Beauty hygiene tips:

Are you guilty of holding on to your favourite cosmetic and using it until the bitter end? Do you own a cracked broken compact? Using an old dried out mascara? Own an embarassing dirty make-up bag? If any of these sound familiar you might like to read on…

Clean make-up brushes and beautifying tools such as eyelash curlers and tweezers with an antibacterial hand wash/shampoo and warm water. Place some cleaning product in the palm of your hand, hold each brush under warm water then work bristles into the cleaning product until the brush is free of all make-up. Rinse and shape the brush so the hairs are not splayed, dry on the edge of a work surface so the air can circulate the brush head.

Sponges and puffs can be cleaned in the same way. Regularly clean make-up bags with a household cleaner and sponge or if suitable place in a washing machine. Foundation, concealer, cream blush and lip brushes should be cleaned after every use. Make-up will “go off” on brushes over night. For speed, invest in a brush cleanser which you can use daily. Pour onto a paper towel and gently wipe your make-up brush through until clean. I recommend MAC Brush Cleanser £8.00.

Never share cosmetics or brushes this transmits bacteria and can cause infections. Keep cosmetics in a dry area away from direct sunlight/heat as this will breed bacteria and lessen the products shelf life. If you want to help products last longer a great tip is to keep any cream/liquid cosmetics in a refrigerator. See the published shelf life printed onto the back of all beauty products. The product will show a small symbol of an open jar with a number i.e. ‘12M’ showing how many months until the product expires. Use common sense if something doesn’t look or smell right throw it away.

Below is a general guide to the shelf life of products:
Mascara 3-6 months: Mascara has the shortest shelf life as bacteria live in our lashes so the moment the mascara wand touches the lashes, bacteria is transferred to the product tube or to the other eye. Bacteria thrive in dark warm environments, within six months a mascara tube will be over run with bacteria.

Concealer: 6-12 months.
Gel/liquid liners: 12-18 months.
Foundation: Up to 12 months for water based/oil free as these tend to dry out quicker and up to 18 months for oil/silicone based.

Creams: (blushers/highlighters/shadows) 12-18 months

Lipsticks and glosses: 1-2 years

Powders: (blusher/bronzer/face powder) 2 years

Eye shadows: Up to 3 years

Eye and lip pencils: Up to 3 years

Beauty tips Spring / summer 2010

Spring clean your make-up bag! It is time to chuck out the foundation, ditch the powder blusher and bury the black eyeliner.

Fashion Update:

The new spring/summer looks include:

-Red intense lips
-A fresh illuminated face
-Delicate pastel eyes
-Bold bright colours


A word on colour:

Be inspired by strong spring colours….think bluebells, buttercups and roses….Pastel colours are back, choose from a wide array of lilacs, lavenders, soft pinks and peaches. However, the hottest colour for spring/summer 2010 is Turquoise. A colour that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion. Other spring/summer colours include eighties inspired bright candy pinks and oranges.

Nails:

If you are drawn to a colour but don’t feel confident wearing it on your face, wear it on your nails instead! Choose from bright pinks, corals, blues, greens, lavenders or softer pastel shades.

I recommend applying O.P.I Start to Finish Base and Topcoat for outstanding shine and longwearing colour.

Splurge:Chanel Le Vernis: 507 tendresse /orange fizz (peachy shades, £16).

Steal: Essie have great spring shades including tart deco, neo whimsical, mint candy apple and lilacism (£9.00).

Highly recommended: Barry M (In Style Beauty awards winner of ‘Best inexpensive Nail polish Range 2009’). Choose from mint green, fuchsia, pink flamingo, and acid yellow (£2.95)


Cheeks:

Keep cheeks fresh and youthful by opting for shades of coral. If you like defined cheekbones you can use a little bronzing powder under the cheekbone to sculpt. Apply blusher to the apples of the cheeks. Use fingertips to blend, pat the colour gently, never rub! Choose cream or liquid blusher to achieve a natural summer glow. I recommend Daniel Sandler water colour blusher £11.00 Lover (bright pink) and spicey (peach). Available at Harrods Urban Retreat. I love
Bobbi Brown Pot rouge for lips and cheeks (Winner of the Instyle beauty award for ‘Best cream Blusher 2010’) Shade: Cabo coral £16.50 Cabana corals Collection achieves a great peachy fresh glow. For a shimmering “wow factor” dust a little Bobbi Brown Nectar shimmer brick onto face and décolletage (£29) to complete your look.

Lips:

For a bright pout go for a matte red. I like MAC Ruby Woo Lipstick £12.50. Apply a similar shade of lip pencil to create a perfect lip. It is easier to draw with a lip pencil if you brush a little concealer over the edges of the lips beforehand to define the lips.
For a natural lip, try new Givenchy Printed Lips in shade ‘Pink Impression’. This felt tip pen creates perfectly drawn lips that are hydrated and tinted with healthy radiance (Limited edition £16). I also recommend Bobbi brown’s new eye and lip palette (£48), this set contains a set of modern wearable fresh coral shades.


Base:

The spring/summer look is all about keeping skin looking natural, glowy and radiantly sun kissed. Skin should look illuminated. I recommend using Laura Mercier tinted Bronzing gel or a tinted moisturizer. Next apply a little concealer with a synthetic hair brush where you need a little extra coverage. Always apply concealer after using a tinted moisturizer as you want to be very precise for a flawless finish. Go very lightly on the powder. I like to use a little MAC Mineralise skinfinish natural pressed powder available in 8 shades £18.Keep make-up ultra fresh by using Evian mist (available at Boots) this will fix make-up in place and achieve a dewy finish. Compliment this look with great eyelashes achieved using metal eyelash curlers. Hold curlers in place for about twenty seconds, I like to pulse them a little as well by simply gently releasing every few seconds. Find a mascara that suits your lashes and apply two or three coats. I adore the new Givenchy Phenomen Eyes Mascara which has an innovative new design (spherical brush) which reaches everywhere to achieve spectacular results (£23). For those on a budget try a similar Loreal telescopic Explosion Mascara (£9.99).


Eyes:

Always apply an eye base/primer to the eyelids before eye shadow to keep eye make-up fresh and crease resistant all day long. My firm favourite is MAC Eye paint in Untitled.

I like to think there are no rules with make-up but having said that if you have green eyes generally lilacs and pinks look great, blue eyes usually suit corals and bronzes and brown eyes look good in most colours, particularly green.

For a natural look sweep a pastel shade over the lid blending into the eye socket. Team with a fresh pink or soft coral on the lips and cheeks for a pretty day look. I like Daniel Sandler Eye shadow 5A15 (pastel turquoise) £10. If you love the new bright colours at the moment apply the colour over the lid and blend well in to the eye socket. Brush a slightly lighter shade over the edges of the brighter colour to achieve a well blended professional finish. I love MAC Eye shadow Aquadisiac (£11.00). Barry M Dazzle dust in teal and yellow (£4.50) are also great bargain buys. If you are worried about wearing a bright shadow try using a bright colour as an eye liner along the lash line to get a hint of the shade. Choose either a gel or pencil or opt for eye shadow applied with an angled brush (I like Mac #266 brush). If you have time apply a wash of a lighter colour on the lid. For example a bright turquoise liner works well with a softer version of the same shade on the lid blended well into the socket.

In need of a little extra help then why not book a personal/group make-up lesson with me and save 20% when you mention my blog!

Niki Stannett Freelance Make-up Artist
www.nikimakeup.com

INSPIRE:Behind the scenes at a photoshoot...

December 2009:

My Kit open and ready for action!

Model Hannah @Premier

The first Look.

The second Look

Look three Rockchick!

Next up an American concept.

Model Shea @ Premier

Shea working the look!

INSPIRE:FACE CHART ART

I was rooting around in the loft the other day looking for christmas decorations when I found some of my old face charts that I had done in my days as a Resident trainer for MAC cosmetics. I thought I would post them as you may find them interesting...

IN THE NEWS:THE INTERVIEW!

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
There are too many things to mention them all!I am definitely inspired by other artists works and creations as well as all the creatives I meet and work with.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE ARTIST?
Henri Matisse is my favourite artist. I especially like work from his fauvist period and the intensity of colour and line that he uses in his paintings.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MAKE-UP STYLE?
Flawless, natural and soft make-up,yet smokey, sultry and sexy to create the wow factor!

DO YOU HAVE A BEAUTY ICON?
My beautiful mother of course, many years have been spent watching her beautifying!She is both beautiful on the inside and out and continues to astound me...

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MAKE-UP TECHNIQUE?
I love to use MAC eyepaint as an eyebase before eyeshadow, buffing a small amount across the entire eyelid. Using an eyebase is so important to achieve long lasting true colour eyeshadow by evening out the skintone on the lid and providing a perfectly primed blank surface to add colour.

WHAT ARE YOUR BEAUTY NO-NO'S?
-Sharing make-up argh! just no!
-Botox and surgery for the sake of beauty- definitely not!
-Bad beauty hygiene that includes sleeping with make-up on, and keeping dirty, old products and cosmetic purses.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BEST MAKE-UP MOMENT?
Assisting Val Garland at the 'Armani One Night Only' show was a memorable experience, especially meeting Mr.Armani himself!

WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MAKE-UP MEMORY?
Playing dress up at about age four!I remember something involving a plastic toy telephone(present from my auntie), high-heels and lots of blue eye shadow!

DO YOU HAVE A GENERAL BEAUTY BELIEF?
Believe it or not we can all benefit from a few light touches of make-up!

ANY TOP TIPS?
-Invest in a good set of make-up brushes. They do a lot of the hard work for you and as long as you keep them clean, and look after them they will last you forever.
-Look after your hands, moisturise them daily as they will show your age in the future.
-Always use an eye base for flawless eyeshadow and a perfect skintone.
-A dab of highlighter at the inner and outer corner of the eyes really wakes the eyes up! If you are feeling tired, its a great one for brightening the eye.

INSPIRE:ROBERT LONGO

I recently was in Nice, France on holiday and I was fortunate enough to visit the Musee d'Art moderne et d'Art contemporain. Luckily for us they had an amazing exhibitition from the Artist Robert Longo whose work I had not followed until now. The exhibition runs from June 27-November 29 2009 if you do get a chance to visit you will not be disappointed.

Robert Longo was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1953, he still lives and works in New York to this day. His wife is the German actress Barbara Sukowa whom he married in 1994. Longo had a childhood fascination with mass media which is a great influence in his work. Most of his works are done with charcoal and graphite, interestingly, and drawing remains his favourite form of self-expression. His many works are both diverse and important. Installations, photographs, sculptures, drawings as well as his music, video and film have all had a huge impact. He is well-versed in history and cultural categories. His drawings, sculptures and films provide an essential contribution to what one can call "the historical paintings of our time". He became famous in the 1980's for his "Men in the Cities" scenes, which showed sharply dressed businessmen writhing in contorted emotion.
He has had major retrospective exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1989, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago in 1990 and a touring exhibition throughout Japan in 1995. The 1989 catalogue referred to Longo "As one of the most provocative artists in the US". During the 1980's he also directed several music videos including New Order's "Bizarre love triangle" and "The One I Love" by R.E.M. He also directed the cyberpunk movie Johnny Mnemonic, starring Keanu Reeves.

He always wears black. Anyone who enters his light-filled, loft-style workspace in Manhattan can see that wearing black is more to do with his art than anything else. The air is thick with dust from the pieces of charcoal, graphite and black crayons he uses and it settles on absolutely everything. It is no wonder he now presents his works behind glass as soon as it leaves his studio headed for exhibitions and collections.

A truely inspiring artist! His attention to detail is phenomenal, his drawings have an almost photographic quality. Its near unbelieveable to conceive his great works are created out of simple charcoal and graphite.

Robert Longo is certainly one of my favourite contemporary artists.

See a video of Longo on tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgXr9TfuXow

Past and present: Serge Lutens

First up in niki's new make-up vault is Serge Lutens.

Serge Lutens was born in 1942 in Lille, France. At the age of fourteen he was taken on as an apprentice in a hair salon in Lille. Here, as well as being a hairdresser he experimented with photography and make-up using his friends to pose as models. In 1962 at the young age of just twenty he moved to Paris and began working with the prestigious French Vogue. He was hired to create make-up, hair and jewellery. During the 1960's he went on to collaborate with great photographers including Richard Avedon, Bob Richardson, Helmut Newton and Irving Penn and of course, he partied hard with the Paris smart-set.

In 1967 Christian Dior commissioned him to create a line of cosmetics. Christian Dior make-up was soon breaking new ground with such bold colours and Lutens quickly became very well-respected. In 1968, Lutens was holidaying in the south of France taking a well-earned break from creating his make-up line for Christian Dior. He took a sailing boat to Morocco, he followed his nose to Marrakesh falling in love with the smell of the souk. At the tender age of 26 he told himself it would be magnificent to re-create this fragrant scent, and so, a perfumer was born.

Lutens went on to be a well regarded photographer and film maker. His 1973 series of photographs inspired by artists Claude Monet, Georges-Pierre Seurat, Pablo Picasso and Amedo Modigliani was shown at The Guggenheim Museum, New York. During the mid-seventies he directed two short art films 'Les stars'(1974) and 'Suaire'(1976), both of these were shown at the Cannes film festival. To many people Lutens is most well known for his advertising work with the cosmetics brand Shiseido. The brand hired Lutens in 1980 as Creative and Art director to develop their range. During the 1980's he shot various advertising campaigns and films and designed make-up and packaging. He persuaded Shiseido to let him produce perfumes and he hasn't looked back since. His business is still owned by shiseido today. He masterminded some of shiseido's most iconic scents including 'Nombre Noir' in 1982.

In 1992 Lutens conceived and designed 'Les salons de Palais Royal', a house of perfume. During the nineties he launched a range of scents including cult classic Ambre Sultan. In 2000 he launched his own brand 'Parfums Beaute Serge Lutens' sold exclusively in prestigious locations around the world. For consecutive years between 2001 and 2004 he was awarded the 'Fifi award' for best original concept. Most recently in 2008 he launched his own relatively small cosmetics line 'Neccessaire de Beaute Serge Lutens', this was created with shiseido. Products come in chic black, laquered packaging with an expensive price tag sold exclusively at Harvey Nichols, London and Barney's, New York.

Today Lutens,67, resides in Marrakesh, Morocco.