MUSINGS OF A MAKEUP ARTIST

Before/After: Sizzling Summer Beauty

2012-05-24T18:40:00.004+01:00

I've just got home from 4 days of shoots in gorgeous Puglia, Italy. We stayed in the most amazing resort which was basically it's own town, it was that big with everything you could think off! Villas, suites, restaurants, pools and spas. Anyway I got distracted, one of the shoots was swimwear shoot. The weather was hot, correction, it was scorching! Which meant that as the MUA I had to look

Before/After: Blond Bombshells & Red Lips

2012-05-24T16:12:00.000+01:00

Without a doubt, a red lip is a sign of sexual power in a woman's makeup artillery and I adore a red lip! In any form, be it stain, gloss, cream or even powder! I recently did a shoot for Norwegian fashion bible SVA magazine to showcase some the country's finest designers. My theme from the photographer and stylist was red. So it was decided that a red lip would feature heavily on this shoot.

Before/After: Return To The Smokey Eye

2012-05-05T15:01:00.003+01:00

Smokey Eyes, probably the most popular makeup look ever, contested closely only by the flicked liner look. To be honest I haven't really done a proper smokey eye for awhile so it was rather lovely to be able to get to do 2 in the same week! Although classed as smokey eyes, I deliberately did both looks quite different, to show that there's always variations in a theme. And that there's always

Before/After: Strong Sultry Looks: Makeup Faux Pas

2012-04-21T15:15:00.000+01:00

I am sure by now everyone knows about YSL's new foundation coming out later this year. I have been trialling it on shoots and celebs and can now officially say I love it! Anyway I used it once again on a beauty shoot this week and wanted to share the 3 looks I created. The model was a very interesting young lady called Dommie who had the most arresting eyes! My brief was to create strong, sultry

Brand Alert: Ila-Spa

2012-04-09T15:12:00.001+01:00

I have been sitting on this post for ages and I apologise. It is by no means a reflection on the quality of this brand, on the contrary in fact! Over X'mas due to what can only be called boredom and having too much time, I over-cleansed and exfoliated my skin and it resulted in dryness, scaliness and sensitivity. So I stopped all active products and opened up the store room to look for remedies.

Product Alert: YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat

2012-04-07T17:06:00.002+01:00

Stop the press! Serious I would. Quick post to let everyone know about the latest offering from YSL. Upping it's game, YSL is launching a new foundation! I apologise but I am crazy about foundations, especially when it's a good one! First of all, let me show you what it looks like.Creative Director Lloyd Simmons and YSL have harnessed the properties of it's cult product Touche Éclat to create Le

Before/After: Sexy Put On/Wipe Off Look

2012-04-07T16:14:00.000+01:00

It is common during a shoot to change my mind in regards to the look I have created. You never really know how the makeup you've done translates on photo so once in a rare while, I will say(scream) "Stop! It's not working! Give me a few minutes!" and I will retreat to the makeup room and rethink what I have done. As MUAs I think it is important to realise that as artists we should never be

Latest Kit Acquisitions: Brushes!

2012-03-18T14:34:00.001Z

I am known amongt my friends for my love of brushes and my constant obsession of finding obscure brands and types to use in my work. I have lost count of how many I have and to be honest I have also stopped counting. As I get older and more experienced in my work as a makeup artist, what I look for in a brush evolves according to what and how I do makeup and what products I am using. When I work

Editorial Update: Stylist Magazine

2012-03-18T12:04:00.000Z

I had the opportunity to work with Stylist magazine's Beauty Director Joanna McGarry and photographer Jonny Storey on a beauty shoot. The brief was a little bit Stepford Wives and Valley of The Dolls but done with an edge and a little bit wrong but yet keeping it beautiful still. Love it! So I aimed to do very classic beauty but with every shot to take an element and twist it by pushing it as

Before/After: Sex Kitten Look using YSL Glossy Stain

2012-03-04T17:01:00.000Z

I recently acquired the full set of YSL's latest offering, the Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres or Glossy Stain to the rest of us! Is it a gloss, stain or lipstick? Well according to YSL none of the above. Using technology I won't get into, it allows the first layer to stain the lip and the consequent layers to build up colour whilst maintaining shine and long-wearing glossiness! Well I tried it

Editorial Update: Evening Standard Magazine

2012-02-26T15:49:00.001Z

Last December I had the pleasure of working with ES magazine and one of the most fascinating I have met in a while, Paz De la Huerta. Actress, artist, model but I know of her from the series Broadwalk Empire. She was incredible to work with in the sense that she knew how she would like to be made up and approached it like how an artist would paint. And thank goodness the stars were aligned and we

A Visual Diary: Mauritius

2012-02-26T15:27:00.000Z

After returning home from Barbados, I literally had 2 days to do my laundry, restock kit and squeeze in a shoot and off I was again to gorgeous Mauritius! To many, it sounds really glamorous but what many forget is that I was usually awake at 5am and finishing shoots at 6pm throughout the trip so I was, shall I say a little bit tired by the time Mauritius came along! Upon arrival I was instantly

Before/After: The Many Faces of Agnes using Shiseido

2012-02-15T16:21:00.000Z

Often during a fashion shoot, I am required to tweak looks and do variations on the same girl within a strict time frame. And yesterday was one such occasion where we had to shoot 8 shots and have slight makeup tweaks so that the shots look slightly different but yet cohesive as a spread. I decided to stick with one brand as I knew the brand well and also knew that the products would all work

A Visual Diary: Barbados

2012-02-02T15:15:00.000Z

Many of you will know that I have just been to Barbados on a work trip after my last post of me panicking about what to pack in my kit! Well I am back and am pleased to announce that the trip went well and we shot 5 gorgeous spreads which I will post up as soon as they're published. Upon arrival, we had the first day to do a recce around the island, looking for locations to shoot. When asked by

Insight My Kit: Barbados: So Many Products, So Little Luggage Space!

2012-01-21T16:25:00.001Z

I am sure you're quite tired of hearing about my upcoming work trips to Barbados and also Mauritius. I apologise for that, I get quite excited about location shoots abroad as they result in a very different vibe. The light, weather, climate, textures and skin all change according to the surrounding. So it is a nightmare to actually pack for work trips. All the products that I use in cold, wet

Tom Ford Cosmetics: Burnished Amber Eye Colour Quad & Before/After: Burnished Eyes!

2012-01-20T11:44:00.000Z

I must be the last person to actually blog about the Tom Ford cosmetics even though I think I was the first person to actually arrive at the press day! Needless to say that everything Mr Ford touches turns to gold so I had no worries that this line would disappoint. I will post more about the other products as I get and use them so for now shall we have a look at this? Burnished Amber Eye Colour

Supermodel Alert/Product Breakdown: Yasmin Le Bon

2012-01-15T18:52:00.000Z

I don't need to tell you how thrilled I was when I found out I would be making up the face of one of my favourite supermodels of the 90s who is still going strong today! Yes I was a little bit excited. And best of all it was to be shot in her lovely home where she lives with her husband and family. I've worked with her daughter Amber before so was lovely to see her again however husband Simon was

Behind The Scenes: Tea With The Grand Dame, Coco Chanel

2012-01-13T20:50:00.000Z

Over the holiday season I had some time to recuperate and rest but being me, was soon bored and dying to get back to work again! So what did I do? I started clearing out the photo library on my computer, trying to bring a system to the chaos and the multitude of random photos collected over my career! Whilst looking and sorting, I started reminiscing about all the places that I have had the

Emma Hardie: Brand Catch Up

2012-01-03T18:34:00.000Z

Happy New Year everyone! What better way to start the new year than to catch up with one of my favourite skincare brands: Emma Hardie. There really isn't an item from this gorgeous range than I dislike. I have used it all on my celebs and models alike all throughout 2011 and every single one has always commented on the incredible scent and the gorgeous textures of the products! I won't go down

Editorial Update: Vogue Russia

2011-12-31T11:20:00.000Z

What a great way to end an incredible 2011! My beauty shoot for the January 2012 issue of Vogue Russia is out and it's gorgeous! I absolutely love it, it captures a wintry & sultry Dempsey Stewart! Here's the shot, I hope you like it. Have a lovely New Year's eve and see everyone in 2012!

Product Breakdown: Eliza Doolittle for Twenty6 Magazine

2011-12-14T15:56:00.002Z

I had the chance late summer to work with the talented Eliza Doolittle for Twenty6 magazine. Now I will admit that I didn't know much about Eliza except for her music played on the radio. A quick search on the internet showed a youthful pretty girl but boy did I get a shock at the shoot. Eliza was a young woman and had a beautiful face and an incredible body with legs that went on forever! So I

Product Alert: Givenchy L'Ombre Noir

2011-12-14T15:09:00.000Z

A quick post as I just had to. I got this little nifty product a few months ago and it has now become a firm favourite in my kit! Why? As an artist I love products that you can use in multiple ways, for practical reasons as it means I don't have to carry 10,000 things in my ever-growing kit! L'Ombre Noir So what is it? I suppose, to put it very simply, it's black in a compact! It can be anything

Fragrance: Paco Robanne Black XS

2011-12-14T14:51:00.000Z

It's that time of year again and personally I hate shopping for presents as it gets really stressful. I always get scents or fragrances as it's something that will usually please most people! Especially for the special men in your life. So lucky timing when I got wind of the new offering from Paco Rabanne. Black XS! Black XS for himAimed at the men below 40 I would hazard, this heady,

YSL: Brand Catch Up: Spring 2012

2011-12-06T13:57:00.008Z

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4Beauty Best Makeup Blogs: What An Honour!

2011-12-05T09:38:00.003Z

Hi guys, I apologise for the lack of posts of late. Work has been crazy and as many will know, being a makeup artist is my full time career. I digress anyway but while I was in Arizona attending a friend's wedding, I had the best surprise ever! Musings has been listed as one of Channel 4Beauty's Best Makeup Blogs! Have a look here! There are some incredible blogs on that list. It's very humbling