Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia begins next week and so begins the frenetic process of preparing to attend one of the most important weeks in Australia for the Fashion and Beauty scene.
We depart on Sunday for a few days to cover the looks of fashion and beauty as beautiful models strut down the runway, and in the lead-up, I’ve spent some time to ensure that I have the right look for MBFWA and that means not only getting my outfits all prepped, but also ensuring that I have covered all the beauty prep that I need to finish off my MBFWA look.
Beauty prep is sometimes overlooked when you’re getting ready for a special event. But the key is to ensure that you also focus on the things that will really help pull your whole look together. After all, you can have the most fabulous dress on but if your beauty look hasn’t had the same attention during preparation then that dress may as well have stayed on the rack.
Prepping your face
We all know that when you feel great inside, you look even more fabulous on the outside. So one of the things that I do first is to make sure that I focus on me and that means regular massages and facials. Most people think these are indulgent but I honestly believe incorporating these into your regular self maintenance regime will help you build a better you.
Emma Winter at Body Balance, suggests combining organic facial and remedial hot stone massages. “Remedial massage helps to focus on the neck, upper back and shoulders, helping with posture as the shoulders become more relaxed rather than hunched up around the ears”. Improved posture gives you a more confident poise, especially important when you’re wearing heels and also helpful if you’re normal working environment has you hunching over your computer at your desk.
A good organic facial including a facial massage will rejuvenate your face. I learnt from Emma that there are over 30 muscles in the face alone. Having these muscles massaged and treated with nourishing organic face products will set the perfect base for your beauty look.
Once you’ve made time to care for your skin, make sure you keep hydrated by moisturising. This will set the perfect base for you to apply makeup.
Find more information on achieving make up looks in our Get The Look coverage in Beauty.
Hair preparation
Glossy locks will help any outfit. In addition to using good shampoo and conditioner, (I recommend Kevin.Murphy Angel Hair range) using treatments such as Eleven Miracle Hair treatment will help to to soften and hydrate your hair. Clarifying products such as Redken Cleansing Cream will also help to remove any build up of copper, iron, minerals and styling product build-up will add to shine.
Trips to the hair dresser will also help with hair maintenance. Split ends are removed and depending on your style, frequent visits will help maintain the style that you want.
Nail preparation
The good thing about nail preparation is that you can get it done professionally at a nail salon, or you can do it at home!
If you have the right tools at home, make sure you prepare the nails prior to applying polish. This involves removing cuticles, shaping your nails and buffing. This will provide a smooth surface for you to apply your base coat, your polish and your top coat.
For a pedicure, the same rules apply, however do invest in a good scrub to exfoliate your feet and remove dead skin. Also it is recommended to moisturise your feet to ensure that you have soft supple feet!
Alternatively you can have a manicure and a pedicure at a nail salon. With new nail salons popping up all over the place, this has become a more convenient option. There is increasing popularity of the Shellac manicure that involves using UV light to harden the polish so that at the end of the manicure, you can walk away and operate as normal without fear of ruining your nails!
Our favourite go-to colours are O.P.I’s Linkin Park After Dark (a super dark nail colour), Chanel’s Rouge Noir (a dark black red), Essie’s Ballet Slippers (soft pink/natural) and L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche Vernis in Burgundy Diva (a deep Burgundy).
Putting it all together
With only two days before we depart for Sydney, I’ve ticked off most of my beauty prep. Now I just have to figure out what to wear!
Thanks to Emma Winter at Body Balance in Balgowlah, NSW. For more information on remedial massage and organic facials, check out Emma at www.emmawinter.com.au
Images via Remedial Massage, Redken, Eleven Hair, OPI.
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