Author: Liberty Scott

ALL ABOUT BEAUTY: Rock the Bike Babe

Forget about your pretty peach lipstick and rosy blush, it’s time to go bold and rock the biker babe look. Smudgy and sexy, this look involves lots of deep, dark shades, some uber extended lashes and thick, bold eyeliner that can immediately morph any girl next door into a bad girl babe.

The key to this bad girl look all relies upon the eyes. A dark smokey eye is quintessential of the biker babe style, usually complimented by a nude lip or for a bold statement, accompanied by a vixen red lip. Remember that when creating a smokey eye. The success of the smokey eye is dependant upon proper blending; the colours must always be flawlessly merged together. It is important to note, that for the perfect smokey eye, light base colours should be paired with rich darker colours, this applies to using lighter shimmers and dark shadowy blacks.

When selecting the complimentary lip colour, it is extremely crucial to note that when opting for the nude lip, a Fashionista must ensure to use lots bronzer to balance the neutral shades of the lip to avoid appearing washed out or sickly. The nude lip looks phenomenal when used with a bold smokey eye, and is definitely recommended if the eyes are to be the focal point of the look.

Red lips are a sexy alternative option and completely transforms the whole bad girl look into alluring seductress. However, although classic red lips can compliment nearly any type of look, it’s best worn as the one focus of a look. This means that there must be a choice between the siren red lip and the sexy smoky eye, because as every Fashionista knows, to avoid an overdone face, one can’t have more than one statement feature (unless it's an editorial).

So remember, inside of every Fashionista is a rebel babe pining to be let loose.

ALL ABOUT BEAUTY: Layered Up

Melbourne weather is looking bleak and dreary, but that by no means has stopped the Melbourne Fashionistas from coming out full force. Rocking the famous Melbourne layered outfit, this Fashionista shows us how to cope with the arctic weather whilst creating a contemporary Melbourne look.

A Fashionista must be wary of the amount of layering that she decides upon, as adding too many layers onto a winter look can seem to create the illusion of being swallowed up by wintery garments. The key to pulling off a winter look is to balance a winter outfit rather than being lost in it. Complementing a heavy coat or jumper by wearing black skinny jeans as our winter-chic Fashionista has is a perfect solution. The contrast between the varied colours and textures creates interest whilst the darling schoolgirl shoes with rolled-up jeans and long socks form a unique street-cool vibe to the outfit.

Even under these cold, grey skies, this Fashionista has taken advantage of this season’s latest trend; candy-coloured staples. So, why not spice up an outfit by adding bright and fun candy-coloured accessories to create an instant contemporary-chic look. This Fashionista's cand- coloured headphones are perfect as they add a contemporary touch to the entire outfit.

It is this Fashionista's hair, however, that is essentially the defining statement of cool. The mid-length cut has taken over the streets of Melbourne this season and are proving to be the It style of the season. It’s a relatively simple style, cut into a one-length bob and styled messily to create a shaggy style, creating a super chic, ultra low-maintenance look. This style is fantastic, as it has proven to complement most face shapes and hair types. This Fashionista rocks the messy lived-in mid-length cut full of texture and body. To replicate this look, hair stylists suggest half-drying lengths after a shower by blowdrying hair with a diffuser then allowing it to naturally dry, then creating texture by scrunching the tips with fingers.

ALL ABOUT BEAUTY: Mermaid Hair

Beautiful, Long luscious locks are always a stylish, classic option for any Fashionista in the know but can prove to be hard to maintain. However, when maintained in good health and well looked-after, long hair will look striking whatever way you choose to wear it whether it is a glamorous up-do or a sensational shiny and sleek straight style. In contrast, when locks are unhealthy, dry or damaged it can have the opposing effect, a completely undesirable mess of hair that is just unworkable.

To grow glamorous, mermaid-like long hair like this stunning Fashionista is a fairly simple process, one that doesn’t entail the use of ridiculously expensive products or any sort of bizarre hair growing rituals! Simply put; it just requires attention, care, patience and great dedication. Without argument you will encounter, as every other longhaired Fashionista has experienced at some point, the little voice in back of your mind suggesting how good a nice short pixie crop would look, and how easy it would be to maintain but you must keep to your goal and do not let yourself be persuaded otherwise! If you don’t, you may end up with an impulse crop cut holding the remains of your mid-lengths in your hands! Dedication is the key, and you will be repaid with healthy, lush mermaid locks for strong will and persistence.

Long locks need to be looked after with care as it is prone to split ends, breakage and requires a great deal of attention. A Fashionista must cater her hair care routine to the particular seasons, as hair in summer needs protection from heat that will damage lush locks into becoming dry and brittle. By rinsing hair with cool water when showing, damage can be prevented as hot water may cause long hair to become frizzy creating great difficulty when styling. To keep lengths shiny and healthy it’s best to avoid using heating tools such as blow dryers, straighteners or curling irons. However, if it’s absolutely necessary to use any of these tools, ensure to use a heat protection product to shield lengths from heat damage. Another tip is to avoid applying harsh chemicals onto hair. Chemicals such as peroxide act to strip hair follicles of their colour and can create dull and brittle hair. When colouring long hair, any product will cause a certain amount of damage, but dyes that contain low-levels of peroxide are much more desirable to use as the are substantially less damaging.

ALL ABOUT BEAUTY: London Calling

The Melbourne Look is essentially built for winter, and let me assure you, it certainly gets frosty here. Melbournians as a general rule, always prepare for a winter's day by layering various garments of shapes and textures, never forgetting the importance of heavy overcoat. As the cooler days approach, it is only reasonable that a Fashionista looks to the European winter styles and more notably the unkempt London Rocker Chic to get her through the coming winter months.

This Fashionista rocks her own effortless personal style that appears as totally laidback, yet simultaneously creates a notable statement. Her look is all about not appear polished or too composed but rather aiming for artistic, layered nonchalance. Starting with disheveled, rocker hair that even Kate Moss would envy.

The key to this hair is to forget your hairbrush; unkempt hair is a must to pull off this look. Hair that doesn’t seem polished is an excellent way to stop your look from appearing too overdone, especially if you’ve put effort into your makeup to contrast this look. A great tip for creating artfully dishevelled hair is to ditch your hairbrush and rather use texturising products for the lengths of the hair to combat fluffy, frizzy hair. Using pins as this Fashionista has is a fantastic way to create layers, whilst ruffling up the hair. They serve to keep unkempt hair in its place whilst still retaining an effortless, nonchalance. Styling powders are great for creating texture and increasing volume to achieve messy locks, especially if your hair is fine, slippery or just won’t seem to be able to hold a hairstyle. The product has a mattifying effect, as not to give you an oily finish, whilst still being reworkable later in the day if your hair does seem to fall a little flat.

What makes this Fashionista's look so sucessful is how she has perfectly complimented her hair to her outfit. She achieves the ultimate effortless rock and roll chic by paring her rugged military trench coat with a simple buttoned up plaid shirt, finishing the look with classic staple skinny jeans. This look is about being able to take typically conservative garments and translating it into an artistic, grungy ensemble. Look to the rolled out of bed cool of Pete Doherty style for Heroin Chic inspiration. Doherty’s look is heavily based around his wardrobe staples of black wide brimmed fedoras, dress shirts, statement jackets and mod style trenches whilst his hair is almost always perfectly ruffled.

ALL ABOUT BEAUTY: Dip Dye

Dip-dyeing hair is a game where anything goes. Visualise the radical locks of Abby Lee, Tallulah Morton and Peaches Geldof for instantly chic inspirations for tie dyed strands. For adventurous others, and those feeling a little risqué, a Fashionista can even experiment multi-coloured marble swirl type rainbow hair similar to the locks of Lauren Conrad. The revival of the nineties-inspired dip dye began with the unconventional and modern styles of the current trending It girls; Charlotte free with her fairyfloss pink hair, and Kate Bosworth sporting pastel aqua tips. From here the dip dye literally took on a life of it’s own spreading a kaleidoscopic array of colour throughout the world and our salons.

This daring Fashionista colour coordinates her outfit to her vivid dip dye matching block red combinations with a favourite of the past few seasons; stripes! More importantly however, she stylishly exhibits the way a dip dye can be worn in an up do, exhibiting the variety of ways that a dip dye may be effortlessly styled and maintains an understated edginess.

Dip dying is a fantastic hair technique that doesn’t require an excess amount of colouring products and is quickly and easily achievable. It’s great for helping an unsure Fashionista about what colour to dye her hair exactly as it allows a girl to experiment with as many funky colours as she want without dying her whole hair! To create a successful dip dye, professionals strongly suggest initially using highlighting or bleach kits to lighten the hair then proceeding to paint the tips of the strands with the desired colour, ensuring to blend the colour thoroughly to avoid a harsh colour contrast, that is unless this is the intended effect!

Just remember that when bleaching, unavoidably, hair will be damaged; it’s the effect of using bleach. To remedy this, opt for a specially designed shampoo and conditioner combo formulated to give life back to dyed, treated or damaged hair. Using weekly deep conditioning treatments will aid in renewal by helping to prevent and treat damaged, dry lengths.
Fashionista’s, don’t be afraid to get your colour on.This hair trend is about being brave and pushing forward the boundaries in contemporary colour. Remember, It was Charlotte Free’s hot pink hair that sent her straight to the top, so let your hair speak for you!

ALL ABOUT BEAUTY: Natural Beauty

All though we all admire the ornate makeup of high fashion runways or eccentric superstars like Gaga or Katy Perry, sometimes it’s just not practical or achievable to wear these looks on an everyday basis without appearing as overdone. Every Fashionista knows there’s nothing less desirable than a caked-on face! Occasionally is best to remember that less can sometimes be more and allows your own inner beauty to glow though, just look at this naturally beautiful Fashionista! Releasing inner radiance is possible through simple healthy eating, hydration, good lifestyle and a killer skin care routine.

The skin is our largest organ, so a Fashionista must be aware of what she is putting on her skin. Harsh, cheap, chemical-based skin products can sometimes cause more harm that good and for this reason, it may be good to opt for a softer alternative such cleansing milk or essential oils to maintain vibrant radiating skin. Remembering that it’s essential that the face has been exfoliated and cleansed to remove any dead skins cells to creating glowing skin. Regularly exfoliating will help to achieve a luminous glow, however, it’s important to note only to exfoliate only one or twice a week, as over exfoliating can lead to nasty, uninvited breakouts! Some foundations have been known to clog pores and cause unnecessary breakouts. For this reason, it’s nice to let your skin breathe by investing in a tinted moitsturiser or BB cream, containing minerals and vitamins to enhance skin by evening out skin tone. A smart move may be to purchase a base product that has a good SPF factor, as this will battle premature aging by preventing daily sun damage whilst providing coverage for your face. The best of both worlds!

Compliment this look with a naturally flushed lip; use a plum or just bitten red lip tint to create organic sensuous lips. It’s best to find a tint that suits your complexion, as this will provide the most natural effect by highlighting your natural colours, without looking outrageously made up. For fairer skin types it’s desirable to opt for peachy toned tints, whereas for warmer skin types it may be more striking to decide on a red or rich purple stain. Follow the lip stain with a nice moisturising lip balm to rehydrate and protect lips from the harsh elements whilst giving lips a luscious sheen. A sneaky tip is to apply lip balm lightly to the apples of the cheeks to create a healthy looking glow.

Diet is an integral part of maintaining radiating skin; eating healthily can be as simple as regularly eating nourishing fruits and vegetables or eating fresh fish for omega 3. Drinking lots of water is crucial to maintain a radiating glow, as it flushes toxins out from the body so be sure to take in plenty of cool filtered water. Decreasing the amounts off alcohol and caffeinated drinks will prove to be beneficial to your skin and can almost guarantee a healthier complexion. Now you're in the know, good luck getting your glow on.

ALL ABOUT BEAUTY: Ombré Chic

Just look at this Fashionista's hair! Rolled out of bed perfect; it’s natural-looking, low maintenance, has plenty of movement and a great tousled texture and is just so laid back. It is named the “ombre”, a French term for hair that that is characterised by natural roots that are gradually dyed through the lengths to produce lighter ends. It’s an uber chic, low maintenance style that doesn’t require touch ups every month or so.

This style transcends seasons with its versatility. In warmer months a Fashionista can opt for vibrant, lighter, bombshell shades whilst in the colder months, such as the cool Melbourne winter, she can select cooler ash tones for a more seasonably suitable contrast. Exhibiting radical ombre dye styles, the Prada fall/winter 2012 runway revived the ombre in a bold contemporary light. Styling the models with dead straight lengths, bluntly graduating from dark shades of brunette to platinum blonde to compliment the vivid print garments and daring orange-shaded smoky eye makeup.

Replicating this look is fairly simple, it requires applying an ample amount of hair product to slightly dampened hair, selecting divisions of hair of varying length and thickness to wind around your finger and fixed with hair clips or pins. Once the hair is has entirely dried, unclip or unpin using fingers to separate the sections. To maintain these tousled locks, avoid using a comb or brush and be sure to amplify the natural volume of the hair by using your fingers to massage roots.

Investing in products such as texturising cream is fundamental in pulling off this look as it creates a natural healthy shine to lengths and ends whilst adding definition to the body. The key to this working this style is focusing on body, texture and keeping your hair looking simple and natural is the key to achieving this modelesque bedhead look. Just look to hair icons such as Alexa Chung and Erin Wasson for tousled hair inspiration. This style can be teamed with a relaxed ‘just rolled out of bed glam style’ by mixing a casual garment such as layered singlets, over sized shirts or dresses teamed with statement pieces for interest. Embellishing this look with oversized chunky metallic jewelry and boots can also effectively create a model off duty style. This hairstyle is so versatile that it acts as a perfect contrast to more conservative outfits, as our Fashionista perfectly illustrates, to create a contemporary edgy look. She has created depth and volume to lengths by using a two-tone dynamic of sandy blonde hair, teamed perfectly with a soft red lip. However, it is the attitude that is absolute essential to pull of this look. Wear what suits you and makes your feel good, disregarding trends that may not suit. This style is all about being effortlessly chic, rather than appearing as a slave to the latest craze.

Style Guru Bio: Liberty Scott

My name is Liberty Scott and I’m in my second year of Fine Art at RMIT. I have a background in photography, fashion events and graphic design with a desire to enter into the fashion publication industry.

I’m passionate about Melbourne fashion as it is renown for its understated, effortless cool. Melbournians are certainly conscious of the latest trends but don’t explicitly follow them but rather choose to innovatively reinvent them by interpreting the trend in their own distinct way. Melbourne is a beloved city to all, as it is, and always will be unconventional and unique with a diversity of style that explores the boundaries of conventional fashion. Melbournians don’t shy away from taking chances and trying new things — though we are not known to be colour enthusiasts, there is always an eclectic and eccentric streak to the Melbourne fashion crowd that brightens up the city.

However much I admire these vibrant characters and their choice of bold, daring styles, I find my self to be a typical Melbournian, draped in staple layers of black, most often teamed with black ankle boots and black sunglasses. Think black; lots of black. In fact, think entirely black! I indulge in the local designers mostly, LifewithBird, Alpha60 and Claude Maus are favourites but must confess an extreme weakness for Acne and Alexander Wang.

Melbourne fashion is closely connected to the thriving art scene, as in partnership they illustrate the narrative and expression that is connected with Melbourne’s artistic creativity. Underground chic is the most precise and unembellished way to characterise Melbourne’s persona. Melbourne boasts enchanting historical buildings and distinctive rich architecture that greatly inspires Melbourne fashion, confirmed by distinctive garment choices that intermix layers, textures and cuts.

So that’s enough about me, but I look forward to sharing my latest RMIT fashion and beauty discoveries with you!