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And in the meantime, here is Giselle Bundchen’s lovely – well, bundchens – on the cover of the new Paris Vogue, shot by Inez and Vinoodh.

vogue.fr

These little pots of pixie dust are just magic. One of the great pleasures of shopping in the UK (and they are many, oh so many) is shopping for Barry M. They are unbelievably cheap (about £5 per Dazzle Dust), and the quality is great. They come in all sorts of colours including lots of lovely brights that are right on the MM menu at the moment. This trip I stocked up on some more of these little glittery pots of goodness that remind me of Make Up For Ever’s Star Powders, or MAC’s Pigments, but at a fraction of the price. My pick of the bunch? Burgundy Noir, but there are loads of gorgeous colours.

They are metallic hi-shine eyeshadows that come loose in the sweetest, smallest little pot that is perfect to pop in your kit and weighs next to nothing. They come in 60 shades and I snap them up by the bag full. They can be used on their own, wet or dry, and are perfect to amp up a smoky eye over other shadows or pencils. J’adore.

www.barrym.com

I buy them at Boots, Superdrug or TopShop Oxford Circus has the full range as well.

PS: Secretly I also love that I’m using makeup with the name of “Barry M”, and I love their uber-70s logo. So old skool!

This is the finish I’m obsessed with for lips at the moment, the Jelly Lip. I’d love to say it’s a name I created but it’s actually a term coined by the world’s most prolific makeup artist, Pat McGrath, who was asked during the last show season to name her top trends. Jelly Lips was one of them, and I have to say I’m hopping on her bandwagon for this.

I think Jelly Lips perfectly reflects a woman’s ideal lip right now – juicy, shiny without being too glossy, making your lips delectable and kissable like little flowers drenched with dew. What your lips look like in your fantasies basically.

Jelly Lips are softly tinted and beautifully hydrated, not at all the scary gloss finish of the early Noughties when a passing breeze would shellac your hair into your (plentifully applied) MAC Lipglassed or Lancome Juicy Tubed lips like a fly in amber, whipping sticky shiny hair strands across your cheeks. (Which was possibly not the sexy effect you were going for).

Jelly Lips is a look that’s created with a new type of lipstick that a few of the cosmetics houses are now doing – it’s basically a cross between lip balm, lip gloss and lipstick. They aren’t too sticky, nor too drying and they use super reflective pigments to give EXACTYLY the amount of sheen you want. It’s the perfect lip for summer as it’s so easy, and its best complement is glowing skin – especially with a lovely (faux) tan. They’re even great for the beach as you can just toss them in your bag and go.

And for real life, let’s be honest – these new lipsticks work a hell of a lot more easily than a lip balm, lipstick and gloss. I don’t know about you but when I’m racing out the door with my son’s homework under one arm and my makeup kit under the other, the last thing I’m worrying about is getting my lips pristine with three different products. These new hybrid lipsticks mean you can throw them in your bag and go – you don’t even need a mirror to touch up.

Some of my favourite Jelly Lips products are:

Dior Addict High-Shine lipstick – quite sheer colour-wise but gives the beautiful finish you would expect from Dior. It has a huge range of shades and has a lip plumping effect as well.

Estee Lauder – Pure Colour Gloss Sticks – these are some of the most pigmented options giving a soft burst of colour with a bit less sheen than others. I love Honey Pink for a slick of gorgeous coral.

Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butters – Part of the new makeup that Revlon has been bringing out, these are gorgeous and don’t in any way feel budget, although they are a lot cheaper than the prestige options. They have hydrating mango, coconut and shea butters to boost lip moisture. They come in a wide range of colours and give long lasting and hydrating wear. My picks are Strawberry Shortcake and Cherry Tart.

Clinique Almost Lipstick – the original and still one of the best. Invented way back in the 90’s Clinique were so far ahead of the curve on these easy, super sheer lip tints. They have now re-launched the range with new shades and it’s one of the most comfortable ones to wear. My favourite is still the iconic Black Honey shade.

Crème de la crème – Chanel Rouge Coco Shine. I think these are perfection. I love the colours, pinky-grey Boy being my personal current lipstick – and the chicness of Chanel? Well with a lipstick like that there’s nothing to stop you touching up in public. In fact, it should be mandatory.

Perfect lips in an instant? Maybe you want to hop on my Jelly Lips bandwagon too.

Illamasqua are a makeup company dear to my heart – not just because I assisted their Creative Director, Alex Box, for many years, or because I was there back even before the launch and Alex would give me their first prototype products to try (I still have these, don’t you know). But I absolutely love what Illamasqua stand for which is true originality, and expression of the self through makeup, no matter how daring, bold or wild that self might be. The more daring the better! They see beauty in everything and everywhere, as I do, and constantly push the boundaries in their campaign images and product development, and for that I will always love them.

I can really get behind their latest campaign as well, which is Beauty Before Age. They are looking for people of any vintage who don’t let this define them, and also pairs – so nieces and aunties, mothers and daughters, grandmothers and grandsons, or any combination you can think of, to shoot in their upcoming Autumn/Winter campaign. It’s so wonderful they have planned a whole campaign around beauty being ageless. Age is literally just a number and it’s time we started to appreciate a more diverse range of beauty, instead of whippet thin teenage girls and the army of Kim Kardashian clones coming out of Hollywood. In your 50’s, 60’s 70’s 80’s and beyond you can still look and feel beautiful – and Illamasqua’s new campaign is about celebrating that.

Find out more on the Illamasqua website

Makeup by Kay Montano | Photographer – Patrick Demarchalier

 I love the cover of the latest Lucky magazine, and makeup artist Kay Montano was chatting to me recently about what products she used on gorgeous actress Salma Hayek. The pictures were shot in Versailles (no less!) by top fashion photographer Patrick Demarchalier. Kay said it was a fantastic shoot as she has worked with both Patrick and Salma for many years – and, well Versailles, you can’t go wrong really.

During the shoot Salma showed Kay some of the products from her new beauty line in the US, Nuance, which Kay says are amazing. She used the Nuance blush in Apricot on Salma as it’s her favourite colour. These are available at CVS in the States.

Here’s what Kay used:

Foundation

• MyFace MyMix foundation in Med 03
• YSL Touche Eclat in 03 (Salma loves this for brightening her under eye area)
• Smashbox Banana powder

 Eyes

• Chanel Teak eye pencil softly smudged
•  Chanel Magic Night single eyeshadow over this
• Chanel Ligne Extreme black eyeliner
• Chanel Inimitable mascara in Black

Cheeks

• Nuance Flawless Mineral Cheek Trio in Apricot

Lips

• Bobbi Brown Blush Lip Liner
• Bobbi Brown Pink Truffle Pot Rouge (as a lip stain)

You can start with a gorgeous stain, or you can also build it up to a more easy take on the vampy lips that always come out for winter. With my makeup, I tend to do either lips or eyes and not generally both (unless it’s a full on editorial makeup, which is a different thing entirely). Thus if I’m doing a strong eye I need a lip colour that balances the face, beautifying and enhancing what’s already there. And you don’t always want to do a beige lip with a smoky eye – although this little beauty is also great for mixing in with beiges you might own that are too pale, and giving them some life. Versatile and gorgeous – kind of perfect, right?

Bobbi Brown UK
Bobbi Brown Australia

Thanks everyone for bearing with me whilst I was in London and travelling the last few weeks – I know my posting has been quite sporadic but I’ll make it up to you all I promise. I have bags full of delicious new London swag to tell you about.

Whilst I was away I snapped up favourite British brands like MyFace, Barry M, Burberry, TopShop and Illamasqua. I also spoke to Kay Montano who had some of her own top recs to tell me about from Chanel, Kevyn Aucoin, Astalift, NARS, Shiseido and Eyeko (more on those later).

And after being inspired by my favourite city in the world – from shopping at Harvey Nicks (the shoe department is a verrrry dangerous place, let me tell you) and dining at Shoreditch House and even getting back into the studio with Kay, I feel re-inspired and re-invigorated.

I have new mascaras and moisturisers to try, nail colours to test and interviews coming up. So settle back, buckle up and prepare for the onslaught of new goodies.

Think a 5 year old painting Easter eggs. Think Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York – pastel, saccharine shades that look good enough to eat, or to decorate a kindergarten. Sweet enough to hurt your teeth, the new sherbert bright shades are making me feel re-invigorated to shop for makeup again. For inspiration, I used Sofia Coppola’s beautiful interpretation of Marie Antoinette’s life in her film of the same name, with Bow Wow Wow’s I Want Candy to get you in the mood:

Illamasqua does colour like no bodies’ business, and this year is no exception with their Human Fundamentalism collection. I’m planning to hit their Beak St London store and snap up their Fundamental eye palette with its mint green, canary yellow, pop heather and ecru shadow shade to get this colour party started. Then I’ll add that to their divine cream pigments in Emerge (matte peach), Dab (lilac) and Bedaub (matte seafoam green) that are the basis of my pastel makeup kit.

Bourjois have me in a sugary spin with their Sweet Paris collection which is right up my alley this season. I particularly like their new Metallic Eyeliners, which come in lovely neutrals but also gorgeous blues and greens. They have a gorgeous nailpolish in pink, and an even lovelier one in violet. For blush I’ll be reaching for Bourjois Little Round Pot Blush in Rose Frisson no 54 (I’ve long been a fan of their tiny blushes as they come in pretty, wearable shades and give just the right wash of color, plus they are so light in your kit! Just like a sweet themselves.)

Chanel’s Collection Harmonie de Printemps has a gorgeous blush called Blush Horizon de Chanel with pinks and peaches in stripes that all blend together for a bit of deliciousness. I’ll also be needing the Chanel Single Eyeshadow in Tiger Lily (a burst of fizzy orange), Lip gloss in Bagatelle (yummy pink) and Rouge Coco lipstick in Paradis (pure pink).

Bobbi Brown has reformulated her Pot Rouges (always a perennial MM fave), and Calypso Coral is my pick to get your sweet side showing this Spring. Clinique has new Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Balms that are definitely heading for my handbag (I do love a hybrid lipstick/balm) – Chunky Cherry and Woppin’ Watermelon are my juicy shades of choice. In my kit for a ladylike lip finish will be Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Flirty Honey, a soft sheer pink that perfects and hydrates lips at the same time.

Lancome have new eyeshadow quartets , Les Yeux Doux and I’ll be reaching for the pinky version, Rose Romance. Christian Dior DiorShow Liner in Turquoise is a must-have on my makeup list as it’s a beautiful straight up turquoise, exactly what you want to take you into summer. Couple this with their new Swimming Pool eyeshadow quint that’s all turquoise, lilac and pale blue loveliness and you’ll have eyes like Dylan’s Candy Bar in no time.

NARS won’t be missing out on the colour-fest with their new Larger Than Life lipgloss getting the MM seal of approval, specifically hot pink Coeur Sucree. Gaiety blush from NARS – yet another blush you didn’t know you needed until you see it – is on my Must Haves list, as is Diamond Life, shimmering lilac nailpolish.

And floating on a sea of sugar, chocolate and sweetly vibrant shades I’ll be heading into Spring.

These are INSANE. It’s been awhile since I was this excited about an eye shadow – and let’s face it, I do get quite excited about eye shadows on occasion. Not since the launch of Chanel’s divine Ombre d’Illusions which are still in constant rotation at MM HQ have I gone crazy for a new eye product.

First off, the colours. The whole of Tom Ford’s Spring collection is all bronze-y golds, and no one does a bronze-y gold better than Mr Tom Ford (HE even looks bronze-y gold himself!) Like everything TF these eye shadows just look like money, an expensive shimmery whipped cream mousse confection that I can’t get enough of.

Gilt is a gorgeous gold cream that glides on the lid like a dream and can be used all over the lid as a wash or strategically placed for a pop of golden shimmer along the lash lines, or the tear duct. It’s not super-pigmented – there are other products you can buy if you want serious strong gilt territory (try Illamasqua, MAC or Ben Nye if you want to go a bit Goldfinger). But this Tom Ford shadow is so beautiful it doesn’t need to pack a pigment punch – it’s just the right amount of everything. Not too yellow gold, not too sparkly, it’s in a word, ravishing.

Spice is a browny-tobacco colour but warm enough to make eyes pop (not with that grey tone that makes even the shiniest of eyes look dead). It is more pigmented than the gold, and in fact they look absolutely gorgeous when worn together.

The texture of the shadows is like a whipped mousse, less spongy than the Chanel Ombres d’Illusion shadows and creamier, with more slip so they glide on easily with either a finger or a brush. I’ll be curious to see whether they dry out like most cream eyeshadows do, not matter how careful you are about securing the lids. The Tom Ford makeup range makes me think of Capri in the 70’s, private jets, hell, private islands – and hyper-real women who look like goddesses. Don’t mind if I do.

If perfection could be potted in tiny jars, TF has managed it with his makeup line. Add to cart.

tomford.com

The new Tom Ford Spring collection will be available exclusively through David Jones for a limited time from March 25th.

Shot by David Sims, with makeup by Lucia Pieroni and hair by Guido.

• Starry Pink – shimmery pink
• Celestial Silver – silver white frost
• Night Sky – deep silvered gunmetal
• Plum Galaxy – rich aubergine with pink and blue sparkle
• Neptune Star – bright blackened teal

The colours are absolutely gorgeous and I’ve been itching to do an uber-glam shoot so I can properly test them out. My favourites are the darker coloured Neptune Star, Plum Galaxy and Night Sky as I find the colour pay-off is best on these. I also found that using an eye primer (like NARS Pro-Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base), did help with how well the shadow adhered. They are quite glittery but it’s small guage glitter (the kind I like in shadows as it gives reflection without massive glittery chunks) and I love to layer them over shadows in a matching tone. Celestial Silver and Starry Pink are perfect for highlighting the centre of the lid or the inner eye. In fact, who am I kidding? I love them all. Now I just need some insanely glamorous shoots to use them on!

I’ve now got them in my kit to quickly jazz up smoky eyes. And the packaging is so lightweight, I can carry them all, which is always added bonus points at MM HQ.I use a tissue to catch any glitter fall out however as some of the particles do drop down (either that or do your foundation second, which is a good trick if you’re in a hurry).

The new lip colours from the Expressionists collection are interesting too – more so for makeup artists as they are full-on hard to find editorial colours! They are really quite unusual from a drugstore brand, as they aren’t your everyday medley of nudes (sometimes I think if I see one more pinky-beige lippy, I may scream). I can definitely detect Gucci Westman’s makeup artist hands in these, and it’s interesting to see if Revlon is starting to push the boat out a bit more with their colour range. I always think that makeup Creative Directors need a few ranges with a brand until you can really see what they’re made of (Peter Phillips at Chanel and Tom Pecheux at Estee Lauder are great examples of this). Over time you can see their influence in everything in the line, not just the new collections they are releasing – until the whole line has a much more editorial feel to it.

Anyway, back to the lipsticks! My favourite of the four new ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick is Buffest Beige – put it this way, if a beige lipstick looks good on my skintone and not Corpse Bride, it will look good on most people. Plus as it’s Colorstay it really does stay on for ages. I always find long-wearing lipsticks a bit of a funny feeling on your lips, but this one isn’t too drying and comfy to wear once you get over the initial stickiness. For every day life, long-wear lipsticks can be a god-send (I tend to be a tinted lip balm girl most days myself, and at work I’m there to touch up the lipstick so I’ve only ever used a couple of long-wear lipsticks). And if you feel like testing out some very glam new colours there’s a plethora to choose from – from true candy pink to coppery orange to a deep true purple. See what I mean? Not a pinky beige in sight – thank you Gucci Westman!

Revlon
Revlon Australia

Ah my hair – what a saga that is. When it’s well behaved it looks like this:

When it’s badly behaved it looks like this:

(Although David Lee Roth looks a hell of a lot prouder of his luscious locks in this video than I am of mine).

And that’s how it’s been my whole life. The only difference between the two is the products I use, and I have learnt through trial, and much, much error which ones work for me (Answer: Not Many). And just to give you an idea of what my barnet is like to deal with, let me tell you this – it’s long, it’s blonde, there’s lots of it and it has natural wave to it, which can be a good or a bad thing. Put it this way, my husband calls me “The Tree” on bad hair days. Not a desirable nickname. Too much product leaves it looking flat as a pancake and voluptuous waves soon become hideous 80’s rocker frizz. Did I mention it’s dry? So very, very dry that usually I use masks for black hair as conditioner. My hair is one freaky place, let me tell you.

Shampoo and conditioner are paramount for me. If they’re right, it’s Blake Lively time. Get it wrong and it’s all about the 80’s soft rock/heavy metal tribute band (think Van Halen, but more ghetto). But now I’ve discovered OriginalMineral’s UNBELIEVABLE range of natural haircare, every day is a good hair day. I’ve tried natural hair care before and it often leaves a strange residue in my hair, weighing down the ends. The result would be less than flattering, so it was straight back to the hardcore chemical numbers that did the job. But I’d stand in the shower wondering how much of those lovely chemicals my body was ingesting, and it did make me feel uncomfortable (not enough to risk having bad hair mind you, a girl has her limits). But now with OriginalMineral my days as a wannabe David Lee Roth are over – OVER I tell you! I can have organic haircare and hair that can be seen in public. I can’t rave enough about this brand.

The CEO, Jose Bryce Smith, developed the line after her husband had contact dermatitis, and they were trying to find products without ammonia. O&M was born in Australia in 2007, and since then it has stealthily worked its way out of the salon and is now heading around the world (I believe they have just hit the States with a bang.)

Let me tell you about my new O&M Hair Heroes, which are Hydrate and Conquer Shampoo and Conditioner. They contain Tasmanian Sea Kelp, Vitamins A,B,C & E and amino acids – and more importantly they took my hair from heavy metal tragic to Gossip Girl in one wash. ‘Nuff said.

I love the scent of the products as they aren’t too heavy, and the packaging is super cool as well – very 70’s retro (I can totally see these in Dustin Hoffman’s shower in Kramer vs Kramer) and it’s recyclable. I’m also gradually testing out some of the styling products which are just as fabulous as their haircare. So for a little less Miss Lively and a lot less Whitesnake, you need some O&M in your life.

OriginalMineral can be bought through salons in Australia and for Australian and US customers on their website. For those in the UK, Adore Beauty will ship to you.

The colours are incredible and totally in tune with my latest vow to re-stock my kit with new retina stinging shades. My upcoming trip to London will help immensely with that and I literally can’t wait to hit Screenface and Charles Fox for a colour fix. If you’re lusting after hot new tones too, great brands to try are MAC Pro, Illamasqua, Ben Nye, Kryolan and NARS. I for one plan on hitting all of them up before the end of my visit.

In the meantime, luxuriate in Kristen McMenamy’s opulent cinema-goer. Pre-released on nowness.com it’s the ultimate website for those who like their fashion with a side dish of art and interest, one of the best purveyors of fine content on the web.

Daisy was really unwell on the day of the shoot having just recovered from an illness, and let me tell you she is such a trouper! I would have been in a body bag if I was her, but she’d just close her eyes when she felt faint, and continue on. Now that’s what I call a Super Model. Enjoy.

These are, in a word, awesome. Super pigmented lipsticks in a deep cream formula that you dispense from a small artist tube, and you mix to custom blend your own shades. Amazing, right?

It’s so funny that I don’t blog about MAC more often (note to self, must rectify that). I think it’s because they are such a workhorse brand in my kit that I don’t think about them as much as I should do. Their products are just there, trusty, reliable, ready to be used on every single job. Also I think I overdosed on MAC when I was younger – the MAC counter at Harvey Nichols in London was one of my first destinations back in the 90’s, where I bought my first Spice lipliner – sadly it never looked as good on me as it did on Linda Evangelista –  and various shades of dead person brown lippy that were the shizzle back in those days.

Then MAC was the cornerstone of my kit for along time, and gradually I started to phase in loads of lovely new brands and products – Shu Uemura, Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Illamasqua, NARS, Myface, Dior and Tom Ford and YSL – oh God stop me now! So because MAC was always there, and sponsoring the shows, and just around, I didn’t take so much notice when I used their lovely products in my kit.

But it’s time for me to get my MAC back on, and I thought Lip Mixes are a great place to start. Pretty much every makeup artist I know has these guys in their kit, as they come in – not that many shades, but once you start mixing, there’s no stopping you! Deep burgundy, bright red, pure orange, yellow, black, white, even blue shades mean that you can mix in different colours to create whatever shade you fancy. I love them as they are deep and velvety matte, and if you want to add gloss, well away you go once you’ve painted on your desire shade. Just add a lipbrush and a painter’s beret and voila! Instant Van Gogh (inspirational madness and severed ear not included).

MAC US | MAC UK | MAC Australia

I know that New York Fashion Week was a couple of weeks ago, but I just loved this makeup by amazing makeup artist Gucci Westman. I thought it was fresh and gorgeous, like all her makeup really (and let’s be honest, my favourite type of makeup).

Gucci Westman is Revlon’s Global Creative Director and under her ministrations the brand has gone from strength to strength. Here’s what she said about the Oscar de la Renta makeup “ I wanted the makeup to be gorgeous, but still look a bit dishevelled. I put the focus on the eye by lining the top lid, added a mix of eyeshadows and layered on lots of volumising mascara for a very intense lash look. I paired this with a soft pink lip to add a bit of femininity.”

All products by Revlon:

Face

• PhotoReady Airbrush Mousse Makeup
• PhotoReady Sculpting Blush in Neutral

Blush

• Powder Blush in Smoky Rose

Eyes

• Grow Luscious Plumping mascara in Blackest Black
• ColorStay Eyeliner in Brown
• CustomEyes Eyeshadow in Naturally Glam and Sweet Innocence

Lips

• Super Lustrous Lipstick in Prim Rose
• ColourBurst Lip gloss in Peony

Revlon UK
Revlon Australia

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.”

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

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

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!

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

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.

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

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.