ABC of Me - Madame Rouge

Here is something a bit different for you all, its a post that i read on the ever fab MsSparkleArkle's blog, that she had sen on the beautiful molly's blog so i figured i would jump on the band wagon and give you some fun info all about you guessed it ME...

A. Age: 30

B. Bed size: King

C. Chore you hate: The dishes

D. Day:  Friday

E. Essential start to your day: A cup of tea my hubby brings me every morning before I get up


F. Favourite colour:  Red and black

G. Gold or Silver: 
Gold

H. Height: 167 cm

I. Instruments: Violin ( I haven’t played in years )

J. Job title: Makeup Artist

K. Kids: yes 6


L. Lives: North of Brisbane QLD

M. Mum’s name: Robin spelt like the bird


N. Nicknames: Dee (call me Des and you dead) lol

O. Overnight hospital stays:  length of time: 5 nights for first two babies, then two nights with the others, 6 nights for gallbladder, a few nights in emergency here and there


P. Pet peeve: People who judge a book by its cover, we all lead very different paths that make us who we are

Q. Quote from a movie:  ????

 R. Right or left handed: Right


S. Siblings: One sister Emma who was 2 years younger than me, passed away tragically in 2007

U. Underwear: Much bigger than they used to be…


V. Vegetables you dislike: cauliflower can’t stand the stuff

W. What makes you run late: The kids, or my mum we used to tell her we had to be were ever we needed to go 20 mins before we really had to just so we were only a little bit late.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: collar bone as a child (broke it riding a trike on a trampoline), teeth.

Y. Yummy food you make: 
 Spinach and ricotta cannelloni

Z. Zoo: ??? Animal I don’t really have a favorite…

Hope you found that either insightful or funny, have a go leave me a link to your post in the comments below 

What’s in my kit -

I have been asked on many occasions to do a collection video, and to be honest its not a concept I feel totally comfortable with. They are one of my favorite style of blog/vlog to read/watch. But I’m not sure I want to cope with the backlash of hater comments that seem to come with the territory.  I also do not want to make other’s feel inadequate, makeup is not only my job, it is also my hobby and about my only vice. So I have a huge amount of makeup that has taken me over a decade to collect.

So instead I figured I would try and do a post that would be helpful to some, I am not saying this is a hard and fast list of all the things one has to have in their kits, but this is what is in mine at the moment. As a working MUA my kit changes all the time. The staple items tend to stay the same but if you looked at a picture of my kit from 5 years ago compared to now it would be very different.

Trends change, as does technology and the products available to us. The professional makeup market in Australia is growing in leaps and bounds, ten years ago I had to buy almost everything from overseas, at a huge cost and inconvenience. 

So here it is I will show you picture of my Kit and all the contents, I will also try and show you how I organize it all, any tips or ideas are welcomed with open arms, as are product recommendations.

The train case itself is one I purchased from EBay about 2 years ago. From memory it was about $180, I think. It has been great, until about 6 months ago and it has been down hill since. The quality isn’t marvelous but it has done the job. I am currently looking for a new case, but I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for. I like how compact the Zuca’s are but I like being able to open the top of this one up and work out of it.

It comes in two parts, a top section with lots of smaller compartments. And a larger bottom part that is all one big container. I use the top section to store all my smaller items like liners, mascaras, eyelash glue etc. The bottom of the top section holds all my pallets and bigger items like my disposable kit.

The bottom section (the biggest of them all) holds all the bulky items, my airbrush system, towels for cleaning brushes on and the trays with all my powders that are not in pallet form. Also al my airbrush foundations and blushes/ highlighters. I also keep my brush apron in here and trays of false lashes. My fix +, makeup remover, brush cleaner and beauty so clean also live here.

I’m not going to list all the products as it would take forever and make this post crazy long, but I will give brief brand overviews etc.

My pencils are a combination of MAC, Makeup forever, NYX, Chanel, Dior, and a few other random brands.

My mascaras are MAC, Makeup forever, Lancome, Dior, Eyeko, Covergirl and more.

The lip glosses are a collection of mostly MAC, NARS, NYX, Inglot and Max Factor.

I use Duo adhesive for eyelash glue.  I have some MAC strobe cream .  One pair of small scissors.

I have a couple of different primers in my kit one clear one and a green one for correcting redness.  I also have a Matt cream from MAC.

I have a collection of lip tars from OCC, and some MUFE Aqua creams.

I have a concealer wheel from Temptu and individual studio finish concealers from MAC, and the MUFE 5 camouflage cream palette.

I have a selection of gel eyeliners, and a selection of the Urbane Decay 24/7 liners.

I have water based mixing medium that I use for making eyeliners from powders.

In my kit I always carry a large number of false lashes, both individual lashes and full strip lashes.

I also carry MUFE HD translucent powder.

The palettes I take are 2, 6 pan blush palettes from mac. A “Z” palette full of MAC eye shadows, mostly neutral colours.

A second “Z” palette full of  Kryolan Eye shadows.

And a 3^rd “Z” palette with a selection of Bright MAC eye shadows.

I also have the Ben Nye Lumiere Grande colour Palette, that I use for special effects and body painting.

I use the OCC Airbush foundation at the moment, along with their Airbrush blush and highlighter’s.

I also have some MAC Micronised airbrush foundations.

I have a small range of MAC’s Face and body foundations, and the MAC full coverage foundations as well.

As for my brushes there are far to many to list so I will do a separate post about my brushes in the near future.

If you have any hints on storage or products you think I need to include in my kit please let me know. Also if you have any question about any aspect of this post please let me know I am more than happy to help.

Rae Morris Brush Launch

I was really fortunate to be invited along to the sneak peak at the ever-fabulous Rae Morris’s brush collection.

While I was in Sydney for the ABBW I was able to attend this event, something I would not have had the pleasure to attend otherwise.

Photo courtesy of Sweaty Betty PR

It was really exciting for me, as a makeup artist not only to get an early look see at her brushes but also to get some insider hints and tricks from one of my idols.

Rae was so generous to invite us into her studio, an incredible space. I could have spent days there.  She was also really generous with her time. In showcasing her brushes and their uses she also gave us some invaluable makeup tips.

The brush collection contains 27, yes that’s right 27 beautiful hand crafted brushes. An extensive set that would, make all other brushes obsolete. I was really impressed at the quality of all the brushes. Rae’s willingness to let us touch and feel all the brushes was testament to her pride in the product she has produced.

As a makeup artist I was super impressed at the thought that Rae had put into catering to the gaps in the brush market, there is a brush for every job. The brushes are also magnetic, genius!!!

I was lucky to be given one of the brushes at the event and since then I have been “playing” with it constantly I have used it on myself and on clients and we all were impressed the softness of the brushes, it’s second to none.  I have used the harshest of cleaners on the brush, and it is still as soft as the day I received it.

The brush I was given

Photo Courtesy of Sweaty Betty PR

The brushes are cruelty free and environmentally sustainable, the handles are made from recycled bamboo, and the brush hairs are non -dyed blue squirrel. The process of extracting the fur is so cruelty free that it has earnt the USA PETA approval.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sweaty Betty PR for inviting me along to this wonderful event and Rae for taking the time to welcome me into her studio and sharing her knowledge.

To learn more about Rae Morris or her brush line head to her website

The Weekend that was – ABBW2011 – Sunday

Another smashing day was on the cards, first port of call was the Novotel for the Alpha H skincare breakfast event.  I have to be honest before ABBW2011 I had very little knowledge about the brand and their products. The name was familiar to me but that’s as far as it went.

Images taken by Liz Giacco for The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend, and are not to be reproduced, republished or reused without inclusion of this credit. Images remain the property of The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend.

 So I went along with open arms ready to find out more. I was blown away with the Australian owned and run company, the CEO Michelle Doherty had such passion for her brand, and showed such belief in her products it was captivating. Karen ledbury was there as a guest speaker and a devoted Liquid Gold consumer. Her love for the products was evident in her passionate speech.

I was very excited to here about the products and with the skin concerns I have at the moment it seemed like they may just be the answers to my prayers.

Images taken by Liz Giacco for The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend, and are not to be reproduced, republished or reused without inclusion of this credit. Images remain the property of The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend.

We had a short break then it was time for the Face of Australia master class. Tina the brands manager and also a fellow blogger was on hand to tell us all about their brand and products. It was great to have some of the products in front of us to discover, while MUA kirsty Delores recreated some of the key looks from the Face of Australia Look book for us.  We also got to take our newly discovered treasures home with us to continue to “play” with.

It was time for a much needed break, it had been a big weekend and we were all starting to feel it, so of we went for a spot of lunch and some chit chat with my blogger darlings.

After the break we were back all system a go, ready for the keynote speaker Bahar Entima from Rescu.com.au. The event was kindly sponsored by Proctor and Gamble. Bahra discussed her career and told us the key points she felt would help insure our success and help us build relationships with the brands and PR companies we work with.

Some of the audience didn’t appreciate her approach as they feel that she was targeted towards “professional” bloggers and a lot of the bloggers at the even consider themselves “hobby” bloggers.

Personally I am only new to blogging but feel that as a makeup artist it is part of my job, and no matter what level you are blogging at she had some really relevant ideas. I learnt a lot of skills to help me along my blogging journey.

It was now time to say our sorrowful goodbyes to the wonderful women who we all felt like we knew like family by the end of the weekend.

I am having trouble putting into words how extraordinary this weekend was for me. I have had the best time not only meeting my fellow bloggers, also getting the most valuable inside information from some of the forefront in the beauty industry.

So a huge thank you to all involved the incredible Jacie and Kimmie, the uber generous sponsors and the bloggers who all made this weekend what is was.

 I hope to see you there next year.........

The Weekend that was – The ABBW – how it went down- Saturday

If there has ever been a window of time in my life that I have gained so much knowledge and personal enjoyment, as I did during the ABBW, I certainly can’t remember it.

Saturday morning – IMATS

I don’t think the foyer at the Ibis has ever held a more beautiful group of patrons. The buzz in the air was thick with anticipation and nerves, there were familiar faces everywhere, but do I dare say hello???

We all merged into the front of the convention center ready and raring to get into IMATS.

Images taken by Liz Giacco for The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend, and are not to be reproduced, republished or reused without inclusion of this credit. Images remain the property of The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend

By the time we got inside it was already heaving with patrons credit cards in hand. I am not going to go into a lot of detail about IMATS in this post as it needs one of its own so keep an eye out for that. Here I will just tell you about the aspects of IMATS that were included in the ABBW.

One of our very generous sponsors Royal and Langnickle the brush company, had set up a ABBW2011 only media room, OMG what more can I say, I felt like a rock star, drinks, snacks, manicures, makeovers and plush lounge chairs to indulge in and catch our breath.  Also a great place to meet our fellow bloggers and have a chat. Thank you so much Royal and Langnickle.

Images taken by Liz Giacco for The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend, and are not to be reproduced, republished or reused without inclusion of this credit. Images remain the property of The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend

After the morning at IMATS it was time to move on to the next even one I was really looking forward to, the Beauty Directory ………….., the fabulous Jackie Maxted the managing director of BD was a fountain of knowledge and I gained so many hints and tips on how to interact with PR companies and how to conduct myself at events ect.

We then had a round table workshop with the help of the BD staff discussing different aspects of blogging, my table were sharing the challenges we have faced working with PR’s and trying to overcome them. It was really rewarding to discuss the subject with not only someone who works in the industry but also my fellow bloggers.

The lovely Eleanor Pendelton the beauty editor of In Style Australia and our own Kimmi from the Plastic diaries were also part of a panel discussion talking about similar topics.  

Maxted Thomas Gala -

It was then time for me to head back to my room for a cup of tea, and tart myself up for the Maxted Thomas Gala. I was so excited…

We arrived at the Establishment hotel ready for the gala to begin. The venue was beautiful, the ornate celling’s are incredible.

My delight at the venue continued well after I had arrived, the ballroom and its foyer had been beautifully decorated; it had a “fairytale” feel.                                               

Some of the brands that the company represents were gathered ready to share their knowledge and products with us. I was handed a much-appreciated glass of bubbles, and off I went.

My first stop was at the Orly set up where I made an appointment to try their Gel FX polish system. I then made my way over to the Burt’s Bees display where the ever helpful Emma talked me through some of their new products, she was also kind enough to let me sit on her cozy sofa and discreetly swap my 4 inch heels for a pair of ballet flats I had hidden in my handbag.  

It was then time to sit and have my nails done by the friendly Orly team, I had the GelFX polish in Pink chocolate, I love the colour.

It only has a few minutes before dinner so I quickly made my way to the Nivea display and had a chat to the informative staff there. I was really interested in their sunscreen products, as the parent of 4 small children two of which are super fair skinned in am always on the look out for new sunscreen.

Molly, Stevie, Myself, Lou, Emma and Karyn

I made my way into the ballroom ready for dinner it was so pretty inside; I found my table and found my seat. I loved that our places were designated, it gave us a chance to talk to other bloggers that we may not have other wise. 

The food was incredible; I loved all three courses, and the wine that went with them. 

This was probably my favorite even of the weekend, the food, the fantastic company, and the generous brands that were happy to share their products and time with us. I cannot thank them enough. The whole Maxted Thomas team should be very proud it was a wonderful evening that I feel very fortunate to have been apart of.

Melissa and I 

 Images taken by Liz Giacco for The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend, and are not to be reproduced, republished or reused without inclusion of this credit. Images remain the property of The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend

The Weekend that was – The ABBW2011 – Preparations

I was anticipating this even like no other. So much planning and hype went into this extravaganza, not only from the wonderful event organizers i.e., Kimmi from the plastic diaries and Jacie from you’ve got Nail, but also the 85 attendees and all the extraordinary sponsors.

As the time crept closer the buzz surrounding this groundbreaking happening gained so much momentum, it was impossible not to get drawn into the excitement.  

Twitter was becoming addictive as I wanted/ needed to know all the processes and happenings the other bloggers were busying themselves with in preparation for the ABBW.  

My preparations started well before the weekend, I hate to admit but as I get older it takes me twice as long to look half as good as I used to, so preparation was crucial. I had planned on some serious skin care intervention and some hardcore outfit shopping but alas, I got super busy with work and all plans had to be done away with.

Last thing Thursday night I started packing my bags, I had taken note of Jacie and Kimmi's pleads not to over pack.  I was very good and only gave myself one outfit for each day, and an evening dress for the gala dinner. I packed minimal makeup and skincare and even left my trusty GHD at home. One pair of flats and one pair of heels and I was good to go.

My flight left at 8.25 so I left home at 4am to head into Brisbane and give myself plenty of time to park the car and check in on time. I arrived in Sydney shortly after 10am, ready to start the festivities.

I arrived at the Ibis Darling Harbor and checked in and waited for my roomie Steph from Jeneara cosplay to arrive.  She arrived soon after with the lovely Stacey from Addtocartblog in toe. It had started… I had finally got to put faces to names and meet some of the fantastic ladies that I had been “speaking” to online for so long.  We wandered down to have some lunch and catch up.  The girls headed of to Benefit and I went back to the room to put my feet up before heading off the Rae Morris Brush Launch event.

I had the pleasure of meeting up with the beautiful and welcoming Melissa from missmakeuplover1 and Emma from EmmaBovarybeauty, who were also heading to the Rae Morris event.

We made our way to Rae’s studio were we met some more of the lovely ABBW attendees, Anita, Molly, Angie, Sarah and others (I’m sorry if I have left you out it was a big weekend)

(I will write another post about the event at a later date)

We then all tried to make our way to the Novotel to register for the weekend, but getting a cab was proving very difficult we eventually flagged one down and begged him to send more, after some feverish tweeting begging the ladies to wait for us to arrive, we all finally got there and I got to meet the two women, that made this whole weekend happen. If the smile and embrace I received from the darling miss Jacie was all I received from the ABBW I would have gone home happy, she made me feel so welcome.

After my 4am start I was buggered, I beautiful Thai meal with Emma and Melissa was a god sent then into bed for me, ready to start the festivities.