The Darnell Collection at Unique France

Last Friday I was lucky enough to attend a cocktail function at Unique France where they were show casing a selection of dresses from the Darnell Collection. The Darnell Collection is Australia's largest private collection of vintage clothing, curated by Charlotte Smith. Charlotte inherited the dresses from her American godmother and gave a short speech on the night about the history of the collection. It was a really enjoyable night in which we were able to browse the vintage couture gowns with a glass of French wine in hand and beautiful antique surrounds.

 

I wore a red lace Alannah Hill dress with a matching Alannah Hill belt, sheer black stockings and black velvet heels (scored at Myer for a bargain $8 a while ago! So pleased with that find haha). 

I left my hair down and just put a few soft waves in the front with my straightener and hairsprayed them in place. My make up was definitely inspired by Lisa Eldridge - I used her concealing method, plus wore a red lip that didn't wear off the whole night (even after drinking champagne and eating yummy canapes from Lady Lamington!) because of Lisa's amazing lipstick applying technique!

Face Of The Night: Chanel Matte Lumiere Foundation - Clair, MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer, Clinique Colour Surge Eyeshadow in Bewitched (to fill in eyebrows and on eyelids), Urban Decay Primer Potion, Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Personnel Multi-finish Lipstick in number 14, Nars 'Bloodwork' lipgloss, Cover Girl Lengthening Lash Blast mascara, MAC Studio Fix Powder N4, Bobbi Brown Bronzer in Medium, Revlon Skinlights, Nars Albatross.

Just a couple of happy snaps from the night!

My Foundations

1. Make Up Forever High Definition Foundation (#118 Flesh)
2. Chanel Pro Lumiere (#20 Clair - Cameo)
3. MAC Studio Fix Fluid (NC20)
4. MAC Studio Sculpt (NC25)
5. Estee Lauder Double Wear Light (Intensity 1.0)

I always have a couple of foundations on the go. My skin type is combination and I am prone to break outs, so most of my foundations are medium to full coverage.

I use MAC Studio Fix on a daily basis atm because it's full coverage and long wearing. I want my foundation to still look good at the end of the day and I feel as though Studio Fix does this. I like Estee Lauder Double Wear Light for every day wear for this reason too.

I would love to be able to use Make Up Forever HD every day because it has the niiiiicest finish, but because you can't find it in Australia, I'm trying to save this bottle I got in France for as long as I can! As the name suggests this make up was made for High Definition technology, so it looks great even in front of a high def camera. A great foundation if you're having important photos taken eg. wedding day.

I was so excited about my Make Up Forever HD Foundation purchase, I had to document it!

Chanel Pro Lumiere gives medium to full coverage. The bottle says it's a semi-matte finish, and I'd agree. It can get a bit too 'dewy' for my liking after a couple of hours, especially if the weather is humid.

MAC Studio Sculpt is my winter foundation. It's too moisturising for me to use during summer, but is perfect for winter. To get a flawless finish, I recommend using a natural bristle brush to buff it into the skin.

The Return of Glitter

Usually I'm not a massive fan of sparkle in my make-up... it makes me think of 80's pearlised pink lipstick, Boy George and glitter gel smudged on temples at Blue Light discos, but I have been noticing (and loving) the return of glitter make-up.

My change of heart towards glitter started with make-up artist, Lisa Eldridge, and her inspired use of glitter from the December 2010 issue of UK Glamour Magazine. I'd never seen loose glitter used on the lip before, especially in such a sophisticated and wearable way.

Brands such as Make-up Forever, Illamasqua and M.A.C have the most gorgeous loose glitters in their current lines and collections. They're in sexy and sophisticated colours and alot are finely-milled (not chunky like craft store stuff).

To achieve the perfect glitter lip start with a bold base of lip liner and lipstick (Eldridge used a berry base in one look and a hot pink in another), put a light amount of lipgloss over the top (either clear or in a complimentary colour) and then pat on your glitter of choice. You can stick to one glitter or try different shades to add some extra dimension eg. lighter colour at the cupid's bow.

Remember if you're going to try this look, keep the rest of the face glitter-free - you want to be the belle of the ball, not the disco ball.

Whilst it's not a look for the office, a glitter lip would be a super-chic look for any cocktail or night-time function (just remember to sip your martini through a straw!)

Glitter eyeliner is also making a big come back with Illamasqua, Urban Decay and M.A.C have all featuring them in recent collections or in their current line. Glitter eyeliner packed with glitter provides the biggest 'wow' factor, rather than those comprised of mostly gel.

Glitter eyeliner can be used along the lash line, as you would a normal liquid liner, or for something a little more edgy, try a graphic shape along the socket line.

The same rule applies to glitter eyeliner as it did to the glitter lip - keep the rest of your face glitter-free and you'll be sitting pretty!

Urban Decay glitter eyeliners.

To Splurge or Save???

This is a list of the the product I deem necessary to spend extra dollars on, and also a list on when to save them. I don't believe you need to spend heaps of money on all your products, so let's have a little looksie at what I splurge and save on:

Things I Spend Money On:

Blush - I hate, HATE, hate cheap, un-pigmented, talcy blushers that send a dusty cloud of product into the air at the tap of a brush. Cheap blush wrecks flawless foundation by having to pack on a thick chalky layer just to get some colour pay-off. I'm Nars all the way baby! I recently lost my beloved Nars 'Orgasm' blush on a roadtrip to Amsterdam, and you can be sure the first shop I hit up upon my return was Sephora to pick up more of this cult classic. Sure it's pricey, but it lasts forever! I used that blush at least 3 times a week for the past 2 years and I'd only just hit pan.

Nars blush = pigmented perfection.

Eyeshadows - For the same reason as blush. The better quality and more pigmented the product, the less you have to put on, and also, the longer it lasts. Fair enough if you want to buy an acid green shadow from a cheap brand because you're only going to use it once, but for frequently used shadows quality is key. MAC, Clinique, Nars and Revlon are some of my favourites - highly pigmented, last all day and blend like a dream!

Worth every cent!

Foundation - Well, this is semi-true. I do indeed indulge in high-end foundations such as Chanel, Estee Lauder, MAC and Make-up Forever, however I also dabble in more budget-friendly brands such as Revlon (Colourstay is a staple in my make-up bag) and Natio.

Bottled magic!

Bronzer - in my opinion, there is nothing worse than a bad bronzer. If it's too orangey, chalky, muddy or shimmery it belongs in the bin. I've sworn by Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder for many years now. It's natural-looking, comes in different shades, is not at all orangey, has no shimmer and blends beautifully. It even has a handy mirror in the compact!

My old faithful.

Fake Tan - If you get your fake tan wrong, it's really noticeable and looks infinitely tacky. Thus why I rely on St Tropez, the tanning masters. Their tanning foam applies easily, never looks patchy, and most importantly never looks orange!

Not hot.

Moisturiser - This is particularly important if you have dry, damaged or mature skin. Using a quality moisturiser will do wonders for your skin and prevent you looking like a dried-up prune. I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Arden.

Refreshing gel-cream moisturiser.

Things I don't spend money on:

Shower gel/bath products - I'm really not fussy. As long as it cleans me thoroughly and doesn't have an overly offensive smell, it's welcome to rub-a-dub in my tub!

Haircuts - This is a personal one as it is very dependant on your hair-type and hair-cut. I, however, have long hair, all one lenth, with a little shaping around the face. It takes 10 minutes for me to get a trim every month or so and costs me about $20 at my local budget hairdresser. As I don't dye it or need anything special done to it, I have come to the conclusion that I don't need Oscar Oscar to lop my locks.

Mascara - I used to only buy Lauder and Clinique mascaras until I tried some cheaper ones and found them to be just as good. Snaps to Covergirl Lashblast which is now a staple in my make-up bag (beware the waterproof version though!) Also take into consideration that you shouldn't keep your mascaras for more than 3 months, so if you won't use them up in that time, you're literally throwing away your cash!

Nail polish - Rimmel and Revlon do me just fine. They have a great range of colours, apply easily, last pretty well and I can pick them up at Priceline for under $15. I'm not ashamed to admit that I often peruse the shelves of Groove to find them at cheaper prices as well!

Brush cleaner - I once bought a bottle of $35 Clinique brush cleaner. I then found out a $5 bottle of baby shampoo does the same thing. Yay for saving $30!