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Posted 25 September 2016 | 9:13 pm

In: Cosmetics

Kellie tries the Face Diving trend - does it work? You probably won't believe the results...

To say I’m enamoured with K-Beauty is an understatement. Not a day goes by that I’m not scouring the interwebs to see what the next big thing is, and if I can get my hands on it, or try it out. So it was with much delight that Vogue magazine ran an article about a K-Beauty trend that I could have a go at from the comfort of my own home without having to go to any great effort. Apparently this trend was actually started by a Japanese beauty blogger, although for the life of Google I can’t find anything saying who the creator of this new trend was. Anyway, it’s called Jamsu, and it’s also called ‘face diving’. Basically what you do is apply your base – primer, foundation, concealer – then smother your face in baby powder, before diving your face into a sinkful of cold water for up to thirty seconds. Once you’ve come up for air you’re meant to pat your skin dry, apply the rest of your makeup, and you’ll go about your day with perfectly matte skin that’ll stick to your face instead of sliding off it.

Riiiiiight. Suuuuuuure.

I don’t know about you but when I read this all I could imagine was me with a face full of paste after dunking my moosh in the water.

Well… there was only one way to find out if my suspicions were correct...

So here you have me with my base face on.

On my face there’s Benefit 'That Gal' Brightening Face Primer, Lioele Triple The Solution BB Cream (which for me is way more like a medium coverage foundation), and on top of that is Revlon’s Photoready Eye Primer + Brightener.

Next up I had to pat on the powder 'freely'. I was also to release 'clouds of it into the air'. So I patted it on, and I can certainly say there were clouds involved. This was the result.

Next, it was time to plunge my face into a bowl filled with cold water. I tell you what, if you're ever feeling sluggish. Shove your full face into freezing water and hold your breath for up to thirty seconds. It gets your heart racing. 

After holding my breath for as long as I could - probably for twenty seconds, which confirms my suspicion that a career in free diving is not for me, I released my face from the chilly depths of the water and... well... it was hot cakey mess. Not to be disheartened, and refusing to give up, I patted my face dry, and, well, it was a more even, but still a pasty-coloured cakey mess.

So I gave it a couple of minutes to settle, just in case that's what it needed - but. Yeah. Nah. The photo below makes the result look better than it was. My face felt super smooth, which was nice. And it was definitely matte. But it looked like I had a mask on, or like I had bought powder foundation two shades too light and was determined to use it anyway. 

Face Diving - Fab or Fail?

It gets a big FAIL from me.

So do tell... have you tried Face Diving? Did you do it differently? Did I make a booboo along the way? And would I try it again even if I had? Nah. Life's too short to add another twenty minutes to my already long beauty routine. 

 

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Posted 12 September 2016 | 8:55 am

In: Skincare, Cosmetics, Hair Care

7 Things Most Women Don't Do As Often As They Should - When Did You Last?

 Life is busy right?  So it stands to reason there are lots of things we need or want to do that we just don't get round to doing.  We got chatting about these types of things the other day at BRHQ when one of the crew mentioned she'd had her 'lady-W.O.F' and had been told off by her doctor for putting it off for so long. 

"It's just one of those things isn't it?" said Beauty Crew member exclaimed.  "You know, you keep meaning to do it but never get round to it. Like buying knickers."  And thus out of this statement, a pondering blog post was born.

So, come on, when did you last...

...buy knickers

I'm going to make a bit of a sweeping generalisation.  If you live with a partner, husband, wife, lover, whatever, you've probably gone a bit longer than the average single girl when it comes to buying knickers.  

Speaking as a married woman, I can honestly say the last time I bought knickers was when I when I was pregnant and my underwear was riding down and doing my head in.  So I bought some $50 a pair over the bump knickers.  The biggest knickers I've ever seen.   

Prior to my humongous pregnancy pants, the last time I bought knickers was...um, two years ago.

...have a smear test

If you're between 20 and 70 you should be having a cervical screen every three years.  Look, it's not very pleasant - it's very much a 'lay back and think of England' situation.  That being said, it's 5 minutes of flashing your lady area to a trained medical professional every 3 years and it could save your life. So book in.

I had my last smear test a few weeks ago.  While wearing Billy in a woven wrap.  Because sometimes you just got to get the job done.

...have a bra fitting

While we're on the subject of flashing, when did you last get fitted for a bra?  Over 90% of women when fitted find out they've been wearing the wrong size.

You should be getting measured during and after weight loss, throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period and at least once a year regardless.  Hey if you're in-store anyway, why not just get fitted and buy the right bra?

I'm 8 months post partum and still breastfeeding, but I'll get measured next time I'm shopping.  Promise.

...clean your makeup brushes

Ok not to mention the product build up on them, what about the bacteria and icky little bugs that are growing and contaminating your products and then being spread all over your face?

I was my brushes after each use.  But you should at least aim for once a week.

...have a spring-clean

We're talking spring cleaning your makeup, bathroom cabinet or wardrobe.  All three contain items that go out of date, probably sooner than you realise!

I actually went through every cupboard in every room about a month ago.  I'm not weird or anything, I just couldn't sleep!

...change your hairstyle

Anna Wintour may know about clothes, but that lady needs to know how to shake things up a little wither her hair!  I'm pretty good at this one, I know a few hairdressers and changing up my hair has never been something that bothered me.  I just go for it, and wear a hat if it's a fail.

Have you been rocking the same hairstyle for years?  Change it up!  Even something subtle like layering or a fringe can give you a bounce in your step and a new lease of life.

...treat yourself

I am bad at this, I have no issue treating the boys, or The Mummy, or The Husband on a whim, yet every purchase for myself needs justifying.  Items are added to carts and there they sit until they expire.  

Why do I find it easy to justify other people's happiness but my own I struggle with?  I dunno.  But I do know I'm about to hit checkout on the You Won't Believe It's HAIR box.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted 17 August 2016 | 12:34 am

In: Cosmetics, Beauty Boxes

How I can be a stay at home mum and work full time - and why it's good for business!

 

Some days you are great at your job.  Other days you are great at being a mum.   Those days seldom occur at the same time. 

With Hilary Clinton becoming the first woman presidential candidate women’s issues in the workplace are once again on the front page.  From lower wages to less promotions, things are far from equal for us.  I’m not going to get into a massive feminist rant, there are many other resources with far more facts and stats than I can share.  What I do know is this.

Many women are still lagging behind men in business because they take time off to have babies.  [Insert your ‘well they can choose not to have babies’ argument here].  Women need to shut up and put up with their lot in life right?  If you want to be successful and at least equal to men you need to not have kids.  Or have kids but pass the role of primary caregiver to someone else. 

Newsflash.  Women can’t give up having kids the human race would end.  [Insert your overpopulation moan here].  And a simple fact of life is, for the ‘fourth trimester’ (and at least the first year, according to most) a baby is supposed to be with their mother.  The mother shouldn’t be faced with the worry that nurturing her child will negatively impact her career. 

We’re told it from childhood.  We can’t have it all.  But we can negotiate a path that allows us to at least try.  So why aren’t more people doing this?  Why aren’t mothers requesting flexibility of their employer and why aren’t bosses offering it to their employees?

Three years ago I was employed by a small start-up company, Beauty Review.  There were a few thousand members and a few thousand reviews.  We’re now the largest website in our field and have opened a phenomenally successful sister company (this one, Best Beauty Box Ever!) The core team are also all mothers and all enjoy the benefit of working for a progressive company. 

I work 40+ hours a week.  I’m also a stay at home mum to my 7 month old, with a 3-year-old part time at preschool.  If my kids are sick, I am there.  If preschool needs a parent helper, I’m there.  If I want to go and get my hair done during the day, I do it.  If I need to breastfeed my baby or pump milk for a donor baby while in a Skype meeting I do.  Hell if I'm working from home, chances are I'm in my lazy pants, hair up in a messy bun, face free from makeup.  If I'm in the office, I'm rocking the mean woven wrap multi tasking with ease mothering and working.  And the business is not negatively impacted.  You don’t experience our kind of growth if the staff aren’t doing their jobs right.

Our kind of working environment relies on reliability, trust and balance.  It’s that simple.  I must hold myself accountable for my role within the company.  I don’t take the piss.  I know what my job requires of me and I make sure I do it.  Some days I only check in during ‘office hours’, responding to members and clients, but doing the majority of my work when the kiddies are in bed.  If we’re in the middle of heavy customer service periods, I wrap my baby on and I get on with my job.  Guess what?  I can still type, talk and think with my baby around.  

My boss trusts me to do my job.  She continues to assign me tasks and she’ll pull me up if I’m falling behind.  And she’ll ask me if I need help.  Do I need someone else to take some of my load.  She knows I’m dedicated to the company and its success just as much as she is.  Our core team trust and support each other.  We’re all working mothers and we get it - we don't judge and we don't take advantage.  Which brings us to the balance.

Well getting up at 6am and going to bed at 1.00am will catch up with anyone in the end.  Working online means it's too easy to never switch off, checking your emails during dinner and saying 'in a minute' one too many times to your kids.  I practise self-care and I balance my life proactively.  And I don't feel guilty for the moments I am neither housewife, mother or employee.

Now of course not every industry or job role could engage employees in this way.  But I do think all employers can take note from mine.  Being a mother doesn't make my skills any less valuable.  It doesn't mean there is a better person for the job.  It does mean a 9-5 schedule wont always fit.  It does mean you might receive emails sent at midnight.  It does mean an errant toddler might say Hi to you over Skype.  But as long as the company suffers no loss in productivity or results, then heck, support and accommodate your employees and their lives, trust them to get the job done and they'll help you accomplish your vision.

Some days I’m great at my job.  Other days I’m great at being a mum.   Those days seldom occur at the same time.  But thanks to working for a progressive company I can at least be pretty darn good at both, most of the time.

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Posted 15 August 2016 | 9:50 am

In: Skincare, Cosmetics, Hair Care, Personal Care, Beauty Boxes

Use up your leftover products with these amazing tips and tricks!

Do you know what we love? Quick and easy tips that we can actually use in real life.

Check these fabulous ideas for using up that little bit of product left in the bottle...

  • Fill your 'empty' conditioner bottle with clean, warm water and shake.  Pour it into a spray bottle and voila, homemade detangling spray!
  • Don't throw away 'almost' empty shampoos, conditioners, body washes.  Decant in to travel containers for trips away from home.
  • If you've got a shampoo that doesn't work for your hair, use it to wash your delicates, woolens and handwash items.
  • If you've got a conditioner that doesn't work for your hair, use it in place of shaving cream, for a smooth shave and even smoother legs.
  • Mix the last little bit of your lipstick with a little 8 Hour Cream or a clear lip balm for the perfect lip tint.
  • Use the last of your favourite fragrance to make a solid perfume.  Melt some coconut oil and add the fragrance. Stir and pour in to an old lip balm pot.  Pop in the fridge to solidify. 

Voila!

Check out these amazing beauty boxes available from the Best Beauty Box Ever!

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    Posted 27 July 2016 | 9:25 pm

    In: Cosmetics

    My Squad tried One-Swipe Eyeliner...2/3rd failed miserably, the other...

    I love being tagged in amazing beauty things on Facebook and Instagram, there's just so much on the internet it's easy to miss the next great article idea.  Lutece tagged me in this video last week and I was in awe.

    "Next blog challenge?"  I replied, tagging in my colleague (and one of my most favourite people) Kellie.  We concurred that the key was confidence.  You just had to take that eyeliner pen and whip it.  One confident swipe and the perfect flick would surely follow.

    Here's what Kellie has to say about it:

    "Give that eyeliner challenge a go." They said.
    "But I have hooded eyes." I said.
    "And I suck at doing eyeliner." I said.
    "But she makes it look so easy." They said.
    Was it easy? On the first eye it looked ok, except you couldn't see my handy work because of those hooded eyes of mine. The second eye? Debacle.
    I'm leaving liquid eyeliner to the pros.

    Cheers Pixie-pie! Haha.

    Ok, my turn.  Confession.  I am pants at applying eyeliner.  Pants.  I have never mastered the cat's eye or the perfect wing.  The best I can do is a lil flick.  But I decided after watching the video that I'd clearly been over complicating matters.

    The first line wasn't too bad.  Filling it in was a disaster.  The second eye started bad, and got worse.  By the end I was one beehive short of looking like Amy Winehouse.

    Which means we had but one lady left in whom to place our faith.  Now if you're not familiar with makeupforpandas, we should point out Lutece is an eyeliner goddess.  But could she wing it like the video?

    Not too shabby at all!  Now Lutece calls this 'eyeliner fail 101, but her standards are clearly really high!

    I think we can conclusively say that the art of eyeliner isn't just confidence after all.  I don't know what it is, confidence, a steady hand, 20-20 vision, daily practice.  A dollop of luck too probably.  What I do know is...

     
    ...these Eye Makeup Remover Pads are the bomb - and I scored these for $3.50 in Countdown's reduced bin!

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    Posted 26 July 2016 | 2:03 pm

    In: Cosmetics

    Pretty wasteful - why do I buy things too pretty to use?!

    This might just be the prettiest makeup brush I've ever owned. It's the Za Kabuki brush.

    It's as soft as it looks, yet has enough resistance to apply and buff powder well.  You can even contour with it.  Ok I'm taking all this as gospel based on the 20+ reviews over at Beauty Review.  Because I just cannot bring myself to use it.  It's too cute.

    And the worst part of buying this brush, other than knowing I would never use it?  I bought it in a set with a bronzer I didn't need, just because I wanted the cute brush.  

    So there the brush sits, like a flower in bloom on my art deco mirrored table.  Which no one sees.  Because MTV Cribs have never asked me to appear.

    So, does anyone else do this?  Buy pretty things, knowing you'll never use them? 

    Oh and if you want to own the world's most beautiful brush, it's available here.

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    Posted 20 July 2016 | 11:44 pm

    In: Skincare, Cosmetics, Nails, Hair Care

    Amazing (and simple) ideas to reuse, repurpose or upcycle your beauty stash!

     

    Reusing the It's All About You box to hide a bad hair day

    I remember Nanna Babs telling me about the war and post-war years, when the economy was stunted and people simply had to make do.  From unraveling too-small sweaters and using the yarn to knit hats or gloves, to reusing the bath water to water the veggie patch, war time households learned the hidden value of many a used-up thing.

    Then came years of excess, of wants that became needs.  Houses became full, then over full, and before we knew it, we were running out of room in our landfills.

    And as with many things in life, we seem to have come full circle, with more and more people trying to reuse, repurpose or upcycle

    Here's some ideas for your beauty stash.

    1. Create household storage from lotion bottles.

    Make It & Love It blogger Ashley Johnston shared her upcycled lotion bottles on her blog.  This hanging laundry room storage system is simple, eco friendly and pretty darn cute.

    2.  De-clutter with body butter.

    Wash empty body butter tubs, lip balm tins and use them to store hair pins, pills, cotton buds and whatever other fiddly things you have lying around.

    3.  Refill empty containers with homemade makeup.

     

    Like this DIY rainbow highlighter!

    4.  Make statement jewellery.

    2nd Funniest Thing blogger Marta used a plastic bottle to create this chevron necklace.

    5. Reuse net body scrubbers as household cleaning tools. 

    They're great for stubborn surface stains and for hard to reach spots.

    6. Use glass foundation jars as single stem vases.

    7.  Overrun with fancy soaps? 

     Use them to freshen drawers and wardrobes until you're ready to use them.

    8.  Check out if your favourite brand has a recycling program. 

    Some brands like Lush offer customers a free product in return for xxx amount of empty containers.  More on that here.

    9.  Turn a lotion bottle in to a cellphone charging caddy.

    Make It & Love It blogger Ashley Johnston has done it again.  No more tripping up over wires while your phone is on charge!

    10.  Collect the mirrors from your used compacts to create your own bit of wall art.

    11.  Too many nail polishes to use?

    Use them to paint bobby pins in the season's must have colours.  Cheap and cheerful!

    Are you into upcycling, re-using or repurposing?  Share your ideas and tips with us below!

    Grab yourself an It's All About You box crammed with over $160 of products, in the perfect box to hide a bad hair day!

    Buy "It's all about YOU" box

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    Posted 18 July 2016 | 8:45 pm

    In: Skincare, Cosmetics, Beauty Boxes

    I Tried The Five Minute Makeup Challenge – You Won’t Believe The Result!

    I pride myself on being able to get ready super quickly. Up and out the door in twenty minutes, including a shower, is what I tell myself I’m capable of. The Husband takes longer to get ready than I do, I’m sure of it! Well… I’m not so sure anymore, because I’ve noticed something recently. After putting some toast and milk in front of the blessed child, I head downstairs to put my makeup on before whizzing us out the door, and next thing you know, we’re running late. Because of me. And my makeup routine.

    Yep, it turns out my makeup routine, which I don’t think is excessive, is taking far too long. Here’s a breakdown of what I do:

    Prime.

    Pop on green concealer to deal to my reddened areas, scars and the odd angry pimple.

    Apply foundation or CC cream.

    Bronze.

    Blush.

    Highlight cheeks (sometimes).

    Eyeshadow.

    Mascara.

    Quick brow swipe.

    Lipstick or gloss.

    And that’s it. That’s an average day. There’s no major contouring, no eyeliner, no under-eye concealer. And yet it takes me this side of forever to do – and I’m not even a perfectionist. Clearly, after yelping at my darling human that we have to hurry up or we’d be really late for the millionth time in the past few months something had to change. Someone had to change. And that person was me.

     So I looked up the Five Minute Makeup Challenge on YouTube. Watching those makeup maven’s videos left me amazed. Some contoured, did their brows, lined their eyes, and powdered their face on top of all the stuff I was doing – in four minutes. So if they could do it, then surely I could, right? Yeah….

    Here’s my before face. Cleansed, toned, serumed, moisturised. Not a scrap of makeup on it.

    Now for the record, I didn’t have everything laid out in front of me, because I feel like that would be cheating. This is real life and I’m not the kind of person who prepares things the night before (although perhaps I should be). So for the purpose of doing this challenge for real, I had to dive through my stash as I usually would. But, I did put aside the products I used, and this is what they were:

    So with confidence and a dash of nervousness I set the alarm and off I went. Who knew it took to long to buff in foundation after priming and concealing? Maybe it’s because my skin’s not so youthful, maybe my brush needs a clean, but giddy aunt, it took up a good two minutes. Then came a quick wash of bronze and blusher, and I was up to the eyeshadow… with less than a minute on the clock.

    I can do this, I told myself as I patted on shadow and buffed out the crease. And then the alarm was going off. Seriously? Is that alarm for real? It was. Here’s the fail photo:No mascara, no lipstick, no brows. What a mess. There was no way I was heading out the door looking like this. So I checked the time and went at it again to see how long my full face took me. I finished the eyeshadow, added a tiny bit of eyeliner, because I was running late anyway, so pffft, why not? Added one coat of mascara, brushed a bit of colour through my brows, then slicked on some lip stain because I was beginning to get embarrassed as to how long this whole situation was taking.

    All up the process took ten minutes. That was me being quick. No wonder I’m always running and hollering out the door in the mornings. 

    So what did I learn? Those beauty folk who can whack their makeup on in five minutes are legends. I am not a legend. And I’m just going to have to get up fifteen minutes earlier, because there’s no way I’m walking out the house with half an eyelid made up and no mascara on.

    Think you could do a five minute makeup challenge? Our beauty boxes have everything you need to give it a go…

     

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    Posted 14 July 2016 | 9:25 pm

    In: Skincare, Cosmetics

    Get more out of your cushion foundation with this simple tip!

    Have you jumped on the cushion bandwagon yet?  If you haven't you so should - it's fun!

    In a nutshell, a cushion foundation (or blush, or concealer, or whatever) is a compact containing a sponge soaked in a watered down formula.

    • Sponge?  Yeap, you just push down and voila, a light even amount of product is dispensed.
    • Watered down? Yeap, but these products are designed to build, which means you use less, while achieving the desired coverage.

    I adore my L'Oreal Nude Magique Cushion Foundation and so do loads of other Kiwi women, check out loads of independant reviews here.  But one common grumble seems to be that the product runs out quickly.  

    Enter my top tip.

    Flip the sponge.  

    More product lies on t'other side and underneath. How much?  Well it depends how much you use of course, but I got another fortnight out of mine!

    Waste not want not.

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    Posted 12 July 2016 | 10:37 pm

    In: Cosmetics, Nails, Beauty Boxes

    You Know You’re A Kiwi When…

    Ah, Nu Zillind, how I adore you. I was born in you. Bred in you. I couldn’t even bear to leave you for an O.E. You’re in my heart Nu Zillind. You’re in my soul. You’ve given we Nu Zillinders, both those that were born here and those that have chosen to reside here, a whole lot that makes us a little bit more special (in my entirely unhumble opinion) than the rest of the world. Quirks and beliefs, thoughts and feelings that only we as a nation can understand.

    So how do you know when you’re reached peak Kiwiness?

    1.  You’ve spent your summer barefoot and could walk on a gravel driveway or craggy    rocks at the beach without batting an eyelid.

    2.  When you hear someone say pavlova is an Aussie invention you consider whipping up a pav, waiting for it to cool down, creaming it, adding bananas or kiwifruit on top, and then hunting them down and shoving it in their ill-informed face.

    3.  You’ve hung your head in despair when an overseas makeup brand releases something amazing, and you discover no one stocks it here.

    4.  You can ‘yeah, nah’ it for a good two minutes before committing to an answer or decision.

    5.  If you’re eating sausage rolls and someone breaks out the sauce, and it’s not Watties, they’re dead to you.

    6.  When you’re in any other part of the world and you ask where the dairy is people look at you kinda strange.

    7.  Oh, and when you’ve been overseas you’ve had to endure people asking you to say fish n chips, and six vs. sex for an entire taxi trip. (True story, didn’t even get a discount on arrival, cheeky bugger.)

    8.  Dip is made from reduced cream and Maggi Onion Mix – and that’s it. Anything else is just a pretender to the throne.

    9.  At some point in your life your parents stuffed you in the car for a bit of tiki tour, which left you hot, bothered and bored, but it meant they didn’t have to do any parenting for an hour or so... and you fully intend to do the same to your kids one day too.

    10.  When you watch YouTubers eat Kiwi lollies and complain about them you immediately dismiss them as idiots who don’t know anything anyway so whatever.

    There’s more. I know there’s more. But we want to hear your thoughts… so go on, you know you’re a Kiwi when….

    And the really cool thing about New Zealand?  Our fabulous beauty brands.  How about $300 worth for a lot less, delivered?

     

    Buy NZ Brands Beauty Box

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    Posted 29 June 2016 | 9:20 am

    In: Cosmetics

    Urban Dictionary: The Beauty Edition

     You know what I hate?  The ninja attack of the latest slang.  I feel old.  Natalie doth not like feeling old.

    I'm not talking about the latest techniques, baking, contouring, strobing.  I'm talking about the pop culture references, the portmanteaux and the too-cool-for-school words that the kids today use.  

    Here's the beginning of my own Urban Dictionary: The Beauty Edition.  

    Bacne - pimples on your back.

    Beatdown - when your makeup application has reached pro level, that act of applying is called the beatdown.

    Beautility - a tool.  For example tweezers are a beautility.

    Brow Game - eyebrows that are fierce and on point.

    Buttne - pimples on your butt.

    Fivehead - a particularly large forehead.

    Freckling - drawing on freckles when the sun hasn't kissed you.

    Glamping - camping the only way we know how...glamorously.

    Guyliner - eyeliner on a man.  

    Haul - the contents of your cosmetic shop.

    Manscaping - when a man maintains his short and curlies.

    MOTD/N - Makeup of the day/night

    MUA - Makeup Artist

    Naked - a no makeup look, created with a lorra, lorra, makeup.

    On Fleek - on point.  Often used to refer to great brow game.

    Sickening - Looking so hot, you are sickening.  From RuPaul.  

    Slay - when your look is so on point, you've darn beaten all rivals, girl you are slaying it.

    Swoobs - Sweaty Boobs

    Winging it - creating perfect eyeliner wings.

    Now if you want to beatdown a look so sickening you slay all others, check out one of our cosmetic boxes - I'm in love with the Incredible Eyes box!

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    Posted 26 June 2016 | 7:23 pm

    In: Cosmetics

    Is Francois Nars just like, super horny?

    I'm English.  So innately, at my very core, I'm a bit of a prude.  But I was also a teenager in the late nineties, which means I learned everything from clothes over bros, to doing the squelchy from one reputable source.  Sex and the City.

    I applaud the Samanthas of the world.  You take those lusty urges and ride 'em girl.   I am all for women owning their sexuality.  But do we need to own it on our faces?

    Like seriously, I don't even need to apply Nars Orgasm to looked flushed.  I just think of my mum looking at the blush palette and saying it out loud.  Deep Throat.  The time for blush has passed, I need a shed load of green corrector.  Stat.

    As a woman, as a lover of makeup, as editor of the largest beauty website in the country, I read it all the time.  'She looks like a slapper in all that makeup'.  'Who are you tarted up for?'  'Wouldn't kick her out of bed'.

    And yet when you ask women why they wear makeup, why they love makeup, you're not going to hear 'because it makes someone want to have sex with me' all that often.  'It gives me confidence'.  'I like feeling glam'.  'I want to have fun with my image'.

    And in a world where girls are not only playing with makeup, but wearing a full face, at younger and younger ages, we don't need to sexualise the act.  Mascara might well be better than sex, but do we need our tweens connecting the two?  How exactly is an eyeshadow shade like a virgin?  

    So please, cosmetic firms, please.  Stop with the sexualising of our first love.  We don't need it to buy and fall in love with your products.  Nars, you could call Deep Throat, Soft Pink with Golden Sheen and it would still sell by the shelf full, why?  Because it's an amazing product.  

    Stop selling yourself short by selling sex.

     

     

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