The Makeup Mole

Spring isn’t quite officially here, but as far as I’m concerned, its time to look ahead and think about bare legs, short skirts (yessssss! say all the men in London), and most importantly, re-think your makeup bag for the coming season. I call it a bonafide trend as of today, because I saw three ladies on the Tube in one morning wearing varying shades of violet on their eyes. So my top trend? It’s Lilac Eyes.

It’s been awhile since we’ve had (interesting, cough) true beauty trends – for a few seasons it’s been the same old stuff recycled again and again – natural makeup, perfect skin, smoky eyes, red lips – and much as I love those classics, aren’t we all just a little bit keen for something different?

I know I am, which is why I sat up just a little bit straighter when the genius makeup maestro Pat McGrath sent a bevy of beauties down the runway for Dior with gasp! lavender eyelids. Gorgeous, glowing, proper washes of Easter egg purple – it’s part of a bigger seasonal trend for pastels that I predict will be huge this season, as we all search for color to lift us out of (let’s be honest), 2009’s deep funk. The ubiquitous Ms McGrath even did pastel eyebrows yesterday for Balenciaga. Whilst I don’t see us necessarily sporting a pastel brow to herald in the warmer months, a pastel lid we can do. To the paintbox, ladies!

Lilacs I love

NARS Jolie Poupee duo – vibrant lavender and deep jewel toned purple. This is where NARS really comes into its own as a range – they have one of the most rockin’ colour selections anywhere. Colours you didn’t know existed let alone thought that you needed – that is until you headed down to your makeup counter.

NARS D. Gorgeous single eyeshadow  – a shimmery pale lilac. Worth wearing for the name alone!

Bobbi Brown Lavender and Lilac eyshadows, with Bobbi Brown cream shadow in Orchid. Yeeeeeeeaaaah. That’s what I’m talking about.

Becca Lapis Eyetint with Ametrine – this creates a more subtle, shiny wash of color that is so, so gorgeous on. Lapis is apparently a Limited Edition color so if you want it, you’ll have to be quick.

Estee Lauder single eyeshadow in Lilac – beautiful, does what it says in the box, shimmering lavender to make your eyes glow.

How to wear it

Although lavender looks gorgeous on every eye color, pastels can be a little hard to wear if not done correctly. The application part is easy – simply wash your chosen color from the lashline to the crease, with a brush or your finger in the case of a cream.

But in order to make it work, you need a very thin black liner along the lashes – like dental floss! Oh so thin. Liquid or gel eyeliner is more defined than a pencil. And lashes, lots and lots of lashes. You’re going to need a Bad Boy mascara, one that gives you lashes for days – not clumpy, not trampy, but ultra flirty and lots of ‘em. Go nuts. I am currently liking Lancome Hypnose mascara for this uber-sexy effect.

Without eyeliner and mascara you will look like an egg – but not of the Easter variety. Just an albino one. If you feel a bit naked under the eyes you can always softly smudge a nice chocolate pencil. MAC Coffee pencil is a good one.

Go easy on the foundation – heavy, mask-like base will quickly take this into Grannyland (and nobody really wants to go there). Myface foundation is lovely for light, everyday wear that still gives sufficient coverage. And no weird fake tans please – pastels and fake tan will make you look like the bonkers neighbour in There’s Something about Mary, and the Mole is never EVER going to tell you to look like that!

Blush is a must, a soft pink would be good, but nothing too cutesy. I like a pink with a little bit of gold shimmer in it – my latest fave for most skintones is Chantecaille powder blush in Laughter.

Although Ms McGrath went for the full magilla at Dior with a bright red lip, I would possibly choose something a little more understated if you’re just going out for groceries. I like a soft pink lip with a bit of brown (again to keep it out of the kindergarten, and make it pretty without looking like you should be sporting an Easter bonnet). Becca Sheer Tint lip colour in Gisella, Myface Vintage Pink lipstick, and the old classic Estee Lauder Crystal Baby lipstick are all good options. You may not have a Spring in your step yet, but at least it can be Spring on your eyes.

Oh how I love the Fashion shows! All these amazing looks, pouring out of the runways and backstage areas, and with the internet you can have them all, in your home, that very day. And there is always a bone of beauty contention – this season’s issue is whether to Blush, or Contour?

James Kaliardos at the Rodarte show threw down the gauntlet stating  “I’m not into blush anymore”, and Charlotte Tilbury concurred, saying “I’m not into blush at all this season”. Ding ding! Contoured cheekbones in the Taupe corner (which can look gorge, I have to say, and for the last few seasons it’s been a runway staple.)

In the sweet Blush corner, we have Dick Page who says succinctly “Fuck that”, (no really, that’s a direct quote! Loves it) and proved his point with gorgeous glowing cheeks at the Michael Kors and Marc by Marc Jacobs shows.

To my mind? Really any of us who don’t look like this

– well we need blush as Mother Nature sometimes needs just a little help. However if you do look like supermodel Daria Werbowy’s s little sister (or an angel that fell to earth, which ever you prefer) – well you could pretty much have someone run over your face and leave tyre tracks behind and you’d look amazing. Do whatever you want.

For contouring tips, I’ve got a Contour How-To coming up. For blush, my new favourite that’s slipping on everyone’s cheeks, is Bobbi Brown blush in Pale Pink. For you know, those days when you don’t look like a supermodel.

Daisy Lowe at a film premiere

Last week the unfailingly gorgeous Daisy Lowe was being shot at London’s Spring Studios for photographer Jacob Sutton, with the best of the upcoming season’s new trends from Vogue’s fashion director, Kate Phelan.

Kay Montano was doing her makeup, a sexy rock n’ roll look that’s perfect for Daisy’s modern It girl style. She used Chanel Vitalumiere foundation in 20 Clair on her skin, Myface black eyeliner and Bobbi Brown Black Ink gel eyeliner for smudgy, sexy eyes, and Nude lipbalm and Chanel Rouge Coco lipstick in Beige Felin to finish off a modern bombshell. Hairdresser James Pecis used Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray to get the perfect rough texture on the hair. And voila! Who knew Spring was around the corner?

Makeup by Kay Montano

Base – Chanel Vitalumiere foundation in Clair 20

Concealer – Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage in SC-3

Powder – Jurlique Lavender translucent loose powder brushed through T-zone

Blush – Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pink Truffle

Eyes

• Chanel Teak pencil smudged on upper lashlines
• Bobbi Brown Black Ink gel eyeliner
• Max Factor Lash Extension Effect mascara

Lips

• Chanel Rouge Coco in Ballet Russe as a stain
• Bobbi Brown Hot Pink gloss

Kicking off the New Year in lash-tastic style, this is my latest favourite mascara. I have to be honest and say mascara is the one product I am reeeeally disloyal to. I’m talking a total mascara ho – I generally have one that I’m using when I want to be sure that I don’t look like a stripper left in the rain (black raccoon eyes at work, not so much), and a whole slew of wannabes waiting in the wings that I’m testing. I like to test them for at least a month as some of those dudes outperform at the beginning and then turn dry and gunky, others may not dazzle the first time out of the tube but on the 2^nd and 3^rd try (once the formula has settled a bit), they can be fab. So, bottom line is, you never know, and the there’s always a mascara somewhere out in the world you haven’t tried.

So, explanation over and the newest addition to my mascara family (after an exorbitant TWO MONTH testing period), is Bobbi Brown’s Extreme Party mascara. I wasn’t expecting much to be honest because although Bobbi is known for lots of great makeup products, generally mascara isn’t one of them – but I was really pleasantly surprised. It reminds me a bit of DiorShow without the silly jumbo brush thing going on. I know lots of people love the oversized Dior brush, but if your eyes tend more to the baked bean size (ahem) than grapefruit, I find it’s a little unwieldy. The BB Extreme Party brush gets in and kind of feathers the lashes as the brush grips at the root, and doesn’t deposit too much product at the end, so your lashes look longer, thicker, blacker and …well, just really nice actually. And it’s pretty buildable – more coats looks nice and it doesn’t flake throughout the day.

So even if in the sad month of January you don’t have any Extreme Parties to go to (I know for me it’s more like Extreme Tracksuit at the moment), still this mascara will do your new year lashes a power of good.

It’s that time of year again, when it’s time to start thinking about loved ones and what they would like for Christmas. And given that the holiday season can be stressful, and tiring, and there are lots of parties, isn’t it time to start thinking of a gift guide for yourself? After all, ‘tis the season of tiny little lip glosses, bundled together into one gorgeous package, of miniature elf sized nail polish in a whole rainbow of colors, fabulous brush sets in tiny clutches, in short, makeup that is good enough to eat. So follow my lead – one for you, and one for me, one for you…

Here are my picks for cute as a button present giving (and keeping!)

Illamasqua

The Gold Goddess box contains Liquid metal in ‘Solstice’, Pure Pigment in ‘Furore’, False Lashes 019 and the Medium Pencil in ‘Sophie’ – £3 of the sale of this box will go to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. The Silver Seductress box contains Liquid metal in ‘Phenomena’ and is complemented with Pure Pigment in ‘Android’, False Lashes in 19 and the Medium Pencil in ‘Sophie’. Again, £3 of the sale of this box will go directly to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

NARS 15^th Anniversary Palette ‘Everlasting Love’

NARS is justly famed for his palettes and this little Christmas cracker to commemorate his 15^th year of makeup goodness is no exception. It has eyeshadows in Edie, Nightbreed and Underworld Duo, plus one of my all time favourite nude lipstick colors, Belle de Jour, and lip lacquer in Chelsea Girls. Nice!

Nude

Nude’s adorable little box set of travel sized potions is just what the doctor ordered for party-weary skin – a Cleansing Oil, Miracle Mask and Age Defense Moisturiser to come soothe your over-partied spirit. And your conscience can feel as good as your skin does since it’s not tested on animals and has no sulfates or parabens.

MAC

As always MAC comes into it’s own at Christmas and this year is no exception. The eyeshadow sets are gorgeous – particularly noteworthy is Smoke and Mirrors which has six beautiful smoky eye colors, for those times you need sultry eyes in seconds.

And their mini pigments and gloss sets are back! For budding makeup artists they are a great way to build your collection, and quite frankly for anyone who loves something small and squirrelly (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?) you really can’t go past them.

Bobbi Brown

Loving the Earth Metal Lip and Eye palette from the Chrome Collection, which features six yummy eye shadows and four natural but better lip colors.

Black Plum Mini Travel Brush set – I LOVE Bobbi’s brushes as they are exceptionally good quality, just the right size to do the jobs you want and they last forever. And what have we here… Look at this bad boy! Six travel size brushes in a little bag. Perfect for all of those of you out there (ahem!) who have grimy,

mismatched brushes lying in dust at the bottom of your makeup bag (not mentioning any names… That goes double if you’re blending things with cotton buds.) No more excuses!

Laura Mercier

Mini Lip Glace set contains five little glossy bonbons, all in a row.

Eyeko

Tiny vials of nail varnish in 8 different shades – and at £3 each, you could definitely bundle these into one sweet gift!

Becca

The Showgirl palette is what’s in their stocking this year, with a deep brown shadow, orchid and a stone color that work surprisingly well together, and a rosebud stain with a pink gloss. What you need to look gorgeous this party season.

Makeup by Kay Montano

Base – Chanel Vitalumiere in 30

Chanel Bronze Universal used around the edges of the face, subtly across the nose and chin in the same way the sun warms the skin

Blush – Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pale Pink

Powder – Jurlique powder on T-zone

Eyes – Chanel eye liner in Teak on lash line around eyes and blended with a brush

- MyFace Blingtone single eyeshadow in Black Ice on lid

- Bobbi Brown Black gel eyeliner

Mascara – Chanel Black Exceptionnel mascara

Eyelure individual false lashes on outer corners

Lips – Bobbi Brown Blush lip liner, with MAC Lip Erase in Pale and Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Ming 76.

This time of year one’s mind starts turning to all things cosy and wintry, so it’s time for a snuggle-fest on the Mole Patrol. Crack out that duvet, whip up some hot chocolate and slather yourself in serious moisturizer for that dry and winter parched skin – it’s a cold weather delight!

Embryolisse moisturizer

This is a must for winter skin. It’s heavy and glues back all those lovely dry

crack-y bits you get when your nose turns red. I always put it back in my kit at this time of year as more and more models start turning up with their faces falling off due to too much heating inside, the cold outside, and seeing as they’re so gorgeous and can get away with it, often a diet of caffeine and cigarettes. Embryolisse to the rescue. Word on the makeup streets is that what you buy in Parisian pharmacies is better than their export stuff (which you can get in London at the makeup shop PAM in Shepherd’s Bush).

Illamasqua Cake Liner in Mislead with Sealing Gel

Because this sucker don’t move. I’d read all the raves on the internet but only recently have I tried it, and it is amazing. So when the wind is blowing and you’re swaddled in scarves and beanies, at least your eyes will still look like Audrey Hepburn’s (even if the rest of you looks like Freddie Krueger).

Bobbi Brown Eye Palette in Velvet Plum

Fab neutrals that would suit any eye color, and an amazing dense black brown eyeshadow which is a surprisingly difficult color to find in other ranges. Combined with the Illamasqua Cake liner it is a wintry winner.

Chanel Particuliere Nail Polish

Straight from the Paris shows (where she created 50 shades of nude nails for Louis Vuitton) Sophy Robson’s top nail color for the coming season is Chanel Particuliere. Sure to be as coveted as last season’s Jade and the original got-to-have-it nail color, Rouge Noir, I fell in love from the second I saw it. It’s a weird taupe-y mauve color that’s like dead people’s hands, but better. The fashion pack are going to love it! I think the new Chanel shade is chic, effortless and original – just like Chanel really.

Benetint by Benefit

Aaah, a hardy perennial – just rescued from the makeup Vault where it has been languishing for quite a while, this is the perfect outdoor flush for when it gets cold. I do love a wind burned cheek (well a fake one, not a real one!) this time of year, and this bestselling 30 year old tinted liquid made from rose petals is still the original, and still the best.