A Little Less Conversation...

I've realised that my last couple of posts have been a little word-heavy: I've been writing and describing lots of things to you and have neglected to show you a lot of the work that I have been doing over the last couple of months.  So in this post, I am simply going to show you photos from some of my latest photo shoots.

The first set of photos were taken by the lovely Karen Helle. The model is Samantha Hicks and the Stylist is Mariana Lourenco. Hair and make-up is, of course, by me. This photoshoot took place in a theatre and I think you'll agree that the photos evoke a sense of old Hollywood glamour with a modern, sexy edge:

The second set of photos are from a photoshoot which was organised as part of an Advanced Make-up course I did at The Session School, London.  If you are interested in becoming a Make-up Artist I thoroughly recommend you check out The Session School. The photography is by Tim Wheeler, who was absolutely amazing to work with.  The model's name was Erin, the hair is by the lovely Jo Baber. Make-up by me.  I had to create two different looks on Erin; the first one being a natural/neutral look.  For the second look, my inspiration was winter frost but I wanted to do an 'ugly-pretty' look rather than a fantasy look with glitter.  I wanted to take all the warm colours out of her skin and make her look pale and hollow. I decided to add a little bead ornament to hang off her cheek like diamante tears, to add some more drama to the make-up.

Must-have Make-up Brushes

Since becoming a make-up artist I have developed an unhealthy obsession, above all other things, for make-up brushes.  This should not really be surprising to those that know me well:  as a child and even as an adult I had an addiction to buying pens – I believe a pen can make or break your handwriting! A make-up brush is just a tool of a different trade and the right brush can be crucial to beautiful make-up.

Below is a photo of my make-up belt containing all the brushes I take to every job or photoshoot. It contains around 50 brushes.  I also have brush roll of 20 or so extra brushes which I take along if I am working on many models and run out of brushes because there is no time to clean the brushes in between models.

My brush belt

In this post, I am going to tell you what I think are the must-have brushes for your make-up bag and show you examples of brushes I use and love.

1.       FOUNDATION BRUSH

This is a brush made of synthetic fibres and has a flat edge. It is used to apply and blend liquid and cream foundation onto the face.  It ensures the foundation is applied evenly.  My favourite foundation brushes are the MAC Foundation Brush (190) and the Sephora Double ended Foundation and Concealer Brush, which has a concealer brush (see below) on the other end, is bright green and brightens up my brush belt!

Top: MAC foundation brush (190)
Bottom: Sephora Double-ended Concealer + Foundation Brush

2.       CONCEALER BRUSH

Made from synthetic fibres with a rounded head, it is much smaller than the foundation brush and used to apply concealer around delicate areas such as the eyes, as well as for detail work in creases, on blemishes and around the edges of the nose and lips.  I have a few concealer brushes, including a flat concealer brush from Royal & Langnickel, which I tend to use with cream concealers, and the Sigma Precision Tapered brush (P86) which I used with liquid concealers or to buff and blend the concealer in for a beautiful finish.

Top: Royal & Langnickel Concealer Brush (BE14)
Bottom: Sigma Precision Tapered Brush (P86)

3.       ANGLED BROW BRUSH

This is made of synthetic bristles that are flat with a slanted edge. This is a must have to fill in and enhance eyebrows and I also use it to create a perfect 50’s flick with gel eyeliner.

Royal & Langnickel Angled Brow Brush

4.       EYESHADOW APPLICATION AND BLENDING BRUSHES

Eyeshadow application brushes come in many different shapes and sizes.  They should be made of natural hair and are used to apply pigments and eyeshadow to the eyelid.  Blending brushes are made of real hair and have a dome- shaped head with longer bristles than other eyeshadow brushes.  It should be soft and fluffy and is used for blending eyeshadows together and softening edges. It can also be used for applying powder under the eyes to set concealer.  Both of the brushes below are from Sephora (unfortunately not available in the UK).  I love the orange, double-ended eyeshadow brush as one end can be used for application and the other for blending.

Left: Sephora Double-ended Everyday Eye Brush
Right: Sephora Blending  Brush

5.       CONTOUR BRUSH

This brush should be made of natural fibres and feel soft but firm.  It has a slightly tapered head, which enables you to apply contouring blush in the correct place by turning the brush so that the longer hairs are closer to the jawline and the shorter hairs are closer to the cheekbone.  This brush can also be used for applying bronzer, blusher or highlighter.

Left: Daniel Sandler Watercolour brush (to be used with liquid blusher)
Right: Royal & Langnickel Contour Powder Brush

I hope this gives you some idea of the tools of the make-up trade and how to use them.  It is worth spending money on good quality brushes as it will make the application of your make-up so much easier and you will get a better result. With poor quality brushes the bristles often shed heavily and feel scratch on the skin.