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According to a recent survey by Westfield, Australian mums are amongst the most selfless when it comes to meeting their own wants and needs. The Westfield Mum Matters Survey revealed the vast majority of Aussie mums are willing to forfeit a girls’ night out (76%), a trip to the beautician (81%), new clothes (87%) and a haircut (72%), in order to buy their children the things they need. The survey also revealed more than half (57%) of Aussie mums are wearing cosmetics that at least 5 years old.
Concerned by these findings, Westfield has joined forces with over 30 leading Australian experts – including nutritionists, financial advisors, mum coaches and fitness experts, to offer free advice for mum in her otherwise selfless schedule. Celebrity hair and make-up artist George Giavis, has contributed a collection of free haircare and beauty tips for the We Are Family Guidebook being distributed nationally at Westfield Shopping Centres.
Although celebrity hair stylist and make-up artist, George Giavis, has access to the highest quality cosmetics and haircare products, there are times when only the most inexpensive tricks of the trade will suffice, on a fashion shoot or movie set.
So when George Giavis discovered that almost half of all mothers were wearing make-up that was at least five years old, he offered to put together a collection of inexpensive beauty tips for budget conscious mums. All these tips and more are available in the We Are Family Guidebook available from Westfield and online at the We Are Family website at http://westfield.com.au/wearefamily/
George Giavis’ Budget Beauty Tips for Mums:
- If you haven’t had time to wash your hair, sprinkle baby powder in your hair and distribute it evenly with a make-up brush – this will absorb the oil in your hair. And if you dye your hair, baby powder can also be used to camouflage the regrowth area of your hair.
- Apply Vaseline to a lipstick for an inexpensive alternative to lip gloss.
- Cleanse your skin with a muslin cloth as an inexpensive alternative to using an exfoliator.
- George says “hair accessories make nothing hair look like something hair” but you don’t need to spend a lot of money – you can use buttons, hairpins and other items you have in the home to give your hair a creative lift.
- Invest in an eyebrow shaper to give your eyes some depth.
- Mix moisturiser with foundation to get a tinted moisturiser to make your foundation go lighter without going to the expense of buying an additional product.
- Soak your hair and hands in olive oil for ten minutes for a natural moisturiser.
- Apply eye shadow with a damp cotton bud to use it as an eyeliner.
- Place collagen sheets underneath the eye to remove bags and fine lines. “If you’re really tired, collagen sheets will give you ten days sleep in the eye area,” said George. “A lot of celebrities use them and when Cindi Lauper came out to Australia, she had collagen sheets all over her body – and I’m not joking.”
George Giavis also recommends women do a spring clean once a year and throw out any expired cosmetics because bacteria and mold can collect on old make-up.
“Skincare and liquid make-up can be kept for about a year, but I would only keep mascaras for six months and don’t share them as this can lead to conjunctivitis. Powders, blushes and eye-shadow can be kept for about 18 months. Eyeliner and lip-liner can also be kept for 18 months and lipstick for about two years,” George said. “It’s important to look after your make-up and clean it regularly. But I wouldn’t recommend you keep any cosmetics beyond two years.”
When it comes to keeping up with celebrities and the latest trends, George Giavis recommends that women resist the latest fad and buy good quality classics instead.
“A lot of women will be given make-up, or buy make-up that is the latest fad. But when women actually buy make-up they should buy a colour that’s like a classic jacket – natural tones that are going to last and not go out of fashion next season,” he said. “The truth is celebrities are given a lot of make-up and when they are doing a shoot, someone’s doing their make-up for them.”
For more information about George Giavis you can visit his website www.theblonderoom.com.au
Other Westfield We Are Family expert partners include fitness guru Lee Campbell, Triple P founder Matt Sanders, renowned mum coach Pinky McKay, nutritionist Joanna McMillan Price, Family finance guru and mother of three Justine Davies, and many more.
Mums seeking expert tips, educational editorials and advice online can visit http://westfield.com.au/wearefamily/, or head to their Westfield centre concierge for a guidebook.