Monday, March 31, 2008

Madonna - Get The Look!


At 50 (well nearly!) Madonna is indeed still looking as fabulous as ever, pictured here in Berlin at her recent movie screening, she sports a very chic make-up look with a vintage edge. Over the last few years she has opted for a heavy liquid liner application on her top lash line, it's now become somewhat of a trademark & she is rarely seen on the red carpet without it.

Get the look!

Madonna has very distinctive almond shaped eyes which look great with heavy liner but the fantastic thing about the over all look is that you can fake it by elongating the eye at the edges with the liner.

1 - First start with a light but matt foundation & powder, try Chanel's Mat Lumiere Foundation.
2 - To begin defining the eyes take a base colour in a nude shade & build into the socket line with a deep brown for definition, apply the base colour over the lid & with a soft blending brush apply the brown with circular movements into the socket line (for best results, tilt your head up & look down slightly to apply shadow to the socket line), Try Dior's Duo Shadow '785 - Dior Ever' with a Nude Shade & Taupe Brown.
3 - The Top Lash Line is the most striking part of this look, applying this can be tricky but with a few tips it can easily be achieved. Use a Gel Liner which is easier to apply, Mac's Fluid Line in 'Black Track' is the best as it gives a matt finish. Begin with a shadow to draw a 'guide line', the shadow is better to use at first & can be corrected easier as it creates a softer line. Using a slanted defining brush use a black shadow & as close the the lashes as possible take the line from the inner corner to the outer, build heavily at the outer corner, just past the middle point of your eye, this will give more depth & shape to your eye, then trace a light line at the outside corner & flick outwards. Once you are happy with the shadow definition take a liquid liner brush & use the fluid line to go over the guide line, try to steady your hand by resting your elbow on a table, take this in stages & build over the shadow from the inner to the outer corner, the two should work together to give a defined & even finish where slight flaws in the line aren't noticeable.
4 - For the bottom Lash Line use the same brown as used for the socket line & take a light smokey line right the way along, blend softly with a cotton bud.
5 - Use a volume mascara to really define your lashes for, try Rimmel's 'Glam Eyes'.
6 - For the cheeks, use a light contouring shadow effect, taking your blusher brush sweep the colour across the apples (soft fleshy part of the cheek when you smile) & then blend under & up to give a defined finish, for this look try Bobbi Brown's blusher in 'Blushed', soft warm beige/pink with a slight shimmer.
7 - Keep the lips a neutral colour as the eyes do all the talking (!!), go for L'Oreal's Colour Riche Lipstick in 'Heather Shimmer'.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Clinique Bonus Time at Boots

Now's the time to treat yourself to some new Clinique goodies, on offer is a free gift worth over £40 which is specially selected by Cosmopolitan to include Spring's soft pink look for eye's & lips. Offer ends Sat 05/04.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

10 Years Younger with Mangosteen!


One of the latest 'Super Foods', Mangosteen has recently been heralded as the best source for the most powerful anti-oxidants available in nature to help fight against the ageing battle!! It is rich is 'Xanthones' which have properties that will help repair cell damage from free radicals, slow the ageing process & it is also believed that they can help prevent cancer, heart disease as well as general physical & mental deterioration associated with ageing. As if that wasn't enough to convince you that mangosteen is defintely a huge plus for not only your beauty routine but over all health, Kate Moss has recently been using Mangosteen juice in her detox regime & has seen fantastic results with youthful glowing skin as well as helping her to give up smoking, her celeb friends have even been quoted as saying 'she hasn't looked this good since her 20's'!
Defintely worth a few sips, afterall it's what you put in to your body that counts the most with the fight against ageing, also look out for Acai Berries & Goji Berries which are also from the 'Super Food' family, here's some sources for Mangosteen Juice - www.superfooduk.com & www.naturaljuices.co.uk

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Benefit's Prettier Than The Bride - New Lippy!


Brand new from Benefit is their 'Prettier Than The Bride' Spring 08 Limited Edition Silky Finish Lipsticks, they can give a sheer finish or build up to a higher colour if required & are available in shades such as 'I do. I do. I do' & 'Bouquet Diver'!!
The rest of the new 'Love Your Look' range includes creaseless cream shadow/liner, silky powder shadow & cream blushers, check them out at www.benefitcosmetics.com, they're not out in the UK yet but if you can't wait for them to hit out counters Benefit offer free international shipping if you spend over $100 dollars, enter the promo code INTLSHIP at the checkout.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Best Under Eye Concealers

Covering those dark circles can sometimes feel like a near impossible task, however I have found the top 3 under eye concealers that are used daily to cover up those tell tale sign circles!!!!
Topping the popularity Poll is YSL's 'Touche Eclat', it's been a favourite for many years & is still the most trusted cover up, it's light reflecting particles really lift the under eye area & detract any darkness, making those circles disappear!! Secondly is Benefit's 'Boi-ing' concealer to camouflage dark circles as well as their 'Ooh La Lift' which is a pink colour corrector which can go under or over your concealer, saying good bye to any darkness! Last but not least is Dior's Skinflash, again similar to Touche Eclat it has highly pigmented light reflecting particles that will bounce the light back creating a flawless finish.

Tips on how to Apply Under Eye Concealer

Apply your under eye concealer after your foundation, as applying foundation after wards can wipe away the concealer.
Take 3 dots from the inner corner to the outer & pat gently with your finger tips to blend.
Once initial concealer applied is evenly blended, apply a little more to your problem area & blend as above.
I like to use a Pink Colour Corrector mixed with a little cream concealer, pink counter acts grey & will disguise dark circles.
Finally ensure that the concealer is blended up to the lash line as well as with your foundation & set lightly with a little powder.

Have a look at the clip below, Tyra Banks carries out a Make-Up Lesson with her audience on how to apply concealer under your eyes.


Shop StrawberryNET.com

Friday, March 21, 2008

Happy Easter from Clinique!!!!

For the Easter Weekend only Clinique are offering free delivery on any online purchases as well as your choice of 2 free samples at the check out, offer ends at 11:59 on Mon 24/03!!! (Enter the offer code 'easter08' at the check out - www.clinique.co.uk)

Also check out their new 24 hour mascara 'Lash Power Mascara Long Wearing Formula', a waterproof solution that will stand up to rain, sweat & even tears, but with one huge difference, it removes easily with warm water (!!!) - no more clumpy residue left on our lashes for days!!! Set to be a huge hit at the counters this spring, available now for £12.50

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Spring Has Sprung - Fresh Cheeks With Mac!


Great for spring flushed cheeks, Mac's new Limited Edition 'Beauty Powder Blush' (£14), it has a very light shimmering effect on the skin with soft colour & a glowing sheen!
Also to add to this look, use their 'Strobe Cream' (£19.50), it looks amazing under your make-up giving an iridescent finish, it livens up your complexion & has a powerful blend of vitamins & green tea. I use this with clients all the time & it works wonders on all skin types giving a fantastic base for foundation & cheek colours.
A new addition to this range is the 'Strobe Liquid', which is their lighter weight version of the cream, again it helps to promote that radiant glow!

Finally another addition that is impossible to resist is the new Strobe Lip Conditioners (£10.50), they have the pearl finish qualities of the cream but with a flash of colour for the lips, great for moisture & also has SPF.