Hey TGs!

 

My current obsession is hair accessories. Today I’m wearing a really cool new headband from the Lady Jayne LUXE collection that just landed in the shops, and I love it! It’s totally hiding the fact that I really need to wash my hair – haha!

 

 

See? Totally cute!

 

Celebs also love a hair accessory. I've rounded up my faves, and found some really great style matches so you can get started with your own hair accessory collection!

 

Taylor Swift

I love when Tay wears a headband – which she does a lot! If you have a fringe, wear your headbands at the point where the fringe starts like Tay is doing here. But if you don’t have a fringe, brush your hair back and use the headband to hold it in place. Super girly and super adorbs!

Lady Jayne LUXE Headband, $19.99

 

Bella Thorne

How pretty is Bella’s hippy hair? It’s so easy to do on yourself, too! Just put half of your hair up, pop the headband on so it goes across your forehead, and then let the top half out to hide the band. Easy!

 

 

Supre plaited Daisy Garland, $5

 

 

Camila Cabello

 

 

 

The lovely Fifth Harmony singer is all about a girly look, and I love this half-up bow style she wore recently! Clip-in bows are a really fun way to hide hairties – for this style, just do a half-up ponytail, and clip the bow across the hairtie.

 

 

 

Colette by Colette Hayman 2 Barette Pack, $7.95

 

 

Mel xx

Hi TGs!

 

So, with the crazy weather changes lately, I've become pretty obsessed with lip balm. Is anyone else dealing with SUPER dry lips coz the air is so cold? *puts hand up in the air* I AM! Now, coz I have this awesome job where I get loads of beauty products delivered to my desk every day, I have quite a lot of lip balms I can try – probably over thirty, to be exact! I’ve had a bit of a play, and these are my current top five. In no particular order…

  

1. Maybelline New York Baby Lips, $3.95

I loooove the smell of this one! They all have different scents, but the one I’m using is “Cherry Velvet” and it seriously smells like a cupcake. Yum! I also find this one super moisturizing.

 

2. Lanolips Banana Balm, $15.99

Another one that smells amaaaazing (this time like delish banana lollies), this one REALLY helped my lips, they were way less dry by the end of the day after using it a few times.

3. The Body Shop Honeymania Lip Balm, $9.95

Yummmm! Honey! OMG can you tell I just love things that smell delicious? This one – you guessed it – smells like honey, but I also love that it’s in a little pot coz it’s really cute.

 

4. People for Plants Peppermint and Evening Primrose Organic Lip Balm, $9.95

This one was cool coz it had a little tingly peppermint feeling, and was super fresh like you have just brushed your teeth.

5. Kiehls Lip Balm #1 in Coconut

Coconuts! What lip scent will they think of next! This one reminded me of summer, and I love summer so that was definitely a good thing. It also soothed my sore, chapped lips really well.

 

So there you go! I do love these lip balms but I always like hearing about new things! So if you have a fave lip balm, let me know in the comments!

 

Mel x

Hey TGs!

 

Do you have a favourite way to wear your hair? I do. I love to have a middle part, and I add a few curls with my hair straightener. I do like to mix it up – sometimes I wear it all natural, which is like, super curly – and if I’m going to a party I might wear a high ponytail or a fancy braid. But most of the time, it’s all about long waves!

 

Celebs are like this too. Sure, you might see them getting super stylin' for a big event, like the Grammys, but loads of celebs have a signature hairstyle. Here’s a few I've found for you to check out!

Taylor Swift – Side sweep

Tay has a long fringe, and she loves to wear it swept across her forehead with a low side part. 

Zendaya – High bun

Zendaya does some pretty cool things with her hair – everything from dreadlocks to super, super long curls have been seen on red carpets from her! But one style she goes back to all the time is a high bun. 

Katy Perry – Rainbow colours

 

It feels like every time we see her, Katy has a new hair colour! At the moment it’s pastel purple, but the pop princess has also rocked pink, blue, and green hair – just to name a few!

Ariana Grande - high ponytail

Miss Grande has amazing long locks, and her high pony style is the perfect way to show them off – don’t you think she looks like a beautiful mermaid with those cascading curls?

What is your go-to hair style? Are you a ponytail girl like Ari, or maybe rock a bun like Zendaya? Let me know in the comments!

Hi TGs!

Waaaah! That’s the sound of me crying because summer is almost over. I love love loooove summer, it’s definitely my favourite season. I’m always at the beach, or in the pool, or shooting the hose at my sister before mum comes out and catches at me… basically if there’s water involved, I am there!

With only a couple of weeks left before the leaves turn brown and we start the chilly months, I thought I’d show you how I plan on keeping the sunny feels alive. With nail polish! Having colourful fingers and toes helps me to remember all the good stuff about summer, especially on grey, cloudy weekends. Here are some of my favourite colours...

Blue reminds me of…

The ocean, and the clear blue sky on a sunny day.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish in Sugar Fix, $16.95, 1800 812 663

 

Yellow reminds me of…

Mangoes! My favourite summer fruit.

I Scream Nails Polish in Juicy Juicy, $14.95, iscreamnails.com.au

 

Orange reminds me of…

Summer sunsets, especially coz the sun doesn’t go down til late so you get to stay up past your bedtime.

Ulta3 Nail Polish in Tangelo Twist, $2, heatgroup.com.au

 

Green reminds me of… 

My bare feet in the grass and tropical rainforests!

Rubi Nail Varnish in Mint, $4.95, cottonon.com

 

What colours remind you of summer? Let me know in the comments section!

Hi TGs!

 

My favourite thing about summer, besides swimming, and mangoes, and making frozen popsicles, and basically everything EVER, is pretty summer hair. I feel like in winter we’re all so cold we don’t wanna do anything with our hair except for ponytails, but in summer it’s like plaits! Buns! Complicated headband braids! And I loooove it. I had a look at what some celebs have been doing lately to give you guys some hair inspo over the summer. Hope you like!

Laura Marano

I love this undone plait style! She’s actually got a fishtail braid going on, which are REALLY hard and would need a full on tutorial to explain to you, but you can get the same feel by doing a normal plait, and pulling little bits of hair out of it to make it messier.

Bella Thorne

Bow bun forever!!! How cool is this! It's really easy too – just do your hair up like it’s gonna be in a pony, but at the last loop of the hair tie just go halfway so it's like a loopy bun. Then just split this in half and pin down the bottom strands on either side so it looks like a bow!

 

Debby Ryan

This style is soooo good after the pool or the beach. After swimming, pull your hair up into a high bun, but pull the front pieces out and let them dry naturally so they get a bit of a wave to them. If you have to go to a friend's house, add a bow to make it a bit more dressy!

 

What are your fave summer styles? Let me know in comments!

 

Mel xx

Hai TGs!

You’ve probably already met me in-mag, but it’s nice to internet-meet you! I’m the fresh new beauty gal for Total Girl, so obviously we need to do introductions. I feel the best get-to-know-you game in beauty land is “what’s your favourite beauty thing EVER?”. I have, like, a million. But I'll narrow it down for you guys!

Top-Knots

OMTG. How great are top knots! SO GREAT. I have really thick hair so in summer it can make me really hot, and my fave thing to do is just throw it up in one of these so it's off my neck and still looking amazing! 

Nail glitter

I wore glitter nails to a glitter party I went to recently – they looked so cool! I wish I could have glitter nails every day. I used a BYS Glitter polish set and it was so easy to use; I just dunked my finger into the glitter while the base polish was still wet and WOW!

Cupcake lip balm

My favourite lip balm flavor is cupcakes. SO. YUM! I used to be only about grape flavor and then I discovered this Maybelline one that’s called Cherry Velvet, but it actually tastes just like a yummy cake. I was sold!

Sunscreen

I know, I know – how borza. But sunscreen is a total fave of mine because I looooove being outdoors, swimming or doing sports or whatever, and getting burnt is super bad for your skin. So I've always got a sunscreen stashed in my bag! I like the spray ones 'cos I'm lazy, haha.

Love Mel x

What your your favourite beauty things? Let me know in the comments section!

BYS sugar for nails $9.95; Lush vegan bath bomb $5.50; The Body Shop white musk shower gel $4.95 for 60ml; Sportsgirl triple zip purse $12.95; Nicole by OPI nail polish in fanatical fuchsia $14.95; Lip Smacker Disney princess balm $3.49; Guess Girl Belle perfume $49 for 50ml (start saving); Elegant Touch nail wraps $8.99

Hey TGs!

I'm stoked that heaps of you seem to love my colour edits - that's awesome. Keep the comments and colour requests coming. Who knows which colour you'll see next?!

I've had some requests for purple so here you go! Purple is brilliant - mysterious and regal. It's a colour that makes me think of creative girls with depth like Lorde. 

The best purple things are: amethyst crystals; violets, that crazy Minion, distant galaxies and hummingbirds.
The tastiest purple things are: grapes, grape-flavoured Zappos, M&Ms, plums and beetroot. 
You're in a purple mood if: you're feeling girly, dramatic and dreamy. 
Your purple soundtrack would be: Royals by Lorde, Once Upon a Dream by Lana del Rey and Lego House by Ed Sheeran.

Purple's not your fave? No problemo. Keep the colour requests coming by leaving a comment and I'll get to your most-vibed colour really soon. 

Love and sugared violets, 
Claire x

Fudge hair chalk $9.95; Lady Jayne detangling comb $5.39; Katy Perry Royal Revolution $39 for 30ml or $49 for 50ml (start saving); Nicole by OPI nail polish in blue lace $14.95; Lush blue skies and fluffy white clouds bubble bar $10.50; Colette by Colette Hayman headband $9.95; Sportsgirl denim spot beauty bag $9.95.

Hi TGs!

OK, so HEAPS of you guys wanted to see me do a blue edit and here it is! Blue is actually my fave colour, but I also love green! Blue is a great colour because it's so chilled-out and flattering on pretty much any TG.

The best blue things are: the sky, butterflies, the Cookie Monster, parrots and Gumball from The Amazing World of Gumball.

The tastiest blue things are: blueberries, blue Nerds, blue macarons and blue jelly. 

You're in a blue mood if: you're sad. Oh no! I think a blue mood can also be blissed-out, calm, relaxed and zen. 

Your blue soundtrack would be: Blue Moon from Grease. Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65. Yeah, that song's kinda old, but it's really, really, really blue!

Kinda not into blue? Cool with me. Comment and challenge me to a different colour instead!

Love and blueberry ice-cream,
Claire x

 

Banana Boat Kids SPF50 spray, $16.49; Miss Shop pop heart mirror, $9.95; Burt's Bees radiance body lotion $24.95; Rise by Beyonce, $49 for 50ml (start saving); Nicole by OPI nail polish in Yellow, It's Me, $14.95; Lush honey bee bath ballistic, $6.75; Batiste tropical dry shampoo, $9.95.

Hi TGs!

I'm bringing you another colour edit - cool beauty bits in a colour chosen by Y.O.U. A couple of you guys wanted to see sunshine yellow, so here you go! It's all perfect for the warmer weather and the coming summer, don't you think?

The best yellow things are: canaries, labradors, smiley face emojis and dandelions.

The tastiest yellow things are: bananas, butter, lemon-flavoured cakes and custard.

You're in a yellow mood if: you're very, very, very HAPPY. Happy like 1D just showed up at your b'day party.

Your yellow soundtrack would be: Happy by Pharrell Williams. Yellow by Coldplay. Yellow Submarine by the Beatles.

Kinda not into yellow? No problemo. Comment and challenge me to a different colour instead! I'll be waiting. 

Love and buttercups,
Claire x

Miss Shop cosmetics bag $9.95, Lush 'think pink' bath ballistic $5.50, bath bomb, Seed Heritage ice cream hair elastics $12.95, Miss Shop lip lacquer $9.95, essie nail polish $16.95, Fudge style whip $19.95, Guess Dare $49 for 50ml (start saving)

Hi TGs!

Do you LOVE pink? I do! I'm in a kinda pink mood today. Makes me want a strawberry milkshake and maybe a handful of marshmallows. 

I've got my little edit of cool pink beauty swag - what's your fave?

The best pink things are: sunsets, flamingos, ballet shoes and new TG Cassie's car (seriously, she's got, like, Barbie's car). 

The tastiest pink things are: fairy floss, salmon, strawberries-and-cream Life Savers, cupcakes.

You're in a pink mood if you: feel like doing some ballet, feel dreamy, or feel, you know, like blushing!

Your pink soundtrack would be: Get The Party Started by P!nk

But what if you're not so into pink? Cool with me! Suggest a colour in the comments and I'll do my best to bring you an edit of that colour! 

Love and candy,
Claire XO

Hey TGs,

Hands up who saw (and LOVED) Disney's Frozen? Thought so! Let It Go is only one of THE most ah-mazing musical numbers as sung by Elsa. Did you know Elsa's beautiful voice comes from Idina Menzel who you might recognise as Rachel Berry's mum on Glee? 

Anyway, the singing is one of many things to adore about Frozen. I'm also really into the hair. Check it out: 


Here's how to get hair like Elsa and Anna. Obvs it helps to have long hair that is all the same length. 

Elsa's plait
1. If you want your hair to have lots of height like Elsa's, use a hairspray and a comb to raise a quiff over your forehead. 
2. Work a smoothing serum through your locks, comb them and pull them over one shoulder. 
3. Plait the hair without tying it off with an elastic first. 
4. Secure it at the end with a bit of ice-cool sparkle. For extra Frozen magic, ask an adult if you can lightly dust some silver glitter through your hair, or use a glitter hairspray.

Anna's pigtails
1. Work a smoothing serum through your hair and part it to one side. 
2. Divide the hair into two sections and pull them forward over your shoulders, then neatly plait both sections.
3. Take some of the hair in the tuft at the end of each plait to wind around and hide each band. Secure with a bobby pin at the back. Optional: finish with a glossing spray. 

These are super easy and way simpler than a French braid. Try them and let me know how you go. And tell me all about your fave things about Frozen in the comments!

Love and icicles,
Claire XO

Hey hey TGs!

My fave cat-loving kooky chick Katy Perry has done a new take on her Killer Queen fragrance (which, by the way, might be the best celeb fragrance line ever, soz Tay!).

Katy Perry's Killer Queen Royal Revolution puts a cool blue spin on the now-iconic bottle that looks like a huge, regal jewel. You know, big and sparkly like Katy's personality. 





Katy says a great fragrance is a big confidence booster: "like an invisible suit of luxurious armour ... your secret weapon!"

Smells like: pink freesia, pomegranate, sandalwood, orange flower, jasmine petals, and lots more!

Wear it when: you need an extra burst of awesome: maybe you want to land a spot on the debating team, or you made it into the netball finals!

 

Hey gorgeous girls,

Today I'm having a play with some of the awesome swag I've been sent (luckiest girl alive or what?!). 

The vibe: Yep, it has occurred to me that you TGs possibly don't associate blackboards with school - you all have interactive whiteboards. So bear with me - I guess this look is kinda old-school cute. 

The product: ulta3's blackboard nail art set ($12, find it in Aussie pharmacies). You get a black nail polish that dries matte, plus a bunch of sweet pastels that paint on with a thin nail art brush. You also get a metal tool for your art. 



The verdict: The box says to do two coats of black but it's so thick and gloopy I reckon one coat is okay. It really does dry to a chalkboard-y finish. Cool! 

It takes a bit of time to get used to the long, skinny brush in each pastel bottle. Take care not to get too much polish on your brush. The brushes work really well for straight lines so letters are a great choice but you can draw whatever you want. I suggest letters like F-A-N-C-Y. Can you tell I've been listening to lots of Iggy Azalea? Make sure you listen to the radio version only, TGs.




I'm testing the product on my workie, Monique. Cute, right?

Would you try the blackboard look? You can DIY it with black nail polish, pastels and a nail art brush. Have fun!

XOXO Claire

Hey beauties, 

Have you been to see Disney's Maleficent yet? It's dark and gorgeous and I think you'll love the way Elle Fanning lights up the screen as the beautiful princess who must be awoken from her cursed sleep. 

Watching Elle I had a major lighting bolt of hair-spiration.

In the movie Aurora has amazing, long blonde locks that are actually as achievable as they are pretty. 

To get the Princess Aurora look: 

1. Wash your hair and work through some texturising product. Aurora lives in a magic forest and is kind of free-spirited so this is a slightly messy look. You can use styling mousse or salt water spray. Work it through damp hair, pull it into a low ponytail, plait the ponytail and leave the plait overnight.

2. Carefully undo the plait the next morning and gently finger-comb out the waves.

3. Pull back two thin sections of hair from either side of your temples and wind them around each other. Pull them together at the centre of the back of your head. 

4. Leave lots of wispy bits of hair around your face. If you like, you can decorate the twists of hair with little flowers like Aurora does. 

Check out Aurora in the trailer for Maleficent:



Would you try the Aurora look? Leave a comment below!

Love and Disney princesses, 

Claire XOXO

Hey hey TGs,

My TG friend Annabella came to visit TGHQ to test out some cool hair widgets from Scunci.

Here's what she thought:

Topsytail

This fab design will make your hair look beautiful in minutes. With the six amazing different styles you will definitely get creative. My fave design is the half up style as I found it pretty easy to do. I love that it has such an amazing effect that isn’t that hard. This style works for many different hair types, as it is basically the half up, half down style just glammed up!

Another one of my favourites from the topsytail packet is the basic style. Even though the steps are pretty basic to get to the end result it looks really cool. This hairstyle would be great for most types of hair except if your hair is really short like a bob. The amazing end result would work beautifully for a special occasion like a wedding or even just casually.

Claire's tip: you don't need a tool to do these hairstyles. You should be able to pull your hair into either a ponytail or a half-up style, pull the elastic down a bit, gently create an opening and then flip your hair through for a similar look. 

TGs, would you try a cute ponytail with a twist? What's your fave way to do your hair? Leave a comment below!

XOXO Claire and Annabella

Hey TGs!

What do you do on a Sunday night? For me, this time is all about a fresh mani to set me up for the coming week. 

I dug into my big box of mani things and found Elegant Touch nail wraps in a super adorbs black and white with contrast spots and even a few flashes of silver!

I totes fell in love because I just finished reading an ah-maze book about a magical night circus that is all black and white. Inside its striped tents you find delights such as an ice garden and cloud maze. It was so beautiful that my mani of the moment HAD to be black and white. 

Here it is: 



Nail wraps are pretty tricky to get perfect. In my case, the key is to give them a bit of a trim so they're not too wide, and when applying them, to stretch and pull them to avoid crinkles popping up at the edges. 

Want to get this look without using nail wraps? You'll need a black nail polish, a white nail polish and a dotting tool. You can get real nail art tools for this purpose, or a nail art pen, but you can also use patience and a toothpick. 

Would you try a black and white mani? Let me know with a comment below!

Love and dotty dreams, 

Claire XO

Hey beauties!

OMTG it's April and you know what that means ... Easter is a hop, skip and a jump away!!!

Helllloooo chocolate!

But why restrict yourself to treats that come wrapped in brightly coloured foil? Lush has sent over some fresh Easter swag and trust me, you'll find it super adorbs. 





See? Squee! That, by the way, is my TGHQ desk's resident grass bunny. He doesn't have a name just yet - perhaps you'd like to suggest one? 

Those carrots are Lush's fruity bubble bath, the golden eggs are bath bomb melts, the big, bright egg produces 'sunny citrus' bubbles and the carrot soap is actually made of lemon oil, cocoa butter, carrot oil and more. 

Best of all, Lush promises this is cruelty-free beauty. That makes me a happy bunny!

Want some tips for a clean, green Easter? Pick up an April Total Girl mag now and flick over to Eco Zone.

What kind of Easter surprises do you want to get? Leave a comment below!

Love and chocolate
Claire xx

Heya beautiful girls, 

Did you know? A new look Total Girl is coming and I am sooooo excited!!! Just wait until you see May! You will love it, I promise. 

Anyway, we're doing a bunch of cool, new things, including the Ask Me Anything section in Girl Talk. You TGs get to ask us, well, anything!

 

Hi TGs,

I looooove it when the Easter Bunny visits me. Somehow this guy knows that my fave kind of choccy is peppermint chocolate - it is the BEST. 

But OMTG I've already had a visit from the lesser-known but very cool Beauty Bunny. 

Want to see what I've got? Check out these eggcellent Easter manicure ideas!



Pastel nails are massive, girls, and these ulta3 ones are a little more spesh because they've got dark flecks in them that makes them set with a speckled finish!

The speckles are just like the marks and mottles on pretty bird eggs and the colours are sweet like sugared almonds.

The colours have names like Hot Cross Fun and Hippidy Hop and that's adorbs. 

These nail colours will make you say, "Cheep, cheep," (LOL, let me know if you get my punny gag) because they're totes not exxy - they're $3 a bottle. 



Top pick: The robin's egg blue. The speckling isn't easy to see but the colour is joyful like a clear, sunny sky.

Surprise smash: Yellow - the speckles stand out and look cute.

Egg fans only: The grey-green shade is cool and fascinating as it totally does look like an eggshell, but it's a bit quirky for most. 

Which colour is your fave? What's your Easter manicure idea TGs? Leave a comment below!

Love and Easter chocolate
Claire xx

Heya TGs!

OMTG overnight I heard that Lorde, New Zealand’s own singing superstar who has two Grammys at the age of 17, is doing a beauty collab with totes famous brand MAC. 

Need a Lorde style shortcut? Try a super dark nail polish!

Maybe her close friend Taylor Swift will give her products a try?!

As we’ve been talking about hair so much lately, I want to take some time to answer TG Amy’s question posted in the comments of my ‘How To Dry Your Hair’ blog entry.

Hi Claire

I got a straightener for Christmas and don't know how to use it.
It didn't come with instructions so I was wondering if you have any tips?

From Amy

Hi Amy, follow these tips and you’ll be BFFs with your straightener in no time!

XOXO Claire

1. Safety first. Like an iron, hair straighteners are hot, can burn and can start fires. Don’t go there! Hold the appliance by its cool, outer plastic parts and never touch its hot plates – my own straightener heats as hot as 230 degrees! That’s hot like an oven cooking your pizza.

Do not let the straightener cook YOU.

Avoid touching your skin with the straightener and don’t leave it clamped around your hair – it can burn it. Also, don’t leave it on and forget about it.

2. Protect your hair. Heat and hair are not best friends. Yes, straighteners can make your mane look smooth and glossy, but too much heat can damage your hair and make it dry out.

You might want to use a heat protecting spray first.

3. Prep. Your hair should be wet or dry depending on the model of straightener you have. Detangle first before you start.

4. Straighten in sections. Got too much hair in there? The straightener won’t work well on a huge chunk of hair. Use the straightener on sections of hair, and try to go systematically around your head. Start at the top and smoothly glide the tongs from the root of the hair to the tips of each section. Keep going until you’re all done!

Finish with some hairspray for extra hold – your hair will stay straight until it gets wet again.