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

Interview on Manchester Fashion Network

http://www.manchesterfashion.com/c/19/938/featured-makeup-artist-nikki-armstrong/

So I got asked to do a Q & A about my job, for Manchester / London Fashion Network - an online community. Ooo I do waffle on a bit! But have a read if your interested in why or how I got round to being a make up n hair person of all things!