In our pursuit of effortless beauty, we’re becoming overwhelmed with regimes involving numerous products and treatments that leave us feeling far from low maintenance. Lucy Slight investigates new ways to let your natural beauty shine through, without all the fuss.
The 80s were all about excess and being bold. In the 90s, we wore brown lipstick and just didn’t seem to give a damn, and in the early 00s we experimented with every beauty look under the sun – sometimes to our detriment (mince and cheese hair, anyone?) But, today, with social media capturing our every move from brunch, to beach and even the boudoir, we’re gravitating towards a more understated style of beauty. Or as Beyoncé coined it: the “I woke up like this”. It’s that natural look that appears effortless; one we secretly know is anything but. As our pursuit of #flawless features, perfect hair and a just-been-on-holiday tan becomes ever more desirable, looking low maintenance is increasingly becoming high maintenance.
To refine what you do to get what you want, we’ve researched products and treatments that let the real you shine through, naturally and effortlessly. Here are our top picks.
Hair to stay
Contrary to popular belief, most dry shampoos don’t clean your hair, they simply soak up oil and give you a few more hours before washing becomes a must. But, because we’re all about doing less for looking great, we’ve searched high and low for a genuine solution. And we’ve found it – Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo absorbs and removes oil, sweat and odour, rather than masking it. Yes, you can go to hot yoga then look presentable for that meeting afterwards. In fact, you can now go an extra one, two or even three days without washing your hair. Simply spray onto dirty or oily areas, leave for 30 seconds for the powders to activate and cleanse, then massage into hair with your fingers or brush through to remove the dirt and oil. A time-release fragrance delivers a light, clean scent all day – and trust us, those around you will be none the wiser. 1. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo, $40.
Lay the foundations
For foundation to look natural, you need to find your perfect match, because nothing says OTT like a line of it along your jaw. Elizabeth Arden’s Custom Color Foundation machine, of which there are only three in the world, is available at the brand’s new Queen Street boutique in Auckland. It takes the guesswork out of choosing your ideal shade by using a diagnostic tool to accurately read your skin’s pigment. Three images are taken from your jawline (or an area of your face that’s free from hyperpigmentation or discolouration) and analysed. The machine then custom creates a shade to precisely match your skin tone. Depending on your skin type, you can opt for sheer, medium or full coverage and a matte or natural finish. The information of your unique formula is saved to the Elizabeth Arden system for easy replenishment. It’s an exciting step in the new beauty revolution! 2. Elizabeth Arden Custom Color Foundation, $88.
On the nose
When we’re uncomfortable with a certain facial feature, we tend to work overtime with makeup to correct it, or play up other features to detract from the focus. For many people, it’s the nose that’s the centre of attention. As it sits in the middle of the triangle formed by the eyes and the mouth, small changes to the nose can have a significant impact on the balance, harmony and proportion of the face, says Dr Catherine Stone, founder of The Face Place. Injectable rhinoplasty – AKA a non-surgical nose job – is a quick, easy and almost painless way to reshape the nose and subtly alter your profile using a reversible filler such as Juvederm, Restylane or Esthelis. The Face Place has offered this procedure for more than 10 years. “It’s an excellent treatment for softening out a dip in the nose, reducing the appearance of a hump, lifting the nasal bridge, improving symmetry or filling up areas that have been damaged through surgery or trauma,” explains Dr Stone. At a cost of around $995 – and with the reassurance that the procedure is reversible if any vascular compromise occurs – this is a much more accessible option than surgical rhinoplasty.
H2Go
A few years ago, the thought of cleansing skin with water alone just wasn’t an option. Fast forward to 2016 and almost every beauty brand now boasts a micellar water product and is changing the way we think about cleansing. But what about the way we tan? Eco Tan has just introduced its new Face Tan Water, made with all-natural and organic ingredients and which delivers a subtle, natural glow in the same amount of time it takes to apply your toner. It’s also an anti-aging and acne-inhibiting formula, and contains hydrating ingredients to boost moisture levels, meaning you’re free to skip your moisturiser if you wish. In fact, you might even be able to ditch your foundation, too. Sounds like low-maintenance beauty to us! 3. Eco Tan Face Tan Water, $39.95.
Feather light
We all know the difference a great set of brows can make to your face. Not only do they help frame your features, but groomed brows will make you feel less inclined to overdo your makeup. If you wish they could be perfect 24/7 and are a slave to your brow pencil, it’s time you are introduced to brow embroidery. Also known as feather-touch brows, hair-stroke brows or microblading, this semi-permanent solution involves using a row of needles to scratch the skin in realistic hair patterns and implant ink into the fine lines – much like a tattoo. But this is nothing like traditional brow tattooing, says Lash Noir owner Rebecca Hutchinson. “It’s not a block colour, but a series of fine hair strokes with custom-mixed pigment implanted into the skin. It also doesn’t discolour like traditional tattooing,” she says. The first treatment costs $395 and the follow-up session is $245, with results that last between 12 and 18 months. Annual refreshers cost significantly less than the first treatment and will keep your brows on form.
Feather touch is a semi-permanent procedure that reconstructs, enhances and fills in sparse eyebrows. At least two sessions a few weeks apart ensure the perfect brows are achieved. From left: Writer Lucy Slight’s brows before feather touch; after the first session; and the final result.
