M.A.C BAFTA Runway to Red Carpet Event‏

Last week I was so lucky to be invited to a M·A·C BAFTA Runway to Red Carpet Master-class event! Because M·A·C is the official beauty partner to the Phillis British Academy Film Television awards taking place on Sunday 22 May at Grosvenor House in London, M·A·C Make-Up Artists from the M·A·C Pro Team will be on hand to provide make-up services to VIP's in town for the awards at the M·A·C Beauty Style Suite at Pelham Hotel in South Kensington.  

A group of us bloggers got an amazing look around the Beauty Suites and got to experience a style suite red carpet masterclass hosted by M·A·C senior artists, Lynsey Alexander & Neil Young. They demonstrated two contemporary yet iconic looks and shared many fantastic tips!

Lynsey & Neil in action on the stunning models!

On the night I took some little video's while they were doing the make up and caught some great tips on camera which I wanted to share with you all: 

The finished looks; a modern bright pink lip called 'Show Orchid' & a bronze 'Antiqued' smokey eye!

Don't you think the model on the left looks a bit like Rihanna??? On the right: me with the lovely and talented M·A·C Make-Up Artists Neil & Lynsey!

Here even more top tips on creating stunning red carpet makeup and keeping it camera flawless all evening long! And even though you or I probably won't be attending a red carpet event any time soon haha, I think these tips are perfect for any girl that wants to create beautiful long lasting evening makeup looks:

♥ Lynsey Alexander on skin:

'For camera ready skin it's important to spend a bit of time prepping before you apply foundation. If you have time, exfoliating will ensure your skin is at its smoothest, allowing further products to glide on easily. Add a brightening serum before you apply moisturiser or alternatively a luminising cream such as M·A·C Strobe Liquid. Apply foundation to create a dewy glowing skin, my favourite is 'Studio Sculpt' foundation because it is gel based and acts like a second skin leaving a creamy satin finish on the face.  Set your base with a light sweep of M·A·C Mineralize SPF15 Loose Finishing Powder and make sure you have a blotting compact for touch ups (this will remove shine, without adding more coverage).' Lynsey Alexander

♥ M·A·C Senior Artist Caroline Donnely on highlighting:

'With intense flashes from the cameras on the red carpet the face can sometimes become 'bleached' out, flattening the features. Adding highlights to the cheekbones, cupids bow and brow bones works beautifully. Cult M·A·C product Strobe Cream when applied to the bridge of the nose adds a gorgeous glow as well as to the already mentioned areas'

♥ M·A·C Senior Artist Pablo Rodriguez on eyes:

'Eye makeup for red carpet is generally very neutral. Neutral meaning more brown and greys used rather than any other colour. This however does not mean natural. There is ALWAYS a glamour element to it, Sculpt the eye shape with long socket lines, and shading under the eyes too, M·A·C shadow in Wedge is a great shade to do this with.  Eyebrows must be groomed and defined, but still kept soft. M·A·C brow set in clear is a perfect tool to achieve this!' 

♥ M·A·C Senior Neil Young on Styling your makeup to your outfit:

'There are many ways to approach your makeup styling once you know what you are wearing. If the dress and hair reflects an iconic era then it makes a great statement to continue your makeup along the same theme. We see it often with regards to the classic red lip/brow and a chignon hair style. However try to keep the feel modern by considering texture as much as colour, to bring the makeup up to date and on trend. Be very cautious about matching makeup to the colour of the dress, more often than not a monochromatic makeup works best, so select tones that work with your dress rather than it match it exactly. Also remember, less is more! When the dress is already making a big statement, you can never go wrong with a classic contemporary makeup.'

I truly loved this event! It was fabulous to get one-on-one time with such talented senior makeup artists to be able to ask them questions and I ended up leaving feeling very inspired! :) Now I can't wait to see what looks M·A·C will be creating on the celeb's on May 22 at the BAFTA Awards. Watch this space.... :) xoxo

Natural Interview MakeUp FOTD

Hi my lovelies,

So quick update: I have been in London for two weeks now and I'm slowly starting to feel settled. I have found a fabulous flat in Clapham and have loved catching up with friends in London. On the job front, I am still looking....It's all about finding that right job at the right company and those things don't happen overnight! However I in the last 2 weeks I have been to MANY interviews and agency meetings, and to be honest, I'm getting a little over talking about myself day-in-day-out ;) LOL. 

First impressions are so important when meeting agencies or prospective new employers so when I attend interviews I always ensure I look very polished and professional. I thought I'd quickly share my standard Natural Interview MakeUp FOTD: 

♥ Face:
Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer in Medium
Revlon ColourStay Foundation in Sand Beige (#180)
MaxFactor Creme Puff in Translucent (#5)
Sleek Contour Kit (light) - dark colour to contour
Bourjois Blush #33 - Lila's D'or

♥ Eyes:
MAC Nylon eyeshadow (tear duct & inner corner of eye)
MAC Grain eyeshadow (all over lid)
MAC Charcoal Brown eyeshadow (crease & lower lashline)
MAC Smolder eyeliner (waterline)
Barry M Liquid Eyeliner - black (upper lash line)
L'Oreal Voluminous mascara
Bobbi Brown Natural Brow Shaper in Blonde

♥ Lips:
Estee Lauder - Crystal Baby #301

As I mentioned, the key is to understand the importance of first impressions. Your goal should be to convey your competence, neatness, and attention to detail — and all of those things can be communicated by your appearance. More importantly, when you feel confident about your appearance, you'll be able to focus on presenting your qualifications and experience. So for any fellow job hunters out there, here are some great practical tips that you can use before your next job interview:

Hair: Keep it simple

♥ Wash and dry your hair the night before the interview. By getting that out of the way, you'll save time the day of the big event.

♥ If your hair is long, consider pulling it back in a ponytail. This way, you won't be tempted to absentmindedly fiddle with it.

♥ Even if you don't use hair spray every day, a light dusting of it will keep flyaways at bay.

♥ Don't wear a hat as part of your ensemble. If you need a hat to keep yourself warm, remove it before entering the building, and peek into a mirror to remove any traces of hat head.

♥ Skip the flashy hair accessories.

♥ Keep your hair out of your face at all costs. Long bangs falling into your eyes are sexy for a date, but they won't project a professional image. If you need to get them out of your face, using a simple barrette or bobby pin is a fine solution.

Makeup: Less is more

♥ Give yourself extra time. If you take five minutes to get ready in the morning, allow yourself 15. Trust me, weird things pop up, so it's better to build in some wiggle room.

♥ For your face, you probably won't need much more than concealer and loose powder. If you have blemishes or uneven skin tone, by all means, use a foundation! But if you don't need much coverage, just skip it.

♥ The night before your interview, exfoliate chapped lips by scrubbing them with a warm, wet washcloth. Follow with a generous coating of lip balm. Before the interview, use a sheer lipstick to give lips a hint of color. 

♥ Wear lipstick, not lip gloss. Gloss is too shiny and youthful for a formal occasion like an interview.

♥ Use eye shadows in neutral shades such as tan, brown, and cream. A little bit of shimmer is fine, but stay away from adding a lot of shine to your eyelids.

♥ Mascara & a thin line of smudged pencil or simple (well applied) liquid eyeliner are really all you need. 

♥ Well-groomed brows show that you pay attention to details. Tweeze any stray hairs that threaten to give you a Bert-like monobrow, and if you have brow gel, use it to set your brows in place. (A tiny bit of hair gel, diluted with water, can do the same thing.)

♥ Applying a little bit of blush makes everyone look healthier. Use this rather than bronzer for a natural-looking, healthy glow.

Nails: 

♥ Unless you have naturally clean, even, hangnail-free nails, get a manicure.

♥ It doesn't matter whether your nails are long or short, but they should be neatly filed.

♥ A neutral nail is fool-proof, so look for barely-there beige and pink polishes. Classic red can work, too, but use your judgment: It'll probably fit in at an ad agency, but not at a conservative law firm. I would not recommend a French manicure; some people think they're classy, but others think they're corny, so just go with a single color.

Finally, SMILE. All of the primping and grooming doesn't mean a thing if you aren't excited to be there.
Good luck! xoxo Roz

Want to look fresh & awake?

Most of you are probably familiar with the concept of wearing white eyeliner on the waterline of your lower lashline to help brighten and widen the eye. And if you didn't know this, well, then you've learned something new today! :p  Even though some people swear by this look, I have to admit that most of the time I tend line my waterline with darker eyeliners or leave it au naturel, because I find that the white liner look can looked a little harsh on me...

Then, recently I read in a fashion magazine about the latest nude eyeliner from Chanel's 2010 Fall line and was instantly intrigued. Their Chanel Intense Le Crayon Khol - Clair (#69) is a nude/flesh toned liner, with no hit of shimmer - which makes it ideal for opening up the eyes, enhancing a wide eye look without the stark feeling that a white liner can sometimes give.  Keen to try out this product; I went to the Chanel counter and got this limited edition eyeliner. 

I love how it brightens my eye in a soft way, blends, looks natural and makes my eyes look bigger without a noticeable white line.  I also adore that Chanel supplies a sharpener with their eyeliners.

Great product to use on those days where you look like you could have done with a few extra hours in bed ;) Plus it can also be used as a nude lipliner!

Only one small negative: I wish the pencil was a little softer, more kohl-like. It's quite hard and therefore you have to go over it a few times to get the proper effect. But overall I think this is a great buy for people that want to brighten their eyes and look FRESH and awake! 

Ps: I have also read a lot about Benefit's Eye Bright Liner...

What do YOU use to brighten your eyes, any recommendations? xoxo

Colour Pop with Red Eyeshadow

Today's FOTD is inspired by a video I watched on YouTube the other day by one of my favourite makeup guru's: Tanya Burr. She's a professional makeup artist with a blog & YouTube channel.  She does lots of amazing tutorials and makeup looks.

In her video Tanya did a "Colour Pop" look on how to wear MAC Cranberry eyeshadow. I don't own that particular eyeshadow but I do own MAC Coppering and a few other red/burgundy shades which are pretty similar. Red/Burgandy/Pink shades can be quite tricky to pull off but I feel that when you wear a neutral lid with a colour pop of red on the lower lashline plus good black eyeliner, it becomes very pretty and wearable.  

I hope you enjoy my FOTD:

♥ Face:
Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer
Revlon ColorStay Foundation in 180
MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC20
Rimmel London Natural Bronzer in Sunlight
MAC Springsheen blush

♥ Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Jest eyeshadow (all over lid)
MAC Wedge eyeshadow (crease)
mix of MAC Coppering e/s & MAC play on plums - dark shade (lower lashline)
MAC Fluidline in blacktrack (upper lash line)
MAC Smolder kohl eyeliner (waterline)
MaxFactor Calorie 2000 Mascara

♥ Lips:
Clinique's superbalm moisturising gloss in Currant

The popularity of red eyeshadow is definitely on the rise after it featured on many of the Autumn/Winter 2010 runways. Like these looks from the Cushnie et Ochs and Altuzarra A/W 2010 shows:

Some quick tips regarding red eyeshadow:

♥ Red eyeshadow tends to intensify any redness in your eyes so if your eyes are tired, save it for another time.

♥ Go heavy with eyeliner and mascara. This is a must to avoid a bruised/swollen look.

♥ Pick the right red. This is key in making the look work. Pale skin can pull off brighter reds while darker skin tones look best in deeper reds like burgundy and maroon.

♥ Pair it with another color. Throwing in a darker color like black, charcoal, brown and plum can make the look more wearable. Alternatively, adding a dash of shimmer in the inner corners also helps.

♥ The dye used to make red eyeshadows can potentially trigger off a bad reaction on certain people. Therefore please use with precaution, especially if you have sensitive skin

You can see the video that inspired me here. 

Tanya's Blog: http://www.tanyaburr.co.uk

Tanya's (pixi2woo) YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/pixi2woo

Who says DIY is not for girls? :p

Hi my lovelies,
So the other day I accidentally (duh) dropped my MAC Springsheen blush compact on the floor..and **SMASH** all the powder was broken and spread across the wooden floor :( There wasn't that much left in the compact but I still didn't want to just throw it away. So I picked up the broken pieces and decided to DYI fix it! This is how I did it:

The main subject - the broken blush :(

1) Move the broken product into a paper towel & with a spoon (or other object) gently crush it down to a powdery consistency. 

2) Place the powder into a little bowl and add some drops of rubbing alcohol (not the kind of alcohol you can drink girls!) haha

3) Mix the powder & alcohol until it becomes like a paste.

4) Spoon the paste back into the compact & smooth out with cling-film.

Remove the cling film and leave the compact open to dry. This could take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours. For best results, let the make up to dry overnight to allow the alcohol to evaporate and for the powder to become stiff and ready to use!

Tada, my DIY fixed blush. Such a proud moment!

Who say's DYI is not for girls right? ;)

Sharing Beauty Tips & Tricks from the experts!=

Here are some great little beauty tricks and tips from the leading makeup artists, hair stylists and dermatologists in the world right now!

♥ "Don't stop your make up at your neck; apply a soft wash of foundation to the area" Rae Morris, Makeup Director, L'Oreal Paris
♥ "Do your eye makeup first. To prevent under-eye smudges, use a big blush brush to put loose powder under your eyes. That way, you can sweep it (along with any stray eye shadow) away after you finish." Val Garland, Artistic Makeup Advisor, YSL

♥ "Squeeze your eyelash curler at the lash roots and then pump the curler as you move outward toward the ends." Dick Page, Creative Director, Shiseido Makeup

♥ "To properly curl your whole head, separate the hair into three horizontal layers: bottom, middle and top. Start with the bottom layer and make sure you pull all the hair forward over your shoulders to curl it." Sam McKnigh, Global Ambassador, Pantene

♥ "As you get older, avoid dark lipstick. As you age, your lips sag and are more lined and harsh lipstick draws attention to this. Try softer colours" Rae Morris, Makeup Director, L'Oreal Paris

♥ "When applying eyeliner, do your worst side first. That way it will be easier to match it on your "good" side. Val Garland, Artistic Makeup Advisor, YSL

♥ "If you have a cold, wear more blush than normal but try to steer away from a bronzer as this can go yellowy when you are washed out making the complexion muddy." Charlotte Tilbury,Ccelebrity Makeup Artist
♥ "Use the ring finger-the weakest- to pat concealer in place, that way, you won't tug or pull the skin unnecessarily." Laura Mercier

♥ "A dot of pale gold cream shadow at the inner corners makes the eye look wide open and beautiful in the light." Tom Pecheux, Creative Makeup Director, Estee Lauder

♥ "If you love bold red lips but feel it's a little OTT, apply the colour just in the centre of the lips, then spread it over the mouth with your finger so there are no hard edges." Pat McGrath, Global Creative Design Director, Procter and Gamble

♥ "Try a touch of eye cream on your lips at bedtime, it makes a great lip moisturiser" Bobbi Brown

♥ "Apply lip liner after lipstick. The method helps to define the lips, keeps lipstick from fading and doesn't leave you with that dated, over-lined look. It also acts as a guard against lipstick "bleed" and blends with your lip colour more naturally than if it were applied first." Bobbi Brown
♥ "Tired skin won't absorb makeup. Spritz with facial spray before applying creams and powder. Gucci Westman, Global Artistic Director, Revlon

♥ "Dad concealer on the outer corners of the mouth to give a lifting effect so you can look like you're slightly smiling all the time." Napoleon Perdis

♥ "Remove any dead flakes of skin on the lips by using a cotton swab dipped in Visine (eye drops)." Brigitte Reiss-Anderson, Celebrity Makeup Artist

♥ "Apply up to three mascara formula's on lashes and you won't need falsies. Start by defining them, then add either the volume or the length or the curl." Bruce Grayson, Olay spokesperson & Celebrity Makeup Artist.

♥ "Dab a damp cotton pad around the hairline and roots to eliminate any excess oil. If you wish, mist the pad with a light oil free fragrance or squeeze a few drops from a fresh lemon to give the hair that fresh smell." David Babaii, Celebrity Hair Stylist.

And to finish off a sweet little tip from me:

♥ Never respond to a compliment with anything deflecting or self-deprecating. It rips away all the joy and goodwill of the person giving you the compliment. Instead, smile and say, "Thank you so much!"

Just blink!

Want perfect lower lash mascara coverage? It's as easy as blinking :)

How? After applying mascara to your top lashes, look straight ahead and hold your mascara horizontally across your bottom lashes and blink! (if necessary repeat a couple of times across your lash line)

I find this works perfectly for me every time!