The Makeup Mole

So one of the bonuses about doing the shows (apart from major adrenaline surges, not having time to eat, living on caffeine, seeing all your makeup artist and hair mates and working with the most amazing clothes on the planet), is getting to see the new makeup goodies before anyone else. And let me tell you, MAC are not going to disappoint in their upcoming collections.

The one that has me going is the aptly named Art Supplies (be still my beating heart!) They have shiny grease eyeshadow crayons in a jumbo pen – yes, a jumbo pen! – that can be used as an eyeliner or a shadow and the colors are gorge – shiny pewter, deep aubergine, shimmering navy, lovely jade green and of course, the archetypal black. They go on like a dream, have a beautiful sheen to them and aren’t as greasy as a paintstick, so they are easier to handle. Yum, yum, yum, want, want, want!

And the other thing I got excited about is these jumbo lip crayons that are coming out (very, very similar in style to CoverGirl’s Outlast Lip stain markers, but I guess great ideas are ripe for the nicking…) – they give a gorgeous base to a lip and last for ages, so you can chuck them in your handbag and never have a lipstick-less look again! Art Supplies will be out in April 2010.

Here is a link to an excellent makeup blog, www.temptalia.com that has all the details about upcoming collections and is a must for MAC lovers. Ch-ch-ch-eck it out.

The new Chanel Rouge Coco lipsticks are gorgeous. They are Peter Philips’ first collection of Chanel lipsticks for the house since he was appointed Global Creative Director in 2008. The lip color is hydrating and extremely creamy, so it’s easy to apply – even to winter chapped lips, and after having a lovely play with them at the launch I have discovered which colors are my favourite. My picks are Paris for a bright red, Lune Rousse for a reddish stain, and Beige Felin for a nude.

The launch yesterday was a grand success with a Nigella Lawson three course lunch at the Chanel store in Brompton Cross, and a phenomenal turn out from London’s most glamorous women (to be expected really, at a Chanel launch!) Yasmin Le Bon was looking as gorgeous as ever, as were fellow supermodels Jade Parfitt (who is as nice as she is beautiful), Erin O’Connor and Jasmine Guinness who can wear red lipstick better than anyone.

There was a photo booth to take happy snaps in (which brought back memories from my childhood, although of a rather less glamorous location – Sydney train stations!) and since it came with the most flattering lighting on the planet AND a wind machine and an endless supply of Chanel accessories to try on, you can imagine it was pretty popular.

The Rouge Coco lipsticks will be on counter March 5^th, and there are 30 delicious shades to choose from.

Look what I found today – check out this dude. It’s a tiny duofibre brush for blending eyes (and concealer or foundation, if it so tickled your fancy). This is possibly more of a thrill for makeup artists, since we’re like that, getting very excited about new and innovative additions to our brush collections, but believe me when I tell you this is ace.

Duofibre brushes are fairly new to the market, only being around for the last few years, but they are amazing for polishing and blending. Most makeup artists I know carry at least one in their kit (usually MAC 187, which is the larger one and MAC 188 which is smaller) as they are fabulous for buffing foundation, or for sheering out cream blush. This is the first time I’ve seen a duofibre for the eyes, and it’s gone from being something I’ve never heard of, to something I feel I can’t live without.

If you love a blended eyeshadow, this is the new guy in your life.