Tuesday 12 February 2013

And the winner is.........................part one

Yes, it's BAFTA time again here in the UK and, as always, there are a stream of gorgeous ladies sashaying down the red-carpet, with makeup looks we can all draw inspiration from for our own special occasions (although there may not be awards given/received at our nights out!)

This week I'm sharing my tips on how to achieve some of the key looks from our BAFTA beauties this year.

Let's start with...............................

Anne Hathaway




                                                                                      Photo by GETTY

Anne's complexion is perfectly porcelain here, with very little colour on the cheeks, a softly defined look to the eyes and brows and the main colour statement here is those gorgeous raspberry lips.

Complexion is key here so be sure to prepare well. For this kind of look I'd advise my client to use a hydrating  face masque such as Lancome Hydra Intense to plump out any dehydration lines and give a beautifully soft finish to the skin.
Use a foundation base such as Shu Uemura Brightening UV underbase mousse SPF30, before foundation to smooth and add light to the skin. It's also amazing for keeping makeup fresh looking....virtually for ever!
Use a foundation brush to apply a foundation with a radiant, matt finish such as Diorskin Forever, apply concealer then finish with a light dusting of powder to set the look even further - plus if you choose the right powder, it can leave your complexion looking soft as a peach! I love Armani Luminous Silk Powder. It's a compact (not usually best for setting makeup) but the texture is like stroking your face with a cloud!
To copy Anne's celestial radiance, I'd also apply a fine amount of illuminating powder across the skin to polish the overall look. I've been polishing everyone with Kevyn Aucoin Celestial powder in Candlelight since I bought it but if you want something with more of a porcelain finish, check out Bobbi Brown Brightening Finishing Powder - Porcelain Pearl.
Cheeks wise, keep it natural with a matt powder blush. Apply slightly back from the plumpest part of your cheeks, blending upwards to the temple. I'd go for something like Bobbi Brown Blush in Nude Peach (new shade).

So, eyes. Here we have a softly, smoky look, with a stronger line in the inner rim of the eye to make them appear more captivating. The colour palette is neutral, in that it mainly consists of cream and chocolate brown with a little taupe to define the socket line. To recreate this at home, start with a good quality brown khol eye pencil - for me, you can't beat Lancome. Soften the khol by scribbling on the back of your hand, this will make application easier and give it a more intense colour. Line above the top lashes quite thickly and very finely under bottom lashes too. Line the inner rims at this point too. Smudge this either with your finger, if you have a light touch (you don't want to rub it back of again!!) or if not, with a smallish brush.
Next, define the socket line with a matt, taupe shadow. The easiest way to do this is by loading the brush by dipping the tip of the brush only into the eyeshadow, removing any excess on the back of your hand (better there than all over your face!) then look directly ahead into a mirror. The area just above your actual crease is where you want to shade to give the illusion of bigger, wider eyes. Lift your brows slightly, so that you can still see where you should be applying, then pop the brush into the crease and swish backwards and forwards, being careful not to take the colour too far into the inner or outer corners. Brush any excess on the brush under your lower lashes to set and soften the khol.
Does anyone like to use fingers with their eyeshadow? I love to! Especially with highly pigmented colours, using your fingers gives you more control and allows you to build the intensity beautifully. Another great thing about fingers is that there's always a clean one at hand to smudge away mistakes! Generally the ring finger is best for application, so dab the pad of your finger onto a gorgeous dark chocolate brown shadow. An absolute must-have, multi-purpose product I have in my kit is Trish McEvoy Eye Define/Eye Liner in Rich Brown. You can mail order this from Harvey Nichols or Selfridges.
Start by applying the colour onto the middle of the movable eyelid (the bit from the lash line up to the crease) and pat/smudge outwards then inwards to each corner, picking up more colour from the palette if necessary.
Then switch to a medium sized blending brush and swish backwards and forwards in the crease to blend the two shades together. Finish with a light, matt ivory shade under the brow, or you could use a little highlighting concealer there instead.
Finish off with a couple of coats of a lash building mascara then, when it's dry, go for glamour with a pair of falsies! For strip lashes, I'm a big fan of Red Cherry and Ardelle. I get mine from www.BuyEyelashes.co.uk, excellent products, excellent service and excellent prices. Must, must, MUST treat yourself to some DUO lash adhesive too - if it's good enough for Kim Kardashian, it's good enough for us!

Finishing with lips, moisturise them really well in the hours leading up to you getting ready. Dry, cracked, wintry lips look pretty terrible in any colour never mind an attention grabbing bright shade such as the one Anne is wearing here! Line lips softly, you don't need harsh lines here, a light plummy shade will work well. Dab on your lip colour straight from the bullet, keep pressing lips together as you build the intensity to give a more lived-in look. Lancome Rouge in Love lipcolour in 377N Midnight Rose would be great for this.

Et voila! Ready for the red-carpet.........................or the local pub!

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