Secret Weapon: MAC Matte

Posted on May 31, 2012 by The Makeup Mole

I have had this incredible mattifying gel in my kit for about a decade now, and it’s what I rely on for clients with oily skin. It’s the best product I’ve ever used for eliminating shine (and believe me, I’ve tried a few). It’s a clear gel in a small tube that you pat onto the skin either over moisturiser or instead of (for very oily clients) through the T-zone. Voila! No more shine.

It’s a must have for makeup artists for male grooming as well (or for male MM readers who struggle with shine). For women it’s great to throw in your handbag for those hot summer afternoons when your forehead looks like a disco ball. Foundation then goes on like a dream as this primer seals the surface without looking fake or heavy, and it means you can use a lot less powder. No more afternoon cake face!

Mac Cosmetics UK
Mac Cosmetics Australia

Secret Weapon – Homeoplasmine Lip Treatment

Posted on February 8, 2012 by The Makeup Mole

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.

Secret Weapon: Face of Australia Purifying Cleansing Wipes

Posted on November 21, 2011 by The Makeup Mole

A face wipe doesn’t sound like a secret weapon, I hear you scoff – well let me tell you, after trying pretty much every brand in four different countries, a good face wipe really is.

For work I use them a lot at the shows as they are quick and easy and great when the models are running late. For heavier removal I still stand by my Crealine remover and Lancome Bi-Facil eye makeup remover for when the going gets really tough, but my first port of call in the de-scrubbing stakes is still a makeup wipe.

What I like about the FOA ones above all the others I have tried is that it really does take makeup off in pretty much one go, but without stinging or irritating the skin and eyes (yes, it does eye makeup as well! So it’s perfect for holidays or those nights when you really, REALLY can’t be bothered taking off your makeup, not when that bed looks so appealing and the room is spinning…)

Face of Australia or FOA as it’s abbreviated in Australia (pretty much everything is abbreviated in Oz) is a fantastic range of makeup you can get at the chemist, and it’s really the only makeup in Australia that I think has properly drugstore prices. All the others – Maybelline, CoverGirl, my beloved Revlon – are priced a lot more expensively than they are in the UK/US. I couldn’t really tell you why as I don’t know, but that drugstore thrill you get from being able to hit the chemist and buy a bunch of stuff – you can do that with FOA makeup. And the wipes? $4.50. So for the price of a soy latte, you can have super soft, squeaky clean skin for 20 days. I know right? Don’t say I didn’t tell you.

faceofaustralia.com

(Not So) Secret Weapon – Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers

Posted on May 31, 2011 by The Makeup Mole

I almost feel stupid for writing this as a Secret Weapon, and I’ve had it on my list to write about ever since I started blogging really. How can something so blindingly obvious be a Secret Weapon?

Then I realized about 70% of my private clients had either never used an eyelash curler, or hadn’t done so for years, and I thought what’s obvious to a makeup artist is not always so obvious to everyone else. (Although if I had 50 cents for every time a makeup artist called it their Number 1 beautifying tip, I’d have, well, more money than I do now. But sometimes the reason things are cliché is because they are true!)

Eyelash curlers make your lashes, and by extension, your eyes, look awesome. They open the eye and make them look bigger since you don’t have all that droopy eye fringe hanging in the way. They make your lashes look longer and give them a beautiful, flirty shape, ready to be mascara-ed. If you look tired they wake you up, and if you’re on the older side of the equation – well let’s face it we can use all the help we can get, and anything that lifts your features has to be a good thing, doesn’t it?

There are lots of eyelash curlers on the market, but I just can’t go past Shu Uemura’s. I have used it for my whole career, and I carry back-ups since they always seem to go “missing” (aka STOLEN by some light-fingered, stick-lashed nasty person). The Shu curlers are the best as they are designed for Asian eyes, so they can get into the smallest corners of the lashes. They are the perfect shape, never tugging or pulling, and as Asian lashes tend to be quite straight they deliver serious curling action without weird crimping or bends.

And they are workhorses! My own personal pair – which miraculously never seems to go “missing”, I have had for about 8 years now. It curls like a dream every time, and never breaks, despite being dumped unceremoniously in my makeup bag every day without fail.

Every makeup artist I know carries lash curlers, and there is a reason for this people – they make you prettier. You can’t go past the Shu original – it’s the best.

www.shuuemura.com

Secret Weapon: Prtty Peaushun Body Lotion

Posted on April 13, 2011 by The Makeup Mole

This is a GENIUS product, and my latest obsession. The woman who makes this (US Celeb makeup artist, Bethany Karlyn) must be so damn clever, because it performs on every level. I didn’t think anything body makeup wise could come along and take the place of my beloved MAC Face and Body, (and I will always carry it in my kit), but this guy – well he’s definitely earned a place right in there too.

It makes your skin gleam like an expensive sports car, but it’s not shimmery or too shiny – which we all know is just soooo 2000. I have the colour Dark, and it has topped up my fading tan to make it look like I have beautiful skin – not that I’m wearing shimmery body makeup (and I defy you to find me any woman who wants to look like that). It gives you Victoria’s Secret body skin (sadly not the body as well, Jesus can you imagine if you could get one of those in a jar?) Sexy, smooth, perfect – like it’s been airbrushed, which has to be one of the most over-used terms in the beauty lexicon but in this case happens to be true.

Plus it’s natural – yes that’s right, all natural ingredients. It has 92% raw, natural ingredients, with no parabens, petrochemicals or animal products, AND it’s not tested on animals. So for those of you (and we’re growing by the day) who don’t like to put chemicals on their body, this is for you. And it feels good when you put it on – it’s a sheer weight cream that looks quite dark but it blends on smoothly, with no streaking, and no tell-tale orange palms. It glides on like a dream, doesn’t transfer onto clothes and just seems to set, so you can forget about it. As if all that wasn’t enough, it smells great, and the packaging is the coolest silver screwtop pouch that makes dispensing the right amount of product a dream. Love, love, LOVE this product, and it’s been awhile since I’ve flipped for something. But flip I have for this. Especially with summer around the corner in the Northern hemisphere, you need this in your life (and your makeup arsenal).

www.prttypeaushun.com
Follow them on Twitter: @prttypeaushun

To buy Prttypeaushun in Australia, go to beautyworkswest.com.au

Secret Weapon: Aesop Sage and Zinc Facial Hydrating Cream SPF 15

Posted on December 20, 2010 by The Makeup Mole

Also on the subject of Aesop, I need to tell you about sunscreen. For a lot of you guys, freezing your butts off in sub-zero Northern Hemisphere temperatures you’ll be thinking “is she crazy? I need a radioactive heated slankie, not a lesson on sunscreen!”

But for my friends in the Southern hemisphere, this is the first of many, MANY lectures on the Evils of Going Out Without High Protection Sunscreen Every Day Because You Will End Up Either Dead From Skin Cancer And/Or Very Very Wrinkled. I can’t believe I haven’t trotted out this particular little soapbox yet as it’s a personal mission to make people wear sunscreen every day of their lives (alright, maybe not you lot with 10 inches of snow outside your window, but when the weather warrants it.)

And aiding me in this personal quest? Aesop Sage and Zinc sunscreen. This is my go-to every day sunscreen as it’s non-comodegenic so it doesn’t make you break out like a lot of cheaper supermarket products, and it has plant derived vitamins, including Vitamin E, and sage leaf and sandalwood extracts. Aesop are justly proud of their first moisturiser with sun protection, and it’s been many years in the making.

But the real winner for me? It’s matte, so it can go under makeup and not make you start your hot day looking like a greasy chip, requiring a truckload of powder to absorb all the oil. It is only a factor 15 but as you need to reapply at lunchtime anyway I’m quite happy with a factor of 15.

And for the rest of you, shivering under those slankies? I have a cold weather post for Winter Radiant skin coming up (and yes, definitely no sunscreen in sight).

www.aesop.net.au

Secret Weapon: MAC Brow Gel

Posted on December 9, 2010 by The Makeup Mole

Let’s talk about eyebrows for a moment. This is one of those products that is so mind-bogglingly simple and effective that you think everyone must know about it, but I’m always amazed when I do private clients and they have never even heard of it.

Brow Gel is a tube like a mascara wand and tube that has a clear gel inside it, and when you run it through your brows it invisibly grooms them, gives them an oh so subtle sheen, and most importantly, holds them in place. Why is that so exciting I hear you ask? Well if you have to ask that, you apparently don’t need it. Some brows need it more than others. For those with sweet, tame little arches that look the same year in and year out and never need plucking, tending, pencilling or re-arranging, you can just stop reading now. I know there are a few of you lucky people out there. I am however, not one of them.

From having gigantor brows in the 80’s that needed a hedge trimmer to tame them, through to the 90’s when my brows all but disappeared when I plucked them all away (curse your elfin beauty in those CK Calvin Klein ads Kate Moss, it’s all your fault!), and now to the noughties when my brows have valiantly struggled to grow back but in sexy patches, I am one of those people who need brow help. Lots of it. Of the grooming and pencilling kind, every day, or else I look like a mad woman.

So brow gel is always in my kit, both personally, and professionally – and the one I love the most? MAC. They also do fancy coloured ones which I have, but to be brutally honest I don’t really use. Clear looks good on every brow colour, holds it in place and a tube will last you forever. So no more mad woman brows. The hedge trimmer is optional.

www.maccosmetics.com

Secret Weapon: Myface Mymix Foundation

Posted on August 20, 2010 by The Makeup Mole

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

Secret Weapon: Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder

Posted on May 4, 2010 by The Makeup Mole

This is an amazing luminous powder that gives a subtle light to the skin, without making it glittery or too shiny. I do love it so – I’ve had this in my kit for quite a few years.

Why is it a secret weapon, I hear you ask? Because I don’t use it all over the face (although you could, if you wanted a luminous powder to finish your makeup), I just use it with a tiny, fluffy brush, like a MAC 224 – everyone should have one of these bad boys in their makeup bag – on the undereye area. It sets your concealer imperceptibly and prevents creasing, whilst subtly brightening the under eye. And it’s super sheer. Did I mention it was genius?

Chanel also have a cracking luminising translucent face powder, called Chanel Crystalline Poudre. It leaves a beautiful finish on the skin, very similar to the Laura Mercier – in fact, I swap and change them in my kit all the time. However like a lot of the Parisian luxury brands it’s definitely for the fairer complected amongst us. Darker skintones could get a similar effect with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish which comes in lovely tones for darker skinned ladies.

And really, who couldn’t do with a bit of radiant light on their under eye area?

Secret Weapon: BeautyBlender

Posted on March 9, 2010 by The Makeup Mole

This little velvety hot pink nugget of makeup blending goodness is the BeautyBlender. Why so amazing, I hear you ask? Well its curves fit perfectly into the palm of your hand, and blends foundation into an airbrsuhed, seamless finish. It can be used wet or dry, and its pointy end gets right into the deepest parts of the face, like around the eyes and the nostrils, which are often hard to reach with regular makeup sponges.

Designed by Hollywood makeup artists Rea Ann Silva and Veronica Lorenz, it was created to improve the foundation application process – making it as undetectable as possible (this we like!) It’s been used backstage on the international show circuit by mega makeup artist Dick Page, and celeb favourites include Kim Kardashian and Rihanna. It’s also fab for the environment because it’s reusable, and it comes with it’s own special cleanser (cleverly called BlenderCleanser) that is a mixture of Tea Tree and Lavender so it smells delish and is also tres nice for cleaning brushes. It’s latex-free, non-allergenic, and for those of you with problem skin it means you can wash it and always have a fresh, clean applicator to apply your makeup. It’s also amazing to apply cream blushes, as it just gives this flawless, gorgeous finish to the makeup. Plus the color makes me happy. It goes with me on every job.

I order mine from my favourite online beauty boutique, The Beauty Closet and dangerously! they ship worldwide.

For more info on the BeautyBlender, visit www.beautyblender.net

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