Hype

A face of the day post for ya'll today. I recently caved to the Illamasqua summer sale and bought 'Hype' an acid yellow eyeshadow with a matte finish. I'm aiming to increase the colour range in my kit, but couldn't resist trying it out on myself first!

I used Benefit's 'Stay Don't Stray' eye primer, two brown shades from the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette, and Illamasqua 'Hype.' I smudged MAC Kohl in 'Smoulder' underneath my bottom lashes, and added some falsies, finishing off with a slick of black gel liner. Totally over the top, but it was fun, and I am surprised by how much I liked yellow!

Blogging is going to be a wee bit absent for the next week, as I don't have a day off now until next Sunday on which I am sure I will be gently rocking myself back and forth in a corner, in blankets, with my phone turned off, catching up on BINTM or some shizz. Then I am off to London for a few days but hope to get a couple of posts sorted for then. All the best til then.

Thanks for reading,

E.

Iggy Azalea inspired; Tuxedo Eyeliner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zR6ROjoOX0

Thought I'd try out 'Tuxedo Eyeliner' after spotting it on the video of one of my favourite songs this year so far- Iggy Azalea Work. It has been non stop in our household, let me tell you that. Though did anyone else hear her interview on Radio 1 last Sunday? Talk about bland.

To create this look, it is quite straight forward but does take a bit of time and does need a steady hand. I chose a soft smokey eye as a base, main colours used were my Urban Decay Naked Basics palette (couldn't be without it) and Daniel Sandler eyeshadow in 'Tornado' (review to come on that one soon.) I first lined and winged my eyes, following the eyeline using MAC 'Blacktrack' gel liner and a thin brush. Secondly I followed the line on top using Illamasqua's liquid eyeliner in 'Scribe'- a pure white. A bit watery at first, this does need two coats to be opaque. After that had dried, I re-lined the black line, to correct any bleeds and to deepen the colour. 
Followed with lashings of mascara and my base makeup as usual, the look was done. Probably not the most wearable, everyday looks but I haven't done anything for just a bit of fun in a while. I've been so bogged down with bridal trials and wedding days (not that I'm complaining, I love what I do) that I was itching to try something a bit creative!!

Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading,

E.

Model makeup #01

Evelyn so kindly included my blog in her '5 Blogs To Follow' feature earlier this week and in it she mentioned that she hopes I do more makeup artist related posts. I'm not sure whether many people are interested in this but I thought it couldn't hurt to do a 'trial post'. I thought a small behind the scenes type post about photoshoots I work on could be of interest to some of you if I tell you about the look I was going for and the products I used to achieve this. It's something a bit different and a lot more personal in one way, than I have included on my blog before. I try and keep work/blog/life as separate things but inevitably they will overlap at times :-) 
Anyway what I am getting at is feedback is appreciated! Let me know if you do or don't enjoy this post.

Instagram: @emilylaurenbeth

On Thursday I organised a beauty shoot with my photographer pal Lewis. One of the models, Naomi, is who I'm showing you today.
The vision of the shoot was just to experiment with vivid, vibrant colour. It was going to be beauty focused, (so mainly head shots with no attention to clothing or body poses) with a mainly editorial approach.

For one of the looks I decided to go all out. A test shoot is a perfect time to experiment with new ideas or techniques as it is a safe environment to learn. I decided to keep Naomi's skin fresh because she had these amazing freckles all over her face, so I made a tinted moisturiser just to even out any redness she had. I used Illamasqua Sealing Gel on powder eyeshadow 'Fame' to turn it into a liquid paste. Using an angled brush I filled her brows in with solid green colour!
Eyebrows have been 'on trend' in various forms (bushy, filled, feral) for a few years now, then there was the time Chanel hit the runways with amazing embellished brows. Many catwalk trends are unlikely to filter down to 'real people' but the element of the brow being a feature in day to day makeup definitely has. I love eyebrows and knew it was something I wanted to include in this shoot, so why not colour them in?

I created a simple contoured eye using NARS eyeshadow 'Abysinnia' and the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette, with eyeliner flicks using MAC gel liner in 'Blacktrack.' In hindsight I would have made them a bit bolder and thicker. 
At first I kept the lips bare and then for a few more shots I put MAC 'Vegas Volt' lipstick on her. You can see both looks in the instagram images above, let me know which one you think looks best.

I put her hair up in a bun and placed some fake flowers that I found in the studio in, I think it really helps make the photo and ties the overall look in together well. 

So there we are, a little behind the scenes summary of a recent test shoot. I think that Naomi did a great job considering she doesn't model very often, and Lewis did a good job of capturing my vision! Here is a final picture:

Lewis Hughes-Evans photography, Naomi Shalom model.

Thanks for reading,

E.

Building my Makeup Artist Kit.

I thought I'd write a post to show you some bits I have picked up for my makeup kit. Some of you may know that I have been working on makeup counters in department stores for a while but I have decided to branch out into freelance artistry on the side because it's the creative aspect of makeup that interests me, not so much the retail/sales. I have always been fairly creative, I used to paint a lot and I studied a degree in Art History. I kind of fell into makeup but it's something I have a huge passion and inherent interest in (hence this blog, too!) so it makes sense to persue it and hopefully forge a career out of it.

I am booked into a makeup artistry course run by Louise Constad in April, the course includes a basic makeup kit so there are only a few bits I need to get to 'complete' it!

I recently left my job working for the Estee Lauder companies and thought I had better take advantage of my discount and place one last order to supplement any gaps in my future kit. I think the generous staff discount is the only part of the job I will miss! I decided to just order MAC items this time as they are reasonably priced, of good quality and are a brand I am very familiar with.

I ordered two brushes- the 210 eyeliner brush which is a staple in my personal makeup routine. It's very fine and works great with gel eyeliner or for precise detailing but to be honest you could buy fine paintbrushes from your local arts store for cheaper! I ordered the 188 Duo Fibre brush but I expected the head to be a bit larger. I noticed that there isn't a duo fibre included in Louise's kit and as I am so used to using brushes like this I thought it would add to the brush collection well.

I bought a Fluidline in 'Dipdown'. Louise provides us with the Fluidline in 'Blacktrack' so I thought it would be useful to get a dark brown gel liner as I use both shades regularly.

I bought 6 eyeshadows ready to pop into a pro palette, so I got some extras in shades I know and love and think will be useful. I bought 'Coppering' and 'Cranberry'- two of my favourites. They're so warm and unique. I got 'All The Glitters' as it would be a useful frost colour. 'Cork' and 'Omega'- two matte, natural earthy browns. 'Omega' is also great for filling in blonde brows. Then I got 'Sumptuous Olive' thrown in for good measure- a wearable, moss green.

So that's it so far! I bought a pill box from Muji to decant some lipsticks in. Would you be interested to see a post on that once I have done it? 

Please let me know if you like me including makeup artist related posts. 

What would be your kit essentials?

Silver & Smokey.

Sometimes breaking out of your comfort zone is an absolute disaster, but sometimes it results in a new favourite. I've mentioned before that I flock like a magpie to brown and bronze eyeshadows and really neglect the other colours for fear that I can't pull them off.

I decided to try a silver eyeshadow, and created a smokey silver eye that I wanted to show you all- I think these colours are perfect for this time of year as they are cooler and seasonal, they're not colours I can see myself choosing in hotter weather.

Products used:

Maybelline 24 hr Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze'

Estee Lauder Eyeshadow in 'Cyber Silver' (LE)

MAC 'Coppering' Eyeshadow

Laura Mercier Eyeshadow in 'Rich Sienna'

Laura Mercier Eyeshadow in 'Black Coffee'

Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in '2 Sepia Ink' 

YSL 'Shocking' Mascara.

I was really pleased with how much I liked silver eyeshadow on me, what colours do you love to use on your eyes? What shades should I experiment with next?

Midweek post: Bobbi Brown Gel Liner

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner, £16.50

I'd recently been reaching for my Maybelline Gel Liner more and more but after noticing that it was getting drier and harder to use each day I thought it time I bought a new one. I opted for a premium one as I was hoping the quality would be more satisfactory and as it's an item I use everyday it wasn't a problem paying more for it.

The gel is a soft and creamy formula that glides on so smoothly. The product screams quality and I'm not expecting this to dry out the same way the Maybelline one did (but I'll keep you posted.) It's jet black and it's not often you'll need two layers to achieve this effect, however it can also be applied thinly for a more subtle, off-black flick.

What has really impressed me about this product is it's staying power. I believe it is 'water resistant' (Bobbi Brown website) and so I have been applying it onto my waterline...sure enough it's still intact 6 hours later albeit slightly faded, but still there. For someone who is constantly frustrated by kohl liners slipping off the waterline to product those oh so sexy panda eyes, this product has been a real life saver. On the top lid this liner lasts all day, with no fade and no smudge- divine!

Overall I'd certainly recommend this product, I'm not an expert in gel liners yet, having only used three different ones (previously being a die hard liquid liner user) but the creamy consistency paired with excellent staying power means that I give it a big thumbs up, I'm unsurprised it has won so many beauty awards. 

It can be found on any Bobbi counter or under the 'Best Sellers' section of their website and is available in a whopping 13 shades- next on my hitlist is 'Black Mauve Shimmer' to put a bit of a spin on a classic.

What gel eyeliner do you use?