AROUSAL&DESIGN is the creative combination of two friends from a small town in the North Island of New Zealand. Meeting in High School in the early 90’s they quickly became friends who were linked through similar passions and interests.  

About The Name

The name itself was discovered using 'The Secret Language of Birthdays' book by Gary Goldschneider and Joost Elffers (Penguin 1994/2003), where each day of the year is a 'Day of' something with its own unique personality trait - proving scarily accurate for them both!

So, from February 26th comes The Day of Arousal & from March 3rd comes, The Day of Design. Voila, AROUSAL&DESIGN is born, literally!  

The A&D Story

The AROUSAL&DESIGN stated taking shape in 2008, with the label coming to life in 2010 through the sharp eye and skilled hands of West Australian make-up artist Adriana 'Ady' Grader (Ady is married to 'The Day of Design').

Ady started her make-up journey in 1998, which over time has seen her work and learn under many talented make-up artists and for numerous cosmetic houses. With assistance from her husband, Ady took a leap of faith and decided to venture out on her own into the cosmetic business world, creating a range that she felt was all a woman would need, a 'must-haves' of sorts. Ady once joked during her Diploma of Make-up studies that she wanted to create her own make-up brand someday ..... and in 2010 it became a reality.

It's been a lengthy process because the cosmetic market is literally flooded with so much choice from budget brands to the well-known high-end labels and everything in between that Ady wanted to get it right in order to stand in the market.

"It needs to be simple for the everyday woman, and yes - there are seasonal colour trends that we all in someway or another follow, but there should always be staple items in every girl's bag of tricks"

- Ady

A&D offers just that! As famed designer YvesSaintLaurent once stated: "Fashions fade, but style is eternal." Ady wanted to create a fadeless range where every product was needed .... and wanted! An entire line (as boutique as it is) that could adapt to innovation and growth.

Market research aided (and still does) in the filtering and selection process of the range. Ady was ruthless with what stayed and what was cut, because too many options was not an option. When trying to find the brand name that would forever be known as AROUSAL&DESIGN, a number of other potential brand names was put forward for consideration and surprisingly  AROUSAL&DESIGN was one of the least favoured names. We concluded that most people associated the word 'Arousal' with sex, but trusting in ourselves we ditched the research in favour of what our hearts were telling us!

Cosmetics is only the beginning of a fashion journey for AROUSAL&DESIGN, but we definitely have our creative caps on. For now, we know you'll enjoy the cosmetic line-up just as much as we do - we've eliminated the need to look elsewhere!

About Ady

Known simply as Ady in make-up circles, Adriana Grader-Orupe is one of Perth's leading make-up artists in the fashion industry. Ady has worked as a fashion make-up artist and hair stylist for 19 years, and started styling 10 years after demands from clients. Her knowledge, skills, and passion in making women look and feel amazing has given her an excellent reputation on the Perth fashion scene, interstate, and overseas. You name it, she's had a hand on it: runways, magazine editorials, TV commercials, celebrities, music videos, and feature films.

Ady fits in being a wife and mother of five children with all this fabulousness, so understands a woman's hectic lifestyle; battles with body image; and how to enhance what you love and hide, and hide what you loathe. Ady is a strong believer that education is the key to feeling fabulous and finds great satisfaction teaching women of all ages that they can learn and master the "pro" techniques and tricks for themselves.