A recent Luton Hoo wedding

At the beginning of August I did  bridal make up for Huda, her mother and three bridesmaids at the stunning Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire (www.lutonhoo.co.uk).

Suzanne and Andre from Belle Momenti (www.bellemomenti.com) did the wonderful wedding photography documenting Huda's special day.

I kept Huda's make up very natural. Glowing skin was achieved using Chanel Vitalumiere foundation and complimented with a touch of Nars cream blush in 'Orgasm'.  Natural brown toned eye shadows all from MAC were used to define the eyes and a soft pink from MAC in shade 'Bare again' was applied to the lips. The addition of some individual lashes from Ardell completed this elegant bridal look.

"I am so very pleased that I asked Niki to do my make- up for my wedding. 
I had seen Niki's work on a bridal photo shoot and was really impressed with her talent; so I just had to book a trial with her! Niki's friendly manner during the trial made it very easy to talk to her about what I wanted (and what I didn't want!). She offered me expert advice and gave me the exact look I was aiming for on my big day. 
On the day of the wedding, she provided a great atmosphere of calm, which immediately settled my nerves. Niki worked quickly and with excellent skill, making us (bridesmaids, mother and myself) look (and feel) really fabulous! The make- up lasted the entire day, too. 
Niki is an amazing, talented artist and I will definitely be recommending her to any future brides. 
Thanks again, Niki."  Huda Al Haddad.

For further information on bridal make up please see www.nikimakeup.co.uk and for photography enquiries please see www.bellemomenti.com.

A wedding at South Farm

Recently I was at the gorgeous South Farm (www.south-farm.co.uk) in Royston for Angela's wedding. I applied make up and individual lashes to Angela plus her three bridesmaids and Jaydean at www.hairbyjaydean.com styled the hair into beautiful up do's.
It started off a beautiful sunny day but we did unfortunately have rain while we were getting the bridal party ready. It certainly did not dampen everyone's spirits for the day though as it is to be expected in the UK!

South Farm is such a quirky, different venue a great choice for any bride and groom currently searching for the perfect venue. Guests can even choose to stay in restored gypsy painted caravans for a real outdoors fun experience after the partying ends.
It is also a lovely journey to get there all through narrow country lanes with acres of stunning fields surrounding you South farm is set in what feels like the middle of nowhere and the drive into the farm itself along a tree lined long drive is stunning. This brings me to the bride Angela who looked gorgeous in her fitted lace fishtail dress complete with sparkly Jimmy Choo heels!
Angela's make up and hair was classic and timeless with soft smokey eyes and lots of individual lashes to add fullness to her natural lash. Jaydean effortlessly swept Angela's hair up cleanly into an elegant, smooth up do.
Angela made my job easy and it was lovely to be involved in her wedding day. X

Mavala MAVA-WHITE for yellow nails!

It is not very often I come across a really fabulous product that gives instant results so I had to share this one!

MAVA-WHITE Optical nail whitener by Mavala comes in a 10ml glass bottle complete with application brush.

It is recommended for yellow/discoloured nails, due to specific pigments that react to the UV light.

MAVA-WHITE can be worn alone to make nails appear whiter.  It  is also a great choice for men if they are concerned about the appearance of their nails ie. if they are stained due to nicotine as it has a matt finish.

It is perfect worn over base coat before applying a natural nail colour, a french manicure or simply a topcoat.

My nails looked instantly whiter this will be a staple item for me from now on that I highly recommend.

Available online at Amazon.

My Exfoliation tips for healthy, radiant skin.

Exfoliation in simple steps to achieve healthy, glowing skin...

Set aside time for yourself, it maybe at the weekend or simply when you are in the shower.

Invest or make a scrub to exfoliate your skin, apply the product using a sponge, glove or cloth.

Try to opt for a natural scrub containing ingredients such as salt, sugar, apricot and oatmeal rather than chemical ones that include acids.

Start at your feet and work up the body in gentle circular motions, pay particular attention to heels, knees and elbows. Be cautious on sensitive areas such as the neck and use a separate exfoliator for the face as these are designed to be gentler.

After exfoliating always moisturise with your favourite moisturiser to achieve glowing and hydrated skin.

Exfoliate once or twice a week, preferably in the morning as skin re news itself at night.  If old skin cells are not removed pores can easily clog which can cause breakouts.

Products I Love to use include Dermalogica daily microfoliant, this is a unique rice based enzyme powder with no colour or fragrance and Aveda smoothing body polish which contains aloe, lavender, walnut shells and herbal extracts.

Hippos have sensitive skin too!

Now I have your attention interestingly Hippos all over the world are actually very sensitive to sunburn so they secrete a slime(a natural sunscreen substance) that protects their skin against the suns rays. The secretion is both red and orange in colour eventually turning brown.

My wedding make up.

I recently got married in sunny Spain, I thought I would share with you the skincare and make up brands I chose to wear on my wedding day.

My skincare regime included moisturising my face with Creme de la mer oil free moisturising lotion, a light lotion that I have favoured for many years now. I used the Creme de la mer eye balm in conjunction with this after I was converted many years ago after it miraculously rid my Eczema.

Before applying make up I applied Clarins beauty flash balm to instantly achieve glowing skin and make my make up last throughout the heat and a lot of dancing!

My foundation of choice was MAC Face and Body in shade C2, this feels very light and natural to wear especially in a hot climate and ultimately lasts the duration. Concealer was MAC Studio finish in shades NC20 and NC30 mixed together, a concealer I have used myself and in my kit for many, many years!  Under my eyes I used a little YSl touche eclat, to finish I set my base using MAC Blot powder in shade medium dark.

For my eyebrows I used Bobbi Brown shadow in shade Blonde brushed softly through my brows to define the shape and clear brow gel from NO.7 to set.  To achieve soft, bronzed smokey eyes I used Urban Decay primer potion in shade Eden as a base to even the skin tone on my eyelid and to ensure my eye make up would last. I next applied Benefit cream shadow in shade Birthday suit on the lower lid blended towards the crease with an urban decay powder eye colour on top. This colour was from an urban decay palette I have actually had for a while and never used but loved the colour when seeking the perfect champagne shade, which I can tell you even for a make up artist was incredibly hard! I spent many hours at make up counters testing colours to find the colour I really wanted. In the eye socket I blended two Nars shades from the Isolde duo and Mulch from MAC.  To define around the lash line I used MAC shadow in Bark and blended with MAC cork shadow to soften.  I finished with MAC Nylon shadow to highlight my brow bone.
I used Bobbi Brown Black gel eye liner to define my eyes which I applied under the eyelid as well as on top, I also applied a Lancome Kohl pencil into the rim of my eye as it was an evening wedding I felt this was acceptable.  I finished with a few coats of Lancome Defincils waterproof black mascara and a few clusters of Ardell individual lashes to make my lashes a little longer and fluttery at the outer corner of my eyes.

I used Dior Bronze compact powder bronzer in shade Honey tan to give a enhanced glow to my skin as well as Daniel Sandler watercolour creme bronzer in shade Riviera to subtly contour my cheekbones and nose.  For blusher I opted for Benefit Cha Cha tint as I knew this would last and is a great feel good summer colour.  I used YSL limited edition golden touch highlighter for the face to highlight my cheekbones, cupid bow and inner corners of my eyes.

I used a MAC lip pencil in shade subculture to define my lip shape and filled in with a brand new lipstick Rouge d'Armani sheers by Georgio Armani in shade 302, a beautiful sheer red. I used a Clarins colour quench lip balm on top which was a mini free sample and did not have a name on the tube but was a beautiful subtle peach tone.

All brushes used were by MAC, Bobbi Brown and real Techniques.

Photograph supplied by David Toms
http://www.davidtoms-weddings.com/



















For bridal make up services in Souhern Spain please see www.marbellamakeup.com
and for services in the UK www.nikimakeup.co.uk