So Elizabeth Arden are about to launch a fab new foundation called Flawless Finish Perfectly Nude make-up (R345). It promises light to medium hydrating coverage with a luminous, pore-perfecting finish and actually helps minimise pore size over time. Look out for a proper review closer to its launch date in March.

To celebrate, the brand invited a bunch of beauty peeps to the Grand Daddy Hotel to learn more about it and then get glammed up and whisked off to the J&B Met.

Now, to level with you, you should know that I absolutely hate having anyone other than myself do my make-up and this is a problem for me as so many brands just looove having their artists slap it on you at launches ‘as a treat’. They don’t realise that the control freak in me is actually freaking out and then, when I inevitably hate the piccies and refuse to post them on my blog I get tossed in the difficult diva box. And I’m okay with that. That’s where all the best canapés are.

But ja, getting my make-up done is never funsies for me. Or at least it wasn’t until Arden’s  celeb make-up artist Gina Myers got hold of me. Girl is a total wizard with a make-up brush and gave me the raddest, neatest winged eye liner I’ve rocked in ages.

The lip colour we’re wearing is one of Arden’s new Beautiful Colour lipsticks in Electric Pink (R210). It’s one of those hues that, whenever you’ve got it on, people always ask you about it. My mascara is Arden’s Beautiful Colour Lash Enhancing treatment mascara (R180). I actually own both of these items and use them regularly; they’re total rock stars. Gina also introduced me to Beautiful Colour Smokey Eyes pencil in Midnight (price TBA) which she used on the inner rim of my eye. As the shade’s a nice, dark navy, it totally made my blue eyes pop without making me look an extra from an 80’s music video.

Now let’s take a proper look at my mooi colourblock Grecian-style rokkie.

If you follow me on twitter you’ll know I was dressed by the rock star that is Brigid from My Walk In Closet. This is where you’ll get the best infinity dresses in town, both for sale (from as little as x) and hire. None of that verlep, badly made ‘one size fits all’ kak you’ll find in a market. Brigid’s dresses are the best in the biz due to her top quality non-pilling fabric, the fact that they come in sizes and can be altered to fit. To check ’em out pop on over here but expect a post later this week that’s fully dedicated to Walk In Closet. I want to show you just how many awesome, easy ways there are to wear this dress. Buying one will actually save you money!

Once at the Met we were thrilled to discover that our spot in the Sunglass Hut tent, was nice and cool and had free drinkie poohs and yummy snacks on tap. Arden also had a little stand in one corner where you could get your make-up touched up.

That salad? I may or may not have picked the peanut brittle out of a good eleven of them and then just left the boxes looking untouched but brittle-less for unsuspecting guests. I’m a total gem that way.

Fab catering aside, another bonus of being in the Sunglass Hut tent? Every guest got a R2000 gift card to blow on a pair of sunnies!

Peeps on the scene-wise, every body who was everyone was there.

While I couldn’t stay to the bitter end and klap it on the dance floor (I had to dash off to help my blogger bestie Karisa review a hotel), I kind of wish I had; this was a super fun, spoilicious day out. A big, fat dankie to Elizabeth Arden and Brigid from Walk In Closet for making me feel both beautiful and dressed to impress.

Love, love

Leigh