Video: Daria Werbowy in In Her Skin – or a video homage to Lancôme’s new Visionnaire Foundation

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I fell in love with this video when I saw it a few weeks ago, on the brilliant new website www.neverunderdressed.com (a fabulous mash up of fashon, beauty, pop culture and just all round cool stuff). Enjoy Daria Werbowy, face of Lancôme on the rooftops of NY just looking effortlessly gorgeous and wearing nothing but the new Lancôme foundation, Visionnaire. This is how skin should look – touchable and like there’s nothing but a Spring breeze and some sunshine on it (and some Daria genetics probably help too). Rock on.

 

Right Now: Stimul8 Mask by Gr8ful Skin Couture

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Skin CoutureIt’s been a loooong time in between mask uses for me – as in I think the last time I used one, Bridget Jones’ Diary was on at the movies and Beyoncé was still in Destiny’s Child. Definitely before I had children, that’s for sure. Having kids will do that to you – radically cut into your self-care and pampering time, that is! So given that my son is bigger, and I’m not getting any younger, let’s face it, I thought my skincare routine should pick up a bit.

Enter a fabulous all natural 100% vegan mud mask from the US called Stimul8, by Gr8ful Skin Couture. I love that it’s a natural alternative to some of the more, ahem, chemical anti-agers out there. It’s mud! All natural, and vegan, and it’s converted me back to mask use again.

The first time I used it, it was WARM – I have no idea what’s in that mud but it’s like chilli for your face! It doesn’t hurt but you can definitely feel a tingling whilst it works its magic. Rinse it off and your skin looks fresher, brighter and more rested. The best thing to do is use for three days in a row to make you look as young as you did when Bridget Jones was around (I’m talking pre-Facebook, so that’s pretty young). Although I’m still not one of those natural pampering types who loves getting her bath on, I liked the effects of this mask so much that I intend to do it again. And soon. And not leave it quite so long in between masks that Beyonce can have a whole solo career. And get married (to one of the world’s richest and most influential rappers, no less) And have five Number 1s. And get 11 Grammys. And have a sold out world tour. And star in three movies. And sing for the President. And have a baby. Damn, what that woman can do in a decade! The least I can do is make time for a mud mask.

But I digress. As it’s a dark mud it’s too messy for clients at work, but I don’t want to let it out of my bathroom anyway. Now for more time to relax with a glass of wine and some Skin Couture…

Check it out at http://gr8fulcouture.com/

PS I also love this product as it doesn’t test on animals, and every component is derived from plants – even the lactic acid she uses is sourced from sugar beets and cane sugar. It’s nice to know that choosing natural products doesn’t mean skimping on performance.

New Beauty Breakdown! Jennifer Lawrence at the premiere of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, in Cannes

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Jennifer Lawrence, CannesMakeup by Kay Montano

I said we were spoiled with new Beauty Breakdowns at MM this week, and I wasn’t kidding. Here’s my favourite new actress, the fabulous Jennifer Lawrence in Cannes at the premiere of the new Hunger Games film, Catching Fire. How gorgeous is this lipstick colour?

Jennifer’s hair was by LA/NY hair supremo Mark Townsend (who he works with regularly).

Foundation:

  • Diego Dalla Palma Lifting Effect Cream Foundation in Natural Beige (Available at M&S Your Beauty)
  • Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX 08 around her nose

Powder: Jurlique Rose Scented Powder brushed onto the T-zone

Blush: Autograph Pure Colour Powder Blush in Pale Blush (available at M&S Your Beauty)

Eyes:

  • Pur Eyeshadow trio in Rock Goddess (Available at M&S Your Beauty)
  • Autograph Quick Dry Liner Pen in Black (Available at M&S Your Beauty)
  • Mascara – Cover Girl (official sponsor of the Hunger Games) Mascara in Flamed Out

Lips: Autograph Chubby Lip & Cheek in 98 Pink Geranium

New Beauty Breakdown! Nicole Kidman in Cannes, at the Calvin Klein Women in Film party

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Nicole Kidman CannesMakeup by Kay Montano

Foundation: MyFace MyMix foundation in F2

Powder: Jurlique Rose Powder

Eyes:

  • Chanel Black Slate (New eyeshadow pencil) blended with a brush
  • M&S Autograph Quick Dry Eyeliner pen in black
  • Chanel Le Volume mascara in Black.

Blush: Diego Dalla Palma in Orange Coral blush

Lips: Bobbi Brown Lip Colour in Nude Beige

New Beauty Breakdown! Nicole Kidman in Cannes

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Nicole Kidman, Cannes Film FestivalMakeup by Kay Montano

It’s an exciting week at MM HQ – it’s all the red carpet excitement of Cannes! Amazing international makeup artist Kay Montano has been in Cannes all week, looking after her regular clients, Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Lawrence. And in my hot sticky paws today, I have breakdowns.

My favourite look that Nicole has worn this week has been this one at the Opening Ceremony:

Nicole Kidman, Cannes Film Festival

Here’s what Kay used:

Foundation: MyFace MyMix foundation in F2

Powder: Jurlique Rose Powder

Blush: Chanel Joues Contraste in Frivole

Eyes:

  • M&S Your Beauty’s Slate Eyeshadow
  • Chanel Illusion d’Ombres in Convoitise (gold), and Chanel Illusion d’Ombre in Apparition (navy)
  • Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

Lashes

  • Diego Dalla Palma GoGo mascara (available at M&S Your Beauty departments in the UK)
  • Eyelure Individual False Lashes in Medium

Brows: Eyeko Eyebrow Gel

Lips: Bobbi Brown Pink Lily Creamy Matte Lipcolour

Body: MAC Face and Body in C2 plus Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl

Also of note was Kay persuaded Nicole to wear Chanel’s gorgeous new nail polish in Lilis, which worked perfectly with her exquisite floral dress and pink heels.

I have more Cannes Beauty Breakdowns from Kay on the way!

Cannes Festival Pass

In My Kit: Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Powder

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When you’re a makeup artist, every now and then it’s time to give your kit a good clear-out and find room for some of the beautiful new products (and colours, and textures) that have been released recently. I say “clear-out” because if you just keep adding new collections to your standard “can’t do without it” kit, pretty soon you’re overloaded like a pack horse on a trip across the Andes – and that way lies certain injury and then many, many Pilates classes and physio to correct it.

So I’ve just been stockpiling my new goodies for the season until I had a day off and could sort everything out, weeding out the colours from last season and stuff I haven’t been using, and making room for some new lip palettes, some re-organised cream blush palettes, NEW eye colours (Tom Ford anyone?), and le piece de resistance, my new set of Chanel Les Beiges powder.

Let’s just preface that by saying I haven’t carried pressed powder since about 2007. I found it was extra weight in my kit when translucent loose powder would do just as well, and in addition I find most coloured pressed powders tend to cling to the skin and provide an extra layer of coverage that you don’t want. At worst the finish can look heavy and granny, at best they were extra pieces of glass and plastic and powder that I was carrying around in an overloaded kit. So when I got the chance to try the new Chanel Les Beiges Healthy powder, I was a bit dubious since every coloured pressed powder I had so far tried, I hadn’t much liked as they added colour throughout the day when you re-apply on set (there are probably others that don’t but I haven’t tried them).

Les Beiges is bloody fantastique – I like to call it ‘Complexion Perfection’. I have been using it on myself religiously for the last couple of months and it’s bumped every powder I own off the charts. I now have a full set to put in my kit so I will be able to powder, contour and provide VERY soft bronzing to pretty much any client I come across.

It’s hard to describe, as it’s just not like anything else I have ever tried. It provides a very soft focus finish to the skin yet eliminates any greasy finish or oily look to the skin with a very minimal application. Even if you grab the first brush you can find and really swipe it on, it doesn’t seem to overload and get powdery. You can EVEN (gasp) use the brush that Chanel have provided with it, and swipe it on with that and you get a perfect finish, every time. Also it seems to last hours and just make your skin look exactly the right level of radiance – not dewy or shiny, but perfectly healthy. You can re-apply during the day without the colour building and making you look like something out of Miami Vice, but most days I don’t find it necessary to re-apply.

You can use the deeper colours as a contour. It’s PERFECT as a soft and very natural bronzer for the very fair complected as it’s sort of peachy and not terracotta or orangey-bronze, and it’s not shimmery. I’ve been testing this for ages and ages (easily two months) as I just wanted to make sure that I was right, and it is actually that amazing. I’ve been telling all my clients about it and all I can say is it’s pretty much changed my powder life.

Now I just need to get it in my kit…

Australian readers will be happy to know that Chanel Les Beiges will be on-counter at David Jones, Myer and Chanel boutiques from today.

An Ode to Cream Blush

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cram blush

When the weather in the Northern hemisphere starts warming up, and the beach (or at least a patch of green grass in the park) starts beckoning, I know it’s time to start switching up my makeup routine. It’s almost instinctive – powders start feeling goopy and heavy, your skin wants lighter products (with sunscreen!) and you don’t feel like spending lots of time getting ready. In summer let’s face it, everyone generally looks better with a flush of healthy colour.

With that in mind, I love cream products as they are fast, portable, can be dabbed on with a finger and let your natural glow come through. For me in summer, it’s all about cream blushes and bronzers. Here are my picks of the season:

Stila Convertible Colour – these are the prettiest flush you will find in a compact. I carry about 8 in my kit on every makeup job, and pat them on to the apple of the cheek either with my fingers, or with a sponge. You can also blend in with a brush, and my favourite for this is the MAC 187 large duofibre blending brush.

Paul & Joe Creamy Cheek in 03 – this is it, this is the one that I’m personally wearing all summer long. Deceptively pale in its sweet Art-deco inspired pink packaging, it can be built to a gorgeous flush of colour with a subtle shimmer that makes you look uber-healthy.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge – These come in a gorgeous chunky pot and really can be used on lips and cheeks. I love Calypso Coral for a punchy flush of colour and Summer Tan for a monochromatic bronze effect.

NARS Multiples – yes, every one raves about these because they are amazing. The shimmery bronze-y shades are my favourite, and I mix and match St Barts, South Beach and Palm Beach depending on the models’ skin tone. You can also add Malibu or Riviera on the apples of the cheek (if you felt like taking a walk on the wild side.)

Chanel Bronze Universel – a big, chunky beautiful pot of caramel bronze goodness with a hint of shimmer – just enough to look like skin, that you buff in with a big brush. Such a perfect start to the day as well – dipping into a big pot with the double C’s on top.

Becca – juicy, sweet little pans of blush in punchy, unusual colours like Hyacinth, Turkish Rose and Amaryllis. I keep a good selection on hand at all times, and it is equally sweet on lips. This is a lovely range for the summer months as no-one does flattering, natural, juicy summer colours like an Aussie brand, and this one definitely fits the bill.

These are just a few of my favourite cream blushes – The other lovely thing about cream blushes is you can layer them under your powder blush or bronzer to create a new, more longer lasting blush colour. Because cream blush, like summer, will fade. But the memory of it lingers on.

From the Front Lines – Celebrity Makeup Artist Florrie White for NUDE Skincare

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I was very excited to hear that one of my favourite makeup artists (and mentors), Florrie White, is now NUDE Skincare’s brand ambassador. Florrie is an amazing makeup artist and has quite the celebrity clientele, working regularly with Alexa Chung, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Emily Blunt, Rose Byrne and Kate Bosworth – how’s that for a cool crowd of clients?

She has magical hands and would always choose exactly the right blend of skincare to address what her client’s skin required, unfailingly achieving a beautiful, hydrated skin as a base for her lovely makeup. I’m not surprised she is now working with NUDE as they are a wonderful luxury organic skincare brand, and perfect for Florrie’s effortless, cool aesthetic.

Nowadays it feels like every week there is a new “organic” or “natural” skincare range being released as people increasingly are becoming aware of the toxic nature of many products which we put everyday onto our biggest organ, our skin. But as NUDE started back in 2007, they were one of the first to market in this area. Synthesising all natural ingredients to create truly luxurious and effective skincare (and the packaging to match) wasn’t easy, but founder Brian Meehan insisted that they get it exactly right. Cult products from the range include the Perfect Cleansing Oil and the Radiant Day Moisturiser.

I can’t wait to see more of Florrie and NUDE Skincare!

www.nudeskincare.com

Video: Cara Delevingne for YSL Babydoll Mascara

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Cara Delevingne is my favourite model at the moment, and it seems I’m not alone. In just one short year she has bagged herself a Burberry contract as well as being the face of Burberry’s new fragrance, covers of British Vogue, I-d and Love magazine (where she looks divine in red lips, naked in the bath), and was considered to be the star model of the last catwalk season. And now she has also bagged a beauty campaign for YSL beauty, for their new Babydoll mascara. We definitely haven’t seen the last of Miss Delevingne.

 

A Tale of Two Cleansers – Shu Uemura Unmasked and Sisley’s Eau Efficace Gentle Makeup Remover

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She Uemura Unmasked

Although it’s been hectic of late as I’m now beauty writing for two magazines and juggling blogging and makeup (and moving house, UGH UGH UGH) I have also found time to test out not one but two new cleansers. Even better I use one in the morning and one in the evening, although both of them could easily do double duty. It takes awhile for me to test things as I like to make sure they work – some products are great the first couple of times you use them and then for some reason aren’t good with repeated usage, and I like products that are consistently good, time after time.

First off the Shu Unmasked, which I like to use in the morning. I’ve been a long-time sporadic user of the classic (and now iconic) Shu cleansing oil, first released in 1967. Its basic principle (which can sound counter-intuitive) is that it takes oil to dissolve makeup and oil effectively. The new Unmasked oil not only comes in an industrial size (450 ml), it has a gorgeous hand drawn mask on the bottle which never fails to cheer me up on my bathroom window sill.

But it’s what’s inside that I like – the oil is super light weight and silky, and I find lighter than the regular Shu Skin Purifier facial oil or the Aesop Fabulous Face Oil that I also use and like. I wasn’t expecting to find anything radically different when I started testing the Unmasked, but it really leaves my skin feeling hydrated for hours afterwards – considering my face is pretty much permanently dry, not matter how much Astalift and Liz Earle Superskin I pile onto it, that is no mean feat. So I was very pleasantly surprised as I find many cleansers are just too drying. And since my skin is more hydrated, I then feel my skin looks less shiny later in the day (which is always a good thing. I’m sick of looking like you could hang me from the ceiling of Studio 54 and dance to disco).

And now to my second cleansing discovery! Sisley – oooh Sisley. This is a new brand on my radar of late and I have loved everything I have tried. The products feel luxurious – which they should, as they are expensive. They are also based on plant essences which I find very non-irritating. The Sisley Eau Efficace has, quite frankly, done the unthinkable – it has bumped my Crealine water out of my daily beauty routine. (Although I still use it for work). The Sisley does the job just as effectively, but I feel a little less harshly.

Also I love Sisley’s pump packaging – it’s the ultimate in no hassle for the evenings when you just CAN’T BE BOTHERED to tip a bottle of Crealine onto a cotton pad (that’s really lazy isn’t it? It’s hardly taxing). But you just press your cotton pad down onto the pump and hey presto, two swipes around the old visage and you’re done, fresh as a daisy and ready for bed.

One caveat – as I can no longer wear eye makeup (let’s all pause for a requiem there as it really is so sad, but my eyes are just still too sensitive. That’s a topic for a later post) I haven’t tried to take off hardcore mascara, or eyeliner, or big beauty looks with the Sisley. But for day to day cleansing I can totally vouch for it. Plus the big bottle lasts for ages.

So there you have it. I now have enough beautiful cleansers that make my skin look and feel amazing to last me for… well until it’s time to start testing out more new goodies.