Tools Of The Trade

I've been doing make up now for around 3 & a half years and one question that I am asked around 99.9% of the time is this : "Should I use brushes when applying my make up?"

My answer? : Yes.

I'm not saying that you must turn yourself into Van Gogh & have a a mass of different brushes for each inch of your face, you may not even want to have more than 1 or 2, but one area that I believe should have brush application is your foundation. 

Being a make up artist, I am up there with the Van Gogh's who have a rather large brush collection, but for a regular girls day to day make up application I know that this isn't practical. This post is going to be around the most common brush that I'm asked about when out doing my bookings & that is the foundation brush.

Until you've used a brush to apply your foundation you may not ever think that it would make a difference..but believe me it does. It gives your base that all over even coverage, zero streaks and also allows you to get into those nooks & crannies around your nose and eye area that sometimes just fall flat of colour when using your hands. Plus keeps your fingers nice & clean, foundation free.

I have personal favourite brush that I'll fill you in on below..

MAC 187 Duo Fibre Brush £32.50

If you visit the MAC website this brush will state that it's used for blending face powder or pigments, I use it for my foundation. I was given this brush as a gift around 6 years ago by a friend & I have never looked back. I have my own personal one of these & have another 2 in my kit in which I use one for foundation and one for cream bronzer when out at bookings.

It's lightweight, and made from a soft blend of goat & synthetic fibres. All you need is a small drop of your regular liquid foundation and to apply buff the foundation evenly over your skin in a circular motion, making sure you cover your full canvas. 

At £32.50 I know that it's a bit steep for a foundation brush, but the quality of this product plus it's trusted life span, I PROMISE you that you wont regret it.

If anyone does try this for a first time then please let me know how you found it.

Until next time chica's,

Adios x 

Holidays 'R Coming..

Brrrr...Winter has fell into the palm of our hands with a severe BANG this year.

We've had snow, sleet, ice, wind, rain, hail & it's only the 6th of December.

Personally, I don't expect much else from bonnie old Scotland buy hey'ho. 

Stick on the good thermals & out you go.

This blog post is gonna be a bit of a mish-mash I think of general ramblings of what I've been up to the past week or so along with me declaring my love for Soap & Glory, so here goes..

As soon as December hits my make up calender seems to take a booming with bookings, so last Saturday was no different, with it being the first official "Christmas Party" weekend I was out in force with my tools to make over all those folk heading out for a good old shin dig.

I was especially excited to be taking my new Roo Beauty  brush case for it's first ever outing, it's a great little number, to store all of my brushes without taking up too much room in my kit.

    They come in a variety of prints but I chose this statement leopard print.

I had 3 bookings on Saturday, super glam  seemed to be the main theme so I went all out with lashes, metalic shadows and pillar box red lips.

 

First up was Caitlin heading out for her works Christmas party in the West End.

Next up was Lisa, she had her works Christmas ball in the Marriott Hotel.

Cara was last who was also going to the Christmas ball in the Marriott Hotel. 

I used a variety of products on each girl, Urban Decay shadows were my choice of the day though, with such great pigment & shimmer they were a perfect selection for the party season. The magic red lip was created by my faithful Illamasqua Maneater lipstick. It has the staying power of super glue, a must have for anyone who loves a bit of red lippy.

I am fully booked for the full of December now so I shall be posting weekly of each booking I take in with each look & product info for anyone interested.

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To get myself into the Christmas spirit I'm heading into George Square this weekend to take a wander through the lovely lights, the Christmas market & hopefully manage to get my boyfriend to come ice skating with me :-) My decorations are up & I'm ready to indulge in some serious Christmas shenanigans. 

I got an array of great Soap & Glory products for my birthday that I so kindly asked for as I had never experienced their greatness before, one word : WOW! I never knew that such products existed. They have left my skin feeling super soft & each time I leave the bath I feel that I've just been pampered from head to toe. 

If like me you'd never tried Soap & Glory, then get to your nearest Boots store & get stocking up. They're doing 3 for 2 just now on all products, you wont regret it. Below are three of the 6 products that I received. 

Soap & Glory - Flake Away Body Scrub 300ml

 This is amazing, it's a super strength skin smoothing body exfoliator with shea butter, sweet almond oil, peach seed powder, sea salt and sugar. Say goodbye to dry scaly legs forever. You'll feel polished from head to toe. RRP £7.00

Soap & Glory - Scrub Actually 200ml 

 

This is another body scrub from S&G which I would highly recommend, I use this one on my face & upper body as it contains smoothing brown sugar which is delicate to the skin & leaves me feeling baby smooth. RRP £7.00

The Righteous Butter Lotion 500ml 

This is a super smooth body lotion which leaves your skin soft & silky all day. The pump bottle makes it all that more practical along with having such a sweet scent that keeps you smelling puuuurty all day long. RRP £10.

  

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Oops, I kinda went on a little more that what I had hoped for tonight but before I wrap it up I just wanna say thank you to anyone and everyone who takes the time out to read my little blog, whether it's a one off read of you read it each time then every little counts :-)
It's just a collection of my thoughts and work & I appreciate each person who reads it.

So THANK YOU!!

Peace & Love

Amy x

 

Hints & Tips

Wow.

It's almost December, Santa will soon be paying us all a visit (I wish..)

Where has the time went? I can't quite believe how quickly this year has passed.

INSANE!!

This month has been crazy for myself, I turned 21 at the weekend there so it was a flurry of champagne, cupcakes & lots of lovely presents from my family, friends and boyfriend. Does this now mean that my next "BIG" birthday will be when I turn 30?! **GULPS** 

Oh no..LOL

I had a fantastic weekend and was spoiled rotten so thank you to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday and & also to all who gave me such lovely gifts & cards. 

(Just a little photo below of me & some of my nearest & dearest)

This little blog post is going to just be a small variety of different hints & tips that I've picked up about make up & beauty products along the way throughout my career. If you all have any more that you can add to my list or can give me a heads up on then drop me a message or email, I love finding out new things :-)

No1. I picked up this little idea when I used to wear fake tan/tinted moisturisers/facial tans etc & the residue used to go over my bed linen.
If you have an old tshirt in the house then place this over your pillow like a 2nd pillow case, your fresh clean pillows wont get those nasty fake tan streaks & your problem shall be solved. (Also wear a onesie if you have one when applying tan to your body, again avoiding the dirty bed sheets in the morning)

No 2. If you're planning on a heavy eye make up, or any eye look at all in my opinion always apply your eyeshadow first before anything else on your face. Start with a eye primer on your lid to stop creasing (Elizabeth Arden - Eye Fix is my fav) & then apply on top. This stops any eyeshadow falling down onto your freshly applied foundation & is easy to wipe away without taking your make up off. 

No 3. If you're a nail polish addict like myself then you'll know that too much polish on your nails time and time again can leave a yellow stain on the nails (Not attractive) To prevent this look then always apply a bast coat to your nails (Illamasqua Base Coat is a great little number) which protects the nail and also keeps your polish on for longer.

No 4. Always give your hair a little treat now and then, this home made hair mask is amazing. Bizarre, yet amazing LOL - It's a combo of egg yolks, olive oil & water. Told you it was bizarre. All you need is :

2 egg yolks.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup of water

BEST HAIR MASK EVER!
(Massage into through your hair &  scalp & leave for 15-20mins, then rinse off)
 It's rich in proteins, vitamins and super nourishing fatty acids, the egg yolks wont only make your hair softer shinier and healthier but it will also help your hair grow.

I hope this small selection of tips and hints have helped & I'll be sure to update with some more now and again.

Until then little females I'm gonna leave you with one more thing, always remember to..

 
 Peace & Love
Amy x

Lush-ilicious.

Cleanse, Tone, Moisturise, Eye Cream, Face Serum, Face masks bla bla...The list can go on.

We all know that when it comes to a beauty regime that we all want something that wont take up half an hour of your morning but will still make you look & feel great.

Unless it's pamper night in my house I don't like to spend far TOO much time prep'n my face before make up or before hitting the hay at night so I was over joyed to stumble, across these little pots of wonder on my trip down in Newcastle..

Lush is a shop that I've never actually been into all that often, I have passed it many a time when out in Glasgow & no one can deny the overwhelming scent of different bath bombs, bars of soap etc that are pilled high in an array of colours that may tempt the female eye but nope, not for me, or so I thought..

It was only when I had some time on my hands down in the Metro Centre that I thought I'd take a wander in, I was amazed at just how many varieties of soaps one place could actually stock. I automatically turned into a kid in a candy store, the colour, smell, sparkles really did pull me in..

I was offered a skin consultation by one of their friendly members of staff..This is when I realised that Lush actually sold skincare products. Eg Cleaners, toners, etc. I'm quite big on my skincare routine & as I was running low I thought why not. After my consultation, I decided on the below 3 products for my regime & I must say I can't fault them one bit. 

Cleanser - Angels On Bare Skin

This cleanser comes in a solid form which I've been using in the shower. You only use a pea size amount and it turns into a milk which you can lather all over your face. It removes dead skin cells and gives your face the baby soft skin that it's always wanted. Made with all natural ingredients it's hard to go wrong & at only £6.25 it is a STEAL! It's up there with one of the best cleansers I've ever used.

Toner - Eau Roma Water

Toner is something that many people skip on a routine, I must admit it's not something I use ALL the time but this little number is so lovely & refreshing that I've used it every day. This product is great to use post cleanser as part of your routine or for a freshen up during the day. Simply spray onto a cotton pad and wipe away a face full of sin. A refreshing combo that is made from rose absolute. A little piece of heaven to brighten up your day.
£7.25 for 250g or £3.95 for 100g.

Moisturiser - British Nanny

  
It's safe to say that this moisturiser IS the best one I have ever used. I tend to have quite dry skin from time to time & I like a moisturiser to have an almost face mask feel. This luxurious little pot is a dab hand at making your face feel like it's just paid a visit to a Spa for the day. This was the most expensive of the 3 at £29.95 but for me it was worth it. 

As I paid at the check out I noticed another little pot that badly was screaming my name. Say Hello to SWEETIE PIE SHOWER JELLY!!

In the words of Lush themselves this is how they describe our Sweetie Pie :
"If a bar of soap and a bottle of shower gel had a steamy affair,
this would be the resulting jelly baby." 
 I wasn't 100% sure on how I would get on with this wobbly wonder but I must admit it has been great. Again like a lot of the above products you only need a small volume of product to create the desired effect. This one was no different. Take a pea size amount and rub into a lather and ENJOY! Also, the seaweed gel is not only for skin, it's amazing for your hair and scalp so CHUCK IT ON! It made mines feel great.
Only £3.10 RRP!

It's quite amazing what you can discover when you just take the time out to have a gander.
I'm very very happy with my products & I think I'll be asking Santa for an almighty Lush gift set for Christmas.

Until next time bloggers,
Amy xo

 

Hello November..

So October has left us & November has hit me with a BANG!

Man. Where is this year going?!

Last week I commented that I was heading off to Newcastle for the weekend.

Not only did me & my boyfriend live it up being Batman & Poison Ivy, we also went to see my love that is Nicki Minaj. Man she was AWESOME! 

I never thought I could fangirl. Or that I could ever be capable of doing it but my oh my I went crazy! I was even more happy at the fact that our Minaj didn't disappoint and came on stage right on time at 9:15 & stayed on until 11. Tyga was her supporting act & he was just as good..Rack City Bitch..Rack Rack City Bitch..(I'm a tad obsessed by this song ..)

If you get the chance then DO go see Minaj. She wont let you down.

* * *

We decided to dress up both Friday & Saturday so I couldn't wait to get my costume on that I'd spent that last few months making. I'm going to make a short list of the items I bought along with how I made my costume once I've posted my photo's. I'd seen so many generic Poison Ivy costumes in the shops & ZERO of them took my fancy.

Below is my costume, along with my boyfriends amazing Batman Movie Replica Costume.

(You can tell we take it seriously..)

- The wig that I purchased for the night is from the great Annabelle's Wigs - This was my 3rd wig from there & I literally cannot fault them. Amazing quality & last a lifetime. Click on the link above to be directed straight to their page.

 

- My corset came in the bright green colour & I purchased this from eBay for £14. It came from Hong Kong & was of good quality regarding the price. I bought 9 foot of fake Ivy from Amazon in order to cover the full corset & skirt. For my corset I used general fabric glue in order to stick each individual leaf to my corset. (Takes time but is worth it)

 

- I bought the material & threads for my skirt from Mandors fabric store in Glasgow (£15). Luckily I have a friend (Lorna Shields) who is designer who was a dab hand at making my wrap around skirt for me. I genuinely can't thank her enough. I then used more of my ivy to indivudually stitch the ivy onto the chiffon skirt. (Again takes time but worth it, don't glue the leaves onto the skirt as it wont work with chiffon fabric)

 

- I bought a pair of tan sheer tights from Amazon also for £4 to give my legs a glossy effect. 

The headband I made is from a cardboard eyemask that I cut in half across the middle and attached elastic to in order to go under my wig. Again I fabric glued more ivy leaves to this.

 

- For the final added touch I bought more ivy & wrapped it around my neck & shoulders & tucked this into my corset at each side.

 

- For my Ivy make up I used eyelash glue & cut up individual leaves and stuck these along where my eyebrows would be. I also used 3 shades of green for eyeshadow, fake lashes & also used bright orange lipstick for the poisonous kiss.

 

I hope you like my costume & it inspires more of y'all to start making your own costumes.

 

 Hero Vs Villain

 Now that's the costumes away for another year sadly..

I hope you all had a great Halloween & went all out.

I polished off the actual day itself by doing some make up bookings & making a Halloween buffet. Home made pizza's, bat cookies & cupcakes.

Now it's time to get out the Christmas Decorations.

Oh dear..

Peace & Love

Amy x

 

Ghosts & Ghoulies..

HALLOWEEN HAS ARRIVED..

(I understand the actual 31st isn't until next week)

But this weekend the costumes shall be out in force as all the weird & wonderful 

creatures emerge from the night.

Halloween is easily my favourite time of year, it actually beats Christmas for me but shhhhh...Don't let Santa know that one. 

Which is why I've been extra nice to my blog & gave her a little make over, for the time being.  Every year I go to some length to make my own costume & not buy another generic one from the shelves. This year has been no different.
I'll be posting a blog on how I made my costume after this weekend.

I'm heading off to Newcastle for the weekend to live it up as none other than Miss Poison Ivy herself.

My lovely boyfriend is coming along with me as the legend that is BATMAN.

We might even clean up the Geordie streets once & for all. 

This costume I've made has probably had the most effort put into it ( Just think lots of fabric glue & a sewing machine) by a long way but hopefully it shall be worth it,
I'm looking forward to being a villain for the night. MUUU-HAA-HAA-HAAA...

Last year I went as a new take on your regular skeleton..

 I only managed to scare a few innocent members of the public..
I hope everyone has a great Halloween & I look forward to seeing all your costumes.

From the Halloween Mother herself.

Peace out xo

Septober..

Busy. Busy. Busy.

That's only an understatement of how busy I have been over September & the start of this month.

I apologise to my little blog for abandoning you. 

Mama has returned.

A lot has went down over the last month with work & play. 

After waiting almost 21 years to get my own pet my Mother FINALLY caved & I got a 10 week old dwarf rabbit, I named him Louie.

 

 To say I'm in love with him would be only a smidge of how I actually feel.

He's the cutest little sucker I've ever came across.

Just thought I'd introduce him to y'all..

I've been working away recently with my Para Planning business along with working with the Citizens Theatre in their production of Snow White & Rose Red. It was a really fun, creative project that's going to be made into a Graphic Novel. I'll keep you all posted when I receive the images from the day as I can't wait to see the finished product. Below is my favourite hair style of the day that I created on our actress Flicka. I don't have any make up photos just now as everything has to be kept on the low down.

* * *

Time To Shine..

This next little paragraph was supposed to be put up last month but I sadly didn't get around to it.
I was sent by Clarins their Beauty Flash Balm (RRP £28) to review over the month & this is my first chance to get to speak about it.

Before now I had never actually used the product myself,
but now I don't think I could not have it in my kit.
It's the ultimate pick-me-up product, whether your skin is tired, stressed, or you're just in need of a radiant day to day look this balm is fab. This best-selling radiance booster eliminates the signs of tired skin in a flash. The balm instantly moisturises your skin with one application..(For girls who have very dry skin you can apply your regular daily moisturiser first then apply the flash balm over the top) It brightens and tightens facial contours so skin looks rested and relaxed. Ingredients include Olive and Witch Hazel which extract to help smooth the skin’s surface. It's a great product whether you want to prep your skin for perfect make-up application or give your bare face that glow it deserves.

Winner of Best Treatment Product
Psychologies Positive Beauty Awards 2011

Winner of Best in Beauty Icon Award - W&H Reader Choice
Woman & Home Best in Beauty 2012

For now I think that is enough,

Halloween is just around the corner, my FAVOURITE time of year.

I hope everyone has a great time & I shall be posting before the 31st on a few Ghoulish looks that you can try at home to give yourself that Halloween edge.

Amy xo

Vivienne Westwood - Red Label

  

"Fashion is very important.
It is life-enhancing and, like everything that gives pleasure,
it is worth doing well.."

I thought I'd never get around to doing a post on the one & only Miss Vivienne Westwood...

As my own personal fashion icon I knew that there would come a time where I could showcase my passion for this woman & her work. As her Red Label line is just hot off the catwalk at this years London Fashion Week I feel that this is the time. 

From an early age up to coming into the fashion world Westwood is someone who has always fascinated me. With her wacky sense of style & vibrant red hair, I always wondered what went on inside her head to create such timeless pieces that can be worn in a variety of different settings.

Taking those steps into my first ever Vivienne Westwood boutique I was in awe. Countless drapes of beautiful fabrics lined the rails along with racks of shoes in designs that I didn't even know could be thought up. Bags in a variety of shapes/styles & colours amazed me, not to mention the jewelry that is designed around the legendary orb that we all know & love today.

She is a legend in her own art & everyone knows it. She will go down in history as being one of the best designers of all time, & I'm very happy to have been around to not just see her work but to wear it also.

Below is a few of my favorite images from this years LFW - Red Label Collection.

To watch some more of the show then click below :-)

Ciao,

Amy xo

Back In The Saddle

Hola Chicas..

I hope you're all well.
After what can only be described as an AMAZING trip to Egypt I am now "Back in the saddle" if you will, in more ways than one, but I'm back to taking full bookings for the rest of the year as well as being available for shoots & some TFP basis work.

I got back last week from the bubbling heat & got crack a lackin with a couple of bookings at the weekend.

The one below is from Friday 31st August for Nicole Meechan who was heading off to her cousins wedding reception after slaving away being hair stylist all day she deserved some pampering.

We went for some Kim Kardashian highlighted cheek bones along with blood red lips to give the dramatic edge for a night time look. I used a variety of products which I'll list below for the full look to be completed.

Face

Primer - Elizabeth Arden Good Morning Skin Serum
Highlighter Below Foundation - Nars Copacabana

Foundation - Illamasqua No. 11 Skin Base

Highlighter Above Foundation - Illamasqua Lies (It's a cream blush)

Bronzer - Chanel Bronze Universal

Setting Powder - Illamasqua Pressed Powder

Blusher - Guerlain Meterorites Loose Powder Balls.

Eyes
Eye Primer - Elizabeth Arden Eye Fix

Base Eye Colour 1 - Urban Decay Alice In Wonderland Book of Shadows Midnight Tea Party

Eye Colour 2 - Urban Decay Alice In Wonderland Book of Shadows Mushroom

Eye Colour 3 to highlight under brow - Urban Decay Alice In Wonderland Book of Shadows Wonderland

Eyeliner - Rimmel Black Kohl Liner

Lashes - Kimberly Girls Aloud 

Lips & Brows

Lipliner - Illamasqua Torment

Lipstick - Illamasqua Maneater

Brows - Elizabeth Arden Brunette Dual Perfection Brow Kit.

I swear by a lot of Illamasqua products as you can probably tell from my list above, if you haven't checked them out then do so as their products are amazing, full of pigment & last all day.

They're available online or also if you live in the Glasgow area then they are in Debenhams on Argyle Street.

Also down in London in Selfridges.

I hope I've introduced you all to some new fun products for you to try.

Peace out
xo

Swedish House Designer

Swedish House Designer..
Jennie Lööf 

There is nothing better than stumbling upon someone who's designs are so beautiful and perfectly crafted. That their passion for their art is so powerful that it makes working with them all that much more exciting...

This is my story of the wonderful Jennie Lööf, Swedish born designer who has found her way into Glasgow, taking the fashion world by storm.

I've had the pleasure of being Make Up Artist towards three amazing shoots with Jennie, two of which were for her collections on ASOS & it's been a joy to work with her. We click when we work together & I look forward to every project that I'm asked to be part of.

Jennie Lööf Clothes is the Scotland based fashion brand run by Jennie Lööf.
Under the collective brand name Jennie Lööf Clothes she makes 4 different lines:

• Jennie Lööf  - A one off woman's wear line made from beautiful vintage fabrics.
• LOVELY- A limited edition capsule collection made from contemporary fabrics.
• Spatzera - Spats made for both men & women. 
• NEW Menswear Line - This is due to premiere at the beginning of 2013. 

***

Jennie comes from a family of seamstresses and has been using a sewing machine from the young age of 7, making fantastic scrunchies for herself and her friends. It wasn't until the age of 15 she started designing and sat through most subjects at school in a land of her own, drawing away.

In her early 20’s Jennie spent a year at a weaving and pattern construction school in the south of Sweden. It was there that she really started taking her knowledge of fabrics and patterns to a new level.

After finishing her studies in Sweden she got a scholarship to go work abroad for 6 month and it was this that brought her to Glasgow, Scotland.

The 6 month scholarship was spent in the Tron Theatre wardrobe department where Jennie worked her way up from intern to supervisor. To this day she still works as a freelance wardrobe supervisor for theatre's around the UK as well as running her own brand.

Below is a small selection of photo's from Jennie's Collections.
The Spats are currently waiting to be launched as well as the menswear so please enjoy the female attire that Jennie has designed & created herself.

Jennie Lööf Collection

The Collection of Jennie Lööf.

The Lovely Collection

The photo's attached are just a taster of what Jennie has to offer.
Independent designers are always the ones to keep an eye on for key statement pieces that you can wear all year round. & These stylish staples are no exception.

***

Next up for Jennie is the launch of Spatzera and she has a special Hogmany collection that is also in the pipeline.

If you're reading this & you have the buzz to be a designer or have always had the passion for fashion but don't know where to start, then why not pop along to one of Jennie's sewing classes to learn the tricks of the trade from a pro. 

Find all the details here : http://www.jennieloof.com/main/Sewing_classes.html 

You can find all the above items plus more for sale at ASOS Marketplace.

The small town girl from Sweden has made it big, & there is literally no stopping her.

Amy x