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..

I'm a winner too!!!!!!!

Yaaaayyyyy, some of Ruthie's good luck must have rubbed off on me as I am now the owner and winner of a fabulously stylish F+ Diana Lomography Camera in beautiful limited edition Gold with funky gold chain.  I should get really funky vintage style photos with this that is normally the reserve of hipstamatic/instagram and the like but now I have the real thing!

So, this is the quality I'm aiming for!

 I know this is a makeup blog, but I had to tell you all about this one!  I entered a comp on a fab recommened blog site: The Science of Stlyle (TSOS) and Sabrina is currently on a major giveaway spree, so I would get checking the blog out if I were you. I'm hoping to get some gorgeous fashion worthy photos with this baby.....bring it on!!!!  Thank you TSOS xxx

Isn't she beautiful? Pics coming sooooooonnnnn xx

Woo hoo and the winner is.............

Hey everyone the long awaited results are in and I am thrilled to be giving this beauty away.... honest!!! I just want to say that I'm sorry I couldn't make all of you winners, but I promise I will have more giveaways along the way so make sure to stick with me and maybe you'll be luckier next time!

The Heartiest congratulations to the winner and a huge thank you to everyone for entering, all the amazing feedback I have received and to the thousands of you who have viewed my ramblings...................HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND THANK YOU XXX

The best concealing job I have ever seen!!

WOW!

I have often been asked how to conceal tattoo's and scars, and Dermablend has always been the first words past my lips as a recommendation.  It is one of the best out there for coverage.  Have a look at this amazing video of "Zombie Boy"- Rico Genest (Canadian fashion model and artist) and an incredibly talented team for Dermablend. Product used is Dermablend Leg and Body Tattoo Primer and Leg and Body Cover.

 http://www.gobeyondthecover.com.

My Gift from me to ONE OF YOU!!! Closing date now 12th December xx

Hi Guys


I wanted to give you an update on the parcel that will be making it's way to one of you lucky followers.  It contains so far: Peoples Market Black Dress (in XS), Eylure Naturalites full lashes, Duo lash adhesive, Smashbox Eye Shadow Palette, Smashbox - O Noir Gloss and MAC Plushglass lip gloss in Ample Pink and a little selection of skincare samples from Shu Uemera!

Ok The Picture is Shockingly Bad....but you get the gist!!!

So all you have to do is enter the competition by either becoming a follower, click "follow" or subscribe by "follow by email" on the right   ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔  ➔➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔  ➔ ➔ ➔  ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔  ➔ ➔  ➔➔ ➔



Thank you to :

Smashbox, Wexford

Shu Uemera, Brown Thomas, Dublin

and Boots of course!

I have decided to extend the deadline to the 12th of December as I may have more to add to the mix, I'm waiting to hear at the moment..... so make sure to follow!

Christmasssssssss!!!!

I like to give hampers for the "difficult" ones this time of year! I could put a nice scarf in, a CD and of course some beautiful makeup bits n' bobs. It can be expensive to buy someone lots of makeup, with little to show for it but you can pick one or two gorgeous makeup pieces and mix in with cheaper gifts and hey presto, you have a lovely hamper anyone would love to get... So here are a few ideas for you to ponder upon. Today I scoured the makeup counters looking at gift ideas for all you loyal blogadiers out there and I found some beautiful pieces.

Tom Ford - anything from this range... It's so expensive but my God the pigments are fantastic.... I don't think I have seen such beautiful pigment in foundation before and my trusted guinea pig whom accompanied me tried some without any moisturiser on and it still applied beautifully and had a very natural finish. The lip glosses are just heart-stoppingly to die for, beautiful rich molten gloss of pure colour in stunning packaging. The nail polish is gorgeous too all the reds and plums are spot on and look almost edible.... That's one thing about the Tom Ford range... Whilst we normally can complain that all we pay for in expensive lines is the packaging here I feel the pigments and ingredients have to be where they have really invested time, experience, ingredients and of course money and yes the packaging is gorgeous!!! Expensive.... Hell yeah.... But worth it (if someone really really nice buys it for you!!!).


MAC - Today was a special day in the MAC fraternity as they warmly opened their fashionable appendages for Gareth Pugh...today he was inaugurated into the family as his SS/12 collection for MAC came into stores in Ireland. True to Pugh form, it's edgy and geometric in packaging and yes in product... the eyelashes are not for the faint of heart but by God that navy pearlised nail laquer is amazing, described on MAC site as "deep blue with violet pearl". The pigments are fabulous the beautiful plum shade was a standout as well as the cream shadow "melts " to a liquid finish (fab!) in the same colour.  Available in the range is: is Lipstick, Powder blush, Technakohl liner, Beauty Powder, Lip Glass, Pigment, Makeup Bag, Metal X Cream Shadow and of course the aforementioned nail laquer.  There's plenty more in the range all geared for the high end dramatic effect makeup but is a fantastic addition to anyone's kit or makeup bag.  It's a limited edition so would be perfect as that something special to give to someone worth it!

Bobbi Brown - Bobbi (as I like to call her) has brought out a very handy number in the form of a lip palette featuring 10 of the original best selling shades and 10 new express line colours.  It's a very handy size for the aul málas as it folds in half and a wee mirror pops out too and should last the average user a very long time.  The pots of shades themselves are small in size but there are 20 shades to mix and match and play with that in reality you probably won't wear down any one colour in a year I'd say! Very useful for a bridal makeup artist. They also have a fabulous array of trinkets set out for the beady-eyed shopper ready to pounce for Christmas.... if you are a magpie (shimmer lover) you will love all the glittering gold and silver highlighters and eye shimmer bricks...pop down to BT's is my advice and have a gander.


Shu Uemera - My new best friends!! I just love Shu Uemera, there's something very sexy about it's minimalist but kind of arrogant simplistic style of marketing... you know the kind of person that could know nothing but yet you hang on every word and believe everything they say kind of person? Well, that's Shu Uemera but they DO know something!! I've always loved their tones of colours in eyeshadows...from the most delicate rose coloured pinks and whopping vibrant blues and purples and as for the gold and silver eyeshadows... those pigments should be banned cos they have a depth of colur and are sparkly to death!!! And as any makeup artist knows they have the best eye-lash curler in the world. Need I say more? But yes, it's now transpires that they have thee most beautiful creams, potions and lotions and cleansers and this is actually my recommendation for Christmas pressies from Shu Uemera this time round. After recent purchases I was gifted a fabulous bundle of beauty goodies from them including an embarrassing girly but deadly eyelash case... but I found myself having mini facials every morning when applying and getting lost in the gorgeous aroma of their cleansing oils and then following up with the amazing luscious day cream - Red:juvenus, Vitalizing retexturizing cream (omg)... spritzing also a little hydrating 'Deep Sea Water Spray' with Chamomile. Please, please pay them a visit!


So listen up men..........print this off and hand the sales ladies the dosh!! Easy xxxx

Lashing the Lashes

Okay...I've gotta get this one off my chest.  It's high time someone has had this candid conversation about falsies! I get a lot of clients who very kindly come in to me with lashes to try and spare the expense for both of us. However kind this gesture may be its unfortunate however that our retailers are very misguided in what lashes are suited for most women in the market today. Thus I get my very enthused ladies brandishing something like these.

Whilst they are grand for big fashion events or if you want the glamour pin up look or indeed if you have huge eyes that can take the size of these whoppers!! But for the majority of ladies who are going to a ball, debs, wedding who want their eyes to look somewhat natural...these darlings are a disaster, why? Too wide, have to be cut to fit the actual eye... not a problem normally..but its also the length that would have to be cut to look more natural and once you cut the length it looks horrendously blunt and obvious it has been cut unless they are cut in a feathered fashion, which is a technique for a hair stylist in itself.  The average MAC lash available in stores are also a no no for the average lady on an evening out but great for artists to cut and measure and layer for different effects. So in essence can retailers curb their enthusiasm for the wild ill fitting mad lash and opt for lashes that fit the average lady whom does not have Christina Ricci sized eyes and perhaps supply the more natural but enhancing eye accessory?

When I sojourn to the beauty shop for my own supplies I am met most days with an annoyingly ample supply of fantasy lashes. I ask for corner segment lashes and I am usual supplied with this
                                                                

In fairness it is good to have a varied selection for perhaps some goth shoots which seem to be the most popular type of photoshoot in Ireland if you were to go by the supply and demand theory as that does seem to be the most common type of lash available!!!!! However, here are my recommendations that are easily obtainable for everyday, gorgeous women who want to REally fake it well:

Eyelure - Naturalites

Ardell - Fashion Lashes

Revlon  - Beyond Natural

Individual lashes are actually probably easier to apply on yourself than strip lashes as there is always one eye that proves difficult and you easily end up with the beautiful droop on said eye. Individual lashes on the other hand are easily popped in on either side very pro-like by anyone with a little tolerance!

Individual choices, again that are easy to get hold of, are Eyelure and Ardell brands...there are others but these I find are the most obtainable and good for everybody lashes.  They also usual come with small, medium and large sizing in the one box...most women I have applied lashes for however are small, some medium and very few long!

 Things to look for in good lashes:
The seam is vital, the thinner the better... you do not want a big ugly line giving the game away if you have applied them perfectly.
Lash texture, look for a natural texture, there are many out there with vinyl - like textures that look very plastic.
Size, make sure to be realistic about the size of the lashes best for you.  Yes you can get the huge long and thick lashes but then remember that your make up will have to get that extreme to make the lashes seem like a fit for you.
Individual lashes, make sure that the flare on them is not too fake looking and the knot is relatively small.


Get yourself the best GLUE available, one that is the artists choice is Duo lash glue, a white latex glue that dries clear.  It's available here in Ireland from MAC and other good beauty supply stores.  There are of course others on the market, but this is just my choice.  Throw away the ones that come in your box of lashes, they are usually useless and one tube of Duo will last you an age!

Make sure to have a good TWEEZERS and look down in to a mirror when applying. This enables you to get your eye into the perfect position for setting the lash down into the groove between skin and lash, the most natural place for them... try to get right under and in that groove.
Don't apply individual lashes at the very end, this will make the falsie very obvious and have that nasty looking overhang.  Instead choose maybe the second or third lash segment (of your own lashes) in from the outside. Applying them in a cluster on the outside gives a lovely architectural and elegant finish.... this is why I tend to use corner segments for Brides, it gives an instant Princess Grace appeal.
When using Strip Lashes make sure they fit your eye properly and you measure and cut accordingly... again ill fitting lashes give that unsightly overhang, which screams fake and amateur!
Besides that, don't be afraid...everyone seems to think lashes are so incredibly difficult, they're not...they just need patience and a bit of attention.

Remember you want to look like this

  

AND NOT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!

Smashbox in Wexford!!

Hi Guys

Right today I finally got to check out the counter in Kelly's Pharmacy in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford....a bit odd some might think as my usual port of calls are MUFE in Dublin and of course Brown Thomas in Dublin.  However, this wee place has the nicest staff and has a great Smashbox counter to boot!! I got a beautiful palette called Smokebox (do you like what they did there?) from the "Photo Op Eye Shadow Palette" with beautiful colours to suit every eye colour although they were designed for Hazel eyes in particular.  With this winters glam power trend these colours are luscious and party-ifying (that's a new word).  This comes with 6 shades of 1 satin nude shade and the rest are dark frosted with 1 light frosted shade also.  The colours are: Bliss(Satin, Peachy/Nude) Putty (Frost, Mushroom/Light Brown) Blacktop (Frost, Black), Mist (Frost, Champagne/Pinky/Lilac), Royal (Frost, Aubergine), Nocturnal (Frost, Navy).... These are just what I was looking for in just 1 palette...score! I also accompanied them with 2 separates Cabarnet (Frost, red wine coloured) and Aquatica (Frost, Dark Electric Blue/Navy). Apparently Smashbox are stopping all the individual shadows in favour of the palettes, which is grand.. normally if they get every palette just right! Also they have left the sisterhood of Max Factor in favour of Estee Lauder so perhaps they will follow a MAC route further down the line and have refillable palettes...now that is the best outcome, I'm sure their reading this so it will be so : ))

The lip gloss I opted for was the O-Gloss Noir, if it does what I think it does I will be a very happy bunny! This gloss is black...very unusual but it means for girls at home you can get that femme fatal dangerous evening glam look using your usual colours at home this should enhance the colour to look deep, dark and dangerous... fingers crossed! Now,  obviously not with every colour! I have done a fair few shoots that I would loved to have had this in my kit for!
Also in my little treasure trove is a sampling of Smashbox new 15 hour foundation. Trying this on in the shop it had quite a surprising finish. Started off like a fuller coverage foundation, with that thick viscosity but had a beautiful light finish when given a minute! I am holding out to be impressed when I try it properly!
Whats definitely worth getting but one in which I could not afford today with all my other purchases and many pending bills was a beautiful vivacious bangin Gold Gloss...it did what it said on the tin...FABULOUS...again, how I wish I had this for so many shoots in the past, unfortunately I've had to resort to using eye shadows and paint pots on lips of models with not nearly the same results. Another wee gem is the Goji Berry Lip and Cheek stain available. Amazingly this beauty reacts with your own skin colour to give the perfect pink finish to both lip and cheeks, watch the colour go from clear and change to a pink perfect for you!!! Amazing!!! Watch out though, you need to practice with this one as once on you have to work quick before the staining process takes hold, you could end up looking like you applied it in the dark...drunk!! Not a good look!

Anyhow, I will be doing a video using these products soon so please tune in and tell your friends!

Below is a link for Kelly's Pharmacy, Enniscorthy, Co.Wexford...Thank you girls!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kellys-Pharmacy-Enniscorthy/

Sunday World Shoot for Heatons Stores A/W 2011/12

Hi Guys, here is a wee link to a shoot I did end of October this year featuring clothes from Heatons stores nationwide styled by Liam John Power. I had never worked with Lucy before of Lucy Nuzum Photography but I could tell by this very young womans swagger she was a good 'un and I was proved right by the results which I will post. The models of the day were supplied by Comptons in Dublin and they were the amazingly gorgeous and very professinal Michelle Lima and Mr.Ireland Vinny Gough. Shot on the back streets of Guiness at St.James Gate in Dublin and beautiful crisp day lots of wardrobe and makeup changes in the street much to the delight of passers by and some beautiful shots were the result. Lucky there was any makeup at all as I had left much of what I needed behind in the big kit bag back at HQ (Comptons).

I had no idea of what way the styling was going to be so when the stylist gave me free reign all I had to go on was the models gorgeous face. At first I went with a beautiful soft, sultry skin base using MAC Face & Body and Studio Sculpt and added freckles with a brown pencil with a slight shimmer..... I can't remember the brand (sorry) and I wanted to just go for a nice contoured eye with almost a no makeup look and Brigette Bardot lips in soft Freckletone by MAC. I then bumped it up a bit when I saw the stylings and noted that she was looking a bit lost in the clothes, makeup can be the factor that can make you wear the clothes and not let them wear you! The styling was fab, so on trend mixing classics with patterns everywhere and teaming it all with va va voom colours and electric tights.....oh the tights...they were fab (link below)!!!! So on the street and with limited supplies I gave her purple/red toned lips courtesy of Smashbox Bacio and CK(Calvin Klein) Pomegranate Fizz. Her lashes were adorned with fab lash accessory Lancome Doll Eyes...love it for this seasons Doll eye look (funny enough)... which is lashes that have a too much Mascara look but obviously done well!!!!! I changed the lips around and added more browns/purples to the eye for a more glam look, and teamed it with fab red lips which I reinforced the lipstick with some red eyeshadow for a velvety textured finish. Here is a link of a video of the shoot in action: http://youtu.be/bMU2afMO370

Ahem....... Just thought this might be of interest for some of you!!

Other Links of interest from this blog:

http://lucynuzumphotography.com/ liampower20@live.co.uk http://www.compton.ie http://www.mytights.com/