ponytail perfection

hillary clinton: 67th united states secretary of state and  scrunchie sinner

One of my pet peeves - and I admit, I have a few - is a beautifully made up woman with her hair tied up in an old, scraggy elastic band or god forbid, a scrunchie (gasp!).  On any given day, in any city in the civilised world you will see far too many women in beautifully tailored suits and a gorgeous pair of heels with their hair tied back as if they were about to scrub someone's toilet.  It's all I can do to stop myself grabbing Little Fashionista's Crayola safety scissors and hacking off the offending band and in the process giving the woman in question a quite drastic haircut. Unfortunately, for women who prefer long locks there have been limited options for effective but elegant and affordable solutions... until now!

Now, I know I did a bit of Mecca Cosmetica worship in my last post, but I am so excited about these simple little beauties, I felt it was worth the double-up.  Mecca has brought out a range of hair ties complete with metallic coated cuffs in gold, rose gold and silver.  What's more, they come in cute boxed gift-sets so you can help your more fashion-challenged friends polish their ponytails and create a sleek and sophisticated do!  Plus, at only $32.00 a set, they are a bit of a bargain.

mecca cosmetica ponytail perfector set

mecca cosmetica ponytail perfectors

a little more naked

This summer I made the conscious choice to spend as many days as I could completely make-up free.  Now, this may not sound like a big deal to some of you, but those like me who have spent years hiding behind a mask of expensive imported cosmetics will understand how facing the big wide world sans 'enhancement' required some serious inner strength and courage.

I'm not sure exactly what brought on my decision to confront the world a bit more naked than I normally do. Perhaps it was a desire to lead a more authentic life of sorts - even if only for a few weeks, perhaps it was wanting to make the whole getting dressed process that little bit simpler and quicker, or perhaps it was the realisation that in 40+ degrees, whatever one slaps on is destined to be sweat off anyway.  Whatever the reason, this little experiment has helped me realise what is vital in my skincare routine.

I have narrowed the absolutely necessities down to four key items, all from one of my favourite places - Mecca Cosmetica.  For those who have not yet experienced Mecca - I highly recommend you do so.  The staff are amazingly knowledgeable about all skincare and cosmetic matters, there is a huge range of brands and products to choose from, and most importantly, because of the range of brands available staff can genuinely recommend what's best for you, your skin and your needs - they are not simply pushing the brand they work for.   

So, what four key items do I want with me on a desert island?

mecca cosmetica to save face spf 30+

dr dennis gross skincare all-in-one facial cleanser with toner

perricone md hypoallergenic firming eye cream

perricone md face finishing moisturizer

And if I was allowed to bring one more thing with me to the island...

Sigh...