Monday's Make-up Muse - Gwen Stefani

Ok so a new feature I've been thinking of for a while. How many times do you see a picture of someone or watch TV and think 'next time I do my make-up I'm going to try and do that'? Well I do it all the time and for so many different kinds of women purely depending on my mood. So I thought I'd have a look at each of my 'make-up muses' and pick out the bits of their look, style and make-up that I love. Now this may seem done to death but this is my blog and these are my make-up muses so some of them may be unexpected and Audrey Hepburn will not feature. It will be the first Monday of the month and you can search for them by clicking 'Muse' in the tag cloud in the right sidebar.

Thought I'd start this off with Gwen Stefani because, apart from the classic icons she has been one of my make-up muses since school and is still doing it! Whenever I see a picture of her even if I don't particularly love the outfit it is guaranteed that there will be a fab item of jewelry or a new lip colour that I covet. She is a modern version of the classic 50s icon - the blonde hair, the red lips and nails, even her eyebrows but she is so up-to-date it hurts.

I suppose with Gwen we should start at the top with the hair. When I fist went blonde a billion years ago it was party because I wanted to look like all the fantastically cool 80s metal bands that I loved (yes they were men, what?) and then along came No Doubt and Tragic Kingdom and she looked so cool and I wanted her hair. How the hell does she maintain it? How? I need her hairdressers number. I'm having to have a break from dying mine because it was so damaged and she never even has a root visible. There's a secret I know there is... I need to find it out.
 
Her make-up (what I think of as being classic Gwen Stefani though she actually changes it up quite a lot) usually involves a flick of varying degrees of drama, a red lip, and flawless skin with not a whole lot of blusher and bronzer going on... just enough. She always hits the right note of made-up but not overdone, again a real classic look that's hard to do. What makes the eyes work is the use of pale shadows and slight contour to make the shape perfect and the ideal backing for the black liner and lashes. Even when she goes for more dramatic eye make-up and a nuder look she still seems to ooze classic style.

What I always feel when looking at Gwen Stefani is that if there were no stylists and make-up artists in the world she would probably look pretty similar to what we see. If you remove the bindi in the Don't Speak video you'll see she's already got her signature make-up look going on. Love, love, love her.

Gwen Stefani Make-up Must Haves:

Eye Shadows - neutral tones and slightly darker matte shades for contouring are the best backing for a classic looking flick liner. For neutrals try Brulee or Blanc by MAC and for the darker shades Wedge and Omega are great. Or you can get a palette with similar colours in - Sleek Make-up I-Divine Palettes in Au Naturel or Oh So Special are my picks. My top pick is the Essential Eye Palette by Louise Young.

Eye Liner - choose a gel liner like my favourite 77 from Inglot or Blacktrack from MAC with either an angled brush (266 from MAC is my preference) or a Real Techniques Fine Liner brush or a pen liner if you find that easier. I prefer the ones from Eyeko or Collection. 

Lips - the most important thing is to get a red that suits your skin tone. My favourite red pencil is Redd from MAC but in terms of an actual lipstick there are so many out there to choose from. MAC Ruby Woo is a bestselling favourite but my go-to MAC colour is All Fired Up which is more flattering, as is Lady Danger. YSL, Chanel (Pirate for my preference) and Charlotte Tilbury (I love Lost Cherry) are also worth checking out. For more affordable brands Barry M's Lip Paint in 121 would work and my most recommended red lipstick is the mighty Revlon Fire & Ice.

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Christmas Gift Ideas - Nails

Nail varnish and accessories are great stocking fillers but also you may see something that’s perfect for the nail fanatic you know or as a present for the hard-to-buy-for girlfriend.

• Butter London – one of my favourite brands. Free from nasty stuff and a great range of colours. Their Nail Foundation Flawless Base Coat is now the only base I use and they have a fantastic range of colours. Snog is a particular favourite but Saucy Jack or Knees Up are two that I’d love to try

• Mavala – These are fantastic nail varnishes available in a lot of chemists, in lots of lovely colours and an individual one (Bordeaux is my favourite) would be a great stocking filler. But they do little trio’s for £11.45 which are great too (also a good choice for a teen cousin/in-law). The 50 Years Nail Colour Trio and Rouge Trio of Colour are my picks.

• YSL – do possible the best nail varnishes. Though more on the expensive side this is a definite treat in a stocking so whether you go for the more traditional Rouge Pop Art or the festive sparkle of Feuille D'Or I would love anything from this range. 

Friday Video - Afternoon Tea Bright Lip

It's been ages since I did a video - the weeks have slipped by in a wave of unpacking boxes but here's a really simple look that is sort of a modern version of the classic black liner and red lip.

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Chanel Vita Lumier Aqua
NARS Sheer Glow
Sleek Makeup I-Divine Palette in Au Natural
Lavera Soft Eye Liner
YSL Babydoll Mascara
MAC Lip Pencil in Dynamo
MAC Lipstick in Impassioned
Marks and Spencer Limited Collection Bronzer
Accessorize Laguna Bronzer
Sleek Makeup Luminous Pressed Powder

Cheer Up

At the risk of sounding sorry for myself I’ve been having a bit of a tough time of it recently. My dear dog Pippo had to be out down leaving a big empty hole in my family and our house. Having rescued him from Italy two years ago I’d expected him to be around for a while but unfortunately he had inoperable tumours and there was nothing we could do. It’s hit us all really hard.

I’ve also been living in a building site due to a burst radiator and now that work has finally started the hot water has decided to stop. Three days and counting – thank god for the fabulous Miss W who has let me nip over to use her shower. Otherwise I think I would have no friends left.

It’s vaguely comforting to know that I am not the only one (you never are!). A pregnant Nicole Richie has been sentenced to time in prison but who knows when and for how long? I am all for celebrities doing time if they’ve done a crime but I am absolutely terrified at the thought of Nicole even being pregnant – I think she needs to sit quietly for the next 7 or so months until it’s born. Britney too has been not having the best of times – although she still seems to be in complete denial and have lost the ability to stop doing things she shouldn’t. Having had some sort of ‘episode’ on a photo shoot for ‘OK’ magazine she has also been acting weird on the set of her new video. If you had gone through a messy public divorce, had a messy public meltdown involving head shaving and umbrella wars and were constantly at risk of having your children taken away from you what would you chose as your comeback video?? Yes that’s right Britney – dress in leather waistcoat, shorts two sizes to short and fishnets and pole dance. That will restore everyone’s faith. This will work best if you punctuate practises with vacant eyed puppy cuddling.

I think what we all need sometimes is something to cheer us up in product form – and I’m not talking about Valium. Unfortunately I am too poor to be able to buy anything but a girl can dream. So here are some products I really want to try that are packaged and pretty to make a girl feel better.

Meteorites Powder for the Face (£30) by Emilio Pucci for Guerlain. The packaging is simply divine and is described as “the secret to a perfect complexion”. Made up of multicoloured beads each add something to the skin – the green takes away redness, pink adds healthy glow and gold adds highlights.

Mac Cosmetics Pigment in (£15) this is great for adding shimmer to the cheeks and brow bone or indeed anywhere and is available in over twenty different colours but my choice would be Frozen White or Frost as they look great over light blusher or on the brow bone.

Paul and Joe’s Eye Colour comes in 20 different shades and a cute compact. I really like the light green (01).

Crayon Liner in No 1 by Pixi (£12). This is a gorgeous green that will really make you feel like summer is finally here.

Benefit Hollywood Glo Body Lustre (£22). This body balm adds a rose gold glimmer to your body. Perfect for arms and shoulders now that the sun is finally out.

Flower Eye Colour by the Body Shop (£9). Comes in two colours – I love the look of La Cruz in Aqua Peach.

And finally Palette Mauresque for the complexion by Yves Saint Laurent (£36). Also available for the eyes but this is the one to go for I think made to give a healthy glow this mixes browns and pinks to avoid either the flushed or the dirty look.

Let me know if you are lucky enough to have any of these products or if there is something that you think I've missed that can cheer you up. Remember everything is impermanent so no bad feelings can last forever. xx