CLASSIC DOLCE & GABBANA MAKEUP WITH PAT McGRATH

Delicious makeup looks from Dolce and Gabbana Winter 2014 - perfectly classic for the cold winter months here in the Southern Hemisphere.

CHRISTIAN DIOR COUTURE - BACKSTAGE 2011/2012

If you feel like your Wednesday is lacking a bit of glamour here's a flashback to Christian Dior's Haute Couture Show from 2011-2012

I love the theatrics of it all, the taped eyes to elongate them into the hairline, pristine hair, liner and lips. Not to mention the paled faces, grey contour and white highlights.

Needless to say you might not want to replicate this exact look but here's my selection of Dior products you can use to create a more wearable version.

LIPSTICK: Rouge Dior in Sterling Red
LINER: DiorShow Art Pen in Catwalk Black
POWDER: DiorSkin AirFlash Matte Touch in Universal Beige
BLUSH: DiorBlush in Beige Nude

MAC AW14 LONDON FASHION WEEK

I'm a sucker for Backstage makeup - especially so when many of the MAC artists on this video are friends I worked with over the last 9 years in London! Take a look at what went on backstage at London Fashion week AW14.

BACKSTAGE WITH LISA ELDRIDGE & LINDSEY WIXSON

Yes, it's been far too long since I've posted anything - the the truth is I've been slammed!

So, to apologise here is another fantastic backstage video, this time from the amazing Lisa Eldridge as she works on Lindsey Wixson for the June issue of British Vogue. I always tend to think of Eldridge working with natural and neutral palettes, so this has served as a timely reminder that she is a fantastic all-round make-up artist.

 

Check out Lisa's online tutorials on her website here

I was excited to note her use of Myface Cosmetics Blingtones on the eyes for that wet, iridescent look. The range of Blingtones have been a staple product in my kit for some time now - full pigment payoff with a silver highlight which melts into the skin giving a glossy texture that looks like liquid. Here I used them on Charlotte Jaconelli for her Red Carpet appearance.

Here are two of the fantastic colours from the fantastic Myface range - click here to go to their website

GET CHARLOTTE JACONELLI'S RED CARPET LOOK

Red Carpet look for Britain's Got Talent Finalist Charlotte Jaconelli

On Monday I had the pleasure of doing the Makeup and Hair for Britians Got Talent finalists Charlotte and Jonathan for them to attend the Pride of Britain Awards. Here's how I achieved Charlotte's Red Carpet look.






Charlotte has fantasic skin and doesnt need very much at all. The products I used were:

Prep: Crealine by Bioderma to cleanse and Embryolisse Cream Lait Moisturiser

Foundation: Myface Mymix Foundation

Concealer: YSL Touche Eclat and MAC Moisturecover concealer

Cheeks: Chanel Jouse Contraste Blush in Rose Initiale

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle as highlighter

Lips: Chanel Lipliner in Pretty Pink

Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in Insolence


Eyes: MAC Painterly Paint Pot as a base

Myface Blingtone eyeshadow in Morocco (lid)

MAC Embark eyeshadow (outer eye)

Laura Mercier Tightline Black Liner against lashline

Ardell Individual Lashes (loads of them)

Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara in Noir


Hair: Prepped and blow-dried with UNITE Session Whip

Styled with WAM hot tongs

Finished with Bumble and Bumble Styling Cream with a drop of Defrizz

and plenty of UNITE Max Control Hairspray

CORAL LIPS AT MISSONI - GET THE LOOK

Lucia Pieroni designed a fantastic glowing, coral lip for Missoni at Milan Fashion week. Here MAC artist Tiffany Johnston talks us through how they achieved this look using a blend of Lipmix colours with Pigment on top.

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH MAC AT HOLLY FULTON

I love watching behind the scenes videos just as much as I love rummaging through other people's kits (am I a make-up Womble?). Here MAC Senior Artist Cher Webb shares the look Andrew Gallimore designed for Holly Fulton - natural looking freckles and a neon, two-toned lip. YUMMY!



Video courtesy of MAC Cosmetics

Base:

• Select Cover Up lightly blended over hydrated skin to create an even, flat, “mannequin” look to skin.

• Strut Eyebrow Pencil used to stipple freckles across the nose and cheeks, varying in size and density, and then patted over with a fingertip to create a “realness” to skin.

• Pro Blot Powder Loose swept through the t-zone to polish and set.

Brows:

• Brows are combed and groomed

Lips:

• Embrace Me Lip Pencil (available s/s 2013) used to define the bow of lip and contour a more rounded shape, while avoiding the centre of the lower lip.

• Pro Fuchsia and White Lipmix- mixed to create a neon pink and applied through the outer corners of the lip.

• Pro Orange Lipmix applied though the middle of the lip towards the lower lip edge, finger width in size, in a rounded heart shape.

• 217 Blending Brush used to softly blur the two hues of fuchsia and orange together to finish.

LOUIS VUITTON MENSWEAR SHOOT FOR OBSERVER MAGAZINE

Here's another editorial that I have worked on recently for the Observer's Sunday Magazine - to work alongside an article they were writing about Louis Vuitton Menswear. Shot by Elliott Morgan, Styled by Helen Seamons Hair by Emily Kent and Makeup/Grooming by me!

Mens grooming can be tricky as you don't want any make up to show - however it is necessary to work a little bit of magic on the skin under the harsh flash of the photographers lights. It is very important to make sure brows are plucked without looking overly manicured and facial hair trimmed or wet-shaved as necessary.

To cleanse the skin I used Crealine by Bioderma followed by Kyoku Oil Control Lotion and Lip Fuel. 

For a natural look I used Tinted Moisturiser SPF 20, Brow Definer and  Matte Bronzer by Laura Mercier. For healthy hands I pushed back cuticles which had been softened with a drop of oil, gently filed the nails and used Almond Coconut Milk Hand Creme, again by Laura Mercier.

Hair Stylist Emily Kent used Bumble & Bumble hair products to give a sleek and sophisticated coiffure.

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER SS'13 READY TO WEAR

 Jean Paul Gaultier Flashes back to the 80's

Jean Paul Gaultier's 2013 Ready to Wear Collection certainly entertained audiences this year at Paris Fashion week. Not harking back to the 80's but putting on a full look-alike cabaret, models were dressed and made up to look like iconic pop stars Boy George, Madonna and Bowie to name a few. Check it out!

All photos sourced from Style.com

BACKSTAGE AT WESTWOOD SS'13

Backstage Video and Pics at Vivienne Westwood Red Label SS13

all photo and video material sourced from Westwood

BINKY FELSTEAD - TOPMAN GENERATION MAGAZINE

Thought I would share with you a couple of shots from a  shoot I did a while back with Made In Chelsea's Binky Felstead

"Taking our lead from the 70s sexploitation films of Russ Meyer, such as Faster Pussycat Kill, Kill and Supervixens, we headed down to London's infamous Shadow Lounge in Brewer Street – one of the capital's oldest pole dancing clubs – where she and her gang of vixens tease and bully an innocent country boy, and make him into a man." - Topman Generation

To achieve that vampy vixen look I layered two pairs of MAC Lashes Number 48 and added a thick liquid liner to the eyelid. On the bottom waterline I added a Fascinating Kohl Pencil and set with an off-white matte eyeshadow to create a rounded eye shape.
Binky has lovely skin so I buffed on MAC Face & Body Foundation then added Moisturecover Concealer where needed.
Lips were kept neutral and lightly glossy by adding Creamsheen Glass in Fashion Whim.
I kept the makeup similar for the models sans the vampy lashes. After all there can only be one SUPER VIXEN!!

Click on the products above to go straight to view them on the MAC website.

Photography: Elliott Morgan
Stylist: Rachael Rodgers
Make-up: Katherine Gould using MAC Cosmetics
Hair: Magdelena Tucholska using UNITE Eurotherapy
Art Director: John-Paul Pryor
Models: Tom, Elle and Ava at Elite Models
Binky Felstead is represented by First Model Management

SPICE UP YOUR HAIR!

Behind the scenes at the Olympic Closing Ceremony with Spice Girls Hair Stylist Christian Vermaak

I was lucky enough to meet the wonderful Christian Vermaak on a job a couple of months ago. We had a blast, Christian introducing me to a whole world of You Tube hilarity and bonded over our week together.

If you don't know his name straight away you will know his work. Christian is Hair and Makeup Artist for Kylie, Dannii, Holly Valance and Emma Bunton (just to name a few) so when I found out he had created hairstyles for three of the Spice Girls for their Olympic appearance I had to ask him some questions...

How did you become involved in the Olympics Hair team for the Spice Girls?

I have been working with Emma for about 8 years... I do quite a lot of exciting stuff with her. So she asked me to work with her for the Olympics

Was it just her hair or the other girls as well?

I was in charge of Emma, Mel C and Geri's hair that day. There were quite a few of us in the glam squad. Each had their own make-up artist and Victoria and Mel B brought their own hairdressers from LA.

It must of been incredible to be backstage at the Olympics!

The atmosphere was amazing! We didn't get to see much behind the scenes because we were working but I did get to have a 45 minute bus ride sitting next to the one and only Annie Lennox after the show. That lady is an inspiration!

Any behind the scenes tips or tricks?

My hair tip/must have is the Cloud9 Heated Rollers. whether you're doing straight or curly hair, the rollers just give that added oomph and makes everything fall into place so much easier.

Did you have a brief for the job or just go with the flow?

The hair styles that were chosen for the event were based around what they were wearing. Emma wanted to go with a 60's vibe with her dress, Mel C wanted to keep it simple and chic so we went for a swishy poker straight pony tail and Geri is loving her bob at the moment, so she just wanted it to be tousled and bedhead sexy.

What were your key products for this particular job?

Each girl's hair is so different, so their key products are different too.

Emma loves a bit of volume... and there is nothing better for volume than the Schwarzkopf Dust It. It's amazing.

Melanie C's pony needed to endure the wind from the taxi, so the Kevin Murphy Session Spray kept it locked and loaded and didn't move ALL night

Geri's hair needed some texturising, and I've found the L'Oreal Dirty Clean Matt Paste worked brilliantly.

How can we get amazing hair like the girls?

Experiment with your hair. Sometimes the greatest styles come out of the greatest disasters!

Find out more about Christian on his website here!

BEHIND THE SCENES - THE CREATION OF THE BETH DITTO VISUAL FOR MAC

If you're anything like me then you'll love a Behind the Scenes photoshoot or video. It gives you a sneaky peak into the lives of other professionals and the kind of effort that goes in to a big-scale production.Thanks to MAC Cosmetics we now have a behind the scenes taster of what went in to the collaboration between them and songstress Beth Ditto. So join the team behind the scenes with plenty of wigs, make up and the occasional potato?!?!

Items from the collection are still available to buy here in the UK