This Weeks Best Beauty Buy: Caudalie

This weeks best beauty buy comes from the French skin care company Caudalie. I brought the Caudalie Beauty Elixir in Limited Edition after seeing Romero Jennings, a regular M.A.C makeup artist post about it on his Instagram page; saying that no makeup artist should be without it! Intrigued, i thought I'd buy it and see what the fuss was about. Caudalie is relatively cheap therefore I would definitely use their products in my own kit.

 

I absolutely love this product! It does exactly what is says it will do; visibly smooths tightens the appearance of pores and provides a burst of radiance to the skins complexion.  All this and it smells amazing too! I can see why make-up artists would use this in their kit because it literally smooths the skin out creating the ideal canvas for your base. Furthermore, the company use all natural ingredients which means that there are no chemicals to damage the skin. The company is also against animal testing, a topic which has been in the media quite a lot lately. I love this product so much that I've just brought the Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum, to correct complexion, to see if that deserves to be in my kit too. I have a feeling it will!

Murder on the Dior dance floor

This week saw chief make-up artist Lisa Armstrong create more fabulous looks for the Strictly Come Dancing dance floor. My favourite look of the week comes from Sophie Ellis Bextor; with Dior inspired jewelled eyes. 

These jewelled eyes have been popular ever since Pat McGrath pulled them out for Dior. 

The jewels outline the eye and give the whole style more glitz simply because there is never enough glitter in the dancing world. Strictly fabulous! 

Cooking with colours

First attempt at stuffed peppers went well...look at the pretty colours! Yummmmm

The Eve, The Elvis - The Mary, The Modern Day

Amazing Marilyn...need I say more?

Bibliography

'L’esprit Serge Lutens: the spirit of beauty'  Published by Terrail 2001

www.viviennewestwood.com

Romero Jennings Instagram

www.alexandermcqueen.com 

  

Edward Bond, 'The Third Crisis: Drama and Civilization'

 Rivers, 'The College of St Ignatius', in Foley (ed.) Records of the English Province, vol.1, pg 24

Google Images

 Cara Delevigne for i-D Magazine November 2013

www.theoneliner.com

http://en.wikipedia.org

www.somersethouse.org.uk

http://nymag.com

www.fashionmagazine.com

fashion.telegraph.co.uk

Elizabeth, Directed by Shekhar Kapur. 1998.

stylefrizz.com

fashionnews.zalando.co.uk

'If it's puprle, someone's gonna die' The Power of Colour in Visual Storytelling, Patti Bellantoni. Published by Focal Press. 2005

'Cosmetics In Shakespearean and Renaissance Drama', Farah Karim-Cooper, Published by Edinburgh University Press. 2006. 

Product Review - Sleek Makeup

Today I will be reviewing the Face Form, Contouring and Blush Palette from the company Sleek Makeup. I love this company because of the pigments found in most of their products. The products stay on the face for the whole day and you don't have to spend time reapplying like other products. The palette above is amazing! Literally is my favourite thing in my own makeup bag which I without a doubt use every day! I also use one in my makeup kit too and think that it is perfect to create a structured look. The highlighter in the middle is amazing, so pigmented and applies easily. A little bit goes a long way with this product which means it lasts a long time, which is good for those purse strings! The blush and bronzer compliment the colour of the highlighter. The blush is also pigmented and highlights the cheeks. For my final assessment I used this palette to create the structured look that I wanted. 

Used above is the middle highlighter and the blush highlighter.

Product Review Crown Brush UK

 

Today I will be reviewing some products from the company Crown Brush UK. The palette on the left is the 6 Cream to Powder Foundation Palette. The palette on the right is the 88 eyeshadow palette. 

The Cream to Powder Foundation palette is so easy to use and also doubles up as a concealer palette. The greens and purples are perfect for hiding those pesky imperfections. The cream foundation goes comes in a variety of skin tones, and applies evenly and doesn't come out to thick and cakey. It immediately goes to powder creating the perfect base. 

The eyeshadow palette is amazing. It comes in a variety of shades, either matte or satin and applies evenly and easily. The only thing that lets it down is that the eyeshadow drops onto the face. Other than that I love this palette and the variety of colours.  

Assessment - My idea

 

In the next assessment session, my partner Sandra had to recreate my ideas. Beforehand, we had prepped and discussed the idea thoroughly so that it was understood where the idea had come from. The only thing missing on the day was my hair inspiration. I think that this would have helped Sandra to understand more the concept of where the hair idea came from. The execution of the idea was precise and in the given time. Sandra prepped my hair beforehand by crimping it which saved some time in the assessment. In my opinion I think that the hair could have been bigger on the side and also on the top. It probably would have been better to use padding as I would’ve been able to control how much volume I needed in the hair style. The whole hair idea was about texture, and this definitely came across through the crimping and the twists at the front. Originally I was going to have material twists in the front of the hair but we both decided that the hairstyle would look nice with just ribbon, as the material moved around.

For the makeup, I think that the eyes and lips weren’t as green as I wanted them to be because we were running out of time. Sandra was good at creating the base and really understood what I wanted to achieve with the highlighter and white triangles. The only thing I would have liked is for the lips to be more gradient like on my face chart and in the practise. Other than that I am happy with the execution of the idea and am glad that we discussed the idea before and tried it out.

  

Assessment practise - My Design

 

Above is the images taken from the practise with my partner. I think that Sandra understood the idea well and took her time to create the look how I wanted it to look. I like how the lip is a gradient of colour and how the eyes are darker at the outer edge. The idea came from an image and a quote. The image was from Japan Vogue in 2001, with the makeup done by Pat McGrath. The quote is from a book called, Cosmetics in Shakespearean and renaissance drama, by Farah Karim-Cooper, 'Ashamed to  be dressed and painted like peacocks.' 

Assessment - Partners Design

 

For our timed assessment we got paired with another person from the class to recreate our contemporary Elizabethan designs. Personally, I was more nervous to recreate the hair design given to me by my partner Sandra as it seemed so complex. However, after practising and discussing the look I felt more confident. The makeup design was simple to create but very detailed, which meant that I had to practise keeping a steady hand!

To begin the assessment, I prepped Sandra’s hair by curling it; because she had hair extensions in, it took longer which is why I came in earlier to get everything ready. I felt that I kept to the time management well with the hair. The only thing that I did struggle with, was getting the wire into the hair and how to attach it. This was because I didn’t have the wire in the practise sessions to see how to do it. Trying to get the wire into the hair was time costly and meant that I had less time to work on the makeup.

The detailing on the makeup was something that I practised in the makeup sessions and at home because I wanted to get this right. On the day, the lines weren’t as neat as I wanted them to be. If I was going to create this look again I would definitely spend longer on the makeup to make sure that it was completely perfect. I am happy with the images created and think that they are quite strong and show an interesting take on Contemporary Elizabethan. 

Tilda Swinton as the Snow Queen 2005.The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion,  the Witch and the Wardrobe. Directed by Andrew Adamson based on the book by C.S.Lewis. (Digital Image) (Viewed 5th December 2013) Available to view: www.theoneliner.com

Sandra's image is based on the Snow Queen and also on the black swan. The hair inspiration was taken from the Snow Queen. You can see this through the texture found in both images. I like how Sandra has incorporated the height of the hair found on the Snow Queen and then used this, but made it contemporary by spraying the hair white and using wire to prop up one side of the hair. I also like how she has incorporated paper as well into the hair to give a different texture. 

Natalie Portman. Black Swan 2010. Directed by Darren Aronofsky. (Digital Image) (Viewed 5th December 2013) Available to view: http://en.wikipedia.org

The makeup inspiration was taken from Black Swan. To make the look her own, Sandra has taken the wing look and made the lines straight. I like how she has kept the colours to the same tone, using only greys, blacks and whites.

In order to know what to use on Sandra's skin we had to fill in a consultation form. This was for my use and reference so that i know everything that i needed to know about Sandra's skin. As you can see by the consultation form, Sandra is allergic to perfumed products. Therefore I had to use products that were completely perfume free and suitable for sensitive skin.

Assessment Practise

 

In order to complete our assessment, we had to practise the look before so that I knew exactly what was expected of me on the day. I really liked Sandra's idea and thought that if it was executed well by me then it would look like contemporary Elizabethan. The only thing i struggled with in the practise was making the black lines straight. I found that it was hard to make both sides the same and the lines equal and straight. 

 

As you can see, the lines are uneven. I also found it hard to get the line right on the lid. Obviously Sandra had to keep her eye lid shut until the liner had dried otherwise it would smudge. These were aspects that had to be remembered for the time assessment so these mistakes weren't made. In order to have the lines perfect on the day, I practised at home multiple times so that i would know how to do it and how to stay within the time limit given. 

Daphne Guinness - Inspiration and Icon

Daphne Guinness - Style icon and heir of the most famous beer.

Best friends with Alexander McQueen, it is easy to see why Guinness has such an eye for fashion. Guinness creates her own products for when she cant find anything to wear herself, which is a pretty inspirational thing to do when it comes to a society obsessed with buying new items. At the moment, Daphne Guinness is showcasing Isabella Blow's collection of clothing from her 30 year career at the Somerset House. 

Isabella Blow's collection at the Somerset House. 2013. (Digital Image) (Viewed 5th December 2013) Available to view here: http://www.somersethouse.org.uk

 This collection is one of the most important collections of the 20th and 21st Century, which is no doubt going to be very popular. It is clear to see why Daphne Guinness has an interest in the fashion industry. 

Daphne Guinness. 2012. Fashion Event (Digital Image) (Viewed 5th December 2013) Available to view here: http://nymag.com

 This particular image above reminds me of Elizabethan make-up. Guinness has had her face made whiter than her natural skin tone as you can see around her hairline. The blush has been applied gently to the apple of her cheeks to create a flushed look, like how Queen Elizabeth used to have her makeup applied. The lips natural to keep the attention on that wonderful neck piece.

Daphne Guinness 2010. Interview for Fashion Magazine. (Digital Image) (Viewed 5th December 2013) Available to view here: http://www.fashionmagazine.com

 Once again in the image above, Guinness's makeup style remind me of the the Elizabethan era. Pale complexion and blushed cheeks with that glorious crown just screams Queen Elizabeth. I love the style and think that she pulls it off really well and effortlessly. Its almost another personality in itself. 

Daphne Guinness. 2012. Fashion Auction. (Digital Image) (Viewed 5th December 2013) Available to view: http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk

 Collaring the Elizabethan way!

Cate Blanchet as Queen Elizabeth I. Elizabeth 1998 directed by Shekhar Kapur. (Digital Image) (Viewed 5th December 2013) Available to view: http://www.fanpix.net

As you can see in these images Guinness is channeling the Elizabethan style. The frosty glare, the collar, the complexion, blushed lips and pulled back hair. Guinness is definitely the queen of her own universe, the fashion world and collecting fashion pieces.

As well as the Elizabethan inspiration, I think that Lady Gaga has taken inspiration from Guinness in order to become one of the most iconic ladies in the fashion industry. Gaga is also a fan of Alexander McQueen and has used many of his collections in her music videos and in general. I think that Gaga channels Guinness's look earlier on in her career more than  now. This is because of her style, barely there makeup, outrageous head pieces and love of fashion.

Lady Gaga. 2010. MTV VMA'S. (Digital Image) (Viewed 5th December 2013) Available to view: http://stylefrizz.com

Daphne Guinness. 2011. Daphne for Nars. (Digital Image) (Viewed 5th December 2013) Available to view: fashionnews.zalando.co.uk