Best Products for those of us growing older gracefully….

Now when I was asked to do a blog for 'older skin' I was quite taken a back, one because the lady asking me was in fact my aunt who isn't even old, and secondly when I look at a person that is of an age, I don't look at them and think, god your old, I think god your beautiful and you look amazing! What are your secrets???

The older generations nowadays are so beautiful with great skin, both my nana and my grandma have amazing skin!!! If I look like either of them when I'm in my 70's I will be more than happy!

I think a lot of it is to do with your gene MAKEUP, rather than the actual MAKEUP and products you apply in your younger years, but for those of you that want quick fixes, here are some products I have found to work wonders at filling in fine lines and wrinkles that probably are only visible to you :)

One thing I will say is moisturise every day!! This will keep your skin supple and hydrated, which may give you a head start and may prevent age setting in as quickly.

So facially, I have done a few 'older ladies' makeups and I have found that they LOVE my Garnier Essentials Rose moisturiser, so stick with this if you have followed my previous recommendations.

I would also recommend one of my newer products that I have purchased by Fashionista, it is called vanishing cream, and it is supposed to re-texturise skin, filling in fine lines and pores. It went missing out of my Makeup box recently and I found it on my mothers dressing table…I asked why it was there and she said oh well you don't have wrinkles (neither does she) but I asked if she liked it and she said she LOVED it, so I let her keep it and I bought another, it is also soooo cheap at the minute £3 instead of £10, AMAZING.

Foundation wise, I think one with a sheer finish is lovely on older skin, it gives a soft glow to the skin, making it look hydrated, and youthful! I would recommend Bobbi Browns Skin Foundation, this is a truly modern foundation that provides its user with a lovely flawless coverage, filling in any fine lines and hiding pores!

Powder wise, I wouldn't recommend using powder, as it may lie in the 'creases' which won't give you a desirable look, try and stick to cream based products so that your face keeps hydrated.
For your eyes, try and avoid shimmery shadows, use matt shadows, a lighter shadow on the lid itself, and a slightly darker shadow in the crease to enhance the socket of your eye, if you do want a bit of shimmer, then this is absolutely fine, I'd advise using a light shimmer though, so that it illuminates your eye, making it look bright, and awake!
The benefit big beautiful eyes pallete would be perfect! It contains a light shadow, a darker shadow, and a shimmery light shadow!!

Mascara again is about preference, but a smaller brush may be easier to use especially if your lashes aren't as long as they used to be! One I have recently come across that I will be purchasing as the brush is perfect for the bottom lashes is one by Givenchy, the brush is round, enabling you to get right to the lash line, ensuring all of your lashes are covered.

Eyebrows, again I am a massive fan of keeping your eyebrows groomed at all times, even when i'm at work on the sewer works I maintain my eyebrows, Pencil is best or shadow, try espresso from MAC thats a lovely sublet brown shade, or get your hands on a grey pencil, I know bobbi brown do one!

For your lips, a liner is essential to ensure feathering of the lipstick doesn't occur…My faveeee lip liner that is quite a neutral colour so will work with most shades of lipstick is one by Art Deco, in sensual teak. Then apply your favourite lippy, and your good to go!!!!

Finallllyyyyy I have recently seen this product that I am desperate to get, and I've mentioned it to my mum and she wants it for Christmas, so I haven't used it yet, but it looks incredible, so if you purchase it then let me know how it works for you, or whether its a gimmick, and if you want to wait till I buy it I will be reviewing it in the New Year, the product is a setting spray by Skindinavia called 10 years younger, you apply it after your makeup and suddenly your 30 again!!!!

Now I hope this blog has been helpful, but please remember you are beautiful no matter what age you are, I am looking forward to growing old gracefully (I hope) and like I said before if I look anything like my Gran or my Nan then I will be a happy Lady!!!!

Any questions please feel free to get in touch, and any questions please ask, Enjoy!!!

Lots of Love

Alex 

xXx

Get the Capitol Look - The Girl on Fire, Hunger Games Tribute!!!

I LOVE The Hunger Games film, and I am so excited about the release of the newest one on the 21st November! The books are also brilliant, but I do love the film for its visual qualities, and you can finally put faces to the characters! :)

This MakeUp Look was created with Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in mind...The Girl on Fire is an image that represents, strong, powerful, influential, independant women! She is effortlessly beautiful, and this look reflects the image she takes on when she is presenting herself in the 'celebrations' during the run up to The Hunger Games!

This look would be perfect for you die hard fans going to premieres of the film, even those of you who wish to be extravagant when viewing the film in your local cinemas :)

It also could be re-created if attending a fancy dress party! This blog will take you through the steps in creating this look, listing the tools and products used!! 

Firstly let me just say the main product I used during this look was the bronze pigment, from MAC, now this will create fall, there will be pigment everywhere!! So put a towel down and have sticky tape handy so that the fall can eaily be removed!! 

All you need to do for this look is apply your regular face makeup! Paying particular attention to contouring!!! I contoured quite alot for this look, using my Kryolan Pallette, contour your cheekbones, jawline, eyesockets, nose and temples!!!

Fix your foundation with powder, and then we will begin applying the pigment!!

The areas in which I applied the pigment to was the lips, the eyebrows, the cheekbones, collar bones and eyes/lashes!

I worked from the top of the head down to ensure I didn't smudge any of the pigment already applied!!

Eyebrows...Bronze eyebrows should always be allowed!!! I painted the eyebrows first using a bronze gel liner from MAC using any flat, small brush! My lip brush from Crown Brushes came in handy here. I then placed the pigment over the eyebrows, pressing the pigment into the gel to make it stick!! 

I lined the eyes using the tiny eyeliner brushes from Crown, with the same gel liner, and repeated the process, the gel liner provided me with adhesion for the pigment to stick on to, it didn't budge once applied! 

I took a set of eyelashes and applied DUO eyelash glue on to the actual lashes, I then sprinkled pigment onto the lashes, this looked extremely effective! Adding to the look!

For the cheekbones/collar bones, they were already contoured to a high degree using my ELF concealer brush, and D15 Kroylan camouflage creme! I took my fan brush from ELF, and dusted the pigment over the apple of the cheeks and sweeped it out in a C shape movement to the centre of the forehead!!!

For the lips I again applied using my Lip brush from Crown Brushes, the Gel Liner from MAC, applying plenty of product ensured that it didnt dry out quickly, meaning the pigment stuck to it with ease!!

You need to work relatively quickly when creating this look, as you are relying on the pigment sticking to the gel liner, you can build the pigment up, just keep applying it over itself, in layers until you achieve the desired pigment coverage! Placing and pressing these products will give you the best results! Blending is not key in this situation as you will just move the pigment around, and this will not allow you to achieve what we have set out to! 

This look can be adapted, different pigment colours can be used, have fun with these pigments, they are so versatile!!! As I said this look is easy, it just requires a bit of quick precision when your working with these mediums! But once done it will look truly effective!

Remember to put mascara on aswell as your false lashes, to make them look more natural, buff and blend your face makeup so that it is flawless, and keep the sticky tape handy to enable you to remove any of the unwanted pigment drop!!!

Any questions please comment, and ask!! 

Blogs coming soon include one on eyebrows, and one on older skin (requested by someone who doesnt even have old skin :S )

Enjoy!!!

Lots of Love 

Alex 

MakeUp Brushes are KEY...

MakeUp Brushes are one of thee most fundamental items, a MakeUp Artist or a MakeUp enthusiast can have in their Kits/Bags!!

There are so many MakeUp Brushes now available, it's hard to decipher which ones do the best for each job!

With many MakeUp Brush tried and tested, varying brands, and a few years of application of MakeUp under my belt, I regard myself quite knowledgable, meaning I am able to hopefully enlighten some of my readers, and steer them in the direction of quality rather than brand name when choosing which MakeUp Brush to buy...

Now I apply my MakeUp Eyes first...so we will start with the Eye Brushes!

Every kit needs a shadow application brush, a blending brush or 4, an eyeliner brush, a smudger, and an eyebrow brush/comb!

Within my kit I have a variety of brands, I specifically use Crown Brushes, MAC Brushes, and ELF Brushes, as I mentioned previously, I have tried and tested a few brands and these are my 3 faves, when it comes to Brush Manufacture!

Shadow application brush, this needs to be a relatively small brush, that fits comfortably in the space of the eyelid, now of course everybody's eyelid shape is different, so I recommend getting a smaller shadow applicator so that you can cater for most eye shapes and sizes! Or have more than one...Like me :)

In my Kit I have these two which I use regularly, one is from ELF and the other is from MAC, the one from ELF is slightly fluffier but allows a nice all over application of shadow, it does create a little drop of the shadow but nothing you can't easily clean up...hence doing the eyes first to ensure you don't ruin your face makeup! ThisELF brush is also only £1.50...Can't complain!

 

Now the other shadow brush I use regularly is a MAC brush, its a small flat shader (231), which allows you to place the shadow, this is an extremely useful technique if your trying to get a more prominent colour, it gives a denser colour, in comparison to the fluffy brush which disperses the pigment, making it not as sharp colour application wise!

Once you have applied your shadow with either of the above brushes, you need a blending brush to blend out the edges, ensuring there is no definitive line of shadow (unless that is what your trying to achieve) but we do not want any sharp edges present...seamless flawless application is what we are aiming for! 

Blending brushes, need to be soft and fluffy and of good quality!

My favourite blending brushes are by mac (217, 224) of which I have 3 of each...Essential :) These are extremely versatile brushes that have many uses hence my need for more than one! You can apply any cream based or powder product with these, and because they are small it will give you precise application of say, concealer or a highlighting powder!

I have recently bought myself some Crown Blending brushes and have found them to be just as good, but for a fraction of the price! They are soft and fluffy, providing you with a tool that will blend shadow into the desired shape you want without creating a lot of shadow fall :) always a plus! 

Eyeliner Brushes for me have to be thin, to enable you to get close to the lash root, and it also ensures neat and precise application! The ones that I have recently found to be brilliant are the Crown Brush ones...They come in a variety of sizes but the three smallest ones are great for applying gel eyeliner! If you make a slight mistake it is easily fixed using one of these teeny things! (C250 -0,1,2) 

Brows remember need to be perfectly groomed, so to aid with this you need an eyeshadow comb/brush! If you use pencil then this is also fine, but it is advised to recieve optimum lift on your brows, you need to have a comb. Comb the eyebrow in an upwards motion and then apply your medium of choice, shadow, pencil, gel etc!

Your eyebrow Brush needs to be rather stiff, but then not to stiff to enable product movement.

I have tried a few eyebrow brushes out but my favourite one is a MAC 266 Eyebrow Brush, it came in a set I got for Christmas, and it's been great! It's an angled brush, and the bristles are quite soft, but still tough enough to enable precise application of the shadow! Make sure you have enough product on your brushes when applying! :)

An eyebrow comb/wand can be purchased from any brush manufacturer, due to them not containing bristles, the quality of them isn't essential! This is a good one from ELF does the job for an exceptionally low price. The only thing to be weary of with these is the handles, just don't be too heavy handed with them, otherwise you may be having to spend another £1.50!!!  

The final eye brush I'm going to talk about is a smudger, I decided to include this as I have just bought thisINCREDIBLE one from Crown, it is so small, and it was such a bargain that I couldn't not tell you about it, it would have been so selfish of me! This brush is a versatile brush, but I mostly use it to smudge, this may be gel liner, pencil liner, you could even use it how I did recently on my sugar skull, to blend my cheek bone interest, it can also be used to create ombre lips (blog to follow soon) Using this small smudger will allow you to blend out the colours on your lips creating that exciting look that is very in at present, and penultimately it will enable you to create real smoulder around your eyes, when lined on top or the bottom or both! This brush is a true, tiny gem, and when you order yourselves one (which you must) you will see what I mean by tiny :) Enjoyyy 

Now onto the face, Each kit should contain a foundation brush (Stipple brush is my preference) a concealer brush, and a powder brush (contouring brush)

I used to buy all my brushes from MAC, without fail, but now having attending MakeUp School, and Beauty events, it has opened my eyes to other brands that are available, that the professionals use every day! 

For example foundation wise, depending on how you like to apply your foundation whether it be with a flat brush, a stipple brush, or maybe even a sponge, there are lots of suppliers out there, catering for your needs and budget!

I used to apply my foundation on myself and clients with MAC's large stipple foundation brush, I now still apply my foundation with the same brush, just made by a different manufacturer...Crown Brushes. The stipple brush provides the client/you with an all over, natural looking flawless coverage! It really is a must have brush. With the flat brush I find you get brush marks on the face and then have to buff the foundation in with either your stipple brush or a buffing brush. So why not cut out a step and just purchase the stippler :) 

For your concealer I couldn't recommend a better brush than this one, ELF's Flawless Concealer Brush...this brush I use for almost everything...blending shadow, applying concealer, buffing foundation, softening eyebrows, contouring..the list is endless! If there was one brush I could truly say you must have it is this one, and for £3.75 why are you still reading this... :) 

For your powder, I would also recommend an ELF brush...I did have the large MAC powder brush, but the hairs continually fell out :( slightly disappointing...

But this ELF complexion brush is another steal for again £3.75, it's part of their studio brush collection and I think I'm going to have to buy the entire collection and dedicate a blog to just ELF brushes alone, as they really are great value for money, with exceptional quality!

Other brushes that I think would be a great asset to your kit, is a lip brush! I have just bought two lip brushes from Crown, they provide precision on the lip line, and also allow you to then fill in the remainder of the lip, the hairs are soft but compact ensuring definitive application! 

 

As I said at the beginning of this blog, your tools are key to your application. This is one of the few times I disagree with the saying 'you get what you pay for' as I truly believe that some of the brushes mentioned in this blog today, match and most of them even outdo the competition for the more expensive brands!

When choosing your tools do shop around, and do read blogs like these, as they will provide you with some insightful tips! I hope you have found this blog useful, please comment, and get in touch if you have any question regards this blog or any others!

Lots of Love

Alex

xXx

Sugar Skulls :)

Yesterday at Aqua Rosa, Media MakeUp School we did Sugar Skulls...It was AMAZING

This blog will give you helpful (I hope) information on how to re-create this artistic look! Sugar skulls originate from Mexico, they were created out of sugar to celebrate the deceased on a day titled 'the day of the dead' Now modern day people, artists, MakeUp Artists have got their hands on them and have turned them into a look that can be sported throughout the year (fancy dress mostly) but they are typically done around the halloween period! 

For my sugar skull, I used a variety of mediums...Paints, and shadows mostly!!

Firstly you need to create a white base, leaving space around the eyes, this ensures that the colour you put around the eyes doesn't mix in with the white base, say for example you put red over white, it will most likely turn pink! So where you are thinking of putting other colours over the white, to create interest leave blank :)

Once you have your blank white canvas, which I suggest applying with a sponge (car sponge works well, cut up) and then take a foundation brush and feather the paint, to ensure it is well blended!!

I worked from the top of the face down, forehead to chin, to ensure that I didn't smudge any of the paint I applied (similiar to painting a picture) To create the cobweb on the forehead, I used an eyeliner first and faintly drew on my design, once the design I wanted was achieved, I then took a fine eyeliner brush, with a nice point on it, and applied black facepaint over my initial lines! Make sure you have enough product on your brush to ensure continual movement of medium on the face!

I then focused on the eyes...applying a blue and green paint to the lid of the eye to create a teal colour! You can just use my design and change the colours? or you can just use the techniques I describe to create your own sugar skull :) Once the paint was applied to the eye, I added depth to the colour using a blue eyeshadow, blending with a brush! I then took a black shadow and focused on the lining of the eye smudging it out into the blue colour on the lid, so that there was no definitive edge! Keep applying the black until you are satisified with it!

Define the cheek bones of the skull like I did, joining the eyebrow detail to the mouth, which follows the line of the cheekbone! Blend the colour of choice down to create definition!

Add some interest to the nose using black eyeliner to create your shape again, and then go over with the black paint! I chose a spade for my interest on the nose! But you can choose any shape or design you want! Be creative! :) There really are no boundaries with Sugar Skulls!

For the Teeth/Lips, Using your eyeliner again, make sure your lips are closed, and draw a line from top to bottom, making sure they join in the middle, the outer lines are to be longer getting shorter towards the middle of the lip! Add depth to the lines by going over the liner with the black face paint!

Finally I added sequins around the eyes, to add more interest, and it looked quite pretty :)! It also looks very effective..you can use anything, sequins, glitter, anything! Its an opportunity to let your imagination run away with you! :)

All I will say is...take your time, do not rush this, because if you do take your time then you will really get it right, and it will look fab!! It will be worth the patience :)

Any questions please feel free to ask, for more details etc Get in touch!

Look forward to hearing from you all!

Lots of Love

Alex

xXx