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 [...]
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. [...]
Don’t start the New Year by putting old, expired makeup on your face! Even though makeup products aren’t required to have expiry dates printed on the packaging, they aren’t formulated to last forever. The preservatives in them will keep them effective for a certain period, and longer than most items in your fridge, and after [...]
Thank you so much for your continued support in my work and reading my blog. I will be back posting in the New Year.
With only four days to go… are you still stuck for Christmas gift ideas? Check out my article below – originally published in Living Local’s Summer 2011 edition. www.livinglocalguide.com.au
Matching your eye makeup to your eye (iris) colour, like wearing green eye shadow if you have green eyes, is not the best technique for enhancing your eye colour. It’s the contrasting shades (like purple for green eyes) that really make the natural colour pop. But this doesn’t mean that you need to avoid wearing [...]
Earlier this year, at the NYC Autumn/Winter ’11 runway shows we saw a culmination of several years of makeup trends. It was a visual feast featuring a kaleidoscope of colour: lips in berry red and fuchsia tones, eyes washed with intensely pigmented shadows ranging from bronzes to blues and purples, eyebrows darkened and defined and [...]
… I’m currently enjoying Benefit’s Bad Gal Plum Mascara. It first wandered into my makeup kit as a sample, after one of my mega shopping trips to Sephora. Judging from the colour on the wand, I assumed it would be a bold and bright plum – perfect for a fashion shoot. But when I tried [...]
This fashion shoot collaboration with Ikwa Zhao (photographer) and Mitch Steed (stylist) was very different to our last one and equally exciting. With an androgynous feel to the styling, we agreed on a strong brow focus to carry the whole makeup look. To achieve the accentuated brows I used MAC Fluidline – a gel eyeliner. This [...]
There are some shoots that have a timeless appeal. For me, this is one of them. The vision and concept was created by Emiliano Vitale (of e-Salon) for his 2008 Hair Expo submission and shot by Peter Tabor. Emiliano’s aim was “to emphasise the strength of lines in each haircut while embracing each model’s individuality”. [...]
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 [...]
There are so many reasons why people suffer from acne and pimples. Often it has more to do with hormones, genetics and diet than just makeup alone. Otherwise everyone that wore makeup would have pimples, and everyone that didn’t would have clear skin! While there is no concrete evidence that makeup is the primary cause [...]
I’m using Bobbi Brown’s EXTRA Soothing Balm. It’s one of those exceptional products that fit the category of a skincare and makeup item because it works equally well OVER and UNDER makeup. What I love about it and things you should know: The texture is dense and a little goes a long way. Scrape a [...]
Recently I’ve had a few people ask and email me about green concealers, how they should be using them, and if they actually work. First things first, despite the name given by some makeup companies, green concealers aren’t in fact concealers at all. They are actually skin tone correctors. They work by neutralising and reducing [...]
It often surprises me how many makeup lines still don’t appeal to a global beauty market. Allocating two or three foundation colours (in an entire range) to people falling in the colour spectrum of Asian, Indian or African-American skin just doesn’t cut it. Thankfully the industry has come a long way since the 1980s when pink [...]
I’m loving Benefit’s ChaChaTint cheek and lip stain and here’s why: It’s the perfect blend of peach and orange and is ideal for people that don’t naturally blush a pink or red colour. If you have yellow undertones it’s worth checking this out at a Benefit counter! I use it on a range of skin tones [...]
Blush is one of the quickest ways to add warmth to the face. When it’s applied correctly, high on your cheekbones or the apples of your cheeks, it can lift and highlight your skin. But when it’s applied too low on the cheeks or too close to the nose, it will drag your face down, [...]
As a makeup artist, it’s not unusual for me to use makeup products in different ways than they were originally intended. Australis’ Colour Corrector in Gold (pictured left) is a perfect example of this. It’s sold as a makeup colour corrector but I use it to illuminate the face. According to the packaging, the product [...]
Not all of us were born with sharp cheekbones like Halle Berry or Mischa Barton (pictured). And so a little bronzer can go a long way to enhancing the cheekbones we were born with. But be warned: sculpting your cheeks with bronzer takes practice, good lighting and plenty of blending. If your application is too strong, [...]
Although we’re only half way through RAFW 2009 (Rosemount Australian Fashion Week), orange is already dominating the makeup palettes. And given it’s the summer collections that are on show, it couldn’t be a better colour choice, orange looks amazing on warmer skin tones. When we’ve seen orange inspired makeup before, it has usually been contained to just [...]
