The Makeup Mole

Makeup by Rachel Goodwin for Chanel Beaute

I might have mentioned somewhere before that I am slightly obsessed with January Jones’s cool, blonde beauty, and I thought she looked the most radiant of all the stars on the red carpet at yesterday’s Emmy Awards. She looked like a modern day Hitchcock heroine in her extraordinary Versace gown, and I’m quite the fan of her makeup artist, LA-based Rachel Goodwin.

Rachel was inspired by Irving Penn’s iconic photos of his wife, 50’s supermodel Lisa Fonssagrives, whose signature extended eyeliner symbolised the epitome of elegance.

Here’s what she used:

Foundation – Make Up for Ever Face and Body foundation

Blush – NARS Penny Lane cream blush

Eyes

• Chanel Liquid Liner in Noir extended out past the edge of her eye with extra false lashes on the outer corners
• Chanel Inimitable mascara in Noir on top lashes
• Chanel Inimitable mascara in Purple on lower lashes

Lips – Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in Confidence

The ace-ness that is makeup maestro Peter Phillips has done it again – a new limited edition beauty collection to celebrate the re-launch of the new Chanel boutique in Soho, and I am positively frothing at the mouth at the new nail varnishes.

Here is the lovely video about the new collection.

I was trying to figure out the other day when I first encountered Benefit, the quirky skincare and makeup brand that has now spawned a host of imitators (that to my mind, never quite capture the kitschy ‘50’s essence that Benefit does). The first piece of Benefit I ever bought was back when the brand had first arrived in England, when it used to be sold at Space NK in Covent Garden (and what a frantic makeup lurker I was there! I could always be found, rummaging through the Shu Uemura displays and discovering all the hot new boutique brands like Stila, NARS and Laura Mercier when they first launched in Europe. Ah, those heady days of mud brown lipstick).

I bought a white eyeliner, the nub of which I still have somewhere in the Vault, a testament to my first but not my last piece of Benefit fabulousness.

These days the brand has grown tremendously from when twin sisters, Jean and Jane Ford, (this is a true story) were running a small makeup shop in San Francisco and were asked by a local “exotic dancer” to create a special stain to make her nipples look more flushed. They concocted a special product out of strained rose petals, which became the still ubiquitous and best-selling Benetint. You’d have to have been living under a rock to have missed out on that one, it’s a classic and for most of the 90’s that and a slick of Vaseline was pretty much all the makeup you needed.

Over the years I’ve tried many of their products, some which have stayed in my handbag, some in my kit and a few (but not many), that didn’t make it into either. Here’s a run-down on the must-haves from Benefit.

Benefit Posey Tint – I actually prefer this to the original, redder version – it’s a perfect pretty pink flush and great for when you don’t have lots of time to fiddle with your makeup, and it stays all day. Destined to be a new classic.

BadGal mascara – I’ll be honest and say this one took me awhile to get into. I tried it a few times and wasn’t dazzled, then I tried it again and I was hooked. Perfect for big, sexy lashes when you’re doing a smoky eye. It’s not a natural mascara and it’s not so good for precision lashes, but when you’re going for all out sex appeal, this is the one I keep in my kit.

Blush powders in Hoola, Georgia, Dandelion and my personal favourite, Sugarbomb, which I’ve posted about before. I do wish they would call them blushers instead of face powders however, as I think it’s confusing since face powders are typically either translucent or skin coloured, which these are patently not – but they are lovely, sheer blushers in flattering shades. They are quite a light product and not superpigmented, but this is what gives them their lovely, weightless flush on the skin. They weigh a ton though, and I found out why – there is a weight in the box to make them feel heavier and I guess, more luxurious. Good on your dressing table, less so when you’re lugging 40 kilograms of makeup around.

Sheer cream blusher in Oooh and Sssh! These have quite a dry texture but I love the colours, plus you get tons of product since a little bit goes a long way.

Creaseless Crème Eyeshadows – I have posted about these before and I think they are all pretty gorgeous, lovely on their own or as a base for a smoky eye.

That Gal brightener – a luminous pink highlighter that I would only use on the high points of the face, not all over. This is a welcome change from similar products of their ilk, like MAC Strobe cream (which I’m really, really bored with now). Great for the fair complected. In fact, my only quibble with Benefit is that their shade range is not as comprehensive as I would like, not going deep enough into darker skins and not enough colour selections even in the Caucasian family. However all brands have good and bad points, and they do many other products you can’t find anywhere else (like yellow concealer).

You’re Bluffing – Redness concealing wand
I don’t use this on everyone, but I find it handy to have in my kit as certain people have a lot of red in their skin and can benefit (get it? ha ha! Oooh, I’m hilarious today) from a bit of this applied either sheered out with moisturizer or mixed in with other concealers.

Ultra Shine lipglosses – Zone Out, Foxy Lady and Dancing Queen
Just yummy, pure gloss for those moments that demand a shiny lip.

All in all there are few makeup counters that give you the brand experience of Benefit, a real sense that you have stepped into a different world. What’s your favourite Benefit?

I found this fab video from London makeup artist, Lee Pycroft, where she discusses how to put your portfolio together for all aspiring makeup artists. There is still an incredible dearth of information out there for makeup artists to get the background on the business, and Lee is graciously filling that gap with her new Youtube series.

I assisted Lee in London some years ago now, and not only is she a great makeup artist, she is a lovely person as well. Her client list reads like a who’s who of celebrities and prestige titles, from the pages of Harpers and Tatler to beauties like Diane Kruger, Elle McPherson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett and Naomi Watts. Check out her book! It’s gorgeous.

I hope Lee does more videos as it’s really useful to have truly in-demand, talented and cool makeup artists out there on the internet, as well as all the makeup lovers and general cosmetics aficianados who can be found on YouTube.

Lovely Aussie actress Rose Byrne was sporting a red lip at the Breakthrough of the Year Awards in LA, and her makeup artist, Amy Hollier, was channelling modern glamour. “I’m always inspired by old Hollywood glamour, but this look was definitely a modern version of that. It was more Angelina Jolie in Manhattan, than Marilyn Monroe in Hollywood”, Amy said.

Rose is beautiful, great at what she does (Damages is one of my favourite series EVER, and anyone who can hold their own with Glenn Close must be a fairly serious actress), and we both grew up in Balmain in Sydney, so I am quite partial to a bit of Rose.

Amy Hollier used the following products to get the look:

Eyes

• Stila Starlight shadow “on the inner corners of the eyes, then blended out across the top lid and under the eyebrow arches. The shimmer picks up the light to brighten the eyes and give them a pop”.
• Paul & Joe mascara duo in black “One of my favourite mascaras for dramatic black lashes”, says Amy.

Lips

• Stila Longwear Lipliner in Passionate
• Lipstick Queen Lipstick in Red Sinner

This is my base discovery of the year – it is the perfect product for women who need some coverage, but don’t want to wear a proper foundation. It is the best ‘real life’ foundation I have tried in years.

Regular readers of MM will know that Myface Cosmetics is a bit of a favourite line of mine, since pretty much everything I have tried from the line is excellent. The colour pay-off and shade selection on the coloured products is fantastic, and the price point is drugstore as opposed to department store. Myface is a fantastic range for everyday life, and I also keep quite a few of the products in my kit for editorial work.

Why is this foundation my unsung hero of my makeup bag? It’s like a beefy tinted moisturiser, and now that I have reached an age where my skin needs a bit more help, true tinted moisturisers have been relegated to the weekend. I need more coverage now as my skin seems to get redder and more blotchy as the years roll on. The Myface foundation really mimics skin, providing a glow and covering what needs to be covered without sticking to pores or looking like makeup. I apply my makeup in direct sunlight, so I can really see what’s going on, and it just disappears in, making all my manky red bits go away.

It also comes in 9 shades which pretty comprehensively covers the range of skintones, including tawny Indian and light complected black skins. Unfortunately it doesn’t extend as far on the shade spectrum as I would like, leaving truly dark and pale skins unnacounted for, but it is a more comprehensive shade selection than some of the European prestige lines.

In fact, I would go as far as to say it’s a pretty good substitute for Chanel Vitalumiere! And a third of the price. I’ve been using it now every day on myself for at least six months, and for me it’s perfect. If your skin is very oily I would think it might be a bit greasy or shiny for you, but for drier or more mature skins who need a bit of help without wanting to delve into real foundation territory, this is for you.

A word of warning with the container though – I love its lightweight plastic design and the smooth pebble-y feel of it, but if you’re flying, double-bag it first as it does have a tendency to leak. Not good if it’s in your handbag!

Myface Cosmetics can be bought at Boots chemists in the UK and online at www.myfacecosmetics.co.uk

Makeup by Angela Levin

Jennifer Aniston was as gorgeous as always in LA on Monday, for the premiere of her new movie The Switch. Her makeup is always polished, glowing and pretty natural but it suits her perfectly. I’ve been a fan of her longtime makeup artist, Angela Levin, for a few years now, and she always makes her clients look like a lovely best version of themselves (and if makeup isn’t doing that, what in tarnation are we using it for?)

Here’s what she used:

Skin Prep – Chanel Sublimage Concentrate

Face – La Mer foundation in 06

Cheeks – Chanel Powder Blush in Rose Pétale

Eyes

• Chanel Quadra eyeshadow in Tentation Cuivré (Brown and copper shades new for Holiday!) “Starting from the inner corner of her lashes I blended the shadow out, going from light to dark.”
• Tarte Clay Pot Eyeliner in Black
• 3 coats of Inimitable Intense mascara in Noir

Lips

• Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in Cashmere
• Kevyn Aucoin Lip pencil in Bare

Radiant newlywed supermodel Miranda Kerr speaks exclusively with the Makeup Mole about her gorgeous new line of organic products, KORA, and, well, love, actually. Read it here