Monday, October 14, 2013

NOTD: Pink & Blue Nails for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month - Wave of Polish.

Hello lovelies,

Did you know that October is International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month? I didn't, until it was brought to my attention on a Beautyheaven forum a couple of weeks ago! While I haven't gone through this myself, I do know several wonderful ladies who have, and I can only imagine how heartbreaking the whole experience would be.

October 15th is the official Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, with people around the world asked to light a candle at 7 pm in memory of the precious lives taken too early from this world. A group of wonderful Australian ladies decided to create a Facebook page called Wave of Polish to show support to this cause by committing to paint their nails blue and pink to raise awareness for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, with special emphasis placed on October 15th. In addition, an auction of one-off polishes made by Australian indie brands will be held, beginning at 9 am on the 8th of October and finishing on the 15th of October, with all proceeds raised going to Sands Australia. Click here for details on the auction.

Here's the blue and pink mani I came up with for International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. I used piCture pOlish Whimsy and Essie Cascade Cool for my base colours, Maybelline New York Color Show Sequins in Rose Bling on my ring finger, and Revlon Lunar and Sally Hansen White On for the dotticures.


Read more after the jump!

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Product Review and FOTD Featuring The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes Palette, All-In-One Cheek Colour & Colour Crush Lipstick.

Hi lovelies,

Apologies for the lack of posts lately, I've been a bit under the weather! I've managed to contract tendonitis, so my Achilles' tendons are not happy, and I've also got really bad aches and pains, similar to the flu but minus the cough/cold factor!

Anyhow, on to happier things, it's been a while since I shared a creative post so I wanted to create a look for you, solely using The Body Shop products! Now, gorgeous bath and body products probably come to mind when you think of The Body Shop, but did you know they also have stunning makeup products?


Keep reading after the jump!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

OPI San Francisco Collection - Embarca-Dare Ya! & Muir Muir On The Wall.

Hi lovelies,

In light of yesterday's big OPI sale announcement, I have two gorgeous polishes to show you today, Embarca-Dare Ya! and Muir Muir On The Wall from the San Francisco Collection.

Embarca-Dare Ya! is a lovely magenta shimmer which occasionally takes on a rosy hue, depending on the lighting. While not terribly unique, it's a lovely shade and applies like a dream. I used two shades for these photos, topped off with my beloved Poshe topcoat.

OPI Embarca-Dare Ya!
OPI Embarca-Dare Ya!
Keep reading after the jump!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Buy One Get One Free OPI Polish This Weekend - Nationwide!

Hi lovelies!

Do you love OPI as much as I do?!

In that case, I have some excellent news for you! In celebration of the long-standing relationship OPI and David Jones have shared, they are offering a once-off exclusive offer to all those shopping over this coming long weekend; BUY ONE LACQUER, GET ONE FREE all weekend! If you're not living in Sydney, don't fret, this applies NATIONWIDE!

This is exclusive to David Jones stores (does not apply to online sales) and only applies to 15 ml bottles. Valid 05/10/13 - 07/10/13.

Why not pick up some Liquid Sands or perhaps some shades from the new OPI San Francisco collection (swatch photos/review coming soon)! Click here for more shade ideas.

OPI Liquid Sand in Honey Ryder
OPI Liquid Sand in Stay the Night
Get in quick, beauties, remember it's only valid this long weekend, so don't pass this great opportunity up!

Are you tempted by this? What shades are you eyeing?

Much love,
MM.
x

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Five minutes with...Paul and Liz from Get Drenched (Official Stockists of Bomb Cosmetics) and a Discount Code!

Hi lovelies,

We all know how much I love Bomb Cosmetics (check out my last post here), so I thought we should sit down and have a quick chat with Paul and Liz, the faces (and personalities) behind Get Drenched, the official Australian stockists of Bomb Cosmetics!

Paul and Liz from Get Drenched.
1) Hi Paul and Liz, thanks so much for taking the time to sit down with us! Firstly, can you tell us a bit about yourselves?
Paul: Although I’m from England and Liz is from Australia, we actually met in California, at an exhibition hosted by the US Postal Service in 2000. Liz was acting as a representative of Australia Post (they were exhibiting at the show), and I was representing my company, which represented the US Post in the UK. While we enjoyed each other's company, we went our own way at the end of the exhibition, and occasionally kept in touch via email over the next four years. In 2004, Liz took some long service leave; her plan was to spend a couple of weeks in England and then a few weeks in France – I still think to this day that she was hoping to meet a Frenchman! I invited her to stay with me while she was in England; plans changed, and we ended up travelling to Paris together for her birthday, after which she returned to England with me for the remaining weeks of her visit. We then engaged in a long distance relationship for 2 years, travelling back and forth whenever we could. We agreed that we’d make our home in Australia (Liz’s daughter was 16 at the time), and after I moved Down Under, we were married in the Botanical Gardens in Sydney on a very sunny day in April 2008. We ended up moving back to the UK for 2 years, living on the south coast of England. We returned to Australia in October 2010, and we were both fortunate in finding employment relatively quickly. It was in May 2011 that the Bomb Cosmetics contract was offered to us, so I left to start the business while we still had the security of Liz’s income. Liz then joined me in the spring of 2012, and we now work full time on the business together. It’s certainly long hours, but we love what we do. The reaction to the brand has been fabulous from those in Australia who have tried it.

2) Can you tell us what led to you starting your amazing business at Get Drenched?
Paul: Liz and I had always harboured ambitions to run our own business and work together, and we’d been looking for the right opportunity for a number of years. We’d come up with all sorts of weird and wonderful ideas but never acted upon them – thankfully! I suppose it all stemmed from the desire to be masters of our own destiny, although it was still a huge decision to move away from the relevant comfort of salaried jobs to jump into the unknown. Looking back now, we never really knew what we were letting ourselves in for in terms of the sheer number of working hours needed! Having said that, we wouldn't change a thing – when you love what you do, it never really feels like work.

3) We've all fallen head over heels for Bomb Cosmetics! How did you discover/decide on carrying the Bomb Cosmetics line?
Paul: It was very late one night in February 2011 that we stumbled across the opportunity to be Distributors for the UK brand of Bomb Cosmetics on the internet – very much by accident. It only took a few minutes of research into the brand and the products and we were already in love with the bath blasters (bath bombs), bath creamers and handmade soaps. It took several months of communications with the UK before the contract was offered to us. As you can imagine, we were over the moon and that’s when the hard work really began. One of our very first challenges was to come up with a business name. After much deliberation, we opted for Get Drenched, which we felt was quite appropriate – after all a big part of our business was to encourage people to take more baths and showers! Subsequently, we found out that ‘Drenched’ also had something to do with sheep-dipping(!), but by then it was too late. Most people like the name, thankfully!

4) Can you tell us a little bit about the manufacturing process?
Paul: We haven’t yet seen the manufacturing process ourselves, but one of the key points of difference of Bomb Cosmetics is that every product is handmade. Even now, we look at some of them and think “how do they do that?!”. The Rose Creamers are almost a work of art – the mixture of real rose petals, cocoa butter, and essential oils is simply stunning….and that’s before the Creamer is used in the bath! We think it’s very important to state that not only is every single item handmade, but products are never tested on animals and recycled packaging is used whenever possible. We really like those philosophies, and it means we can speak about the products with complete confidence.

5) You have some fantastic bath and home products in the Bomb Cosmetics line. If you each absolutely had to pick three favourites from your extensive range, which would you pick?
Paul: Firstly, I can’t go past the Rose Bath Creamer, although the Flower Bazaar Bath Creamer runs it close. To see real rose petals floating on the water as you bathe in the moisturising cocoa butter? – I defy any man or woman not to enjoy such a relaxing, indulgent experience! Secondly, I’d opt for the Dead Sea Salt Handmade Soap – it’s quite a ‘manly’ fragrance compared to most of the other products! Thirdly, I’ll choose the Chocolate Orange Tin Candle as it smells good enough to eat – just like the Terry’s Chocolate Orange.
Liz: My number one product would have to be the Skin Therapy Hanging Shower Butter. To be able to come out of the shower already moisturised and smelling gorgeous is now a bit of an addiction. Secondly, I’d opt for the Cranberry and Lime Body Scrub as this is a beautifully fragrant body scrub which leaves the skin feeling so soft and smooth. Lastly, it would have to be the Vintage Rosehip Bath Blaster. I love the immediate fizz of the bath blasters, and this one smells divine. It also has a touch of cocoa butter in it to moisturise the skin.

6) Your products are free of parabens and preservatives, does that mean it's safe for children to use?
Paul - We've certainly had rave reviews from children who have used Bomb Cosmetics products, although adults tend to keep them for themselves! There are even 3 Lucky Dip Bath Blasters aimed specifically at children aged 3 and above. Each Blaster contains a little toy in the middle - very much like a Kinder Surprise. While the products are certainly as natural as possible and very gentle on the skin, and while we've never heard of any adverse reactions, every child is different. And of course, some children may be allergic to certain ‘natural’ products as well, so if a parent has any doubts they can check the ingredients list which is listed on each product.

7) Fragranced products can be tough to choose as we all have such diverse preferences...how do we find out if there's a local stockist in our area so we can go in and have a sniff for ourselves?
Paul: That’s a very good point – fragrance is certainly a personal choice. Our stockists in Australia are increasing and there’s nothing like being able to smell the products ‘live’. If any of your readers would like to find out if there’s a stockist nearby, then they can drop an email to enquiries@getdrenched.com.au and we’ll be happy to help. We always encourage consumers to support their local store whenever possible, and even encourage them to stock more of the range! Equally, our website is aimed at those consumers who don’t yet have a store nearby, or those who have a store with a limited range – after all, we do have over 500 product lines! And of course, it’s also aimed at the increasing number of people who like the convenience of shopping on line these days. Whichever avenue consumers use to locate Bomb Cosmetics products, we hope they never look back – once tried, never forgotten! We like to think of Bomb Cosmetics in Australia as a growing family, and we’re massive fans of the brand too…as you can probably tell!

Sending a great big thank you to Paul and Liz for taking the time to sit down with us here at The Made Up Maiden. They've also generously provided us with a discount code which will allow you 10% off your order at Get Drenched, simply enter code 'MAIDEN' at checkout to receive your discount! This code is exclusively for my readers, and only valid until the 8th of October, lovelies, so don't dawdle (I won't be receiving any benefit from this promotion aside from the joy of seeing my beloved readers try out a new brand that I love)!

I hope you enjoyed this interview, lovelies! What products are you lusting after from Get Drenched?

Much love,
MM.
x

Monday, September 30, 2013

September 2013 Her Fashion Box Review and Recap of the Blogger Brunch!

Hi lovelies!

Before we begin, a word of warning, this is going to be a very photo-heavy post! If you follow me on any of the social media channels, you might have noticed that I was fortunate enough to be invited to a blogger brunch hosted by the lovely Kath and Kerry from Her Fashion Box a couple of weeks ago. It was absolutely delightful finally meeting them in person, although I already felt like I knew them after having chatted with them for a few months through email, and from the interview I was fortunate enough to do with them a little while ago!

The blogger brunch was held at Top Paddock in Richmond, and we got to learn more about the girls and the inspiration behind the Her Fashion Box concept, together with the creative process that goes into the selection of goodies in each box. Both Kath and Kerry were wearing a few items from past boxes, and they were excellent models for their own products; it left me wanting to purchase everything that they were wearing (ladies, if you are reading this, please hurry up and open the online store)!

Here are some snapshots from the blogger brunch, just for your viewing pleasure!

The lovely table of hot pink boxes we were greeted with!
Keep reading after the jump!
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