Storyboard- ' Mon Cherrie' x

Meet the gorgeous Cherrie her wedding morning was the most chilled and calm we have ever had! We loved her wedding lipgloss entitled 'Walk of Shame' by Urban Decay which gave us all a giggle. We think you will agree Cherrie's look is endearing, beautiful & glowing such a beautiful person which radiates through in her pictures. Thank you Cherrie for letting us be a part of your big day x

            

MOL Eras

Behind the scenes on an MOL shoot can be a mixture of high energy, fun and sometimes mania.  This one was true to that observation!  We planned a shoot to feature our favourite eras in wedding fashion over the years we had so much to fit in and so much we wanted to achieve.  Most of our costume choices are authentic to the decades stated and we were amazed at what great condition they all were in.  Some of these images have been published and some are never before seen so keen to hear your feedback and if you have a favourite!

Our first look was roughly based on 1920's hair and make up.  Kirsty chose big soft waves complemented perfectly with a bejeweled brow band, I made the feature of the make up a flawless slightly flushed skin and berry stained lips.

This look is inspired by the finger waves and the upturned berry pouts of the 20's but the finished look is less 'dress up' and appears effortless, sophisticated and most of all wearable.

Gatsby meets old hollywood.  We didn't set out to do a a 1950's look per se but this look started off by adding an extra flick of liner and a vampy red lip.  What quickly evolved was a Gatsby/Old Hollywood mash up with a perfect faux bob by Kirsty.  The result was my favourite look of the shoot.

Our next decade to tackle was the sixties, with a variation on the bridal theme we chose an alternative bridesmaid look.  The back combing happened swiftly and expertly by Kirsty, the middle part keeps the look modern and sultry.  I added liner, neutralized the blush and opted for a more contoured cheek, lashes to the bottom lash line and added a peachy nude lip.

The 1970's time for something different...

This 1970's fucshia and lace bridemaid costume was pristine.  The headpiece was adorned with pink and orange blooms. Kirsty teased the hair and created adorable curls that framed the headpiece perfectly I mixed a custom shade of lipstick using a fushia pink and orange to compliment the outfit. 

Finally, we fast forward to the 90's.  This is sleek, uncomplicated but impactful and true to the decade.   The nineties isn't a decade much referred to when it comes to bridal inspiration but the finished look was fresh and gorgeous.

We love that bridal fashion changes throughout the decades and loops back to styles and looks of the years gone by and we had fun recreating our favourite eras.

Hair, Make Up & Styling by Made Over Ladies

Photography by Martin Sweeney

Thanks to our model Brogan.

What do you really need to top up your wedding make up?

My brides always ask me what do I need to 'top up' on the big day.

Here's my top 3.

Lip colour I am a big fan of the urban decay lip junkie.  This is a fantastic all rounder when it comes to lips it's not sticky, it's conditioning, it's pigmented. The tube is pretty with a delicate design to compliment your wedding clutch perfectly.  Gorgeously scented and lip plumping properties makes this a wedding day must have! Search colours here

Powder. Eek nobody wants to be a shiny face bride but in the same breath I wouldn't want you being a cakey face bride either! If you do suffer from shine I would have already prepped your skin with a mattifying primer however I choose MAC Blot powder to touch up if you need to! Get yours here.

Blush. The easiest way to add a youthful flush to your wedding day make up is a fresh blush. I like to push the product into the apples of the cheek then sweep upwards along cheekbones. A blush & highlight combined is a sure fire way to nail that wedding day glow. Try Urban Decay 3 in one palette "flushed" that has bronze, highlight and blush all in one! Grab one now here.

Wedding day or big night out these products will help you stay looking perfect all night long!

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Is it spring yet..?

I love winter make up you can really go all out and overindulge. I loved the deep berry stained lips and luxe textures we were wearing to compete with the rich and sumptuous surroundings that Christmas decor and winter textiles have to offer.  Although it's only February and it's still rather chilly out there I'm ready to move on to the fresh spring looks we crave after as the the lighter nights surprise us and the blue skies start sneaking in.

Spring make up for me is fresh and dewy and glowing.  It is the perfect partner for the pastel palettes we see in spring fashion I like to choose a light coverage base to really let the skin shine through.  I concentrate on really buffing the base into the skin using a kabuki brush or a fluffy blush brush it gives you a seamless almost airbrushed effect skimming over fine lines.  A fresh light base doesn't mean you shouldn't conceal do use your concealer to cover blemishes and dark circles.  A lighter concealer can also act as an uplifting highlighter just blend the edges out thoroughly. Dig out the bronzer and use it in a gentle sculpting way to help define cheekbones (suck in the cheeks), outer corners of the forehead and under the jawline.  The aim is to make your face shape more oval.  Top up colour with a pop of pink or peach on the apples then sweep a shimmery highlight just above the blush.

Defined brows are still a make up must for me. I'm looking forward to Benefits release of 'gimme brow' that has a dinky little brush with 'volumising fibres' sounds like a fabulous time saver to me! As always curl your lashes and apply some lovely black mascara. I finish this look by adding my highlight to brow 

bone, inner corner of the eyes and just above the cuspids bow and a generous helping of lip balm.

It's far from a complicated make up look and it's my fail safe that never let's me down.  Products I'm treating myself to this spring are Benefit Gimme Brow, MAC Well dressed Blush & Lanolips 101 ointment x

Streamlining your make up bag...

Ok I just treated myself to a new make up bag for my personal use. If you have ever seen my professional kit you will wonder how I decide what products do the best make up mileage for me and when I say that I mean durability, ease & speed of use an finally value for money.

Here's my top tips...

The make up bag itself shouldn't be too large. You can have a larger make up collection but for everyday use try and keep your make up stash to a smaller size make up bag it's so much easier to find what you are looking for that way. For me the best make up bags are (on the most part) translucent again the best way to find what you are looking for. My pick of the bunch was a cute birdy Ted Baker number it fulfils most of my requirements including the ability to zip right open (again best for digging around for that essential eyebrow pencil) and also fab that's it's wipe clean!

Ok so what's inside. Ideally I like to choose multiuse products or use them in a multiuse way. Here's a few ideas of how to use your products to their full potential. Why not try mixing your normal concealer with highlighter instead of buying a light illuminating under eye concealer, try a multiuse lips & cheeks product, use your bronzer to create definition on the eye crease, use eyebrow pencil/powder to define brows & lash line, use lip balm to brush & smooth stray eyebrows, use a matt bronzer to contour & mattify cutting out the need for powder...it's actually endless what you can do with different products it's just about thinking outside the box.

Here's my top 10 products for a quick & easy but beautiful face. These are just examples of products there are thousands more out there to try & experiment with!

Beauty Serum- I really like the products from nspa a selection of reasonablly priced skin care products that are really good quality. Try the Illuminating Beauty serum as a primer so apply just before your base. If you feel you need more moisture than this put your moisturiser on just after you get out of the shower so it has some time to sink in first then go ahead with the serum. I also like the facial oil from this range.
Foundation- I personally love illuminating products so for me I can't get enough of budget buy Wake me up by Rimmel don't forget to powder the areas if you tend to get too shiney but at least for the rest of this month I'll be hanging on to a sheenier finish to my skin before the winter matt looks really kick in. Cream eyeshadow- I actually really love the Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows by Benefit. I'm not a huge fan of their products although I love their blushers I think alot of the expense goes on eleaborate packaging and not the product itself but these are nice. Apply with a fluffy eyeshadow brush my suit anyone shade is 'Flatter Me' or you can alsouse darker shades as liner.

Bronzer- love my bronzer to not only add colour but also contour and add some structure to the face. My all time favourite is the MAC Mineralise Skinfinish natural but for a much more matt effect try Bourjois there's another blog post on contouring have a look at that for tips.
Mascara- You cannot go wrong with Max Factor False Lash effect and I always choose waterproof
Lip balm love love love Lansinoh it's really for cracked skin on nursing mothers but I think it's the mother of all lip balms!

Eyelash curlers- go to Shu Uemura and treat yourself they are worth the investment
Eyebrow pencil/powder love the MAC eyebrow pencil in 'lingering' it suits so many different people there are also tons of brow kits available that you could use as eyeshadow or vic versa a good eyeshadow can make a fabulous brow powder for dark hair coulours try MAC eyeshadow pot in Espresso and for lighter tones try Cork
Blush & Highlight way too many ones I love but try the products that have blush & highlight incorporated look at the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks for inspiration there are loads of products 'inspired' by their original design and a great one for mutliuse e.g. use on cheeks, eyes, highlight the inner corner/browbone or cupidsbow...

Concealer I'm really loving the Lumi Magique by L'oreal which is more about illuminating than strong concealing if it's a cover up issue go all out on a Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Kit. So that's about it! For me everyday make up is all about how you can make yourself look better in as fast a time as possible with minimal messing around and zero time fiddling. We are all so busy getting to work, getting the kids sorted and doing the school run it's all about quick and easy beauty. I have linked back to the Boots website quite alot as I love the advantage points scheme it's a great way to get yourself a little treat which for me was my lovely new make up bag. Hope this has been helpful and if you'd like some assistance giving your make up bag an overhaul contact me where you can have a make up shake up & lesson for the special offer price of £25...

Winter shoot planning & my little helper

Made Over Ladies are busy planning our winter shoot! Following the success of our Vintage Wedding Story we are taking on another era. Here is a sneak peak...and one of my little helper!

A vintage wedding story...the insider!

Just wanted to give you all the inside story on our recent photo shoot "A vintage wedding story" that we shot on location in the beautifully quaint South Queensferry with a gorgeous backdrop of the bridges and little hidden lanes with intriguing double front doors lined with miss matched pots blooming with daisies and pansies. Graeme Webb (based in the Scottish Borders) was our photographer and the lovely Brogan was our model.

The dresses. We were astounded by the beautiful condition of both dresses given that they were both almost 4 decades old. The first was a white longsleeved handmade full length dress with caped sleeve and modest train. The vintage lace detail around the empire line and trim round the cape is so simple yet the impact it makes is just stunning. We teamed the dress with a simple vintage hair clip, flat mary jane style pumps in white and a hand tied pink daisy posie (hand made by our talented Kirsty). The finished look was innocent, pretty and pure. The second, again handsewn, was a high necked lace dress layed over a beautiful lilac cotton with a long gathered sleeve and statement train. The daisy trim around the neck, empire line and sleeve was so sweet and we loved it so much we echoed the daisy theme in the hand tied daisy posie (again Kirsty's multi talents at work) and daisy hair clip.

The low down on Brogan's make up. We wanted to keep Brogan looking fresh and youthful but playing up the drama in the eyes. Her base was simple with minimal contouring and a sweep of MAC's Fluer Power powder blush over the cheekbones I complimented this with a sweep of highlighter just above the blush and graduated this up to the temples. Eyes where a combination of Urban Decay's 'Sin' over the lid with 'Toasted' worked into the crease, I then smudged 'Sin' along the lower lashline and inner corner of the eye to reflect the light and add a bit of luminosity to the look. I used MAC fluid line in Blacktrack to define the upper eyelash line and after mascara applied a full set of lashes. Lips where kept neutral in the first shots with a smudge of nude lip colour applied with a finger then later change to a berry tone(Lipstick Queen Jean Queen) to compliment the lilac of the second vintage dress. The finished look was simple but effective and authentic to a seventies bridal look.

Our fabulous stylist Kirsty worked her magic on Brogan's hair. Firstly Kirsty smoothed out Brogan's hair so it looked smooth and shiney then added volume using rollers. Again we wanted the hair to be uncomplicated and once on location Kirsty worked on Brogan's hair firstly by sweeping the front section back and away from Brogan's face. This made for such a simple elegant style and accessorised perfectly with a vintage clip. The second hair style was a modern twist on the vintage theme. Kirsty piled Brogan's hair up into a beautiful up do perfect for any special occasion from a wedding to a red carpet event. I was a bit mesmerised by the speed that she did so. A simple ivory daisy clip was used to accessorise the style and tie in with the daisy detail of the beautiful lilac dress. Both looks were perfect for the feel of our theme.

A vintage wedding story...meet our vintage bride, wed in the seventies, dreaming of daisy chains and happily-ever-after.

Lashtastic!

Sorry for the cheesy blog heading I couldn't resist. Just wanted to let you all know about this fabulous new product by one of the false lash front runners: Eylure.

These beautiful lashes give a top and bottom set that are really quite easy to apply and give a beautiful 'open eye' finish to your eye make up. They are less fiddly than the individuals but add just the right amount of drama to the eyes! I particular like these ones teamed with a monochrome 60's eye with a generous helping of black liner . A la the Iconic Twiggy...

And if you are a Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model fan the fabulously bitchy but normally accurate Ms Grace Woodward was sporting them in this weeks episode.

They are also on offer in Boots so try them out if you feel like adding a bit of a twist to your make up!

One for the eyebrow obsessed...

I am an eyebrow obsessive...it's often the first thing I notice about someone and everyone's are different. I like to maximise my brows maybe because nature wasn't so generous to me in the brow dept and I've always been jealous of those who are naturally well endowed when it comes to brows! I change my brows depending on the look I'm going for which is something the brow blessed don't have the same flexibility with so here I count myself lucky.

If you need a little help in filling in your own face framers try the Boots No 7 Precision Brow Pencil. The formula is a lot creamier than a kohl pencil and blends easily making a more natural looking brow. The pencil is wide with a flat edge which makes pencilling in more graphical/squared off eyebrows nice and easy. It might take a bit of practise but once mastered a well groomed eyebrow can work wonders for the face even with minimal make up else where on the face.

Fabulous and free!

I love a glossy magazine nearly as much as a glossy lip...pick up Red (July 2011) and you can have both! Nab yourself a lovely new Jemma Kidd lip gloss rrp £14. I went for the 'perfect red' but there is also a lovely tango orange and a lighter peach tone. All are quite sheer, super glossy and fabulously free!

A treat for lips...

Are you like me and addicted to lip balm? I have been ever since I purchased my first little tin of Vaseline (you remember that little round tin don't you?) I applied like it was going out of fashion,on the hour every hour. Nature intended for your lips to be moist and soft. Dry and flakey lips are the result of getting into the vicious cycle of applying lip balm. So, can you break the cycle? YES just stop putting it on, of course your lips will have to go through a period of re-training and yes they are going to be sore and flakey and dry and probably not that attractive.

So, if like me, you would rather humour your insatiable lip balm addiction treat yourself to this...it's lovely, tingly, softly tinted and smells gorgeous.

Embrace your addiction!!

Doing bridal the right way- go Kate!

How could I resist a blog entry on the newly wed Kate Middleton's beautiful bridal look? Her make up was lovely and was pitched just at the right level not too much and not too bare. The rules for bridal make up are no longer about looking 'natural' the new rules are...there are no rules!

I loved Kate's heavy eyebrows, flushed cheeks and smokey(ish!) eye with the clever use of eyeliner. Some brides shy away from eyeliner as they don't want their make up to run but modern formulas are so much more wearable and don't run as easily as you might expect. I do recommend some definition on the eyes as it makes your eyes stand out so much more in photography. Choose formulas that are tear proof and if you really want to try it out go and watch a tear jerker after you've had your make up trial!

Kate's beautiful face was self made and she trusted her judgement in what to go for, if you are used to wearing eye liner every day why would you change this on your wedding day? I like that Kate had obviously packed a touch up bag- did you notice the fresh sweep of blush over her cheekbones by the time they made it to the balcony in time for 'the kiss'? Do take along the essentials with you- lip colour, blush and face powder. Even the best make up products applied with the most up to date techniques is going to wear off eventually (especially with all the kissing!) so don't be caught out and take along some products to re-apply. Oh yes and my tip is save the kisses for your hubbie all the rest can have air kisses...mwah!

Product tip off- Rimmel Colour Mousse Eyeshadow

I love this very reasonably priced (rrp £4.99) and fool proof colour mousse for eyes. It is so easily applied (use fingers or brush) and blends with minimal effort. Layered over an eyeshadow primer (see previous posts for some recommendations) it does not crease and actually lasts the the advertised 8 hours (and counting!)

I like 'glitz' for a natural look paired with 'sassy' to add some definition to outer corners. Try a few layers of the mousse to intensify the colour if you fancy something with a bit more drama. Alternatively this would also make a nice base for a smokey eye by laying down the mousse as the base colour all over the lid and up into the crease and then work some powder shadow/pigment over the mobile lid blending the colours together.

All in all I lovely product at a nice affordable price!

Avoid a falsie faux pas!

Eek! I have not blogged since July! Sorry if you have been checking my blog and it has been stagnant all this time. I have been compelled to return to the world of blogging as nothing is better than the festive season for seeing the most awfully applied false lashes ever! I love lashes and often can change your whole look but take some time to perfect them first please ladies!

Here's a few tips...

Don't forget to measure up first- place the lashes on your lid if they are too long snip them to size on the outer corner you'll still have plenty of lash and will stop them 'dragging' on the outer corner of your eyes. You can always use the snipped off section as an outer corner set on another occasion.

Use eyeliner- this is the key to fabulous falsies. A sweep of liner can camouflage the lash base easily, can be painted on to hide and glue that may not have dried perfectly and most importantly used to 'connect' the gap of lash to inner eye by painting from the inner corner all the way along under the lash line. Takes a bit of practise but is the key to a gorgeous false lash.

Wear again- most good quality false sets can be used more than once but don't overdo it ensure you remove the glue/make up using an eye make up remover as soon as you take them off. The worst thing ever is to see a set of lashes that looks like they have been slept in. The clump is not your friend! Pick up a tube of Ardell glue from Sallys and you can use this to re-apply your freshly cleaned falsies.

Lastly have fun ladies there are so many different styles, lengths and sizes of lashes out there they really can be the finishing touch to that NYE outfit!

Product Tip Off- Barry M Nail Paint 'Mushroom'

I love this new shade of Nail Paint by Barry M in Mushroom. Alot of the beauty bloggers have been saying the greige craze is over but I love this shade and I would say it still falls in the same category it's sophisticated and looks great on short nails. It's a steal at 2.95 GBP but might need a bit of help with a good base and top coat.

Here I go talking about priming again but...I am using the Nails Inc 2 pack Kensington Cavier Top and Base Coat that you can pick up in Boots right now for 7.00 GBP. It's a 2 pack of conditioning base coat and super shiney top coat that really gives you a professional looking finish and fast drying (45 seconds they say!) it's a bit of a splurge item but not the splurge price tag to match!

Too time poor to be preened???

One question I am always asked is if I can only buy one product what should it be? Unfortunatly there is no easy answer as make up is individual as the person wearing it so there is not a 'one size fits all' product. If you are struggling for time in the morning (who doesn't?) I suggest spending some time to really assess your face and think about your features what you might need to conceal and what you think you can get away with.

Sit down with a mirror and look at your face shape, hairline, features, skin type and lip/eye colour. For me I don't go anywhere without my blush and a slick of mascara but my skin and lip colour is quite vibrant on their own so can often skip the stage of applying a heavy foundation and prefer a lip balm to spending time on liner and lip gloss. A good bronzer can be used as a bronze, contour and eyeshadow all depending on how it's applied. Highlighters can be great for using on lids, cheeks and eyes to give you a fresh faced look (try the classic Benefit HighBeam). If it's your skin you need a bit of help with invest in a really good foundation or even mix some of your foundation with a luminating face cream (my favourite is MAC Strobe Cream which is also a great alternative to primer if you don't want to splurge try Olay's Complete Care Multi-Radiance moisturiser).

We all need a bit of pampering and some salon treatments can be really beneficial in your time saving efforts. Eyelash and eyebrow tinting are a great way of saving your precious time on applying mascara and filling in the all important brows. Regular facials can help the skin look more radiant and keep up your water intake. Keep lips buffed by giving them a rub with a towel or your toothbrush a apply a lip conditioner. Finally try and give your nails a buff and polish atleast once a week.

Good luck ladies time is precious but for me it's time well spent!

Prep those peepers!

As a make up artist I find that preparation takes up atleast 50% of my time when doing any makeover. I have spoken about priming in previous posts but this time I'd like to focus on getting your peepers ready! The way I see it is what is the point of spending your cash on lovely eyeshadow and liners for them to slip off an oily lid or end up rubbed off after a couple of hours. There's a few options for priming the lids for your eye make up the easiest and least expensive is to conceal and powder using your existing concealer or foundation. Use a brush to apply the concealer and ensure you push if right into the lash line. Buff away any creases that may form in the concealer just using your finger then apply a loose powder with a brush to help set the concealer ready for your eyeshadow and also helps when it comes to blending.

There are also specialised eye priming products out there with which I have had mixed success. Urban decay's eyeshadow primer potion is raved about and often sold out at their counters but I find the consistency not much better than that of a good stick concealer although the 'sin' version gives a nice finish it's benefits as a primer to me aren't overwhelming. My favourite priming product I have tried so far is the MAC painterly paint pot which is almost like a very thick concealer come cream eyeshadow. It erases any veins, lines or discolouration on your eye and gives a lovely blank canvas for your eye make up. I still tend to use a sweep of base eyeshadow over the paint point for ease of blending but it really gives a lovely finish to your eye shadow and makes it last all day.

Orange and Coral Summer Lovin'

I am really loving Orange lips just now and I have found an inexpensive product which ticks all the boxes for me- creamy, intense colour and long lasting when applied on well prepped lips. Rimmel Colour Show Off Lipstick in 'Tell No One'. It gives a nice orange glow and is not at all scarey as you may think orange might be. The fruity scent is also a nice surprise! Layer the colour over a nude lip liner to make a more vibrant finish. Pair with coral nails (try limited edition Bourjois Tangerine Fatal) and a swirl of Benefit Coralista on the cheeks...really love this look for summer.

Product Tip Off- OPI 'Bling Dynasty'

Perfect for summer this gorgeous gold nail lacquer is an investment. OPI may not be the cheapest but they are long lasting and have a great range of colours. This is an almost rusted yellow gold, not brassy, looks amazing with the bronze and gold make up products you are hopefully sporting this season. Bonus is it will take you through to autumn/winter too as will contrast perfectly with brown black smoky eyes making a luxe combination. Keep nails short and blunt though you don't want to look like a Bling Nasty!

Bronzed Beauty

Just been to see the new SATC movie and regardless of what the critics say I'm a SATC/make up/fashion fan so I of course loved it! The make up was bang on trend with bronzed looks being the show stealers on all of the girls but mostly focused on Carrie.

To recreate your own bronzed goddess look invest in a good quality bronzer such as MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural. This can be used as a multipurpose product which makes it an even better buy. Firstly use as a bronzer (doesn't take a rocket scientist to work that one out), or you can sweep over arms, legs and decolletage for a flash of colour (perfect for fake tan phobics), or with a fluffy eyeshadow brush sweep along the crease of the eye too create definition and make your eyes look bigger.

FACE: Bronzed looks on the face couldn't be easier here are two easy options for application. The first option is after you have applied your regular base use a stipple brush to 'buff up' the base then apply with the same brush as if you are applying a face powder (go lightly though as it's easier to build up colour than remove). Finish of by highlighting the cheeks with a coral blush to lift the cheekbones and stop the colour from looking too one dimensional. I have searched for low cost coral blushers but the best by far is Benefit Coralista (worth investing a few extra pounds). The base colour of this product is coral but also gives a warm gold sheen to the cheeks. The second way to apply a good bronzer is to use it as if you are using your blusher but add and extra swirl of product to your brush and sweep down the bridge of your nose, over your forehead and your chin. If you want you could use a highlighter just above the bronze on your cheekbone to further highlight the colour carry the same highlight directly under your brows.

EYES: If you haven't got a gold eyeshadow yet get out there and invest right now as it is all over summer make up. Using an antique gold gives a more luxurious finish and can be combined with a sweep of bronze in the crease and a dab of yellow gold in the inner corners of your eyes. No 7 (Boots) have some gorgeous gold colours including a creamy textured kohl pencil in gold. Use this to open up your eye by lining the waterline but if you are going for a dramatic look you cannot go wrong with black kohl. Eyeliner does not have to be precise for this look I prefer a kohl smudged with a bit of a dark eyeshadow black, brown or even navy you can also do this on your lower lash line, remember you can bring this quite low down for more drama. The look is sultry and sunkissed so give your liquid liners a miss for this one... think of being in a hot sticky country and there is no room, time or effort for liquid liners in such conditions!

LIPS: Keep them natural and let your natural lip colour shine through use a lip balm such as Carmex which gives a tingly feeling and plumping effect or try Bloom (an Australian brand available in Superdrug in the UK) lip balm pots (last for ages) again the mint one gives you a nice plump lip. Mirror the highlight in the corner of your eyes by popping some of the yellow gold eyeshadow on the cupids bow.