Mascara Mission - Over & Out

... for this month anyway........

Next on the mascara hit list is:  

• Illamasqua Volume Mascara

What really impressed me about this mascara was that it didn't have any fancy gimmicks that many of the new breed of mascaras right now have.  It has a simple, easy to use brush, which due to the size, makes it easy to get right up to the root of the lash and create extra definition.  Illamasqua Volume Mascara gives volume and length, lasts all day and night AND is easily removed.  

Rating: 9/10

Makeup Marple's Top 3 Mascara's:

• Illamasqua Volume
• Clarins Wonder Perfect
• Loreal Million Lash

MX

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MX

Bargain Beauty Discovery!

This fabulous little tube of amazingness is a sure bargain beauty lifesaver! And who doesn't love a bargain???

My pale, ginger skin clearly didn't react well to the sunshine of the past few days (despite being sun smart) and I came out with an annoying, prickly heat kind of rash mainly across my chest.

I bought this travel size Sudocrem, although I wasn't sure exactly what it's used for.  Being a mini travel size, it didn't have much info on the tube, except for saying that it 'soothes & protects'. So before bed last night, I covered my neck and chest with the mystery cream and hoped for the best. It smelt quite pleasant and definately had a soothing effect on my sensitive skin.

Upon waking this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find my skin had cleared up and felt smooth & soft as a baby's bottom! Funnily enough, after googling it to find exactly what this fab bargain cream is all about... I discovered that it was originally created as a nappy rash cream! It's been around for years and years and can be used for all kinds of skin conditions, irritations, itches, bites, spots and more. As it is quite a thick cream and goes on white, you couldn't apply it in the morning, it's more of a product you could apply before bed to let it work its magic whilst you get your beauty sleep!

I think it could be similar to Bepanthen cream, however, I have never found that to be nearly as soothing or have such a softening effect. Prices start at just £2.80 for a small tube, so at this price, it's certainly a bathroom, bargain beauty must have!

Makeup Bag Must Have....

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick

Now this is one product that I can never be without! Winner of numerous beauty awards, it was created as a highlighting pallette, with five bars of luminous, shimmering colour.  Total value for money as it's so versatile, just don't drop it or you WILL cry! I also use it as a bronzer or blusher and the individual colours as eyeshadows too.  It's also great on lips under gloss or balm to add a hint of colour. So if i need to scale down my makeup bag for a night out or to fit in a smaller handbag, all I need is my Shimmer Brick, mascara, concealer, liquid eyeliner and lipstick.
It comes in 4 different colour combinations- my favourite being Bronze.

• The lightest colour is amazing as a highlighter, either in the corner of your eyes, under the brow bone or even on the outer corner of your eyes above the cheekbone.  Not all at once though- that would be far too much, pick one area that you want to highlight to brighten up your complexion!

Rating 10/10

(yes this is my first 10/10 rating so far!!)
MX

Fun In The Sun

Kate Moss in V Magazine
Shows us how to seriously work it in the park

Wooohooo! The sun is shining today in London town, which is a rarity in itself. This means it's time to dust off your favourite swimsuit and head to the nearest park to catch some rays and top up your Vitamin D levels- just like Kate did!

Don't forget the factor 30 (in my case, La Roche-Posay factor 50 is the way forward for my glow-in-the-dark pale skin and very kind to sensitive skin)
Trust me, you will thank me when you're older!!!

Or if you're Australian.... slip, slop slap!

Enjoy

MX

Ginge of the Week- Lily Cole!

It's the beautiful English rose, Lily Cole

Photographed by the legendary Mario Sorrenti for Interview Magazine

Metallic purple eyeshadow which enhances the rich amber shade of Lily's hair.

Mx

Sebastian's Magical Potion for Hair

• Potion 9 by Sebastian

Ever since my salon days, this was a sell out product when it comes to maintaining condition or rescuing damaged hair.

Potion 9 is a wearable hair treatment that contains 9 active-oil botanical ingredients to restore condition and give shine. This product has stood the test of time and been a beauty favorite for many years. Thankfully, with Sebastian's reinvention last year, the 'magic' potion's formula wasn't changed- just the packaging

Apply to damp hair and leave in to enhance condition, protect from heated styling tools. Leave in condtioner is like moisturiser for your hair. You wouldn't go out without moisturiser on your face (I hope!) So don't forget your wearable, leave in treatment!! Amazing on curls- you can scrunch it in dry hair for extra nourishment!

Potion 9 Light is like the name suggests a lighter, spray formula which is great news for very fine hair.

Available from professional salons only.

MX

Mascara Mission -Part 3

Next up on the Mascara Mission, I decided to investigate:

• Clarins Wonder Perfect Mascara

Priced at around twenty pounds, I wouldn't put it into the high st category, however out of the many pricier mascaras I have tried over the years this would have to be one of my favourites.

Lured by the fabulous offer on in store and the lovely sales girl, I decided to give it a try.....

Not only, did it lengthen, and thicken my lashes, but it also defined them nicely  too and stayed looking fab all day- no flaking or dark shadows.  I even wore it without my usual eyeshadow/liquid liner combo and got compliments! It contains a lash conditioner which you can definately feel that it's not so drying on your lashes.

The only drawbacks was that it seemed a little stubborn to remove, but I am hoping to find the perfect most gentle eye makeup remover which will hopefully combat this.

Rating: 9/10

• MAC Zoom Lash

 

Zoom Lash is a great mid priced option if you're looking for length and volume which you can layer up for added drama.  The shape of the brush makes it easy to get right up close to the root of your lash, however maybe not a great option for very sensitive eyes.

Rating: 8.5/10

What's your all time fave mascara?

MX

Gucci's got their groove back

For AW2011 it's all about saturated colour and rich, lush textures

Complimented by juicy Rioja-red lips courtesy of the legendary Pat McGrath for Gucci

It's looks like these that make me wish it was Winter already!

MX

Ginge of the Week: Nicola Roberts!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_BG3n1q5KU

Before the week is over, meet this week's Ginge of The Week! I'm predicting big things ahead for Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts.  As the youngest member of Girls Aloud she has now turned into a super-cool fashionista and has released her first solo single  this Summer, which seriously gets stuck in your head (in a good way of course!)

Being such a smart business woman amongst her many talents, Nicola has created a range of makeup called Dainty Doll- specifically for girls with fair skin. Now that's definately something I need to investigate...
                      

After dabbling with the darker locks and fake tan in her younger days, in order to disguise her gingerness, maybe she has realised that its better to make the best of what you've got than try to be something you're not.  

                          Whatever the reason, I'm loving her new look.

MX

La la la... Kylie Minogue in Vs Magazine SS11

When I'm 41 I wanna look like this:

So this is the old Kylie we know and love!
Vs Magazine ss11
photgraphed by Matt Irwin

Beauty in a Flash

I have been meaning to try this little beauty for a long time, but never seemed to get round to it. I think I was waiting for one of those freebie offers that Clarins does so well to justify buying it.  Finally got myself a tube last week! Clarins also has a great offer on right now at Boots so I walked out with cleanser, moisturiser, body scrub, eye makeup remover, eye cream in very generous mini sizes plus a mascara- for a bargain price, all in the name of research of course!  I put the Beauty Flash Balm to the test the following day and had a few compliments on my skin which is always a good sign.

• Beauty Flash Balm is a light textured cream that you wear under your makeup for a brighter complexion.

On the tube it says that it 'brightens and tightens' to be worn under makeup for 'a beautiful appearance in a flash'.  I see it as a cross between a primer and illuminator such as Mac Strobe Cream.

I found the texture to be more nourishing than Strobe, which does have the tendency to look a little too luminous if you're after a more natural look. 

• It's not a product I would wear every day, not only is it too pricey for that, but I would save it for either a night out when you want to look your best or the day after a night out when your complexion needs a boost!
• It also has the added bonus that you can use it as a mask to energise and soothe your skin when left on for 10-15 minutes.  Think I'll give that a try after dinner, my complexion needs all the nourishment it can get after my weekend. 

Rating: 9/10

While we're on the subject of illuminators, I thought I'd introduce you to Mac Strobe Cream which I have already mentioned earlier.

I love to wear strobe under my foundation for a night out as it gives your skin a really lovely luminous glow.

It's also great on arms and decolletage if you're wearing something strappy.

I would never want to be caught without it in my kit on a shoot thats for sure! On camera it really picks up and gives skin a fresh glow. If you layer it up, it can give the skin an almost plastic  finish which looks amazing across collar bones and on the hands.

It also comes in a more liquid formula that has more golden tone called Strobe Fluid. I have both in my kit but to be honest I prefer the Strobe Cream.

Rating: 9/10

Lipstick Lover

Those of you that know me, know how much I love lipstick! A seasoned lipstick lover since the day my Mum first said I could wear makeup, I can even apply the brightest of reds mirrorless.... what a talent!!

For last nights Hoxton antics I decided to glam it up with a slick of Mac's Russian Red on my lips. Partly because I was in a hurry, running late as per usual and needed to get glam quick.

My favourite red lipsticks are:

• Mac, Russian Red- it's a real, true almost primary colour red, with a matte texture. The best thing about Mac reds is they almost last all day, they hardly budge, even after eating! The only downside of this strong pigment is that it does have the tendency to dry your lips out and is quite difficult to remove. I wouldn't advise you to put gloss or lip balm on top as it can make the colour run.
• Mac, Ruby Woo - slightly more neon red, it's the red that Gwen Stefani usually wears, also matte. I'm wearing it in my profile picture too in fact! The great thing about both these reds is, as they are blue based (cool) they make your teeth look whiter!! Looks amazing for shoots with a coat of Mac clear Lipglass (as you can see on the gorgeous Charlie Belle) but it's highly unpractical for real life use! Beware it drips!! So unless you want to spend the night checking in the mirror every five minutes, don't bother. It is such an amazing colour that it's a statement on it's own without the need for gloss.
• Chanel Rouge Coco, Vendome- I call this my 'daytime red' as it's great when I'm in the red mood but don't want to look too extremely RED, very nice all day texture too- doesn't dry your lips out. I'm currently onto my 3rd one, that's how much I love it! I actually went to the launch of this lipstick at Selfridges last year
• Lipstick Queen,  Rust sinner- this is great versatile darker red which I wear day and night. It has a matte texture and opaque pigment but is not as drying as the Mac shades. I have had at least 3 colour clients ask for their hair to be this same colour in the past few weeks!

The beautiful Charlie Belle
Showing off her lips with Mac Russian Red & clear Lip Glass
Make up- Me
Hair- Floss
Colour- David

Lipstick as opposed to gloss has been on trend the last few seasons and I've noticed people are starting to get braver with their colour choices.

If I'm having an ugly day, there's nothing quite like lipstick to make me feel more alive and literally brighten up my look.  I have this theory that if I'm looking tired, the bright red lips will detract from this as people are drawn to the red and not my tired looking eyes! 

Red lips are great to make a statement but keep skin and eyes simple otherwise you could end up looking  rather clown-like. I would never wear read lips with colour on the eyes- stick to neutral tones. Red looks fab with smoky eyes and liquid liner such as Bobbi Brown

• Be sure to try the colour on your lips before you buy it! It's impossible to know how it's actually going to look on you just by looking at the colour in the pot or on your wrist. Lip colour can appear different on different people, it depends on what colour your lips are to begin with!
• When I'm shopping for a product, I try it on and go do something else, see how it wears and then if I'm satisfied, I buy it.  Otherwise you end up with another product to gather dust in your makeup collection! 
• I also find lip colours can look great for the first 10 minutes and then an undertone can come out. When I was looking for the perfect day red, the shop girls kept suggesting these so called 'blue based' reds that seemed to turn bright pink as they were wearing off. 
• Steer clear of strong lip colour if you have thin lips as it will just emphasise this, gloss is a better option in this case

My next lipstick mission is to find a dark, browny red, matte colour. I'm thinking 90's style, Nirvana era. Will let you know how it goes!

MX

Mascara Mission- Part 2

I generally find that 'high street' brand mascaras work just as good if not better than the more expensive luxury brands around these days.

Moving on from my childhood fave- Maybelline Great Lash mascara as I think these days there's so much more technology behind the products and there's loads more choice out there now...... which can get confusing to say the least!

While the brush is old school, it is easy enough to use and get close to the root of your lashes.  Although it coats the lashes, I don't feel the product itself does enough to improve length and texture- a good beauty basic. 

Rating 5/10

Next up:

• Loreal Million Lash Mascara

Although I found the brush a little bit short in the beginning, once i got used to this, I LOVED the 'millionizer mascara brush' for creating very defined longer, thicker lashes. Along with the excess wiper feature which prevents clumping when you apply.  Great for layering to create a more glam look and wears very well throughout the day or night.  

Rating 9/10

• Maybelline One by One Mascara

I decided to give the new Maybelline  a go- despite the highly annoying TV ad!  I thought the brush looked very similar to the Loreal millionizer brush so I thought this combined with Maybelline's usual kind of formulas, I could be onto a winning combination! But alas, I thought wrong! Whilst the brush was ok (not nearly as defining as the Loreal version) it was the formula I really wasn't impressed with.  Although it coated my lashes to make them look blacker, it didn't do much at all to make them thicker as promised, just made them seem clumpy! I also found it quite difficult to remove and also found it flaked a little bit under my eyes through out the day.  Already having issues with darkness under my eyes, this is definatly not something I want on a daily basis!!

Rating: 4/10

MX

Paris Vogue May 2011

Aaaah! thats more like it Paris Vogue!!

Miss Moss Photographed by Mert and Marcus

Ginge of the Week!

Being an avid fan of ginger locks myself, I will be presenting you with a 'Ginge of the Week' each week of course!

This week meet the Ginger Queen: supermodel, Karen Elson..... LOVE LOVE LOVE!!


Amazing pic by Solve Sundspo and amazing makeup too

Glass Magazine Editorial

HOPE IS A WAKING DREAM
Glass Magazine

Spring Summer 11

One fine winter's Saturday in February, I was assisting the lovely Mr Gary Gill on this men's editorial for Glass Magazine.......

Photographer: Neil Kirk

Styled by: David Nolan

Hair & Grooming: Gary Gill

Hair & Makeup Assistant: Me

Models: Charlie France, James Smith, Douglas Nietzke & Joe Sanders

• pawpaw cream on the lips
• mac select moisture cover concealer
• dermacolour palette
• mac translucent blotting powder

tip of the day: Vaseline on eyelids to create a fresh look around the eye area

Product of the day- Derma Colour Mini-Palette, for covering up blemishes, scars, almost anything

aaaaah putting lip balm and powder on such beautiful boys is my kind of work, even with a 7am start!


oh and it was also the day I fell in love with these Prada shoes:

I am certain they would make a fabulous, colourful, summery addition to my gothic wardrobe whilst rocking some strong, hot lip colour such as Mac's Ruby Woo!!
MX

Mascara Mission

Ok so the whole point of my blogging antics was to let you know my thoughts on certain makeup and beauty products...

At the moment I'm on a mission to find the perfect black mascara after straying from my usual high street fave Loreal, I've been going nuts trying to find a new favourite. Should I just go back to Loreal? Maybe... I will keep you posted on my findings.
Mx