The Makeup Mole

Makeup by Kay Montano

Base – Chanel Vitalumiere in 30

Chanel Bronze Universal used around the edges of the face, subtly across the nose and chin in the same way the sun warms the skin

Blush – Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pale Pink

Powder – Jurlique powder on T-zone

Eyes – Chanel eye liner in Teak on lash line around eyes and blended with a brush

- MyFace Blingtone single eyeshadow in Black Ice on lid

- Bobbi Brown Black gel eyeliner

Mascara – Chanel Black Exceptionnel mascara

Eyelure individual false lashes on outer corners

Lips – Bobbi Brown Blush lip liner, with MAC Lip Erase in Pale and Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Ming 76.

We had a lovely day in the studio yesterday shooting the ultimate range of beauty products for Grazia’s Beauty Awards. After judging the Beauty Awards, makeup artist Kay Montano was using lots of color and all the winning products to create the makeup looks of the year – and let me just say it has been a big year for beauty. Makeup is back in a big, big way!

Fabulous hairdresser Johnny Sapong was there, tending to the model Holly’s locks with Leonyr Greyl’s Eclat Naturel styling crème, and Kay was perfecting the skin with Jurlique’s Rose powder, and warming her skin up with a touch of Chanel Bronze Universal crème (a fab crème bronzer). But to find out the winner’s of the Beauty Awards, you’re going to have to get Grazia on December 15!

This is a big call. I mean, how do you choose the best of something that is so specific, and so personal? After all, it is supposed to replicate the skin you’re in. And whilst this is my Number 1, (and 2, and 3) foundation in my kit because of how it meets the demands of my work, it may not be right for you.

But I do want to tell you why I love it so. For a start, it’s nice and dewy, just like gorgeous healthy skin should be. It blends like a dream and doesn’t get dry or cakey. I use this on everyone – models on shoots, real people, for the red carpet, for the shows, straight beauty, advertising – I can hardly think of a job I DON’T use it on. You can sheer it out or beef up the coverage, go all over or just where needed, use it with a brush or a sponge or your fingers. Sigh. Can you tell I’m still enamoured after all these years?

Oh sure I’ve toyed with many other foundations – in fact I have a drawer full at home! Even other Chanel foundations don’t rock my socks off like Vitalumiere. I flirted with Teint Innocence and had a brief decamp to Pro Lumiere (too heavy for winter, doable for those who like a more matte finish), but always, always I go back to my trusty VL (I’m Australian so we abbreviate everything, even things that shouldn’t be abbreviated, like Chanel products). Anyways…

It does have its drawbacks however – if you have very oily skin it might be too glowy for you. For me it doesn’t matter because I’m always there to top up with powder to keep the shine at the right level, but equally if you live in a hot or sunny climate (Australia and the American South, I’m talking to YOU!) it’s probably going to move around too much and be a bit heavy. In which case can I recommend something lighter like MAC Face and Body, or Chantecaille’s Oil Free Future Skin?

Chanel Vitalumiere only comes in 7 shades in Europe, so it’s great for lighter skintones, not so ace for black or mixed race people – this is the only downside of this foundation for me. So I keep Bobbi Brown and Becca foundations also in my kit to cover all the bases – so to speak!

Vitalumiere gives your skin the glow it wishes it had, and every makeup artist I know has this in their kit. For me as a makeup artist, it’s the Best. Foundation. Ever.

This is a rescue gloss, sort of like a rescue dog only pinker, not as fluffy and definitely shiner (odds are on for who is cuter though). Rescue products in my home are the ones that are dug out from the back of the Vault, which is sort of like a resting place/retirement home for products that have had their day in my kit. And since I’m feeling gloss again after an 18 month hiatus where I only had about three tubes for those clients or jobs who desperately wanted a shiny mouth, I was quite excited to go and have a rummage.

And look what I found! NARS Frisky Summer is a juicy, soft raspberry that adds good shine and just the right pretty shade of pigment to your mouth, and right now I think it’s a nice addition to all the beige lips that have been coming down the runway. Because not everyone looks good with their lips gone, and everybody looks prettier in pink. Me likey, me likey!

PS: How can you not love a color called “Frisky Summer”?

Makeup by Kay Montano

It was chaos yesterday at Harrods department store in London as Claudia Schiffer launched Alberta Ferretti’s signature fragrance. Claudia is having quite the renaissance lately fronting a number of campaigns and hitting covergirl status again, some 22 years after her debut as the original baby Bardot. She’s more gorgeous now than she ever was…

Base – Chanel Vitalumiere in Clair 20

Concealer – Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage SC-3

Powder – Jurlique Rose scented powder brushed onto T-zone

Blush – Bobbi Brown Nectar blush brushed onto apples of cheeks

Eyes – Chanel Ambre eye pencil smudged in a wide line next to lashes to create depth

-         Chanel Smoky Eyes palette – the darkest grey from this softly blended under eye and into crease, and swept outwards into a soft and wide, well blended ‘tick’ shape

-         Bobbi Brown Black Ink gel eyeliner painted onto base of eyelashes

-         Chanel Exceptionnel mascara in black

Lips – Bobbi Brown Blush lipliner

Bobbi Brown Rich Color Gloss in Pink Raspberry

If you’re minted (like Paris), or just want a quick cheap guilty pleasure (like Perez), this section covers both ends of the shopping spectrum.

I haven’t been this impressed with a Revlon product in a loooong time – not because Revlon products are bad, it’s just it’s rare for a drugstore find to actually muscle it’s way into my (already overcrowded) kit. But wow this is a good brown.

For hardcore makeup trainspotters, you will know that there are a plethora of browns on the market, but many of them aren’t quite right. They’re too red, or they’re too grey, they’re too shimmery, they read orange – the list goes on and on. Finding the RIGHT selection of good browns that are appropriate for different skintones and eye colors, is sadly, a huge case of trial and error (I know because I have many shipwrecked dud shades lurking in the bottom of the Vault.)

However, Revlon’s new eyeshadow in Rich Sable in the new Matte range is a definite winner. It’s a great rich brown that is slightly more on the grey side, but it’s still warm enough to make your eye color pop. For blue eyed gals like myself, it’s fabulous – lovely for all over shading, or in the crease, or as a liner (especially in combo with black.) If you wanted to win a stare-off with Cameron Diaz, this would be the eyehsdaow to do it in!

The only gripe that I have with it is that it does crease after a few hours wear – but you know what? The color is so good that it’s forgiven. And for £5 a throw (and even cheaper in the US!) it really is a bargain winner.

Chantecaille eyeshadow in Cola

Same type of shade, but a little more on the grey side, not quite such a rich brown. I do love this one as well – it’s beautiful in the crease and wears (it has to be said), much better than the Revlon. Chantecaille products are so lovely and really do make you feel glam when you use them, which goes some way to justifying their hefty price tag. So rich or poor, there’s the perfect earthy brown eyeshadow for you. And for those seeking to justify their purchases at the moment, even the Chantecaille is soooo much cheaper than a new pair of shoes. Buy them both – I dare you!