Right before I go onstage, I lather my body in baby oil and cover my entire body with a shield of glitter. Because it just pops! It just looks great! It's really hard to get the glitter off. I've just given up. I've accepted that it will just be there. It's in all my suitcases, it's usually in my food, in my drinks. Sometimes when I pee, it's in the toilet. I don't know how it got there.
”Via The Cut
Alexandra Burke has accomplished the things that most girls in their 20's dream of -popstar, celebrity status and now being signed to a modeling agency. Last month I did her nails for her debut as a model for modeling agency Next. The finished images are to appear in fashion and performance magazine Drama. Before hand I had a discussion with the shoot stylist and decided on something modern but glamorous.
The collection of clothes the stylist had sourced for the day were very Lady Gaga-like with lots of leather and metal clad clothing. I found the leopard print leotard with severed Barbie heads particularly interesting. On the day I had planned to apply long, pointed, claw like nails but Alexandra had gels applied for the filming of her new music video 'All Night Long' which was happening the following day. So to avoid removing the gels we decided on varnishing over her nails. I used a beautiful silver/rainbow holographic shade from China Glaze called OMG. It reflects like a mirror ball and in the shots looked simply amazing. After this I applied gold lightning minx half moon to finish the look. It gave a great contrast.
Stay tuned for the images from the shoot.
I love any beauty fix that makes you look instantly more beautiful and glamorous; I've worn false lashes and lash extension for many years. False lashes are quick and disposable but sometimes a bit fiddle to apply, where as lash extensions are more of a time and financial investment but less hassle on a day-to-day basis.
Now there is a new revolutionary way to grow your own eyelashes with Pro Lash. The combination of active ingredients increases the epidermal junction (where the lashes grow from) to extend the growth cycle of the lash, allowing it to grow up to 50% longer before it naturally falls out. Other ingredients include conditioning botanical extracts and ingredients only found in prescription only formulas. The treatment's benefits include stengthening your lashes, reduction of lash loss and increased lash length and thickness. Prolash8 promises to do this within only 14 days.
It is very simple to use, a clear serum is applied like eyeliner to the roots of the lashes on the top and the bottom lid once a day. It is completely safe and effective so we may never need false lashes again.
Prices start from £67.00 for a 6-8 week supply. For more details and to order: www.prolash8uk.co.uk
I was recently asked to give my opinion both professional and personal on a cult makeup item that is probably the most sold product on the market. And whilst at the meeting, I realised that most people own this product, but few actually know what to do with it. What am I talking about? The highlighter.
One of the many things discussed at said meeting was the evolution of the whole idea of highlighting since it was first introduced into women’s makeup. It started out with the highlighter being used to enhance and ‘bring forth’ features you’d like to show off, or to lighten darker areas on your face. Then, the introduction of shimmer changed it all.
It’s another behind-the-scenes at another of my recent shoots. This time the focus is on hair! Charlie Le Mindu hair to be exact. We’ve been asked to do a beauty shoot for ZOOT magazine, a Portugal-based fashion magazine that is both online and printed. I love doing beauty shoots, as there’s no distraction from clothes or accessories it’s just all about the hair, the makeup and the beauty of the model(s).
Just a quick note about my observation on doing beauty shoots: The fact is, sometimes it’s such close-up shots that what looks amazingly beautiful when seen as a whole face is sometimes (not always) quite boring. I’ve personally had to train myself through experience to detach the features and to focus only on the specific feature when shooting close up beauty shoots. However, today it’s about hair.
My nose is sniffy, my eyes are watering, and I'm constantly sneezing. I think spring’s here, and hay fever’s back to haunt me! Maybe the short days and long nights are truly over again for a few months. I always find this to be the best time to do many a thing. Besides cleaning and clearing out accumulated makeup and equipment, it’s also just after show season - so with a fresh mind, it’s a fantastic time to look at what’s new on the market and go shopping.
The mission? It's POP magazine’s first online editorial shoot and I'm assigned to makeup. Am I excited? You have no idea! I was given the brief a few days ago. The words that popped up were sheer, sexy, vulnerable, delicate and, wait for it: dominatrix, sadomasochistic, schizophrenic and powerful. You just know that’s going to be an interesting shoot.
I try to find out what we’re shooting prior to the shoot so that it gives me time and opportunity to have a think about makeup and mood. I don’t want to sound overindulgent but it’s not just about whacking on makeup for a night out. When you get a room or studio full of creative people, with a little bit of luck and when the elements click, something special happens. Everyone brings his or her expertise, and the initial brief usually evolves into something quite different, but almost always better.
Solange, Zooey Deschanel
Rimmel announced today that it's bringing on a few new faces. Solange Knowles and Zooey Deschanel are both spokeswomen for the bargain makeup range now, along with Puerto Rican model Alejandra Ramos Munoz. The trio will join the likes of Kate Moss, Coco Rocha and Georgia May Jagger for representing Rimmel London, as reported by StyleList. The news comes as the Coty brand announces it's trying to expand its current scope in the UK and US to markets in Latin America, China, Japan and India.
Meanwhile at the YSL camp, insiders have revealed that French actress Melanie Thierry will star in the print campaign for the brand's new fragrance, scheduled to launch later this year. Thierry has just won a Cesar, the French version of an Oscar, and she hit the Hollywood market with a role as Aurora in the 2008 film 'Babylon A.D.'
I’ve landed in Singapore, and the first thing that strikes me about the difference in the women folk of the East and West is build and, of course, skin tone. The women here are fashion-conscious and as part of an affluent society, many women spend both money and effort following the trends depicted by local celebrities. It’s been many years since I’ve worked in the region, so I’m slightly rusty as to what counts as beautiful and what doesn’t.
