A monthly column featuring beauty news, product reviews and product of the month.

ELIZABETH ARDEN | CELEBRATES 100 YEARS

On Counter: May 2010

When Elizabeth Arden opened her doors, she was pioneering against a backlash from Queen Victoria in 1880 who said that wearing makeup was considered impolite. Despite Cleopatra crushing carmine beetles in 60 BC to stain her lips and the trend of red lips continuing well onto in the 1500s, cosmetics were outlawed in 1770, with the British Parliament stating that women could be sent to trial for wooing men with makeup to wed.

Thank goodness then for womankind, that Elizabeth Arden created her signature red lipstick in 1910 to signify the power of femininity. Arden was also an avid supporter of the Suffragette movement, with many of them wearing red lipstick as a symbol of independence. Red lisptick then powered on into the 40s, with Arden creating signature colours such as Victory Red to coordinate with the women of the military. Icons such as Elizabeth Taylor then continued to perpetuate the red lipstick movement, cementing it as a symbol of strength, beauty and timeless elegance.

So, what better way to commemorate 100 years of Elizabeth Arden than with a classic and eternally stylish sheer red lipstick called “Red Door Red”? The only thing more beautiful than this lipstick is the fact that ALL its proceeds will be donated to the “Look Good Feel Better” Foundation which helps sufferers of cancer restore their self confidence and beauty.

“Created in 1930 by Elizabeth Arden to soothe and protect skin, the Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant was an instant and overwhelming success. Even its legendary name is said to have come about in a remarkable way. As the story goes, a loyal client used it to treat her child’s skinned knee and ‘eight hours later’ the skin looked ‘all better’.”

Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream is a cult classic which soothes, restores, calms, relieves and protects skin from the harsh elements – not surprisingly, it’s called “the miracle cream”. This anniversary collection includes the Eight Hour Cream along with a lip balm enriched with the hydrating an healing benefits of Vitamin E.

The Red Door fragrance has been a best seller since its inception in 1989. Selected notes from this classic floral fragrance have been selected to create the Anniversrary Scented Candle. The candle’s fragrance comprises of Orange Flower, Ylang Ylang, and Freesia; balanced with Bergamot, Peony and  Lily of the Valley.

BORNE NAKED | INDULGENCE PACKS

Borne Naked has two new brilliant handbag liners to add to your collection. For a limited time only, you can buy the Indulgence Liners which include tres beautiful products from such brands as MOR, Glasshouse and Be Genki. Perfect for Mother’s Day or the fashionista who wants to be sure she is always carrying a little bit of luxury wherever she goes.

HUGO BOSS | CELEBRATION OF HAPPINESS LIMITED EDITION

If you like Alberta Ferretti, then you are sure to love Celebration of Happiness. The fragrance is delicate and soft, yet memorable. It opens with the freshness of sweet apples and white peaches, which harmonises with a heart of white flowers, plum and sweet orange blossom. The base note of vanilla beautifully balances the femininity of the florals, to create a sophisticated and enchanting scent.

I would buy it for the bottle alone (just for how lovely it would look on my dressing table) but smelling its fragrance for the first time, will mean that it will become a must have for any serious fragrance fanatic’s collection.

LADY GAGA’S DANCERS GO GAGA OVER NYLON HAIR

When Lady GaGa’s dancers came to Melbourne, they descended upon Nylon Hair quicker than you can say p-p-p-poker face. “The vibe in the salon was electric. As soon as  GaGa’s dancers came you could feel the energy in the salon change. They asked us to create new colours and cuts for them that turn heads; bold sharp lines and colours with a Toyko feel.” says Nylon Hair Director Jason Panda.

The dancers went so gaga over the fabulous work of Jason and his team, they returned to Nylon Hair for the last leg of their tour.

ADORE BEAUTY TURNS 10

Adore Beauty’s range of fabulous beauty brands are always growing – Australia’s number one beauty e-tailer’s latest additions include MOROCCANOIL, Medik8, Rubis, Inika and Mason Pearson.

You can purchase with confidence from Adore Beauty, as all products sold are guaranteed authentic – unlike taking your chances on eBay with all those horror stories of people filling up fake La Mer jars with Nivea cream.

“Nearly 1 million beauty junkies visit every year to discuss all things beauty in the forum, read about all the latest beauty industry news in BeautyIQ, review their latest purchases in beauty reviews, and of course shop for all their favourites and new must-haves.”

Click here to visit Adore Beauty’s website to peruse their extensive range of beauty products that can be delivered straight to your door step – what’s not to love?

Don’t forget to visit Adore Beauty’s Facebok page, and leave your birthday greeting to be in the running for a $250 voucher.

LAUREN LUKE | LOOKS BOOK RELEASED

If you don’t know who Lauren Luke is, then you surely must have been hiding under some kind of rock or a mountain of lipstick. She is the Queen of You Tube, with more hits than the BBC (and, yes, even more than than that wedding dance), with her makeup tutorials that teach everyday women to look like celebrities.

Lauren herself is sure to be taken aback by her success, but she shouldn’t be, because we all love her for her humbleness, because we can relate to her – just like we all do with Bridget Jones (go on, admit it, inside of everyone of us, yes you, is a Bridget, who isn’t coping, vulnerable and neurotic at least some of the time).

I am a huge fan of Lauren myself, and am super keen to get my hands on a copy of her book.

OPI | IT’S ALL ABOUT TAUPE

I was lucky enough to visit the OPI nail bar in David Jones for a fabulous manicure by the OPI girls. It was oh so hard to choose a colour from the myriad of OPI shades available, but when I saw “Tickle My France-Y”, I was S.O.L.D. The manicure took perfect care of my cuticles and the lacquer lasted a long time due to the quality of OPI and the care and attention my nail therapist.

I have been searching for the perfect pinky undertone taupe for nearly ten years, since I spotted a girl wearing it on her toe nails in a yoga class. Alas – the colours I found in my quest, always had an orange undertone to them which did not suit my cool complexion.

Finally finding Tickle Me France-y has completed my life in a way which words can not express. No matter what is happening, or how bad life gets, I can always flash my hands and say, well at least I have good nails.

If you are a fan of taupe, you can also try “Over The Taupe” and “You Don’t Know Jacques” – they graduate in depth of colour respectively.

BENEFIT | IT’S ALL ABOUT THE EYES

I am head over heels for Benefit’s “Big Beautiful Eyes”. It features a palette with under eye concealer and three beautiful shades that seem to compliment everyone’s skin tone.

This fabulous new kit from Benefit contains a collection of Benefit’s much loved concealers and primers – all you need for concealing your spots and dark under eye circles; and brightening your eyes and face: including Lemonaid, Face Primer, Boing and Erase Paste.

We all know how important brows are to framing our face (so important that I am painstakingly letting mine grow out so that they can be reshaped), which is why I adore the brow-zings set from Benefit. It contains all the tools you need to keep your perfectly waxed brow in shape, along with a wax based conditioner to keep unruly hairs in place and a colour to build up and define your brows.

SKII | FACIAL TREATMENT MASK

Packed full of Pitera, this mask is ultra hydrating and healing, and also leaves you with the famous SKII crystal clear glow. It is perfect to use before a special occasion (I recommend all brides use these weekly in the 3 month lead up to their wedding) or when your skin needs a boost. There is a lot of leftover gel, so be sure to save that for another time – but do not reuse the cloth mask. I also suggest that if you are not going out, that you leave the gel on overnight, instead of washing it off, for a more intensified treatment.

This month’s beauty video is from none other than Lauren Luke – the undeniable Queen of not only You Tube, but online make-up tutorials.

NAPOLEON | SUMMER LOVER’S TANNING MOUSSE

If there is one thing I am obsessive compulsive about, it is fake tan. A tan should always look natural, but many brands are not only orange, but difficult to apply. This gem is not only brown, but it’s so easy to apply that it is almost foolproof.

As it is a mousse, you can immediately see where it has been applied and the colour is instant – so you can see if there are any streaks and you can also rub it off if you have been over zealous with your application. It will enhance a little darker over time, but generally what you see is what you get.

I do recommend that you use gloves as it will stain your hands otherwise, and I found it too dark for my face (I looked like Oomfoofoo from a tribal village in Africa), but when it comes to the body, this is in my top 3 fake tanners of all time.