The Makeup Mole

Makeup by Kay Montano - Photographer Lorenzo Agius

How incredible does gorgeous actress Thandie Newton look in these pictures? It’s for the Virgin Shorts film competition which Thandie will soon be judging, and the brief was to recreate the drama of 1920’s silent screen actress Theda Bara.

Celebrity photographer Lorenzo Agius was behind the camera, and top hairdresser Neil Moodie was tending to her locks. As usual Kay Montano rocked it on the makeup front, and Thandie was her usual amazing self – how many movie stars will offer you a seat whilst you’re working? I can tell you now, not many – but there’s a reason why Thandie is one of my favourite stars. Here’s what Kay used to transform her into a Cecil B. DeMille era siren.

Base – Myface Mymix foundation in Med/Dark 01

Concealer – Becca concealer in Cappucino

Powder – Jurlique Translucent powder

Blush – No blush

Eyes

• MyFace Soulful Shades Eyeshadow trio in Midnight Hour (the black shadow) as a base, creating the distinctive shape
• Chanel Eye Gloss quad in black over this, with a bit of Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream on top for extra shine (which is key to this look)
• Eye rimmed with black Guyliner eye khol
• Black Chanel Inimitable Mascara

Lips – Chanel Les Rouge Noirs Hysteria lipstick in a 1920’s bee stung shape

Alexa Davalos by Kay Montano

Makeup by Kay Montano

There’s a new starlet in town and her name is Alexa Davalos. She is Andromeda in the new film Clash of the Titans, and this week in London she’s been lighting up the red carpet in a dress by Ralph Lauren and diamonds by Van Cleef & Arpels.

Makeup artist Kay Montano was inspired by the makeup at the recent YSL show, which was very matte skin with a bright, glossy lip, and a hint of shine on the eyes and the cheeks.  Juxtaposing textures creates a look that’s beautiful, polished and fresh – perfect for the red carpet.

Base – Chanel Pro Lumiere in 20

Concealer – Laura Mercier in Secret Camouflage 3

Powder – Chanel Poudre Libre in Translucent 20

Cheeks – Becca Blossom Crème Cheek and Lip Color

Eyes

• Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream on lids for shine
• Clinique Naturally Glossy Black mascara

Lips

• Chanel lipstick in Enthusiast
• MyFace Lip Pop Gloss in 136

Makeup by Kay Montano

Claudia Schiffer was radiant in a gorgeous Temperley dress on the red carpet last night, where she accompanied her husband, Matthew Vaughan, to the premiere of his new film, Kick-Ass.

Kay used mostly Myface cosmetics last night to create Claudia’s red carpet look. Myface is quite a new range to the market, but I like everything I’ve tried from the range – there are more reviews coming up!

Skincare – Jurlique Soothing Herbal Recovery Gel

Base – Myface Mymix foundation in F2

Powder – Myface Mymatch Powder in Fair

Blush – Myface blush in Paradisio Pink

Eyes

• Myface Black eyeliner smudged into lashlines
• Myface Soulful Shades in Midnight Hour (black, silver and grey)
• Max Factor Lash Extension Effect mascara in black

Lips

• Nude lipbalm
• Myface Lip Pencil in Fair
• Myface Vintage Pink lipstick

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 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.

The breakdowns continue! Niamh Kavanagh was on Charlotte Tilbury’s team yesterday afternoon for the Jenny Packham show, where the reference was grunge muse, Courtney Love.

This season MAC seem to have dialed down their ubiquitous presence at the shows, however even without sponsorship it seems no catwalk look is complete without a healthy dose of MAC. It leaves the playing field wide open for other companies – like NARS, Lancome and Illamasqua to sponsor shows, as the PR that follows is great for brand exposure.

Courtney Love Beautiful Grunge look – Charlotte Tilbury

Base – Very pale, using MyFace Fair foundation and MyFace Pressed Powder in Fair (which Niamh tells me is amazing!) all over face, down neck and onto arms for a Seattle moon-glow.

Eyes – Elizabeth Arden Smoky Eyes Powder Pencil in Smoky Black along the upper lash line, with no blending, and no winging at the outer corners.

MyFace Black mascara on top lashes, and slightly on lower lashes

MAC Clear Gloss all over top lid, up to the browbone, with a bit of the Elizabeth Arden Smoky Eyes Smoky Black liner mixed in with it, to create a shiny grey wash.

Lips – MAC Brick lip liner all over entire lip, then a mixture of MAC Ruby Woo lipstick and MAC Black Lipmix was dabbed on top of this to create a burgundy stain.

Can I be really honest? I had misgivings about this line when I first heard about it – the fact that Charlotte Tilbury, one of the world’s biggest makeup artists known for her high-octane glamour shoots with fashion darlings, photographers Mert and Marcus, was launching a budget – BUDGET I tell you! – makeup line to be sold in Boots, well it just didn’t seem quite right. I am not generally keen on drugstore brands at the best of times because I think life is too short to have inferior pigment, nasty why bother sponge applicators and over-inflated ideas of a product’s abilities due to how gorgeous Kate Moss looks in the advertising (cough cough, RIMMEL), but as they say in the classics there is a time and a place for everything.

So in the interests of fairness I decided I had to give it a try, starting with a pale pink lippie called Vintage Lace. The range itself is quite a clever idea, dissecting the line into Fair, Medium and Dark skin tones, and has been well parlayed into very user-friendly colors. I hated the packaging though, all based around the whiteness and shape of an Ipod (it’s working on the blushes because they are actually shaped like an Ipod. On the lipsticks? Not so much. They are white plastic with clear lids like some nasty Avon tester from the 70’s).

However – the Vintage Lace color is the perfect nude, just a notch down from your own lip color to give you the illusion of supermodel lips, and although the texture is not super creamy (like, say, Estée Lauder), it does have good pigment to it which I like. It’s dense and matte and can either be dabbed on with a finger (my preferred method), or applied with a lipbrush.

It’s not what I expected Ms Tilbury to be putting her name to, but this lipstick has me sufficiently intrigued that I’ll probably try some other things. Tune in for more updates. Below you can find a video of her version of the myface.cosmetics 5 Minute Face.