April Update

Easter seems a long time ago now as I sit writing this....I definitely had a chocolate filled Easter! My lovely husband brought me a three layer box of my favourite Leonidas chocolate's. We spent the holiday decorating our bedroom in pale duck egg blue shades (see pictures below).

April was a good month mostly due to the weather at last the UK saw some sunshine which was so long overdue.

This month I have been a little obsessed with heated eyelash curlers trying to make the most of my short fair lashes. It has also been a monumental beauty month as at the ripe old age of 33 I decided it was time to start using a face serum! I opted for the long established favourite Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair and I have to say my skin has visibly showed a brighter clarity almost immediately.

It has been a busy month with wedding season in full swing now so lots of brides to beautify as well as bridal trial runs, make up lessons, and photo shoots. I also spent an informative training day at Dermalogica HQ and received lots of fab' Dermalogica goodies for my kit (see training day pic' below).


Thrilled to say I have just been awarded 'Best Make up Artist Hertfordshire' in The Wedding Industry Experts Awards 2013 and I am now ranked top 20 in the world! See my work at www.nikimakeup.co.uk

Focus on lashes

With all the focus on lash treatments such as LVL (lengthen, volume, lift), lash perming and permanent false lash application I thought I would share some less severe and less damaging options.

Mascara...I usually opt for less expensive brands of mascara as it has a very short shelf life once opened (3 months max). Maybelline, Max Factor and Loreal all do very good ones. If you prefer a more luxury brand Lancôme, Dior and Benefit offer great options.

I recommend applying 2-3 coats of mascara. To help separate and lengthen lashes wiggle the brush in a zig zag motion from root to tip. I suggest applying mascara to the bottom lashes first to avoid getting mascara on your eyelids when you look up slightly to do the bottom lashes.

Curling lashes....
I always curl my eyelashes and highly recommend to most women that I meet. If you are using metal or plastic lash curlers use these before you apply mascara to add curl at the root of the lash which in turn opens the eyes. Don't be scared they look more scary than they actually are! Hold the curler open and position close to the lash root then shut and squeeze for approximately 20 seconds. I like to pulse open and shut as I find I achieve a better result, find which method works best for you.

Body shop do very good eyelash curlers as do MAC but if you have the cash to blow on your beauty budget opt for Shu Uemura, a cult favourite.

Another lash curling option is to use a heated eyelash curler, this you press at the root of the lashes and gently lift through to achieve a curl. Heated lash curlers are best used after mascara is applied as the mascara when heated acts as a curling catalyst. I favour the Japonesque heated curler available at John Lewis £12.50.

False lashes...
Apply lashes if you really need extra wow or maybe for a special occasion or night out.
I highly recommend individual lashes or corner lashes for a more natural effect. Corner lashes will be easier to apply as individuals are a bit more tricky applying to yourself. I always recommend DUO adhesive, this is a glue suitable for sensitive skin that really keeps lashes in place without being permanent. Purchase DUO adhesive at MAC cosmetics.
I usually apply a little glue to the back of my hand, pick up the lash with a pair of tweezers, dab into the glue and apply as close to the root of your own lashes as possible for a natural finish.

I hope this has helped you with a few new lash techniques to try.

Splurge & Steal Beauty!

Here are some of my personal favourite beauty best buys for any budget.

Splurge Lancôme Definicils mascara £22.00
Steal Barry M Lash Vegas mascara £6.49

Splurge Lancôme Bi-facil waterproof non-oily instant eye make up remover £21.00
Steal Loreal Paris Dermo-Expertise Absolute make-up remover eye and lip £4.99

Splurge OPI Nail colours £11.50
Steal Barry M Nail colours £3.99

Splurge MAC spice lip pencil £11.50
Steal No.7 nude lip pencil £6.75

Splurge Dior top coat gel mani £18.00
Steal Barry M nail Gelly high shine £3.99

Splurge Shu Uemura Eyelash curlers £20.00
Steal Body Shop Eyelash curlers £5.00

Splurge MAC 130 short duo fibre brush £29.00
Steal Real Techniques stippling brush £11.99

Splurge Bobbi Brown BB cream SPF 35 £28.00
Steal Loreal Nude Magique BB cream £9.99

March Update

March has been very busy!  I have had shoots for magazine's including 'Glamour', shot in a studio in London and 'Bon Marche' shot on location in Margate.  A day spent shooting website and advertising images for Asquith Yoga also in a London studio. I have been lucky enough to work with a few celeb's this month too including Adam Hills, Jerry Hall, Michael Parkinson (he had his own Make-up artist), Kevin McCloud, and Professor Brian Cox.. As well as a lot of wedding trials, wedding make up's, special occasion make up's and make-up lessons. Phew!  I am definitely ready for an early Easter break!

For Mothers day I took my fabulous mum for a lovely champagne afternoon tea at Sopwell house followed by some shopping in St Albans.  It has been absolutely freezing and unbelievably we have had yet more snow at the end of March, so lots of cold winter walks with my doggies who absolutely love the snow and a lot of film nights this month snuggled in the warm by the fire.

Easter is going to be spent decorating as for the first time in year's I actually do not have any work booked in so I will be happily swapping my make-up brushes for paintbrushes!

Asquith Yoga shoot.

Middy x

Butter wouldn't melt!

Lucas.

Filming at The Charlotte Street Hotel.

Asquith Yoga shoot behind the scenes.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Easter break and thank you for supporting my blog do please follow if you haven't already.

Niki x


For all make-up enquiries please email nikimakeup@aol.com

My Top Ten Beauty products it would be hard to live without!

1 GHD Hair straighteners, enough said already!

2 Heat protecting styling spray, my current favourite is by Elnett.

3 Creme De La Mer moisturising cream, the only cream to rid my eczema.

4 Mascara. My favourites are Lancome Defincils and Max Factor Masterpiece.

5 MAC Studio finish Concealer, a must have!

6 Bronze eye shadow, my colour of choice.  MAC and Nars both do great ones.

7 MAC Lipstick, keeps my lips hydrated and protected plus a healthy pop of colour.

8 Body shop Cocoa Butter, keeps my skin super soft and hydrated.

9 Mavadry by Mavala, marvellous product that dries nail polish in seconds with a high shine.

10 Nail polish, I have to wear it! Favourites are OPI, Champneys, Barry M and Nails Inc.

A recent shoot...

On a bitterly cold Sunday at the end of February I did hair and make-up for a fashion shoot at the beautiful Wrest Park in Bedfordshire.

This story has a 1930's feel and sees the glamorous turn into the distressed.

Photography Stephen Gunn

Styling Natasha Irons

Model Larissa Goldner @ Nevs

Below are some of the final images.

www.nikimakeup.com

February Update

February has been a busy and fun filled month for me! It was my hubbie's birthday so we treated ourselves to a holiday in Vegas(as you do!). We had an absolutely amazing time, it is definitely an experience I recommend and such a surreal place, I felt like I was on a movie set most of the time. Whilst there we saw a couple of great show's 'La Reve' a fabulous Cirque Du Soleil style show with unbelievable aqua acrobatics.  We also went to see Rod Stewart at the Colosseum at Ceasar's, this was the highlight of the trip for me, he gave an outstanding performance.  We ate at two of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants which were both great as was the buffet breakfast at the Bellagio (not to be missed). We did a lot of shopping as it is so much cheaper than the UK as well as a lot of walking around all the spectacular hotels. My favourite hotel's were the Bellagio, where we stayed, Ceasars Palace and The Venetian. The 'Warhol Out West' exhibition at the Bellagio was another highlight as were the famous Bellagio fountains and a gondola ride at the Venetian hotel.  We returned from glorious sunny, warm days to freezing cold England and yet even more snow!

Work has seen numerous wedding make-up trials ahead of weddings over the coming months. February also saw my first wedding of the year on the 23rd at The Manor of Groves hotel in Sawbridgeworth.  It was cold and snowing very lightly but was a fresh, bright day perfect for a winter wedding.
I also helped at an event at Sopwell House in St. Albans for a client team building day, it was a lot of fun.  I basically had to do glamorous hair and make-up in five minutes, yes you read that correctly five minutes!  I did this five times during the afternoon throughout a presentation being given by two presenters.  It was a really fun challenge and we were all really pleased with the results.
I also did a test shoot for some new portfolio shots on a freezing cold Sunday at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, possibly the coldest place in the UK that particular day. My hair-dryer was very handy for defrosting fingers and toes! Images from this shoot will be posted soon.


February was also filled with some of my favourite days of the year Pancake day, Valentines day and the sixteen year anniversary of meeting my husband so all in all a busy February!

X