My holygrail hair tools

Working in the fashion and beauty industry I am always on the lookout for the best and latest as additions to my professional makeup- and hair kit. My hair tools need to be fast, reliable and easy to pack, reduce damage on my clients and models hair and super easy to use. I am excited to let you know I found the one!

I usually really like to mix and match when it comes to cosmetics and hair styling products, and I carry a variety of different brand hair tools. The latest luxury addition to my kit are H2Dhair styling tools. I think I will not look back anytime soon. Designed with the professional in mind these beauties come with dual voltage use, for us busy international artists, professional length swivel cords, and sleek professional design. It was love at first sight! Opening the boxes of my new babies was already a great experience. You know, some brands just get it right, the whole packaging experience. During the first use I was super impressed how fast these tools would heat up, they are ready to use almost instantly (20sec), and also the professional very high temperatures, which will ensure the hair takes to the styling properly and that the look will last and last and last and... you get the idea! Let me tell you a bit more about the actual products I have:

Linear II Professional One Pass Iron in glossy black.

This is a straightening iron/styler which can be used to curl the hair as well. It's amazing! Heats up to 230C within 20 seconds. The flexible high quality floating plates are coated with ceramic and infused with tourmaline, which makes the hair smoother, silkier and static free. It uses Far Infrared Technology and Ionic Technology which is the latest and most advanced thing in hair styling. Although I always love the look of matte black tools, I have to admit that they are hard to keep clean. They get a lot of product build up over time, while the glossy tools are so much easier to wipe down.

IR professional hair dryer in black Another hit in the range! It's everything I could want from a hair dryer, fast, gentle with state-of-the-art technology; The Ionic Generator which seal cuticles, infuse moisture, eliminate frizz and provides a silky feel. The Infrared heaters allow to cut the drying time dramatically. It has 4 Speed and heat settings and a cold shot button. If you are in the market for a new hair dryer get one of the few in world that use both, true ionic and infrared technology, you can thank me later, your hair will thank you straight away. You're welcome!

H2D X5 Professional Curling Wand And now the most amazing tool of all: This is the ultimate essential tool for all session stylists. You get one curling wand with five interchangeable barrels, for all shapes and sizes of curls that you could ever want. Do you remember the revolutionary technology of the other H2D tools, I was talking about? Yes you guessed right. This is the first true ceramic and tourmaline infused curling wand, using Far infrared technology and ion field technology seals in natural oils for great conditioning. It comes with a heat protection glove which I recommend using, as Even more: Micro-porous technology looks in moisture to avoid split ends. To sum it up: It's very gentle on the hair, super duper fast, and your hair will be shiny beyond belief.

And now, excuse me, please. I have to go and play with my new toys.

The latest in natural high performance zk'in care

I have a new favourite skin care line! You can get very excited if you have been looking for an high performance skincare range, that delivers proven results and is yet absolutely safe, certified organic to the highest international standard and has an incredible honest marketing approach. It's called Zk'in (pronounced simply "skin")

A effective line of 12 products, offers enough selection for different skin concerns and ages. I have been using the line for a couple of weeks now and was initially planning on writing about my favorite products. This quickly become impossible as every single product was such a pleasure to use and just kept all the promises it made on the box. Seriously, this is something I hadn't experienced with other skincare.

I was lucky enough to meet the very inspiring founder of the line, Grace Culhaci in person and I was blown away; by her knowledge, her passion about the brand but most of all her honesty. There are so many unique facts about this line, I don't even know where to start...

If you are not obsessed with beauty and skincare, I recommend to just head out and start using the line, you won't regret it and I won't want to bore you with all the details. All you need to know is: It's working, it's clean and it's honest. All products feel and smell amazing too, some have natural coffee and cacoa extracts and excel gourmet aromas, while the line overall has very neutral smells that aren't overpowering. All textures are very fast absorbing, leaving a clean, hydrating and fresh feel to the skin. Wonderful!

In case you are more like me, VERY interested in beauty, please read on and be impressed by the details about this wonderful skin care products:

The products are created to the highest sustainability standards. While the package is well designed, looking all pretty and simple, its' also completely recyclable. It's also food grade packaging, ensuring no toxins will be able to get into your gorgeous skincare through the use of toxic plastics (think BPA) Zk'in products are not tested on animals and are vegan, CRUELTY FREE PRODUCTS. This is very important to me personally as I am a lifelong vegetarian and ANIMAL LOVER.

What impressed me as makeup artist was that Zk'in campaign images are stunning without the use of unrealistic photo-shopping, the model is shown as she really looks, with beautiful fine lines and natural flaws. Showing real beauty and realistic images of women is another idea I love and would personally like to see more of. Extra brownie points earned here. The line feels overall very well developed it seems that extensive research has been done to ensure that each product is absolutely safe to use and suitable for genuinely sensitive skin. Often I hear people say that that they have sensitive skin and therefore stay clear of organic products, as they won't usually react to conventional chemically loaded skincare, the reason might be that a lot of the smaller organic ranges don't invest in research, allergy testing and sensitive skin suitability to the extend that the big name brands too, which I always thought is a real shame.

When I do pick products to be used in my professional makeup kit the main criteria is always the sensitive skin tolerance, as I don't want to carry products that a high percentage of people will react too. The Zk'in line is definitely suitable for professional use in a makeup kit in my personal opinion. The hygienic pump packaging is another real plus and the most of the products are travel friendly.

Personal miracle experience: I have lately developed a rash on my fingers, some form of eczema due to the frequent hand washing and sanitizing required in my work as professional makeup artist. My sensitive skin suffered and started to look terrible. With the help of the Soothing Hand Cream by Zk'in and the relief moisturizer my skin has gone back to normal within a week and healed completely! No need for any medication or cortisone treatment! If you have problematic skin that is dry, sensitive or even flaking, try this cream! I will from time to time introduce a single product of the line and will review single products. As the line is too amazing to tell you all about it in one short blog post. Oh and by the way, it's affordable too. Moisturizers are about AUD $45.00, cleansers under AUD $30.00, so this won't break your bank either and is worth every penny.

Summary: Incredible high performance skin care line that is suitable for sensitive skin and 100% ethical and organic! Suitable products for all skin concerns are included in the line, from anti-ageing to acne or dry skin, the range covers it all!

Copycat

Did you ever have anyone in your life that seemed to copy everything you did? We all know one or two of those I bet, and it's important to see it as a compliment.

Inspired by all the copycats out there my recent fashion Editorial for Tantalum Magazine has just been published. I hope you enjoy! ;)

For more of my published work see my makeup artist portfolio here. Credits of the fab Team:

Levon Baird (Photographer): Website: http://www.levonbaird.com/ Instagram: @levonbaird

Blake Sutherland (Stylist): Website: http://www.blakesutherland.com/ Instagram: @blakeislively

Liv Lundelius (Hair and Makeup): Website: http://makeup.livlundelius.com/ Instagram: @liv_lundelius Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LivLundeliusMakeup

Eugen Tim (Model): Agency Website: http://www.viviensmodels.com.au Agency Instagram: @viviensmodelmgmt Personal Instagram: @eugenzeugen

Charli Hayes (Model): Agency Website: http://www.viviensmodels.com.au Agency Instagram: @viviensmodelmgmt Personal Instagram: @charlihayes

Kiaya Daniels (Designer): Website: http://www.kiayadaniels.com/ Instagram:@kiayadaniels

Tantalum Magazine (Publication): Instagram: @tantalummag

Giveaway: Say thank you in style with pen and paper

The last week was just the best week ever. All my clients and brides were bombarding me with sweet thank you letters, cards and emails, the sun was shining all week and we got back into a great fitness routine to keep healthy and balanced when at the end of the week my wonderful man proposed to me. Read the whole story here. But back to the topic, receiving that handwritten card in the post, totally made my day! It's such a sweet thing to do.

I just realized what a great gesture it is to say thank you in style and write a personal thank you note. In the digital age it truly makes all difference.

Inspired by my wonderful clients, I took pen and paper and wrote my Grandma a lovely card. And stocked up my desk with quite a few cute designs, so I am prepared to write more.

Really there is nothing like a handwritten note. If you really want to thank someone, go and get a card now. To make it really easy for you I am hosting a little giveaway from the lovely 3D Cards! They are very well made pretty little cards in lovely designs.

GIVEAWAY: Prize: A lovely package with a selection of beautifully designed pop up cards by 3D Cards will be sent to the lucky winner! To Enter: Simply comment below before the 30th of October 2014, telling me who you want to thank, or what you are grateful for today. The winner will be chosen at random on the 30th of October 2014, and announced here on the blog. Good Luck!

Artifact Editorial for Elegant Magazine

Photo by Levon Baird Hair & Makeup by Liv Lundelius, Styling by Elise Tansley

Recently I had the chance to work with an especially inspiring model for an fashion editorial shoot. It just got published in Elegant Magazine, so I can finally share the images. Have a look at my professional makeup artist website here. I love the rich jewel tones, so autumn/winter! So I better share this before spring arrives ; )