Get the Look: The Oscars

Thursday 1 March 2012 - Filed under 'ECO Friendly' + Beauty and Health + DIY + Get the Look

If you have been living under a rock this past week then you may have missed that Sunday was the evening of the biggest red carpet event of the year – The 84th Academy Awards!

This year brought some stunning looks with an obvious trend and focus on enhancing natural beauty, something we here at Alexami strongly approve of. So, we thought we would give you all a few of our favorite faces of the evening and how you can recreate their look!

Emma Stone

Firstly, we have cutie Emma Stone. This look is perfect for almost any occasion and will suit you gorgeous gals with cool and paler skin tones.

1. The Base – On a clean face, apply Alexami’s Mattifying Primer to prepare the face. Follow with Alexami’s Mineral Foundation Powder in Matte, in the color that suits your skin tone.

2. The Eyes – As a base, apply Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Pearl White with your finger all over your lid and up to your brow. Then using a blending brush, lightly dust Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Candy Pink over the lid and just above your crease. For the liner, dip a brush such as Alexami’s Vegan Angle Brush into a small bit of water. Dab of any excess moisture onto a tissue then using the slightly damp brush, dip into Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Matte Black. Line the very inner corner of your top lid and continue along the rest of your eye making sure to stay close to your lash line. Apply another line just above the one you made to thicken the line out slightly at the outer lid. Moisten your brush again if necessary then finish with a cat eye flick tapering to a fine point just beyond your outer corner (refer to image). Finish the eyes with Alexami’s Herbal Mineral Mascara in Black and lightly fill in your brows with the technique of your choice (either shadow or pencil).

3. The Lips - Exfoliate and moisturize the lips with lip balm. Follow with Alexami’s Mineral Vegan Lip Gloss in Raspberry. Then pucker and press your lips to a tissue to mattify the gloss slightly.

4. The Cheeks – Being careful to keep this very subtle, lightly apply a dusting of Alexami’s Perfect Puff Minerals Blush in Candy Pink to the apples of your cheeks.

Octavia Spencer

Next up is something for the darker, warmer toned beauties using Octavia Spencer as inspiration. Her look, as Emma’s is very versatile. It manages to be sultry but not too dramatic at the same time.

1. The Base – On a clean face, apply Alexami’s Mattifying Primer to prepare the face. For a more radiant finish, make your own liquid foundation (for tutorial, click here) with Alexami’s Mineral Foundation Powder in the color for your skin tone. Apply to face with a sponge by blotting it onto the skin. Contour the face with Alexami’s Mineral Bronzer in Medium/Dark, focusing on your cheekbones, temples and under the chin.

2. The Eyes – Using your finger, apply Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Camel all over the lid and up to the brow. Using a shader brush, press Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Cappuccino over the lid up to the crease. Put Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Black onto a small/medium blending brush and tap off excess to avoid any fall-out. Guide this into the outer crease of the eye and from the outer edge of the lid to the center. Blend well with a larger blending brush. For the liner, dip a brush such as Alexami’s Vegan Angle Brush into Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Matte Black and apply along the upper lash line. Finish the eyes with 2 coats of Alexami’s Herbal Mineral Mascara in Black and then lightly fill in your brows with the method of your choice.

3. The Lips – Exfoliate and apply lip balm to your lips then follow with Alexami’s Mineral Vegan Lip Gloss in Bronze. Blot the lips with a tissue to mattify the gloss slightly.

4. The Cheeks - Using a blush brush, apply Alexami’s Perfect Puff Minerals Blush in Coral pink along your cheek bone. Finish by highlighting your cheekbones with Alexami’s Mineral Illuminating Powder in Gold.

Jennifer Lopez

Despite the controversy over Jennifer’s small ‘wardrobe malfunction’, she still looked radiant and amazing as always. This look is so great for the evening and would suit neutral to warm skin tones.

1. The Base – Same as Octavia’s above.

2. The Eyes – Using your finger, apply Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Soft Peach all over the lid and up to the brow. With a small/medium shader brush, apply Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Aubergine to the outer crease and into the inner part just below the eyebrow, avoiding the very inner crease (reference image above). Blend out well with a blending brush. Using the shader brush again, apply more Aubergine below the eye, focusing more on the outer side. With a clean shader brush, apply more Soft Peach over the lid, avoiding overlapping your defined crease that you just created. For the liner, dip a brush such as Alexami’s Vegan Angle Brush into a small bit of water. Dab of any excess moisture onto a tissue then using the slightly damp brush, dip into Alexami’s Mineral Eye Shadow in Matte Black. Thickly line your top lash line to the outer edge. With the excess powder that remains on the brush, line the very outside of your lower lash line and pull it up into a flick (as seen in picture). Now, using Pearl White and the damp brush technique, apply another line just above the flick you created. This opens and lifts the eye. Finish by filling in your brows and applying 3 coats of Alexami’s Herbal Mineral Mascara in Black along with false lashes if so desired.

3. The Lips - Exfoliate and apply lip balm to your lips then follow with Alexami’s Mineral Vegan Lip Gloss in Clear. Blot the lips with a tissue to mattify the gloss slightly.

4. The Cheeks – Jennifer has very slight contouring which will be created with bronzer during the base application. To make the whole look pop though, apply Alexami’s Mineral Illuminating Powder in Gold to your cheekbones and the bridge of your nose.

We hope that you enjoy these looks and give them a try for yourself! Let us know how they turn out!

 ::  Share or discuss  ::  2012-03-01  ::  admin

Introducing Lorraine’s Parlour

Friday 24 February 2012 - Filed under Export News

We wish a happy welcome to one of our new beautiful stockists, Lorraine’s Parlour located in Bunbury, WA. This gorgeous salon located in the city centre has just been renovated and comes with seven treatment rooms.

Their services include:

Make sure to check out their website for more information on their services and location by clicking here!

Have a good Friday everyone. The weekend’s just around the corner!

 ::  Share or discuss  ::  2012-02-24  ::  admin

DIY: Make Your Own Liquid Foundation

Thursday 16 February 2012 - Filed under 'ECO Friendly' + Beauty and Health + DIY + General Knowledge-Research-Reading

We all love our mineral powder but there are times in our lives the call to have a good liquid foundation on hand. Well, what if I told you that you could have the best of both worlds and find it in the same makeup product? Today, I’ll be sharing with you how to turn your mineral powder into a liquid foundation! Sound like fun? Then keep reading…

Things You’ll Need:

• Mineral powder of your choice (I used Alexami mineral powder Ivory)
• A face oil (almond, coconut, baobab, jojoba, tamanu) – it depends on your skin type
• A mixing cup
• A small spatula
• Optional: Essential oil (make sure you know the oil is safe on the face first!)

How to:

1. Pour as much powder as you desire into your mixing tub.

2. Add facial oil. Ratio of powder to oil is 2:1. Stir with spatula until no lumps remain. Remember to add more powder or oil depending on the consistency you’d like.

3. Add 2 drops of your chosen essential oil and stir again.

4. Apply mixture to face with a sponge, foundation brush or fingers.

5. Finish it with another layer of dry Alexami mineral powder or with Alexami translucent powder  if desired. Setting powder is especially recommended in humid climates or on oily skin.

6. You’re done!

Below are my results from applying one layer of my new foundation by blotting it on with my sponge. I love the coverage and it gets rid of my unwanted redness. Please excuse my awkward face!

Also note that mine looks quite oily as I used coconut oil. If I had it around, I would have used jojoba as it is more delicate. It’s all about experimenting to find what works best for yourself and your skin.

Hope this inspired you guys to try it out for yourself!

Until next time

Lara

1 comment  ::  Share or discuss  ::  2012-02-16  ::  admin

All About Oil: Baobab Oil

Wednesday 15 February 2012 - Filed under 'ECO Friendly' + Beauty and Health + General Knowledge-Research-Reading

Happy Wednesday all!

Well, we’ve made it to the final oil in our All About Oil series this week and I must admit I have learnt a lot about oils I otherwise would have never heard of. So, in this final installment I will be talking about an oil perhaps not many of you are familiar with…

Baobab oil. This oil is extracted from the seed of the Baobab tree most commonly found in Africa and is known to be an amazing anti-oxidant.

Image via phytotradeafrica.com

Full of Vitamin A, D, E and F and with its moisturizing qualities, this oil is perfect for dry, brittle and frizzy hair to help in repair and overall scalp and hair health. It’s especially great for ethnic hair to give it more shine and silkiness. To use baobab in your hair routine, apply after you shower while your hair is wet and style as usual otherwise add a few drops to your conditioner.

Baobab oil is also very healing on the skin namely on very dry or aging skin. If you have dry skin, apply a few drops of oil into your moisturizer and apply as usual. The oil is also reported to aid in the healing of skin conditions such as psoriasis, brusing, sun spots and eczema.

As usual with these oils, make sure to get certified organic, pure and 100% baobab oil.

We hope you have all enjoyed this Oil series from us and you have learnt a little bit and perhaps been inspired to run out and try some for yourself and your beauty routine.

What oil do you all want to try the most? Leave us a comment!

Until next time, ladies.

 ::  Share or discuss  ::  2012-02-15  ::  admin

All About Oil: Jojoba Oil

Thursday 2 February 2012 - Filed under 'ECO Friendly' + Beauty and Health

Continuing on our educative rampage of amazing beauty oils, today we bring you info about Jojoba Oil (pronounced ho-ho-bah).

Image via remedial-massage.com.au

The first interesting thing to note about Jojoba oil is that it is actually not an oil at all. It is extracted from the seeds of the Jojoba tree, producing what’s known as a wax ester. This wax ester is very similar to our own body oil (sebum) in both structure and texture. Some say that it’s because of this similarity that Jojoba oil is great for balancing out oil production as it tricks our body into thinking it’s producing enough oil.

Jojoba oil in non-allergenic, non-toxic and non-comedogenic. This means it’s great for everybody, it won’t clog your pores or aggravate acne plus it is safe to use around the eyes. It is also anti-bacterial, contains loads of Vitamin E (amazing for healthy skin, nails and hair!) and is an antioxidant. Not too shabby for an oil, huh?

Uses of Jojoba Oil:

• Body moisturiser - Apply to the skin as needed. The moisturisation will last all day as the oil will not evaporate.
• Addition to moisturiser - Apply a few drops of oil to your usually daily moisturiser for added effect
• Face moisturiser - Apply sparingly to the face. Be careful not to use too much as it will create an unnecessary shine. Apply liberally in the evening as a night cream.
• Lip balm
• Makeup remover - Apply to the face and remove with a tissue or face cloth.
• Hair treatment - Apply as needed to damp hair. Cover hair with a warm towel and relax for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse out and continue usual hair routine.
• Hair serum - Apply a small amount to dry hair for added shine.
• Addition to conditioner - Add a few drops to your conditioner and the Jojoba oil will help balance out scalp oils and prevent flakiness.
• Massage oil - A little oil goes a long way so use sparingly.

When buying your Jojoba oil, make sure to choose the organic and unprocessed versions. The oil will be bright yellow in color as opposed to clear. Yes, the organic option is more pricey but you get what you pay for.

Happy oiling!

3 comments  ::  Share or discuss  ::  2012-02-02  ::  admin

All About Oil: Tamanu Oil

Wednesday 25 January 2012 - Filed under 'ECO Friendly' + Beauty and Health + General Knowledge-Research-Reading

Hello again everyone!

Well, we’re deep into the heat of summer now and I hope that you are all managing to stay cool and making sure to wear your sunscreen and hats!

To follow up on our previous coconut oil post, today’s blog is going to talk about an oil some of you may not of heard of called Tamanu oil.

Image via 911balsam.com

The oil is made from the nut of the Tamanu tree and mostly grows in the South Pacific, especially Vanuatu. Women of Vanuatu have been known to use this in their hair to protect it and prevent sun damage. Like coconut oil, it is also a great moisturizing agent. Make sure to cleanse the skin first then apply only a few drops for beautiful, glowing skin.

But the true magic of this oil comes from its healing properties and ability to promote new tissue growth. It is also an anti-inflammatory and antibiotic. This is why the Tamanu oil is perfect for problems such as acne scars, cold sores, bug bits, burns, skin abrasions, wounds and sunburn. It can even be used for odour control on your feet and underarms.

And when winter comes around, keep Tamanu oil on hand to relieve your sore throat (by swallowing a few drops) or for sinus relief by inhaling.

It really is a magical product that no woman should be without.

* Please note, as the oil is derived from a nut, if you have any nut allergies, please avoid using or consult your doctor first.

Let us know your experience with it in a comment!

Until next week,

Lara

1 comment  ::  Share or discuss  ::  2012-01-25  ::  admin

All About Oil: Coconut Oil

Thursday 12 January 2012 - Filed under Export News

Image via randbeauty.com

Since the emergence of natural cosmetics into the mainstream, other at-home remedies involving basic ingredients have been becoming increasingly popular too. Among them (and a personal favorite of myself and Alenka) is cold-pressed virgin coconut oil.

Now, when buying your oil you have to make sure that the label reads natural, cold-pressed, unrefined, virgin coconut oil and/or butter. This means you are getting the purest form and it still keeps its amazing nutrients. You can buy it from most health food stores, online and in some grocery stores.

In the jar, the oil is usually solid due to its melting point but will become an oil as soon as it comes into contact with your skin or if it’s a hot day outside.

What to use coconut oil for:

Makeup Remover - Apply to face then massage and wipe off with a damp face towel.

Mascara and Eye Makeup Remover – Apply gently to lashes and using toilet paper, wipe down the lashes. Be careful when you do this ladies! We don’t want bald eyelids.

Cuticle Conditioner – Pre-manicure, apply the oil to your nail cuticles. For added effect, place your fingers in a warm bowel of water and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Hair Conditioner – This is best used for people with coarse hair. After shampooing, apply oil liberally to lengths of hair and tips. Leave it for  minutes then rinse out. There will be residue that remains but it will help control your hair a bit easier.

Hair Treatment – If you have finer hair, apply coconut oil to damp hair before washing and wrap in a warm towel. Leave to sit for 20 minutes then continue your regular shower routine. If you are prone to oily hair, avoid this method or only apply the oils to the lengths and tips.

Lip Moisturizer

Body Moisturizer

Eyelash/Eyebrow Conditioner – If you have course lashes and brows, apple some oil before bedtime. This has also been shown to stimulate hair growth in those areas.

Shaving Oil – Avoid razor burn by using oil as your shaving cream. Soften the leg hairs with a damp warm towel, apply oil and shave.

Cooking Oil – Coconut oil is also amazing for in the kitchen. It’s a very healthy oil and vegans can enjoy using it guilt-free. Just remember the boiling temperature is lower than olive oil so you don’t need to heat it up as long.

Let us know your coconut oil tips and tricks in a comment!

Lara

 ::  Share or discuss  ::  2012-01-12  ::  admin