M.A.C. Master-class at London Fashion Week 2012

Back in February I was very lucky to get invited by M·A·C to attend a special make up master-class at London Fashion week! I've never been to a fashion week before so even just walking around the fashion week grounds at Somerset House in London felt really cool. 

As the official makeup sponsor of London Fashion week 2012 M·A·C had their own suite set up for us to enjoy breakfast, browse around their new collections and get to see Pablo Rodriguez, MAC's senior makeup artist, recreate a catwalk look from start to finish.

Me with my exhibition pass, feeling pretty 'cool' ;)

Self portrait and goody bags!

The look that Pablo was going to show us was designed especially for Stephanie Rolland Spring 2012 show as seen on the runway at the Haute Couture Paris Fashion week.

This is definitely not your every-day kind of makeup! It's a very dramatic winged smokey eye but I think the look really suited the collection which contained a colour palette of black, white, red and lime green and where silhouettes were kept simple with highly sculptural and exaggerated flounces.

This is model Yasmin Le Bon closing the show wearing a blood-red gown that weighed over 45kg!

OK now to the look.... Pablo started using M·A·C Studio Sculpt foundation which he stippled on with a M·A·C 188 brush, then he dabbed Select Cover-Up Concealer under the eyes to conceal dark circles and then he set the base with Blot Powder using the M·A·C 168 brush.

The model looking very fresh faced ;)

For the eyes he lined both the waterline and upper inner lashline with Feline eyeliner. He then pressed M·A·C Fluidline Eyeliner in Blacktrack (one my favourite products) all over the eyelids and blended it out with the 224 brush.

To achieve the dramatic look as seen on the runway he applied M·A·C Pro Acrylic Paint in black with a mascara brush to create a feathered, paint 'splattered' effect and the lashes got a layer of MAC False Lashes mascara. To finish off the face he applied a new contouring creme with his fingers under the cheekbones and the cheeks received a lovely gentle flush of colour with M·A·C Pink Swoon blush. The final touch was a nude pink gloss on the lips in the form of MAC Lipglass in Underage. As you can see it was all really about the eyes with this look by keeping the rest of the makeup very simple! 

TADA the finished look. I love this edgy winged smokey eye!

It was really cool to see such a special look created up close and Pablo was truly amazing and answered all our questions :) Sometimes catwalk makeup can look very complicated but when you get taken through the steps you can realise it is not actually always that hard! I left feeling the master class feeling super inspired and passionate about makeup. 

Thank you very much M·A·C for my lovely London Fashion Week experience ♥ xoxo

M.A.C Autumn/Winter 2011 Trends Recap

MAC has just released a their Autumn/Winter 2011 trends recap.
In the recap they provide summaries and images on the key beauty trends that emerged from the AW11 season, details of the key products were used to create these looks, quotes from key makeup artists on inspiration and more! 

Here are two of my favourite trends from the recap:

The 'Mod-Ernist' Trend is the sixties look through modern eyes. Think beige, think lashes, think a little bit mod and feline. Flawless featherlight foundation, highlighters, super sheer powders and gloss, gloss gloss (looking lovely and luminous all-over) Love the lip shade from the Chloe show, the combination of glossy orange eyes with bubblegum pink lips in Donna Karan and the sexy mod flicks on the Behnaz Sarafpour models.

Amber to grey (and every shade of rust, rose, sand, bark, lavender and burnt gold in between). It's all about a palette of twilight shades, applied in stains and washes. Softer-edged makeup but still cool and contemporary. Bold lips and bold brow combo for Hakaan is stunning and love the rust and purple smokey eye on the Norman Ambrose model.

I love reading about the lastest makeup trends from the world of fashion to find inspiration for my daily make up looks! Do you? Check out the full recap by MAC here! xoxo

NARS Runway Trends & Summer 2011 Collection

Recently I attended an event by NARS showcasing the Autumn Winter 2011 Runway Trends and the looks created by some of NARS's best makeup artists. See a selection of the looks below!

From left to right: 

Show: Honor - Trend: Graphic Eyes 

Show: Marc Jacobs - Trend: Blushed cheeks and lined eye

Show: House of Waris - Trend: Lined eyes with a hint of color, complemented by sun-kissed skin 

Show: 3.1 Phillip Lim - Trend:Theatrical eyes

Show: Mandy Coon - Trend: Art-deco “inside out-lined” eyes

Show: Thakoon - Trend: Tribal eyes and muted lips 

As much as I love this bold style of runway makeup, they can be a little unwearable for everyday people like you and me. However I really liked the simpleness of the Honor, Marc Jacobs and House of Waris looks!

Also on display at the event was NARS's new 2011 Summer Collection! Created by NARS Founder and Creative Director François Nars, collection is a range of warm, sophisticated, shimmering shades, punctuated with shots of vivid, nature-defying color. Eyes are washed in icy sea foam, silver-green and frozen turquoise. Lips are infused with mandarin orange gloss and hot pink matte color. The look is finished with nails in bold sunflower yellow or matte opaque white for a modern, edgy effect that’s strictly NARS.

My favourites picks from this lovely bright collection are:
♥ Dogon Duo Eyeshadow (Limited Edition) £23.50
Named for the Mali-based culture, this metallic taupe (with icy green sheen) and charcoal black duo eyeshadow delivers an unexpected twist on an otherwise neutral color combo. Blend the lighter shade from lashes to brow and smudge the darker hue in the crease and along lashes for added impact. When blended together, the shades create an iridescent green cast on the charcoal hue.
♥ Exotic Dance Duo Eyeshado (Limited Edition) £23.50
A well choreographed pairing of metallic white with silver sheen and metallic gold, creates a dazzling duo eyeshadow. The shimmering hues can each be worn alone or layered for a mixed metal look that has added intensity.

♥ Carthage Pure Matte Lipstick (£18.50)
Named for the string of cities that line the Gulf of Tunis, this matte, hot pinkhue saturates lips with rich, bold color. The pure matte lipstick creates a sophisticated, eye-catching statement that’s both timeless and modern.
♥ Mayflower Lipstick (Limited Edition) £17.50
This nourishing, sheer raspberry lipstick, delivers subtle color with a shimmery finish. Wear alone or with other lip products, it’s the perfect complement to a bold eye.

Oh and another thing that really caught my eye was the Orgasm, Albatross, Laguna 'Blush/Bronzer Trio'. This handy portable zip-around compact contains the three most iconic NARS products!

I love my Orgasm blush to pieces plus Albatross and Laguna have been on my lust list for sooo long....meaning this compact may be something I just need to get my hands on. Because it's limited edition and priced at £39, I reckon this will sell out fast!

This new NARS collection will be available in the UK from May 1st, 2011 at narscosmetics.co.uk or from any major department store. Have you spotted anything that tickles your fancy? xoxo