I'm in the press "Don't look at me! Im shy!!!!"

First the Bolton Evenin' News (1996.. me as a Bolton born puppy wrangler in a famous spotty dog based film) and now I'm in the Manchester Evenin' News with this article about the Vogue Vintage Fashion night at Manchester art gallery next week...whatever next ?? the Guardian,? the Times? THE SUN ?? Well we are in the centrefold, but not THAT sort! My friend Paula from Mint Vintage gets glamorous in red in the pic, and explains about the event in the full article, at which I will be one of a small team doing make up and hair - very quick fixes .. 15 minute makeovers if that.. depending on demand on the night - so visitors to the event can 'become a cover girl' from any era, in a pop up photo studio, and dress up in any accessories from the vintage stalls at the event, then they can also buy the clothes there and mooch .. or should that be 'sashay' around the vintage fashion exhibits on show.

Come down! Its a free event - there will be a small charge for mini makeovers ( £5 ) and you might want to shop at the vintage stalls too so bring your glitzy vintage purse!

Newsflash * Newsflash * beep beep beep !!!!

So some of you will know that I did my hairdressing NVQ last year, and that Ive been trying to build up my mobile clientelle this Spring.. well an exciting opportunity has arose ( arisen? arose? ) for me to quit racing about on my bike with a child on the backy and a load of kit in my panniers .. for half the week at least .. I'm going to be working Wed to Fri and every second Saturday at Special FX Hair & Beauty Salon in Chorlton ( pictured ) its at the Beech Road end of Chorlton on Barlow Moor Rd.

This is great for me as I will have a base, I wont have to drag myself and my bike out in all weathers in winter.. where I end up arriving at clients houses looking like a drowned rat - not a good advert!...Its also going to brilliant for improving my hairdressing skills as I'll be working with more experienced stylists, and will be a part of a team instead of working on my own which is pretty isolating sometimes.

Its also good for my clients as they'll get the full salon treatment , and can take advantage of any offers that the salon has . Check their website for details or pop in.
http://www.specialfxhairandbeautystudios.co.uk

I do need to build up my clients there, so please pass the word around.

I will still be doing my mobile work locally in the meantime, but obviously not on those days, and also will still be doing my make up work... Im still freelance, so book me for where ever is most convenient. Prices will obviously differ depending on whether you come to SpecialFX or if I come to you. With the special offer days at Special FX, you may find its cheaper to come there!

AND... Soon I am also going to be offering ' Hairmare'  Vintage makeovers at Special FX salon ( make up and hairdoos ) .. great for weddings and events - pass that on too! It will be a great add on to the salons list of services, and as they also have Nails and a beauty team there, you could get the whole works done!

I'll be here from June 19th

Somebody please shoot me now :s this is a joke.. and not even for Comic Relief

Dont you just hate it when a brand that you thought  you rated , does something so inane and ridiculous as this ' how to ' video by Illamasquas' Art Team  ? Gullible me watched it thinking I was going to see some new fantastic creative way to apply blusher... but see what you think.

It makes me really angry.. this 'Art Team' MUA on the video probably got paid nuf dolla for doing this.. and the whole video editting team probably cashed in too, it being a major high street brand these days.. All I can think is that they are laughing at us saying " we just put pink blusher on this girl, in a normal way.. didnt even look particularly special or different.. and now we can afford a month off in Ibiza , and everybodies gonna buy this new brush HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH !!!! Suckers!!! "

And Im not being funny but - elongating the face ?? A) it didn't .. and b) people dont really want elongated horsey faces imo. Heart shaped  or oval is the goal, right?

Im sure the brush is great for contouring and Ill probably go and look at it in store.. but the video just shows about a millisecond of technique and a whole lot of 'cut to MUA laughing' and cut to 'voguing pose by model with already applied full face of make up ' how is that a HOW TO video ??

And how is that ' skill'  worthy of being on the Art Team? Like I said.. somebody shoot me now.

I do still rate Illamasqua for lots of reasons, but I wish they wouldn't do this as it takes the piss out of their followers. Make a video about something innovative, with a creative outcome, .. dont be pointless. I hope they gave the profits to Comic Relief coz it was a joke, surely??

Here's the video link if you can be arsed wasting 3 minutes you wont get back...

http://www.illamasqua.com/explore/tutorials/blush-up-brush/?utm_source=Communicator&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=Untitled6&utm_campaign=140313

Its the all new VE Day!!! Victory in Europe for ANIMALS!!!!!

Today is the day to CELEBRATE!! for the countless lives of animals that will be saved from abuse , torture and death in the name of the beauty industry in Europe!!!! A TOTAL ban on the sales of cosmetics that have been tested on animals, including their ingredients. Read the article below for full details !! Its such a massive milestone, but the campaign goes on, to eliminate testing on animals globally. Companies like L'Oreal and Estee lauder will still fund testing for countries like China, where testing is mandatory, so the only way it will completely stop, is if these countries implement a ban too. If you buy from these brands, your pennies will somehow also go in some part to these culprit companies banks, and therefore fund testing for other countries products. Dont be fooled by any smokescreen claims that these companies are now ' cruelty free' . Stay informed. EG.. the once Cruelty Free brands, Urban Decay and, ironically, the Body Shop, who have been paramount in the campaign, are now owned by L'Oreal.. so even though UD wont have their products sold in China, and their own products are not tested, the profits still go back to L'Oreal.. its a minefield!! be careful who you buy from. Plenty of info on the www.naturewatch.org website, and in their regularly updated 'Compassionate Shopping Guide".

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/humane-society-international-welcomes-eu-080000712.html

ITS BIZNISS TIME!!!!! - Price increase (and offer) for Spring 2013

Whoaaa!!!! Travel costs have gone up... postage costs have gone up... bearing in mind I buy most of my materials ( for make up n hair) online, and the fact that I cant fly, and have to use le transporte public'... I'm also putting my prices up ( just a little bit ) in April. Tho you CAN still book me for my current el cheapo prices if you book before April 5th ( even if you book for a date later than that.. deposit needs to be secured tho )... its BIZNISS TIME !! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqZcYPEszN8

Barrelhouse Blues in Lancaster!

http://www.shopccc.co.uk/130223-tipitina-685-p.asp

Debbie Jones is an extremely talented musician and singer, who I met whilst creating this vintage make up and hair look in her photoshoot at Alt. Studio in Manchester.

If you are in the Lancaster area on 23rd Feb, why not get down to see her band Tipitina !! Follow the link above for full details.

Im too sexy for my Angle Grinder

Lucky me... last Friday I was drafted in at the final hour to help on a short live action ad ( which is being entered via Mofilm , to be a PS2 ad ) , and mainly I had to make an adonis of a male model look like a hard grafting angle grinding workman. Oh yeah!

Pity us tho, because it was FR FR FR FREEEZING in that workshop!! Snow 10 inches thick outside.. only tomato soup for warmth...

and its looking like my next commercial / ad work is gonna be involved with semi naked models stripping off to their boxers too. What the HELL is going on ???? Im going to get a reputation! ;)

Victory at Last?? Hope So!!

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/news-features/TMG9837467/Animal-testing-to-be-banned-in-Europe.html

So after 20 long years of campaigning, the powers that be have apparently agreed to make a FINAL and absolute ban on animals tested cosmetics products AND ingredients and the importing of any such things to the EU!!! HURRAH!!!!!

Lets hope there are no loopholes or smokescreens involved, and that companies such as L'Oreal and Estee Lauder really stick to the rules, globally, as well as in the EU, and dont just pussyfoot around for the sake of continued sales in Europe. I for one will still be sticking to the brands that NEVER sold out in  the first place.

But this surely is a victory for animals - no more suffering in the name of vanity. Hurrah!!!!!

URBAN DECAY DEMORALISED

I just found out that just before xmas, Urban Decay were bought out by L'Oreal, makeing this their parent company - this is BAD NEWS for anyone who loved Urban Decay products but hates animal testing.. whichever way you look at it, it means that some of UD s profits will be going back into a company that DOES conduct animal testing. U.D will apparently be keeping their policy on their own products being cruelty free, and PETA / BUAV will apparently be letting them keep the leaping bunny logo, but I for one dont want to feel like any of my money is going to end up in L'Oreals coffers so I wont be purchasing from Urban Decay anymore. Such a shame. Ditching their beliefs for quick injection of cashdollaz. Ah well they didn't even do pro discount. ILLAMASQUA all the way from now on ! Urban Decay you've SOLD OUT!!!!! They are gonna lose a LOT of loyal customers because of this.

Oink Oink

New Year arrives and my first job is sounding REALLY exciting! A gothic art-film feature teaser short by Director Lucy Campbell, called 'Pig Child', produced by Loran Dunn of Wearwulf Collective .. check out the synopsis and background of the project here - scary science!! http://www.filmworks.org.uk/the-pig-child/ 

Basically for me, it means that i can get stuck into doing some wigs, hair cutting and sfx make up - which is what I love best about my 'job title' of make up artist, being from the tomboy breed of females I find I fit in better to this kind of project than to the beauty and glamour based work, where i always feel like a really bad advert for what I do!! Wash n go .. out the house in 10 minutes after I throw my daughters and my clothes on and shove a brush through our hair... etc

Yep a bit of gore and Victorian macabre grimness is what I like to do.

BRING IT ON !!

PRODUCT REVIEW!! Neals Yard Frankinsense Hydrating Cream

Two Words. TOTES AMAZEBALLS!!!!

'Rejuvenating" is the main descriptive word in the catalogue text for this product and I can wholeheartedly say thats a TICK!! Ive literally used it twice - from a tester tube I acquired ( more on that later ..)
It smells gorgeous and its so refreshing.. I know it sounds cheesy but I can almost feel its anti- ageing properties working. Its packed full of anti oxidants and no nasty chemicals ( being made by Neals Yard Remedies thats pretty much guaranteed for all products ) Apparently the properties of the plant extracts in it, boost elasticity and it SMELLS GORGEOUS!!!!
Its ingredients are mostly organic and certified - its fair-trade, and it comes from the Baobab tree which is called the ' Tree of Life '

And Frankinsense is a very christmassey ingredient - so - perfect for presents... but like I said .. more on that later - stay tuned Im becoming a NYR Organics consultant but this review is nothing to do with that - i would have reviewed this product anyway coz it ROCKS!!
       

Look at what I won!!!

Ooooo how excited was I this morning!!! I won a competition with American Crew https://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Crew-UK/183309985056843  ( thats their facebook page ) I had to answer some James Bond geek facts. Now Im the proud owner of some lovely grooming products and a smart new bag for my clippers. Hurrah !!  and at the same time, the neighbours gorgeous velvet kitten wandered into our house and me and my daughter spent the next ten minutes trying to extract it from the house but at the same time wanting to catnap it coz its so gorgeous.Its like a little dark grey velvet ninja...EXACTLY the sort of cat James Bond would have, and would obviously name it Pussy Galore...anyway we were late for school but it was all SO worth it!

When Brow Bars turn BAD!!!!

BAD REVIEW ALERT!!!  I dont think Ive ever had call to write a bad review before - I dont normally let things upset me that much , and now tbh Ive ' let it go ' on the advice of my Buddist friend.. but I feel its my duty to enlighten you readers to this, so you dont have the same awful experience as I did, and apparently ( according to the Superdrug office lady I spoke to ) Im not the first to complain..about.. 'Super Brow Bar' - the in-store brow threading service apparently run by some franchise that isnt even linked to Superdrug, so this is NOT a complaint against the store.. although hopefully after these complaints they'll think twice about about keeping them there - bad rep and all that...

Anyway I dont normally go there.. I normally go to a cheap as chips and lovely lady in Chinatown called EyeWow - she is lovely and friendly..or Brazilian Waxing Co ( but theyre a bit pricey) and Ive never had a bad experience..   but today I had a tired daughter with me and it was a case of the quickest place, and as I passed Superdrug on our way to the bus I just nipped in - "a fiver!" i thought " that'll do, we'll be in and out in 5 minutes.. concerned about getting tired daughter home for a rest.. There were 3 threading girls there and no customers so they were having a chat, fair enough but it took a minute to get their attention..I was told  to pay at the counter and bring my receipt back, which I did, but that was as far as the conversation went. I decided myself that I should probably sit in the chair, and as the other chair was occupied by ne of the other threaders ( still chatting ) my 6yr old daughter had to sit on the floor ( because she was tired ) I sat in the chair and one of the threaders had her back to me but said ' Hold It !!" and i didnt realise she was talking to me.. why would i - she had her back to me, then she turned round and aggresively said ' HOLD IT!" I realised she meant my eyelid but i hadnt known she was ready to start .. so I did that then then before she moved on to the other eye she carried on the conversation with her colleagues ( I cant tell you what it was about because it was in Arabic ) then she started on my other eye and said "hold it" againbut then realised i was too low down in the chair for her and said " can you move up the chair please!!" in quite an aggresive tone once more. Then she plucked some last hairs out quite hard and painfully, then quickly shoved a hand mirror in my face so i could see theresult ( the result was fine, but I couldnt wait to leave. She didnt even attempt to put any soothing gel or soothing wipe across my brow. NO BASIC aftercare AT ALL!!! To be honest I didnt even think about that until I was on the bus and realised how sore my brows were . I had tried to complain to the checkouot staff asking if i could see a manager but she said they are not linked to Superdrug and Ihave to speak to the Brow Bar staff myself - well I think complaints should be made to a higher power, so I got home and put cucumbers on my brows straight away, then I rang Superdrug Piccadilly office and complained to the lady there - she said I was not the first complaint they had  had about the Brow Bar staff, and hat the Floor manager would have a word. So thats as far as it went but I'll be going back to Eyewow, or forking out more at Brazilian Waxing Co in future.

So in summary 'Super Brow Bar ' NO customer service, NO proffessional aftercare, Painful service, BAD attitude and RUDE staff!! Dont even GO there!!!

Things that are good!! Essie Nail Polish

I dont often review products, but when I do I have to really love it to be arsed with sitting down and writing about it.. but I really DO love Essie nail polish. I discovered it last week (in Superdrug I think) and having been drawn to the lovely display unit and gorgeous bottles of pretty colours, a pretty fabulous range of colours.. like a Pantone chart of Nail Polish!.. I decided to try a nice cappucino coloured one for myself.. ( its called ' Masterplan' ) and Ive been wearing it for a WHOLE WEEK WITH NO CHIPS!! I only put 2 coats on and a top coat that I had at home by Bourgois. Just to give you an idea of how hard wearing it is, Ive done loads of manual work this week, including dragging my kit bag everywhere, on and off buses in all weathers, making up faces including all the cleaning of hands and kit that goes with that,  domestic chores, cleaning up after a child and a cat and someone elses dog, walking said dog, washing up, riding my bike, and its still looking fine on my nails! Just started wearing off at the very tips today, but after 6 days I think its time for a fresh application anyway. I reckon its AS good if not better than more expensive brands like Nails Inc, and it comes in at about £7 - £8. And I think they do a good range of pro nail care products too, as its an American pro-manicure brand, not just a cosmetic colour brand.
The names of the colours are fab too. Go check out the site http://www.essie.com/latest-collection/  and hunt them down in high street stores.

LUSH MAKE UP ! ... BRILLIANT !!

Finalllllly!!!  LUSH have launched their new make up line, 'Emotional Brilliance' and shopping for make up has never been quite so fun and interactive !

Basically you go into the store and spin the wheel ( above) with all the pretty colours on, and shut your eyes, and when you open them and stop the wheel, quickly choose the first 3 colours that you are drawn to on that day.. each colour has its own emotional meaning, relevant to qualities that you either have lots of, or need more of, or that people admire you for.. and as if by magic, the wheel never lies! Its so clever - I think it will make people try colours that they wouldnt normally choose, and as the make up colours are multi-taskers ( they can all be used for anything.. eyes, lips, cheeks, liners..) You can get really creative. Im going to start collecting some.. but I started off with just the mascara - it also comes in the same ' dropper bottle' style packaging.. being both recyclable, easy to see how much youve used AND get the last out of it AND much kinder to the eyes than most mascaras, and its very black. The wand in the bottle is very short, but Ill be using longer disposable wands anyway so thats not an issue. Ill also be investing in some of the foundation colours ( not pictured,but seemed to give good buildable coverage when i tested on my hand and a great price at only £8.50 ) and I'll definitely get a lovely vintage pink colour called ' Sophisticated'. 
The sales assistant had a coppery colour on her eyes and it looked really nice, not creased or dry and she said she'd had it on since the morning.
My personal colours ( just for the record ) yesterday, were: "Intuitive" (lime green) "Calm" (sky blue) and 'Dynamic" (nude).. Dynamic was the emotion I needed more of apparently. ... zzzzzz :) 

Glamourama Ding Dong's FIRST POP UP SALON!!

Ive been meaning to do this for a while, set up a stall at a vintage fair and do hair and make up there.. so when the opportunity arose to do just that ON MY BLEEDIN DOORSTEP ,  I jumped at the chance to book a spot !
Its a new Flea Market / Vintage event in Chorlton, called FLEASY STREET  and they have some fantastic people lined up to take part ... Lomography ( those old Russian style cameras that have such a cult following right now ) , Oxfam Originals for your vintage threads , Some bicycle people and much more - check the Fleasy Street page on Facebook for all the details https://www.facebook.com/FleasyStreet?ref=ts
 I'm most excited about the Lomography crew being there, so after people have come to me for some vintage glamouring, they can go and have an authentic retro photo taken, AND wait for the prints to be developed , like we had to in the olden days, and you just dont know what effect you are gonna end up with on a Lomo print - thats the beauty of it - its so unpredictable. You can predict preset retro effects on apps like Instagram , but Lomo keeps it real, AND the cameras all look like spy cameras from the 1960s!
Anyway - GLAMOURAMA Pop up Salon, thats me - will be offering various styles of hairdoos from bygone eras eg Victory Rolls, fake Betty Bangs etc ... not cutting or wet setting - just dry styling techniques for speed, and make up from those eras too - you can either choose to have a full face of make up, or just one or two small additions to your own make up eg perfect flicked eyeliner and false lashes, or a perfect pout. AND I'll also bring some Brylcreem and pomade for the boys.

Vintage Glamour Workshops with Kitty Wink Vintage

https://www.facebook.com/events/487043967992426/

I've joined a team !!!!!  Not Team GB, but Team Kitty Wink ;)

Click the above link for details of The vintage Glamour Workshops run by Alice Kitty Wink of http://www.kittywinkvintage.co.uk/

Alice has kindly asked me to be one of the make up and hair stylists in her team at larger group events such as this one at Rose and Lee Vintage in North Manchester on 6th October. I will also be joining the team at further events TBC . Alice totally lives the vintage life and is a very talented make up and hair stylist and businesswoman - She has been responsible for a lot of the really productive networking between vintage enthusiasts in the North West via her Facebook group and regular group meetings. You may recognize her as one of my models on a vintage makeover at http://www.altstudiouk.com/ I gave Alice a 1920's vamp look, which she rocked to perfection. Also in the team is Simon Hunt, my ' boss ' from Alt.Studio, who creates the most fabulous Vintage styled  photos and makes all his clients feel like Glamour Queens :)
So what are you waiting for? Join the Glamour party! Shimmy Shimmy y'all to the vintage workshops ( the ones at Rose and Lee start on Sept 1st )

Click the link, for Kitty Wink!

URBAN DECAY BOYCOTT CHINA!!!!

This is REALLY BRILLIANT NEWS in the fight against WORLDWIDE ban on Animal Testing for cosmetics.
Please READ! and if your wondering what high street make up brand to buy.. Head for the shiny purple things! :)

http://www.urbandecay.com/Animal-Testing-Policy/animal-testing-policy,default,pg.html

Vintage Network / Kitty Wink video

http://vimeo.com/45035329

here is a video that a director called Wayne Avanson made for a fellow vintage hair and make up lady, Alice Kitty Wink - It a profile about her business and the Vintage Network up here in the North West. Ive posted it here because the sepia toned stills of Alice on the titles and end credits are photos that you may recognise.. I did the make up on Alice for those shots, at Alt Studio with photographer Simon Hunt , and it was a pleasure to do, and it enabled me to meet Alice and join the Vintage Network. I really like how the images have been portrayed in the film.

Trolleys and Brollies

So.. in my job I spend  A LOT of time traipsing around on buses or trains and dragging my kit through town ( and Manchester is not known for its well maintained streets.. and there are still even a few with Victorian cobbles..) so you can see that hauling your make up about can be quite a physical experience, not always enjoyable... I have for the past few months had quite a smooth running suitcase with rubber wheels from IKEA that made it slightly less bumpy ( especially as there can be some make up casualties eg smashed eyeshadows, if they have had a rickety journey..) but last week the zip broke on my Ikea case, and it sent me back to using my cute old polka dot, but VERY rickety wheelie case... quite exhausting, and not quite big enough for my stuff either..boo hoo!! EMERGENCY NEW SUITCASE NEEDED!! Now many MUAs harp on about those fancy ZUCA cases with their flashing wheels and sit-upon casing.. But tbh they are freaking expensive .. like £150 expensive!! and I dont ever need to sit on my case- ill have a chair thanks, or a wall.. and I dont want to snag my tights on the hard casing,or risk not being able to squash the hard casing into overhead luggage, or be restricted in my packing, by the shape of the hard casing,or have to take the casing off and send that through to airline baggage hold anyway, coz this will be my holiday bag too - thats why we all work right? to save up for holidays? oh yeah and pay the bills ;) ... so I was looking into the Snowboard / Skate brand luggage, because Im a DEFINITE convert to the SKATEBOARD WHEELS feature .. which also means they are interchangeable should I ever want pink flashing wheels or whatevz.. This was my final choice - DAKINE a well known Snowboard / Skate brand. 42 litre capacity - plenty room, waterproof, and with it being a Skate brand I d have no problem nipping into one of Manchesters many skate shops and asking them to change the wheels for the latest colour of the season .. then whizz outside and pull a kickflip then grind down some railings for a speedy trip to work :) Oh and I got this at a snip of the  price, for £55 ... HURRAH!! Dimensions wise, slightly bigger than the Zuca too, so whats not to love!? Other brands in a similar style - Eastpak, Burton, Quiksilver, Gravis, Roxy etc.. just do search then do a best price search !! and make sure theyve got those skate wheels! Some do girly colours if thats your bag but I like black - it goes with everything and doesnt get trashed so quickly in the NorthWest weather systems :) Oh and all the 'boarders will think you are like TOTALLY AWESOME