So I thought I was bad when it comes to being a product junkie but my good friend and super star makeup artist friend Lynsey Alexander puts me to shame. New Topshop makeup, Linz has it. Ellis Faas range, already been there! So it was no surprise when we met for dinner on Upper street for her to fill me in on the new “Must have” lip product, Lip Tar. The name alone did it for me so of I went in search of this new wonder lip gloss.

So my appetite well and truly whetted for this mixable, vinyl shine uber gloss the next step was to find a stockist. You can get your fix of Lip Tar at these websites -

www.crownbrushes.com

www.themakeupartistboutique.com

Now to wait for the post man!

I was super excited to shoot with one of the first models I ever met at fashion week Victoria. She’s now styling and wanted to put this gorgeous street shoot together with Fiona Garden….. would I like to do the makeup … hell yes!!!!

I think Victoria has the most incredible face, cheekbones to die for and the fullest lips. It’s great to work with a girl who really understands her own look and how to work it and to top all that she’s a great stylist too! Here’s a few shots from the day, raw and unedited.

I’ve spent so much time in the  country side shooting lately and although I’ve had a great time soaking up the British summer showers and all I’m kind of looking forward to the Autumn/Winter season when everything gets a little darker. I came across this stunning shoot for Tatler Hong Kong and thought it was the perfect antidote to my whimsical way of thinking. The model is perfect for the shoot and I love the post apocalyptic other worldly feel of the story.

Phoebe @ Models 1 was the perfect choice of girl for our Petulant teen shoot in Queens Park the other day. Styled by Karen Munnis and shot by Fiona Garden we wanted to capture the idea of a teenage girl hanging out after school and toying with being a ‘rebel’.

At age 13 the girls seem to be getting younger and younger but with her super lovely mum in tow we set off to find the perfect after school hang out spots to shoot our story.

Pheobe had such a cute look so I wanted to toughen her up a bit with some worn in eye liner, MAC Smoulder Kohl is great as it’s nice a greasy so will move a bit to give the worn in look. There’s something beautiful about an eye liner that’s a bit messed up.

I spent a lovely day in the Hertfordshire country side shooting with Craig Fordham and stylist Emily Jerman. The location was quintessentially english which framed the story of the two young lovers talking a walk after a long summer day.

The sun stayed with us throughout the day and I was blown away by Craig’s use of natural light.

Models Milue and George braved the chilly stream to make the most of the dappled light and water reflection along with Craig while Emily and I stayed on dry land.

It was really refreshing to work without power for a hairdryer or tongs as well as being able to apply makeup in perfect daylight. I found myself applying the bare minimum of product to keep the natural beauty of the day.

I’ve really enjoyed getting in the studio lately and shooting beauty.I shot with Frankie at Boss and Sarah Jones the other day. Frankie has amazing hair and I wanted to give it lots of volume and texture so I used a technique I learnt for Zoe Irwin. To get this romantic soft fuzz I knotted the hair from the roots through to the tips then ran the straightener down each section to hold the shape. Once the section is undone I brushed the hair through with a Mason Junior. The finish isn’t a curl or a crimp and felt really modern.

One thing I love about the summer is getting out on location and shooting. So with all of the sun we’ve been having I decided to get together with Mark Enstone www.enstone.net and shoot some beauty. Trust me to pick the one weekend with torrential rain! Well we were shooting in Manchester so I wasn’t too surprised. The rain did ease up in time for us to get these  gorgeous shots of Boss new face Cailin.

I’ve worked with Alex for a couple of years now and apart from being one of the most lovely people I know she’s also a dream to makeup. I admire a girl who knows what she likes and what works for her look. When I work with Alex I always get a clear idea of the look she wants, she’s very trend driven and always looks immaculate, I love her style. For the Elton John party we went for dramatic angled liner on the eyes with Alex’s trade mark ultra highlights on the cheeks. I found a beautiful limited edition gloss from MAC called Poetic License which is the perfect pale peach to compliment the dark eye and used NUxe body oil to give her skin a sheen.

I was shooting today with the gorgeous Jessica from MOT models and we were playing around with different hair up ideas. We came up with the super cool/cute double pony with lots of height through the front. This look is perfect for the summer, the soft texture through the pony looks really beach-y and everything is taken away from the face to show off your tan.

Here’s how we got the look

1. I prepped the hair with Bumble thickening spray and rough dry.

2. Then used Toni and Guy sea salt spray in the roots and blow dry with a round brush to get volume through the front section.

3. I used a Babyliss Pro wand the curl the hair in loose sections.

4. I pulled the hair back loosely from the face leaving the separated finger sections.

5. Take a section either side and pull the back tightly from the face and secure with a band. Take two more sections and secure underneath.

6. Tease the mid pony section up so it doesn’t look too tight and softly backcomb the rest of the hair to break up the curl.

When I apply makeup I like to think of the all over beauty image and this includes making sure the entire body is perfected from top to toe. I’ve found myself many times on my hands and knees in line up at a show with the enviable job of covering models not so perfect bits. This can range from bruises and scrapes to mosquito bites, not to mention the blisters that come from four weeks of walking in sky scraping two sizes too small heels. Ears and hands need to look even too, nothing spoils an expertly made up face more than a glowing red ear and blue hands!

So I’ve been on the look out for quick fix makeup for the body for years. For me the product needs to be long wearing, easy to apply and as transfer resistant as possible . I’m also obsessed with products that add health and sheen to the skin.

Here are some of my favorites -

Nuxe dry body oil – I’ve been shooting a lot of Lingerie recently and this product works for me as it glosses the skin but is absorbed quickly so won’t stain the clothes. It comes with gold shimmer or a a clear oil, the gold works well in summer. Word of warning, the glass bottle breaks really easily and is not kit friendly!

Air Stocking silk powder spray – This is my heavy duty flawless leg fixer. I love the texture, it blends easily with fingers then dries down to a transfer resistant finish. Great for mannequin perfect legs.

Mac Mineralize powder natural – I discovered this at the winter shows where the models hands were turning purple in the line up. I use a large powder puff to buff on the powder which evens out the skin and gives a satin finish. You can use it all over the body too and use the product wet if you want more coverage.

Hei Poa oil – Technically this is a sun tan oil wit a low spf but I use this as an all over moisturizing oil that dries fast and smells delicious.

Mac face and body foundation – This is one of the most used body fixers in the industry. I like to use the warmer C tones C6, C7 all over the body for the perfect instant honey toned tan.