Territory rig
MAKE MOTHER’S DAY You’ve got one week to find the perfect gift for your mum, and there are plenty of ideas right here in the NT, so get moving
Mother’s Day is a special chance to celebrate and spoil our mums. In my family, we add my two nanas to the list too, so my sister and I started the annual “what to buy” text message/email/phone call exchange some weeks ago, each trying to inspire (read: out-do) the other with the best idea for our three leading ladies.
Thankfully Mum hasn’t hit the social media bandwagon yet, so she won’t have seen the umpteen posts of gift ideas I’ve tagged my sister in.
With the same zest, I’ve compiled a list of potential treats for your mum, keeping in mind that on this day, more than ever, it really is the thought that counts.
From the homemade, to the high-end, some $1 billion is expected to ring through the tills as we say thank you to our mums and the motherly figures in our lives.
Hallmark Cards reports Mother’s Day as being in the top three occasions for card and gift giving, the other two being Christmas and Valentine’s Day.
Just like a fashion spend, there are trackable trends on Mother’s Day present shopping. While the dollar amount spent is growing year on year, we’re now more likely to spoil mum with dinner, brunch, a day spa voucher, an experience or a ticket to a show than a traditional, tangible, wrapped gift.
If your mum likes cooking, consider doing a cooking class together.
Mum likes entertaining at home? Consider some new crockery — plate sets, platters, noodle bowls. Sports luxe mum? A voucher for yoga classes, or some new #activewear.
Is she a busy lady, constantly on the go? Consider a copy of a fashion-flavoured colouring-in book for her to do when she gets a spare minute. Does she need a touch of the Territory in her wardrobe? Hello crocodile skin — handbag, belt or maybe cuff?
Is she about to be overwhelmed with events in the Territory’s busy season? Perhaps a handbag or new necklace to match her favourite outfit? Or you could make a booking (and pay!) for a styling session, or a consultation with one of the Territory’s coveted fashion designers.
CONTOUR and highlighting is the most requested look I get as a makeup artist. This technique has been used for decades on the stars, but now we are seeing it everywhere. The thing about contour and highlighting is it was used to highlight and shade your best features, not change your whole face shape, as it is today.
In colour theory, a lighter colour will open up an area. It’s like painting a wall white — immediately the room looks bigger. A darker colour will make an area look smaller. You can contour using a matte powder or cream. I go two shades darker than my skin tone on areas I want to define or shape. I recently bought the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream kit (pictured). It comes in three highlighters and three contour colours. I use the light to medium and it’s available online from Sephora for $70.
Once your foundation is applied your skin is like a blank canvas. First, figure out where you want to shade. I like shape under my cheekbones, so I apply contour cream starting from my ears and ending in the middle of my cheeks, using the brush in circular motions. I also shade my temples — think about it as a big C shape. If you want to slim down your nose, take your brush and apply your contour colour down each side of your nose.
Adding definition to your jawline? Apply contour powder down your neck, darkening it slightly close to your jawline. To create a stronger socket line on your eyes take a small eyeshadow-blending brush and apply contour colour using circular motions. Don’t go too close to the inner corner.
When wondering where to highlight, think of all the places on your face where the sunlight hits and light reflects naturally. Your highlighter should be two shades lighter than your skin tone. Apply to the bridge of your nose, and your Cupid’s bow, to make your lips appear bigger. Apply to your forehead to help add dimensions. Apply under your eyes in an upside-down triangle shape, to the inner corner of your eyes to open them up, and across your brow bone.
This is a general guide, but we all have different shaped faces, so basically, if you want to broaden an area, use a highlighter. For areas you want to narrow, use a contour. Set your look with a translucent powder.