My Ever Growing Kit! - This is what I use to paint like a pro!

As you probably know I have been doing this for over 10 years. So my kit has grown and grown. Grown so much that I have had to give some bits away over the years.

I did a huge M.A.C order the other day and I finally received it this morning, Which meant even thought they were vital items. My kit is expanding by the second and I had to rearrange my kit!

I know this seems like a lot but I will go through it very quickly. I'm always on set, or on shoot, or on location. I have to plan ahead and always have to bring everything with me just in case I have to think quickly.

I am now going to give you an in depth look into my kit. There is a lot of products. I don't stick to one brand. So my lit includes M.A.C, Chanel, Estee Lauder, Clinique, YSL, Dior, Rimmel, L'Oreal, YSerras, Lancome, and many more but I'll explain as I go along.

This is my suitcase, yes a suitcase. it is full of clear zip bags which are great to visually see the products but also so that they can stay organised.

This pouch is just full of one brand of foundation, lol. These are my Estee Lauder Pro size foundation bottles. They vary in colour and finishes.

These are just eye and lip liners. There must be at least 100.....I know, imagine what it's like to sharpen them all the time. I have some expensive ones and some cheaper ones but a wide variety of colours.

I don't know if you can see this clearly because they are all in my clear cases. These are just some eyeshadows, yes....some. Mostly single bright colours and some pigments. And I have 4 of these full of eyeshadows.

This is my expanding lipstick bag.. I tend to mix and match lipsticks a lot to get the colour I want and they all vary from sheer to matte to intense. This doesn't include my lipstick palettes.

This is my liquid eyeliner pouch. I have every metallic, glittery and bold colour you can think of as well as all the stand colours. There are also some lash primers in there, gel liners and cream pens.

I have doubles of a lot of things that are essential to me. So I have another DUO glue, more loose powders, another brush cleaner and some YSL Leg Makeup Mousse.

This pouch is just full of mascaras. I just realised I have a lot of mascaras. Curling ones, lengthening ones, volumising ones, designer ones and more afordable ones. Too many....

These are my lip glosses. I love a lip gloss. They were in a smaller pouch but I had to expand due to having to many!!

And to finish of my suit case I have my individual lashes. Self explanatory, they are all labelled. And are very popular.

But I haven't finished........................

This is my box. The reason I now have the box is because I can't fit anymore into my suitcase. Typical!!!
I will now give you a break down of the different sections of my box!

This box has quite a bit of MAC in it. Only because its easy to store and find everything. These are my MAC studio techs in a variety of colours.

This had my MAC studio fix's, Prep + Primes and Sheer Pressed Powders

In the section I have bronzers and blushers. A mixture of  MAC and other brands.

Here I some more foundation. These are just my MAC ones as they are smaller and fit perfectly in the box. This includes face and body, studio fix and mineralize satin finish. All a variety of colours as I use the back of my hand as a palette to mix the perfect colour.

This section is purely for lashes. I love Red Cherry Lashes. They are now my signature lash and you can see I have a large collection.

This is just one of many. I have different thicknesses, lengths and shapes....all black. I use so many of them and there are many websites that sell them.

This is my mini essentials draw. It has scissors, tweezers, a mini mirror and a few clips. In the pink pouch I have hair grips in blonde, black and brown. As a hairdresser I do have a separate hair box but these are just a few to have to hand. Plus it means I can carry it around easily without having to carry a box.

Embarrassing to say this is my highlighter section. Powders, gels and liquids. I have a mixture of MAC, Chanel, Estee Lauder and some other brands. I cant believe I have so many highlighters. My new purchase which is in this section is the MAC Mineralise Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle.

This my liquid concealer draw. MAC Moisture Cover, Select Coverup, Bodyography Skin Perfection and my key concealer... Estee Lauder Disappear Concealer ( a must have).

This draw has a few extra concealers, some studio finish concealers, fluid eyeliners and DUO glue. An important part of my kit for all my eyelashes.

And finally my hygiene box. As a makeup artist hygiene is key. Key items...
Wipes
Tissues
Brush Cleaner
Cotton Buds
Disposable Mascara Wands
Disposable Lip Brushes
Sterile Wipes

I also have doubles in my suitcase just so I'm well stocked up!!

As I am always on the move and not always in a studio I also have a gown just in case the model/client is already dressed to prevent any makeup falling on the clothes. A large mirror, a can of hairspray for a few little tricks that don't include hairstyling and a carrier bags for rubbish.

I know I'm a little organised but I have to be.

Its Not All Black & White!

A lot of people ask me for hints, tips and techniques about my job! It's great that a lot of people are interested in such a glamourous field.
The black and white era is definitely making a come back. The vintage look is back aswell as a classic. One of the most popular trends that has never gone out of fashion is Black and White imagery. It makes such a strong statement and still can capture some of the best features.

The Key to Black and White Makeup

When you apply makeup for a shoot. It's up to you what the overall image is going to be like. I have sometimes done a shoot where the images will be seen in full colour or black and white. That doesn't mean that I do one look in black and white then one in colour. I can use the same image and turn it into a greyscale image. 

The importance of this kind of photography is not the colour that is used but the shade of the colour that you use.

A greyscale image consists of light, medium and dark shades so what you need to do is break your colours up into light, medium and dark colours. This will allow you to have the same effect in full colour and black and white.

If you are only doing a black and white shoot then there is no need to add any colour to the face. This is firstly a waste of time but won't allow you to get the full potential of the image. All professional makeup artists will know that multi-images take time and effort to get the maximum impact  in black and white and greyscale.

I know a lot of photographers that still love to work with a film roll. They will decide if the film will be black and white or colour in this case images cannot be changed. With a digital camera, anything is possible.

Here are a few examples of how colour can be adapted into Black and White images.....

 If you are contracted for a shoot you must remember that it has to look amazing in black and white aswell as colour, otherwise its pointless. The whole point of this skill is that you will achieve two fabulous shots. You never know, if they like both images they might use both.

If you feel uncomfortable with the knowledge of what shades or colours look good, my best advice is practise. You will quickly realise that you will automatically know what colours and shades look good for both images. DO NOT leave it till last minute. Sometimes on set you will need to work quick or change something to get a different shot/angle. It is not always according to brief. Create the 'look', step back, imagine it in black and white. Use your third eye and makesure you have a mixture of lights and darks.

These images are true reflections of how much it doesn't matter what colours you use it's the shade that matters. I chose extreme colour blocking shots for impact and hopefully to open your imagination and creativity on achieving strong images without doing 2 shoots.


I hope this has been helpful. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I'd be happy to help!

Makeup Madness

Gemma Collins and I have been having such a good time together and we have got everything we like down to a T.

Yesturday Gemma went off filming for TOWIE at Jess Wright's shop, With Love Jessica. I did her makeup for the occasion and she looks absolutely stunning.

Gemma has found her balance and know what she looks good in and how she wants to look like which is unbelievable. I wish I was that lucky.

Gemma has great features. I like to make her eyes stand out. They are a gorgeous shade of blue and any colour suits her which is amazing.

This is the make-up look we did yesturday...

Which is also the same makeup in the above picture.

Our Loves......

MAC, Studio Fix Powder/ Foundation

Red Cherry Lashes

NARS, Laguna Bronzer

MAC, Blotting Powder

MAC Blacktrack Eyeliner

Cloud Nine, The O Rollers

 (All the make-up comes in a vairety of shades, the lashes come in a variety of styles and the rollers come in a variety of sizes!!)


We use these products on every single look we do. We always vary eye colour and lip colour.
These products are  must haves for everyone. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Girly Laughs on Valentines Day!!

I could not not of spent time with a better person today, especially as its Valentines Day. I was round Gemmas house doing her hair and makeup for filming. We have grown so close recently, maybe because I practically live there and I think I'm going to be charged rent very soon haha!!

Much love on Valentines Day babe...enjoy!!!

This pic was taking in a moment of laughter and I caught her off guard. She might kill me later but I still think she looks amazing!!

MAC Morning with Gemma Collins

Everytime I go to Gemmas, I could literally stay there hours gossiping and chatting away over absolute jibba jabba but I swear she is busier than me and we never stand still before she has to jet off to film or a photo shoot. Its a never ending story but we make the most of the time we have together.

I love a bit of MAC and bought lots of things so Gemma and I had a lovely morning as well as a giggle getting ready for her to wizz of to the filming of TOWIE.

I usually mix and match products on Gemma according to the look she wants to achieve but we decided to do a bit of MAC loving today.

I apologise for the way I look in the picture. I was so busy taking the pic I didn't know where I was looking.

As you can see from her outfit, Gemma had a very glamourous event to go to so we didn't hold back on hair and makeup!

For her hair we decided on a Kim Kardashian-esque look with soft curls at the ends and swept away from the face volume on top. Just a lit bit more of a glamourous look for today. Don't even ask me how I did this look without any rollers, tongs, straightners or hairdryer. Just a backcombing brush and a can of hairspray. Gemma kept asking me how I was going to achieve it and all I kept saying was 'leave it to me!' It was so funny looking at Gemmas confused face in the mirror.

We wanted a glam look but still very captivating to Gemmas features.
All applied using a mixture of MAC and Estee Lauder Brushes...and the products are....

BASE
Foundation: MAC Studio Fix Fluid, NC20
Concealer: Estee Lauder Disappear Concealer, 02 Light
Powder to set: Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre  (Natural Finish Loose Powder), 30
                         MAC Blot Pressed Powder on T-Zone, Light

EYES
Eyeshadows: A mixture from my MAC Pro Palette
Eyebrows: MAC Taupe Eyeshadow
Eyeliner Top Lashes: MAC Fluidline, Blacktrack
Eyeliner Bottom Line: MAC Eye Liner, Ebony
Waterline Top and Bottom: MAC Eye Liner, Ebonyhttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=389277044514858191
Eyelashes: Salon Systems Lashes, 100 (we absolutely love these lashes)
Mascara: MAC Falsh Lashes Extreme Black, Extreme Black

CHEEKS
Bronzer: NARS Bronzer, (Cheekbones and Temples), Laguna
Blusher: MAC Blusher, (Apples of Cheeks), Pink Swoon


LIPS
Lipliner: MAC Lip Pencil, Whirl
Lipstick: A mixture of MAC Lipstick, Blankety
                                 Mac Lipstick, Cosmo

Hope you like, if you have any questions let me know. Hope you like....

Silver Foxy Lady Locks!

When people think of grey/silver hair, they think of old grannies not celebrities and models walking down the runway. It is now trendy to look like a pensioner. I think this trend has grown massively over the recent months, being flaunted by lots of celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Pink, Pixie Geldof and Kelly Osborne. Certain celebrities have no problem being adventurous with their hair colour, and it looks good on them. Blue, yellow, pink, lilac, green, dip-dyed.......hair is an adventure!!!!

 The 'silver foxy lady' look made a big impact at the Madrid Fashion Week where designer Maria Barros showed her autumn/winter 2012-2013 collection. The models were wearing a gorgeous mix of jewel tones, subtle nudes with splashes of gold all topped off with shiny silver hair. Minimal make-up is worn to give the hair the ability to stand out. I don't know how all these women manage to pull off silver hair and still look fresh faced.

The question is... Do men find this Sexy???

I know we find it sexy on a  man...George Clooney, George Lamb and Ben Affleck!!! These men are definitely silver foxes!!!

How to achieve this look!!!

As a hairdresser I have done this colour service many times and have thorughly enjoyed it as it's different from the standard colours. For best results visit a professional to achieve the best tones. Your hair will need to be bleached white. It is very hard to achieve this look when you are naturally dark because it can leave the hair with a yellow tone when it is bleached. You CANNOT dye your hair silver directly from dark hair.....so don't try it!!!
Once hair has been bleached white a grey/silver toner can be applied onto the hair which will lock in the colour, tone and shine. The hard part is to maintain the colour. It can fade very quickly so maintenance is key. Make sure you don't use shampoos and conditioners with any kind of citrus in it because it will strip the colour straight away. Your hair will also be dry so treatments are great to lock in colour and keep hair soft and shiny. A toner might need to be reapplied often, to keep the luscious silvery colour in the hair but wont be as costly as your first visit. Or you can just have the silver applied once, and sport all the different looks as the silver tones start to fade. This part is completely up to you.

I would advise to wear makeup if you decide to dye your hair silver as the tones in the colour can age you and make you look gaunt. Keep your skin tone fresh and maybe add some warmth to keep your hair and overall look funky, not distressed.