Sorry for the silence since before Christmas. It was a fabulous time in the Miss B household and I have to say that getting back into work took more mental and physical exertion than I would have predicted. But I've conquered the first week back (bonus and pay-rise free) and woke up this morning for the first time since the 1st not feeling too much like death. So HAPPY NEW YEAR. I hope you all had a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year and lets hope 2007 is as good, if not better, than 2006. I have to say I'm hoping for the latter.
So back to it for me and I think the story that I have noticed most this weekend (hard to miss when its on the front page of a lot of papers), is the Kate Middleton/Princess Di connection. Palace lawyers are trying to protect Kate from the paps and the tabloids for fear of her encountering the same problems as her boyfriends mother who was infamously 'chased to her death' by the paps. However, Princess Di, although constantly pursued always came across wonderfully in the papers. Even during a scandal she kept her grace. Can Kate do the same?
I have to say I think its a bit of a shame that the lawyers have been bought in already. Yes, there are rumours of engagement but Princess Di (no matter what you think of her) was a special woman. A Queen of Hearts no less. However, when receiving a parking ticket in Chelsea last week we did not have the fuming 'do-you-know-who-I-am' royal girlfriend. Instead, Kate looked slightly miffed but then smiled sweetly and got on with it. I realise that at times the paps have got completely out of control, however, there has to be a certain amount of press involvement for any one getting involved with a royal, and I'm sure this would be the case even if Kate herself was of royal blood. It kind of comes with the territory.
I think a decision has to be made. To get on with it and accept that whatever you do will be of interest to the press but then they will lose interest if you don't do anything hugely exciting. Or get out while you can. It sounds harsh but I think when it comes to being involved with royalty, once you've made your bed you're pretty much going to have to lie in it. But if you are going to be photoed at every event, even the receiving of a parking ticket, how can you look your best for minimum effort, because lets face it, its not always necessary to slather it on when going down the shops for some milk.
I've said it before
and I'll say it again.
Benefit's Lemon Aid is fabulous whether you have five hours to do your make-up or five minutes. You can either use it as a base or you can use it almost as a shadow - you can put your eyeliner straight on over the top. Although I love No 7's Opal eye shadow. For something extremely subtle the Body Shop's eyeshadow in Buttercup is barely there but gives a nice shimmer. No 7's Oyster is also really soft and goes perfectly with brown eyeliners. If you are going for the lighter eyeshadows (which will keep your eyes looking bright in case of a run in with a photographer) a brown eyeliner is best. It defines but isn't quite so 'look-at-me' as my old favourite the black liquid liner. Benefit's Eye Sketching Pencil in Sable is perfect for this and comes with a sponge tip for smudging and blending. Miss S who is queen of the subtle make-up recommends
Clinque Cream Shaper for Eyes in Brown Sugar. It accentuates without being to OTT.
I always recommend Masterpiece mascara (and probably always will til someone tops it) but Pump Up the Volume by Bourjois which is fabulous. As I've said before it needs to be open for a little to settle but then it does exactly what it says on the packet. A good pair of eyelash curlers never go amiss either, Courtney Cox swears by them!
Depending on what your skin type is I am of the opinion that if you can get away without foundation then go for it. If you can get away with just a light tinted moisturiser instead that too is a bonus. However, how often have you looked at photos of yourself and wished you'd spent another hour with your make-up. The flash inevitably means that all the flaws are highlighted so a nice smooth foundation of light tinted moisturiser is definately the way forward. Again I'd recommend Rimmel's Cool Matte Foundation is great especially
if you damp your sponge before application. Its really smooth and will not end up making you look like Jodie Marsh at an awards ceremony.
With or without foundation
Benefit's Dandelion blusher is great. It gives a healty glow rather than a hot flush. As with all blushers, however, it is necessary to go lightly!
Benefit's High Beam is also great. Unlike other skin shimmers it is really sublte and can be worn during the day without fear of making you feel like a disco queen! I like to use it on the cheek bones and just under the arch of the eyebrows. This will (or should at least!) add to the healthy look.
Now lips are always a problem. I tend to try and obey by the rule 'dramatic eyes
or dramatic lips' but as we're going for the all over fresh subtle look then you can't do much better than Clinique's Glosswear Lipgloss in Nude. It gives you a bit of shimmer and a bit of a plump but, as the colour implies, is a far cry from the Christina/Gwen post box red! But for those who can't stand the inevitable hair-in-gloss-and-then-on-face incident, Bourjois
new Doctor Glamour lipstick comes in Rose retabli is great.
Benefit's Benetint is also good but
must be applied lightly (unless you are going for all out red lips in which case it is brilliant on its own or as a base) as it is a stain rather than a lipstick. It now comes in a handy 'pocketpal' format with the stain at one end and gloss at the other. I received this for Christmas thanks to Miss J, so I can now have the real thing in my handbag.
Good luck in front of those cameras ladies (and boys). Believe me I need all the help I can get!! xx
MUA is one of those incredibly cheap high street/drugstore brands that you probably would never buy anything from because they are never kept clean by any shop. They have been around for ages but disappeared from view almost completely for years - there was one disgusting rotating stand in my local Superdrug that I used to get the odd thing from my I'd hazard a guess and say over 80% of the products have been opened and used or broken.
Definitely one of my favourite releases of this year and one of those products that you long to try and doesn't disappoint. I've been a fan of the Watercolour Blush's for years. I use them on every bride, over 90% of my other clients and they are definitely in my top five most recommended products and the one I get asked most about ('what colour should I get?' - bit of a responsibility!). Getting a full set in my kit has been the dream and one day I will achieve this (though doing make-up seems like a distant dream as I sit next to my 5 week old!). These have been out for a little while but arrived the day I properly went into labour with Jack so this review has been a bit delayed!*
Ilia is one of my favourite brands of the moment and I have been using their multistick pretty much daily since I received it a few months ago. Even though the colour, Tenderly, isn't necessarily one I would choose myself it blends so beautifully I'm a complete convert to a paler pink.
How the Louise Young blushers can have been such an integral part of both my pro and personal kits and evaded a proper review I don't know. I think maybe its because I just can't do them justice. They were one of the most popular prizes from my big giveaway last year and, for me a real insight into Louise's fantastic eye for colour.
These blushers have revolutionised the way I see colour, use blushers and approach make-up in general. An odd statement for a make-up artist maybe but that's how it is. They are all beautiful and wearable, I have them all, I wear them all. If you are reading this in March 2016 then you can win one, if not then follow the links below the video.
I have heard nothing but good things about Erborian but have never really tried anything out properly - I've tried lots on the backs on my hands but that doesn't count. If you are a follower of make-up and beauty trends you'll know that Korean brands are having a big surge here in the UK and Erborian has been at the forefront of this. They have been in Space NK for years and are one of the main 'have you tried' brands recommended to me by my friends who aren't in the make-up or skincare business..JPG)
This is quite a bright colour that at first seems almost unwearable - a bright fuchsia that you imagine will make you look like Andy Pandy but I have been really surprised by the flexibleness of this product and in fact have used it on my palest brides onto of the primer and under the foundation to give an easily blendable, natural looking glow. Admittedly unless you are going for a truly '80's look (in which case this would also be a great eye colour!) you want to be careful how you apply this and build the colour up gradually but it is incredibly workable and really matches a lot more skin tones than I originally thought it would. Haven't tried it out yet but I'm pretty sure this would work on lips too if you wanted a creamy matte base colour.
My Elizabeth Arden cheek colour gave up and fell to pieces a couple of weeks ago (a bit sooner than it should have if you ask me) and I was about to chuck it (I've never been able to keep powders that self-destruct, they stick around long enough to spread over everything and then I chuck them. Using them just makes me sad and disappointed) when I realised that I was eeking out the very last of my A Perfect World moisturiser and had more on order so I should make my very own cream blusher!
and I'll say it again. Benefit's Lemon Aid is fabulous whether you have five hours to do your make-up or five minutes. You can either use it as a base or you can use it almost as a shadow - you can put your eyeliner straight on over the top. Although I love No 7's Opal eye shadow. For something extremely subtle the Body Shop's eyeshadow in Buttercup is barely there but gives a nice shimmer. No 7's Oyster is also really soft and goes perfectly with brown eyeliners. If you are going for the lighter eyeshadows (which will keep your eyes looking bright in case of a run in with a photographer) a brown eyeliner is best. It defines but isn't quite so 'look-at-me' as my old favourite the black liquid liner. Benefit's Eye Sketching Pencil in Sable is perfect for this and comes with a sponge tip for smudging and blending. Miss S who is queen of the subtle make-up recommends Clinque Cream Shaper for Eyes in Brown Sugar. It accentuates without being to OTT. 
new Doctor Glamour lipstick comes in Rose retabli is great. Benefit's Benetint is also good but must be applied lightly (unless you are going for all out red lips in which case it is brilliant on its own or as a base) as it is a stain rather than a lipstick. It now comes in a handy 'pocketpal' format with the stain at one end and gloss at the other. I received this for Christmas thanks to Miss J, so I can now have the real thing in my handbag.
MUA is one of those incredibly cheap high street/drugstore brands that you probably would never buy anything from because they are never kept clean by any shop. They have been around for ages but disappeared from view almost completely for years - there was one disgusting rotating stand in my local Superdrug that I used to get the odd thing from my I'd hazard a guess and say over 80% of the products have been opened and used or broken.
How the Louise Young blushers can have been such an integral part of both my pro and personal kits and evaded a proper review I don't know. I think maybe its because I just can't do them justice. They were one of the most popular prizes from my big giveaway last year and, for me a real insight into Louise's fantastic eye for colour.
I really love these blushers and have had them in my pro-kit for sometime but the limited edition Rose Glow colour has tipped me over the edge.