hand picked strictly edited vendors. I am so so happy and grateful to be listed in this amazing directory. They also wrote up this little feature about me. Reading it really made my day. Read it here. And might actually celebrate a little tonight...