September - StrangeLove Product Post

This month's StrangeLove Product Post is...

Bosisto's Lavender Spray

The gorgeous girls at FGB (owners of Bosisto's) have been in touch with the Princess this month - educating me in all things Lavender and bringing my beautiful bloggers the benefits!

So what have I learnt this week? LOTS!

Lavender is a pure and natural essence that is perfect for Bosisto's Spray, which contains no harsh chemicals - making it perfect for even the most sensitive of users!

Imagine an all in one spray that calms nerves, relieves stress, helps fight insomnia and mild anxiety, acts as an antiseptic and can even be used in your stilettos before a big night out or the gym bag to alleviate not so lady like odours!!! Sounds to good to be true right?

Well Bosisto's Lavender Spray does all that and much much more! Being the highly strung little princess that I am, I just LOVED using this beautiful spray around the bedroom to help me sleep at night - Prince Charming also commented on sleeping better with the floral scent in our boudoir! I sprayed my pillows, mattress and all around the room! And in case you were wondering...NO I didn't think it was over-powering at all - very delicate and pretty!

But given my love for cosmetics, and this being a beauty blog...let's delve a little deeper to see how Bosisto's can be incorporated into your makeup bag!

Lavender is a great natural skin tonic, meaning it works wonders to heal blemished skin, minimising redness and removing impurities that lie deep within your skins pores. So, you can expect a healthy glowing complexion. Lavender also prevents dandruff, and gives hair a lustrous shine.

Still not convinced? I tried using my spray as a cleaner for my makeup brushes and was seriously impressed at how well it lifted the oil that gets into the bristles and left the brushes smelling beautiful! I even plan to give all my brushes a spray before all my bridal clients ;) What was that about calming anxiety??? Hehe! But seriously, imagine that each morning with your own makeup brushes!? What a great way to start your morning!

So how can you get your hands on the wonders of Bosisto's Lavender Spray??? It is stocked at Coles supermarkets and most pharmacies! So no excuses for not getting your hands on some...and for a wee $12.95 (for 100ml) you'll be spraying to your hearts content for AGES!!!!

But why stop there? As I mentioned the gals are FGB are totally gorgeous and have a delicious prize pack to give away to one lucky blogger!

What you can win:

An OH! so pretty fluffy face towel, a lavender puff & lavender soap!
The girls will also include an info booklet on all things Lavender
so you can get the most out of your goodies!

How to get your hands on the prize:

Simply send an email to the beautiful Polly at FGB; PRoderick@fgb.com.au
and mention the secret code word: PRINCESS CHERRY PIE
Along with your name and contact details and you'll be in it to win it!

Finally...this month's StrangeLove rating for Bosisto's Lavender Spray is...
20% Strange (Gotta love the retro packaging - I hope it never changes!) and 80% Lovely (Anything that helps me get my beauty sleep is DELIGHTFUL!)

Stay beautiful!

XOX

Princess Cherry Pie

August - StrangeLove Product Post

This month's StrangeLove Product Post is...

Benefit 'Brow zings'

Now all you gorgeous followers may remember that a couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to experience the amazing Benefit Brow bar treatment (and might I say the brows are STILL going strong and I'm getting so many compliments - LOVE THAT!)...well post-brow bar I have been maintaining my little beauties with my Brow zing kit!

What is a Brow zing kit you may ask? Well let me fill you in...

So we all know that after you've had your eyebrows done there is the inevitable stray hair that likes to grow back and ruin the party, and the tint tents to fade; and the brows you walked out with aren't quite the same a week or so later. Well the talented team at Benefit have designed the Brow zing as a compact, take anywhere, 3 shades to suit any complexion, kit so that you continue to get the most out of your beautiful brows!

Inside the Brow zing you find, a cream/wax based product (looks a little like a gel eyeliner), a pressed powder (both of which come in the shade of your choice - light, medium or dark), a mini angle brush to apply the waxy product, a mini flat brush to apply the pressed powder, a pair of super sharp mini tweezers AND a lesson on how to use everything!!!! AMAZING!!!!

To give you a bit of an idea of how the kit works...

1. You start by applying the waxy product to the brows - this helps hold the hairs in place so you don't get a random one sticking up here there and everywhere and also adds a bit of colour. If you require any correcting to your brows such as extending the line on the outer edge you can do this as well.

2. Following the 'blueprint' you've created with product number one, you can press some of the powder over the brow area. This will add colour and fullness to the brow and set everything in place (much like we add a powder over concealer and liquid foundations).

3. If there are any scallywag hairs that need a tweeze you can do so gently - don't go crazy though, just the one that are REALLY out of place! The others will be fixed at your next Brow bar appointment!

And there you have it! SO QUICK AND EASY!

Now you may be wondering..."Princess, is it really necessary to dedicate so much of the morning's preparations to eyebrows???!!!". My answer is YES! You can see for yourself the difference the Benefit Brow bar experience made for my brows a few weeks ago, so why wouldn't you want to maintain that? People do under estimate how important eyebrows are to shaping the face and framing the rest of your make up! And really, what's an extra few minutes to have that???

So now for the StrangeLove rating....

I would say that Benefit Brow zings are: 50% Strange and 50% Lovely! It's an even split - and totally worth it!

Stay beautiful,

XOX

Princess Cherry Pie

Glamtastic Tutorial #5 - Hiding Dark Circles

'New Mama' contacted me earlier this month with a major makeup concern...

Dear Princess,

I have recently just had my first baby, and whilst I'm enjoying everything that motherhood has to offer, the sleepless nights are proving the be a problem - I have the darkest circles under my eyes and no matter what I do, I can't seem to cover them!

Please help! New Mama x

Well Mama, I'm more than happy to help...

Whilst I cannot sympathise with your exact situation, dark circles under the eyes is something the majority of women experience - be it caused by new bubs, a stressful job or bad night's sleep - on some level we've all got them!

One of the most crucial and easiest ways to prevent the development of darkness under the eyes or to minimise the impact is to use a daily SPF sunscreen on your face and around your eye area! You'd be amazed at how much change to the pigment of your skin sun damage causes -especially around the eyes as the skin is so fine and highly sensitive! (And you thought it was just crow's feet you had to worry about!)

However, if you've got darkness under your eyes, the best way to combat it is concealer, concealer, concealer!!!

If the darkness around the eye area is more purple based, be sure to use a yellow or amber based concealer. Whereas, if the darkness is more blue based, you will need to select a concealer that is more orange in appearance. The colour will depend purely on your skin tone and consistency! Everyone is different.

Many concealer products in the market come in multiple colours, which allow you to mix the concealer to the perfect shade - do this simply by using the back of your hand as a palette and a concealer brush to mix the shades and then apply to the area on your face.

Now when applying your concealer - please abide by the 'less is more' moto - I promise you can always add more if necessary! But thickly applied concealer will settle into the fine lines around the eye, making you look older and much more tired than you may well be!

I prefer to brush off the excess product on my palette hand and then lightly stipple the product under my eyes. I then like to use (clean) fingers to warm the product and blend it into the eye area. As previously mentioned you can always add more.

Be sure to seal with a translucent or pressed powder to set and mattify everything - and add any minor coats of concealer over the top if you are still getting some darkness (finishing with powder again).

You will also find that you use far less product if you apply your foundation before your concealer! You'd be amazed at how much coverage you get from even the most minimal foundations, and that way you are only covering what is needed!

So new mama, until new bubba is sleeping through the night, this is what you need to do. Find a few moments each morning to disguise the darkness - Fake it till you make it! But I'm sure your bundle of joy is worth every moment (especially now that there's a solution to the dark circle problem!).

Sweet dreams, and stay beautiful!

XOX

Princess Cherry Pie

The prizes keep coming...

Okay bloggers! Just when you thought the giveaways were all done and dusted, I'm thrilled to say that there is another one for all you Brides-to-be and Maids of Honour!


To celebrate the launch of the new look Polka Dot Bride and the Princess Cherry Pie body collection, Princess Cherry Pie is giving away a fantastic prize:


Princess Cherry Pie is giving away a complimentary makeup trial; and wedding day makeup for the bride to be and her maid of honour (winner must be NSW based. This prize is valued at $355).


Interstate brides won’t miss out! Two runners-up will receive a gift pack of Princess Cherry Pie body products valued at $74.85 each including Lola and The Volleyball Instructor Sugar Scrub, Mist Be Beautiful Moisturising Toner and Gayle’s Greek Holiday Daytime Moisturiser


To enter this delightful competition, simply visit:

http://www.polkadotbride.com/index.php/2010/07/30/princess-cherry-pie-giveaway/

Cherry Creative

Today's look is - "Gold Finger"

I think I've got a touch of the Midas today! If only it was in my wallet and not on my face! ;) However, I've noticed that the ever popular metalic trend doesn't appear to be easing any time soon...so I'm taking the current looks to the extreme and calling it 'Gold Finger'....

Step 1

Creating the base for this look is super easy! After priming the skin, mix a touch of liquid gold or bronze illuminiser with your foundation. This gives the skin a dewy finish and a glint of metallic as the light hits your face. Don't forget to conceal any problem areas such as under the eyes and around the nose - use the concealer sparingly! A really light translucent powder over the top will absorb any oils and set everything beautifully. I also added a light coat of black mascara just cause I was having my picture taken - haha!

Step 2

This step is all about intensifying the gold. Using a powder brush, apply a gold eyeshadow (preferably with a creamy base rather than a pressed powder eyeshadow) around the outer edges of the face - remembering to blend through the neck and decollatage to give a flawless finish! You can then work in the gold eyeshadow through the eyelid and socket area. Add a lighter tone under the eyebrow and a slightly darker tone at the outer corner of each eye. Another coat of mascara doesn't hurt at this point either!

Step 3

Again this step is about taking the colour and tone further - setting everything in gold so to speak! I used a dark bronze under my cheek bones to contour the face and give a bit of definition to the look. Similarly I used a dark brown matt eyeshadow (however you can use a brow pencil) to define the brows - nice and dark and full is best!

For the lips, I pressed some of the gold eyeshadow over the entire area - you may want to brush a light coat of concealer to help this stick. Don't bother using a lip liner as the idea is for the lips to blend with the rest of the face - very statuesque.

Step 4

It's all about the eyes now - use a black eyeliner (gel or liquid) to line the eyelid and inner rim. Soften and blend the effect using a black eyeshadow to smoke the liner slightly and give you that glamourous Angelina Jolie circa 'Salt' poster effect. If you need it, more mascara is fine to add! (Can you tell I like lashes???)

Step 5

Take some time out from the face to give your nails the liquid gold treatment - a couple of coats of gold polish brings everything together!

Step 6

Only the finishing touches to add in Step 6! Of course it wouldn't be a Cherry Creative without the addition of false lashes! Mine are MEGA-WATT size! Why not right? (Manicare's GlamEyes - Madonna Lashes to be exact). But you can tone them down if you really want to... the bigger the better I think! Finally a quick coat of gold or champagne coloured lip gloss finishes everything off and will have you shining like a Bond Girl (or villan, depending on what role you like to play)!

And there you have it! Happy Creating!

Stay beautiful,
XOX
Princess Cherry Pie

Got an idea for a look you'd like the Princess to replicate?
Email me an idea or an image and I'll see what I can do!
hello@princesscherrypie.com.au

WOW! Brows

I have truly had the royal treatment today! What a lucky little Princess I am indeed...

Recently, Twitter-land has been all a tweeting, and the word is "Benefit" (Follow on Twitter via @BenefitAus). Famous for introducing the 'Brow Bar' to boutique stores, this San Fransisco based cosmetics company is famous for vintage inspired packaging, OH SO cute product names ("BADgal Mascara" anyone??) and of course creating THE perfect brow for Benefit clients.

I was fortunate enough to secure myself an appointment at Benefit's Paddington store here in Sydney. So you can imagine how much I was loving the opportunity to strut my stuff up and down this famous strip before the strip hit my brows!

Now prior to my appointment, I wouldn't have said that my eyebrows were bad, they were in desperate need of a tint, but because I think eyebrows are such an important facial feature, I have always been conscious of maintaining them...

Side note: When I was 13 (and totally obsessed with all things Spice Girls), I thought the cool thing to do was to pluck my eyebrows...hmmm.....WORST idea EVER! I ended up with two straight lines above my eyes - horrible! I definitely learnt the importance of eyebrows after this moment...

ANYWAY!...

Here is a shot of how I was looking before my amazing transformation:

As you can see, a little scruffy, but nothing that would give John Howard a run for his money!
So off I went, to trendy Paddington and found the beautiful Benefit boutique!

From the moment I entered I felt like I was among friends! Leah, kept me occupied whilst I waited (I was early!), showing me a range of products and testing out some of them on me. Her product knowledge was brilliant and I loved being able to put my feet up for a change and have another expert do the work!

After that, I was whisked to the back of the store and found a comfy stool at the brow bar. The lovely Alani, who is Benefit's expert Aesthetictian, was looking after me, and she made me feel right at home. We discussed my brows (I was relieved to have my opinions confirmed - my brows weren't too bad but could do with some enhancing) and whilst I watched in the mirror, Alani mapped out the ideal shape for my brows, to suit my face. Explaining everything as she went.

As she worked, we chatted about all things eyebrows (amongst other things) and before I knew it, I had been tinted and waxed to perfection! But it wasn't over yet! Using some 'Brow Zings', Alani perfected the look by adding some colour and blending it expertly to finish the mapping of my brows - GORGEOUS!

I cannot tell you what a pleasant surprise I got when I was presented with the hand mirror! I felt like I'd had the face lift I didn't even realise I needed!

To complete the look, the beautiful Rebecca added a strip of lashes to my top lashes (which you just know I LOVE) and my transformation was complete!

But you don't want to hear about the results, you want to see them - Check me out now!!!

...and I don't even know if this picture does it justice! But what an amazing difference! I am so completely thrilled with the result that I will definitely be re-booking in 4 weeks time for some maintenance!

I also purchased myself some Brow Zings to keep up the effect...but we'll save that for next month's StrangeLove ProductPost ;)

For those of you who are Sydney-side, be sure to check out the Brow Bar at Benefit:

Benefit - Paddington
94 Oxford Street, Paddington, NSW
Phone: (02) 8353 5000

But for those of you living outside NSW, never fear there are brow bars popping up all over the place, including some mini bars at Benefit MYER stands! So there's no excuse - we all should have WOW! Brows.

As the Benefit girls say, "Bow to the Brow" - you won't regret it!

Stay beautiful,

XOX

Princess Cherry Pie

July - StrangeLove Product Post

This month's StrangeLove Product Post is...

Napoleon Perdis - 'China Doll Eyeliner'

For those of you who have had your makeup done by yours truly, you will know that I'm definitely a Napoleonette! I trained at the Napoleon Perdis Makeup Academy what seems like a million years ago, and have a nice stock of Napoleon Products for both business and personal use!

But the one product out of the entire collection that I truly believe has revolutionised the makeup world is the China Doll Eyeliner.

Newly repackaged in Napoleon's sleek glass container and black and gold box, these gel eyeliners come in a range of colours including, Equinox (Black), Alabaster (White) and Heaven (Navy Blue). My personal favourites are Copper and Teal! Just gorgeous for jazzing up your makeup.

However, it is the self-setting feature that truly makes this product super special! In the pot these gels are firm but malleable. You apply them with a fine tipped brush (or an angle brush if you have the knack for applying eyeliner that way - I just can't get my head around that!) to your eye, or wherever you want them - I like to mix some Alabaster with my lipstick for long lasting pastel tones! Once applied they dry and are then on FOR GOOD! Trust me, I have been swimming with this eyeliner on and everything else has washed off except for my China Doll!!!

A pro-tip would be to ensure you keep the lid on NICE AND TIGHT, if the product is left exposed to the air it'll dry out and be no good. Another tip is; you may find you need some practice, practice, practice to master the art of application. But as they say, practice makes perfect! And it's FUN! Once you've got the basics down pat, why not try jazzing it up with a retro flick or Cleopatra cat eye? All is possible with this gorgeous eyeliner!

Availability is growing, as Mr Perdis is rapidly expanding his empire across the globe! Within Australia, David Jones and Napoleon concept stores are always stocked up, or if you prefer you can shop online at www.napoleonperdis.com

Finally, my rating for this product is...

30% Strange & 70% Lovely

You won't regret adding this beauty to your makeup bag - it'll have you looking pretty as a China Doll!