Amazing news – a little birdy told me that the incredible Bobbi Brown Universal palette of concealers and foundations (yes, THAT one, that I take with me on every single job, and that if I didn’t have with me would cause me to completely hyperventilate. It’s like a small square palette sized security blanket, only made of plastic so it’s very handy but not that cuddly) is in stock in Australia!
I honestly couldn’t be without this palette as it ensures I am covered for every makeup eventuality, from tawny skinned beauties with shocking under eye circles, and through to Snow White types with pigmentation problems. It’s amazing, and it’s now available on-counter in Australia. It’s not cheap (at $350), but it has every single one of Bobbi’s award-winning concealers, foundations and under-eye correctors in it, and for makeup artists it’s a necessity. Get it while you can.
It will also be available on-line from July, at www.bobbibrown.com.au
I have pretty sensitive skin, so I tend not to mix up my skin routine too much, and keep it simple. I cleanse, and then I rotate my moisturiser depending on the weather. At the moment my skin feels like an old dessicated sea sponge, so I’ve been getting into Liz Earle’s Superskin moisturiser, as it’s very rich and emollient. It has lots of calming Shea Butter and Avocado, and my skin just drinks it in. The Liz Earle range isn’t strictly organic (as it has parabens to preserve the ingredients), but it’s organic enough for me!
However sometimes when one gets to a “certain age” *cough cough puts on Miss Havisham creaky voice, starts calling people “dear”* – your skin needs a little extra kick to get it glowing. And lately I’ve discovered a little Aussie wonder company, called Alpha H.
I first heard about it through Twitter via lovely London makeup artist, Kenneth Soh, as he swears by Alpha H. So when my skin started to look more troglodyte and less Giselle, I decided to call in the Glycolic Big Guns.
I’ve used glycolics before, but not like this. They were usually too much and after two days used I looked like someone had flayed me with a paint stripper. But Alpha – H should be called Amazing H as that’s exactly what it is.
I used their Liquid Gold, the Clear Skin Wash and the Hydrator Gel and I didn’t react badly to anything – no breakouts or weird skin responses. On the contrary my nasty dry sea sponge skin started to look younger and behave better – I got my glow back!
Their Liquid Gold product really is as miraculous as everyone says – I just use it at night when I need it, and it takes off all the dead skin cells, and leaves it feeling soft and plump. I also use the Clear Skin wash, which even though I don’t have acne prone skin I really like from time to time as it has tea tree oil and eucalyptus in it which is a great disinfectant and really boosts my skin. I’ve been alternating that with my Aesop cleanser, depending how my skin feels that day.
The Hydrator Gel would be fabulous for those with combination or oily skin – my skin is very dry, so I can use it for a day or so before I need to dive back into a vat of Liz Earle Superskin. I think it would be a great moisturiser for the hotter months as well as it is very soothing and provides moisture without extra grease (good when you’re already feeling like a greasy bear, first thing in the morning). I plan on bringing this back into my routine in summer.
For me I found using the products for a month and then having a break for a couple of weeks is the best way to use them. That way I can have fresh Giselle skin, and not get too dry. Alpha H is a bit like a spa in a jar. No need for a holiday!
My favourite Aussie skincare brand, Aesop, is basically taking over the world at the moment with a gorgeous new counter at Selfridges in London, and four new stores to open in New York by the end of the year. Look how beautiful this installation in Selfridges is – if this doesn’t make you want to go and dive in to their skin loving treats, I don’t know what does.
I am currently loving their Geranium Leaf Body Scrub – it’s one of the few body products I use on a regular basis. It contains pumice and bamboo plus geranium which smells amazing first thing in the morning, let me tell you.
I’m not generally a massive body product fan, mostly due to lack of time. The products in my shower have to be quick and effective, and this not only polishes my skin, it’s even managing to compensate for the fact that I’ve given up coffee (and you know anything that can do that, must be good).
Late last year I was asked by the fabulous London makeup artist, Katie Service (who is now Kay Montano’s first assistant and general gal about town), to do a New Year’s Beauty post for becauselondon.com, which is the online magazine of Tank, purveyors of fresh editorial images and always inspirational.
Here it is for those of you who would like some ideas to freshen up that makeup once the champagne corks have popped and the new year has officially begun. MAKEUP MOLE’S NEW YEAR BEAUTY
And whilst we’re at it, Kay Montano has been posting MORE of her amazing beauty tutorials – this time it’s 70′s Camel, and if the last season of runway shows was anything to go by, 70′s is going to be big again for Spring/Summer.
Get on it!
Could Scarlett Johansson be any more gorgeous? I didn’t think it was possible for her to be any more beautiful, but here’s a video of her shooting the new Dolce and Gabanna makeup ads, with makeup by Pat McGrath – and yes, she is actually more divine than I thought. Enjoy the best makeup artist in the world, working on arguably the most beautiful woman in the world. Ooh, and the makeup’s not bad either!
It’s not very often that there’s something new under the makeup sun, something completely innovative and imaginative. Most new product ranges are re-workings of things that already exist, with a slight spin on concept or packaging, so it was with a gasp of happy surprise that I was introduced to the truly new makeup range by Dutch born makeup artist Ellis Faas.
Why so different? Well for a start the inspiration was a gun (already I’m intrigued!), with a silver cylinder you can ‘load’ with your choice of sleek silver bullets – lipstick, eyeliner, eyeshadow, foundation, even mascara are housed in some of the most beautiful packaging I’ve ever seen. And the colors are beautiful and extremely wearable, working on all skin tones as they are colors Ellis describes as ‘human’, or colors that occur naturally in the human body. Deep browns, blacks, bruisy purples and a beautiful deep red lipstick, along with a myriad of other colors inspired by the body. Three different people with completely different coloring tried the Milky Ellis Red lipstick on and it looked fantastic on all of them. The textures on the eyeshadows and lipsticks vary as well – the lipsticks come in three textures from Creamy, Milky to Glossy, and the eyeshadows come in Creamy and Milky. The eyeshadows can also be layered to create gorgeous washes of color.
Ellis comes from a very artistic family in the Netherlands, and started her work career as a photographer, eventually finding her way to makeup. 
Her amazing portfolio of work includes long collaborations with Mario Testino and Karl Lagerfeld, in addition to other major photographers like Inez and Vinoodh, Solve Sundsbo and Michael Thompson. She has distilled her love of color and extensive editorial expertise into her new range.
Really this is a range that has to be seen to be believed. The line is launching at Liberty’s of London on February, and in the US will be available at Bergdorf Goodman. In the meantime, you can shop on line at her website, www.ellisfaas.com – it’s a beautiful site that is very well organized and worth a look not just for the makeup but for Ellis’ lovely portfolio as well.
I know that everyone is still feeling dozy and sedated after lots of food (well, I certainly am), but as the year starts to get going again, let me tell you to run, not walk to your latest MAC counter for the new Warm and Cozy collection. It’s their best collection in a while, with some old favourites (2N and 3N lipgloss, welcome back!) and new Tinted Lip Conditioners, hooray!
I managed to brave the crowds at Westfield to enjoy the lusciousness of the new Tinted Lip Conditioner in Close for Comfort. I love the TLCs both for personal use and for work because they are sheer, they provide just a hint of color and they moisturize. But lo and behold! What else did I find but Close for Comfort also is gorgeous as a sheeny blush. It is sheer but if you go over it a few times it’s a soft peach-y brown with a gorgeous shine to it. Yet one more reason to go get you some MAC. (After all, a sheeny cheek goes a long way to stop people looking at your ass – I know I don’t want anyone looking at mine until at least mid-February, when some of those Christmas desserts have worn off).
