Annalise Braakensiek is one of Australia's most recognised and loved celebrities. Best known for her work as a model and actress, Annalise's career began at the age of 16 when a photographer scouted her on Sydney's Bondi Beach. Her big break came in 1994 when she was named Inside Sport's Model of the Year, and with her beach babe looks and killer curves, she went on to grace the cover of the magazine seven times after.

Her career as a successful model both nationally and internationally saw Annalise star in numerous high profile advertising campaigns, including Nivea, La Perla lingerie in Italy, Levi's and Toyota, to name a few.

She's purred down the catwalk for designers such as Anna Sui and Issey Miyake, and starred in some of Australia's most iconic television shows, including Home and Away, 20 to 1 and the smash-hit series Pizza for which she received a Logie nomination.

In 2008 Annalise launched her catering company, Love Lunch, specialising in organic recipes that are dairy, gluten and meat free. ‘Cooking has to be one of my greatest joys in life. I was fortunate enough to grow up on a biodynamic farm, so fresh, pesticide-free produce was in abundance for me to cook with from an early age,' she says.

She's also launched an eco-friendly lingerie range called Annalise Exclusive at Bras N Things for the fuller figured woman - the success of which has led her to design a sleepwear range set for release in September this year.

And it doesn't stop there - Annalise has launched her own jewellery collection, Annalise, which is inspired by her Norwegian heritage and love of Native American designs.

It features handcrafted sterling silver pieces embellished with turquoise, coral and rose quartz. ‘Whether it's edible art with Love Lunch or wearable art with my lingerie and jewellery lines, it's great to have the opportunity to do what I love,' she says.

Annalise keeps herself looking fit and fabulous by starting each day with a power walk with her husband and staffy dog. She also enjoys pilates, hot yoga and sees a personal trainer four to five days a week. ‘I love to exercise. I find it so beneficial, not just for the physical element but also for my general wellbeing and clarity of mind,' says Annalise.

Her beauty tip? ‘Drink plenty of purified water, get eight hours of sleep every night and always wear SPF30+ sunscreen. Laugh lots, enjoy life, be positive and eat a balanced, organic, meat-free diet. You'll look and feel nothing other than beautiful!'

Annalise favours M.A.C cosmetics (‘I love their face and body foundation') and also uses BeneFit BeneTint for a natural rosy cheek. She loves YSL's Touche éclat for concealing dark circles beneath the eyes, and ModelCo's Lip Plumper Hydra Lip Therapy for lips.

‘My personal favourite look is natural, dewy skin with freckles still showing, lush lashes, rosy cheeks and a nude lip. I love the late 60s/early 70s look,' she says.

Celebrity hair stylist Joh Bailey keeps Annalise's long blonde tresses in shape and she loves manicures with Biosculpture gel nails for their durability. Even though she is a beach girl at heart, Annalise opts for faux tanning using Tuscan Tan instead of risking sun damage.

To create Annalise's glowing look, follow my tips and tricks of the trade:

Glowing skin

To create flawless, glowing skin you must first ensure your foundation is the right shade for you. Always choose your product colour by viewing it in natural light once applied, as look fluorescent lighting in stores will not show the true colour. To avoid a pale and ghostly face on top of a tanned body, make sure your foundation matches your décolletage.

Mix a touch of lightweight illuminiser cream (preferably with a soft hint of shimmer - M.A.C Strobe is my favourite) into your foundation before applying it. Next use your foundation brush to gradually apply your foundation, starting from the centre of your face and working outwards.
Blend well to avoid any demarcation lines around the jaw. We all want to conceal uneven skin tones, redness and blotchiness, but remember to even out the foundation so that it seemingly melts into your skin for a natural-looking finish.

Smouldering eyes

Most of us love to emphasise our eyes and what better way to do it than to wear sexy, smouldering eye makeup. A smoky eye leads many of us to automatically think of charcoals and greys, but you can create a smoky eye using a myriad of eyeshadow colours - ranging from chocolates and bronzes to navy blue, aubergine and even avocado green.

‘Smoky' is more about the application of the eyeshadow rather than the colour. Softly blending shadow not only on the eyelid but also along and beneath your lower lashes creates a smouldering effect.

Try mixing different textures to add interest, such as a satin or matte finish eyeshadow with metallic eyeliner to create contrast and really make the eyes pop. I used a shimmer champagne base eyeshadow on Annalise and then a deep chocolate brown eyeshadow on the eyelid that I blended just above the eye socket and along the lower lash line. Next, I applied a metallic bronze eyeliner pencil around Annalise's upper and lower lash line to create definition and a hint of coppery colour to really bring out her greeny-blue eye colour.

The other essentials to creating the perfect smoky eye are finishing off with two or three coats of volumising mascara to both the top and bottom lashes. Stronger eye makeup should always be balanced with neutral toned lips for extra wow-factor.

The ‘new' matte lip

Yes, you heard right - matte is back! And I'm not talking the dry and cakey matte lipsticks of the early 90s. The new matte lipsticks on offer are like lush velvet on the lips. They glide on smoothly and, unlike lip gloss that requires numerous touch-ups, matte lipstick lasts for hours without having to re-apply. Now how's that for kissable lips?

Bella Beauty Magazine

MAKEUP & ARTICLE Tamee Rene' Makeup Artist www.tameerenemakeupartist.com
PHOTOGRAPHY Chocolate Chilli www.chocolatechilli.com.au
HAIR Nic's Hair 2U www.nicshair2u.com