Every brand has a hero product — the one that gains cult-like status and sometimes becomes more well-known than the brand itself. Here in Australia, one of our most famous beauty exports is paw paw ointment (Lucas Paw Paw, we're looking at you), but there's countless other five-star offerings made in our very own backyard. To celebrate the end of Australia Week we're showcasing the Aussie beauty all-stars — and we've even plucked out the hero product from each brand for you, too.
There must be something in the water down under, because Australia is the breeding ground of some of the most beautiful — and successful — models in business. From the iconic faces (and bodies) of Elle Macpherson and Emma Balfour to Andrej Pejic's headline-making looks to the current crop of home-grown hotties taking over the Victoria's Secret runways, we've got a plethora of beauties doing Australia proud. Step inside to see which models made our top ten list.
There are three things that sum up a majority of Australia Day celebrations: sun, sand and the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown. Yep, whether they listen to the radio station regularly or not, you'll find most people use the annual Oz Day countdown as the best recap of music of the year past. This year's countdown results were a little unusual in that the list wasn't jam-packed with Aussie artists like it often is, and that around about half the songs on the list are played regularly on commercial radio, too. Indeed, the number one song, "Thriftshop" by Macklemore has been at number one on stations like 2DayFM and Nove 969 for weeks — it looks like independent music is becoming more mainstream! Click here to see which other songs made the top 10!
Is it a coincidence that in the week we’re celebrating our Australian stars that a whole bunch of them happened to be out and about around the world? Our Week in Pictures round-up is filled with home-grown stars today, including the Aussie representation at the Sundance Film Festival — heaps of our actors have been there promoting their smaller film projects, including Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman and rising star Alice Englert. Frequent flyer Miranda Kerr flew out of LA with her husband, Orlando Bloom, and son, Flynn, while local boys Liam McIntyre and Todd Lasance celebrated their show Spartacus in the same city. Meanwhile, Jennifer Hawkins, Alex Perry and Charlotte Dawson have been flying around the country on the search for Australia’s Next Top Model. There are plenty more Aussie stars to see, including Simon Baker, Teresa Palmer and Delta Goodrem, so click through!
There must be something in the water! A new wave of home-grown jewellery labels have entered our field of vision recently, eliciting both a dangerous lust for their luscious wares and also a quiet sense of national pride from our cynical, been-there-seen-everything-before hearts. To celebrate, we're shining today's Accessory of the Week spotlight on ten up-and-coming names in the accoutrement game. From Ryan Storer's sell-out crystalised ear cuffs to Petite Grand's delicate visions in gold and silver, these creative kids are going to become very visible, very quickly. It's time for some introductions . . .
In the spirit of celebrating all things Aussie today — happy Australia Day! — we’re shifting the focus from the bright lights of Hollywood to put the spotlight on our talented home-grown stars. Aussies are so beloved around the world, from our actors and film industry, to our musicians, to our TV shows with global audiences and more. The pop culture figures featured in this gallery are all household names, recognisably Australian, and many have gone on to achieve international success — click through to check them out.
We're kicking-off Australia Day with none other than the beautiful Kate Ritchie. The ex-soapy star and radio presenter is now hard at work on a different aspect of the media and entertainment industry — writing — but she's also set to sit back in the acting chair for a new ABC drama. We spoke to the stunning brunette about her favourite products and found out what it's like to live a day in her life.
Want more? Read our other Real Beauty interviews here.
Happy Australia Day! This is the moment we've been counting down to all week, the one day of the year where we get to celebrate all things Aussie without a hint of guilt. First to get our attention? All our favourite homegrown celebs who stay active on social media — and there are lots of them! From celebrity models Lara Bingle and Miranda Kerr showing off their beautiful faces (and style), to stylists and cool It girls giving us a behind-the-scenes peek into the lives of the beautiful and rich, it's all in here! Just click through the gallery to peer into the lives of our top fashion and beauty icons in the Australia.
When it comes to bastions of Australian style there are few ocker favourites (Stubby shorts, Dunlop volleys, Chesty Bonds singlets come to mind) that we'd happily disown given the opportunity. Country Road is not one of them. The home-grown label has always delivered on the style front, providing generations with understated, classic, quality yet on-trend product. Better still is the campaign imagery generated by CR, always impressing us with its inherently Australian sense laid-back styling and use of timelessly good looking models. We convinced this iconic brand to let us riffle through their press archives so we could present you with a retrospective of epic proportions. There's even a surprise appearance by Rachel Hunter in her heyday. True. Story. Ready?
