Wedding Make Up

As promised in my previous post, here is a sneaky peek at the wedding make up of yesterday's gorgeous Bride.

Rachael was looking for a soft, natural look that fitted with the vintage theme of her wedding.  She doesn't normally wear a lot of make up and was more comfortable with a tinted moisturiser as a base so we used Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser.  This left Rachael with a gorgeous radiant glow.

I used Chanel Bronze Universale to contour and Bobbi Brown Apricot blush on the cheeks to give a natural flushed glow.  Eyes were smokey using MAC Soba, Patina and Handwritten.  Lips were lined in MAC Dervish with MAC Angel lipstick layered on top, finished off with Clinique Fireberry lipgloss.

I also applied some individual false lashes to the outer corners of the eye.

Rachael was delighted with the finished look.  Hair was by Stacie at Absolute.

Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser

Yesterday I had a wonderful wedding party to work with.  I was booked to do the Bride, Bridesmaids and Mother of Bride but by the time I had left them, I had completed 7 make ups in total!  I was exhausted but it was great fun and it really helped that the family were a dream to work with, thoroughly lovely people.

The Bride doesn't normally wear a lot of make up and she felt that she would be more comfortable with a tinted moisturiser on the day rather than a foundation.  There is only one tinted moisturiser that I would trust to do the job on such a big day and that is Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser.

In fact, this tinted moisturiser is the only one I use and recommend as it is almost like a little bit of magic in a tube.  I have found no other to live up to its brilliance.  It is a costly investment at £33 but I absolutely trust this product like no other.

To ensure it lasts the full day I apply on top of a primer, usually Laura Mercier also, but any primer should do the trick.  It works well on the skin, gliding on like silk and blends like a dream.  It gives a soft, tinted veil of cover but the most wonderful thing about this product is the natural radiance it creates on the skin.  Your skin literally glows from within.  Beautiful.

My Bride yesterday looked absolutely flawless wearing this and she looked utterly radiant as every Bride should.  Photos will be uploaded soon so you can have a sneak peak at her final look.

You can buy Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser at branches of House of Fraser and Space NK for £33.

SHU UEMURA - STAGE PERFORMER INSTANT GLOW

Primers are a funny thing, some people swear by them, others think they are a waste of money.

I'll be honest, daily I stick to simply a moisturiser under my make up but for nights out and occasions I always wear a primer to ensure my make up stays put the full day and night.

A product I've come across recently that I absolutely love is the Shu Uemura Stage Performer Instant Glow.  This works as a primer, illuminator, re-surfacer and moisturiser all in one.  It really is quite the wonder product.

It appears as a white lotion with tiny particles in it, you wouldn't be silly for thinking it was an exfoliator at first glance.  These tiny particles burst and settle into the skin as you smooth over your face and this is what creates that illuminating glow.  Only a pea size amount is required.

Now with any illuminating product it would be easy to think it would cause oily, shine or shimmer to the skin but this product does exactly what it says on the tin by simply revealing a fresh, inner glow and working as a perfect base for foundation.  It hydrates the skin and gives just the right amount of slip to apply your foundation smoothly and evenly.  It has already done it's work underneath to help your skin appear more flawless before foundation even needs to be applied.

In fact, this product even works well on it's own, so much so it will be coming with me on holiday next week to hydrate my skin, give me a fresh glow and save the public from the horror that is my naked face!!

At £36 for 50ml it is a hefty price tag but so far is the only downside I see to this product.  It really helps to lift dull, lifeless skin in an instant!

BLUE SMOKEY EYE

So many people I know fear blue eyeshadow.  Memories of awful make-up from the 1980's haunt them and they convince themselves that it will never again dust their lids.

I personally love blue eyeshadow, in particular the darker of the shade, the teals, navy and midnight blues.  Whenever I create a smokey eye, I first of all think of using deep blues.  It's maybe something to do with navy being a favourite colour of mine, it's just so classic and yes, neutral!

Try introducing blue, maybe on the waterline or a well blended shadow on the lower lashline.  Maybe then it won't seem so scary.

Here is my favourite pic of blue smokey eyes ...

Eve looks wonderful with a blue smokey eye, it complements her gorgeous skin tone and worn with a peachy blush that helps warm the cheeks.  She makes sure her lashes are full and dark for extra emphasis and definition.

This is the imagery from Estee Lauder's Blue Dahlia collection.  This is one of my favourite palettes for creating a smokey blue eye as it is so versatile and can create a much more subtle look if required.  I created a look with these colours a while ago which you can see here.

This shimmery blue eye looks like it has a multi-tonal effect.  A look like this can be created using just one colour for a simple, smoked out look that is easy to do yourself.

This is just gorgeous, sightly more shades and products used by the looks of it but the colours are divine. You will notice that all these looks carry a nude lip to ensure all attention is on the eyes!

My favourite products for creating a blue smokey eye:

Nars China Blue
MAC Deep Truth
Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia Collection
Shu Uemura Midnight Blue painting gel eyeliner
Make Up Forever Aqua liner in Iridescent Navy

I hope these images have helped you see another side to blue eyeshadow.  It's not that scary is it?

PIXIWOO

Well here I am with my first post and I guess there is no better place to start than to fill you in a bit about my experience training with the Pixiwoo girls, Sam and Nic Chapman.

What a fabulous week I spent with them in their Norwich studio with 10 other wonderful girls who I am so proud to say are now good friends of mine.  It is amazing the amount of support you give each other through the course and that we now continue to share the support as we set out to further our careers and use the skills, techniques and business advice we received from Nic and Sam.

Throughout the week, we were shown demonstrations of a number of different looks before recreating on each other, experimenting with new products, taking note of new and best products for our kit, how to organise our kit, hygiene, make up through the ages, false lash application ... the list goes on.

Our areas of expertise within the group varied, it went from complete beginners to experienced MUA's.  Instead of being a hindrance this actually benefitted each of us in so many different ways.

This was my natural make up look on Anna.  The brief was to create a 'no make-up, make-up look'.  I used all cream products.  Anna was a perfect model to work on.

This brief was a 'glamorous smokey eye'.  I used bronze shades on Michelle and false eyelashes.

I went for a 'vintage glamour' look for Amber.  I accentuated her beauty spot just above her lip just because it is so damn glam! 

Natalie was my '1970's Diva' ... she entertained us all by donning a black wig and sharing her rendition of Diana Ross' 'I'm Coming Out' with us! :)

It was such a fantastic week and we were all so sad to leave, I have to say we all said a very emotional goodbye to Sam and Nic but I am happy to report that we are all in touch with each other on a regular basis through the power of Twitter, facebook and of course, blogging!