Beauty & The Beast
Beauty & The Beast
You’d be forgiven for thinking you’re about to read a Disney filled post, however “The Beast” I refer to is not a loveable Disney character but the very real and dangerous entity that is the media today. As women, we’re bombarded with images/articles/shows on how we should look/feel/be and many believe what they’re told and strive to achieve what is sometimes impossible. I definitely think today’s obsession with how we look can be attributed to the growing influence of the media. As someone who works in the industry it’s always been easy for me to say “oh that’s not real, she’s been airbrushed” or “god she looks amazing, but I wonder how long she spent in hair, make-up and styling?” I’m able to sift through the real and the fiction, however what about those women who can’t or even worse the children who are becoming young women who can’t? That’s where I think it gets dangerous and it’s important for us to look at what role the media plays in women’s lives and we should be more educated to it.
One of the worst offenders is magazines – be it fashion or those celeb gossip mags. The fashion magazines show us images of too skinny models with flawless skin and all texture removed, the “boiled egg look” as make-up maestro Kay Montano likes to call it. And that’s what it looks like – a boiled egg. No-one has poreless, perfect skin. Some beauty images are retouched so much that they no longer look like the actual model. As for the celeb mags, where do I start? There’s the weight gain/loss articles and makeovers, the without/with make-up features, the “who wore it best” comparisons and let’s not forget the “X has had this and that surgically enhanced”, with experts commenting on what the celebs have “definitely” had done. Ashley Judd was recently a victim of this and boldly wrote an open letter to the media berating them. Good on her. No-one looks perfect all the time, we age, we gain weight, and we lose weight. That’s the reality. It’s all so misleading and at the heart of it, mean. Why do we need to see others looking bad in order to make ourselves feel better? That’s not how we should measure our own self worth. We should not feel more confident just because we’re shown Angelina Jolie having a bad hair.
The other offender is reality TV (Kim Kardashian has a lot to answer for). Now don’t get me wrong I’m not a TV snob and have sat through a lot of car crash telly, but for a lot of people (and more importantly, young people) these “stars” of reality TV shows have somehow become role models. And they really shouldn’t be, for many reasons. Firstly, there’s the weight issue that at least one “star” from each show will try and conquer. They’ll go on a crash diet, go to a boot camp, lose a lot of weight and this will be documented in a magazine feature. Then they’ll either battle to stay at a weight they’re not naturally supposed to be or go back to how they originally looked (and most likely be called fat by those same publications). Is this an example we want our children to be following? Shouldn’t we instead be advocating a healthy diet and regular exercise? Secondly, there’s the cosmetic surgery side. A lot of these shows show the girls getting together and having “Botox parties”, undergoing other surgical procedures as if they were no more serious than going to get a haircut. I’m all for the right to choose what an individual wants to do with their body but glamorising cosmetic surgery is a dangerous step. Lastly, I think they lack soul. Everyone on these shows looks the same. The same hair. The same tan. The same teeth. No-one promotes looking like you. Like an individual. In fact, if I recall correctly, one of the mother’s of these reality stars was repeatedly mocked because she refused to straighten her hair and left it curly and frizzy as nature had intended.
What worries me most, however, is that although I’ve branded the media here as dangerous (they still are), we as women need to learn to be supportive of each other and not help in our fall. Two recent incidents have caught my eye and caused me to stop and think. Firstly, the Samantha Brick debacle. Before reading her actual article I saw a slew of tweets mocking her looks, calling her ugly, saying she was deluded and a lot of these were from women. The first thought that came to mind was how mean spirited and hurtful it all was. After reading Ms Brick’s article I still felt the same. Don’t get me wrong, she didn’t come across as very likeable at all, however did that justify all the vitriol? What’s wrong with a women thinking she’s incredibly attractive? Surely we should be applauding that in this day and age rather than telling her how unattractive she is. A similar thing happened a few weeks ago with N Dubz singer Tulisa being crowned Sexiest Female In The World by FHM readers. I woke up to a number of outraged tweets and again, some really mean ones (although surely only FHM readers should be able to complain? Like any election, if you didn’t vote, you can’t complain right? Take note London mayor non-voters). People seem to have forgotten that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and if FHM declare Tulisa to be the sexiest female in the world then so be it. Of course everyone’s entitled to their own opinion on who’s the sexiest, but there’s a line that you cross when you start calling a fellow woman names for something that isn’t even her doing.
The risk of our obsession with beauty and our looks is that everything else falls to the wayside, so many young girls just want to look a certain way and all their energy goes into that. What can we do to change things? That’s what we should all be asking, especially if we want the following generations of women to grow up healthy, smart and confident. We need to educate them in finding good, strong role models and where to look for positive messages in life. I’ve recently discovered Rookie magazine (www.rookiemag.com) which is a magazine for teenage girls that deals with everything from music to high school problems, but one article that caught my eye was “How To Not Care What Other People Think Of You”. I couldn’t think of a better place to start. Even for us who are way past our teens. So be choosy about what you’re reading and the messages you’re putting out there. A lot of women’s magazines will profess to have your entire life sorted by the time you get to the end of the mag, from skincare to sex life to getting a raise. But life’s a work in progress and that’s unnecessary pressure.
Salina x
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SHU UEMURA – CLASSIC RED LIP/BLACK EYELINER
This make-up brand was founded by the legendary Japanese make-up artist Shu Uemura and is based on the blending of nature, science and art. Shu Uemura’s philosophy is “beautiful make-up starts with beautiful skin” and this is evident in their high performing skincare, followed by their great quality make-up. As a make-up artist I’m always repeating the importance of looking after your skin, as it makes the job of applying much easier.
Photographer – Hollie Carlin
Make-up – Salina Thind
Hair – Stephen Hamilton
Model – Ilse
PREP – To prepare the skin I cleansed with the Classic High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil (£28 for 150ml). Oil cleansers are great as they remove the toughest of make-up and feel so soothing on the skin at the same time and are immediately emulsified once in contact with water – so it’s very easy to remove and reduces the pulling and dragging on the skin. Ever since I started using an oil cleanser, I can’t do without it!
To moisturise I used Shu’s Depsea Hydrability Moisturizing Cream (£40 for 50ml). This moisturiser contains depsea water and is great if your skin needs intense hydration as it locks in moisture for 24 hours. I would definitely recommend it for dry skin. It was also found to reduce redness on the skin, as discovered by my mum who started using this cream to combat dryness.
SKIN – One of my favourite illuminating products is the Stage Performer – Instant Glow (£36). This product can be used alone all over the face to give that instant radiance or underneath your make-up to give that extra glow – it’s a white cream with tiny golden particles in which smooth out onto the skin to give a really natural finish. In this look I used the Instant Glow all over Ilse’s face before applying foundation.
Shu Uemura have a very wide range of foundations in terms of coverage and colours, I’d be amazed if you couldn’t find what you’re looking for with them whatever your shade or coverage requirement. For Ilse (who had gorgeous skin) I opted for the light-weight, sheer coverage Face architect Mousse in Light Beige (£34) – this mousse foundation is unlike any other I’ve used as it’s so light and has a beautiful, natural finish. It also minimises the appearance of pores and prevents shine.
EYEBROWS – For Ilse’s eyebrows I used the Eyebrow Gel (£16) which comes in a range of colours and is great for a natural colour, especially for those fairer haired ladies. It’s best applied with a fine brush to softly enhance the brows.
EYES – One of the most frequent questions I get asked is “how do I do the eyeliner flick?”. Step 1 is choosing the right product and for me that’s a gel liner and a brush, opposed to a pencil or a liquid liner and the reason being is you get the colour intensity and the product is easier to manipulate. Step 2 is of course practice! The easiest way I find to do the classic liner flick is to look straight ahead into the mirror and draw in your flick first (you may want a small one or you may want an exaggerated one) with a flat edged or slanted brush and then draw your way into the inner eye. I’d make the line thin first and then go over it to thicken if needed. So my go-to gel liner is Shu’s Painting Liner un Black (£20) – it has a great smooth texture, but gives you just the right amount of pull so it’s not to slippery to use and a great colour pay-off, not to mention a great variety of colours (the navy blue is one of my favourite). It’s also smudge-proof and water-proof!
Lastly we just need to mascara those lashes and Shu’s Precise Volume Mascara (£20) does the trick. Shu Uemura’s mascaras are great for natural finishes, but if you’re someone who loves dramatic lashes, it’s probably not for you. Alternatively, if you want that extra something, you could always opt for a pair of Shu Uemura’s famous lashes from their lash bar!
CHEEKS - Here I used one of the Glow On Blush (£9.75), however the shade I used was a limited edition but you can use any matte brown/bronze shade. As you can see I applied the blusher more as a contour here so underneath the cheekbones to really define them and then slightly onto the bottom of the cheeks to just give that hint of colour.
LIPS - Aaaaaaaaaaaand finally, the statement piece of the look. The classic red lip. This was however done in a non-classic way as I used Shu’s Cream Eye Shadow in Red (£19). The creamy texture is perfect and it’s also long-wearing, the only thing I would say is that it can be a little drying but a bit of balm or gloss on top and that’s sorted. The product comes in a pot so in order to get the perfect lined red lip I’d suggest using a lip brush and because of the texture I’d say you could forego a lip liner, but if you really want to keep the lip put you can of course use one. I always start the lip by working on the cupid’s bow of the mouth and then work my way out and then repeat for the bottom lip.
Insider Tip! This Cream Eye Shadow in Red was used on the lips of the models for the A/W12 PPQ London Fashion Week Show - which you can see here http://blog.houseoffraser.co.uk/uncategorized/lfw-watch-the-show-ppq-aw12-rightster/
So that’s how you get the look! This red lipped/winged liner look can be worn almost anywhere due to it’s classic feel and with a variety of hairstyles (whether an easy up-do as above or glamourous waves as seen on the PPQ catwalk). Not to mention with any outfit! It adds a touch of femininity to a tuxedo jacket styled outfit/suit, but adds a touch of glamour to a more feminine outfit – be it something for the day or getting red carpet ready! Your options are endless…
Are you a fan of this look? Do you like to wear a red lip or do you shy away from it? Let me know your thoughts!
Salina x
YOUR BUDGET, YOUR CHOICE – HIGHLIGHTER
We all love dewy, glowing skin and what better way to achieve that than with the help of a highlighter! Here are my three highlighter picks to best suit every budget.
VIVO HIGHLIGHTER
PRICE : £5
WHERE: Tesco
WHAT: – golden highlighter with a pink undertone
– very fine shimmer, no glitter particles
– blends very well
– lasts all day
VERDICT: This is a great product considering the price! You get a lot of budget highlighters that are either too glittery or don’t really have much of an effect, however the Vivo’s is just right.
BENEFIT GIRL MEETS PEARL
PRICE: £24.50
WHERE: www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk, Boots, Department Stores
WHAT: – a golden pink highlighter
– easy to apply and blend
– comes in a wind up tube so you can adjust how much product comes out
– lightweight with a subtle finish
VERDICT: This is a staple in my kit and it gives a great golden, glowing finish. I’d recommend this over the Moon Beam or High Beam as for me it’s the better highlighter.
BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR – PEARL
PRICE: £33
WHERE: www.beccacosmetics.com
WHAT: – a pearl coloured, liquid highlighter with SPF 20+
– blends amazingly well
– as well as being a great highlighter, it contains vitamins A, B, D & E to aid in tissue repair, increase collagen renewal & moisture holding capacity.
VERDICT: This product is the priciest but it is one of my favourites as it is so easy to apply and blend and gives a very expensive luxe finish to the skin. Also, for those of you who think it’s too pale for you, it comes in a bronze as well called “Topaz” which is just as gorgeous.
TOP TIPS
- If using the product just as a highlighter, apply it where the light would naturally hit your face – cheekbones, the brow bone, down the centre of the nose, cupid’s bow of the lips.
- If using it more to illuminate your skin in general, then why not mix some in with your foundation to give an overall glow?
- Remember less is more – you don’t want to end up looking too shiny or sweaty!
Salina x
MAKE-UP ASSISTING
It goes without saying that everyone would rather forego the assisting positions in life and skip straight to being the main man. I mean, who wants to make tea, sweep floors, and hold things when you could be getting on with it? But this is where I think a lot of people are missing a trick. What better way to learn than to observe? However, to observe in this industry, any industry, you need to give something back – so whether it’s making tea, holding/cleaning make-up brushes or lugging your mentor’s kit around it all adds up. No-one is going to have someone around to impart their wisdom to for free and nor should they. I think many people believe that doing a make-up course is enough and you’ll become a fully fledged make-up artist, but the completion of a course is just the beginning. You’ve been shown the basics, but it’s up to you to get out there and practice, develop your own techniques and hone your skills and it goes without saying that assisting already established make-up artists is the best way to do this. Assisting is also a good way to see what the industry is all about and if it’s for you – people soon realise that it’s not all glamour and parties and hanging out with celebrities.
Now, the most important question is “how”. If you’re anything like me when I started, coming into this industry without a contact to my name, then the key is testing. Use resources like whoistesting.com to get on a team or put a team together and get shooting. You need to build up a portfolio of images which show your strengths and that you can eventually send to agencies or make-up artists directly. Now this is where I learnt, through trial and error, the “do’s and dont’s” of approaching agencies. I think the most important lesson I learnt was to not take everything to heart and to develop a thick skin quickly! Just like in life, you’re going to come across people who are nice to you and will help you and those that won’t give you the time of day and if they do they won’t have anything nice to say.
One of the agencies that helped me with my assisting career when I was starting out was One Make-Up, Hair & Styling and I managed to pin down the lovely director Belinda Sage for an interview from an agency’s point of view:
Q: As an agency, what do you look for in an assistant?
A: Basic skin / eye / lip make-up is a must but an assistant must also be efficient, organised and polite!
Q: What is the best way to initiate contact – telephone or email?
A: E-mail.
Q:There are a lot of make-up schools out there, as well as other options to learn the craft. Do prospective assistants need to have gone to a make-up school? If no, what is the minimum requirement you look for before you take someone on as an assistant?
A: I would expect an assistant to have training with a school or a good recommendation from someone within the industry.
Q: Getting a portfolio together can be hard when you’re not assisting as you may not yet have the contacts. Is it necessary to already have a body of work?
A: I definitely would need to see some images – showing both natural make-up and something a little more creative but wouldn’t expect to see a portfolio.
Q: As an assistant you can be expected to do a lot of free work – where is the line between saying yes to everything for free and knowing which jobs to turn down/shouldn’t be free?
A: Assisting is a way of learning not only make-up skills but about the industry in general and how photographic teams work together, whether on location or in a studio – so you must feel that you are gaining something out of each job whether paid or not.
Q: When you start getting the paid assisting work, how much can you expect to be paid?
A: £50 – £150 per day.
Now for the “do’s and dont’s”!
Q: What’s the worst thing for a prospective assistant to do when initiating contact?
A: Most agencies are busy and it’s off putting to have an over keen assistant ringing / e-mailing every day wanting work.
Q: What do like to see in an initial contact?
A: A nicely written e-mail, with a CV and up to 8 images.
Q: As an assistant, it’s difficult to know the line between calling/e-mailing too much (pestering!) and “checking in” or keeping an agency updated. What would be your advice?
A: It’s always good to follow up the initial e-mail with a call to make sure it has been received and then a monthly call.
Q: Finally, do you have any advice for budding make-up artists?
A: Do your homework! Get to know who is shooting what…research into different briefs…think about narratives for test shoots and be prepared! It’s a hard industry to get into – so keep persevering.
Now for the all important “what”. When assisting it’s important to be reliable, efficient and friendly – nobody wants an assistant who can’t be bothered or doesn’t want to work or is surly. And yes, there most probably will be tea making and brush cleaning involved, but alongside this you’ll pick up application techniques, on-set etiquette and meet other assistants who may become good contacts or great friends, which is invaluable. The first ever London Fashion Week job I assisted on, I can’t tell you how excited I was, all I did was file and paint nails. It wasn’t what I wanted to do, I disliked every second of it and most of the models were rude to me. However, I did it with a smile on my face and I ended up assisting that make-up artist for a few years on various jobs, one of them being American Vogue.
It’s also very important to show initiative – there’s nothing worse than someone sitting down doing nothing or reading a magazine when there’s something that could be done. Saying that, sometimes there is actually nothing to do and you just have to be on hand. I was once on a shoot for 14 hours where they shot nothing and all I did was show the make-up artist I was assisting how I did a base and run out to get her a pack of cigarettes. I thought it was the worst day ever and questioned my career choice (especially as it wasn’t paid!), but a week later I was asked to be on her team for shows in Germany and subsequent London Fashion Week shows.
Finally, I’d say it’s important to have a thick skin in this industry and you can’t take things personally (especially during a show!). My personal favourite was having the phrase “there’s too much f*****g shimmer!!!” yelled at me during prep for a show. Yes. That happened.
I asked each of the main artists I assisted when I first started what their one piece of advice to assistants would be and this is what they had to say:
Cheryl Phelps-Gardiner (Aart London) – “Be on time and try to anticipate.”
Ciona Johnson-King (Aart London) – “To pay attention, keep a low profile and try to think ahead anticipating what might be needed next as appose to waiting to be asked to do everything.”
Fiona Fletcher (Fletcher’s Management) – “As well as having artistic and creative flair you need to be courteous, work hard and show initiative. Then you will always be asked back to do more work and your career will progress. I often find people so hooked on the makeup that they forget the little things, it all matters. For example, making of a good cuppa also will take you a long, long way.”
Julie Jacobs (One Make-up, Hair & Styling) – “Just copy what your chief demo’s”.
There’s no time frame for assisting, all that changes is the jobs you assist on – maybe you start assisting more experienced artists while still doing your own jobs or you become a first assistant to someone at a major agency. There are no rules. I’ve been doing make-up for just over six years and have built up my own portfolio and CV, yet still assist certain artists. It’s a matter of making wise choices. I think it’s important to understand that you can never stop learning – especially in make-up!
Salina x
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AVEDA – JEWELS OF THE EARTH
Photographer – Hollie Carlin
Make-Up – Salina Thind
Model – Nina Malone
Last year Aveda launched their Autumn/Winter make-up collection called Jewels Of The Earth. Inspired by gemstones, the collection is full of blues, greens, bronzes and golds for eyes and lips and when I roped Nina into shooting for the blog I knew that the collection would be perfect on her. Bright, bold colours look great on brunettes and olive/darker skintones as they brighten/warm the skin as opposed to pastels for example which can wash them out or look ashy. This isn’t to say that you blondies and fairer tones out there won’t look great in these jewel colours!
SKIN – For Nina’s skin I used Inner Light Tinted Moisture SPF 15 (£23.00) which is Aveda’s tinted moisturiser. It’s an oil-free tinted moisturiser that gives sheer coverage. The problem with some oil-free products is that they can make the skin look a little flat, however the light reflecting minerals in this give the skin a very dewy look, plus there’s the SPF which will protect your skin. As you can see, it gives your skin a gorgeous glow! The best way to apply tinted moisturiser for me is to warm the product between your palms and apply as you would a moisturiser – all over and evenly, don’t forget to blend around the edges. This method helps get the circulation going too and that will help give you an extra glow!
EYES – Here I used Petal Essence Single Eye Color (£11.50) eyeshadows. The main colours used on Nina’s eyes are Jade and Azurite from the limited-edition Collection and then Illumination as a highlight. These eyeshadows are made with aromatic flower waxes of jasmine and geranium, which makes them apply and blend beautifully – and they’re also crease-resistant! I applied the Jade from the inner corners of the eye to about three-quarters of the way along and up to the socket line, I then finished the rest of the lid with the Azurite, blending up into the socket line. I followed the shape of the eye and slightly winged the Azurite out at the ends as you can see above. Remember to blend the two colours where they meet. The next step is to carry the Azurite underneath the eye from the outside to about three-quarters of the way in and blend the line so it doesn’t look too solid. To tie the look together take the Illumination and apply it into the corners of the eyes, carrying it underneath to meet the Azurite (and blending) and also up into the Jade on the lid (and blending!). The final place to apply the Illumination is just under the brow bone to add the highlight. Now – that’s the shadow done!
The last two products needed are Mosscara in Black Forest (£13.50) and Petal Essence Eye Definer in Black Orchid (£12.50) - mascara and eyeliner! The eyeliner has a great creamy texture and applies easily – I used it to line the inner rims of the eyes and as a bonus this product can be used on the brows, so I used it to gently fill in Nina’s brows as it is very dark and you don’t want to go overboard. Even when you have black eyebrows naturally and you want to go for full on brows it’s best to use a dark brown as it looks less severe. However, as we were just filling in a few little hairs this pencil was fine. Finally apply the mascara to both top and lower lashes! This lengthening, thickening mascara contains Icelandic moss and pure plant extracts so it really conditions the lashes.
CHEEKS – For Nina’s cheeks I used the new Petal Essence Face Accents in Rose Blossom (£19.50). These flower-based face powders come with three colours in one pan so you can customise your look and harmful talc has been replaced with Mica (a light reflecting mineral) which also gives the colour more luminosity and staying power. As you can see this blush gives a nice rosy glow to Nina’s cheeks. I applied it to the apples of the cheeks and up towards and around the temples to give a slightly stronger look.
LIPS – I finished the look with a natural looking lip colour called Sheer Petalite and this is one of Aveda’s lipsticks from their Nourish-Mint Sheer Mineral Lip Color line (£12.00). These lipsticks are great as the plant and fruit extracts smooth fine lines, hydrate and plump lips.
So that’s how you get Aveda’s Jewelled look! This is a great brand as it’s all very natural but you clearly get products with high colour pigments and lasting power, without having any harmful additives.
Comments and questions are welcome as always, so please feel free below!
Salina x
