NYFW SS14 Make-up Trends

It might be grey, rainy and miserable here in the UK, but over in New York, where the late summer sun is still shining, the catwalks are full of the joys of Spring.

Yes, its fashion Week once again! 

So, after 7 days of shows, including the iconic Diane Von Furstenburg, Marc Jacobs and Alexander Wang, what beauty trends can we be expected to fall for when the sunshine returns next year?

From flawlessly natural at Sass & Bide and Jenny Packam, to rose gold glitter eyes at Jason Wu and bright pop's of colour at Marc Jacobs and Rag & Bone, next season your make-up bag is your oyster.

This makes a great change- Spring Summer make-up has been too plain, too pastel for too long in my opinion. It's about time we all embraced the amazing products we have at our disposal and started to treat make-up as creative tool. Your face is simply a bank canvas for your own creativity.

Fancy getting ahead of the pack and trying a SS14 trend this winter? Then make sure you pair your bright pop or colour, or glitter eye with a flawless base. Charlotte Tilbury was in charge of the fresh, natural complexion created at Sass and Bide, and from the design sheet she posted on her Instagram page this morning we can presume she used MAC products primarily. My personal favourite is MAC Face and Body, which is lightweight, water resistant and offers a light-to-medium buildable coverage. (A great pro tip is to apply a small amount to the palms of your hand and 'clap' your hands together. This creates a thicker tecture which you can apply using your hands.) For a purse friendly alternative, you could also try Bourjois Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix Foundation or No7 Instant Radiance Foundation.

At Marc Jacobs make-up artist Dick Page, created bold blue washes of colour over models lid's by using Shiseido Shimmering Eye Cream in Ice Blue followed by an electric blue eyeshadow. Dick admitted this look followed no inspiration- just that he and Marc loved the colour and decided to add a pop of colour! 

You could also try Nars Duo Cream Eyeshadow in Burn It Blue (using the cream only) and follow with MAC Eyeshadow in Electri Eel for a very similar look. Finish with two coats of black mascara, soft neutral cheeks and a natural lip.

If you'd rather keep your pop of colour simple, try a slick of orange on your lips.

A first for Rag & Bone, make-up artist Gucci Westman created a super bright lip, which constrasted beautifully against the clothings neutral palette.

Gucci used a brand new colour from Revlon, Carnival, which doesn't launch until Spring next year, but MAC Morange or Illamasqua Flare are available now and will create a similar look.

Keeping skin natural and lumious, a bright matte lip is a fantastic yet simple way to play with texture.

And finally, if you want to make an impact at this years christmas party then try Diane Kendal's rose gold glitter eye shown at Jason Wu. Using Lancome Le Crayon Khôl in Black Coffee in the socket line for extra definition, followed by a mix of golden brown tones to the lid before applying loose glitter on damp brushes, to aid placement. I love Make-up Forever Glitter in Beige which is available in the UK from Guru make-up Emporium.

Phew. One city down, three to go!

Happy Birthday BeautyMart!

I absolutely hate supermarkets with a passion. There is nothing to put me in a worse mood than thinking of doing a great big food shop, especially when it involves browsing at the ridiculous amount of product offer. Online grocery shopping and M&S Simply food really are my best of friends.

But there is one 'Mart' I enjoy a weekly visit to- BeautyMart

The brainchild of Millie Kendell (As in Ruby and Millie and the reason we can purchase Shu Uemura eyelash curlers in the UK) and former beauty editor at Vogue, Anna-Marie Solowij, BeautyMart is the one stop shop for all things hair, make up and beauty.

If BeautyMart won't sell it, then you can guarantee its probably not good enough for you to own. 

With products used by beauty experts worldwide, every single item sold here is tried and tested and if it doesn't make the grade, then it doesn't go on the shelves. Simple. Basically these girls are taking out the expensive legwork and leaving us with products that will give us the results we so crave.

Price wise, what can you expect? The widest range possible. From budget buys Bourjois and Batiste, to payday treats from GlamGlow and James Read and bonus blowout items such the BabyBelle body buffer.

My local BeautyMart is located within the Liverpool Harvey Nichols Beauty Bazaar, but for the real experience I'd suggest popping to one within Knightsbridge's Harvey Nichols.  In a rush? Don't worry, you'll find the BeautyMart vending machine, full of your favourite items!

So this month join me in wishing BeautyMart a very happy first birthday- we cannot wait to see what you offer us in the many years to come!

New Bourjois Collection

Looks like I'll be clocking up a lot of Boots advantage card points in the next few months, as there is so many new products from Bourjois that I can't wait to get my mitts on!!

As I mentioned in a previous post, Bourjois celebrates their 150th birthday this year, and their next collection is a real testament to the brands success. 

So, what can we expect?! Well, how is an illuminating complexion, fuller lashes and a fool-proof liner for starters?

Back in 1879, Bourjois released Java Rice Powder and by 1897 it had sold 2 million worldwide. To continue the birthday celebrations, the silky soft powder has been re-released, and its even packaged in a similar way to the original! 

A definite collectors item!

The powder isn't matte and chalky, but instead has an soft iridescence  which will leave skin with a healthy glow. Perfect for brightening a dull, winter skin tone!

Available now at Selfridges.

Next up, is two fantastic cheats for a fabulous complexion- Happy Light Concealer and Blush Exclusif Smart Blush. 

Happy Light Concealer is available in 5 shades, offers a professional, good coverage but is still lightweight enough to look undetectable.  

Just like Bourjois Rose Exclusif Lipgloss launched back in 2010, the pigments in Blush Exclusif Smart Blush adjusts the shade depending on the pH of your skin, creating a shade unique to you!

We have a great complexion, now lets turn to eyes! These two products are really innovative, but I wouldn't expect any less from the inventors of Coup de Theatre! First we have Eraseable Eyeliner- a glossy liquid liner perfect for creating a sexy feline flick, with a hidden beauty tool for those of us who can never get matching flicks...a rubbery eraser! Simply run over the mistake and start again! Ideal for creating a sharp edge to your flicks too, a job I always needed a bottle of cleanser and a Q-tip for- until now!

Secondly, we have Twist Up The Volume- a 2 in 1 mascara, enabling you to choose the amount of lash volume you require! (If only we could do this with bra size- can someone invent this too please?!) Simply twist the white cap at the top to change between fine bristles for a longer, defined lashes or fuller bristles for a voluminous look.

Finally, we have a selection of 6 shades in Shine Edition Lipstick. Providing moisturisation for 10 hours thanks to mango butter extract, the finish is ultra glossy and shiny. My favourite is Famous Fushia, a gorgeous summery pink, perfect for a rich holiday tan!

Festival Favourites- Make-up

Festival season is once again upon us! From isle of Wight last weekend, to the daddy of all festivals Glastonbury in a matter of days and V, Reading and Leeds finishing our Summer off nicely, UK festivals have become pinnacles of the British Summer.

So whats a girl to do when she wants to maintain that glamorous glow during 4 days of mud, hot sun (or heavy rain depending on the weathers mood!) and un-comfy camping?!

Well, its simple- follow this weeks blog posts for the professional tips to keep you festival fabulous all weekend long!

First up- it's a girls best friend-  make-up.

When my clients ask me if their make-up will last all night, I can honestly say I know it will not only last all night, but that it will still be immaculate when they wake up the next day.

How do I know this? Because I take my time applying make-up in light layers, rather than speedily applying a heavy coverage.  

Now, I'm not suggesting you wear the same make-up all weekend long (Believe me, it has been and can be done if you so wish!) but following the layering tips, will ensure your make up will stay in place from breakfast through to a midnight rave and beyond.

So, how do we layer?

Starting with your base, apply a small amount of concealer to any areas needed.

Next, take a small amount of your foundation (I would HIGHLY recommend Smashbox Studio Skin for longevity) and buff into skin using a dual fibre brush on circular motions. Crown 406 is ideal for this.

Repeat until you have achieved the level of coverage needed. 

For a long lasting bronzed glow and peachy cheek,  using the same dual fibre brush, take a cream bronzer and apply where the sun usually hits- forehead, cheeks, chin and nose. Chanel Bronze Universal is expensive but its my absolute favourite. Next, apply a cream blush, such as Kryolan Lip N Cheek to the apples of the cheek, again using your dual fibre brush. 

(If you hadn't guessed already, this brush comes in rather handy!)

Then lightly powder skin using a translucent powder, I like Rimmel Stay Matte Powder for a budget buy on a fluffy powder brush such as MUA F4. 

Now for the next layer! Taking your powder brush, apply a powder bronzer and blusher over where you have applied your cream. Remember this will add an extra strength of colour, so apply lightly and repeat if and when neccessary. My favourites include- Max factor Bronzing Powder and MAC Blusher.

For eyes, it's the same technique as cheeks! Start by applying a long lasting eye shadow cream using your fingers- Estee Lauder Pure Colour Eyeshadow Paints are available in a wide range of colours and do not budge!

Layer your eye shadows on top, using a flat brush to apply, pressing the colour firmly. MAC Eye Shadows and their 239 Brush are the perfect tools for the job! 

Finish with a flick of No7 Stay Precise Felt Tip Liner and two coats of Stay Perfect Mascara (this mascara is seriously life-proof- perfect for our festival look!)

And for lips?! If you like a natural look, I would suggest lining and filling in lips with a liner, Bourjois Lip Pencils are a great bargain, and finish with a tinted balm like the selection by  Burts Bee's. For a stronger look, why not try my favourite No7 Stay Perfect Lip Stain. 

And voila! Your long lasting festival make-up is complete!

Next up- ultimate festival hair!

150th Birthday of Bourjois

Do you remember what was stashed in your teenage self's make-up bag?

As I make-up addict, I can remember mine vividly! But rather than a bag, I dedicated an entire drawer (and this was no small drawer, think wardrobe sized!) to hundreds of brightly coloured eye shadows, lipsticks and blushers. Brand wise, my pocket money would only stretch to what is now known as 'drugstore' brands, meaning every Saturday I could be found lurking down the Boots self selection aisle, my arms covered in a variety of product swatches.

With their fun advertisements, innovative products and pretty packaging, Bourjois, was one of my favourite brands, with Coup De Theatre mascara being my most regular purchase. This dual ended product contained a primer packed with silicone fibres on one side, which you applied prior to the regular black mascara found on the other, to create thicker, longer lashes. 

A first of it's kind when it was launched back in 2001.

This year the cult beauty brand are celebrating their 150th birthday!

Not many of you will be aware that Bourjois was originally started in the Parisian theatre district by actor Joseph Albert Ponsin, before being taken over by Alexandre- Napoleon Bourjois in 1863.

Like fellow make-up mastermind Max Factor, Bourjois first product, waxy lipsticks, were created especially for theatre actors. 

Image- Bourjois

By the time the first world war started in 1914, their now famed Little Round Pot, which was a pink blush called Cendre de Roses, was a favourite amongst women.

 Today, the shade 'Cendre de Roses' is still one of Bourjois' bestsellers- proof that you can't go wrong with a classic!

On May 15th four new blusher shades will be released to celebrate the anniversary. 

This cream to powder formula adds a pretty fresh flush to cheeks, are easily blendable and offer the longevity of a powder. 

Image - Bourjois

Image- Daily Mail.

Over the years Bourjois constantly launched innovative products, including beautifully packaged gift boxes and practical handbag sized make-up kits. This is a brand who are always evolving.

Today, Bourjois is a brand favoured by top make-up artists as well everyday beauty consumers. Products such as the improved Coup De Theatre 2 in 1 mascara, Healthy Mix foundation and Queen Attitude Khol Kajal often grace the pages of the glossies and are recommended by both beauty editors and bloggers alike.

One thing is for sure, with a price point that won't break the bank, pretty, feminine packaging and professional quality products, Bourjois is one brand that will no doubt be around for another 150 years. 

Happy Birthday Bourjois!