So while it’s definitely possible to adapt this look into your everyday life, the key is to let your skin type guide you on how much shimmer and shine you can afford to wear.  Here are some things to keep in mind:

 -          Try to keep your foundation and highlighter products separate (rather than use a foundation with shimmer in it). This way you can control exactly where you apply the shimmer.

-          If you have oily skin always avoid areas with open pores. If your skin is dry or dehydrated, keep the shimmer away from settling into fine lines.

-          The type of shimmer you use matters. Opt for a product with refined shimmer particles that do not resemble glitter! BECCA Shimmering skin perfectors are a perfect place to start.

-          Now is the time to try this look. With temperatures dropping as we head into winter, skin tends to be less oily and you can avoid the harsh summer sun which adds even more light reflection to your face.

Note: Image from Bless’ed are the Meek Runway show (Source: Getty)

It’s one of those surprisingly universal makeup colours that everyone can wear: from very pale to very dark skin tones. If you’re not convinced, just ask François Nars – the man behind the bestselling NARS Orgasm blush – the perfect blend of pinky/peach that suits almost everyone!

As any colour wheel will show you, peach is derived from two secondary colours: orange and pink.  And it’s these proportions of orange and pink that will determine whether you’ve chosen the ‘right’ peach tone to complement your skin. When testing colours I recommend using your skin undertone as a guide: if you have pale skin with cool pink undertones, look for a peach with more pink/red in it, and if your undertones are warmer and have a yellow/olive tone to them, choose a peach with more orange in it.

Here are three peach toned lip products I gravitate to:

• Becca (pictured above): Beach tint in Strawberry – with orangey, red undertones.
• Bobbi Brown: Calypso Coral Lip and Cheek tint . It’s NEW to their collection and more pink than orange.
• Revlon: Kiss Me Coral Lustrous Lipstick – the mix of pink and orange is even.

So if you’re confident you’ve found the right product for your skin, here are three quick checks to make sure your application is not letting you down.

• Only apply foundation where you need it.

For most people this means concentrating the product on the centre of the face to even out redness or pigmentation. There should be very little foundation left on your brush (or fingers or sponge) by the time you get to your hairline and jawline.

• Think fresh, not flat and matte.

  An overly matte foundation can be mask-like because it doesn’t reflect light the way your natural skin does. This can be hard to avoid if you have very oily skin. So the best way to counteract a matte foundation is by using a blush or bronzer with a subtle shimmer in it. This will stop your skin looking completely flat without making it oily.

• Check your lighting.

  Good lighting (preferably daylight) is best way to keep your application in perspective in terms of how much you use, where you apply it and making sure that the colour still matches your skin tone.

Some of my favourite, staple products come from the brands pictured (left). As you can imagine, deciding what goes into my kit, involves a lot of trialling. It’s an essential part of my job, especially as new (and sometimes better) formulas are released each year. Here are some of the key things I look for:

-          Foundations and concealers: they must work on a range of skin tones (fair, medium, dark), undertones (pink, yellow, neutral) and skin types (oily, dry, combination). On any one job, I’ll have at least four different types of foundation (liquid, cream, powder and stick) in my kit.

-          Pigment payoff: products that have strong pigments are a must. These allow me to achieve the look efficiently (less re-dipping to “build” colour), and have a longer staying power which is important for maintaining the look after I have left.

-          Flash photography friendly: even on jobs where you don’t think photos are going to be taken, they are. Every moment, even behind the scenes ones are captured and viewed. So I only use products that can withstand a harsh flash.

Nail art is just another way to express your individuality and it’s an easily accessible one! You don’t need a steady, artistic hand to achieve complicated designs, or spend hours in a salon getting it applied. With stick on nail polish strips, anyone can achieve runway ready nails in minutes. Kit Cosmetics and Sally Hansen (pictured) have a good range to choose from at an affordable price point.

Not convinced? While you may want to reserve some of the more glitzy designs for fancy dress; there are plenty of simple, classic designs too. I find these ones perfect for impromptu occasions when I want my nails to look “dressed”, but simply don’t have time to wait for two coats of colour, plus a top coat to dry.

Every year the Oscars showcase the trends for makeup, hair and styling. This year in particular, with so many actresses choosing to wear white, cream and metallic hues, it was without doubt a fabulous one-stop-source of inspiration for brides everywhere!

Here are some memorable styling ‘rules’, worth highlighting if you’re a bride-to-be:

If you’re wearing white, keep your makeup crisp, clean and light! Both Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz chose beige, nude and bronze toned makeup. But a pop of colour can work equally well, like the classic red lips on brunettes Rooney Mara and Mila Jovovich. The key thing is that there weren’t any dark, smoky eyes in sight!

Metallic shades can be worn on women of every age, colour and size. This makes them a great option for bridesmaids or mothers of brides. Meryl Streep, Octavia Spencer, Mila Jovovich pulled off their shimmery dresses, while keeping their makeup, hair and accessories simple.

Blunt fringes are a statement on their own. If you have (or want) one, it’s important to work closely with your makeup artist to ensure that your makeup doesn’t compete with your fringe or your dress. While I love both Rooney Mara and Rose Byrne’s fringes, the reality is that this isn’t easy to pull off. Both girls are blessed with symmetrical and petite features which is why they can rock this look with ease.

Blue eyes + blue eye shadow + blue dress: it’s not a combo for the faint hearted! 

But then gorgeous Dannii Minogue has never shied away from bold, bright or fun in the makeup department.

Seen here at the recent David Jones Autumn/Winter ’12 launch, Dannii went all the way with matchy-matchy. And I think she pulled it off!

Here are the key things to remember if you want to emulate this look:

-          Get the eye shadow colour and texture right. I’ve written specifically about eye shadow to match your eye colour before. Dannii’s eye shadow (while difficult to see in this photo) is actually 1-2 shades deeper than her eye colour, and matches her dress exactly.

-          Consider the lighting you will be in. Artificial evening lighting is more forgiving than natural daylight. So it’s the perfect time to try out bold eye colours you haven’t used before.

-          Keep the rest of your makeup, hair and accessories simple. The colour repetition of your eyes, eye shadow and outfit will be enough to visually absorb!

Recurring pimples are so annoying – we’ve all had them (except maybe the girls they appear on those Clearasil TVCs that truly look as though they’ve never had a pimple in their life!) . But the good news is in my experience * it is definitely possible to break the pimple cycle.

Here are a few things I recommend (assuming you don’t have any particular allergies):

• Exfoliate: it’s the best way to keep your pores clean and clear, so that oil and moisture can flow freely. Without exfoliating, it’s very easy for dead skin to trap the oil within the pores, leading to inflammation, aggravation and puss. It’s not enough to just exfoliate the surface of your skin with products like grainy exfoliating scrubs. When you have pimples, the key is to exfoliate within the clogged pore itself. Salicylic acid – a beta-hydroxy acid, is an ingredient which can do this because it can penetrate deep within the pore. It is easy to find it in most skincare lines (like Neutrogena). Start with the lowest concentration (1%) and allow your skin adjust to it.
• Disinfect: If exfoliation alone hasn’t worked (give it a few weeks first though!), you may want to try benzoyl peroxide. It can really stop a pimple in its tracks as it disinfects the area by killing the bacteria causing the breakouts. But beware: it can also be extremely drying and should be used with caution and only where you need it. Clearasil, Benzac, Paula’s Choice contain varying levels of benzoyl peroxide. Start with the lowest concentration (2.5%) and allow your skin to adjust to it.
• Don’t pick it! The pore is already not performing optimally so why irritate it further? Inadvertently you could be scarring your skin or causing post-inflammatory pigmentation – both of which are guaranteed to annoy you for months, maybe years after the pimple and puss have long gone.
• Keep your makeup simple. Make sure that any products you use directly on and around the pimple are oil-free and the ingredients are non-comedogenic. 

Give your skin a few weeks to adjust to the changes in your skincare routine and hopefully you will see a visible improvement!

* While I’m not a dermatologist, my job indirectly (and obviously!) has a lot to do with skin. How you look after your skin is important because if your skincare isn’t working for you, it’s difficult for makeup to look its best.

A properly matched foundation is one you don’t even notice: when your face, neck and body are unified in colour.

If, like a lot of people, your face is paler in colour than your body (or vice versa) it’s not good enough to check that the foundation colour matches the skin on your face and leave it at that.  You need to be able to look at the bigger picture, the whole you. Getting the colour right is often harder than it looks and most people I know have chosen the wrong shade at least once in their life.

So here are some of my tips for how to match your foundation colour in these instances:

When your face is PALER than your body:

This often happens when using gradual self-tanning products, or in the summer months when you have been applying sunblock on your face more than your body.

Colour matching tips:

• Match your foundation to the colour of your body. This means choosing a foundation that is darker than the natural skin tone of your face. While it sounds scary in theory (!), in reality it’s the best way to ensure that your face, neck and body end up the same colour.
• Apply the foundation all over your face, neck and other exposed pale areas.
• Check that the foundation is flash photography friendly. If it’s not, the foundation itself can cause the pale face look that you are in fact trying to correct! Avoid foundations containing high levels of zinc and titanium dioxide. While they’re excellent sunscreen ingredients, they aren’t usually compatible with the flash of a camera.



When your face is DARKER than your body:

Most commonly occurs with girls of colour, who naturally have olive skin undertones. Even with sun protection, UVB rays manage to sneak through and tan your face a shade or two darker than your body.

Colour matching tips:

• Match your foundation to the colour of your face and not your body.  Don’t attempt to lighten the colour of your face by using a pale foundation. It’s the quickest way to leave your skin looking ashy, ill and aged.
• Apply the foundation (or a bronzing powder) to warm up your neck and décolletage so that they are closer in tone to the colour of your face.

Gone are the days of saving bold red lips for red carpet-only occasions! In this summer shoot (which incidentally was shot in winter!) we wanted a polished yet effortless look that befits resort style relaxing. Red lips were the perfect makeup accessory and MAC’s Russian Red takes credit for that stunning blue based red pigment.

To keep the look modern and fresh, the rest of the makeup was clean and understated. Foundation was applied sparingly so the model’s gorgeous, natural freckles showed through; cheeks were softly highlighted and contoured and hair slicked back.

If you enjoy wearing red lips during the daytime check out one of my earlier blogs for application tips on how to minimise the lipstick from bleeding at the edges of your mouth, and maximise the staying power.

The team:

Photography: Ikwa Zhao

Stylist: Mitch Steed

Model: Rachel Gill @ Chadwicks

The full story can be viewed in my Makeup Folio in Editorial.