true story: I went to beauty school

And I graduated.

Why did I go? It's been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, yet it always remained in the 'too hard basket', lumped with 'can I afford it' and nestled right next to 'I think I know what I'm doing'. Makeup school, for me, ended up validating my skills, while also breaking me at the same time -- how is that even possible? It shakes your confidence. You're working with absolute strangers who are either brutally honest to the point where you want to drop your brush and hide in the corner or are too nice not to say anything at all. Before clicking 'add to cart', here are 10 things about beauty school I think you should know.

1. Check your ego at the door -- this is an absolute must. 
2. You can do your own makeup really well and that's great! Some of your makeup skills will not transfer, do not become disheartened by this.
3. Know what you want to get out of this course. Some of my classmates were looking to change career paths, while others just wanted to learn the basics of applying makeup.
4. Visit the school before committing in order to meet the instructor(s) and check out the facilities to make sure it's a good fit for you. 
5. Do your homework. I researched several schools based on value for money, location, and scheduling. I knew I didn't want to go the full hog and have a hand at stage makeup, so I searched for good quality, basic makeup schools in the Melbourne-area that held classes on Saturdays. A difficult feat for sure, but I found something that worked for me in the end.
6. Breath mints, hand sanitiser and deodorant. Enough said.
7. Practice classroom etiquette. Arrive on time, listen, ask questions, and become one with the sponge -- absorb everything. When you really enjoy all things makeup I can guarantee these classes will fly by.
8. Observe your fellow classmates handiwork and try to work with people you admire. I paired up with a girl (hi Eliza!) who really knocked my socks off.
9. Practice makes perfect. Find friends who are willing to lend their faces and time.
10. Fake eyelashes are a pain in the butt to apply. Here are a few tricks of the trade...
    • Trim full lashes from the side that starts at the outer corner of your eye. You can use the trimmed excess for a fuller effect by stacking the fake lashes.
    • Apply eyeliner first to hide glue mishaps.
    • Tweezers are your friend.

Over the course of seven weeks I learned about colour theory, proper makeup application techniques from an industry professional, gained new-found appreciation for applying makeup on "mature" skin and still fully believe that less is more.

Finally, if you're interested in attending beauty school and live in the Melbourne-area definitely check out Elite Make Up Academy (this is not a paid advertisement) and ask for Marie-Louise, she's the best!

Feeling nostalgic: MAC's Real Doll

Wearing MAC's Real Doll while getting my best Barbie/Skipper/Stacie face on

*sets scene*

When: April 2007

En route to Vegas with the latest issue of In Style magazine -- these were the days when blogging pretty much only existed on Live Journal, Makeup and Beauty Blog wasn't yet a part of my life, and reading magazines was a necessity in order to learn about upcoming seasonal makeup releases.

Tucked in the last quarter of the magazine (somewhere between healthy recipe ideas and diet ads I undoubtedly flicked past) laid a makeup editorial featuring a model whose hair and skin were true glow-y perfection, and those lips, well, they were sporting MAC's Real Doll. As our Jet Blue flight flew 30,000 feet over Lake Michigan I earmarked the corner of the page, shut off my overhead light, and envisioned Real Doll adorning my very own lips.

News Flash, pervs: Get your mind out of the gutter!

My latest lemming eluded me. The hunt from Las Vegas' Town Square with P-Cakes and Grammy, all the way back to Braintree's South Shore Plaza left me weary, and eventually forced me to throw in the towel. In a last ditch effort I even went as far as calling the indexed telephone number for MAC in the back of In Style with the hope Real Doll would turn up somewhere, alas.

Eight years later and a world away from my humble beginnings, Real Doll popped back on the scene as part of the MAC is Beauty campaign. The lengthy wait didn't kill me, it only helped to fuel my obsession with makeup. This creamy baby pink/lilac lippie will forever hold my heart. 

MAC's Real Doll

Swatch of MAC's Real Doll

Wearing Mac's Real Doll

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for MAC's Lipstick in Real Doll:

• $36.00 AUS / $16.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 10 out of 10 bags — Despite my darkish features Real Doll refuses to wash my out complexion. Tho, it does little to brighten your teeth.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Sadly Real Doll is limited edition. That said I better track down a back up, fast!

Love my dress? I know I do! I'm wearing Gorman's Wing It Dress. It's got pockets, it conceals the presence of food baby, and it's made in the softest corduroy.

A change of scenery

"Words and things and stuff," that's what I say to Scott when I'm at a loss, whether it be in thought or you know, words. To be honest, I've been lost for a while now in this big, wide world of blogging and I fear I'm beginning to grow resentful of the thing I love, makeup -- I tear up at the thought of despising something that once gave me joy.

Right now I don't possess the words to talk about makeup, and I don't ever want to review something for the sake of it as it's a disservice to everyone. Put simply, I will not put my name to something that looks and smells like crap.

So, where do we go from here? Well, Bagful of Notions will remain live yet quiet, and the format will change. It's going to take me a few months to get the ball rolling with this next big idea. Let's just say the local makeup market is lacking something I think a lot of women could benefit from, and for me to become that conduit it's going to take loads of research, a business plan, and education.

Thank you for your continued support of Bagful of Notions. If you ever have any makeup-related questions, I'm only a message away.

Spahhh time: Red Carpet Face Spa

Wander behind the black curtains

I burst off the tram and ran a block, I was ten minutes late. "Great," I thought, "way to make a first impression" -- huffed, beet red, and slightly sweaty from an unexpectedly warm Fall day. Despite my tardiness Neelu (Neelu Ameen, Owner of Red Carpet Face Spa located in Armadale) was super welcoming, she even opened her arms to give me a hug; I took this as a no judgement, I'm ready to bring my A game. Prior to getting me settled into one of the beds tucked in the back of the salon, Neelu sat me down for a chat to find out what I wanted to get out of my visit, and asked me to express my skin concerns. This mini getting to you know you put me at ease and excited me all at once. I was ready for glowing skin.

With facials I like to chat and ask questions throughout the whole process; I realise my yammering on makes it difficult to remain in relaxation station, but I find if I don't talk or ask then I'll always wonder. My mind is overactive and curious in that regard, and thankfully Neelu happily obliged by figuratively holding my hand. During the 60+ minute facial my skin was treated to a cocktail of cosmeceuticals from Medik8 and natural Aryuvedic products, and an introductory treatment to microdermabrasion (no ouch/redness factor whatsoever) was thrown in for good measure.

Overall the experience felt personal, informative, and precious thanks to Neelu's care, knowledge, and fastidious touch. If I can entice you to visit her at least once, I can promise you won't be disappointed -- fresh skin (the kind you want to touch again and again, but shouldn't), and glorious head massages (the snore inducing sort) await.

For more information be sure to visit Red Carpet Face Spa.

*This facial was kindly provided as a complimentary service in preparation for this review. Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.