Beauty: Topp Shelf with Lucy Topp

Hello Everyone! I have been a Hair and Makeup Artist professionally now for ten years, but I have loved playing with hair and makeup for as long as I can remember! I live in Sydney, Australia with my Darling Husband of fourteen years, our two children (aka ‘the kidlets!’) who are eleven and nine, two pups and a pussy cat! It is a bit of a mad house but I love it! I am the Head Hair and Makeup Artist at a vintage photography studio called ‘Sherbet Birdie’ and you can find me there about four days a week. (below: What's on your Topp Shelf? Let me share some of my favourite products and tips with you!)

This is my first article for Goldrush Magazine and today I wanted to share with you my Topp 10 Beauty Tips for warmer weather.

Tip 1. In the warmer months, (and/or on a vacation to a warmer climate), ease back on your foundation! In warmer weather it tends to get shiny and melt and can move around. Use a lighter application or opt for a tinted moisturiser if you don’t need as much coverage. Your skin will thank you too, as sweating with a heavy layer of makeup can lead to break outs! (below: The Grand-Daddy of Makeup is Kryolan. This is the brand that a lot of TV stations stock backstage. It stays put for ages and the colour selection is insane! Try this "Matifying Liquid" foundation; I know you will love it).

Tip 2. Always wear sunscreen. No exceptions! (below: Some foundations have built-in sunscreen such as several members of the Armani Cosmetics makeup range).

Tip 3. When you get your toes out of your winter boots it is clearly, time to have a PEDICURE!!! Let’s face it: pretty toes just make you feel good! I love to go for bright colours like orange or turquoise and give my feet a good soak and scrub! All ready for your sandals and strappy heels! (Unless you are like me and wear boots all year round. I know: I’m a bootaholic).

Tip 4. Drink LOTS of water!!! This was one of the first beauty tips my Grandma Gracie taught me! As the (Northern Hemisphere) warmer months are approaching and we are more active and outdoors in the sunshine, so we are losing more moisture from our skin and body which needs to be replaced. Tea, coffee and soft drink do not count and in fact the caffeine can dehydrate our body further! I like to drink at least two litres of water a day.

Tip 5. Don’t forget about your hair this season! With more time in the sun and swimming in chlorine and salt water plus sweating in the heat, your hair needs a bit more help! Make sure you rinse it in fresh water as soon as you can after swimming. Use a good moisturising treatment once a week; coconut oil is a wonderful and cheap way to keep your hair in top condition! Wash your hair, coat it in coconut oil, (mainly on the ends and damaged parts) and pop cling wrap over the top. Then wrap your head in a hot towel, fresh out of the dryer. You can leave it in for thirty minutes or if your hair is really quite damaged, you can sleep in this moisturising wrap! Make sure to put a towel over your pillow case. Then wash your hair out well when you get up. Voila! Beautiful shiny, soft hair!

Tip 6. Make sure that the foundation you wear in Winter is still the right shade for you in Summer! Our complexions often warm up and get a bit more colour in summer and your foundation should too, otherwise you face can look a bit ashy. I like to have two shades of foundation that I can mix and blend throughout the seasons.

Tip 7. Don’t SLEEP IN YOUR MAKEUP (again, Grandma Gracie said so!) This is obviously another tip for all year

round but it’s SO IMPORTANT! Let your skin breathe and regenerate at night. Your skin is your largest organ of elimination and if it is covered in makeup you are asking for dull skin, blocked pores and breakouts! If you know you are more of a “low maintenance” type, make sure to have some makeup-cleansing wipes on hand and just leave them by your bed! No excuses! (below: Neutrogena's makeup remover wipes are heavenly and hypo-allergenic).

Tip 8. Get out into the sunshine and warm air and do some exercise! I love walking around a huge park near our house with the pups. As for which kind of exercise you choose, you can walk, run, swim…. even do some “Sun Salutes!!!” You don’t have to go to a gym to stay fit and healthy. I also have some exercise DVDs I can pop in and do at home if it is raining or if I can’t get out because of the kidlets! Just aim to do half an hour a day; your body will THANK you for it AND your skin will glow!

Tip 9. In warmer months, I love to use a lighter application of makeup and I add a little more shimmer and gloss. Bronzes and corals are lovely on most summer skins. If you have freckles, let them peep through and for fresh-looking eyes, add lashings of mascara. Soft, pretty and dewy are your key-words here and this concept for summer makeup will keep you looking healthy and fresh. (below: If you have freckles, let them peep through, keeping your foundation light).

Tip 10. Have a “Seasonal Clean!” Go through your wardrobe and let go of anything you haven’t worn in a year. Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit, anything that you bought and never wore….. pass them onto friends or give to a charity shop. Just keep what you really love and wear; what you feel GOOD in. It will make getting dressed SO much easier and free up space for something else you love. Do the same with your accessories and makeup and see how much better and calmer you feel.

I do the same with my home. With any item you see, remember, if you don’t love it and need it, out it goes! Tres cathartic. Well there you go, my Topp 10 tips for a beautiful and healthy You. I hope you enjoyed them. Let me know how you go with them and if they helped! Contact me via: info@goldrushmagazine.com By the way...here is another tip for FREE, just because I love you.

Tip 11. SMILE…. You are most beautiful when you smile, your face and eyes light up and it makes you FEEL good. It also makes the people around you smile, which makes them beautiful and makes them feel good. See? Win Win!!!

Until next time Darlings……

xxx Lucy