The Ultimate Bridal Beauty Prep Series: Coming Soon!

As you might know, Liv&Dave are getting married! Yes, that's us! It's been a lot of fun working out the wedding details, and also just enjoying this special time. The wedding planning is in full swing and while I am swamped with work I am set on the idea to write and share a personal bridal beauty guide for you, giving pro advice from my experience as bridal beauty expert (which I have been lately called a lot) as well as my personal experience in how I prepare my body & mind for the big day. Wish me luck ;)

I am personally quite low maintenance, which you might not expect from a makeup artist and beauty blogger, but don't forget that in the end of the day we all only have 24 in a day and I am working long irregular hours, so I prefer to keep my own routine as simple as possible. Yet I do want my skin and hair to look their best and also be in an overall good shape for our wedding, like any other bride.

I am working on a series of posts about tips & tricks, favourite products and techniques, as well as holistic beauty approaches. Expect regular updates, blog-posts and Instagram posts on these topics! I am happy to hear from you about any comments and questions that you might have and would love this to become a dialogue, if you are up for it! Otherwise just read & learn, I hope you enjoy. And quite obviously this is not just for brides to be, but all Ladies that want to up their beauty game.

To start off here are my Top Five Tips For Glowing Wedding Makeup:

1. Good skin care and skin prep are key, it's best to start a good regime months before your wedding day: Regular exfoliation, a gentle good quality cleanser and a nourishing & balancing moisturiser are a must.

2. Less is more, only use foundation and concealer where needed, be selective and keep it fresh and natural.

3. Secret technique for extra glow: Massage your face with your hands to enhance circulation and radiance and stimulate lymph flow prior to makeup application.

4. Apply a liquid highlighter onto your cheek bones prior to your foundation.

5. Use a soft buffing brush for the perfect invisible makeup application to work a small amount of foundation into the skin. Photo credit: Photography: Lara Hotz Photography Stylist: Stefanie Ingram Floral Styling: Jardine Botanic Floral Styling Hair and Make up: Liv Lundelius Makeup Artist Model: The Agency Models

Haute Boheme - New Collection by Moira Hughes

While it was storming we braved the crazy weather and went ahead with the campaign shoot for Moira Hughes Bridal Couture. Moira is a little bit awesome and is the designer I choose to work with for my very own wedding dress. It was so much fun doing the bespoke design together and I could not believe how good her fabrics feel on the skin. I actually can't wait to wear my dress on the day. As a former designer myself I was blown away by the technique and quality of fabrics, it truly doesn't get any better than this. But own planning aside she just came up with this lovely collection of dresses and her campaign was just released a few days ago. I love the feel. I know that due to the lighting and editing of these moody images you can't see much of the makeup that I have created, but I still love the images a lot. It's about the dresses after all, not about the beauty. Creating makeup for a campaign and working closely with the designers is a very special part of my work that I love so much. We worked with a great team of creatives on this photo shoot and I can't wait for the next collection. Photos by Jason Ierace Makeup by Liv Lundelius Hair The Bridal Hair Co

Australian For Beauty- new botanical beauty products

Today was a simply perfect day! After a Yoga session at home, I started my work day with a beautiful breakfast beauty launch held at Chiswick at the Gallery. A fantastic new restaurant within the Art Gallery Of NSW. The occasion was a interesting product launch of Red Earth and Coast To Coast. Red Earth is relaunch of an Australian makeup & skincare line, while Coast to Coast includes a bath&body range as well as skincare. Both are inspired by natural ingredients. The presentation and packaging of the products appears premium in many ways and is minimal and chic. While NOT being certified organic the ranges are not tested on animals and contain a high percentage of active natural and organic ingredients and no artificial colours or fragrances. It's certainly not an all natural line, if you are an eco-beauty fan seeking 100% purity and toxin free products these lines are not for you. There are still plenty of ingredients in this line which are potentially harmful and that I would personally avoid. If you are after affordable, effective skincare with lovely smells & textures you should give these a try. The founders believe that good skincare does not have to be expensive, and therefore both ranges sell at a very affordable price point. The focus is on very active botanicals many of which are sourced in Australia to create potent skin care and makeup products that deliverresults.

Coast to Coast formulations include a host of exceptional native Australian ingredients. Take Kakadu Plum; native to the northern tip of Australia, it provides the skin with six times the vitamin C of an Orange. Tasmanian Sea Kelp, from Bass Strait, is a rich source of vitamins A, B, C & E, & contains nourishing minerals & amino acids. Wild Rosella, Desert Quandong & Sea Parsley also add to the range of scientifically proven actives chosen based on their merit, rather than aesthetic to visibly replenish & nourish the skin.

While I love the presentation of the brand I am afraid that the mentioning of natural ingredients might mislead consumers to think this is a toxin free line that is certified organic. Therefore I have to make this clear: Read labels and don't get fooled by Greenwashing.

Rise Editiorial Makeup & Hair for Zephyr Magazine

A little while ago I teamed up with fashion photographer Levon Baird and stylist Susannah Best for an ethereal fashion Editorial that just got published in the current issue of Zephyr Magazine.

I hope to work with these creative people again sometime.

Top 5 Summer Skin Favourites

As the hot days are in full swing and we have a few more weeks of Summer left over here in Australia, although, I am pretty optimistic. Officially Summer will end this week. I am sure the warm weather will continue for a while though, and of course in Europe and many parts of the world, you will be just preparing yourself for the warm season. I wanted to share this seasons favourite products with you:

1. After a beach day or day where I have been working on fashion editorial makeup outdoors on location in the sun, nothing repairs and soothes my skin like Zk'in Hydrating mist, I have even used it on light sunburns on the body. It feels amazing, cools the skin and targets UV-damage, it makes my skin glow instantly.

2. Malin & Goetz Eucalyptus Deodarant, my better half Dave actually got me on to this one, a true unisex product and I am impressed it works throughout the humid days, without Aluminium, which I have been trying to avoid.

3. La Mav Organic BB Creme, yes I have mentioned this one before. See here for a full review. It's just been my go-to everyday product.

5. Zk'in Rebalancing Lotion with it's Matte Effect Active a true saviour on hot days underneath my makeup. Still hydrating enough to keep my skin supple, it feels light and balancing. (P.S: If this was a top 6 I would totally nominate the Z'kin Brightening & Hydrating Mask an all-rounder mask, that works wonders. It looks like chocolate and smells like licorice!)