Whole lotta love for M2 Beaute!

I was almost beside myself when I read a recent M2 Beaute press release from my darlings at Flipside PR about their latest additions, one of which is M2 Facial, an oil-free Eye Make up Remover; ideal if you've sensitive eyes, a lash extensions wearer or if you're following the M2 Beaute rituals with the M2 Lash Activating Serum.

The other product made me actually 'hola' at my screen and jump for joy, no lie!  I saw a lash tool design I had thought up and designed (sketched in a notepad) about 8 years ago and showed to a well known lash and brow company's PR but to no avail.  

M2 Tools Eyelash Comb have it spot on and huge applause for this as some lash comb features seem more treacherous instruments of torture with a high fear factor than useful beauty gadgets, however, because the precise steel teeth are set firmly in a curve upon a long grip handle, you could not go wrong as there is only one way to position the comb which is upwards through the lashes (a direction we want lashes to go anyway) , surrounding the contours of the eye shape to allow a clean, thorough sweep and even coat of mascara or M2 Lashes Revitalizing Gloss! 

Available now from Harrods and www.m2beaute.com 

Pro essentials: La Vaque Cufflette.

I have an eye for accessories, usually in the form of jewellery though I am super excited with this Pro palette in the form of a cuff.  It's not a sci-fi communicator, it does not 'beam me up' though La Vaque Professional Cufflette Palette shiny surface does allow for mixing hues to perfection and more importantly a good way to reduce cross contamination plus preventing my constant bugbear of smears on the back of my hand and clothes at the end of the day!

I haven't been wearing the cufflette but I tend to hold it as one would an artists' palette.

A decent size for mixing lip colours, foundations, concealers etc about the size of two credit cards.  

And it's not only a new addition to my kit but one of the many new products from my make up chums at www.cocktailcosmetics.co.uk 

Keeping it clean!

You wouldn't consider licking a plate of food, then popping it back in the cupboard, would you?
Good, I should hope not!  So why leave your make up littered with bacteria and grime!
Here is the solution, The Pro Make Up Shop, Make Up Antibacterial Spray a product you can spray onto your make up to lower the risk of contamination.  Some might say this is only relevant to us Pro's but just think about how often you delve into your make up bag to allow a friend to try your lipstick or when you quickly use an applicator or sponge to do a touch up....that is a lot of times, trust me, especially if you've never contemplated cleaning your applicators or brushes ever!
Save yourself the risk of eye infections or nasty skin conditions and make the effort to clean up with just a quick spray or a wipe.

Sephora, Beijing, China

Sorry for the absence of late....so by now you know I dabble in beauty and on a recent trip to Beijing I was lucky enough to visit quite a few Sephora stores to make the odd purchase too!

As you can see above I honed in on items I needed for my kit such as the flat liner brush, mineral buffing brush, lip gloss palettes x 3, 4 step buffer (so handy) and my first scoop, the lash comb, which is curved so easy to use, something I've been on the look out for that for years.   I also bought the pretty nail stickers which are becoming a huge hit in the UK and emerging to the Chinese market.

One day they were there the next gone!  Due to the Japan vs China political situation I couldn't get my hands on the Lunasol Eye brow Mascara in two shades, trust me I tried and all Sephora's had pulled anything remotely Japanese!!  As luck would have it, RMK actually stock 5 shades, yes, 5 so I shall be grabbing those instead (in the UK).

Here are a few other brands that took my interest..

Spring / Summer 2013: Antique Silver eyes and Watermelon Lips!

Lucky old me, I get to work on such a variety of shoots and that's how I like it.  Some are more creative than others, that's fine with me though when I have artistic licence to do be inspired by Fashion Designer, Suzannah S/S 13 collection, I am momentarily floating on powder puffs!

Suzannah, unrivalled designer of quintessentially British fashion with vintage charm, has unleashed refreshing watermelon tones as well as her ever popular cool minks so I mixed up the exact shade for lips for her Look Book shoot a few weeks ago.  

For this I used a combination of OCC Lip Tars and Chanel Rouge Coco Sari Dore to create a creamy block of watermelon.  

Eyes were laid with Ellis Faas Lights of soft sparkle in shades Antique Silver on lids surrounded by Green Gold, topped off with A/W addition YSL Volume Mascara in Khaki.

Hmm, how delicious to finish with watermelon lips, I'm looking forward to sporting this look next Summer, bring it on!!

To see more go to www.suzannah.com and see my favourites from this collection in my Fashion Portfoilo www.nadiramakeup.com 

Lashes and brows with the help of Tweezerman, of course!

I love my Pro Tweezerman kit; a compact set of tools for lashes, brows and nails. 

I put it to the test (minus nails) on a recent Honda ident for Channel 4 TV programmes. 

This short and sweet bite of a TV ad may have escaped you but it is amazing how much time is taken to produce these.  All in all a whole week of shooting though my bit took just half a day which was a close up of beautiful eyes.

I began by concentrating on lashes at first as this is how I like to 'pretty up' eyes.  I coated lashes with mascara and combed through carefully with Tweezerman Lash Comb added a few Ardell Individual Lashes to make them appear thicker and to fill in any 'gappy' areas.

I applied an extremely light base so the model didn't feel bare, then a delicate dusting of eyeshadow.  Brows were brushed (no need to pluck such a good shape) with Brow Shaping Brush, then filled in with the dual ended Brow Eyenhance Pencil

Ready for the close up once the Tweezerman Brow Mousse was swept through for control and finishing.

And action!