Hello May Real Wedding Special Launch

You know Hello May THE indie wedding magazine?
They bring out a Real Wedding Special annually, which is like a book just full of amazing, inspiring weddings. To celebrate the occasion and just because the Editor Sophie is all kinds of awesome, they invited a bunch of creative ladies to a leisurely lunch.
(it was the first time since falling pregnant that I had a drink and those Margaritas were rather delicious!)

Forever grateful for Dave, who looked after Faye in the meantime and for being surrounded by so many clever, inspiring successful, funny and beautiful women.

Thank you again for having me! I had the best time celebrating with all of you!

All the beautiful photos are by Lara Hotz Photography

Event - @hellomaymagazine
Photos - @larahotzphotography
Venue & Catering - @threeblueducks
Stationery - @ddletterpress
Styling - @peachey.pie
Flowers - @the_sisters

We received generous goodie bags with gifts by
@thebeachpeople
@damselfly_official
@blackpantry
@blacklistwedding

New Contouring Pallettes & Vegan Brushes

Yay, yay, hooray! Jane Iredale just released some sparkling, beautiful new vegan brushes.

They have the usual beautiful wooden handles and a touch of rose gold!
Pro-quality, extra soft & vegan! Love love love these.

They also just released some new contouring kits. And they are the bomb. I am thrilled that they are actually usable and also contain a blush colour.
If you know me and my work at all that you know that I have a "natural" style and nothing makes me cringe more than OTT contour looks.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the skill that goes into Drag Queen Makeup a la Kardashian...it's just not my style.
These contour kids can actually be used and can create subtle wearable contouring.
As a pro-makeup artist, I also need tools like this for editorial & creative looks.

The kit consists of 3 pressed colours: Highlight, Contour and Blush. All are matte and have a very blendable! The contour brush that has been developed to be used with this is awesome!
It makes placement and blending very easy. I actually highly recommend getting one of these.
While I think that you can live without foundation brush and many others, this one is quite essential.
I used it for all 3 colours, starting with the highlight, then blush and then contour before cleaning it and it worked a treat.

The contour kit comes in colours "warm" and "cool" .
I used the "cool" set which is vegan. (yay!)
The cool has a more pinky blush in it, as opposed to the slightly more peachey one in the warm selection. The contour colour in the "cool" set is my favourite. I prefer a contour not to be too warm. The highlights are both subtle, so the cool tone is still pretty and not too frosty or icey at all.

(The "warm" set contains carmine pigment, which is insect-derived and not vegan.
The colour differences are very subtle, so I feel that most people can get away with using the cool kit.)

All up: I am beyond impressed with this palette! It's very usable, great quality and a dream to blend. The new contour brush is a must-have in any brush collection. All new vegan brushes are great quality and very pretty!
 

News From Ere Perez

I have recently featured Ere Perez quite regularly over here and there is a good reason.

Ere has reformulated, added, repackaged...and overall just improved their amazing selection of toxin-free beauty products. Where I was previously only a fan of the Mascara, I have now included various products in my pro-kit.

If you haven't already check them out.

SKINCARE BY ERE PEREZ

Ere has recently added a skin care line.
Including an oil, with a wonderful woodsy/unisex aroma and lovely ingredients. It works well under makeup or mixed with it, but it's also a favourite with the Mr. to keep his beard smooth and hydrated :)

My fave is the new Papaya SOS Marmalade. A real multitasking product and an amazing alternative to regular Paw Paw Balm. It's a real Mum&Bub product, so no wonder I am in love.
I have been putting it on all the little boo-boo's over here, as well as on my cuticles.
It will make a great addition to anyone's makeup bag/handbag or pro-kit!

There is a lightweight cranberry lip & eye butter, more like buttercream :), which I love for prepping lips. (if you need extra care try the Papaya SOS Marmelade)
Most lip balms will have to be wiped or blotted off before applying lipstick, but this one just sinks into the skin and fully absorbs. Genius. It's more designed as a cream to target the area around the mouth where little lines tend to show up with age. That's why it's a great eye treatment too.

There is a serum, that looks like my morning smoothie: Green! And no wonder it's packed with Spinach leaf and healthy plant goodness. It's an anti-oxidant serum for all skin-types, for day&night.

Last but not least there is a refreshing Herbal Face Tonic, great for setting makeup, refreshing on hot Summer days or as part of your skincare routine.
 

MAKEUP ADDITIONS & UPDATES

The new eye-pallettes are wonderful, see them in my video here.
More about the nail-polishes here.
The bronzer also got a new and much sturdier packaging and last but not least they reformulated their foundations.

I am most excited about this as I love the brand but the foundations haven't really impressed me previously. I little too dry and tricky to blend. While made from beautiful ingredients they have lacked the pro-quality.

NEW OATMILK FOUNDATION
Not any longer, the practical, simplistic & stunning packaging is a squeeze tube, easy to use and super lightweight to carry. Hooray! It's a dream come true for the most sensitive skins.
No fragrance or scent whatsoever and with soothing oat milk, known for it's calming properties and to heal eczema and troubled skin.
The formula is best suited for normal to oily skin, or during summer in my opinion.
It still creates a beautiful subtle glow and applies well with fingers or buffing brush.
It's a medium to full coverage that wears very well throughout the day.
I easily found a great match to my skin tone, and like the range of colours they chose.
It's a smaller range of 6 so the skin tones on the very lightest or darkest might not find the perfect match. However, there are 2 options for fair, 2 options for medium and 2 options for deeper skin, which is a great starting point.
Thumbs up!

ALL PRODUCTS ARE VEGAN & CRUELTY-FREE
 

We Have A Winner!

You know I only recommend the best of the best in natural beauty to you, don't you?
I have got proof:
MAX&ME Sweet Serenity Mask&Wash just won Best In Show at the Indie Beauty Expo USA.

I was showing you how to use it and reviewed it in my home facial video here and kept mentioning it in different posts. Now you know why!
It's a winner. Just saying!

Polished & Nude

I selected my favourite nail colours for you!
All of them are vegan, toxin-free (-ish) and made by local awesome brands.

I love toxin-free nail polish and Sienna Byron Bay's colour selection has been a long favourite.
My colour for this Summer has been "MUSE" it seems to really suit my skin and is so pretty on toes. I really love the longevity & quality of these and also wore them on my wedding day.

I am a sucker for a good nude, especially in my pro-kit it's what I mainly use and I love a nice nude nail for myself as well, it's low maintenance and just chic. The newest kids on the block are the nail polishes by Ere Perez.
Ere Perez "Ballet" & "Soul" are just perfect. They also strengthen the nail. They have promising bright colours too, which I haven't tried yet, but I am smitten with the nudes for now and they are the latest addition to my kit.

Another really great Australian brand with a really cool selection of colours is Kester Black.
I have owned really quirky & stunning shades in the past and have always been happy with them.

If you get your nails done at a salon, look for a toxin-free & cruelty-free one, or simply bring your own products with you.