Curtain Twitcher...

Been practicing a bit of latex ageing effects today.. just coz I have to teach it to el studentes next week and I havent done it for ages meself... no pressure then!

Anyway I decided to go for a 70 year old ' curtain twitching ' pensioner theme.. she stil has a penchant for silver nail polish though...

SMASHBOXING DAY !!!

Jingle those bells! Ive found another CRUELTY FREE pro brand of make up! whoop whoop!! I was introduced to Smashbox Cosmetics this year, and knew it was a pro quality brand, but was worried it might be one of the bad ones ( for animal welfare ) such as Chanel or Estee Lauder..

Well it seems to be A - OK!!!.. it has the US version of the Cruelty Free bunny logo printed on the box, and it was developed by a photo studio in CA , it's not an offshoot of a big name brand..

Ive only got two products so far ( as its not mega cheap ) but you can buy it in Debenhams.. Ive got the High Def liquid foundation, and a lovely, very blendable eyeshadow to try out in my kit. The foundation is ACE! I even used it on my 88 yr old nan and it took years off her - a lovely finish.

This foundation was about £28 and the shadow was £12.50, so kind of mid price budget - gonna investigate Smashbox website to see if they do pro discount like Illamasqua do, coz that would be much easier on the pocket

Caro Snatch- Till yOure no LongER BliNkEReD

Oooo!!! So exciting! my first make up for album cover art..and its out now!! heres the link

http://carosnatch.bandcamp.com/

have a listen.. perchance to purchase ! Support electronic music and ladies in music in particular..( its not just men that are knob twiddlers) and generally just give your ears a mesmerising treat.

We were surrounded by bees in this derelict garden location in Whalley Range, Manchester, for the photo shoot!

lovely!

Photos by the fab Marta Julve

Video and art direction by M.A Barnes-Wynters ( Doodlebug) and make up by yours truly.

Urban Decay ...Naked and LOVIN IT!!!!!

THIS IS OFFICIALLY FAB!

I've already mentioned that Urban Decay on on my list of friendly cruelty free make up brands, and I was on the hunt for some make up that will fit in my professional kit and give me the sort of staying power and pigment coverage i need - well this ' Naked ' pallette has definitely scored top marks - the neutral shades cover all bases from 'nude' look to full on night-glamour smokey eye, and I definitely need to use these shades at work, as most makeover clients want eye make up that fits in with all their outfits. Coverage is great, the price was ACE at £27 !! that works out at just over £2 per shade ! whoop whoop

and it looks like a box of chocolates..in a velvet case..prrrr

It makes me wanna get...Naked !

Compassionate make up companies

So I got my copy of the Compassionate Shopping guide ( see image ) and I turned straight to the page about cosmetics to see which brands have been given the thumbs up... this means basically that they have a clearly stated FCOD policy( fixed cut off date ) for the testing of ingredients within their products, and the brands are not owned by dodgy multinational companies that are not endorsed by the guide because they do not have an ethical FCOD policy.

Obviously animal testing in the UK is banned for cosmetic purposes, but the testing of ingredients is not banned in the EU, so some companies.. most of the biggies eg Estee Lauder ( own MAC, Clinique etc ) are funding this research by buying ingredients that are tested abroad.

( Eg the Body Shop is no longer endorsed by the guide, as it is now, weirdly, owned by L'Oreal, and suprisingly, Barry M is no longer endorsed either, because they keep shifting their rules for their FCOD )... its all very confusing, but basically , some companies get round the rule by importing ingredients from companies that test abroad eg in Eastern Europe or the Far East, where animals are notably treated horrendously anyway, so Id hate to think what goes on in the labs )

Anyway - I was a bit gutted to find that Bourgois are owned by Chanel, so are not endorsed.. however.. here is a list of the make up brands that ARE smiley happy cruelty free!!

Not sure how many of these are pro-quality, but theres bound to be some products that could go in your kit and replace other not-so-friendly ones .

URBAN DECAY - even sell Vegan brushes and have a whole ' vegan' section on their website

LILY LOLO - mineral make up - also vegan brushes

Bare Faced Beauty

Beauty without Cruelty

Aldi's own label

Colorsport

M&S

Next

UltraGlow Cosmetics

there is a longer list of brands that sell skincare too, and Neals Yard is on this list ..mm love those blue bottles!

Im gonna check out what I can from the friendly brands above and see if any of them can replace products that I already use..obviously the staying power and pigment concentration has to be pro quality, so Ill report back if anything scores well :)

anyway.. buy the guide for yourself - its a mine of really important information!!

Caro Snatch - experimental electronic LP

So its almost here ! the CD release ( online ) of Caro Snatch's new Lp ' Till your no longer Blinkered".. on which I didst do la maquillage during the photography and video making... see here for teaser vid..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siU--3nbe8s

cant wait to hear the CD and see the live show in December!.. for which perhaps Ill suggest a Madame Deux Chats makeover for the stage ;) ^..^ ^..^

WORLD ANIMAL DAY

http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk

4TH OCTOBER IS WORLD ANIMAL DAY EVERY YEAR

You can show your support in many ways by going to the website and looking for fundraising ideas, or by simply pledging to do something positive for animals this year..for example..making sure you ONLY buy products that you know are definitely cruelty - free. Look for the BUAV bunny logo on cosmetics and toiletries, or check a compassionate shoping guide such as this one http://www.naturewatch.org/shoppingguide/CSG.asp

remember its not only the final product, but the ingredients that are tested, so its hard to be a complete angel when buying cosmetics and toiletries, but we can do our best. Cruelty free products are usually more natural and chemical free anyway, and usually organic or even fairtrade! so therefore, kinder to humans and the environment too :) its a win- win situation !

Burlesque! ooh la la!

The other day I was lucky to work with the lovely burlesque performer Frankii Wilde, and create her make up look for a photoshoot modeling hair accessories, fascinators, slides etc and a bit of jewellery too I think.. the photography was by John Clarke at Ressurect Studios , Manchester.

Normally, obviously, Frankii does her own make up for on stage, but she said it was great to get a different approach by someone, as she tends to always do the same ' look'.

The burlesque look is a retro one, harking back to bygone eras such as the 40's. The eyebrows are nice and defined - very sharp with a perfect pointy arch - acheived by filling it in with a brush and cake make up and sharpening the line with a SHARPENED eyeliner or dark eyebrow pencil.

I created a shiny coquette-ish blush, by mixing some shimmery white dazzle dust ('Barry M' or 'Bourgouis Paris' do these) with some flamingo pink blusher ( mine is by ' Sleek' ) and buffing it in with a kabuki brush. and for the final touch, some saucy glances by Frankii ;)

Silicone valley - Airbrush make up

So today I completed a one day training course in the use of airbrush make up... basically a system of applying a silicone ( or it can be water based) liquid make up foundation to the skin using an airbrush, traditionally used by graphic designers and artists, with paint. The pressurised airgun blows a fine mist of make up particles onto the skin , giving a finely blended,' flawless' looking finish - well I say that but it takes a bit of practice to get it flawless, and actually some of us who were 35 plus, found that it actually sits on the skin and enhances wrinkles..especially round the eyes, so its best to avoid that area and use a combination of airbrush and traditional make up techniques for the best finish in the eye area. Using a special gel-primer prepares the skin first and improves the finish.

Its popular with the bridal make up market, as its a long lasting , photographic finish that needs little or no touch ups over the course of a day. You can apply highlighting, contouring, blush and /or bronzer colours in the same way and it needs no powder to fix ( unless doing tattoo coverage )

Not being someone who does a lot of bridal work, I dont think i will be investing in one just yet, although it is great for speedy tattoo and scar coverage, and character / SFX work.. but other brands would have to be purchased for body art colour work, as Airbase ( the brand that trained us ) only do 7 base colours and are all skin tones i.e no ' colours' as in red, blue,green etc.. for body art etc...brands like Temptu and OCC do colours, and I may be looking into these kits before I commit to buying, as Im more interested in that SFX side of things. It would be handy to be able to offer it during makeovers and model portfolios, but I would want to charge people more than normal, to cover the cost of the kit and materials , and as its quite a specialised technique.. not sure people would opt for it at the mo, when they know the photographers probably do an airbrush or ' beauty light' filter in digital post production anyway...They use it a lot in HD film and TV , so if I got some work in TV or film again I would probably invest in one... but I need to know my costs are gonna be covered first.... hmmmmm what to do.. what to do?? .. The airgun by Airbase was easy to use but the ones we had to practice with were a bit temperamental and we kept having to clean them out and sort out the pressure every 5 minutes, which was a bit annoying and wouldnt look very profesh if you were with a client - maybe its a case of well maintained kit and more practice, but im dubious about the Airbase kits now and would like to test different kinds ( such as Iwata ) before I commit to one. Its a lot of money to shell out, so you need to know the kit is trustworthy and hard wearing, with a long life span and not to difficult to maintain. Cleaning it out was a bit of a palarva -LOADS OF TINY BITS to take apart, clean and reassemble! it was like taking a rifle apart in miniature! remembering which bits went where and trying not to lose anything! But all in all a good training sesh - mind you health and safety left a lot to be desired - JEEZ!! no fault of the Airbase rep.. mainly the fault of the venue manager - it was at Sally's Salon services ( a wholesalers ) and they have training rooms, but they had put us in a totally un ventilated room with no windows - this is pressurised silicone particles spraying into the air... and into our lungs!!! HELLO!!! it DEFINITELY needs to be in a ventilated room! I left after a 6 hour day, feeling like my lungs had turned into Silicone Valley.. I think, proceed with caution with high usage of silicone based make up - OCC do a water based one which is supposed to be great - I may look into this brand as it would be much safer for client and artist!

Theres many pros and many cons but its the way things are going so I think Ill be getting one at some point.. just not sure whether it will be Airbase or not yet !

Now I m gonna go and scrub it all off my face and go to bed!

Obsessive Compulsive?

http://www.occmakeup.com/

OMG!! i have just found out about this amazing brand of make up -its vegan, cruelty free AND is used by pro make up artists in the US, with its range of HD ready products and airbrush make up too!! stop me before I explode!!! only problem is, some of these US brands are not available in UK, BUT... the Make Up Boutique , is a UK company that has just started to stock OCC products this year.. so I reckon Ill be trying some out. YAY! Im loving the sound of their 'Lip Tars' and I read a forum post by someone who had tried their water based airbrush foundation and ishe prefered it over other brands including s/b ( silicone based ) brands. She said it stayed on just as well and just as long as the best of the s/b brands she had tried, and had the added advantage of being safer to use.

I shall report back if I get my paws on any OCC products ^..^

OUCH!!!

I had my eyebrows threaded today .. even just that phrase sounds painful - and weird - it sounds like having some sort of embroidery design stitched above your eyes.. or macrame, depending how thick they are I guess.

Of course its not that - its a traditional Indian technique for grooming and shaping eyebrow hair, and it is better than waxing, because it is a gentler, more delicate process and does not pull the fragile skin on your eyebone too much, hence it does not contribute to sagging skin in that area when it loses its elasticity.. ( like when you are my age and older!)

anyway - it is also completely natural as it does not use anything other than a loop of cotton , cleverly twisted in a way that it traps the individual hairs and pulls them out by the root. So no chemicals or waxes are needed - just a bit of calming skin cream afterwards.

It does have a ' mild torture' element to it - but in a good way, and its over in less than 5 minutes, so although my eyes did water a bit, my skin calmed down within 10 mins after, compared to having them waxed, which leaves my skin red for much longer and in need of a good dose of concealer, and nuf cleanser to get rid of wax residue on skin.

Its cheaper too .. I paid £7, as opposed to £ 12 for an eyebrow wax

I went to the Brazilian Waxing Company, which are nationwide I think, and it easy to book online, then you just turn up for your appointment.

http://www.brazilianwaxingcompany.com

Job done! I would definitely reccomend it and I will be getting my brows tamed in this way from now on - no more wax for me!

just out of interest, here is a lovely video I found on Youtube, showing exactly how its done - they even used the same heading title as me - bizarro :)

enjoy !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_1CtJRnsLE&feature=related

Shots from test shoot with Dan Tyack and Nicole Taylor

http://dantyackphotographyblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/blog-post.html

DRY SKIN?

just got a recommendation from a friend who has dry skin - Oilatum works wonders apparently ! , and also, if you buy ' SHE ' magazine this month, you get a FREE Neal' s Yard moisturiser for dry skin which is travel size, organic and hopefully smells yummy - ive not opened it yet coz im saving it to take on holiday and i dont want the airport check in staff to confiscate it, like they confiscated my export Marmite on the way to Amsterdam last year.grr!

Anyway, I digress... I also love BioOil, and Boots Original cuticle oil, which comes in a cute little dropper bottle - I love old school styling and packaging, and the ingredients have been unchanged for years - a perfect example of ' if it aint broke dont fix it'! it really smells nice and softens up cuticles if massaged in every few days. Schweet!

Fashion photo shoot with Dan Tyack

Got creative today with hair and make up for a fashion shoot collaborating with photographer Dan Tyack http://www.dantyackphotography.co.uk/

The inspiration and styling was 'summer hippy chic' and ' vintage '.. some shots we did inside at Dan's studio / house, but also used two locations - the downstairs room at Jam St Cafe in Chorlton, equiped with extravagant gold dragon wallpaper and a grand piano! , and some outdoor shots at Chorlton Water Park. .. I will get the shots from Dan soon and post them up for you all to see :)

The model was a lovely girl called Nicole.

Dodgy cheap face paints - warning!!!!

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/22062010/58/world-cup-2010-fans-given-face-paint-warning.html

Benefit HIGH BROW

My favourite item in my make up bag at the moment is Benefit High Brow

you draw with it just under your eyebrow and blend it in, and it instantly highlights your browbone, contrasts light and shade with your eye make-up and ' lifts' the whole eye area. You can also dot a bit above your eyebrow to define and light reflect the whole brow area.

Its so easy to blend as its texture is more like that of a soft waxy eyeliner crayon. It really makes a difference to newly groomed brows and makes them even more picture perfect!

more Horrible Histories inspiration and hot tips!!

I LOVE HORRIBLE HISTORIES !!!!

It would be my dream job to work on that show - its so ' Monty Python ' esque, and a bit ' League of Gentlemen" , whilst still being educational and fun for kids.

Here is a clip I found on the website showing how one of the MUAs transforms an actress into 2 different characters - a croney wench, and a greek statue goddess

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/horriblehistories/clip6.shtml

Horrible Histories on CBBC - Georgian glamour!

this is so funny!! Respect to Horrible Histories on CBBC ! its my new fave programme... some invaluable glamour tips here! ( theres a list of vids to watch - but check out the Georgian Make up ' one )

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/horriblehistories/song5.shtml

Bonjour! welcome to my beauty product reviews and handy tips blog !

So as part of my make up artist service, I thought I'd offer a free service in the form of a web blog, with product reviews and any handy tips I can think of.. this wil be for ladies, men, cats, dogs, spiny anteaters..anyone!

First of all, Id like to say that all products I use and review will be cruelty free, and I will endeavour to promote the use of products that contain no SLS ( sodium lauryl sulphate) which is known to have many dangers - see here http://www.natural-health-information-centre.com/sodium-lauryl-sulfate.html

and I will also try my best to avoid products which contain parabens ( which are now known to have carcinogenic and hormonal properties ) but this may be more difficult as they are a commonly used preservative in cosmetics and toiletries and even products that are marketted as 'organic' and ' natural' seem to use them.

Obviously I also want to promote and review the best products I can ( best definitely not meaning most expensive - infact I think Ill be sticking to realistic recession busting budgets !)

I will be looking at texture and coverage of product, how it smells and feels on the skin..value for money vs quality of product..and of course the all important PACKAGING! I'm a sucker for gorgeous packaging - we all want things to look nice in our boudoir or co-ordinate with our bathroom...dont we? or is it just me ! well anyway, also I hope that packaging is recyclable and environmentally friendly!!!!

RIGHT HERE GOES.. two moisturisers

1. I discovered this in Superdrug last week and it feels ACE! Superdrugs own brand ' Natural High' 12 hour day cream SPF 15 ..organic oils, natural cereal extract ( anti ageing..along with the SPF of course) and marine algae extract ( UV barrier) vegan and cruelty free as are all Superdrugs own products apparently..fee from SLS ( but does contain parabens) smells yummy, like strawberry fromage frais..feels like strawberry fromage frais..hey!! maybe it is strawberry fromage frais!! Ive tried loads of day moisturisers and this is by far one of the nicest. and guess how much.. £1.95!! I blend it with my foundation for a light tinted SPF moisturiser and it goes on great :)

2. Then you need a night cream..I discovered this ORGANIC SURGE brand in Boots and I had really high hopes for it as it has ABSOLUTELY NO PARABENS and is cruelty free with lovely packaging ..nice ingredients like vitamin E, geranium oil, aloe etc..not too ' perfumey'..not TOO pricey at £7.99... however it does not apply to the skin as smoothly as Id like, it feels like its drying up or ' dragging' as soon as you spread it on ( didnt expect that for 8 quid!)..and for a night cream I think its best to feel like your skin has actually been moisturised..but I will try the brands other products as they do a bath and hair range which sound nice and dont contain SLS.

..cant attach photos today so google them for images :)