Tuesday 25 June 2013

Hair Tutorial: Easy Twist Waves

This is literally the easiest way to get wavy hair. I have dead straight hair, so this is a quick and simple fix for when I want some body and shape to my locks. Want to know how to achieve these loose, beachy waves? Keep reading!

Taken By Surprise Tutorial: Easy Twist Waves


What you will need:
- Heat Protectant/Styling Spray
- Bobby pins (at least four)
- Volumizing Powder
- Hairspray
- Sea Salt Spray
- Hairdryer
- Hairbrush

 1. First up, make sure your hair is knot free, so give those locks a good brushin'!

2. Because we're going to use a hairdryer very close to the hair, we need to protect our strands from the heat. Apply a heat protectant styling spray to the lengths of your hair and brush through with your fingers to make sure the product is evenly distributed. 

TRESemme Heat Tamer Protective Spray
3. Now divide your hair into two equal sections, then divide each of those sections in half.


4. With one of the small sections closest to your face, twist the hair into a tight rope. Keep twisting until the section begins to twist onto itself, then wind it into a coil and secure to your head using bobby pins. 

5. Repeat the previous step with each section. 


 Once you're done, you'll look like a weirder version of Princess Leia's famous hairstyle haha
And we're done! Just kidding.
6. Then with your hairdryer on the hottest setting, heat up each coil for about 2-3 minutes each or until hot to touch.
VS Sassoon AC Salon Professional VS5533A
7. Let each coil cool completely then gently take out the bobby pins and unwind each coil. It should look like a big curly noodle haha then finger comb to loosen it up.

8. Now that we have all this volume in the bottom half of our hair, put a little volumizing powder on your finger tips and massage into your roots to lift them up and give them some body.

Schwarzkopf Instant Volume Powder
9. For some added texture, apply sea salt spray to the lengths and scrunch up your hair with your hands for a messy, beach wave look. Then just set those waves with some hairspray! 

Garnier Surf Hair Texturising Spray in "Strong"
L'Oreal Paris Elnett Satin Hairspray in "Extreme Hold Natural Touch"

And we're done!


"By The Sea I Saw Her" flower crown from CrownedByFlowers


When your hair is feeling flat and limp, how do you revive it? Let me know in the comments below!
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Friday 21 June 2013

Market Day: Fitzroy Market June 15th 2013

Poor university students + lots of unwanted stuff = market day!

A few of my friends and I have wanted to have our own market stall for months now and that finally became a reality last Saturday! We all wanted a big wardrobe clean out and since we've been to the Fitzroy Market and loved it before (see the post here), we decided to make a day of it and book ourselves in as stallholders.

But the stall wasn't just for our pre-loved-to-be-loved goods; my CrownedByFlowers flower crowns were also being sold at the stall and I loved chatting to market goers about my designs and watching them try them all on.

The day itself was a lot of fun; even though we got rained on several times! Note to self: Let's bring a tent next time or go again in summer!

Here are the snaps from the day...

Our stall was originally by the sausage sizzle stand, so we were lucky enough to be allowed to move to a less smelly area. And even more to our luck, it turned out that no one had claimed the empty spot next to us, so we were able to spread our stuff across two stalls!

Thanks to Tally for this photo <3


All of the CrownedByFlowers flower crowns ready to go!

Unfortunately the weather really took a turn for the worst and we got rained on a lot during the day! Luckily the super nice market organisers gave us all a plastic sheet to protect our stall! Though most of the day my friends and I had to hold it up like this to make a tent haha

How cute does Toby look in his flower crown <3


At the market I also met the lovely team from Waffelier, who make the most adorable waffles I've ever seen! It was my first time trying waffles, and they were delicious. Plus, I loved how they were served on a stick - just like a lollipop - so they were super easy to eat! 

They visit plenty of markets, so check out the Waffelier Facebook page to stay updated on where they'll be next!




My friends and I had a lot of fun at this market, and I'll keep you updated if we decide to go to another one! 

Have you ever had a stall at a market? What was your experience like? Let me know in the comments below!
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Thursday 13 June 2013

Makeup Tutorial: How to Look Awake After a Late Night

How many of us have never pulled an all-nighter? No one? 

That’s what I thought.

Minimal hours of sleep can often mean that your eyes will feel heavy and look pretty sleepy when you wake up the next morning. And since it's currently exam season, I bet a lot of you have been little night owls lately! Don't stress, it's still super easy to look presentable the morning after with a few makeup tricks.

From sleepy to beauty!
So if you’ve ever spent the early A.M. hours pulling together a last-minute assignment or having a night out with friends and woke up a little worse for wear, here are my quick fix tips that will instantly wake up your tired peepers!

Taken By Surprise Tutorial: How to Look Awake After a Late Night 


1. Reduce puffiness 

Before you go to sleep, pop two spoons in the freezer. It sounds weird, but hear me out. In the morning, those spoons will be frosty cold and if you place them over your closed eyes for about 30 seconds, the cold will help reduce any puffiness around the eyes caused by little sleep.

Check out the difference!!

2. A dewy complexion  

When applying your foundation and concealer, choose liquid formulas that have light-reflecting properties such as micro glitter or a two-in-one foundation/illuminator. Go for a dewy finish over a matte one because plump skin looks way healthier than dull dry skin! My favourite for covering up sleepy skin is the Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation - perfect, right?

Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation in "200 Soft Beige"
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in "20 Sand"

3. Hide dark circles 

Only getting a few hours of sleep a night can result in dark circles, also known as under-eye bags. To hide these away, get yourself a pink salmon-toned concealer with a creamy consistency. A pink-toned concealer will help balance out the purple colour in your dark circles. Using your ring finger, gently blend the concealer under your eyes using a patting motion. No rubbing or you’ll just make them worse!

Garnier Roll-On Anti Dark Circles Concealer in "Medium"
4. Make eyes look wide-awake 

Now to fake eight hours sleep! Using a white kohl eyeliner pencil along your waterline will make your eyes look bigger and therefore more awake. Avoid black eyeliner on your waterline – it’ll only make you look more tired than you already are.

Rimmel London Soft Kohl Eyeliner Pencil in "071 Pure White"

If you want a bolder look, line your top lash line and create a small flick at the outer corner with a liquid liner.

Maybelline Hyper Glossy Liquid Liner in "Black"
For lashes, go simple by curling them and applying a few coats of lengthening and defining mascara to your top and bottom lashes.

Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Mascara in "001 Black"
5. Brighten your eyes 

This step is optional, but makes a massive difference to your look. Take a light shade of eye shadow in either a white or a champagne-like gold and apply to the inner corners of your eyes. This added shimmer will reflect light, making the whites of your eyes appear brighter. Take that sleepy head!

Rimmel London Glam'Eyes HD 002 English Oak Eyeshadow Quad in "Highlighter"

6. Look polished 

Finish off the eyes by defining your eyebrows by using a brow gel or clear mascara. Then with either a brow pencil or an angled liner brush with a brow powder (you can also use an eye shadow that’s the same shade as your brows) fill in your eyebrows to hide any sparse areas.

Sportsgirl Pencil It In Eyebrow Pencil

7. Look-at-me lips

If you want some extra punch to your look, pop on a bright lipstick. The bold colour will instantly make your face look warmer, more awake, and more "done up". Try an ombre look by using a lighter shade of lip colour in the centre of your lips. Plus, if people are too busy admiring your colourful pout, they're not going to notice your sleepy peepers, bonus!

Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer in "501 Stellar"
Sportsgirl Pout About It Lip Colour in "Sweet Valentine"


And you’re done! Who said you didn’t get a good night’s sleep? ;) 





*Note: These beauty tips aren’t a solution to poor sleeping habits. Try and get at least eight hours of sleep every night!

What's your best tip for putting your best face forward after a late night? Let me know in the comments below!

Also, if you're in Melbourne, come by and say hi at the 
Fitzroy Market this Saturday June 15th 
where I'm selling my CrownedByFlowers flower crowns! 
I would love to see you there!

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Tuesday 11 June 2013

How To Pack Light - Four Outfits in ONE Duffle Bag

Have you even gone on a trip away and once you've got home, realised that you barely wore half the clothes you brought with you?  

If you're nodding your head, today's post is all about packing light and how to make your clothes work double (or even triple!) time instead of having to bring just another pair of jeans, just in case! 

Over the long weekend, I went away to Mildura - a country town in rural Australia - with my family and I brought ONE duffle bag's worth of stuff (half of which was my toiletries bag, so HALF a duffle's worth of clothes!) and got four different outfits out of it!

Below you can see exactly what clothes I brought with me; I tried to bring one of each thing to save space (although I did bring two jumpers) but everything below still managed to make up four different outfits!

What I brought...
1x belt
1x pair of tights
1x pair of black skinny jeans
1x blazer
1x circle skirt
1x beanie
1x scarf
1x dress
1x collared shirt
2x necklaces
2x jumpers 
2x pairs of shoes (flats & combat boots)

AND that all fit in my duffle bag (shown below), INCLUDING all of my toiletries/makeup, chargers and personal items!
Duffle bag from Heroic Rendezvous 
Check out my bag - it's not even bulging! Anyway, onto the outfits...

Outfit One - Car Trip
Red jumper - Jay Jays
Collared shirt - Vintage
Circle skirt - Valleygirl
Beanie - Freebie from a magazine
Tights - Myer
Combat boots - Dotti

I really wanted something comfy to wear in the car, so I went with a pretty easy going look for this outfit. Plus it kept me cosy because the weather here right now is cooooooooold!

I also have my mint green satchel from Typo, which basically held my camera, a few magazines and my phone.

Outfit Two - Dinner Out
Dress - Angel Biba
Blazer - Cotton On
Clutch - Sportsgirl
Necklace - Lovisa
Tights - Myer
Shoes - Vintage

On the first night, my family and I went out to a really nice Italian restaurant called Stefano's, so I dressed up by pairing a dress with a blazer. I wore the same tights I had on in the first outfit, and my clutch is actually my wallet - multitasking! 

To glam it up a little more, I added a statement necklace and curled my hair into a side swept look.

Outfit Three - Sightseeing
Jumper - CO. by Cotton On
Shirt - Vintage
Necklace - Jolie & Deen
Belt - Mink Pink
Jeans - Rusty
Shoes - Vintage

In hindsight, if I had known that my family was planning to go see a desert on this particular day (photos later in the post!), I probably would have worn something else! Anyway, I wanted an outfit that was casual and comfy, but still nice enough in case we went to a nice place for lunch or walked around town. We ended up going to a famous winery for lunch, so this was perfect.

Outfit Four - Fancy Dinner
Shirt - Vintage
Blazer - Cotton On
Necklace - Jolie & Deen
Belt - Mink Pink
Jeans - Rusty
Shoes - Vintage
Clutch - Sportsgirl

This outfit is almost identical to the previous one; I pretty much went back to the hotel room and took off my jumper and popped a blazer on. But that simple change instantly made my outfit look more formal and dinner appropriate. I seriously felt like I was in a cute little lady tux! 

P.S. sorry the photo quality is less than amazing; I literally ran out of the restaurant to quickly take these photos before it got too dark.

Now for those desert photos! There's this amazing expanse of sand dunes about 30-45 minutes from Mildura, and the views were incredible!

As you can see below, I was dressed very desert-appropriate in an all black ensemble... #sarcasm



Anyway, it was a lovely little family trip, and I hope that if you're heading somewhere these holidays that you picked up a few tips on packing lightly!

Which outfit was your favourite? What's your best "packing light" tip? Let me know in the comments below!
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