Monthly Archives: February 2012

New Beauty Breakdown! Rose Byrne at the Pringle show in London

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Makeup by Florrie White

I love a bit of Rose Byrne – she is gorgeous, elegant, Australian and grew up in my suburb of Balmain, so I am a bit biased about her. Plus she’s in one of my favourite TV shows, Damages. Here’s a lovely beauty breakdown from LFW, courtesy of her makeup artist, Florrie White.

“Rose Byrne was attending the Pringle show in London on a very sunny Monday during LFW. She was sporting a sleek groomed bob so I wanted to subtly bring out her eyes under her fringe.

Onto clean skin I massaged Decleor Life Radiance and evened out her complexion, banishing any shadows under her eyes and any blemishes by mixing various shades from the Bobbi Brown Foundation palette. I like to mix shades so that the face is not flat.  The make up was set with MAC Prep and Prime powder.

After curling her eyelashes, I applied an even dusting of Chantecaille Rose Quartz all over her upper lid and into the inner corner of her eyes. I blended a soft shading of MAC Mulch into her outer socket to open out her eyes. I then traced a fine soft line of Elizabeth Arden Powder Pencil in Espresso from the top inner corner of her eyes all the way across her lashline. I then accentuated this line using Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Caviar Ink from the outer middle of her lashline. Underneath her bottom lashes I applied a softly blended and smudged line in MAC’s Mulch, with the golden pigments really bringing out the colour of her eyes. Laura Mercier’s eye pencil in Nude was used to open out her eye further by applying it into the inner rim of her eye. I then accentuated and extended her lashes with Lancome Hynose Doll’s Eyes mascara in Black. I thickened the lashline further by adding eyelash clusters in Medium from the inner corner of her eyes to midway across her eyelash and then continued in Long lashes to the outer edges of the lashline.

She was literally given a soft spring glow with Chanel’s Blush Horizon/Soft Glow Blush on the apples of her eyes and up into her temples.

I lined her lips in Burberry Lipliner in Nude Beige which I feels really pumps up the shape of one’s mouth with the silver pigments in it. I then filled in her mouth with Chanel’s Rouge Coco in Chintz.”

 

New Beauty Breakdown! Kate Bosworth at the Burberry Prorsum Show, London

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Kate Bosworth, Burberry, London Fashion Week

Makeup by Florrie White
All products by Burberry Beauty

When I saw how gorgeous Kate Bosworth looked at last week’s Burberry show at London fashion Week, I had to find out her makeup look. Luckily I know her makeup artist, Florrie White as I used to assist her in London, so Florrie gave me the info on what she used – and now I REALLY have my eyes on some of those yummy Burberry eyeshadows…

“Kate was very relaxed about her make up and let me work to create the “best version of yourself” make up. Kate has a healthy warm Californian skin tone which I evened out with Sheer Foundation in Trench no. 3 and 4, using the lighter shade to even out the complexion and the darker shade to add a little contour over her features. I banished any shadows under and in the inner sockets of her eyes with Sheer Concealer in Light and Soft Beige.

I didn’t need to touch her perfect eyebrows so I concentrated on subtly shading her eyelids with sheer Shadow in Gold Trench all over her lids and then more definition in the outer socket of her eye and under her lower lashes in Chestnut. I brought out her lash more by smudging Eye Definer in Midnight Brown into her
lower lashes then enhanced her top lashes with a soft but solid line across her top lashes. I curled her lashes and then applied 3 coats of mascara in Midnight Black, combing through the lashes afterwards.

A further warm and sunny glow was achieved by applying Fresh Glow to highlight her temples and top of her cheeks and then I swept Warm Glow in Copper Glow over the apples of her cheeks, across the bridge of her nose and over her forehead into her hairline.

I highlighted her Cupid’s bow with Lip Definer in Nude Beige and also on the bottom outer edge of her mouth and the filled it in with a creamy layer of lipstick in Nude Beige.”

www.burberry.com

New Beauty Breakdown! Burberry Prorsum at LFW, Autumn/Winter, 2012

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Makeup by Wendy Rowe | All products by Burberry Beauty

EYES
• Apply Effortless Mascara in Midnight Black No. 01 to the upper and lower lashes
• Apply Eye Definer in Midnight Black No. 01 outside the upper and lower lash line using the definition liner brush to blend and intensify
• Sweep Sheer Eyeshadow in Gold Trench No. 04 across the eyelid as a base
• Blend Sheer Eyeshadow in Taupe Brown No. 07 into the socket line and the outer corner under the eye
• Blend Sheer Eyeshadow in Almond No. 06 under the eye for a smoky look
SKIN
• Apply Fresh Glow to the skin to illuminate and moisturise
• Use Sheer Concealer to highlight features, conceal dark circles and even the complexion
• Apply Sheer Compact Foundation with a sponge for a flawless matte finish

GLOW
• Gently contour cheeks with Light Glow in Earthy Blush No. 07, adding freshness with Light Glow in Misty Blush No. 08

LIPS
Apply Lip Cover in Delicate Rose No. 22 followed by Nude Cashmere No. 26 for a natural satin finish

www.burberry.com

Right now – Transeasonal Beauty

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It’s hard to be a global beauty citizen. I’m shooting Autumn/Winter beauty stories, but still on nice days in Sydney I’m also shooting late swimwear and beach stories as the weather has been so rubbish that they’ve all been postponed (forever, it feels like). Then I’m having loads of lovely bags land on my desk full of yummy upcoming products, which can either be Autumn/Winter, or Spring/Summer, depending on each company – and in the Northern Hemisphere it’s freezing and in Sydney it’s (technically) Summer.

Then online, I’m looking at either Spring/Summer this year – or reading up on the beauty from the shows, for Autumn/Winter NEXT year. And thus, my head is spinning! More beauty than you can poke a stick at. What to do? Well all I know is what I love at the moment, so I thought I’d tell you my favourite products that I’m getting lots of lovely use out of, right now – regardless of the season.

60’s eyeliner – Such a staple, and I love a feline flick at the moment. You can have it as thin as a spiderweb or thick and black and channel your inner Audrey Hepburn. My current fave I’m getting lots of use out of is the MyFace Slinky black liquid eyeliner. It’s matte, it’s inky black, easy to use, generous and goopy and not thin and nasty and watery. It makes lining eyes a breeze!

Add lashes – I’m still loving Revlon Grow Luscious mascara, or I also like Clinique Hi-Impact mascara. I am on the market for a new super fat lash mascara though, so if anyone has used one lately they think is fab, please let me know in the comments below.

Soft blush – I’m still favouring an earthy, gorgeous cheek that’s somewhere between a contour and a flush. Estee Lauder Signature Satin Crème Blush in Nude Light is the one I’ve been reaching for.

Luminiser – Because really, who doesn’t like to glow a little bit? My top picks at the moment are Benefit’s That Gal (for fairer complexions) and Jemma Kidd’s Dewy Glow All-Over Radiance Crème in Rosy Glow for a peachy shimmer. Darker skins as always get Becca Topaz – I’ve never found a better shimmer for darker skin tones.

A soft lip – Still with the pinks! Sorry everyone who is waiting to just get over my candy shop fixation right now – it’s still on. I like watercolour lipshines at the moment that look like a glaze and add a sweetness to the makeup. Luckily every company seems to be doing them. Rouge Coco Lipshines, Dior Addict lipsticks and Clinique’s Almost Lipsticks are the texture that I’m loving right now. For gloss I can’t go past Stila’s Lip Glaze in Fantasy, a gorgeous strawberry pink.

Add them all together and it’s a look that’s not summer, it’s not winter, but it’s just gorgeous and elegant and I love it. Take that global beauty!

 

 

Video: Behind the Scenes at NYFW with Diane Kendal

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How fab is this video! Shot by Style.com at the show test for Thakoon with one of my favourite all-time makeup artists, Diane Kendal, and amazing french hairdresser Odile Gilbert, it shows the process that takes place before the runway show. The designer and hair and makeup artists all get together over a period of a few hours (or as long as it takes!) to test out different ideas, until they have the ultimate woman that the designer envisaged. Almost as good as being in New York!

 


 

Making History! Hairstylist James Pecis Does Paris Vogue

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Daria Werbowy Vogue Paris

And when I say “Does Paris Vogue” I mean, literally! Fabulous NY-based hairdresser, James Pecis who I had the pleasure of working with a lot in London over the years, has just done the hair for EVERY SINGLE STORY, both main and short fashion in February’s Paris Vogue. Including a body-slamming editorial of Daria Werbowy shot by Inez and Vinoodh it’s definitely one for the archives and I’m as in awe as ever of James’ amazing hair skills. He’s currently in NY kicking off the show circuit with his team, but I for one can’t wait to see where his career is going to go next. What a coup!

See more of James’ work

 

Secret Weapon – Homeoplasmine Lip Treatment

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Regular readers will know I’m a bit of a lip balm hoochie mama, swapping and changing what lip balms I use in my kit and on myself, as there are just so many good ones. One I do keep coming back to that not many people have heard of, is Homeoplasmine ointment. It’s one of those rare Parisian chemist finds (and you all know how much I love those! An hour in a French pharmacy going through all their gorgeous potions is my idea of heaven, I tell you).

I have to say I didn’t find it on my own though – I first discovered it when I was assisting in Paris, namely through makeup artist Alex Box. (Although since then I’ve seen it turn up time and again in makeup artists kits). It’s a homeopathic cream, which was originally created to heal the nasal passages from colds, allergies, and general freezing temperatures, which is why it’s just so fabulous on lips when the temperatures plunge, like in Europe in present – I think we need an emergency air drop of Homeoplasmine to every country in the EU, stat!

So it’s amazing for the upcoming show season where the models are all turning up windchapped, wind blown and jetlagged with their skin peeling off from the cold, and in 45 minutes you have to make them look hydrated, glowing and the picture of health, ready for the runway. I liberally slather on lips and around nostrils where constant sneezing and blowing make the area red and chapped, and let it sit for a few minutes as a healing treatment, before wiping off and doing foundation.

Homeoplasmine deals with flaky skin and provides moisture, protection and an undisclosed French homeopathic concoction (it sounds good, doesn’t it?) to heal and soften lips, ready to be made up in the colours of the season. It also has a matte finish to it which is a nice alternative to the shiny finish of Lanolips, Vaseline or Paw Paw ointment. So I like to carry both in my kit – it’s also fantastic if you’re doing men’s grooming (for all those makeup artists out there). It’s inexpensive, and a tube should last you, oooh roughly forever.

If you’re not planning to hit a Parisian pharmacy soon, I found a website that stocks it.

From the Front Lines – Alexa Chung’s Lipstick on ELLE

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International celebrity makeup artist Kay Montano recently shot this gorgeous British ELLE cover of Alexa Chung – who couldn’t be more if an It girl if she tried, honestly. When I saw it I had to know what that gorgeous lipstick colour she’s sporting is. Kay told me it’s Chanel’s Rouge Allure in Insolente, which I’m sure you all know has rapidly been added to my ever-growing list of Must-Have Pinks. It’s turning into quite a long list now, as yes, you guessed it – I’m still obsessed.

Here’s a video from behind-the-scenes on the ELLE shoot:

 

 

In My Makeup Kit: Cosmetica by Manicare Concealer brush

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This bad boy has been floating around in my brush roll for awhile, but it was only this weekend that I realized how genius it really is. It’s superseded all my other concealer brushes. Laura Mercier? Out the door. Make Up Forever? Too unwieldy. MAC? Relegated.

Why have I fallen in love with it in such a big way? It’s the perfect size for applying undereye concealer as it is just the right size to fit in that hollow under the eye where those dark shadows breed and play. It’s made of nylon, which as a synthetic is just right for moving concealer to where you want it to go, and not smearing it everywhere.

Cosmetica is a genius Australian brush line available from the chemist – the chemist I tell you! – and it has a full range of brushes, I think 23 in all. These brushes I could comfortably take and do the European shows with, the shapes are so good and the line so comprehensive. Most are natural hair although some are synthetic, and the best part is the price – at least half what you’d pay at MAC, three quarters less than you’d pay for other prestige lines such as NARS, Laura Mercier or Shu Uemura. So especially for people looking to build a decent set of makeup brushes without forking out thousands, these are the perfect way to do that. (I’m always amazed by the number of private clients who will show me Vogue and say why can’t I do that? When I ask about their brushes and they show me 5 fingers and a manky cotton bud, I can tell them right now, It’s Not Gonna Happen. Not until you get some decent brushes!)

And these are decent, they are more than decent. The other thing I love about them is they have brushes that are hard to find everywhere else. The spooly brush to comb through brows? Even MAC goes out of stock on this, and do you know how much the Cosmetica one is? $3. That’s less than a latte.

They do the equivalent of MAC’s duofibre blending 188 brush, for $17.95, which you’d need to have been living with a swami in the wilds of Tibet to not know is the best blending brush ever. AND (this is the big one) they do an eye blending brush (called Rounded Blending Brush) that is almost the same as the MAC 217. But less than half the price.

I’m sorry for my overseas readers as you can’t get this range online, but if you ask nicely in your best Australian accent, a friend in Oz may send them to you. To help you with your Aussie accent, here’s a video of Kath and Kim – if you don’t speak like that, we can’t understand you.

Available at Priceline, Big W and selected chemists in Australia.