Face of the day - 2nd July 2016 - Friday Video

So this face of the day features something I do a variation of most days... then I beef it up for the evening and slap on loads of extra products that you don't need to do. If you want to know some less expensive alternatives to a product then leave me a comment and I'll let you know.

I start off cross with the post office and end up sleepy with prosecco but... you get the idea.


Delph Factor 50
Lola Eye Primer
Louise Young Essential Eye Palette
Urban Decay Naked Palette
Make Up For Ever Ink Liner
NARS Audacious Mascara 
Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation
Dior Lip Maximiser
Maybelline Better Skin Concealer
Recover Correct & Conceal Red
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder
Daniel Sandler Water Colour Blush (Rose Glow)
Daniel Sandler Radiant Glow
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder (Diffused Light)
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat (Pillow Talk)
Charlotte Tilbury Lip stick (Bitch Perfect)
Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow

The Sunday Spend

One of these deals below I've already taken advantage of. Why not celebrate the end of awful January.

• Beauty Bay have some great offers. The LMB picks are buy one get one half price on Eye of Horus a brand I've been meaning to try out for ages (the Isis Sun Goddess palette and the Goddess Pencil look good). I'd also get some Cargo products as I haven't tried anything from this brand for years (probably the mascara and Summer in the City eye palette)
• Cult Beauty - 15% of all orders until midnight tonight 
• Kiko - I haven't tried anything from this brand for a while and what I have tried has been a bit hit and miss so I'd really go crazy in the sale here to try more out. The LMB picks are the Water Eye Shadow (champagne looks a beautiful colour), the Mixing Solution (always great to have in the kit for mixing loose pigments) and the nail corrector pen (you can never have too many of these).
• PAM - have a rare sale on and this is great for pro's wanting to top up their kit. If you use Make Up For Ever shadows their have a discount on the refills, if, like me you've wanted to try the Vera Mona colour switch that too is on offer and the fabulous beauty blender is in a bind up with the make-up eraser. I've never used the make-up eraser but someone who had sought me out in Selfridges to tell me how amazing it was.
• Space NK - have £15 off orders of £60 or over. This is an online only deal and I've taken advantage of it and bought the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil which I've been tempted by since I heard about it. If you've been thinking about making a spendy purchase from Space NK for a while then now may be the time to bite the bullet. 

Top 5 Pro Kit Essentials with Leila Boyd - Friday Video

Huge massive thanks to Leila who came to film this with me...

5 Minute Waterproof Make-up - Friday Video

I do this every Thursday before I take Ned swimming. Yes sometimes if I've slept badly I will just put the mascara on or maybe nothing at all and if you are not swimming you might want to add eyeliner and lipstick to this but this is the quick, swim-proof version and frankly if you turn up at baby swimming in Acton with a full face of slap even I would look at you a bit funny.

I don't mention them in the video but two good waterproof eye liners are Collection 24hr Felt Tip Liner if you want a pen and Avon Supershock Gel liner if you prefer a pencil. I haven't taken either of these swimming. Links to all products under the video. And I did wear the Nudestix Magnetic Eye Colour Pencil swimming that day and it did stay on the whole time.



Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream (I'm wearing no 13 Warm Beige)
NYX Doll Eye Waterproof Mascara 
Make Up For Ever Full Cover concealer (I'm wearing 5)

Other products mentioned:
Clinique High Impact Waterproof Mascara
Nudestix Magnetic Eye Colour 
Collection 24hr Felt Tip Liner
Avon Supershock Gel Liner

May Favourites - Friday Video

My May favourites... still no baby

Where to Shop - Precious about Makeup (PAM)

About PAM - If you are not a pro make-up artist you may not have heard about PAM (Precious about Makeup) and why should you? In fact it may seem as a pretty odd choice to start this 'Where to Shop' series off with a West London based shop aimed towards working make-up artists, but what I love about PAM is though it is a make-up shop, owned by professional make-up artists, run by working make-up artists for those working in the business they not only stock some fantastic brands but are the nicest people to buy from so even if you are just a fan of make-up and shopping for personal use you will be given the same lovely service and advice - not always the case in other shops!

Established in 1996 by Jan Sewell (Les Miserables, The Theory of Everything) and Kate Benton (The Royals, Love Actually, Absolutely Fabulous) as somewhere for professional make-up artists to go to purchase the products they most need in their kits and it is the go-to place for those working in film, TV and special effects. One of the aims of the shop was to create a friendly atmosphere where you are always welcomed and helped no matter what your budget, or ability and since I've been going there that is exactly what I love so much about PAM and keeps me going back.

All team members are qualified, working make-up artists which means PAM is also the go-to place if you urgently need to place an order while on set, they have a fast, reliable delivery service and you can talk to someone who knows what you need. With a studio upstairs for brand and make-up artist demos their company line has become 'never stop learning' which adds to the creative, friendly atmosphere.

They are also the leading stockists for some really great, hard-to-find brands - Make Up For Ever, Ben Nye, MUD, MaqPro and Kryolan to name but a few. 

In-store - One of the reasons I love shopping in PAM is it is the perfect mix of relaxed, busy and organised. This may sound a bit strange but the make-up artists working there are always planning the next event, organising orders or helping customers in-store or on the phone. Which means although they are happy to help there's no one hovering around making you feel like you can't have a good browse or you have to purchase something, nor do you feel like you can't ask for advice. There are a few brand stands to see - Make Up For Ever and Louise Young - but also a lot of shelves filled with lots of different, often unusual products, pots of brushes and bits for your kit that has a sort of Aladdin's cave feel about it.

Online - the current website it absolutely fine, if sometimes a little fiddly but I know a new one is under design and should be coming soon. The products are usually up-to-date but as I mentioned above this is really a shop for pro make-up artists so occasionally things are listed as not in stock when they've just come in. If you're desperate for something then it's worth calling to check and if they don't have it, they'll order it for you. International shipping available and a choice of postage options within the UK.

Discount - for working make-up artists there is a discount available between 20%-35% depending on the brand available in-store and over the phone. They are hoping to make this available online with the launch of the new website. 

What to buy - although a limited range will be going into Debenhams later in the year, PAM is the stockist for Make Up For Ever so if you are a fan of them then this is the shop to go to. Also great for weird little kit necessities, sponges, bruise wheels, cotton wool buds, latex gloves and hand palettes. Zucca bags, beauty blenders, brush cleaners, disposables, and palettes are also always in stock. Skincare, suncare, magazines, books, special fx, airbrushing, lighting and things for the studio - if they haven't got it they'll try their hardest to track it down for you.

Best Sellers - top 3's listed below by brand and product

• Make Up For Ever - HD Foundation, HD Powder, Full Cover 
• MaqPro - Dirt, Grime and Guy Liner Palette, Jan Sewell Palette, Concealer Palette designed by Shaunna Harrison
• MUD - Primer, Lip Pencil, 500 Mascara Fan brush
• Louise Young Cosmetics - 787SDF Large Tapered Blending Brush, LY38 Tapered Shadow brush, Louise Young Mini Puffs
• Ben Nye - Banana Powder, Fashion Rouge Palette, Mojave Palette
• Brushes - Sigma E45 Small Tapered Blending brush, Sigma F25 Tapered Face brush, Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki brush
• Special FX - Glynn McKay Bruise gels, Probondo, Shaunna Harrisons moulds
• Other - Velour lashes, Make-up Eraser, Dr Paw Paw

Contact info - Precious About Makeup (PAM) 6-7 Goldhawk Mews, London W12 8PA (nearest tube Goldhawk Road). 020 8740 0808. www.preciousaboutmakeup.com. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. 

Opening Hours - Monday - Friday 9am-5.30pm. Saturday 9am-5pm

Make Up For Ever Ink Liner

As soon as I saw this demoed at the Make Up For Ever event at PAM last month I wanted to get my hands on this liner (which I duly did at the UMA Expo) and I've absolutely loved using it. Finding the perfect matte black liner is the Holy Grail for some of us and this one is as matte as they come (once it's dried).

With a precision tip and a great length handle (believe me it matters) this is easy to apply and great to create with. I've spoken to other make-up artists who have tried it and they love this product too.

Monday's Make-up Muse - Pink

Still from the 'True Love' video

As with Gwen Stefani, Pink's make-up I have loved since she first appeared on my radar in 2000. She has one of those faces that takes make-up well and a smokey eye looks fantastic on her. Her make-up style is similar to mine - more dramatic eyes with a nude lip so she's one person who a lot of the time I'll see her make-up for something and try and recreate it on myself. If you are on Instagram then follow Kathy Jeung (@kathyjeung) who often does Pink's make-up - her work is beautiful.

Whether she is wearing a smudgy, grungy liner with a slight smoke at the outer corner or being completely out there and creative as in the video for 'Try', Pink is not afraid to try out new things with make-up and can carry anything off - partly down to having awesome hair. It's really hard to find good make-up photos of her because quite often it's too far away (red carpet pics are often useless for seeing actual make-up) or she's pulling a face. The best place to see her make-up in action is in her videos which I suggest you go and do and get inspired.

Pink Make-up Must Haves

Eyes - always cat shaped and usually smoked at the edges. For high street then the Sleek Make-up I-Divine Palette in Storm is good though you may need to use a primer underneath I really like Nudestix Magnetic Eye Pencil in Angel with Liz Earle Signature Eye Colour in Bronze. I particularly like it lighter on the inner corners with bronzes and golds on the outer edge. My liner of choice at the moment is the Make Up For Ever Ink Liner or Inglot Gel Liner in 77. If you'd rather use a pencil then Smoulder from MAC is always a winner. For the mascara you will want something as black as possible Bobbi Brown's Smokey Eye Mascara would be great here or Benefit's Roller Lash.

Skin - Dewy and sculpted with minimal blush. MAC Face and Body would be a great foundation to go for or Dior Star Fluid and my favourite cream for sculpting is Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel or the House of Glam Dolls Glam Base Wheel. For concealer I really like Collection Lasting Perfection and Sleek Make-up Luminous Powder is good for keeping a bit of glow.

Lips - Usually nude though occasionally red. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk or Pink Venus or MAC Lip Pencil in Whirl for the nudes and Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Crazy in Love is my go-to favourite for red tones. For nude lipsticks, well it's very personal, I like Chanel Rouge Coco in Teheran and Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Bitch Perfect.

United Makeup Artist Expo 2015

This weekend I spent as much time as possible at the 2015 United Makeup Artist Expo in the Business Design Centre, Angel, London. I've always raved about this event and this year will be no exception. It wasn't all good news - though I felt the event itself had been really stepped up a notch in terms of exhibitors, classes, talks and demonstrations I felt it was incredibly under publicised. As a previous attendee, a blogger who is a big fan of the event, and a make-up artist I have never been sent a scrap of info about the UMA Expo. No email, no annoying mail in the post, nothing. I am constantly sent details of an event in Birmingham I have never been to and can't see myself being able to go to and yet they somehow manage to get all the bumf to me every year. I can't understand why the PR for the UMA Expo isn't better - the event itself is fantastic and a favourite amongst a lot of pro artists so why not make more of it?

Face of the Day 12th March 2015 - Friday Video

Long and rambly due to husbands absence. Really simple though using mostly high street/drug store products...

New from Make Up For Ever

The make-up industry is growing and changing at such a rate that it's hard to keep up with everything that comes out and it's easy to fall out of touch with brands. During a recent demonstration at (my favourite shop) PAM I was introduced to a whole lot of new products from Make Up For Ever and completely fell back in love with this brand. It also reminded me that as much as I love applying make-up I also just adore watching other artists at work and this demonstration was no exception - and incredibly refreshing to see something bright and creative rather than an advertorial smokey eye (as much as I love them). Kicking myself for not getting the artists name (or asking her where she got her lovely boots from).

I'm not going to give a full run down on how she created the finished look but I thought I'd share some pictures and
a few of the stand out products for me (if I can read my notes, very hard to write fast with a big bump in the way).

Friday Video - Face of the Day 14th January 2015

This is a quick (despite my chatting) easy way to do polished make-up without feeling, well, too made up so great everyday make-up or for the office. Full a full list of product see below...

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 13 Warm Beige
Liz Earle Signature Eye Colour in 05 Bronze
L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim
Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara
Estee Lauder EE Cream in Light
Maybelline Better Skin Concealer
Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow
Kiko Blusher in Sound Coral
Sleek Makeup Luminous Pressed Powder in 01
MAC Eye Kohl in Powersurge
Eyeko Fat Brush Mascara
Maybelline Colour Drama in Minimalist
Paul & Joe Beaute Lipgloss in 05

Blue Liner - Friday Video

I always wear black eyeliner so the other day I was brave and went for blue instead... You don't have to use as many blues as I did and it's also a great look for those of you who hate using brushes most of this can be done without.

Products used:

NARS Sheer Glow in Santa Fey
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 03
Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 13
Sleek Oh So Special Palette
Zao Pearly Eye Shadow in 104
Eyeko Skinny Liner in Navy Blue
Barry M Supersoft Pencil in No 4
Inika pencil in 08 Peacock Blue
Rimmel Scadal'eyes
Cover FX Setting Powder in Light
Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow
Maybelline Dreamtouch Blush
Lancome L'absolu rouge in 66
Real Techniques brushes

Waterproof Make-up Tutorial - Friday Video

As promised here's a tutorial on waterproof make-up - well this is how I do it for baby swim!

Products used:

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 13 Fuschia Pink
Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer in 5
Real techniques brushes
Clinque High Impact waterproof mascara
Blistex Lip Brilliance
Avon Supershock gel liner in black
Nails are Tart Deco by Essie

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream - Product of the Week

So this week, with my husband away in Barcelona, I have been single parenting and sweating so I have worn Make Up For Ever's Aqua Cream in 13 Fuchsia Pink every day. Fuchsia Pink sounds a bit brighter than it actually is - in reality its more peachy pink and blends beautifully onto my eyelids and whether I've worn it on it's own or as a base for other products it has stuck it out through sweat, heat and baby swimming... twice. It's waterproof, long-lasting, easy to apply with a finger
and even though it's £18.25 it will last you a long time (as long as you keep the lid on tightly). Loads of colours available - I love 15 Taupe too. Well worth investing in.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 13

Make Up For Ever Full Cover

Once you get over the horrible post-baby hormonal 'ugh they're growing up too fast' phase you start to get excited about who this baby might be. Then you forget about that and realise they are contrary little buggers and will be completely different every day depending on their mood and you just have to sit it out. I'm lucky, Ned is usually charming and cuddly and generally a delight. He is also a splasher.

I don't know why this is a surprise - he's always loved kicking in the bath but when we first went to baby swimming it soon became clear that unless I was going to let him splash the water with both hands all the time he would get upset and scream. Rather than it being a lovely bonding experience where I got to meet other mums it is now a sodden ordeal where I stand at the back of the pool by myself getting soaked and trying to hear what the teacher is saying over the squeals of delight coming from Ned as he drenches us both. The other mums look serene by the end... I look like a drowned rat.

I don't really mind - he seems to love it and that's great but I'm not one of those people who can go completely make-up-less. I just can't do it. So to avoid embarrassment I've had to track down the best waterproof products possible and although I'm wearing the bare minimum, concealer and mascara were an absolute necessity and everything I've been trying out is really getting put through its paces

Concealer was first on the list (I stupidly thought I could get away with smudge-proof mascara, waterproofs slightly gentler cousin) and Make Up For Ever seemed to be the recommended brand of choice. Full Cover isn't quite as full-on as the name implies. I'm happy to go without foundation but I do like to have a bit of coverage under my eyes and around my nose and this does provide the perfect level of coverage for what I need. I am quite dark under the eyes and this works to conceal the worst of it - I was expecting something really thick so I was really pleased this was much more buildable than I'd imagined.

It lasts fantastically and really does survive the drenching I get in the pool - I haven't tried it full on swimming but I think I actually get wetter going with Ned than I do when I go to do my old lady lane swimming. In fact, waterproof or not I really like this concealer but, as with a lot of Make Up For Ever products the price is a little eye watering - £23.15 for 15ml but for reliable waterproofing it is worth the money and you shouldn't need to use too much. It is incredibly blendable though so best to apply it with a brush so you can get the coverage you want and need exactly where you want it without blending it out too much.

Make-up in Under 10 Minutes - Friday Video

Look my face has deflated! This is a quick tutorial for everyday make-up in under 10 minutes which is great if you are in a rush or have a baby screaming.

Products used:

Origins Make a Difference +
MyFace MyMix Foundation in 02 Fair
Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 15 Taupe
Lavera Soft Eye Pencil in black
Rimmel Mono Eye Shadow in black
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 3 Medium
L'Oreal Telescopic False Lash Mascara in black
Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Warm
Benefit Sugarbomb
M&S Limited Collection Bronzer in Light
Blistex Lip Brilliance Blushing

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream

I thought being pregnant would save us loads of money. I wasn't drinking which also meant I wasn't getting tipsy and accidentally buying cigarettes, I didn't want to spend lots of money on maternity clothes and my feet were too swollen for exciting shoes but no... instead of saving I needed to spend money on making my face look less bloated, blotchy and horrific. My favourite of these purchases, which wasn't actually necessary at all but was a last minute treat about a month before I had the baby, was Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 15 Taupe. I wanted something easy to use, that brought out the green in my eyes to distract from the rest of my face and because I have never tried anything from them before which is ridiculous as it a brand much loved by professionals and raved about by most people who use it.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 15 Taupe

The Aqua Creams are waterproof cream eye colours that can also be used on lips and cheeks - I think this shimmery taupe colour should stay on the eyes though. You do need to work reasonably quickly with this to get the shape you want before it dries it is really blendable and therefore easy to use - just do one eye at a time. What I love about the taupe colour I chose is that you can use it really lightly so it brings out the eye-colour (for green/blue eyes) without it being very obvious that you have anything on the lid at all, or you can make it much more dramatic by building the colour up to be much deeper. I usually use a medium wash of colour and blend a small amount of black eye pencil along the lash line smoking it up at the corners.

They are not cheap at £17.50 for a 6g pot but the pigmentation and colour payoff is so good that you really don't need very much of this to make a real impact. They are easy to use - apply with a finger or a brush - and don't crease so are fantastic on their own or as a base for other shadows or glitters and shimmers. There is an incredible range of colours (22 to be precise) from taupes, pinks, gold and plums, to bright reds, greens and blues. What I love about this cream colour is that it really does last all day whether I've been out and about in the snow with the pram or ill in bed with food poisoning (I don't usually do my make-up when I have food poisoning... it struck when I already had my face on) it really doesn't budge. Best of all it's paraban free... what's not to love

What You Need to Know - Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream

• £17 or US$23
• 20 shades
• Available in the UK from Guru Makeup Emporium, Precious About Makeup
• Available in the US from Sephora,