Sydney Instameetup

Sydney Instagram Meet Up: West Elm Bondi Junction from Extra Mile Pictures on Vimeo.

Are you on Instagram? I really love it, it's so much fun. I am way better and more active on it than on most of my other social media accounts. (I am probably the worst on Twitter....never really got into it..just do the odd tweet update, sorry ppl, I somehow can't really work it out!) Instagram on the other hand, well...I could spent all my free time on. I really met some great people through it, and there is such a talented creative community down here. The great mind behind Blog Society Jaclyn Carlson invited me to join in and come to a Instagram Meetup she organized last week. She is so full of great ideas and is constantly planning the next exciting event. I got some plans to collaborate with her real soon and will keep you in the loop of what's happening. Have you ever been to an Instagram Meetup in your city? This was my first time and it was a really great night! Meeting followers and people that I have been following face to face, chatting while snacking on cheese platters & sipping delicious cocktails...amazing!!! The brand new Sydney West Elm store, full of beautiful things, was the perfect location, I paced myself though and only brought home a new candle, some stationary and plenty of ideas for our new home, although I could easily just bought half the store. (In our current one we are actually still living pretty much without furniture! As the couch & armchair we DID buy never arrived so we had to request a refund after waiting for ages!) Hope you enjoyed the little video above! Did you spot me at 1:22? I am the one taking the picture! I am looking forward to meeting you and seeing your images on Instagram mine is @liv_lundelius!

Crazy like a Coconut - Comparing Skinbooster & Multitasker Coconut Oil

How to shop for the right quality Coconut Oil: I really love a no nonsense approach to skin care, having worked in the beauty industry for years I came past quite some seasonal miracle creams, most of which fail to deliver what they promise. Are you a bit of a beauty geek and always want to know that little bit more about skincare & skin health? Well I certainly fit into that category. Have you tried Coconut oil on your skin before? Chances are you have read about it already as it's a traditional and wonderfully effective remedy! I have lately experimented a little further on how to use it correctly and learned how important it is to get the best quality. How wonderful Coconut oil is for your skin was briefly mentioned before in my Get The Glow Series. In it's natural raw state it's full of enzymes and nutrients but it's also anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and anti fungal. It's great for all skin types and contains antioxidant s to protect your skin too. Some peole even swear by it as a deodorant. I like to remove waterproof eye-makeup with it, knowing that it conditions my lashes at the same time. Being great for sensitive skin and a 100% natural product it has quickly become a beauty favorite of women all over the world. Using the average coconut oil from the supermarket, unfortunately doesn't always cut it. Even buying organic doesn't insure that you get the right oil for your skin. Cheap refined or under heat produced oils can clog your pores or simply just sit on the skin without getting absorbed properly or even worse can be full of toxins and chemicals. You can go for the best coconut oil hunt online or at your health food store, or even buy one in fancy packing from some skincare brands like RMS, if you like a nice pot in your bathroom. As you my gorgeous readers are all based in different countries around the world I rather give you a shopping checklist than a recommendation for a certain brand, so you can find an equivalent product where ever you are! The quality of a product depends on how it's made.

Your Checklist:

~The best quality is made from only fresh, not dried coconuts! ~No refining, bleaching, or deodorizing chemicals! ~No heat!...should be involved in the process! ~Centrifuge based extraction is the information you are looking out for! ~Stay away from any inferior oil which also often sells in a health food stores! ~Make sure you use only the best, purest and freshest oil for your skin!

And now: Have fun experimenting!

3 Liv's & Plenty Of Lipstick

Behind the scenes - White Magazine shoot from Nicholas Sim on Vimeo.

I just discovered that White Magazine released the little makeing off video of our previous shoot "Sweet Moments". Can you spot the little sweet & cheeky flowergirl? Her name was Liv as well, so we had a lot of name confusion fun , as we had 3 Liv's on this shoot. Makeup Liv, aka me, Little Liv aka Flowergirl and big Liv, who was our gorgeous model for the day. Little Liv loved my lip glosses, and the only way we could make her collaborate was to constantly top up her lips with some sparkle... and a pink brush, obvsly. It really made my day to see this. Hope you enjoy too!

Credits: Location Mindaribba House Photography Ben Adams Hair Toni & Guy Makeup Liv Lundelius Florals Oh Fleur Models Olivia Bourillian, Amy Cooper, Olivia Henry Gown Lisa Brown

One Fine Day in Sydney

Are you keen on meeting some of the most creative, fun & talented wedding vendors from down under? I met up with the great minds behind the One Fine Day fair: Nadean, Jess and Marissa to help create the images for the latest OFD campaign. It was so much fun creating the makeup for this very elaborate evening themed wedding shoot, I am so in love with that huge flower headpiece and the sequins dress... I chose a warm deep wine colour for the lips and a warm peach with bronzer & contour on the cheek for this dramatic but radiant look. The eyes I kept classic and smokey with plenty of mascara. It's important to keep the skin light and radiant as a balance. While I most of the time love a more natural look for brides, with all the extravaganza & red carpet styling in this shoot I feel that this makeup just ties in and works with the dim lighting. What do you think? Would you go for a bold lip or smokey eye for your wedding?

Don't miss out on the next ONE FINE DAY fair in Sydney which is coming up in September. The last One Fine Day Fair in February was so much fun! Check out my little post about it here. I met the most wonderful people and can't wait for the next one. Come by and say hello, I am looking forward to seeing you there!

My can't live without wedding makeup products...

I got asked to let White Magazine readers know about my favourite makeup products in my kit for a feature in their current print issue. I listed: Make Up Forever HD Foundation, Avene Thermal Water Spray, Tata Harper Aromatherapy treatments, Hourglass Veil primer (be careful on dark skin and in flash photography with this one!) and Laura Mercier Powder Unviseral! There are definitely more, like my fav concealer, which is By Terry Touche Veloutee and there are so many great products out there, that this small feature couldn't list them all! Please get in touch if you have any questions in regards to the products! I am happy to answer all of them. This is NOT a sponsored or promotional post, all recommendations represent my own opinion

Do you have staple products that you are loving so much, you feel you will use them forever? Or do you keep changing your products around, always on the hunt for the lastest beauty trends?