Event: Oprah at the Sydney Oprah House

Oprah does the Sydney Oprah House

Yes you can guess this isn't a beauty blog post...so if you are not interested I suggest you leave now! ;-)

Well now down to blogging business, I have a few big events & shows on my "to-do" list for my lifetime...a few I have already done in the last few years or am due to do next year: Fleetwood Mac live in concert (tick), IMATS (tick), Billy Connollly show (ticked in for next year)...but I never imagined that I would get the chance to go to see an Oprah show (ok, ok, plus it would involve going to the US & doing some much dreamed about shopping at Sephora, Ulta, CCO's & any of those beauty havens we here so much about in Australia).

I mean seriously, as much as I would love to go to the US that probably won't happen for a very long time & the Big O is retiring from her talk-show circuit so how could I possibly go? So in comes Oprah Winfrey's with one of her bigger than big shows in her season finale, that she is organising here in Sydney at the Opera House on Tuesday 14th December.

Construction underway on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House for the Oprah show on the 14th December

I tried my luck at winning some tickets to the morning or afternoon taping. Heck, I was poised at 10am waiting to log in to www.oprah.com when registration went up on the random "lottery win" style draw.

Unfortunately I missed out on round one of the allocated forecourt seating but somehow I made it into round two for seating on the monumental steps & I mean on the steps as the guidelines stiplulate to save any confusion, "you will sit ON the Monumental Steps; chairs are NOT available in this area". But hey, I am very, very excited & am just plain happy to get this experience I would sit on the Sydney Opera house roof! (although cannot say the same for my "guest" which is the none-too-happy-about-it hubby)

Pleased as spicy punch I have been waiting to be able to pick up tickets which have been available for pick up from the box office at The Sydney Opera House since 9am this morning until 6pm & then only for one more day tomorrow. Of course I tried to get there early today, but needless to say so did the other thousands of people that are also going along.

At least we had something to speculate on while waiting in the long queue: on who the hundreds of people were poised at the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with a helicopter taking footage of them, maybe the 300 plus guests Oprah brought with her? Indeed this turned out to be the case & you can view details of Oprah & her entourages climb at the Sydney Morning Herald site.

You can just make out little dots on the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge - Oprah & her entourage!

Oh, did I mention that there are about 5,000 people attending for each taping session? (then again that number was discussed back & fourth amongst the people queuing so guesses range between 3,000 to 6,000). All I know is that there was a LOT of people lined up all around the Opera House & I considered myself lucky to have made it through the queue in over an hour.

Details on the event at the Sydney Opera House

I have no doubt that there will be a quack load more queuing on the day & it will either be ridiculously hot or tropical & raining like mad on the day. Either way I fear hubby & I will be carrying ponchos (umbrellas not allowed), sunscreen, water & sun-hats, just in case (of course these necessities must be in an appropriate, mid size bag approved for the day).

The list of "important points to remember" attached to the congratulatory email announcing my ticket reads more like I am to be entering the pentagon. But security appears to be a big must for the day & so I should be with the madness & hype surrounding Ms Winfreys whirlwind visit.

On the day of the show queuing to the morning show starts at 7:30am, admission at 8am but taping won't actually start until 10am. Yes, it will be a bit of a wait ahead for all the thousands going. We start queuing along Macquarie Street to get to the Sydney Opera House & public transport is well recommended.

I would love to be able to film or take lots of pictures of the show once in the forecourt but use of any photographic equipment is prohibited so I may end up taking pictures of the queue & any general hollabalah that will surround the circumference of the site. I must admit the set up of the stage area around the forecourt & steps looked impressive (as below)

So although this is in no way my usual blog post or anything to do with beauty I will endeavour to record here details after the event, so wish me luck queuing again on Tuesday!

Overview: A Hair Tale - Argan Oil

Oh Hair, Oh Hair has another month gone?!

An Argan Oil Tale...

Well...finally doing a post. How can it have been a month since my last one? Where, oh where has the time gone? Then again I am usually updating YouTube but I have seriously missed blogging.

I decided to do a post on a product that I have only been road testing for 5 nights (well I picked it up Saturday, used it that night & have used it everyday since including tonight!).

Now, I know that this is not really long enough to really put a product through its paces, especially a haircare product. BUT my goodness I have never had such a noticable response to a hair product...& frankly & I even loving it more than my most beloved Andrew Collinge Perfect Endings, TRESemme Heat Tamer, & Schwarzkopf Nutri-Protect Leave in Conditioner (pictured below).

My Beloved Trio of hair care

In fact, this newly acquired product is like a combination of all three...the visible & effects that is. Now, cue drum-roll....dun da da daaaaa!! It is the Agadir Argan Oil Spray Treatment (yes, I do love spray treatments!)

Agadir Argan Oil Spray Treatment, 150 ml

This is the 150ml bottle that I picked up at SA Hair, Nail & Beauty Supplies for $23.95 which also comes boxed with an Argan oil Hair Treatment sample (7.5ml).

http://www.sahairsupplies.com.au/

Now the beloved trio I mentioned before would have cost that for all three of the products & I did baulk a little at the price for one item. However, with encouragement from Jade (aka jadegrrrl on YouTube as she has tried Argan oil before) I decided it was worth a go.

It is in a pump bottle & is alcohol free, is not tested on animals & the dark amber coloured bottle is also recycable (can I get three hoorahs?). It is also 100% Certified Argan Oil. To see more on the range you can visit the site http://www.agadirint.com/

I have seen many a review raving about the wonders of Argan oil which is produced from the nuts of the Argan Tree (argania spinosa) that is native to Morocco. The oil is supposedly rich in Vitamin E, Omega's & essential fatty acids good for conditioning, hydrating & hydrating dry damaged hair. No surprise then that my hair is the dreaded double d's! Not to mention known to frizz dramatically in hot humid (& stormy) weather like we are experiencing now.

The directions tout to spray on damp hair, comb & style or spray over styled hair for a silky shine. It also states on the bottle that it protects against "heat appliance & chemical damage". Well I haven't died or lightened my hair recently but I have indeed blow dried & hot ironed it.

The first night I got it I only had an hour to get ready to go to dinner so I thought I would try & use it to revitalise my slightly damp hair. (It had been raining & I hoped I could style it quickly). So I sprayed it lightly onto my hair midway through my hair to the ends only brushing it through & then gave a quickblow dry & brush.

Ok this is not a comparison shot of my hair but I wanted to fill in the space so for a laugh I popped in a shot of me getting my hair done by the lovely Romeo on my wedding day...he is a great hairdresser!

Well, much to my amazement my hair felt very silky (at least in comparison to what it had felt like a few minutes beforehand!) & was very shiny. I wanted to do one of those shampoo adds & flick my hair around under some bright lights. But I didn't have time for that so I had to finish getting ready.

I almost didn't put on any perfume as the spray itself is fairly potent a sweet yet musky fragrance which reminds me quite a lot of Cacharel's Lou Lou (the light blue bottle that I used to wear in college).

When I was out to dinner with the hubby he actually mentioned how shiny my hair looked. That does not happen often (e.g. uninvited compliments about my hair & I was still in shock how quickly it made a difference!) I am usually pretty skeptical about claims of products & normally like to try products for at least a full month before I truly get to appreciate the effects.

But since I was so immeditately impressed I have kept using it, thinking it may have been because my hair was so "down" that day & the effect I thought I was seeing was merely because it was just something different on my hair than the old "routine". (To get an idea of my hair "routine" check out my old youtube post, well before I discovered Andrew Collinge Perfect Endings...view link here)

So needless to say I have since used it everyday but I still haven't even missed reaching for my "beloved trio" when I was drying & styling my hair no matter what shampoo I have used.

I haven't even reached for my back up heat styling product - istyle by samy Hot Iron Spray (which I interchange with the TRESemme Heat Tamer), any other treatments or any of my league of hydrating, frizz taming or deep conditioners.

Each time I use it whether during styling or as a spray & "shine" my hair feels softer, looks "shiner & healthier" & smells pretty good too. So although it is early days yet to see any longer effects, I wanted to say that I am currently loving this product. I will do a full review in a few months time on my youtube channel & also on here so stayed tuned!

Also a blog & Youtube link love shout out to the lovely ladies that we met up on Saturday when I got this lovely product...

Jadegrrrl (Jade)

Anobsessionwiththefabulous blog (Angie) youtube

Beeneelicious (Sabine)

Beatideas (Holly)

Swatchgirl (Lara)

Vulcanellaxo (Anita)

GillPill (Gilly)

theplasticdiaries

Review: Sigma Travel Set (Nice in Pink)

Sigma Travel Set

Nice in Pink

I received this travel set over a month ago from Sigma Makeup - www.sigmabeauty.com

So I used this for four weeks before posting my review to Youtube -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spd5jJpaSu4

I was impressed by the packaging & it would be nice to send as a gift to someone needing a travel set as pictured below...(it also comes in black)

Also included is a brochure on the brushes in the set. However, this has the old Sigma numbering system "SS" followed by the corresponding MAC brush number. This has since been changed & brushes have a new number with "E" or "F" at the beginning to designate "Eye" or "Face" brushes.

There is also a Cleaning Instructions card which recommends cleaning them before using which I followed. (I used a gentle shampoo, in this case baby shampoo).

There are 7 brushes in the roll - 4 "F" & three "E" types. From left to right: Large Powder F30, Angled Contour F40, Duo Fibre F50, Tapered Blending E40, Eye Shading E55, Concealer F70 & the Pencil E30.

To the side of the roll is a small zippered compartment which you can store other brushes or very small travel items. In my case I am keeping the gift brush, the Foundation F60 (pictured packaged below)

Over the four weeks I washed all the brushes up to four times & also spot cleansed whenever I used them. I was using them in conjunction with four other full size professional brushes I purchased around the same time I received these, 3 from Sigma & one from ACW. (However I will be mentioning these in a separate review & YT post)

The F30 brush above bleed the most the very first time I washed it & then in subsequent washes bleed less & less until around the fourth wash I did not notice any black run off. It also shed a bit from the sides. (Natural bristles)

The smaller brushes in the set (as above) did not bleed. But the E40 Tapered Blending brush (bottom) shed a bit from the sides & the E55 Eye Shading brush (top) shed from the middle of the bristles. However not to any significant amount & no more than some of my other brushes.

I would dare say the E30 Pencil brush (second from top) is comparable to the only full size MAC brush I own which is the #219. Although the wand is shorter & the tip is more tapered on the Sigma one. Yet the bristles on the Sigma E30 are not as densely packed as the MAC #219 & they are much softer & feel kinder on the eye area even if not as precisely shaped or as firm to place a precision line.

Pictured above: The handles appear to be wood & are very lightweight with the Sigma brand & brush details printed on them.

On the back (not pictured) are the words "Made in P.R.C" (People's Republic of China) which are only indented into the pink wood. Although the plastic sleeves the brush heads were originally wrapped in also had the "made in p.r.c" printed on them clearly in black type.

Above: The F50 Duo Fibre (R) is a blend of synthetic & natural fibres & bleed a little the first few washes as well as shed a bit. The F40 Angled Contour brush (L) are natural bristles & only shed a little bit but did bloom out on the sides when drying. I found using a brush guard half way through the drying process (as well as during storage) helps it maintain the nice smooth angled edge.

All brushes are very soft & I was pleased with the performance. However the F50 brush is not as densely packed as the Artiste Professional stippling brushes that I have (I own two) but is almost the same size in the handle & head length. In comparison it took me a few weeks to stop thinking that I was "working" harder to blend in the mousse or liquid foundation because I felt the brush was smaller (it is only less dense).

The F40 I found was just as good as my angled contour brush also from the Artiste Professional range (I again own two of those!) but I do find it feels softer & was surprised that being white it did not stayed stained from using my powdered blushes & bronzers.

The F60 Foundation brush (below) is similar to any other foundation brush I own (soft synthetic fibres) & I like it the same as my Illamasqua, QVS, Manicare & Beauty Essential ones but I prefer to use them for liquid foundation or liquid blush only. Any cream or mousse foundations I prefer a stippling/duo fibre brush to apply.

For further comments & details you can refer to my YT review post here

Review: Olive by Langlois Australia

Olive by Langlois Australia

I did an overview of some of the products from Olive by Langlois Australia about a month ago on my Youtube channel & also mentioned these in a recent post about some of my favourite products I used during the colder months. Now my update & review of the products I have been using (as shown pictured above) is up on my YT channel here at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAgQvW5Pk4A

Check out the Design You Own Brand at www.olivebylanglois.com

You can choose a Lotion or Cream with 15 fragrances to choose from (or no scent) & 4 extracts (or none) depending on what you like.

Certainly nice for a little treat for yourself, or to give as a lovely tailored gift where you can also personalise it with your own or the recipients details.

Priced at $19.95AU each & all web purchases in Australia over $20 have free shipping - so check out the online shop here

As above, I purchased two products from the Design Your Own range - the all over lotion with Rose Essential Oil & Apricot Extract & the Cream with Sweet Orange Essential Oil & Olive Leaf Extract (100g tubes).

As pictured above: I already had the Lavender, Vanilla & (my favourite) Musk lip balm from www.addicted2lipbalm.com.au Also available in Strawberry & Mango.

Olive by Langlois Australia included the Anti-bacterial, Anti-Acne scrub free with my order of the Moisturising Cleansing Bar & the Dewberry & Walnut Face & Body Scrub.

(above) The Anti-baterical, Anti-Acne Scrub contains Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Jojoba beads & Olive Leaf extract & I found it was a lovely, gentle exfoliating cleanser for my t-zone. (Regularly $19.95AU)

The Dewberry & Walnut F/B Scrub I bought ($15.95AU) & used on my cheeks, forehead as well as in the shower on my back & arms. I found this a good exfoliant with the ground walnut shell & moisturising with the extra virgin olive oil (sample pictured above)

I used the Moisturising Cleansing bar as a gentle foaming facial cleanser & also in the shower. Now in the second week in September the bar has been well used! (below) This is priced at $6.95AU

Join up to the Olive by Langlois Australia newsletter here: OBL Newsletter

Favourites: Nail Polish

I love Nail Polish!

Can you tell?

Yes, I am afraid that I love using nail polish & it appears to be a growing addiction...

My favourite brands are Mac, Ulta3, O.P.I, Orly,

FaceofAustralia, Australis, China Glaze & Sally Hansen

My current colour faves are mauves, pinks, neutrals & grey tone browns. Pictured above (L-R) Mac "Cool Reserve",

Yummy Mummy from butter london, Orly's

Petit Four (blue toned pink) & Chincilly by essie (brown toned mid grey)

I prefer sprays over the top of my last coat of polish to set my varnish.

My two "go too's" are DeMert Nail Enamel Dryer (pictured left is the pressured spray can but this also comes in a pump spray form) & O.P.I's Rapid Dry Spray which comes in a range of sizes from 60ml to 1lt

I purchased both from SA Nail, Hair & Beauty Supplies

Below: I'm not too hung up on any specific undercoat but for the last 6 months I have been reaching for Mac's Underlacquer base (10ml)

Unfortunately there comes a time (usually when there is too much chipping!) that I need to remove my current fave & apply another...My preferred nail polish remover is Mavala NP Remover Pads which can be found with the Mavala range at most chemists

Favourites: Cream & Mousse Blush Products

Favourite Cream Blush Products

Youtube Overview link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbFST73H6bc

I love cream & mousse blush, either worn as a gentle hint of colour over my liquid foundations, or simply over a tinted spf moisturiser. I can sheer them out or layer them for a more dramatic flush of colour depending on the look I am trying to achieve.

I am certainly not limited to one brand & low or higher end does not matter to me. I just love the gentle sheen & feel of cream & liquid blushes. The colour palette I prefer are pinks, apricots & mauves that mainly give a matte or satin finish.

My favourite brands and colours are:

- Chi Chi Sheer Colour Cream: Love you Long Time & Va Va Va Voom

- NYX: 01 Rose Petal, 02 Natural & 11 Boho Chic

- MAC Blush Crème Brit Wit

- Red Earth: Illuminating Cream Blush: Summer Love & Pink Breeze

- L’Oreal HIP Blending Blendable Blushing Crème: #896 Enamoured

- Rimmel Mousse Blush: #005 Frozen Cherry

- Bobbi Brown Cream Blush Stick: #8 Dusty Mauve

- Stila Color Push-ups: Rose Flash

- Tarte Natural Cheek Stain: Green Siren

- Guerlain Divinora Bubble Blush: 00 Light Whisper

Above (left to Right): The NYX Rouge Cream Blush "Boho Chic", "Natural" & "Rose Petal". I purchased from www.crushcosmetics.com.au & I am pleased with the application (does not leave a greasy feeling).

Both the Chi Chi sheer colour creams are shimmery & can be used for highlighting & adding spots of colour to the face. Pictured above left is "Love You Long Time", right "Va Va Va Voom" (both are discontinued)

Pictured below: (left to right) Mac BlushCreme in "Brit Wit", L'Oreal HIP B/Blushing Cream "Enamoured" & Rimmel Mousse Blush "Frozen Cherry"

The Guerlain Bubble mousse blush (below) is the palest pink that I own & is more a splash of shimmer & sparkle for highlight than an actual "blush".

The Tarte "Green Siren" cheek stain leaves a lovely apricot shimmer to the cheeks & both of the Red Earth Illuminating Cream Blushes "Pink Breeze" & "Summer Love" (pictured L-R above) are a mousse consistency providing bright highlights of shimmer as well.

Whereas, the Bobbi Brown Cream Blush Stick in "Dusty Mauve" (below) is more brown toned than mauve & could be used for contouring depending on your skin tone.

I prefer to use foundation brushes to apply the cream or mousse blush but have recently started to use a stippling brush to place & blend the colour to give a natural finish.