PEEK: Forties make-up, updated technique

I've done a tutorial on this before, so this is just a brief technique update. It's such a simple, timeless look but - for the first time in forever - I got it almost perfect yesterday so thought I’d share.



BASE: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer around eyes, followed by a 5-pence sized application of Make Up Forever HD foundation. My way of updating this vintage look is to keep skin glowy and translucent. Add Illamasqua Gleam Cream (benefit high/low beam or Givenchy Mister Bright will do good job) to cheek bones and arch of brows to add sheen and catch the light.

CHEEKS: Bobbi Brown Pale Pink Blush on apples of cheeks only and slight contouring of cheeks using either a bronzer or an appropriate powder. I use MAC’s Contouring Powder, but think it could be a pro product (in which case buy from Carnaby Street store or Sleek do a similar product.) Keep the cheeks really simple to avoid looking like a Victorian doll.

EYES: MAC Paint is my favourite base for eyes; choose a neutral colour slightly lighter than your skin tone to catch the light and widen eyes. Leave the eye shadow, but do add a little contouring in the sockets with the contour powder. (Tip: if you can’t find your sockets, just lift the arch of your brow upwards and it should magically appear!) Curl lashes and apply Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner to the lash line with small brush. My eyes are almond shaped, so drop slightly towards the ends, so to counteract this thicken the line towards the outer half of the eye. When you’re extending the flick make sure you pull the line straight across and not downwards with creates too much of a ‘dip.’ Finish with two coats of Lancome Hypnose Precious Cells mascara, top and bottom.

BROWS: Use a small angled brush with appropriate eye shadow colour to fill and define brows, keeping them thick.

LIPS: Use a dark red lip liner to make the cupids bow really rounded. I over-lined my lips here to make them fuller and also coloured in my lips to even out the tone. Apply MAC Ruby Woo lipstick straight from the tube. Et Voila!

HAUL: Show and tell...

Actually more to show than to tell really.

I'm still fairly miserable truth be told, not even make-up can fix it. What would fix it you ask? Hmm...a hug or a new comic book maybe. I'm a simple (READ:geeky) girl.




Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Resolute - Generally a huge fan of the liquid metals, but this shade almost verges on blah. Personally none of the metals match up to Solstice (their original gold liquid metal) in texture and utter showmanship - it's so striking. Although Resolute a pretty enough colour, it's not special enough. Sorry, it's just not.

Illamasqua Shadow in Daemon - This replaces my old stargazer red eyeshadow (had it for 10 years-argh!) which is the trusty staple of every teen goth. Daemon is a lovely dark matte red, brilliant for theatrical work and that corpsey look around the eyes. Also is you pat it over red lipstick you'll get a really velvety matte look. Smooch-tastic!

Lancome French Touch Lipstick in 306 - I fell for the bullet style exterior, but now I feel cheated by it's beauty. Nothing wrong with this shade per se it's just not very exiting. Bottom line, it's a good choice if you're new to dark shades or want a more natural glossy finish. This is one i'm donating to my mother!

Chantecaille Lasting Eyeshadow in Titanium - Chantecaille are one of those luxe brands I adore - without any firm ground to base my adoration on. The powders are beautifully milled, granted. Aside from that, the colours are average and the prices extortionate this here shadow is £22 of your shiny earth pounds when MAC's shadows are just over a tenner!

Illamasqua Disciple Lipstick - J'Adore! A rich blue/black that I shall be rocking with nude eyes and sharply defined brows, plus the old *Dalston topknot. I want to desperately wear this into central London to scare the normal people.

*The Dalston topknot is the nonchalant messy bun worn especially high up on the head almost nearing the forehead, see below. You can call a Dalston girl a mile off (I'm not saying that's a good thing fyi, merely an observation. I'm not a Dalston girl hater - every scene has it's look!)

2010: My year in beauty....

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MASS TESTY: Mac, Models Own, Bobbi Brown and Lancome

Models Own shadow, Navy and Gold Sparkle: A lovely matte navy shadow, shot through with gold glitter, making it ideal for a smoky eye with some bling!

MAC Dazzle lipstick in troublemaker: It can look patchy worn alone, but use a darker lipstick as a base and paint this ultra glittery lipstick onto the centre of your pout for lips with serious impact.

Lancome Ombre Magnetique in 03G Black macadam: If it's drama, sophistication and total luxe you're after look no further. Use this around your eyes and channel your inner Taylor Momsen. ;)

Bobbi Brown Metallic eye shadow in Black Charcoal 78: It’s a grown up version of the above shadow, but a really chic way to use metallic’s, especially on mature skin. Team with a peachy-toned opaque gloss to mix up the textures.

MASS TESTY: Mac, Smashbox and Lancome

I've been testing lots of lovely products of late, and these are some of the best.




Smashbox Limitless liquid eyeliner pen: The blackest black eyeliner that stays put forever! It's has a lovely applicator/tip which gives a sharp bold line.

Smashbox Peep-Show double gloss: : two lovely colours that stayed put all the way through 'We are what we are' the world's grossest cannibal film. Ick!

MAC Pro Longwear concealer NW25 (er, not my colour): A perfect lightweight concealer, easy to apply with medium coverage.

Lancome Foundation brush: Soft bristles and a short handle make this the ideal travel or to sweep away any fall-down from darker eye eshadows.

LOVE: Lancome Absolue Nuit Precious cells range

I'm a convert.


I'm normally bored of most products after a week, but this has kept my skin baby soft for months and I'm totally and utterly converted. They're aimed at 50+ skin, and I'm not sure I should really be using them, but they work so well that I'm throwing caution to the wind! Like all of my product loves, these aren't cheap:

Cream £122
Eye Cream £73
Lip £40

Are they worth it? I'd say the cream is definitely and the other two are more novelties. I want to say it's total hype and that a £1.99 product from Aldi will do the same thing. I just don't think it does, or ever will. Call me a product snob but there ya go!

PRODUCT ROUND UP: Here's what I'm loving

I had a bit of a manic month where I was testing like a million products. I’ve calmed down now, and here’s what I’m using this month and how I rate it:

MORNING
HAIR: Bumble and Bumble Mending Shampoo (£21), Bumble and Bumble Conditioner (£23) and Bumble and Bumble Complex (£23). Best hair products I've ever used...can't rate them highly enough. They’ve actually changed my life and make a good blow dry a total breeze.
BODY: Dr Bronners Peppermint Castile Liquid Soap (£9.65). Wakes me right up in the morning, works well as a shaving oil too and is gentle and moisturising for eczema prone skin.
FACE: I was using Rodial A-list cleanser (£48) but it’s headed to the ‘urgh’ pile along with Organic Pharmacy Carrot Butter Cleanser (£31.95) and Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Cleanser (£5.00). I’ve tried most of the cleansing balms around and really only rate the Eve Lom Cleanser (£28) and Bobbi Brown Extra Balm Rinse (£38). I’m now using Shu Uemera cleansing beauty oil premium (£55), which is a little too rich for me, but still a lovely product.
Then on to Chanel Beaute Initiale spray serum (£56). Absolute genius! Seriously, if your skin is quite oily and you’re a bit on the lazy side, this is a fab way to moisturise. One light spray in the morning and you’re good to go. At the moment a light day cream and a rich night cream is totally working for me.

DAY
MAKE UP: My usual kit, with Lancôme Hypnose precious cells mascara (£22), ByTerry Baume de Rose SPF 15 (£32), Chanel Le Crayon Kohl (£16) , MAC Studio Finish Concealer SPF 35 (£12.50) and Shu Uemera Glow-on Blush (£19).
HANDS: Guerlain Super Aqua Hands hand-cream (£34). I don’t know why but I just love this cream and it smells like roses!

NIGHT
HAIR: Bumble and Bumble Mending Masque (£27)- Used overnight every few days, beautifully soft hair in a tube!
FACE:Lancôme Absolue Precious Cells (£83) and Lancôme Absolue Yeux Precious Cells (£73.)I want to say they’re not worth the cash, but they are. My skin is really soft and plum, it feels just like cashmere. My forehead gets a little dehydrated and it’s so smooth now I look like I’ve had botox. Really lovely products. Sorry, I want to say there is a cheap version, but I just don’t think there is.
BODY: I have really dry skin so use almond oil (£3.00), from Indian food stores. I tried using extra virgin olive oil once, but ended up smelling like an Insalata caprese. GROSS. Almond oil doesn’t have a smell, it’s packed with Vitamin E and if you like add a few drops of essential oil to it like rose otto or lavender. It’s cheap too and clearly I’m bankrupt from night cream, so have to save a few pennies here and there. Such is the price of beauty!

Abort Mission: THE PERFECT RED

I read somewhere that Dita Von Teese uses Ruby Woo red lippie by MAC. It’s a retro matte shade, the most perfect red ever in fact. It's ideal for that 40s look, but I just didn’t think it would work with darker skins (too blue-toned, blah blah.) So off I went on a year-long quest to find THE PERFECT RED. It deserves caps as it's a big mission and of grave importance!

So, after a whole year of searching for THE PERFECT RED, I managed to amass 27 of them. Many seemed perfect at the time, less so, though, when they were smeared all over my face after a night on the town. I thought I’d found THE PERFECT RED in a Kyrolan one, which was the most beautiful blood-red colour but the wrong texture. I went into MAC and was told that a warm-toned Russian Red would suit me the best, I disagreed, but bought it anyway out of sheer hope and desperation (I was right). Next on my list was the sublime Besame lippie, complete with its 40s-style bullet packaging to die for, but alas, the shade was too orange, although the pigment was gorgeous. SO then finally, on a lark, I popped back into MAC and actually tried Ruby Woo and behold – THE PERFECT RED.

Why didn’t I just buy it in the first place? Maybe I wanted to put myself through disappointment (and all those terrible tagged Facebook pictures with red tragedy strewn throughout for all to see). Maybe I like causing myself hassle, resulting in a year of torment and wasted funds. Maybe I just like to be difficult and make life harder than it ever needs to be. That's it, clearly.

The moral of the story is:

A- Darker skins aren’t ‘all the same’ as we're constantly told ('dark skins must wear dark plums and purples…’ Pah! Trust your own judgement and if it looks hot, then rock it!

B- Some things are known as the best products because they actually are!

So, in conclusion, I present my red lipstick the finalists and one winner, in the middle. The quest is over. Time for a rest now.



L-R: MAC Lipmix Lip Pigment in Fuschia; Kryolan LC00A; NARS Red Lizard; MAC Lipstick Russian Red; MAC Lipstick Ruby Woo; Lancome L'absolue Rouge 173; Besame 204 Carmine; Chanel Rouge Allure 09; Autograph Plumping Lip Gloss Scarlet; MAC Longwear Lasting Lust; Maybelline Superstay Red Passion

So you can see the insane the colour is



With chum and stylist Sammie N