Thrifty thrills!

Yes, I'm guilty, I hold my hands up!
I do use some very expensive, hard to find products but not always.   Today, I have been using Soap & Glory Bright Here Bright Now along with Hocus Focus.   My skin is getting drier these days, even in this glorious weather so as I whisk through rich, nourishing moisturisers I crave more 24/7 dewiness on the surface.

Seems as though I have found it in these more 'cosmetic'  than 'skincare' products as Bright Here Bright Now leaves a balmy sheen when mixed with pearlescent glistening of Hocus Focus and hours of luminousity. 

Testing! Testing!

I am currently testing Cosmetics a la Carte Brow Inks which are available in 3 'hair tone' shades....I love the fact I can literally apply each hair when filling in brows for an extended or high arched brow.  One to watch!  Look out for more pictures soon.
This post is dedicated to one of my all time favourite actresses, Elizabeth Taylor, who had the best brows in the business. RIP Ms Taylor.

Final update: All eyes on me!

And finally, my longer lashes have appeared with some thickness too!  Loving my M2 Beaute lash treatment, it has certainly worked for me.
(Eye bags courtesy of lack of sleep)

Thoughts on my favourite smoky eyes!

For me, the 60’s possesses all that I adore about the look and Sophia Loren, for one, owned it whilst today’s Hollywood beauty, Eva Mendes interprets it with envious results. Loren’s deliberate upward black eye line top and bottom, intense matte mud-brown shadow on the eye lids like Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow Taupe Brown 07 and a full, yet not solid, high arched brow; today this could be created using Suqqu Liquid Brow Pen which subtly fills in the gaps to create a natural brow. Loren focused on her eyes, emphasised and elongated the shape by drawing along the lower lash line, with a black pencil such as Dior Waterproof Crayon Eyeliner in Trinidad, then extending it towards the end of the brows, therefore using the bottom eye line as a guide. As with all smoky eye recreations the key is maximum impact on the eyes and so not to look overdone never play up lips and brows with too much depth or colour.

New Additions!

I'm endlessly excited about serums and in the past year I have tried plenty on myself with some great results.  Now, I have discovered two super serums which work really well in my kit by the Britsh 'Green Cosmeceuticals', Medik 8, which create instant results when worn under make-up.

Hydra B5 is a non-greasy, lightweight formula full of moisture-enhancing ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid and without getting into too much beauty jargon, when I used this on clean skin,  under foundation, a radiant complexion peeped through very nicely indeed.  I love skin to look like skin and this serum adds a healthy sheen that, otherwise, only 8 pints of water a day can deliver!

"But I have oily skin!" I hear you cry!
Tears of joy to follow as Medik 8 have recently launched an oil-free solution, Blue AOX to control troublesome skin.  When applied before make-up, clients tell me it feels weightless and soothing.
I notice greasy complexions are de-shined in an instant without playing with skins moisture balance and no, skin by no means turns blue!
The additional benefits of these fragrance-free, paraben-free and acne aid serums is they promote antioxidant protection, that's anti-ageing to you and me! Stockists: 01209 617 146 www.skinbrands.co.uk

Skincare Classics!

Back in the late 70's, I would watch my mum slather on, wipe off and dab on various bits of cosmetics from her dressing table.  There was always a bottle of something fascinating to poke my fingers into or perfume to sniff and sneeze at but I was glued to these rituals and the results.
Roll on some years later, me, a Make-Up Artist with a boundless fascination and impulse to try as many products as I can no matter what the advertisers say.
I was handed over some Pond's Creams some time ago and with an endless backlog of products to test, I have only found the time to try these skincare classics recently.
Was I hesitant about trying skincare without a hefty price tag?
No, because these timeless cosmetics stay around for a reason, plus my mum has superb skin and sometimes, do I really want to overdose on science?
Pond's Cold Cream Cleansing Cream is as I remembered it, smooth, cool with it's unique texture to fully remove residue, make-up whilst leaving skin soft and yes, pretty much like a babies bottom.  I like using this Cold Cream, it does what it says it's going to do and that is all you want really.

 In addition to the Cold Cream, I thought I'd compliment my routine with Pond's Hydronourishing Cream, again, a texture I would only respresent with Pond's and their super rich creams.  Nourishing? Certainly. Long lasting hydration? Indeed, no need to reapply.  Leaves skin feeling and looking radiant? Yes, and I love creams that leave a slight sheen to makes skin appear more youthful.
Most happy to carry on using these classics, after all, I can't beat the ageing process but can work with Pond's as it's older and wiser than me!

Trend Alert! Fast forward 70's make-up.

Make Up Artists', me included, can make new trends look simple and effortless in a few steps.  The truth is, it can be that easy and with an injection of confidence and gusto, you really can achieve catwalk trends without the pressure of beauty rules.  Anything goes and make-up should be fun!  Above is a picture of a model I worked with on Monday for Hairdresser and super teaser, Maximiliano Centini, Fulham.  The heavy-duty blue sockets in Illamasqua Powder Eye Shadow in Imagine, sets off the look so be wise in choosing a highly pigmented eye shadow to do the job and essentially most of the work.

For speed and to set the tone for the look I firmly swept the eye shadow into the models sockets, far into inner and outer sockets whilst her eyes were open to make sure the eye shadow sits in the correct place to create a 'hollowed' effect.  The eye shadow was them pressed along the lower lash line and extended up and further out towards the tail end of the brows.  You might find it helps to use a coloured eye liner pencil such as Bourjois Metallic Eye Liner Pencils to draw the shape, then apply eye shadow over the top, then glide a metallic pencil along the water line for sultry depth.  Alternatively, you can ditch brushes and apply with fingers, this can assist blending!  For a complimentary flash of colour and to emphasise the eye shape and brows, I highlighted the eye lids with another matte colour, Illamasqua Powder Eye Shadow in Creep, then worked a touch of Lick Powder Eye Shadow under brows, avoiding the brow bone which was later finished off with Illamasqua  Pure Pigment in Furore.

Believe it or not, it does become straight forward....curl lashes, add a sturdy black mascara such as Dior Show Waterproof Mascara on upper and lower lashes, then I used Blink & Go Temptress lashes for added volume and wider eyes.  Skin?  Yes, a light veil of Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser No. 2 and 3, a generous sweep of Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer No. 11 over cheekbones, above the brow, forehead and bridge of the nose to hightlight and delicately sculpt contours of the face.  The finishes touch to lips had to remain neutral and almost bare, so I chose the coral tinge of Illamasqua Cream Pigment in  Emerge ,which I later used to block out brows by combing through eye brows for more drama and impact.
By now, you might be aghast at the list of products but I assure you, you're likely to have a stash of colourful palettes and unused products lurking so I hope this spurns you on to experiement, play and enjoy make-up like us Make Up Artist's get to do every day!

Illamasqua and beyond!

I have already posted these pictures on Twitter today but here is a closer look at the 'unexpected' launch from Illamasqua named Toxic Nature.  I say unexpected, because often we are transfixed on devilishly dark, vampish looks from Alex Box, however, the earthy tones along with brights, all inspired by last years ash cloud episode, taken on a curious twist.  The squares pictures in the foreground are brand new, Cream Pigments; blendable, matte and can be used everywhere including hair!

I am totally in love with this shade for lips and what I would call Vermillion being from an art background, Illamasqua call it Flare.  It's a bold, powdery orange/red and the perfect for this Summer.

Now back to the Cream Pigments!  The infamous Spob was on hand today taking us Make Up Artists' through the new collections endless uses. These pots of cream pigment have depth like I've never seen and unlike greasepaint, leave a non-greasy finish which can be mixed into a paste for blocking, built up from a wash to solid colour or even used as a liner and seen here using Hollow, along the water line for a lasting eyeline. I've been informed of more colour and innovative textures from Illamasqua, your credit card has been warned!

Long Lash Alert!

Here we are at week 5 of trialling M2 Beaute.  I should have taken 'before' pictures but really, who wants to see sparse lashes and brows.  My eye brows have filled in nicely.  I'm not keen to have them too much thicker but where they have thickened, I like.  The most noticeable change is the length of my lashes, as they never before tailed off to such a great length.

 Here's a closer look where you can see a glossy coating over the lashes as well as a third more lashes than I had before.  Unfortunately, a few weeks ago a few of my lower lashes fell out which is due to Hypothyroidism, therefore a slower blood supply but luckily for me, whilst using M2 Lash Activating Serum, they began to grow back within a week.
I will continue using M2 Beaute to see the maximum I can achieve.  Ideally, I would like to improve thickness and already I can see that I'm requiring less mascara than usual, which is a big bonus!