Category Archives: Simple Look
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
Bourjois Fresh Day Look
Photographer – Hollie Carlin
Make-up – Salina Thind
Model – Georgia
This is a fresh, day look created with some of Bourjois’ summer collection which is perfect for the summer months but there’s no reason to not wear it in the colder months to give you that little boost or glow! This look can also look great on any skintone, so there’s no excuse for any of you!
SKIN – For this look I used the Mineral Bronzing Foundation from Bourjois’ new Delice De Soleil range (£9.99). What sets this apart from other mineral foundations is that it has two different coloured wells of powder so that depending on how much you tan throughout the summer you just adjust accordingly! It has a little dial where you can lessen/add one or the other of the colours – so all you do is decide on the shade, tap out the product into the lid, swirl with a kabuki brush and apply in circular motions. It’s a little bit of trial and error, but it’s not rocket science! As it’s a day look, I’d say apply the foundation where you need it and try not to be too heavy handed with it if you are applying all over. Lastly, what I will say is that from personal experience I’ve found mineral foundations to not be that good for dry skins, but this one contains orange blossom extract for hydration with cocoa beans for radiance and gives a lovely glow.
BRONZER - The next product I used is great and can be used either on its own or on top of the foundation and is again from the Delice De Soleil range. Bourjois Bronzing Powder For Face & Body (£7.99) is a spray bronzer that requires no blending. If you’re not in the mood for foundation you can just give your face a spray of this and you get a hint of colour or use it over your foundation where you would naturally catch the sun (cheeks, forehead, nose, chin – the latter very subtely!) for a bronzed look (as I did with Georgia). In terms of confidence in using the spray, I’d say maybe start by using it with a brush just to blend any mistakes in and once you feel confident enough to use it on it’s own, go for it!
Both the foundation and bronzer come in two shades – Fair/Medium and Olive/Tanned.
EYES – For Georgia’s eyes I used two colours from Bourjois’ new Intense Eyeshadow range (£6.99) and they were numbers 1 and 2, A Golden Beige and A Honey Beige. These eyeshadows are highly pigmented so you only need one application to get a dense enough colour, plus they’re really long lasting. I applied A Golden Beige all over the eyelid and concentrating on the inner eye area and then I applied A Honey Beige into the crease and along the bottom lash line. This makes the colour a little more three dimensional and applying the lighter colour into the corners of the inner eye really help to open up the eye.
Now, you all know how much of a mascara lover I am and Bourjois don’t let me down here with their Volumizer Mascara (£7.99) – it’s kind of two mascaras in one. You’ve got the step 1 which gives your eyes definition and you can leave it at that for the day or go for step 2 which really gives you that volume. I couldn’t resist using both for Georgia and as you can see there’s volume and definition and there was no clumping (yay!). I really do love this mascara and it’s so reasonably priced!
LIPS – Bourjois Effet 3D Lipgloss (£6.99) from the summer collection in Rose Pacific (no 49) does it all! It’s got high shine (as you can see above), protects from UV rays, has SPF 15 and provides 8 hour hydration. Did I also mention it’s waterproof? Perfect for the beach! It’s also such a cute colour and compliments the make-up well. If you fancy something a bit darker you can try the Brun Exotic (no 50). These are the only two colours in the summer collection, but don’t forget about the original Effet 3D Lipglosses - they come in 15 shades, I’m sure you’ll find one to suit! The beauty of this look is that you can pretty much wear any lip colour with it. So why not take it from day to night with a stronger/bolder colour or just experiment with different shades for the day. If you’re looking to break from your usual colour routine, a gloss is a great way to do it as it’s so much softer than a lipstick.
And that’s how you create Bourjois’ Fresh Day Look!
Salina x
Sisley Holiday Look
Photographer – Hollie Carlin
Make-Up – Salina Thind
Model – Sharan
Although I’ve called this a holiday look, you obviously don’t need to be on holiday to wear it (or maybe you do if today’s torrential rain was anything to go by!) – it’s more about the simplicity of the look, as it can almost all be achieved with just one lipstick. This look is great on tanned, olive and dark skintones. As you can see the lips are slightly different in each picture, one is softer and the other is bolder/brighter. You can adjust the intensity depending on how bold you’re feeling/whether you’re going from day to night – it’s up to you!
Normally, if you’re anything like me, the last thing you want to do is put on any make-up in the scorching heat. However, this look is so quick and easy, that you won’t miss any valuable eating/tanning time on your break (you can see where my priorities lie) and is minimal so you won’t look feel you’re caked in make-up.
Before meeting with the lovely Rebekah at Sisley, I’d never really had any contact with Sisley products. All I knew of them was that they were a high-end, luxury cosmetics brand who use natural plant extracts in their beauty products. Upon viewing the entire range I discovered that they have an amazing skin care range (another day, another post) and a great range of high quality make-up products.
The product which really jumped out at me was their Hydrating Long Lasting Lipstick in shade L30 (£29.50) – it’s a great bright orange colour as you can see above (it’s also called Mandarin, but is listed only as L30 on the Sisley website (www.sisley-cosmetics.com) – I’ve been trying so hard to remember how I heard it was called Mandarin, but old age has clearly caught up with me). Not only is the lipstick a great colour, the packaging is also gorgeous and it comes in it’s own little velvet cover, so no more scratching pretty packaging when you throw your lipstick into your handbag.
Now for the all important details!
SKIN - To prep the skin and give it a nice, natural glow I used Sisley Express Flower Gel (£72.50) and Sisley Botanical Moisturizer with Cucumber (£75). If you’ve got dull, tired and dehydrated skin the Express Flower Gel is a great 3 minute pick-me-up mask and no need to rinse off! All you do is apply it evenly to your skin, leave for three minutes and then tissue off the excess. This allows the active ingredients iris, lilly, rose and sesame to work longer. Follow the mask with the Cucumber Moisturizer to leave your skin feeling fresh and hydrated.
In the heat our skin tends to sweat and feel greasy so a good tip is to use a lightweight, oil free foundation to counteract this and also to only use it where you need it, as I did above. For this look I used Sisley Phyto-Teint Eclat (£65), which gives a smooth, luminous finish with a slight powdery feel. The natural extracts of Gardenia, Linden Blossom and Mallow will keep the skin soft and moisturised so you won’t have that dry/cakey feeling.
EYES - For the eyes, all I did was smudge a little of the lipstick onto the eyelids with my fingers and blend it in, but remembering not to go any higher than the socket line if you’re going for a natural look. Then I applied a couple of coats of Sisley Phyto-Mascara Ultra-Stretch in Deep Black (£37) to open up the eyes and give them some definition. The good thing about this mascara is that it really coats the lashes and almost grips them as you pull the brush through and you definitely get your length and curl.
CHEEKS - I used the lipstick as a blusher too, a great tip I introduced in my previous post. Instead of using it on the apples of the cheeks, I smudged the lipstick almost to the side of cheeks and up and out towards the ears and then blending slightly over the apples. This gives structure to the face, as you can see above and highlights your cheekbones.
LIPS - The all important lips! To prep them I used my new favourite lip balm Sisley Nutritive Lip Balm (£39.50) which is a true emergency treatment for cracked, dry and chapped lips. This is thanks to the combination of oils (hazelnut, plum kernel, sunflower), shea butter and kokum butter. Now for the colour. If you want a subtle hint of colour like in the first image then the best way to do that is to take some lipstick on your fingers and smudge it onto your lips. If you’re after a bolder shot of colour then apply the colour straight from the lipstick, this will give you the intensity and brightness.
And that’s how you create Sisley’s Holiday Look! Feel free to comment or leave any questions you may have.
Salina x
