Kimberley's wedding makeup

A picture of my gorgeous bride Kimberley taken on my phone from her wedding last Friday. We got ready at Long View winery in Macclesfield where her ceremony and reception was being held so it was a nice and relaxed atmosphere and the views were just amazing, I love my job!

Emily H portfolio shoot

Photo's from yesterdays shoot for photographer Marryam Lum's portfolio with Pride model Emily Hage and stylist Imogen Sabel. You can find the rest of the photos from this shoot on Marryam's blog.

The look was natural, carefree, fun and colourful. I was asked to do natural wavy hair and natural makeup with a pop of colour. Emily had great skin so i used a tinted moisturiser for a nice light natural finish. The first look was natural eye shadows and lip liner/gloss. The second look i added a nice copper shadow which bought out her eyes, and mixed 2 Graftobian lipstick for her lips. The last look I used the same shadow but wet for intensity and mixed 2 lip tars for her lips.

Cleaning makeup brushes

Last night i had to clean brushes for a wedding so i thought I'd take some photos for a post to show you guys how i do it. I like to have heaps of brushes, a mini set for each client so i don't have to clean in between when doing a wedding party and clean them all when i get home instead.

Makeup tip - longerlasting lipstick

For longerlasting lipstick, a good tip is to apply your lipstick, blot with tissue, then apply a second light coat of lipstick. Layering lipstick in this way makes the colour more pigment rich and acts as a second layer of defense against eating, drinking and kissing. Blotting is also a good trick for making lipsticks more matte, as doing so rids your lips of the moisture, leaving only a layer of pigment behind.

MAC fluidline

I mainly use MAC's Rich ground fluidline as an eyeliner for brides, its a soft gel so you can also smudge it for a softer look. They also make great bases for smoky eyes when doing bridal work as they aren't as hash as black, you just have to remember to work quickly before it dries down to a waterproof finish.

(L-R) Rich ground, Macroviolet

Face Atelier pro foundations

Face Atelier Pro foundation has been used for Madonna's confession tour, Lady Gaga, Fergie, Kelly Clarkson, Trueblood and now, my brides!

I've been using it a lot lately for photo shoots as I like the fresh dewy look. FA is an oil free, fragrance free, non-comedogenic (pore blocking), water resistant, silicon base foundation with built in primer. I like to use it for people with dry skin, for combination skin I use an anti-shine in the t-zone, it can look a bit too shiny for people with very oily skin though.

More colours have been added to their line to cater for darker skin tones since I purchased mine. They have a zero minus (white) and zero plus to lighten and darken foundations, also excellent for highlighting and contouring or mixing to get an exact match for your skin tone. I do carry a few colours in my kit for bridal work though as you don't want to waste too much time mixing colours.

(L-R) #1 Porcelain, #2 Ivory, #3 Wheat, #4 Sand, #5 Sepia, #6 Honey, #7 Tan, #8 Caramel, #9 Toffee, #10 Cocoa (used to be zero plus in their old colours), Zero minus

Inglot matte gel eyeliner

I hardly use black eyeliner for bridal work as it can look a bit too harsh sometimes. I am usually asked to do natural looks and 90% of the time i use false lashes which adds definition without having to line the eye. But for smokey eyes and times when i am asked to use black liner i like to use Inglot's AMC gel eyeliner in #77 matte black, sparingly.

Danielle's portfolio shoot

Some photo's i received on Monday from Daniella's portfolio shoot over the weekend with photographer Marryam Lum. It took me a while to post as i couldn't decide on which ones i wanted to upload, they were all equally good. Special thanks to Danielle for allowing me to use these, you can see the rest of the pictures from this shoot on Marryam's blog.

I was asked to add some texture to her hair and do a natural makeup look but with extra blush so i layered a powder blush over a cream blush.

Moo, I salute you - business cards

I am so happy with my new business cards! They came in the the mail today all the way from America. I ordered them on Sunday 19th of February, they took 5 days to print and it was despatched on Friday 24th of February. So all in all it took 15 days from start to finish!

The quality and service was great and they are famous for printfinity, which is why I ordered from them. Basically you can have a different picture on each and every card at no extra cost and the minimum starts at 50 standard cards or 100 mini cards! So I can print new pictures as I update my portfolio, I even ordered a batch of mini cards so I can give them out for my nail work, too cute!

They were even nice enough to give my friends 10% off their first order, so if you're looking for new cards check them out.

Brooke's engagement hair and makeup

Hair and makeup i did for an engagement shoot last month. My client came in with some photos (which is always a good idea) of Jennifer Hawkin's and choose what aspects she did and didn't like. The final look was a bit more tone down with loose wavy hair.

Engagement shoots are also a great opportunity to do hair and makeup trials. It gives you a chance to wear your hair and makeup out and also see how it will look on camera.

Thanks to JoelC for the engagement photos, you can see more of  his work on his blog, check it out.