To Shimmer or not to Shimmer

Eye shadow - it’s alluring - even before it gets onto you face.  Packaged in pots, compacts and palettes, in creamy or powdery textures, eye shadow is one of the first things we are drawn to as little girls, playing “make-up” with our Mums or older sisters.

Eye shadow sets the tone of your look.  It changes with where you are going, the outfit you are wearing and the time of day you will be wearing it.  But, eye shadow is really all about our eye-shape, and accentuating or downplaying certain features to achieve a desired appearance. 

The right application of make-up can make a young person look older or an older person appear more youthful.   So eye shadow can be your friend or foe depending on how you are using it with your natural features.  If you have deep set eyes, you don’t want your eye shadow to make them look deeper.

A trick of the trade is using shimmer eye shadow.  Placement of the shimmer depends on the features of your face you want to accentuate or avoid.  Shimmer draws the attention of the viewer so be mindful of the focal point you create with your make-up.  If you have fine lines around your eyes, apply the shimmer to the inner eye to draw attention there - or use just on your eyelid with no expansion, you want to draw focus away from the lines.  Work with a lighter shimmer such as a pale blue or white.

Remember, shimmer is not for every face or for every occasion.  Definitely avoid if you are to be photographed, shimmer reflects and will not give you the cover girl shot you are ready for.  And, finally, shimmer is best for a night out.

Once again, thanks for stopping by and if you have questions, please post them to my Facebook page.

Until next month beautiful ladies!

The Tools of the Trade - Make up Brushes

One of the more asked questions I receive in my studio is “what make-up brushes do I need”?

A walk through the cosmetics section of any department store and you will find brushes sold in packs, lots of different sized handles and brushes, some natural hair, some synthetic, some sponges, and when you trial new products the consultants will use a variety of brushes.  All very confusing.

But the simple truth is professional make up artists work with many models on the same day.  That’s many different skin types, make-up types (creams, liquids, powders), and make-up styles. You’re just working on you, so your tool kit doesn’t need the volume or complexity of a professional to get a professional look.

For a daily routine, a minimum of about four brushes is all you will need:  a powder brush, blush brush, eye shadow brush and an eyebrow brush and comb - which can also be used for eyelashes.

Contouring and foundation brushes are not necessary for an everyday make-up application, you will achieve the smoothest application of foundation with your fingers, and contouring is not for every make-up style or every face.

As I mentioned, the type of make-up you use will dictate what kind of brush bristles you need - natural hair or synthetic.

Natural hair contains a cuticle which will hold the make-up, so are best for powders.  You may find when you are apply a powdered eye-colour that colour is falling onto your cheek, if so, you’ve probably the wrong brush and it’s likely to have synthetic bristles.  This prevents you from achieving the truest colour result.  But this doesn’t mean synthetic bristles are a bad thing.

If you are applying liquids or creams, the natural hair cuticles will work against what you are trying to achieve. Cream and liquid will get caught in the cuticle and not transfer well onto your skin, working against the colour and preventing that flawless finish you want.

Also keep in mind the quality of the brush, this will give you improved results over cheap brushes.  A budget of approximately $150 should get you the brushes you need.

Don’t forget these are a part of your style regime you use everyday, so you want quality that will last.  You wouldn’t expect a cheap dress that you wear everyday to last you more than a few months - so invest in quality.  And take care of your investment, brushes are easy to maintain with washing them in water with a little diluted shampoo.

If you would like advice on what brushes will work best for you, just ask at your next appointment.

Until next month!

The tools of the trade - Lendan

One of the rites of passage we have as women is when we begin to acquire our own grooming tools. Manicure sets, hair dryers, straightening and curling tools start holding court in our bathrooms as hair and make-up become part of our daily grooming routines. These tools are mainstays of our existence, travelling and moving with us as we progress through our youthful independence and upgraded with the latest technology offerings.  It would be hard to find a woman over the age of 18 that doesn’t own a blow dryer.

Of course, here I’m specifically referring to hardware, but what about the software: shampoos, conditioners, treatments?  These are the critical elements in maintaining your look in between salon visits.

About 20 years ago, I was running a busy salon and was already very happy with the products we stocked – we had used them extensively and were very impressed by the high-end results we were achieving and then I was approached by a supplier offering something newand very special to the Australian market,  Lendan Urban Haircare.

Lendan’s philosophy is based in continually improving their products and brand through sound research to deliver optimal results.  Their products are plant based, void of any animal derivatives and testing, are dermalogically tested and responsibly packaged in recyclable materials.  So I   agreed to trial the Lendan products.

We used them in the salon along side our existing brand and monitored the results closely.  After a few months we noticed significant differences in the results.  Lendan colours stayed stronger, longer and remained vibrant well beyond our mainstay product over the same period of time.  When comparing treatments, again, we noticed that the Lendan products achieved better results.  I made the decision to exclusively use Lendan products in that salon and have used them in my businesses ever since.

I’m very excited to introduce their new essential oils range into my salon, Hair ID.  This range is modeled similar to building blocks, allowing stylists to create the right treatment to best suit each individual client’s hair and scalp with over 140 combinations.

Lendan Urban Haircare also offer a Home Care range that delivers the same outstanding results as their salon ranges which I highly recommended.

If you would like to know more about Lendan Urban Haircare products and why they are my product range of choice, I am happy to answer any of your questions at your next appointment.

The right make-up can take you to the boardroom.

We all know we keep one look for our social lives and another for work, but just how important is good grooming for your career?

Early in my career, a female boss advised me, “dress for the job you want to have”.  Sage advice, right?  Definitely, considering I was young, eager to do well and be considered for promotion.  But as we get older and have those promotions under our belt…do we forget this mantra and get stuck in a look that might not be serving us best.  While it may no longer be about promotions (or maybe it is), our image underlies our professional brand and presents a perception to others about our knowledge, reliability and most importantly - being worth our compensation.

With the gender pay gap at 16% in Australia and studies showing that attractive people are paid more than their less attractive counterparts - how important is it that we are building our brand through our grooming?

According to research conducted at Boston University a direct relationship exists between make-up and the perceived ability, competence and trustworthiness of a female employee and a more recent study by sociologists from UC Irvine answers this question down to the dollars.  This research supports that while attractive people can earn 20% more than their not-as-attractive peers, the scales are tipped back when good grooming is added into the mix.

The study found that average-looking, well-groomed women earned significantly more than average-looking women, with average grooming - around $6,000 more and $4,000 more than her more attractive, but less-groomed counterpart.

So with a little lippy helping us earn more is it time we considered our hair and make-up as career investments?

That is one good reason to participate in a personlised Make-up and Hair Styling lesson.

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