Ooo la À la Carte Cosmetics!!

It's been a while.... but I'm back! And my first return blog is about Cosmetics à la carte, a bespoke makeup and beauty range made in the UK. They are now selling in Vedas Beauty Salon in Dun Laoghaire and held their launch on Thursday night aided by Zoë Clark and Jane Sinclair, two of Ireland and the UK's top makeup artists.

Cosmetics À la Carte, is a bespoke makeup range with a huuuuuuge range! I was writing this blog a couple of days ago and it was so long I had to start again, due to the sheer amount of products I was trying to talk about. So, I decided to start again, talk about just a few of my favourites and to point those of you interested in the right direction to have a look for yourself! On the night in question Zoe and Jane were on stage making over a couple of clients while founder Lynne Sanders talked about her inspiration starting from Chemist to makeup guru.
Zoe had a great team of girls there to make over the audience into Marilyn Monroe inspired red-lipped wearing sirens. The point of the exercise to show how ANYONE can wear a red lip. Everyone loved it!

Zoe working on her model, forever thinking like one too!

Zoe's model looking very fresh with just bare foundation

Lynne decided to start her range back in London in the swinging '60's with her friend and business partner, Christina Stewart as she found it very difficult to get the colours and textures she wanted in her own makeup kit. Many years later and the company has gone from strength to strength, boasting a string of celeb clientele: Princess Diana, Kylie Minogue and Lady Gaga... plus many more! The unique selling point here is not just the quality of materials and colours but rather the bespoke makeup service. Yes, you heard me right! Allergies and discontinued makeup (the bain of my life!)  can be sorted using this custom service. Send Cosmetics A la Carte a swatch of the colour you want and they will make it for you, or if you have not been able to wear makeup due to allergies, they will make your very own so that you can wear makeup with confidence.

This is from their booklet:

• "Uniquely, our face bases and mineral powders can be precisely prescribed to suit the colour and composition of your skin
• With a la Carte you can build a personalised and refillable palette of colours for your eyeshadow and blusher compacts.
• Although our ready to wear collection is extensive, our lab team will combine existing colours to create the right shade, exclusive to you.
• Colour Recreate - bring your discontinued favourites back to life!"

Bloody fantastic!!!

Zoe and Jane with their models on stage.

The A Team - Clare, Ausra, Deirdre and Terri

Ciara working on her model for the night

So the makeup artists favourites from the night:

• Ciara - Pretty in Pink lip liner. A coral pink/red, great for a softer red lip look if you're not feeling too daring and will suit most people of all ages.
• Ausra - Loved all the lipsticks and blushes. The range of colours and textures are great!
• Clare - All the lipsticks/blushers and highlighter ('Starlight')



Zoe's finished look - Gorgeous

• Deirdre - Magnolia Cream blusher and the black eyeshadow pigment. She also fancied the gel eyeliners but finds they best work as waterproof eyeshadows. 

My favourites:

• All the blushes, pigments are great and there's such a range... but my favourite out of them would be the  "Starlight" blush touch powder blush. 
• Velvet touch eyeshadow
• Matt lipstick
• Brow ink in Sable. I LOVE this. I wasn't that excited about it on the night, but once I got home and tried this, I fell..... It's really easy to apply as the very end of the nib is soft and supple but has enough hold that you can use it as easy as a pen. It's transulency gives a very natural look so you don't end up looking like something in a panto!
• Lip balms from Cosmetics a la Carte are amazing. 
• The sheer combination of finishes to the foundations and powders...amazing!

I will say that the packaging is not the prettiest, but I dare say that they put the money into their products. Another downside is the more neutral tones in the eyeshadow ranges need a bit of work to work... but most of the colours are true and work very well. Some of the makeup artists said that SOME of the lipsticks are not as strong as they appear, that could be a plus for some people as a veil of colour could be more appealing.

Ahem!

Consultations and makeovers

Jane doing the do

Rachel Murphy and Peter Kane, both from Makeup Artist Network (MAN) coming to check out the new range.... both got very giddy at some of the products!

One of my favourites: Eye Velvet - Gorgeous!

Ciara's favourite was the lip pencil of a coral red colour called "Pretty in Pink" , she reckons it's great all over the lip without lipstick.

The rest of the amazing team, Ausra, Clare and Deirdre

Jane and Terri

Available in Vedas beauty, this is a diffuser, light and radio in one!!

More of the amazing and gorgeous products available at Vedas Beauty, Dun Laoghaire!

Makeup Artist in the making, Katie

Two beautiful ladies, Katie and her Mum, Margaret

I urge anyone reading this to get your booty down to Vedas Beauty, if not for the cosmetics on offer... you need to try their lush beauty rooms for a facial and a chat with down to earth but very elegant staff. Men, head on down the ladies will definitely be able to help you out with gift ideas. Ladies, if you think it 's only for us, think again, lots of ideas for boys beauty too!

All in all, I love this range... there is far too many products to talk about, too many innovations, too many nifty things for makeup artists... just get down there and check it out yourselves!

Cosmetics A la Carte is the name to watch!

Vedas Beauty

2nd Floor,

19 Lower Georges Street,

Dun Laoghaire,

Co Dublin.

Phone : 01 214 0222
Email : info@vedasbeauty.ie

Opening Hours: 

Monday to Friday: 10am to 9pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10am to 6pm

1883 Magazine Beauty Launch - Yowzers.... this is goooood makeup!

Had to do a quick post about firstly, a great quarterly print lifestyle called 1883 Magazine and secondly about their beauty launch including work by Irish (London based) makeup artist Ciara O'Shea.

The makeup in this edition is superb. Beautiful, dewy skin, contour colour crazy, eyebrow bejewelling and dazzling eyes offset with perfectly lined and pouted pink powder lips.... simply stunning! This jewel encrusted makeup done in the hands of less accomplished artists can look horrendously tacky, but in this gals brush bedecked fingertips we see elegance and finesse like no other.

Ciara is a tutor in the Zoe Clark makeup school here in Ireland and fits in her classes between jobs in London, NYC, Paris, Milan... you name it!

Diesel Ireland shoot SS'12 from many months ago... but hey ho... here's a video!

Ok, this is old, but I had it... was stopped on youtube due to copyright with songs and stuff aaaaaaagges ago, came across it the other day... so I thought I would share this as mainly a momento for crew on the day and for anyone else whom might be interested.
I hope you enjoy.

Spring Clean Your Skin - The Wexfordian Magazine Article, May 2012

This is an article I have written for The Wexfordian a terrific online magazine... Please check it out!!

Ok, spring is now upon us...hallelujah!! We’re all looking tired and forlorn from a long.. long winter and recession hasn’t exactly helped.  Lets look at the season as a new beginning and just like those cupboards give your skin a good clean out and get ready for summer.

EXFOLIATE

First step is to start at the very foundation and that is to get rid of dead skin cells, rejuvenate and refresh. My advice is to go forth and exfoliate, out with the old (skin) and in with the new! There are many fantastic products out there but what ever one you choose do not get big grained heavy duty exfoliators that may cause thread veins and soreness,  choose a nice fine grained cream or an enzyme peel perhaps.  Élemis have a beautiful Papaya Enzyme Peel  that smells divine and should start you off on the right path. You can purchase in salons around the country or online.  It may seem a little pricy but it works really well, brightens skin and as you don’t exfoliate every day it does go a long, long way. 

CLEAN

Get the right cleanser. I often think of the skin as a fine and luxurious piece of leather! Ok, that doesn’t sound great, but when you think about it, it’s perfectly apt. When sun-abused, it gets wrinkled and badly pigmented and fragile. When overworked it can become patchy, with oily or dry spots that give an overall ashen or reddened appearance. So to maintain your beautiful bespoke piece of leather (yeah it still sounds bad) it’s simple.....keep it clean.  Use products sparingly but wisely and hydrate without resorting to product overkill. Whatever cleanser you choose, I think a formula that cleans right away without need for lots of toner is the best way to go. Those of you who know me, know that I adore Shu Uemera Cleansing Oils   which are available online or in Brown Thomas. Dr.Hauska also have fabulous products are natural (in fact edible!) and are the staple of Super Models around the globe.  Dr.Hauska Cleansing Cream has almond meal to exfoliate gently (hey, 2 in 1) and remove oils with a host of herbal tinctures to soothe and remove impurities also. I’ll be honest with you, the smell is funny.. but I LOVE this cleansing cream.  Dr. Hauska products are available online, in health food shops and pharmacies nationwide.

HYDRATE

Once you have revealed your better skin, it’s time to maintain and pump all the goodness into that fresh layer.  Moisturise like you’ve never moisturised before. At the risk of sounding boring, this most definitely starts from the inside out, so drink plenty of water.  carry a bottle with you at all times and sip throughout the day. Not only will your skin look younger, plumper but your eyes will also brighten. Cheap as chips. But don’t stop there. You need a great topical cream to hydrate the top layer also. I find a lot of people spend big bucks on very expensive, heavy creams that just clog the skin and leave you with those hard white pimples that everyone hates. From a personal point of view I would choose a light formula that “hydrates” the skin but use it on clean skin often. Roc have a great range for all skin types (including sensitive skin).  I like to use the Hydra Zen  where I can feel my skin thanking me straight away, my skin just drinks it in.   Again, it is widely available in pharmacies. Oilatum face cream is fabulous for very thirsty skin.... j’adore!  Dr.Hauska have a fabulous range of moisturisers and still to this day their Day cream or Rose Cream is so hard to beat.  Whatever you choose make sure it absorbs into the skin well and doesn’t leave a greasy residue.  Also a new vibe of moisturising oils are hitting the UK and Ireland right now. For makeup artists this used to be a complete no no as makeup would slide all over the place with an oil base. However, new formulas are proving that thinking to be redundant. I like Décleor Aromessence Ylang Ylang Oil for my skin.  Massage in to the skin and leave to absorb and while you’re at it breath deeply to get hedonistic with that fragrance. There are plenty in the range including anti-ageing serums and oils for your skin type. Again, not cheap, but remember this is for your spring clean of your skin... so why not kick start with a bang! The Décleor range is available in pharmacies nationwide and for our Wexford readers you can get this beauty in Shaws where the girls will give you a thorough guide to the gorgeous oils. Other great moisturising oils are available from Irish brand Biofresh Skincare, a fantastic ethical and natural brand who's mission is to bring non toxic based premium skincare to the masses in Ireland, the prices are savvy and well worth a check

LIPS

Our poor chapped and dried out lips need some attention too after a winter of festive snogging, drinking and heating the poor aul things need the love. So don’t forget your toothbrush and give your smackers a light rub with a dry toothbrush or facecloth until you have removed the dry skin. Now bathe them with a moisturising balm. I like the cliched but proven Elizabeth Arden 8hour Cream for my lips and dry skin patches. Burts Bees tinted lip balms are gorgeous and I have even used them on my cheeks!  They really give a “fake-it” natural blush. Both of these products are available nationally and in Wexford both items are available in Sam McCauleys and Shaws.

EYE PUFFINESS

Ok so the skin is looking brighter and smoother... what next? The eyes of course. Puffy, grey/blue and looking most definitely worse for wear if you’re anything like me? First things first... de-puff! Cucumbers and tea bags are still in fashion when it comes to fighting the eye bulge! But why not try antioxidating green tea bags instead? Dip the tea bags in cold water  and place on the lids as usual, lie back and let those babies work. If you are on your way out to an event you could freeze some green tea, wrap the cubes in some cloth and work it into the bags under your eyes. You should see a resounding difference although short lived it will last for the night in question. Some of the rolling action sticks à la Garnier and the like, are good also, but I often wonder if the product within them is in fact doing anything or if it’s just the massage action? So, moisten your fingers (with eye cream so as not to irritate) and using your ring fingers work from the inside out along the socket bone and apply pressure all the way along to the ear (not too hard mind, should be firm but gentle and don’t pull the skin), this should help with lymphatic drainage. One of the roller ball stick eye applicators I use is by Trilogy (who’s entire range is fantastic).  Available in most pharmacies and health food shops across the country.

DARK/DISCOLOURED EYES

Now we get down to the nitty gritty. So you’ve buffed and de-puffed. But you will still have the hangover of uneven skin tone and blueness or discolouration under the eyes?  Ok, so the only next conclusion is to turn to makeup. I think everyone lady in the land should posses a colour wheel. This is an essential tool for all makeup artists starting out and should be in every woman’s makeup kit too. A colour wheel can demonstrate complimentary and opposing colours. It can guide you to select colours harmoniously and either neutralise problematic areas and tones or enhance eye colour and other areas to taste. For example under the eye you might suffer from blue-ness which a lot of us do, so you would refer to your colour wheel and choose a concealer colour opposing blue (orange). This cancels out the blue leaving you with a neutral palette to work from. Same goes for redness... choose a more yellow or green to cancel the red then work from there. A thing to remember is that the stronger the blue/purple/red under the eye (or blemish) the stronger the opposing colour should be. You must blend well and then apply your own perfectly matched (to your skin) foundation on top of this to make it seamless! It may seem strange and takes a bit for your head to get around but believe me this works!! But sshhh, it’s a makeup artists secret!!

Now make sure your don’t apply too much product under the eye... this is completely unnecessary and will just enhance any wrinkles that may be lurking there. If you do have a lot of sagging skin under the eyes chose a nice light formula for under that delicate eye area. I like MAC select moisture cover, they come in a fantastic range of colours of which you can get a more orange one to colour correct and then also purchase one that is your natural skin colour to place on top of that. Dior nude skin do a nice range also which is available in Sam McCauleys in Redmond Square, Wexford, as is the Clinique airbrush concealer also a nice light formula but a little expensive. Younger, more forgiving skin can take more paste-like concealers/sticks. Apply with a brush or your finger gently with these as they will drag the skin.  I like these: MAC Studio Finish, or Laura Mercier secret camouflage (this one is great as it has two colours in one, a light and darker set,great for custom blending) both available in Brown Thomas, Vichy Dermablend is a cult classic now and is designed to cover a wide range of sins, the Dermablend range is available in Sam McCauley's, Wexford. With all of these make sure to work it well at the back of your hand to warm them up and soften slightly before using.  

I think every town in the world has women using the next recommendation, Yves Saint Laurent’s major success story that is Touche Éclat! The single biggest mistake is that everyone thinks this is a concealer, totally wrong. If used incorrectly it will enhance the bits you want to hide and give you new problems! Use Touche or similar radiating products after or before concealing and before powder. Givenchy Mr.Light is also great and there are tonnes of other products now out there too. But whichever one you choose to use, remember this..... if you want to flatten an area or push out a sagging area this is where best to use a reflecting highlighter right in the crevice and dab lightly with your finger or blend with a soft small fluffy brush. These products bounce the light and will give the illusion of pushing forward. So do not colour or conceal with these, you could very well end up looking like you’ve been wearing snow goggles especially where flash photography has been used! Use sparingly and wisely and this will go a long long way!

So now you can emerge from the cocoon of groggy winter with a shiny new coat of loveliness!!!! Next up is Summer....Woo hoo!!!

So! You want to be a Makeup Artist?

So, here is a little video of a refresher day Zoe held at her school for past pupils recently... we were all working MUA's some for longer than others and some bridal, some fashion but regardless we were all there to get the creative juices flowing under the beady eyes of the fabulous Zoe Clark.
Oh..and before I hear the howls of criticism on my.. ahem...Galliano inspired makeup look here.. WE HAD 30 MINS PEOPLE!! OK?

I'm asked frequently about how to and what for about being a makeup artist. So here's just a little ditty about how I got started and why and things....

I began my journey very late indeed..... I was miserable in work, lots of stupid unnecessary pressure and crap... I always put off doing anything in my life College etc as I never really figured out what I wanted to do. Then miserable in the canteen in work it hit me... why waste my life trying to answer the inpossible when I should just go out there, make my self happy and do anything... but only anything that I loved. Very simple.   The very first thing that hit me was Makeup, which actually surprised me. Yes, I loved makeup, but I wasn't a junkie... and I certainly was known to be without makeup frequently, but that didn't matter... when I did wear makeup I adored the transformation and the creation of it. I also love being part of a bigger team and knew that this is what I wanted to do.

I wasn't stupid, I knew there were/are a gizillion "artists" out there and that it was going to be incredibly hard, so I did my homework, I knew I had to learn from the best to set myself apart. There are many makeup schools out there, I could have gone to any one of them. Dun Laoighaire would have been ideal except for my commitments which couldn't allow for a fulltime year/2 year course. Also, that ruled out going to London to the likes of the London College of Fashion. Other courses I looked at, but I looked at the students work and I also researched the teachers thoroughly.. there are many people out there that call themselves international this...celebrity this..the truth is they probably did their Aunties makeup in Edinburgh on holidays (hence the international) and know a Z list Apprentice star who used to be a neighbour and hence the celebrity...even if they were international, celebrity makeup artists it all boils down to one thing... "DO YOU LOVE THEIR MAKEUP?" If not...don't get taught by them...very simple.
I came across Zoe Clarks makeup school by simply gathering all the magazine shoots that I loved...researching the artist ...which remarkably was 90% Zoe and also if there was makeup looks that I loved on tv I rewound the credits to find out who it was... Zoe again... so that answered that question. At this point, I had no idea if she had a school or not... but my plan was to beg her to teach me regardless! Or  at least find out where she got taught.

Once I began my first module with ZC and the amazing Ciara O' Shea on the next module I was hooked... nothing could take me off the makeup artist track. I've don'e most/all the modules with Zoe and Ciara and I have done my share of apprenticeship and assisting.  That's an integral part of learning you have to be on set with someone who knows their stuff and keep on doing it.  I soon gave up my job and here I am.. loving it, and still learning.

Remember, the kit costs a fortune.. and it doesn't stop once you've bought it. There is insurance, kit, tools, travel, training, portfolio..all of which costs thousands and thousands...Yes, you heard me.. so please don't get in to this game willy nilly cos believe me it is a vocation... there is a revolt about to happen as makeup artists are not getting paid from Magazines, Newspapers and even clothing campaigns are not paying a fraction of what they should... .so please don't dilute the industry and only join if you are serious! Having said that, I love it... .I love flying by the seat of my pants, painting and winging it... and for those of you that love a bit of positive pressure this game is for you..Defo!

I haven't stopped learning and I hope I never will.... it takes years to get out of the apprenticeship years (earning/learning speaking) but you meet some crazy people along the way.. some good, some bad... but mostly good!

So, I could give you a list of people or schools to go to... but to be the artist you want to be you have to be taught by the people that inspire you.

Oh, and you never stop learning...once you think you know it all...Roll over....

http://www.ZoeClark.com

YSL Forever Youth Liberator...It's what you've been waiting for!!!

I think I am the first blogger to have actually tried and written about this product... possibly a global exclusive...woo hoo!! (Probably not though!)
The Product:
I usually bemoan all the hype of new products claiming to make us young, lithe and almost smarter whilst embarrassingly releasing our grasp on our money we keep making the same mistakes time after time.  However, I was a very lucky girl last week when I was given a bottle of the brand new YSL (Yves Saint Laurent.. if you really must)  YSL Forever Youth Liberator Serum. This is brand spanking new on the market and in fact was not on the shelves just yet when I received it. Could this actually be the Holy Grail of anti ageing?

The Test:
First day, hungover... in much need of something to fool the Irish Mammy (she can spot me from a hundred miles when I'm not behaving...even in my 30's) of my state as I visited her! Reluctantly showered and decided to try the serum under the most testing of environments.... my post-inebriated skin! I further chose to not add further moisturiser and just see how she performed. I was quite shocked at how well I looked as usually I resemble an ashen and poisoned pale faced junky! 
Initial Thoughts:
On application it went on smooth and silky, not the usual slimy I find from a lot of serums. It absorbed well and I held my breath. I remained looking good as I felt worse. Since then I have continued to use the serum which goes well under moisturiser and even with makeup, if you let your serum and moisturiser absorb and then apply your makeup it really doesn't make it shift around more than yours might usually as other serums can be a bitch with makeup.
The Science:
The YSL Youth Liberator range are said to contain ingredients, a combo of synthetic Glycans (a natural sugar/protein compound necessary for skin plumpness and cell renewal) called Glycanactiftm a patent pending formula said to fool the skin into regenerating and unlocking its vital functions...yes REGENERATING... this liberates the skins youth capacity.
Results after 4 days:
The main things I have noticed in my skin are: Tone correction and Plumping.... I can't believe it!! I have even noticed my eye contour area has improved and overall my skin does look younger!
Where To Get it:
Hurry and order yours now as pre-orders of almost 4000 in Brown Thomas and in the UK apparently 5000+ ladies queueing up for theirs may be re-ordering!
The eye cream alone has sold out twice in Brown Thomas and the Serum is the star of the show and proving hugely popular.
What's in the range:

• Serum: (4 times more effective than others in the range)       -30ml @ €70  -50ml @ €110

• Neutra Cream (Intense cream, good for night use):     
  -50ml @ €77

• Cream (Good for combo skin)-50ml @ €77

• Fluid Cream (Lighter, good for hotter weather and oily type skin)-50ml @ €77

• Cleansing Foam -150ml @ €45

• Toner-200ml @ €45

• Eye Cream-15ml @ €55

This range is available from Brown Thomas and Selfridges


Highly recommended!

Stuff I'm lovin at the mo!

Just stuff.......ya know!



Everyone knows that Laura Mercier are a fabulously sophisticated brand of cosmetics but little attention is paid to their lush line of sumptuous body and face creams and potions. Below is one gorgeous self indulgent gem..... it's the hypnotically scented and über soft body creme range from Laura Mercier.. I have coveted the almond coconut milk souffle and believe me when I say hedonistic aroma with functioning moisturising! Holla!!!!!

almond coconut milk soufflé body crème

There are so many beautiful creams, face sprays (japanese deep sea spray...if you must...although not sure if I would want that after the nuclear spillage!?).. exfoliators, candles even.... all of them are in beautiful packaging and look, smell and feel sumptuous with that home made (but sophisticated) look. This little beaut will set you back €60 + in shops here in Eire but cheaper from their own online store.

This is a fabulous little brow kit available from Japonesque.. available online or here in Arnotts, Dublin... in a hidden away little shelf...looks like a bargain shelf or something..pity, as Japonesque,as a lot of Makeup artists are aware have some great gadgets. This brow kit is a brilliant complete kit all in travel size, and looks dinky cool.  It contains, brow pencils, small slanted tweezers, brow makeup and wax and comes with brow stencils. A very fabulous little kit. If you're there, check out the funky full sized tweezers... I bagged myself a purrty leopard print!

I don't need to say anything more about this jaw dropping single shadow from NARS...... I'll have to post some looks using it soon for you all.....it's soo beautiful! Reminds me of that fabulous oil paint.. "Ultra Marine".... so so stunning.
This beauty is called "Outremer" from Nars. Available from the lovely staff at Nars in Brown Thomas, Dublin.

Outremer Single Eyeshadow

Boyfriend purchased this recently, the Nikon J1...such a cool camera, feels cool, looks cool and results are cool...just wish I could've convinced him to go with the ultra cool retro white!!! Have a look at the vid..