The decision to say yes to life is essentially taking a huge leap of faith. It screams impracticality in all it's scary and unpredictable glory versus staying in a secure existence full of comforting routine. Saying yes can upset the status quo and immeasurably change our life, yet people take these leaps of faith every day. Whether it’s quitting a job as a lawyer to start a patisserie, baring a bleeding heart to a crush or moving to Timbuktu, the most important decision made is to simply say yes to following our inner compass.
My 2015 New Year’s resolution was to do more things on my Bucket List. Travel is and has always been on the top of that pile, so my girlfriend and I decided to take a Thelma and Louise kinda road trip from Los Angeles to Big Sur, San Francisco,Yosemite, Palm Springs, Joshua Tree and back to L.A. Since this road trip was a shared dream and I was flying to L.A anyway for a Farfetch conference, the puzzle fell into place easily, but then, at the last minute, my friend was hit with pressing circumstances and had to cancel our trip. Now my plans were unhinged. Should I just go back to Sydney and give up my allocated holiday time or shall I drive alone for over a week through America ? Suddently, neither of these options seemed appealing yet I felt like I wanted to give the universe a chance to surprise me by saying yes to experiences, places and feelings that held the infinite potential of giving me a new perspective on the world.
When offered this collaboration with Armani Perfume for their fragrance Si, I looked up the campaign video featuring the gorgeous Kate Blanchet uttering in italian : Si to life, Si to us, Si to sun, Si to lightness, Si to seduction, Si to love, Si to freedom, Si to myself ” and it instantly struck a cord. We as women are full of contrasts; sometimes strong and sometimes sensitive, but also profound and frivolous, in turns passionate and unpredictable we turn on a dime and become soft and understanding. It is exactly this mercurial way women embody extremes that so frightened the patriarchy for thousands of years ; it is exactly this skullduggery that makes women such exciting, impossible creatures to contain in any sort of way.
Learning how to say yes to life is owning our strengths and choices, it means becoming responsible creators of our own destiny no matter where our dreams take us. Women had scarce choices even a few decades ago but we have reached tipping point in which we must say yes to nourishing ourselves so that we can say to yes to nourishing others and the world.
This elegant perfume with it’s green notes of cassis and pachouli , florals of freesia and may rose and tones of vanilla and wood is the sort of mixture that itself contains contradictions yet they balance and compliment each other just like women's extremes balance each other to create uniqueness and beauty.
PS, as for my trip, I said Si to life and booked a solo trip to Mexica and Cuba. I leave tomorrow!
A life well lived requires time to absorb everything around us, beneath us and above us ( wearing Armani suit and shoes, )
The Armani intense bottle is an elegant representation of it's deep and seductive nature.
Don't be afraid to claim your inner power and be the boss lady of your life ( wearing an Armani top, pants and shoes, Mania Mania bracelet)
Every sunset is a gift to humanity for we can reflect and be grateful for the colours of the world
photographed by Alice Wesley- Smith
The File popped in to my home and made me dish out all my beauty secrets...
The File is a wonderful beauty destination that takes an insider's view into the homes & beauty cabinets of style influencers around the world while delivering a tight edit of the industry’s best beauty products. It’s a raw, real and personal take on beauty and I love it's extensive take into people's lives and wardrobes in addition to it's terrific beauty coverage. I was honored that my friends at this beautiful website wanted to take a peek into my home and frankly, terrified that they wanted to have a look into my cupboards and draws (cue manic tidying)! So thank you to The File for the wonderful interview below and making me seriously consider if I need that 10 year old mascara!
"She’s got a social life that’s as hectic as her multiple day jobs, but Croatian-born former model, Tanja Gacic, perpetually looks fresher than a cucumber slice in Hendricks on ice. Explain this sorcery, human!?"
“I am actually quite low maintenance and very quick with my beauty routine on a regular day,” Tanja insists. “I love natural and organic products because I believe in reducing the toxins in my life. I feel better knowing that these choices are contributing to a better world, supporting far-flung communities and the Earth’s ecology.It can be done in an amazing way - look at Aesop or Grown Alchemist,” she says. “They smell delicious and look amazing! Some things are a little harder to find than others – I am still to find amazing hair products that are completely organic or certain make-up/foundation that really works for me.”
If those sound like the words of a woman well versed in beauty, it’s because she’s earned her credentials.
Tanja currently lists Blogger, Writer, Stylist, Photographer and Creative Director among her professional posts - all titles that sit pretty comfortably under umbrella title ‘Businesswoman-Brand’. But before taking the reins on her personal career she successfully shimmied her way through a decade being professionally gorgeous for other people.
Working as a model between New York and her beloved adopted home Sydney (“The lifestyle just cannot be beaten… it has the best mix of natural beauty and cosmopolitan perks”), Tanja scored primo make-up and beauty tricks from the pros (e.g. her step-by-step guide to indelible lipstick application is one you need to bookmark immediately).
Beauty, she says, is so important because it makes you feel good. “Even on days when I don’t wear any make-up, I have my little rituals that make me feel pampered and soft, which in turn makes me feel amazing.”
So what are these rituals and how, with a plate stacked like hers, does Tanja find time for them?“I am so time poor!” she says. “I do my routine so quickly – most times it is in the car, while waiting at the lights!”
“The trick is to have a great foundation – I really love Armani’s Designer Lift. Then a bit of YSL’s Touche Éclat, some Natio bronzer lightly as a contour, a thickening and lengthening mascara and a really good eyebrow pencil plus a great lip balm like Carla Oates – done!”
Tanja’s got the kind of confident, unpredictable sense of style that’s not at odds with the chameleonic aesthetic demands of any model.“It’s all encompassing and non discriminatory,” she says of her impossible-to-pigeonhole look.“I love playing with trends, colours, decades, characters, vintage, high-end, low-end, glitzy, basic, et cetera. Clothes are so important because they convey your personality. I suppose my Gemini moon gives me lots of personalities!”
A woman with lots of personality? Darned if it isn’t one of our favourite things.
See more of this story and pictures ( not to mention shop my beauty products ) on The File here!
Photographed by Rudy Zverina
Words by Susannah Tucker
Make up is a special weapon us women have in our arsenal to keep ourselves looking fresh ( men were blessed with facial hair to cover their imperfections) but this coup can quickly become a curse when it becomes a tedious, time sucking routine . It took me a long time over my long modelling career to work out what make up works, what doesn’t and in which order, but now, I have this daily ritual down to 10 minutes flat - which is always a blessing when all you want to do is savour your morning coffee a little longer before rushing to work.
Step 1: Apply Hourglass Veil primer over moisturiser -this luxe,mattyfying primer will help foundation glide on easier and keep it on for longer -use it sparingly for best results. Lightly dot multi performing Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation on the face, then rub in with your fingertips. The warmth of fingers will help blend the foundation seamlessly into the skin.
Step2 : Fill in eyebrows with Anastasia’s Perfect Brow pencil then brush out with the brush attachment for a natural look. Doing this first frames the face and lets you easily identify the high and low points you would like to highlight in the next step. I have fair eyebrows, so filling in all those light hairs really helps me find my features!
Step3 : It’s all about reverse contouring! I find this is the most natural way to highlight/lowlight a face. Simply apply YSL Touche Eclait to the bridge of your nose, chin, under the eyes , under the arches of the eyebrows and just above the cupid’s bow to gently highlight these areas, erase dark circles, smooth lines and make the lips appear more plump. Finish off with a super light dusting of gorgeous, light Ilia translucent powder.
Step 4. Curl eyelashes and apply lenghtening mascara such as Giorgio Armani ‘s Eyes To Kill. Take an eyeshadow shortcut by using Clinique’s eyeshadow chubbies in Lots o' latte to the eye sockets, then add a little of the lighter shaded Ample Amber just above it. Blend until edges are softened.
Step5. With a soft wide brush such as all vegan Eco tools , swipe a light dusting of Natio bronzer in Sunswept just under the cheekbones, temples , hairline and jawline for added lowlights. Follow up with a little bit of Nars blush in Deep Throat on the tops of cheekbones for a healthy, rosy glow.
Step6. Apply a lipstick like Tom Ford’s lipstick in Blush Nude or a grown up lipgloss such as Dior’s lip plumping Lip Glow Colour Reviver Balm and voilá!
Tools of the trade: (clockwise from left) Nars bronzer in Sunswept, Ilia translucent powder, Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara, YSL Touche Eclait, Anastasia Perfect Brow eyebrow pencil, Eco Tools brush, Clinique eyeshadow chubbies in Lots o’latte and Whopping Willow, Tom Ford lipstick in Blush Nude, Dior’s Glow Colour Reviver Balm, Nars’ cheek colour in Deep Throat, Hourglass Veil mineral primer and Georgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
Wearing: Uniqlo x Ines de la Fressange shirt , Tiffany & Co necklace and Cartier bracelet
Photographed by Kasia Werstak
