Vamp It Up!

Everywhere I look I see all these amazing images of what I call "Vamp Glamour". Edgy, sexy dark looks which are a huge craze. Now you might be thinking "Gothic Rock" but don't. It's popular with nails, lips, eyes and making its way over to hair with women picking rich dark sultry colours to add the extra edge to their locks.


Vamp Magazines

Vamp Celebs

Chanel started a craze many moons ago with Rouge Noir (one of my all time favourite colours) and many other brands caught onto it knowing it was a winner.

The catwalks, magazines and red carpets are full of women who dare to vamp it up and show their dark side. Whether its lips, eyes, nails or all three it makes a bold statement and will continue to rock the world of Glamour for many years to come.

An all time classic is nails. Weather its red, black, purple, blue or green. The dark shades are very popular and if your nails are slightly shorter it makes more of an impact. Vamp nails can glam up any look and take your look from daytime to evening, soft to edgy and can set of any outfit. Make sure when applying a dark nail polish to apply 2 coats. If your going to do vamp, do it properly.

Two nail ranges in particular that have a great range of Vamp colours are O.P.I and Jessica. With a lovely glossy finish and a wide range of colours they are bound to fly off the shelves.

As a makeup artist it took me a long time to perfect dark makeup. You have to practise to get all your lines precise or it can look very messy and untidy. Don't worry it is very achievable and will look amazing when done correctly. I would recommend that you wear the Vamp Look only in the evening or special occasion as it can look too dramatic for a daytime look. If you feel uncomfortable mix it up a little. Wear dark eyes with neutral lips or dark lips with neutral eyes until you find the balance that you comfortable with. Dark eyes can be messy, you don't want to look like you have been bunched in the face but don't be scared.

Keep it smokey, keep it bold, keep it sultry!!!!!!!

As you can see the look can be done many ways and looks stunning. And for those of you wondering you don't have to be dark haired or dark complection to pull it off. Some blondes strut their vampy side with confidence and style.

Get practising, have fun and don't forget everyone has a dark side!!!

Va va Voom Lashes...

 I have noticed recently how much of a big trend fake eyelashes have become, and looking at magazines recently the bigger the better. Don't get me wrong I love anything that has va va voom involved but when it comes to fake lashes it completely depends on the occasion.

If you lucky enough to have long eyelashes, mascara will do the fab job of thickening them up. A gentle eyelash curl (and I mean gentle) will give you enough of a curl. If you have stubborn lashes that won't curl then heat the curler up slightly with a hairdryer and that will help the curling process. Then follow with a few lashes of mascara. You can apply as many layers as you want just avoid looking like you have spider eyes.

BIG NO NO!!!

I have used fakes lashes for years on shoots, shows and weddings and there are so many pros and cons to wearing them. You might only have the final look in mind but what if they fall off, lift at the corners, look crusty. NOT a good look at all, at any occasion.

There are so many different brands, lengths, thicknesses, shapes, colours and textures it's mind boggling. Lashes have been trending on catwalks, red carpets, magazines and TV no wonder all you glam girls are falling in love with them.

 Celebrities are the biggest lovers of lashes and use them on every occasion to make their lashes look super sexy... and I'm not surprised. They are applied so professionally and naturally that it makes all of us want to wear fake lashes all the time.

I'm lucky enough to have a friend to applies fake lashes and she is a pro at it. She uses individual lashes and it looks fab and lasts for weeks. That is a perfect way to wear lashes as if/when you eventually lose one you wont notice the difference unlike having a whole strip of lashes sitting on your cheek.

Just to let you know adverts for mascara are nothing to be in envy of as they are all computerised and they are all wearing fake lashes. So don't think that everyone is better off than you. Let's face it no one is lucky enough to be beautiful, a model and have amazingly long thick lashes.

 I mean come on .....we wish!!!!

A lot of fake lashes that are available come with a glue which has a slight PVA texture. It's best to avoid using it as it hasn't got good hold. It's best to buy a black glue which is available from most wholesalers. It has a great hold and also gives you a great eyeliner effect so you can't see the bond between the lashes and lash line. So no flicky up edges. What more can you ask for!!!

A lot of celebrities have also launched their own line of eyelashes such as Girls Aloud and Katie Price. I haven't tried Katie Price's but i have tried Kimberley's from Girls Aloud and they looked great.

So just remember these key points....

• Use a black glue
• Less is more (use a natural set of lashes that compliment your eyes.
• Cut the 'outter end' of the eyelashes if they are too long.
• Allow the glue to become 'tacky' before applying, not too wet.
• Be careful when removing the lashes from the packaging to avoid bending.

Happly GLAM-ing!!!!!