The Makeup Mole

Only Thandie Newton could wear yellow this well! Her mustard coloured Louis Vuitton dress was a perfect foil to her beautiful tawny skin, and her long-time makeup artist, Kay Montano, was on hand to embellish her look. Here’s what she used:

Base – Myface Mymix foundation in Med/Dark 2

Powder – Temptu loose powder

Blush – Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pink Truffle

Eyes

• Chanel Bronze eyeshadow
• Lord & Berry black eyeliner smudged in around lash lines
• Chanel Inimitable Obscure mascara in black

Lips – Nude Lip balm

I had to create a whole new category for this one (much to my webmaster’s chagrin, I’m a little category-crazy, but I can’t stop myself!) but really, with one sold globally every 20 seconds, can you blame me? This is no ordinary product.

Created in 1992 by Terry de Gunzberg after she had spent years as a makeup artist hand mixing concealers and foundations and luminsiers to brighten and illuminate skin (remember, this was back in the dark days of makeup where foundation ranges were only four or five shades, and black models had to carry their own theatrical foundations with them in order to get made up!)

First off, I need to tell you that Touche Eclat is NOT A CONCEALER. I will repeat that. It is NOT A CONCEALER. If you wish to cover spots, bumps, bruises, acne, scarring and skin conditions like rosacea, this is not that guy. Please don’t buy it for this purpose. For those, you need a proper concealer – my favourites are the heavy cream ones in a pan that you apply with a brush, like Becca concealer or Laura Mercier’s Secret Camouflage.

What Touche Eclat is for is for brightening the dark places of the face, those areas that could do with a lift. It’s especially good on the under eye area, but I also like to use it around the corners of the nostrils and it can be used in laugh lines and wrinkles (within reason! Obviously if you have deep wrinkles there are limits to what a product – even a great one like Touche Eclat – can do) to make them less pronounced. It is also good on the outer corners of the eyes which tend to darken with age, and in the inner corners of the eye next to the nose which are the deepest points of the face. By using a light reflecting concealer there you illuminate the area which makes you look younger (and unless you’re twelve, we all need a bit of that!)

For the under eye area, you may still need a heavier concealer for extra coverage as Touche Eclat is a brightening product and not designed to cover everything. I usually use it in combination with another concealer – Bobbi Brown or Laura Mercier generally, but occasionally I stray into Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Stay in Place concealer.

Touche Eclat now comes in four shades so they too cover darker skin tones. Be warned however, some skintones (particularly yellow ones), don’t suit the Touche Eclat colours which are very much on the peach side. There are now many other luminising concealers on the market, and others I like include Clinique, Bobbi Brown and Estee Lauder. However I do still keep all four of my trusty Touche Eclats in pride of place in my concealer bag.

Touche Eclat now has it’s own website, www.touche-eclat.com and for your viewing enjoyment I have included an excerpt from the new Touche Eclat commercial, which is as beautiful as this iconic product.

Makeup by Kay Montano

Nicole Kidman looked radiant in Hong Kong yesterday, appearing at the opening of the new Omega watch store, and later at the charity gala event, “A Night with the Stars”. The gala was in conjunction with Omega in support of UNIFEM, for which she is an ambassador, and her husband, singer Keith Urban was also performing.

Wearing a gorgeous string strap dress by Nina Ricci she looked every inch the movie star. Her makeup artist, Kay Montano, was channeling 1940’s Hollywood film-noir glamour for makeup with a sheer, modern twist. Here’s what Kay used:

Base – a mixture of Chanel Base Lumiere and Myface Mymix foundation in Fair 01
Powder – Jurlique loose powder in t-zone only
Blush – Myface Paradisio Pink blush
Eyes

• Myface Midnight Hour Soulful Shades eyeshadow trio, a mixture of smoky greys and black
• Bobbi Brown Black Ink gel eyeliner
• Chanel Inimitable Obscure mascara in black

Lips – Chanel Rouge Coco in Cambon mixed with Nude lip balm for a modern, soft red lip.

Madonna’s long-time makeup artist, Gina Brooke, shows you how to get Madonna’s current Le Dolce Vita incarnation. I for one think Madonna hasn’t looked this good in years.

Great excitement at MM HQ! Illamasqua, the incredible UK makeup brand with an almost evangelical cult following in the UK and US (where they sell nationwide through Sephora) is launching in Australia in June. It caused a sensation when it launched in the UK last year with its theatrical grade pigment, amazing range of foundation shades (from pure white to dark chocolate), and its extraordinary aesthetic make it beloved of makeup heads everywhere.

Having worked with Alex Box, the brand’s Creative Director, for a number of years I can attest to the fact that no-one does avant-garde better than Alex (even, and I’m going to whisper here, because it’s heresy) Pat McGrath. Just witness some of the work from her best selling makeup book, The Makeup Artist, full of the most incredible and creative makeups. But Alex also does incredibly beautiful straight makeup as well. Last time when I worked with her in Paris, at Karl Lagerfeld’s studio for Numero magazine, she had Freja Beha, one of my favourite models and a Chanel muse, looking incredible in nothing but gleaming skin, contour and graphic eyeliner (and couture darling – needless to say!)

Alex’s creative approach to makeup infuses the whole brand – quality pigments in unique colours and finishes, an artistic sensibility and the idea that difference should be celebrated, diversity is wonderful and everyone should be able to express themselves with makeup – all ideas that I can fully get behind.

I for one can’t wait until it hits stores Australia-wide. It will be on counter in Myer as of the 21^st of June. To whet your appetite, have a look at www.illamasqua.com, which is a dangerous site as they also ship internationally for those of you who just can’t wait!

This is such a gorgeous brand. It has been flying under my radar until now for a silly reason really – the packaging is beautiful art deco inspired pieces, but a lot of it is glass. So since my injury it’s too heavy for me, and it’s been languishing in all it’s French Art Deco gorgeousness, at home. That is, until I had the inspired idea to decant the foundations and eye makeup remover into lightweight plastic Muji bottles! Now I have the lovely packaging on my dresser instead, because it really is too pretty to hide away.

The brand is the makeup offshoot of Sophie Albou’s Paul & Joe, the French clothing label, and its ethos is like the clothes – simple, beautiful, feminine and classic, but always cool. The idea behind the clothes is ‘Accessible Luxury’, which I think certainly comes across in the makeup line as well.

The texture of the makeup is sheer, with an almost watercolor effect on the nail polishes and cream blushes (which are one of my favourite pieces in the line. I am OBSESSED at the moment with the shimmery peach cream blush in 03). They also do lovely eye glosses which are super cute, and lip glosses in juicy, yummy colours.

The brand sells in the US at Bergdorf Goodman, in the UK at Harrods and Fenwicks, and is huge in Japan. They are an especially good line for those with pale complexions, although they do also go reasonably deep in their colour selection, which we know is always a plus in my book. I am always a bit wary of brands that think the world is one colour! (Or a maximum of six).

They have quite a few foundations in the line, but the one I like the most is the Cream foundation. It has a lovely, silky texture and a range of colors that is quite unusual – they seem to have certain colours that are hard to find elsewhere, so if you have trouble finding the right colour for your skin in other brands, this is definitely one to check out.

They do a skincare line (the eye makeup remover is a favourite) and all of their foundations and primers have active ingredients based on skincare properties. And the packaging makes me swoon! How could you resist the pearly pink eyeshadow and blush containers, the floral printed lipsticks and the glass flacons for the skincare? It’s really beautiful, and for girly girls you’ll be in heaven.

The other thing I really like about Paul & Joe is it has weird colours – as a makeup artist I love a strange colour that’s slightly off, and in keeping with the retro packaging, some of the colours are a bit 1950’s (but in a good way!) Salmon, candy pink nail varnish, unusual eyeshadow shades – it’s not your typical range of makeup. They bring out special collections each year, which all go on to become big collector’s items. The latest range is the Sahara range, with gorgeous blotting powder sheets and a shimmering body oil.

The surprise standout product for me in this line is the Moisturizing Foundation Primer, which is really surprising as I am Not. A. Primer. Girl. Up until now I have thought it was the Emperor’s New Clothes of makeup – yet one more product to buy, or think we should be using, that actually (excuse the expression), does bugger all. But I am loving the way the Moisturizing Foundation Primer feels on my skin, and it definitely makes my foundation go on smoother. Does it make it last longer? I’m not really sure yet. Primers need a rigorous testing cycle in different conditions, but so far, this guy is making me change my opinion of primers in general, which is no mean feat. I could be gradually moving over to the Primer Dark Side.

For summer they have a Protective Foundation Primer UV with an SPF of 40 (! Yes, 40. Ain’t no sun getting’ through that sucker. Fantastic). Unfortunately it only comes in two shades, (both on the paler side) so make sure you check it before you buy as it won’t be for everyone. Having said that, it is a good one if it’s the right colour for you as it leaves a great texture on the skin, a nice glow that reminds me of the Prada Tinted Moisturiser (also fabulous).

I can see why Paul & Joe has such a cult following, and the products are very high quality with a lovely texture to them. But the sweet packaging alone makes it a collector’s dream line. Worth a look.

www.paul-joe-beaute.com

As the weather starts warming up, it’s time to re-think your makeup bag – here’s a few of my new favourite things:

1 – Paul & Joe blotting papers

How cute are these? Sweet little oil-blotting sheets when the heat just gets too much. The package is so cute, you won’t want to hide them away.

2 – Benefit Creaseless Cream eyeshadows

I love these shimmery, elegant eyeshadows that are gorgeous as a base for serious eye makeup, or as a wash on their own. Currently in constant rotation are Busy Signal, a rich copper which is amazing on darker skin tones, Stiletto in aubergine, for blue eyes, and Skinny Jeans, a rich pewter, for green eyes. And it’s true, they are the most creaseless of all the cream eyeshadows.

3 – Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair

I’m going to preface this by saying I’m not a big eye cream girl. My eyes are quite sensitive, so a lot of eye creams make them even puffier than normal in the morning (NOT the effect I was going for) and itchy and red. This is not the best way to start your morning beauty routine! So generally I avoid them, but this one I love. It has echinacea, Vitamin E and Vitamin B5, and it’s keeping my incipient eye wrinkles at bay.

4 – Tom Ford Lipstick

Um, Tom Ford? Anything Tom Ford? The man could be designing plumbing equipment and I’d be there with bells on at his counter in Selfridges, signing up for some plungers. Happily it’s not plumbing equipment but gorgeous lipsticks he’s turned his clever hands to (designing clothes and the grooviest sunglasses AND incredible movies is not enough apparently), and the twelve shades hand picked by the master are lovely enough to turn anyone’s head.

5 – Laura Mercier Brow pencils

Let’s just say my eyebrows now (in their infinite wisdom), need a little work, so I’m always on the lookout for brow products that define naturally without heaviness or giving nasty 1990’s brow, which for me is super drawn on, unnatural and overly sculpted. Yeuch. Sooo nasty and dated. Laura Mercier has four brow pencils in her range which are not too soft, not too hard and the right colour for brow hair – not orange, not tan, not too grey, but just right on all counts. So my brows can get the help they now definitely need, every day.

When it comes to nails, no-one knows nails like manicurist Miss Sophy Robson. Makeup Mole is all about the maquillage, so we thought we’d go straight to the source and ask Sophy what the hot nail colour of the month is in London, the polish on everyone’s tips and the name on everyone’s lips – it’s gotta be

Chanel Nouvelle Vague from their Les Pop-up Collection (on counter

in the UK in May.)

Sophy was telling me that whilst hanging out in Paris with Peter Phillips, Global Makeup Director for Chanel, he was giving her the inside scoop on the newest products from the Chanel beauty atelier. The latest? Chanel eyelash curlers have just gone on sale in Shanghai. How chic is that?

I. Want. Some. Of. Those.

PS. Sophy is writing about Nouvelle Vague this week on her blog – she’s got a still of Beyonce in her new video wearing a colour that looks suspiciously like… you guessed it!