Cleansed

I was recently given a sample amidst a beauty crisis. It changed my entire makeup routine and I have to share.

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a once in a lifetime special on Maybelline mascara and literally bought a basketful. As a makeup artist one can never have enough in stock. One of the many I bought was the Falsies Volum Express Waterproof and it is truly fantastic as far as staying power goes. 

One problem. That problem we all face when pondering which mascara to use for a day at the lake. Is it worth using the waterproof for one day of fabulous how-does-she-look-so-good-after-being-thrown-off-the-yacht eyes? Is it worth it for a week's worth of pulling out clumped together spider lashes in true Type A frustration. For me it just wasn't. So I've had the one I kept as a personal trial tube in the least-used makeup drawer and let bygones be bygones. 

Enter the sneaky sample. Lancôme Bi-Facil Double Action Eye makeup remover. 

I'm always really skeptical of spending on higher end commercial products that do the same thing many other (often natural or budget ) products can do, but I have to say this one really is worth the money. Well played, Lancôme. 

I decided to put it to the ultimate test against the die-hard mascara and it worked instantly! It leaves an oily residue afterwards but it's easily washed off. At any rate I much prefer that to the dryness I get from so many of the other cleansers and astringents in my armory. 

I'm now using waterproof mascara everyday fear free, which is fantastic in the Texas humidity I'm currently enjoying.

Another plus is that waterproof mascara holds a curled lash better than the regular sort, so big eyes are now an all day feature.

Have you tried a remover or natural product that works better than any other? Let me know! 

Catrice SA

I returned home from 3 months in the USA to find a fun package of samples from Catrice cosmetics. Nothing like some new makeup to brighten up a jet lag situation of epic proportions. 

I got straight to trying and testing, and I can't wait to share a possible new kit essential or two with you all!

Included in the package:

3 in 1 Skin tone adapting makeup in Medium 020

Multi Colour blush in 080 Peach Frappucino 

Smokey Eyes set 030

Prime and Fine anti-red cover stick

Camouflage cream 025 Rosy Sand

Luminous Lips 040

Ultimate Colour 360

Carry bag (not featured)

Firstly, I need to mention the most fantastic product I found in the bag- the 3 in 1 Skin Tone adapting makeup.

It is a white liquid makeup, containing tiny dots of colour that are hardly visible. It goes on the skin smoothly, is relatively blendable, and miraculously changes colour as it spreads. I have no idea how they have achieved this wonderful witchery but it's quite fantastic to behold. I have been using it as a foundation on myself, and it has good coverage. I tried it on 2 other faces, one younger and one older, of slightly different tones, and it was a colour match. I love that I could use this on the same face in different seasons as skin naturally gets lighter or darker. This is definitely a kit essential and comes in general light, medium and dark shades. 

The camouflage cream is great for under the eyes and hiding blemishes. I also have used it as a highlighter cream. It has a thick but spreadable consistency and I personally like to apply it with the ring finger. The coverage is amazing. 

The multi colour blush swept over with a brush has a lovely natural pink colour, the pigment is rich and can be more peach or more mauve, depending were you gather the colour from. Definitely a shade for medium skin, but I'm sure the brand stocks a shade for every skin tone. 

The smokey eyes set has 4 shadows:

-a highlighter colour which is matte and highly pigmented. ( Place this under the brows on the brow bone and on the inner corners of the eyes near the tear ducts for extra impact)

-a medium brown which is less pigmented and slightly glittery. Apply this lashes to crease and blend for a lighter smokey look, or simply in the eye crease blended out for an easy cut crease. 

-a dark brown also less pigmented and needs extra application for depth of color. 

-a black cream based shadow which is unexpected, but useful! I've used it as a base for the darker colours and also as an eyeliner when applied with a small angle brush along the lash line. 

The anti-red cover stick is a light green colored concealer style cream that neutralizes blemishes with a red tone. A make-up artist secret until recently, it can come in handy if you know how to use it properly. Make sure to use sparingly under your usual base makeup. If you're unsure how to use this product, proceed with caution. 

The luminous lips and ultimate colour lip shades are both great. I'm particularly in love with the cherry red. It has good staying power especially when applied properly with a liner and set with powder (see my previous post on red lipstick application secrets) and the colour is just incredible! 

I created a look using all these products except the nude lipshade and darkest brown eyeshadow. 

Thanks to Cosmetix SA for sending this lovely package! I look forward to discovering what else this affordable brand has to offer! 

Catrice cosmetics are available at Dischem stores, South Africa.

Www.dischem.co.za

xoxo B xoxo

Laura Mercier love

As a little treat, my American surprised me with a few Laura Mercier products. I had never encountered these here in SA, and I have to say I am officially a MASSIVE fan. 

My first try was the foundation primer in Radiance Bronze. It has a lovely bronzed look and when applied, gives an "inner glow". The texture is not greasy at all and it has been the only primer thus far that has actually bonded with the particular foundation I use on my clients (as ironic as that sounds).

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer- Radiance Bronze

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer -Radiance Bronze 

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Radiance Bronze -Close up glow effect on hand

I have the little sample version of the translucent setting powder, which is super. I love to have it in my make-up travel kit- the size is so perfect for touch ups! It has a more yellow tinge to it which leaves a great tone and compliments that inner glow look.

Laura Mercier Setting Powder ( Pic borrowed from Sephora.com)

I also have a highlighting powder compact and a contour shade compact. AMAZING! The highlighter is like SILK, glitter-free and light pearl in colour. Perfect for making cheekbones gloriously prominent and beauty editorial worthy. I cannot rave enough about this product. 

Laura Mercier Highlighter (Pic borrowed from Sephora.com)

The bronzer shade I have is so perfect for light- medium skin tones, doesn't look dirty on the face, and is shimmer-free, which is key for more natural looking contour.

(well used) Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Bronze -03

Thanks to the staff at Sephora somewhere in Texas for guiding my cowboy through his first Sephora journey. I can't wait to try some more products from the Laura Mercier range on my next trip to the USA!

Products available from:
www.sephora.com
www.lauramercier.com

xoxo B xoxo

The Nakeds

I recently acquired a foreign boyfriend. American. The out-doorsy Texan kind. An absolutely wonderful man- generous, kind, caring and ever so patient. Surprisingly also the sort of man that I can trust to accompany me into a Sephora, and know he won't complain too much about spending a week camping in there, comparing hand swatches and debating quality and prices with me. I'm not the only one girls, we all know the struggle...

Anyhoo, on his trip over to South Africa, he asked if he could bring anything over for me from the great land of the free. Naturally I put in an order to break the bank as we rarely have this sort of opportunity offered to us artists over here at the forgotten end of the planet.

Yes, my man went cosmetics shopping for me, *gasp* babysat my eye shadows for over 30 hours of flight time, and I can now claim to be the proud owner of not one, not two, but THREE Urban Decay Naked palettes straight from Sephora. My days of YouTube and Insta-envy are over. Well, for now.

Urban Decay Naked 1,2,3

Having never tried the brand or an original product, I wasn't sure how to decide between the 3. 

I did a TON of research on which was the most versatile palette. Now I can tell for myself, and I feel an obligation to let the world know that the Naked 2 is the one to get if one must make a choice. As a make-up artist in a country with the most diverse skin tones, cultures, tastes and textures in the world, I can see the value in this particular range of shades. I also love the very black shade in this one, it's a strong pigment. Tease is a good matte crease colour, and Snakebite pigment is superb- it shows up a lot darker than it looks in the palette.

Naked 2

You'll notice there's a colour missing in  my Naked 2. The little metal containers had not been stuck to the palette container properly and it fell out as I opened it. Ironically it's the only one that has broken, and the shade is called BUSTED. 

If you have the extra cash and have blue or green eyes, get the Naked 3. The shades in 3 will make those eyes POP like crazy. .

Naked 3

Naked 1 is super for natural girls who love a basic, easy to wear look. I especially love Darkhorse, Naked and Buck. Virgin is a great brow bone highlighter.

I love these palettes for bridal looks, everyday wear and evening wear. The lasting power of the pigments is not as good as some professional products I am used to, but I think they are definitely worth having in your personal make-up kit.

Below is a look I created with the Buck, Tease and black shades on Monica, one of my lovely brides, and then a look on myself using BUSTED which is of course no longer part of my collection. ;)

xoxo B xoxo

NewKidz

I am very honored to have been chosen as an ambassador for the most incredible non-profit organization, Newkidz on the Block.

This wonderful group of people are changing lives all over SA by providing much needed facility upgrades and make-overs at institutions for orphaned and vulnerable children. They are always looking for volunteers and sponsors in any capacity.

If you are looking for a platform to get involved and spread some much needed love to those less fortunate, please get in contact with them. If you have an hour of spare time, can paint a wall, or plant a flower you have all the talent needed to join in.

http://www.newkids.org.za/

xoxo B xoxo

The Fresh

Fashion week. Haute couture. Full of looks that are completely beyond anything any normal person would care to pull off. The truth is, however, that these high fashion looks set the trend for the commercial realm and we all land up following suite in watered down forms, regardless of how we feel about the initial show. Keeping up with the times is thus quite necessary, however fickle it may seem.

New make-up trends were showcased recently, and it seems that the powers that be have decided that barely-there fresh faced make-up is the new on-point.
We have seen glowing natural skin, often with no foundation at all. (Seen at Marc Jacobs- strange choice as they have their own makeup range to promote). Freckles- which are one of my favourite beauty features- also showed face. Eyeshadows were in fleshy tones like neutural browns and pinks, creating natural shadows more than being very present.

Michael Kors

Marc Jacobs

I suppose it was to be expected. There has been season after season of bright, bold trends. Glitter masks, berry lips, purple eyes, thick blackened brows. Fashion always moves to the complete opposite of whatever has been on trend in order to make a a strong impact.

Fresh faced looks can make those of us with less than perfect skin want to cringe. Don't be fooled though. No make-up makeup can take just as much work as a full face with perfectly painted brows. How does one look glamorous and follow trend?

- Make sure you have your skincare routine down to an art.  Cleanse. Tone. Moisturize. Mask. Facial.. whatever it takes.
- Invest in a sheer tinted moisturizer that will let those freckles show through while evening out your skin tone. Try a BB or CC cream.

- If you want the coverage use a moisture-rich foundation and forego the setting powder,

- or conceal only in necessary areas in a concealer shade matching your exact skintone, blend out slightly and then use a tinted moisturizer over that.
- Avoid powder as this will dull the glow.
- Use a cream blusher

- Curl your eyelashes for extra impact without the mascara layers.

- Find a sheer tinted lip gloss or lip balm in a light peach, brown, pink or berry shade.

- Avoid the eye and lip liner.
- Comb your eyebrows into a neat shape.
- Don't fill them in, or use a light dusting of powder in the same shade as your natural hair.
- Invest in an illuminating cream. Focus placing this on the same areas you would place your highlighter in a contouring situation. (See my previous blog post).

MAC Strobe Liquid Lotion

Smashbox

Glow by Dr Brandt, Ruby Crystal

MAC Strobe Cream

- Remember to use SPF. Many foundations have SPF in them, and you may not be in the routine of sunscreen application.

I can't fathom a world with no make-up, but here are my easy to achieve, wearable versions of these looks.

Fresh Pinks

Fresh Earths

xoxo B xoxo

Contouring the Masses.

Contouring. The play on light. You can make your face look thinner, nose look narrower, chin look more shapely. Its magic really. Made famous by celebs like Kim Kardashian, we all want to know the secret. The tutorials are all over instagram and pinterest, but it seems so time consuming! It is.

The truth is that real make-up artists (I mean the kind that make a living out of putting make-up on people's faces other than their own) can, but rarely do contour to the extent that these online artists do. Some clients need or want it and I have covered the techniques in my workshops but honestly, its not necessary. 

We artists generally use these techniques for what's known in the industry as "corrective make-up". Someone has a seriously wide face, manly features, skew nose or a receded chin then sure, it's used. Not for every day or even photographic make-up looks is it used to the nth degree- as shown on the artist youtube videos. So please ladies, don't sweat over trying to master the art. Its a fad and the chances are your face is perfectly fine the way it is.

If, however, you want to try the technique in a quick and plausible way, here is a quick cheat-it method.

Golden Rule : Remember that dark recedes the area visually and light brings the area forward. 

1.Dust a matt/ shimmer-free bronzer along the hollows of your cheeks, temples and sides of your nose. I run this shade along the hairline on the forehead too if this is a large area.

 Add some to your cleavage if you want weapons of mass distraction.

2.Dust a highlight coloured shimmer with a different brush on your upper cheekbones toward the temple, bridge of your nose and lips including your cupid's bow. Also add some to the brow bone (under the eyebrows) and inner eye corners ONLY if your eyes aren't far apart! 

I don't bother with the chin unless it's recessed as most people actually feel their chins are too prominent already.

Add some highlight to your collar bones.

Make sure it's light and well blended all over!

Done!

If you struggle with finding the right shades, try for something in a couple of shades darker than your own skin tone- not too orange -and a highlighter that's not too white.

Practice, practice practice!

xoxo B xoxo