Best Brows Ever - Billion Dollar Brows Arrives in Ireland

I've actually been using some Billion Dollar Brows (BDB) products for over a year now and they have been stocked in select salons around the country up till now but as they have just launched in Boots, there's now a much wider selection from them that is much more readily available. I headed along to the bloggers'  press day in the penthouse of The Dean Hotel (which is amazing for events and would be a dream to actually stay in) on Harcourt Street, where founder and CEO, Natalie Plain, was in attendance (and actually staying in the penthouse) to tell us all about the brand and their products.

The company was set up in the wake of the lingering results of nineties over-plucking, and brows never growing back in quite right, and the over-compensating Scouse brows of recent years. Natalie felt that the world of brows lacked balance, and this needed to be addressed. She wanted to help more people have the more natural-style, lush brows made so popular by the likes of Cara Delevingne. And she wanted them to be the right shape for each individual. But such things normally require regular trips to the salon, which can become expensive. So, in order to level the playing field, she established BDB, which brings expert brow-maintenance into your home and own hands, in a way that makes it easy for anyone to do.

This brow "revolution" is now more readily available to those of us on the other side of the Atlantic now as well, thanks to the American brand's partnership with Boots. Cruelty free and made in America and Mexico, it's a brand with a conscience as well as a serious vision for beauty and damn good products. Which is probably why they are now available in 32 countries around the world! They're always thinking ahead as well, with special products for men and redheads being launched in the new year - good news for Irish audiences, in particular!

The products which are now available include their clear Eyebrow Gel, Brow Powder and Universal Eyebrow Pencil (universal because the shade of brown is so light that it can be used as lightly or as heavily as needed to match almost all hair tones). However, more excitingly (particularly with Christmas fast approaching), there is also a selection of their kits. These include: the 60 Seconds to Beautiful Brows Kit (RRP €34.00) which includes their brow brush and powder and they describe as "putting your hair in a ponytail", i.e. quick, easy, neat results without fuss; the Best Sellers Kit (€68.00) which has the universal pencil, gel, a dual-ended pencil for concealing and highlighting, and a smudge brush for more advanced, elaborate brow prep; and the Brow Buddy Kit (€31.00) which includes their Brow Buddy tool which allows you to measure your brows to perfection and show where you need to pluck or fill in, a pencil for marking it out and a step-by-step guide.

I've also now used all of the product and am suitably impressed. The first time I tried them out I did my, my sister and her friend's brows and, thankfully, I didn't let anyone down. The results were natural, perfectly shaped and suited to each individual's face. If I were to recommend just one product, I'd probably go for the Best Sellers Kit but, honestly, the whole range is worth investing in - you'll save time, money and energy in the long run!

Do you guys have any secrets to beautiful brows? Or a brow idol? I'd love to know!

(Items included were provided as press samples by all opinions are my own)

*

Liked this post? Want more?

Follow me here using google friend connect or bloglovin.

Or follow me on tumblr - twitter - facebook.

Loving: Royal shoots that leave me feeling flushed.

This November, you can pick up two different Vogues with royalty-themed shoots. Vogue Australia features a spread on Cara Delvingne, or Queen Cara, by Benny Horne. The idea of her sudden enthronement in the last few years as fashion royalty is taken in a literal direction but a wonderful one. Dolce kind of made us all go crazy for dressing like princesses again and I have to admit at my child-like giddiness. I love, love, love these shoots! The editorial in Vogue Japan is, understandably more haute, more experimental and so eerily beautiful with Nadja Bender being photographed by Camilla Akrans looking like a bored and listless princess. Each shot is like a work of art. And those interiors? DANG. Perv at the shots below.

Designer, artist, ex-thrash metal band member - Woman of Steele.

The morning that met me today was cold and windy. Summer is most assuredly over. I awoke dizzy with a fever and heavy-hearted with longing. London gets to have both Fashion Week and my boyfriend and I cannot be there. Despite the knowledge that the journey to see him all this year is less than that to parts of my own country and despite the fact that his being there offers me a place to stay when I go to next season's fashion week (Woop for February!), I ache all over. I hate goodbyes. There is rarely anything good about them. 

And then my day picks up. He sends me a text that is so very him that I smile through a coughing fit. I find out that I'm shortlisted in the Irish Blog Awards 2013 Best Fashion/Beauty Blog category. (And have been for over ten days now. I would not have known if I hadn't seen someone else post about it and thought to myself, "Gee, I haven't heard from those guys. I guess I didn't get anywhere in the contest. I wonder who did?") 

To round the day off rather wonderfully, the talented artist and designer Helen Steele gets back to me for our interview. 

Silver lining, today you have a Steeley shine. 

W: I read that you were in a thrash metal band and couldn't believe that the interviewer didn't follow up on that! What bands are you in to and is music a source of inspiration for your designs?

H:I was in a thrash metal band called Woocher for three years. It was a art college experimental band that was hilarious, mental , but a lot of fun. My taste in music is pretty odd I think. For example, I love the Fleet Foxes and the Foo Fighters, Blur (Damon Albarn is a genius) Gorillaz, Antony Hegarty, Serge Gainsbourg and the music that his daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg created with Beck was pretty cool. I love Bell X1, Marilyn Manson, Placebo, Dirty Epics, Christy Moore, U2, Gavin Friday and Lisa Hannigan.

W: You've talked about the balance of creativity and commercial appeal in your designs before, do you think a couture line would make this an easier and would you tackle couture if you were given the opportunity?

H: 

I feel that some of the commissions and made-to-order pieces that I have done and am currently creating for people in the music and film industry are pretty close to couture. So, that's as close as I can get to it at the moment. But yes, it's something I would love to do. I did create a wind-blown canvas dress for the Cadbury Crispello advert that was pretty close to couture , as it was hours and hours of layering of wind blown paint that it took to create the piece.

W: 

When beginning with a collection, where do you start? How do you come up with an overarching theme or idea?

H: Each collection process starts with a theme and colour palette and moodboards - like a little story book. I consider what the market demands and what I perceive to be lacking in the market and design around this. Each of my prints are individually created using a palette of selected colours which I blast into the air and then capture this process on camera. This is the foundation of each print - capturing paint when its alive, wet, moving, flowing. For this AW13 collection, I tried to create prints that looked like droplets of rain with reflections of autumn  leaves within each droplet. I also tried to create some prints that told an abstract story of autumn.

Helen Steele A/W 2013 (via helensteele.com)

W: Who is your girl? You've said before that you want anyone to be able to wear your clothes but when your clothes are in the early stages of the design process do you imagine a particular girl with certain aims, priorities or lifestyle?

H: The girl/woman I design for goes from many extremes; she is a woman who works in music, film, art, fashion, aviation, law, and in the home. She travels, works hard, and needs something different, directional, yet practical, that makes her feel good from the moment she slips the piece over her head until she goes to bed. This woman is Asian, Arabian, African American, African European, European, or Irish, so I try to create with all of this in mind.

Helen Steele A/W 2013 (via helensteele.com)

W: Similarly, if you had to describe your design aesthetic in three words, what would they be?

H: My design aesthetic would have to be bright, bold, and free.

W: Who would be your ideal campaign girl?

H: .My ideal campaign girl would be Cara Delevingne, (who has, in the past, worn a few of my pieces - as has her pal, Rita Ora) Lenny Kravitz (he would look amazing in one of my kaftans) and Grace Coddington .

Rita Ora in Joanne Hynes/Helen Steele A/W 2011 (via Coolspotters)

W: Which designers do you admire most?

H: I admire the work of Simone Rocha and her father, John Rocha, and Tim Ryan, Eilis Boyle, Honor Fitzsimons and Lisa Shawgi (knitwear designer) .

W: What do you feel are the basics that every woman should have in her wardrobe?

H: Basics, for me, in a wardrobe are; good jeans that fit and flatter the figure, comfortable trainers, a couple of good shirts, and, if you live here in the winter, a good parka. And something from Helen Steele of course!

Nicola Roberts in Joanne Hynes/Helen Steele A/W 2011 (via Coolspotters)

W: Is there anything you think fashion needs to see less of?

H: The industry needs to produce more ethically. Check out eco-fashion-warrior Rosie O'Reilly's work and the work of Re-dress. Going forward, I will be producing a capsule collection each season, no more mass-production.

W: Finally, would you be interested in collaborating with a highstreet store, as we see more and more of that, if it came your way? Who do you imagine you could work best with?

H:I would love to work with Topshop (who wouldn't) or Dunnes - like a street/sportswear mini-collection that can be worn on the street or working out.

And here's hoping Helen gets such an opportunity in the future! I'd love to add some Helen Steele pieces to my wardrobe essentials! Check her ouuutttt.

http://www.helensteele.com/

PS Thanks and love to anyone who nominated me x

When did DKNY get so cool?

Like, seriously. 

It's always been the younger, cooler Donna Karan diffusion line but they've really stepped it up a notch. It-Girl and name on everyone's lips, Cara Delvingne is the current campaign girl and their A/W 2013-4 collection is so New York, so modern and impossibly cool. It's been described as an on-point reworking of nineties grunge and sport shapes with playful use of colour. The styling, however, is perfect and makes it particularly relevant to today; sleek, unassuming, unfussy and expertly layered. Expect this to be seen all over the streets next Autumn.

(All images from vogue.co.uk)

Ultimate Scream by Cara Delevingne - Dsquared2 Resort Collection Spring Summer 2013

Love this collab. I'm crazy about both Cara and the Ds.

Favourite Female Models.

So, I couldn't pick just five and didn't have ten picks either...ergo a Top Eight! You don't see that very often, do you?

1. Sasha Pivovarova.

Pivovarova has had an admirable career thus far. She has been working consistently for years and still remains one of the most popular faces in an industry where the danger of being a fad is lubriciously high. The Russian model has worked since her scouting in 2005 and debuted only two weeks later as the opener of a Prada show. This début set the standard of her career. She has featured in Vogue UK, Paris, America, Japan, Italia, Korea, Russia and Portugal as well as various versions of Marie Claire and Elle and other publications such as V Magazine, W Magazine and Interview. She has walked for the likes of Chanel and Galliano and has fronted campaigns for Prada, H&M and Longchamp. Now a mother as well as a wife, Pivovarova seems to finding a way to make the work/home-life balance work.

2. Xiao Wen Ju.

From the Shanxi Province in China, this young model became hugely popular in her native country before becoming a favourite of designers such as Marc Jacobs. She has worked for huge names in the business such as Kenzo, Chanel, Dior, Oscar de la Renta, Vanessa Bruno and Sonia Rykiel. While a highly successful runway model, she truly shines in print where the camera adores her highly unique and ridiculously cute face.

3. Charlotte Free.

...is all over the place at the moment through huge campaigns with high-street favourites such as Topshop and Forever 21. You can't of missed her. Known for her shock of pink hair (which she dyes herself) and part of the new wave of "alternative"-looking models, Miss Free has the personality required to become a household name rather than just another pretty face. 

4. Lara Stone.

The gap, the body, the sheer volume of work. It's all about Lara Stone at the moment. She's ranked number one and it's not hard to see why...A career largely made up of print work as disproportionately small feet make runway a stressful ordeal, Stone has worked for names like Calvin Klein, DKNY, Tom Ford and many others. Hey, Bardot, there's a new It-Girl doing you proud.

5. Dree Hemingway.

Another model who is all over the place at the moment, Hemingway is particularly cool because, yes, she is related to that Hemingway. She's his great granddaughter, in fact. She's a dreamy, watery-eyed kind of beauty but clearly has a dynamic personality as she gets booked to head some pretty impressive campaigns such as that of Ermanno Scervino for A/W 2012.

6. Cara Delevingne.

...is a current darling of the fashion world, not only as a model but as a style icon. She is photographed as regularly in her downtime as when modelling. She has appeared in magazines like Vogue Russia and American Vogue, has done campaign work for the likes of Burberry and has walked for brands such as Chanel.

7. Emily Baker.

She's from New Zealand, is ranked 37 in the world and has worked for Mochino, Dolce and Gabbana, Erdem and many more. She has appeared in industry-leading magazines such as Dazed and Confused and Harper's Bazaar. But she mostly appears on this list for this picture alone. So gorgeous.

8. Georgia May Jagger.

Famous parentage? Check. Career to die for? Check. Model height? Not so much. Or barely scraping by. But who cares when you've got roots like that...oh, and that face. Gaps are really in - dentists everywhere are probably weeping into cheap ready-meals.