Tagged: embellished
Finally!
I’ve finally finished re-designing my website and have launched it tonight. There’s still a few more images to add… but I’m so happy – it’s finally live!
I’ve been blogged! And published!
The lovely Vivian at ish and chi has blogged about my most recent beauty shoot after seeing the pics on flickr. I’m absolutely honoured to be a part of her well decorated pages. Check out the post with pics here and also an outline of what products I used on the models. Thanks again Viv!
I’ve also been lucky enough to be featured on another blog recently, Goodness Gracious has a pic from a recent Marie Antoinette shoot I was thrilled to do the makeup for. I’m feeling very loved, thank you Lani!
And to top it off, the latest issue of Peppermint Magazine features my makeup in the two editorial pieces they did for this quarter. Peppermint is Australia’s first eco fashion magazine and it was wonderful to work with ethically driven people and all the gorgeous fashion pieces. The issue is on shelves now, at your local Borders and good newsagents, as well as www.leeloo.com.au. Get in quickly though, it sells out quickly!
Party Time!
With New Year’s Celebrations closing in, I thought it might be fun to post some beautiful inspiration pics for party makeup, should you still be wondering how to create the perfect makeup to offset your fabulous dress, with a bit of fun thrown in – it is a celebration afterall!
I’m obsessed with the makeup shown on America’s Next Top Model and one of the shoots from the most recent cycle is still playing on my mind all these weeks later. The girls were all climbing a rope ladder (which was then photoshopped onto a hot air balloon so it looked like they were climbing up towards the balloon) in gorgeous flowing silk dresses with amazing fantasy style makeup. The array of colour used was simply stunning, accentuating not only the girl’s skin, hair and eyes, but also the clothing and accessories used – bright, crazy colour that can’t be missed.
I know a lot of us get stuck in a rut of using neutral colours for our makeup, it’s a lot easier to choose and work with our favourite browns, greys and peach tones that we are so familiar using, but colour when used well can make such a stand out difference and it’s a lot of fun. So here are some basic tips for choosing colours that are just a little bit different to what people normally expect.
Complimentary Colours sit opposite each other on the colour wheel will vibrate off each other making both colours stand out – take into account your hair colour, eye colour or clothing. If you have red hair, green will bring out the colour of your hair and your hair will offset the green. Or if you have blue eyes, try orange toned colours to make them pop out. Wearing a purple dress? Pop on some gold jewellery and golden yellow eyeshadow – this works especially well on those with an olive or tanned complexion.
Triadic Colour Schemes contain colours evenly spaced around the colour wheel. For instance if you have golden blonde hair, and blue eyes, bright pinks will complete the colour scheme of yellow (hair), blue (eyes) and red (dress) – so try a pink dress, pink makeup and maybe some blue or yellow shoes. Alternatively, orange, purple and green can work the same way.
For more information about colour theory, a lot of craft stores sell cardboard colour wheels for a few dollars. Alternatively there is a wide variety of references on the internet – check out Colour Matters for a basic guide.
Happy New Year everyone!
Tools of the Trade – your brush must haves
People always ask why their makeup always looks better when a professional has applied it. Well, there’s a few different reasons, one of which is the tools that are used. A makeup artist would never be without their brushes, they really make a lot of difference. That being said, good quality brushes can be expensive so you don’t want to spend money on something you aren’t going to use. Today I’m going to go through my favourite brushes and tell you how I use them to their full capacity.
Lets start with the face:
Foundation Brush – You can either use a flat (eg. MAC #190) or stippling (eg. MAC #188 ) brush for this – the flat brush works best for matte finish foundations and I personally prefer a stippling brush for satin or dewy finish foundations, the fibre optic hairs really help bring out a glow. The biggest thing while using a foundation brush is to remember you aren’t ‘painting’ the product onto your skin, you are buffing it in with the tip back and forth (for a flat brush) and in fast circular movements (for a stippling brush). Your foundation brush also needs to be washed every time you use it – if you don’t have time after you’ve applied your makeup, be sure to wash it with warm water and a gentle shampoo, then squeeze it out before you next apply your foundation the next day.
Concealer Brush – I prefer to use a soft and fluffy brush (eg MAC #224) to apply concealer as it really spreads the product out and blends it into the skin beautifully. The only time I will use a flat brush for concealer is if I am covering scars or large blemishes with an oil based cream concealer, where I pat the concealer on gently with a flat brush
Powder Brush – Most people prefer a large soft brush (eg. MAC #134) for setting powder, you can also use this as your bronzing brush if you use a brush cleanser in between uses.
Blush Brush – I can’t live without my angled blush brush(eg. MAC #168), it’s super soft and just the right shape to apply blush evenly over the cheekbones.
Now onto the eyes:
Flat Coarse Brush – This large flat brush (eg. MAC #252) is to apply your eye primer. The coarse hairs will spread out the product very well, so you don’t use too much and end up with crepey lids. You can also use this brush as a concealer brush for oil based cream concealers, as mentioned before.
Soft Blending Brush – Buy a few of these (eg. MAC #217)! They are the easiest way to apply eyeshadow, the loose hairs pick up just the right amount of product and blend them flawlessly. I always keep one of them for my light, brow bone colour , and use another for the mid and dark tones.
Flat Eyeliner Brush – This brush (eg. MAC #212) has so many uses. You can use any of your eyeshadows as an eyeliner with this one, or alternatively to smudge your pencil eyeliner for that perfect smokey effect. With practise you can use it to apply gel eyeliner and it works really well to provide definition through the crease area also.
Only one left!
Lip Brush – This (eg. MAC #316) is a must for applying the perfect bold lip, it’s almost impossible to do it straight from the tube.
So now you’ve got your must have brushes be sure to look after them. Clean them gently with a brush cleanser and cotton pad when they get a product build up and wash them every few weeks in warm water and gentle shampoo. Rinse them thoroughly, reshape and squeeze out excess water in a tissue, and dry flat over the edge of a bench. If you look after them, your brushes should last you years.
Summer Simplicity
Now that the warm weather has well and truly arrived, try to embrace the heat rather than fighting against it by simplifying your makeup. These tips will help give you a sexy, sunkissed look this summer.
Instead of the full coverage, matte foundation and heavy powder we all love for that perfect flawless face in winter, switch to something lighter in weight and more natural in texture like a satin or dewy finish liquid or tinted moisturiser, with just a light dusting of loose powder over the centre of the face to help set your foundation and minimise excess shine, but still allowing a healthy summertime glow to radiate through.
Next, lightly brush a bronzing powder over the high planes of the face – your forehead, nose, tops of your cheekbones and then also underneath your chin and down your neck to deepen up the pale area shielded from the sun by your jawline. In keeping with the natural look, stick to a crème blush in a pink, peach or berry coloured tone on the apples of your cheeks and even dot and smudge a little onto the lids of your eyes with your fingertips, this will instantly wake up your face. Add a coat of long wearing mascara and brush your eyebrows into shape and you’re almost done!
For lips I like to cheat a little and use the same crème blush we used earlier and use it as a lip tint – I know it sounds crazy, but it’s one trick I swear by. Just the tiniest amount rubbed into your lips will give them a fresh colour boost and all you need to complete your summer look is a layer of a co-ordinating lip gloss over the top!
This makeup will make you look naturally gorgeous all throughout Summer , and is super quick and fuss free so you can enjoy your long, lazy days. If you are going out in the evening or just want to pump the look up a little bit, simply smudge some soft pencil eyeliner around your eyes and even add a little gold or bronze eyeshadow to your eyelids to create a more sultry effect. A brighter lipgloss or sheer lipstick can also look great, just remember to co-ordinate with your blush.
