A/W13-14 Make-up Trend: Dark, Sultry Lips

Remember the late 90s, when we all used to experiment with dark reds and browns on our lips? Well, it seems that dark lips are making a comeback.  The AW13 catwalk shows were awash with red wine stained lips.

Backstage at Phillip Lim AW13 Show

Zac Posen AW13

 

But rather than being perfectly lined and even in colour, the newest trend is to give the lips a stained effect with the colour strongest towards the centre of the lips, fading towards the lip line. The lip often has a matte finish.

Antonio Marras AW13

 

I love wearing dark lipsticks and I have been experimenting with rich, dark reds and browns in my recent shoots. Here is a photo from a shoot I did with photographer, Terri Lee Shield, recently.  To achieve this lip colour, I applied one of my favourite matte lipsticks, M.A.C. Ruby Woo, and then deepened the colour with plum and even black lipsticks and lip pencils.

Hair and Make-up by Donna Harris (The Make-up Darling)

 

On my shoot yesterday, I decided to go for a matte brown lip on the model and so used M.A.C. Chestnut Lip Pencil all over the lip.

Hair and make-up by Donna Harris ( The Make-up Darling).

 

 

 

Here are a few of my favourite dark lip colours:

 

 

From top to bottom:

 

·         Dawn Crème Lipstick by Make up Store (black)

·         Black Cherry Lipstick by Revlon (deep plum)

·         Nightmoth Lip Pencil by M.A.C.  (deep purple/plum)

·         Fever Liqui-Gel Stain by Beaute (dark red)

·         Hermetic Intense Lip Gloss by Illamasqua (deep wine red)

·         Control Lipstick by Kevyn Aucoin (raisin/brown)

·         Havanna Glossy Lipstick by Make Up Store (plum/brown)

·         Chestnut Lip Pencil by M.A.C. (deep brown)

 

 

My Guide to Bridal Make-up

Since the wedding season is upon us, I thought I’d write a blog post about what I think are important things to consider when doing bridal make-up, whether it’s your own make-up you are doing or a client’s. 



Hair and make-up by Donna Harris

A wedding day is a special and exciting day for all involved. When preparing for a wedding, most women spend months planning, choosing the right dress, the perfect shoes and the right colour schemes.  In the same way, I think it’s important for the bride-to-be to put some thought into how she wants to look on her big day. If you plan to do your own make-up for your wedding it is important to practise applying your make-up. If you are having a make-up artist do your make-up, it’s important to book a trial.  A good make-up artist will give you a consultation to find out the style and themes (e.g. traditional, vintage, classic, glamorous) of your wedding and how you’d like to look.  

Most brides want to look like a more polished version of themselves, rather than looking ‘made up’.  It’s about bringing out their inner confidence so that they are able to walk down the aisle with pride, feeling her most beautiful.

Make-up by Donna Harris

 

There is a lot to consider when doing bridal make-up. For starters, the make-up must last throughout the day and look good in different lights (indoors and outdoors) and on different mediums (e.g. in professional and amateur photography and video). The time of day of the wedding will also affect make-up choices.  The way the sunlight changes throughout the day can influence the way make-up appears in photos, and therefore influence product choices. For example, a dewy foundation and shimmery eyeshadows will look too shiny and reflective when photographed in midday sunshine. Likewise, for an evening wedding there will be a lot of flash photography, which can flatten everything out in the photograph, so it is important to use the make-up to contour and add definition to the face.

The most important tip I can give about doing bridal make-up is to not be too quick to follow trends. When you look back on photographs from your wedding in years to come, you don’t want to look dated but timelessly beautiful.

Make-up by Donna Harris

 

Here is a list of some of my favourite products to use on brides:

1.       Dior Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Hydrating Make-up: this foundation gives a light to medium coverage with a lovely, slightly dewy finish that looks like real skin.

2.       A la Carte Shine Illuminator Primer & Glow Enhancer: this is a lovely, light primer that leaves the skin looking soft and naturally healthy without giving too much shine that some highlighters can give. It also smells amazing!

3.       Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream: this is a great product to use on the lips to ensure that they stay moisturised and kissable throughout your wedding day!

4.        Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush: I love using this watercolour blushes because they give a really natural finish.

5.       Laura Mercier Pressed Setting Powder: this is a great powder to set your make-up and leave you shine-free throughout the day.  If you do have particularly oily skin, I recommend also considering buying some blotting sheets, such as MAC Blot Film to remove excess oil.  You can give these to the Chief Bridesmaid to hang on to throughout the day and she can be on ‘excess oil alert’!

I hope some of you have found this blog post informative and helpful.  To those of you getting married this year; huge congratulations and best wishes. Any brides that would like my help looking fabulous for their big day please have a look at my website: www.donnaharris.co.uk

 

Make-up by Donna Harris

 

 

Real Skin Care

Firstly, I’d like to apologise to my regular readers for my long absence.  I wanted to change the types of things I wrote about on The Make-up Darling as I realised it might be quite boring for readers to repeatedly hear about what I’m up to and I also felt like I was alienating a whole audience that weren’t budding MUAs but just interested in make-up and cosmetics.  I know there are a lot of blogs out there that give reviews on the my  myriad of products on the market, and I don’t want to just become another product reviewer but I do think some people may find it interesting to know which products I use, both personally and in my kit.

I have decided to write this blog post about my personal skincare routine.  Skincare has become really important to me in recent months, since I developed a severe case of atopic eczema towards the end of last year. The eczema covered large areas of my body, but most distressingly, it covered most of my face, neck and scalp too! The eczema was even around my eyes and made them swell.  The eczema was itchy and darkened to the point where my face was a completely different shade to my neck and body. Some days, even washing my face with water was too painful, and putting make-up on was near impossible. Even brushing my hair was painful and I began to lose hair at my temples where the eczema was particularly bad. I became so depressed that most days I didn’t even want to be seen in public and wondered whether I would be able to continue being a make-up artist: after all, people expect professional make-up artists to look a certain way and I felt like I looked like a monster.

I always thought I cared for my skin well. I washed my face morning and night with a good facial cleanser, and used a toner and moisturiser. I always thought my skin was really oily, and often used quite strong cleansers and toners, and oil-free moisturizers to try and combat this.  It wasn’t until I became a make-up artist that I considered that my skin might actually be severely dehydrated and that my facial skin was producing excess oil in order to try and hydrate itself.  When the eczema flared up, my skin suddenly changed type and became visibly dry. It was the first time that I actually missed my oily face!

After months of dermatologist’s appointment, allergy tests, blood tests, creams and lotions- both prescribed and bought on a whim or recommendation- I learnt that I really have to listen and look at my skin.  Now, rather than just using any old moisturizer on my face, I really look at my skin every day. If it is looking particularly dry or starting to feel like a flare up may be happening I use completely different products to I do when my skin is looking a bit more oily or congested.  I am also now obsessed with facemasks! Whereas at one time a facemask used to be a something I did to treat myself, normally accompanied by a large glass of wine and a chick flick, now I slap on a facemask at least once a week. 

My skincare products
 

The picture above shows all the products I regularly use in my skincare routine. I’m not going to lie- my skincare routine takes a few minutes longer than it used to (on average it takes about ten minutes; maybe a little longer if I’m wearing heavy eye make-up or using a facemask), but it’s so worth it to have clearer, eczema-free skin.  It’s an ongoing process and I’m always trying new things, but here are a few of my star products that I think have helped me (Please note: I have bought all of these products myself and have not been paid to endorse them- so it really is my personal opinion that I’m giving):

1.       Cetaphil Cleanser:  Cetaphil cleanser is a really mild cleanser, especially formatted for sensitive and dry skin. It’s great because it removes dirt, make-up and impurities without drying out the skin.  Loads of MUAs swear by it because you can use it on anyone without worrying that they’ll be allergic to it. I can use this even when I have a flare up and it doesn’t irritate it any further.

 

 

2.       Pixi Glow Tonic and Vitamin Liquid: on days when I feel my skin is not so sensitive and in need of a bit of mild exfoliation, I use Pixi Glow Tonic to remove dead skin cells and then the Vitamin Liquid serum to brighten the skin.  As a result of the eczema I had a lot of hyper-pigmentation and I think these two products have help to combat it.

 

 

3.       Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rose Water: I love this facial spray.  I use this when my skin is feeling dry or sensitive as a toner.  I spray it on and then immediately apply a moisturizer or oil to lock in as much moisture as possible.  I have a couple of Mario Badescu products and think they could fast become one of my favourite skincare brands.

 

 

4.       Baobab Body Oil: Although this is a body oil, I actually use this on my face. I love this oil and think it’s really helped to smooth the skin and get rid of some of the discolouration.  It’s made from the seeds of the African baobab superfruit and is full of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.  It is a little bit pricey but totally worth it and I am tempted to start using it on my whole body.

 

5.       Facemasks: It’s hard for me to choose just one facemask as I am always using different ones, depending on the state of my skin.  Dior’s Hydra Life Beauty Awakening Rehydrating Mask  is more like an extra moisturiser as you don’t have to watch it off and I use this when my skin is looking a bit dry and in need of a bit of plumping.  I use Korres Wild Rose Instant Brightening Mask to help fade dark marks. Recently, I’ve started trying Lush’s facemasks.  I like the fact that they have all natural ingredients as I’m trying to stay away from parabens and harsh chemicals even though tests have shown that I am not allergic to anything.

 

I know that there are lots of factors that contribute to healthy skin, including diet, lifestyle and exercise but for me, self-analysing my skin and picking products to suit seems to be helping a lot. I think it is definitely worth a try if you are suffering from any skin complaints. 

Runaway with me

Phew! It’s been a busy few months.  I have lots to share with you but today I thought I’d show you some of my recent work.  These are the images from a lookbook I worked on for new fashion brands, Runaway88.   The spring/summer 2013 collection effortlessly combines hard, structural lines with more fluid, free-flowing elements.  The designers, Jade and Naomi took inspiration from nature and history, in particular, Ancient Egypt and ripples in the sand caused by waves.

I have started drawing a face chart for every job I do now, so that the client has some idea of the look I am planning to go for, and so that I can continually test myself on how effectively I can get the ideas in my head down onto paper and then see how well the look translates from paper onto the model’s face.  I have never been much good at drawing, but I am practising and eventually want to be able to just sketch my own facecharts rather than using pre-drawn ones.

I really enjoying working on this shoot, and it was a chance to take my make-up in a stronger, darker direction.  I think my work in the past has been more beauty and I really wanted to push this and make it more editorial and edgy.  I also got to try my hand at some art directing, which I really enjoyed and actually think I have a bit of a knack for!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography: Kay Simpson

Model: Erika

Make-up/Hair:  Donna Harris www.donnaharris.co.uk

Clothes/Styling: Runaway88 www.runaway88.com

 

 

Make-up, Life and the In-between

Yet again, I have let months pass without updating The Make-up Darling blog.   All I can say is that life has got in the way, although that is no excuse – if world leaders can find the time to do their job and still have a family and a social life, I should be able to too!  But in the last few months there have been a lot of changes: a new job as a Retail MUA, a new house with my own make-up studio, many fashion shows (including one on which I was lead MUA and designed the look), weddings, proms, photoshoots, my own website (www.donnaharris.co.uk)  and just normal life squeezed in.  When I started this journey just shy of a year ago, I had no idea of what would be in store for me and I just knew with absolute certainty that I had to make the change. Looking back, I am so thankful that I did.  I feel like I have been a make-up artist all my life and, for the most part, I am a happier person because of it.  Sure, I may not be making the money I did when I was a stressed out Event Manager and I spend a large percentage of my time now cleaning brushes and dragging a suitcase full of make-up around, but I feel much more fulfilled in my career. 

I know I have also changed a lot as a person.  The way I look at things has changed and I am more open to new ideas and experiences.  It’s hard to articulate how I view things now and what interests and inspires me, and I’m sure to my friends I seem more vacant, detached and boring than I once was.  I don’t mean to be, it’s just that my mind if filled with so many thoughts and images now.  It’s like the right side of my brain has finally been kicked into gear after being suppressed for so long.  When I watch films now I get so caught up in everything- the make-up, lighting, the costume, the emotion.  I find myself staring at people’s faces, looking at the arch of their brow, the colours (yes, colours!) of their iris, the curve of their lips. Sometimes I think people must find me quite strange!  Trying to explain to a non-make-up artist what I spend my time doing on a week by week basis is hard because it must seem like very little, but honestly sometimes I feel more exhausted than ever because my brain is continually processing, planning, seeking inspiration.  I carry notebooks with me so everywhere so I can scribble down words, thoughts and poems, and constantly seem to be taking pictures.

I wouldn’t say it’s been the easiest transition to make and I am often plagued by self-doubt.  Natural confidence isn’t something I am blessed with.  I don’t find it easy to ‘let go’ and ‘just go with the flow’ and I always want to know where I am heading, so I often feel like I am going against my nature.  I don’t want to just be a good make-up artist; I want to be one of the best- the next Pat McGrath, Alex Box or Kevyn Aucoin.  I recently assisted Salina Thind on a shoot for Conde Nast’s Brides Magazine (September/October Issue- out now) and was so happy to have my work published in the magazine, although I wasn’t credited, but one day soon I want it to be my name that the world sees in the margin of the page.  I have no idea how to get from where I am now to there, so I guess I just have to keep doing what I’m doing and hope I’m doing the right thing.  I want to know more, do more, be more.

So, anyway, I am really grateful to whoever reads this blog- I hope that you get something from it; whether that is inspiration or just satisfaction that you are doing better than me!  I find it cathartic to write sometimes and get all my feelings out, but I realise posts like this might be boring for people to read, so I will endeavour to write shorter posts with more photos in the future.  Those of you that just want to see my work without reading me bleat on may want to follow me on instagram (deeh_mua) or twitter (@donnaharris_mua) or even just check out my website (www.donnaharris.co.uk).

I can’t leave you without any photos, so here are some photo collages of some of my recent work:

About a Boy

Finally, I am able to show you some photos from the shoot I had a few months ago with the gorgeous Remy Baquiche from Models 1 and the fabulous photographer, Marc Desvaux. 

As you know, I have now done many photoshoots with beautiful female models, but had yet to shoot with a male model, and when I met Remy at The Russian Fashion show back in February, I knew his look and personality would be perfect for the story I had in mind for my shoot.  I  had been watching 'The Talented Mr Ripley' and had been really inspired by the styling in the movie and in particular, the styling, look and attitude of the character Dickie Greenleaf, played by Jude Law.  Also, I noticed that the nautical look, with the boat shoes and turned up chinos, were coming into style for mens' fashion this spring/summer, so wanted to work with that.  Marc knew the film well and together we decided that we should use this as our inspiration for the shoot, but also wanted to play around and perhaps get something a little less polished and styled and a bit more modern.

Unfortunately, we had a slight snag when the stylist we had found dropped out, so at the last minute, I decided to style the shoot myself.  This is the first shoot on which I was co-producer/art director, hair and make-up artist and stylist, and to be honest, it was a little hard to concentrate on everything, but I think we got some great results. Remy was fantastic to work with and brought great energy and enthusiasm to the shoot, and Marc, as always, was a pleasure to work with and I think it's a testament to his great photography that Models 1 have put our photos on Remy's online portfolio.  I hope to work with Marc again soon on other shoots.

So, here are the long-awaited photos. I hope you like them...comments always welcome.More photos will be posted on my facebook page shortly, so be sure to keep an eye out!

Paris and the search for the perfect Red Lipstick

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Paris to visit my old friend, Sarah (http://sarah-serves.blogspot.com), who for the last five months has been living what must be every foodie’s fantasy: fully immersing herself in the French culture and cuisine.  This girl has guts and was one of my greatest inspirations when deciding to pack in my old job and become a make-up artist.  Since I haven’t had a holiday since 2009 and have always wondered what springtime in Paris is like, whom better to see it with than my fabulous, French-speaking friend! Another lure was of course the make-up shops such as Make up For Ever and Sephora (my idea of heaven- why we do not have one in the UK, I’ll never know!) and of course the French pharmacies, with all their amazing products that we have to pay considerably more for here in the UK.

High up on the agenda for my time in Paris was to find Sarah her signature red lipstick. Red lipstick is the stiletto of make up! Red lips are bold, sexy and never go out of style.  But many women find it hard to find the right shade and texture of lipstick for them.  The general rule of thumb is that people with pink skin undertones suit shades of red with a blue undertone, those with yellow/olive undertones suit orangey reds, very pale skintones suit most reds and those with dark skin suit brick reds and burgundy shades.   However, rules are made to be broken –especially when it comes to make up.  A blue shade of red tends to look more formal and grown up whereas orange reds are a little more undone, so it just depends on what look you want to go for. 

As for textures, matte lipstick delivers sophisticated, intense, full coverage colour with no shine.  It normally stays on longer than other lipsticks, but it can be drying.  Sheer lipsticks provide a glossy, sheer wash of see-through colour that allows your natural lip colour to show through.  It doesn’t have to be applied with great precision so is great for a quick fix.  Crème lipsticks provide a full coverage of moist colour. It wears quite well, without being as dehydrating as matte lipstick due to its emollient content. Crème formulas can have a natural, frosted or shimmer finish.  

A few tips to remember when choosing a lipstick in any shade:

·         Glossy lips look more youthful than matte.

·         Dark lip colours age you faster than any other make-up product. (The darker your natural lip colour, the darker you can go with your lip colour and still look natural and youthful).

·         Wear lighter shades of lip colour on thin lips to make them look fuller.

·         Warmer, more colourful lipstick choices always make you appear younger because they bring out the warm tones in your skin and add life to your face.

So back to my search for Sarah’s signature red – we decided that she should go for a matte red with a blue undertone for that dramatic look.  We started off in Make Up For Ever, where we found a gorgeous shade of red that really suited her.  Make Up For Ever was also where I picked up a foundation and lipstick palette and got a 40% professional discount (Merci beaucoup, MUFE!).  However, as it was the first make-up shop we had visited and there were still many others on the agenda we didn’t buy the red lipstick.  Next, we went into MAC, but couldn’t find one that was special enough. 

After a quick stop for refreshments at the quintessentially Parisian Cafe St Regis, a macaroon and chocolate fix at the amazingly fragrant Maison Larnicol and some sight-seeing around Notre Dame, we found our way to City Pharma, one of the many pharmacies in Paris.  Before I left, the main products I planned to buy for my kit were Bioderma Crealine H2O, which is my must-have cleanser in my kit, and Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate, which lots of MUAs swear by for moisturising.   I had been watching one of Lisa Eldridge’s wonderful tutorials about French pharmacies and made a note of some of the products she recommended from brands like Nuxe and La Roche- Posay.  I was like a kid in a candy store in the pharmacy and if they hadn’t been ready to close up shop after half an hour in there,  I would have happily spend hours browsing the aisles, trying to decipher what each product is for.  There were so many great products there at more than reasonable prices.  I ended up spending more money than I planned but am very happy with what I bought.

Walking the red carpet in Sephora - I can't contain my happiness!

The next day, we hit The Avenue des Champs-Élysées, lined with designer shops.  After a quick browse in Louis Vuitton, pretending that I could actually afford anything in there, Sarah and I get back down to business. First, we went to a shop called Marionnaud, which Sarah described as the French equivalent of a Superdrug, but I think it’s way classier.  It has a huge selection of men’s and women’s fragrances, skin care and make-up brands from Bourjois to Dior! Sarah tried on and swatched many red lipsticks, including a gorgeous one from the Dior Addict Extreme collection called Fireworks #756, but none were quite right.  So we hot-footed it down the avenue to Sephora. I have been obsessed with Sephora since I lived in New York.  There, it was my ‘happy place’ where I would spend hours on end smelling all the perfumes and testing all the make-up.  Whenever, I’d had a bad day (which was quite often in New York), Sephora would make it all better, so I was excited to be reunited.  And Sephora in Paris did not disappoint... in fact, it welcomed me into its huge doors and onto its red carpet with open arms!  I think this particular store must be one of the brand’s biggest stores in the world because it was quite overwhelming.  I instantly wanted to run in every direction at once and had to rein myself in a bit, take a couple of deep breaths and tell myself repeatedly that I was on a budget and couldn’t afford everything!

Whilst I was painstakingly looking over each product and asking myself “Do I really need this?”,  Sarah was off in search of her red lipstick.  When I caught up with her, her hand looked as if someone had written a novel in Morse code with lipstick and she was obviously a little bewildered by the choice.  So there was only one thing to do:  start from the beginning and try all the red lipsticks on her lips until we found “The One”!  So that is exactly what we did! I kind of took over various make-up stations in the store, found a lipstick that might be suitable and tried them on Sarah, one by one, sanitizing the lipstick before and after, of course and using the various applicators and make-up removers.  None of the staff seemed to mind, fortunately, and I even had a French girl approach me and ask me to suggest a good foundation for her skintone!  Sarah and I spent a good half an hour at least trying on lipsticks from Clarins, Chanel,  Dior, Shiseido, Lancôme, MAC, Givenchy, Guerlain, Giorgio Armani and Sephora’s own brand.  But do you know what we ended up buying? That red lipstick that Sarah first tried on in Make Up Forever, the shade: ‘Moulin Rouge’!  Which just goes to show that it is often the first find that’s the right find, but when it comes to choosing your signature red lipstick (and anything else worth having), it is always worth doing a little work to make sure you find one that’s perfect for you.