The Makeup Mole

So I was already eager to get my hands on the new NARS Love Devotion lippie, but it’s now a definite Must-Have after seeing how gorge Blake Lively looked at this week’s Met Ball in New York. Well played madam, well played indeed.

Check out this smooth criminal who has just escaped from New York and arrived on counter at Space NK – Lime Crime lipstick. It takes a fair amount to get me excited about makeup these days (although Lord knows, I still do, and when I stop is the time I need to hang up my brushes and call it a day) – but Lime Crime, well I was hooked at first sight. It’s the brainchild of New York makeup artist Doe Deere, and the line also has eyeshadows as well. I’m hoping these follow their lipstick brethren soon to the UK.

But or a start, blue lipstick. Yes, that’s right, they have a gorgeous sky blue lipstick that I KNOW I’m going to be rocking on a shoot real soon. And they have 9 other major shades of pure, saturated color, the kind of color that is hard to find anywhere else. In other words, color that is perfect for this season’s statement lip. Fluoro orange, perfect red, bubblegum pink, even lilac. I’ll let you know how it performs in the field…

www.spacenk.co.uk

“Oh she’s an Easy Lover, she’ll get a hold on you, believe it, she’s like no other, and before you know it you’ll be on your knees…”

Just because it’s Monday, and it’s rainy, and what’s cheering me up is this super-shiny hot pink gloss from NARS that makes me think of ice creams and roller skates and sunshine. And its name (we all know how much I love the names of NARS cosmetics – if makeup isn’t fun then good Christ, what is it? It sure ain’t neurosurgery), well it’s another classic from our friend in Bora Bora. (Did I mention Monsieur Nars has a south Pacific island? Well he does. A whole island to himself. That’s a lot of eyeshadow!)

Plus it’s a top excuse to post one of the best songs to come out of the 80’s – for your viewing pleasure, I give you Phil Collins’ Easy Lover. Worth watching just for the scary 80’s hairdresser halfway through and the power-mullet of the roadie, plus Phil Collins giving it some true rock-star style from the decade that taste forgot – in golfwear. In a helicopter. Awesome. And it’s a rocking tune to go with a rocking gloss. And did I mention that it’s raining, and it’s Monday? Enjoy.

This is a rescue gloss, sort of like a rescue dog only pinker, not as fluffy and definitely shiner (odds are on for who is cuter though). Rescue products in my home are the ones that are dug out from the back of the Vault, which is sort of like a resting place/retirement home for products that have had their day in my kit. And since I’m feeling gloss again after an 18 month hiatus where I only had about three tubes for those clients or jobs who desperately wanted a shiny mouth, I was quite excited to go and have a rummage.

And look what I found! NARS Frisky Summer is a juicy, soft raspberry that adds good shine and just the right pretty shade of pigment to your mouth, and right now I think it’s a nice addition to all the beige lips that have been coming down the runway. Because not everyone looks good with their lips gone, and everybody looks prettier in pink. Me likey, me likey!

PS: How can you not love a color called “Frisky Summer”?

There’s a new diva in town, and she’s one classy broad. She’s the deepest, most perfect, devilish red, she’s like Louboutins for your lips – pop her on, and the night is yours for the taking. You can’t help but be a femme fatale in this gorgeous, Rita Hayworth 1940’s power pin-up shade – honestly I could go on all day about my new favourite lipstick – Serge Lutens No. 1.

Densely pigmented and yet really creamy, this is no ordinary lipstick – it feels like a Rolls Royce with its heavy black lacquer packaging, yet it’s small size bullet is tiny enough to go in the smallest evening clutch. And I love that its sharply beveled edges make drawing the perfect lip line a total cinch – no lip liner required. It’s official – this new(ish) range of makeup is my new obsession.

For the uninitiated Serge Lutens is an icon amongst makeup artists, and this perfect jewel of a makeup line really is the culmination of years of obsessive perfection to detail. He’s distilled the essential makeup items into one tiny yet mighty collection, and from what I’ve tried so far I’m in love. It is definitely an über-prestige line though, so if you’re looking for a quick cheap fix this is going to be right out of your league. However if you’re looking for an amazing piece of makeup that will make your heart sing – well she’s only a Harvey Nichols away.

Serge Lutens Beaute is available in the UK exclusively from Harvey Nichols London, and in the US can be found at Barneys.

Chanel Vendetta nail polish
Superstar manicurist Sophy Robson put me on to this one, and it is indeed a winner. Deep, shimmering sparkles in a purple black base are making me dream of cold winter nights. Chanel does it again!

Bobbi Brown cream eyeshadow in Galaxy
Just this side of gunmetal, it’s lovely on it’s own tucked at the lash line with a black pencil, or as a base for winter’s opulent shades of grey – the new take on the smoky eye.

Revlon brushes
What a revelation these are! Perfect sizes, great for blending and super soft bristles. Usually I’m not a drugstore makeup girl, but these brushes leave some of their much pricier counterparts in the shade. The foundation brush is excellent, as are the blush and powder brushes.

MAC lipstick in Underworld
Proper old skool 90’s red brown, the color of the season. Just this side of brick red – so wrong, it’s right!

Chantecaille Flower Infused Cleansing Milk
Gentle, aromatic, flower infused and a perfect transition for your skin into the cooler months.

Regular readers of MakeupMole might have noticed I’m not big on glosses at the moment. That’s not to say I haven’t been partial to them in the past – oh no! I have two whole drawers of them in the Vault that are testament to my crazy gloss-loving days, back when I never knew you could have too many of the suckers  and models looked like they had been shellacked – any job without a mixture of three different glosses to get just the right color – well I wasn’t on it.

Since lipstick and lip liner have been taking centre stage again, I readjusted my kit and ditched a lot of my shiny stuff, in favor of matte and satin lippies, MAC lip mixes and Make Up For Ever Matte Lip Creme. But I do still carry a few lip glosses for those moments when you need it – clear MAC lipglass, some randoms I NEVER use but I have in case I have a pastel or cream colored lip emergency, and this fella, which still even in these gloss-starved times, seems to come out to play – Lancome Color Fever Gloss no 206. It’s a sparkly (but not too sparkly) pinky beig-y nude that was one of the earlier holographic lip glosses which normally I’m not too fond of – Acid Trip on your Lips, anyone? But this one just gives superior shine in a great color that looks gorgeous either on its own or layered over lipstick. I’ve used it on beauty shoots that were all about the skin and red carpet appearances alike, and it’s always a winner.

So if they’ll be prying your gloss out of your stiff cold hands (and let’s face it, for mere mortals a little bit of lip sheen is just prettier than a dry, dusty mouth) then this could be the gloss or you.

Yesterday we were shooting French Vogue on a common in South London with the unbelievably gorgeous and iconic (in all senses of the word) Claudia Schiffer. The look of the day was red lips, and makeup artist Kay Montano gave Claudia carte blanche to choose her own red, as one of the few genuine supermodels she definitely knows which red suits her best. Her pick? NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella (a MakeupMole fave!) Also key to the look was beautiful skin and a curled lash, to keep the look modern and minimal.

Keep an eye out for the Alasdair Mclellan story in September French Vogue.