Royal Wedding Make-Up - Get The Look

What a beautiful day & not even the syncs could have disagreed with the rest of the world when we say that the new Princess Catherine made a 'beautiful bride' indeed!
So after I recovered from the disappointment of not being offered the place as head make-up artist at today's celebrations, I hear on the grapevine that her Royal Highness herself did her own make-up after receiving a few lessons on the lead up to the big day. A brave step for any bride really, but particularly with the world's media scrutinising you! Anyway I have to say she did a magnificent job & I'm sure many a blushing bride to be will be using her look today as inspiration in finding that perfect 'glow'..
Here a few items to 'get the look'... Firstly the base, start with a good primer so opt for Laura Mercier's Foundation Primer as it glides onto the skin creating the perfect base to hold the make-up while evening out the skin tone, then to give that natural but flawless finish try Bobbi Brown's 'Natural Finish Long Lasting Foundation'.
Next are the 'smokey eye's which really set off the glamorous edge to the over all look. A mixture of charcoal & taupes are used for this, try Mac's 'Satin Taupe' eyeshadow, a universal shade to suit everybody.
For that gorgeous glow to the complexion go for Mac Creme Blush in 'Ladyblush' then sweep over a powder blush to set off the colour, try Nars blush in 'Orgasm'.
Set the make-up with Mac Blot Powder which will hold everything in place while still keeping that natural look.
Finally the lips, use a natural pink tone with a hint of light beige, I would recommend Mac's 'Brave' with a little clear gloss over the top..

So all in all a look set for a Princess.. To finish, just a few pictures from earlier below to browse through, most definitely style history in the making....






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Royal Wedding Beauty Countdown!

So I wonder how Kate Middleton will be spending her last day before the biggest moment of her life, quite a lot of rigorous last minute beauty regimes in place as we speak I assume to ensure absolute perfection!!
Anyway on that subject here's just a few tips from us on how to start planning your beauty routine in the lead up to your big day in a short but sweet list, a must for every blushing bride to be, even a soon to be royal!!!
6 Months
Start thinking about adopting a good skin care routine, make sure you cleanse, tone & moisturise everyday then exfoliate twice a week. Start making a habit of drinking plenty of water to cleanse your system & keep your skin clear.
3 Months
Think about what make-up look you would like to go for, visit your local cosmetic counters for free advice & ideas. If you would prefer to have your make-up applied professionally, decide on who you would like to book with.
1 Month
Arrange your Make-Up Trial with your Make-up Artist or if you are doing this yourself do a full trial run of how your make-up will look so you feel confident applying it on the day.
2 Weeks
Think about your dress & how much will be on show skin wise, for example your arms, back & shoulders. Make sure you exfoliate regularly & apply body cream for smooth skin. If opting for a spray tan, book in & have a trial session.
1 Week
Organise hair removal & book into your salon for leg & bikini waxing as well as any facial hair removal, plus an eyebrow shape as this point is a good idea. If opting for a spray tan this should be applied 2 days before the wedding date (allow a 48 hour period after waxing).
Day Before
Best thing to do is relax & most importantly get an early night so you have plenty of beauty sleep! Don't opt for any last minute beauty routines such as face masks as these can over stimulate the skin & cause the dreaded last minute break out!
The Wedding Morning.
If you are doing your own make-up, start about 1.5hrs before you want to get into your dress so you have plenty of time, moisturise well beforehand & apply a make-up primer so it will last well, also make sure you have a good light & a steady hand! If you have a make-up artist there on the morning they will advise on what to do & when. Then finally you are beautifully radiant & ready to step out for your big day!

Wedding Day Beauty - Perfect Skin!

Your wedding day is the biggest day of your life & you want to make sure your skin is glowing to perfection under your make-up, here are some tips I always pass on to clients -
The basis for good make-up begins with the skin, if you don't have a good skin care regime in place already make sure you do on the lead up to the wedding. Start a few months before, don't begin any new routines or start having facials the week before as this can over stimulate the skin causing an uneven complexion to your worst nightmare - spots/blemishes!
Plan well in advance, if you opt for a course of facials your beautician can recommend some products for your skin type that you can use regularly in your routine. If you have problem/oily skin & want to improve this before the wedding day, try do avoid harsh cleansers & toners with alcohol, these will only strip your skin of it's natural barrier & cause a further oil build up as well as blemishes, opt for a balancing product.
What ever your skin type whether it be dry, sensitive or combination there are many different products on the market to suit so there is plenty to choose from but if you feel a little lost with it all a good beauty salon can always recommend some great products.
Also drink plenty of water, eat well & make sure you get lots of beauty sleep - no late boozy nights just before the big day (with the exception of the hen party obviously)!

Bridal Beauty - Perfect Pout!

With wedding fever hitting an all time high what with the royal nuptials tomorrow, we're going to dedicate a few posts to our favourite subject - bridal beauty!!!
Your lip colour ideally needs to go the distance on your big day so you don't need to keep re-applying it all day long...
To begin with ensure that your lips are in great condition for the day, start wearing lip balm everyday to keep your lips soft & conditioned, especially if you're getting married in the winter (for immediate rescue, try Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream)!!
A lip primer under your lipstick is great for holding it in place, try Benefit's 'Lip Plump' (£14.50) which provides a good base for your lippy as well as their make-up sealer 'She laq' (£18.50), apply a little over your lipstick then once it's dry you can apply your lipgloss, it will keep it in place without drying out your lips, then all you should need to do is reapply a little gloss throughout the day if required.
If you want to go for a natural lip, then you could use a tinted lip balm, there many of these on the market just now & it acts as a balm but gives a light natural tint to the lips, I use Mac's Tinted Lip Conditioners (£10.50) which give a beautiful glossy colour finish. Start by lightly lining the bow of the lip with a light pink/beige lip liner or one that matches the general colour of your lips, just line the top bow as mentioned & then the central lower part of you lip, take a cotton bud & lightly blend to give a soft natural but defined lip line & lastly apply the lip tint with a brush. A light pink or beige colour works best for a natural effect, although you could just use a clear gloss with the lip line effect as above, as once the liner is softened & blended out it will give your lips defintion & colour.

How to Get Kate Middleton's Flawless Tan With St Tropez

With the impending nuptials fast approaching, St.Tropez Skin Finishing Expert for St.Tropez, Nichola Joss shares her step by step secrets below for Kate’s flawless ‘Royal Tan’.

The Royal tan by Nichola Joss, Skin Finishing Expert for St.Tropez.

“Kate has a really gorgeous English rose complexion so with a white gown, we would look at a very light wash of colour, something to make her skin radiant and glowing and ensure she looks flawlessly polished for her big day:

Step 1: Two days before the wedding, I would give Kate an exfoliating lymphatic massage and skin polish using the St Tropez Tan Optimiser Body Polish This will get the circulation going and add energy and a real vitality to the skin.

Step 2: Follow the massage with a drenching of good body butter to ensure no dry patches. This will help the tan sink in and develop really evenly.

Step 3: On the day before I would then use a gentle breath of self tan sprayed all over the body to lift her natural complexion and give a little depth and dimension to the skin.

Step 4: For added radiance and warmth, use a light self tan created especially for the face like the new St Tropez Naturals Radiance Self Tan Face Cream - this product offers a really gentle glow and more importantly it is designed for use on sensitive skin which means even the most delicate complexions can use it. There would be nothing worse than a breakout or reaction the day before the big day!

Step 5: The morning of the event after a bath or shower, apply a skin finishing product. Use one of the St Tropez skin illuminators to make skin look HD ready and super polished. This will allow the light to bounce off the skin adding dimension, lightness and radiance which is going to be really important with all the flashbulbs she is going to have to contend with.

Dannii Minogue - Face of Model Co Fibre Lash Brush On Lashes

In an exciting industry coup, ModelCo, Australia’s fastest growing beauty brand, are thrilled to announce that they have signed style queen Dannii Minogue as the International Face of their best-selling lash product FIBRE LASH BRUSH ON LASHES, making it the first ever beauty campaign that Dannii has put her name too.

This was a natural choice for both parties as Dannii has been a die-hard ModelCo fan for 6 years, and fell in love with FIBRE LASH whilst having it applied professionally for a VIP event. Dannii loves to emphasize her amazing sparkly blue eyes with long luscious lashes, and FIBRE LASH is a product which fits her busy lifestyle, as she can apply it herself with ease.

This year FIBRE LASH will launch into the UK market on a huge scale, rolling-out exclusively into Boots stores nationally from June and online at www.boots.com FIBRE LASH is the ultimate in lash technology - extending & building your lashes to extreme lengths acting like instant fake lashes! The easy-to-use kit comes complete with 2 formulations; an EXTENSION MASCARA and LASH FIBRES, which are layered to give an incredibly dramatic result.

‘‘Dannii was the perfect choice as the Face of FIBRE LASH, she truly encapsulates the ModelCo brand values - a modern woman who is style-savvy yet time-poor, who wants to look & feel her absolute best everyday whilst enjoying a busy lifestyle.

I have no doubt that Dannii’s life experiences will truly resonate with our core audience, there’s no denying how incredibly beautiful she is, yet she’s still completely relatable. Dannii is the epitome of the ModelCo woman, she is super-glamorous and her love of ModelCo products & A-List style credentials will really give the campaign the X-Factor!’’

Shelley Barrett, Founder & CEO of ModelCo ‘‘I’m a self professed beauty junkie and ModelCo has been a favourite for years. Why? Because they have the most innovative products that really work. FIBRE LASH is a must-have in my makeup kit. Lovely super long lashes that are all you -- look super perfect and make you flutter!

Girls…….bring back the bat of the eyelid! It is the best flirting you can ever do.’’ Dannii Minogue

Dannii Minogue will feature in ModelCo’s FIBRE LASH BRUSH ON LASHES Advertising Campaign

which will launch exclusively into Boots from June 2011 and online at www.boots.com.

FIBRE LASH BRUSH ON LASHES -- RRP £35.00.

Best Eyeshadow Primer - Urban Decay Primer Potion

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion is a genie in a bottle that fulfills three wishes for eyeshadow that lasts, colour that stays vibrant & finally no creasing!
The potion keeps shadows firmly in place & stops any smudging to creasing as the day goes on so your eyes will be as fresh as they were when your shadow was applied!
It is a sheer nude base & glides on easily then disappears instantly, apply with your finger tips and let dry before putting on your eyeshadow, it will help intensify the colour & keep it there until you decide to take it off!
£11.50.

Eye Make-Up For Your Wedding Day

Neutral colours are the best option for bridal eye make-up, such as light browns & beiges to stone/grey as well as lilac colours, not forgetting silver & gold shimmer tones too...
To keep your eye make-up on all day, use an eye base or primer & then apply a base colour over the lid, such as cream or light beige as well as a shimmer tone.
Definition is very important for your photos & you can do this as well as still achieving a natural finish.
Start with the socket line after your base colour is applied, shade with a darker tone into the socket line with a light 'fluff' style brush to softly blend, then use a light slightly reflective highlighter colour to highlight the brow bone, this can also be used on the inner corner or the eye, applied with a cotton bud which will give the eyes a little added sparkle!
Choose your favorite mascara & then using a lash comb make sure all the lashes are separated. However if would rather avoid a lot of mascara incase of smudging after a few emotional tears then you could opt for a lash tint & perm before the big day which will give your lashes more definition.
For the brows, ensure these are shaped as they are the 'frame' to you eyes, a week before the wedding go for an eyebrow shape & maintain this on the lead up to your wedding, ensuring not to pluck on the day itself causing any redness!

Hot Make-Up Trends With Myface Cosmetics

With matching metallic nail and eye bling, myface cosmetics sets the hottest trends from the high street to high fashion...

When it comes to beauty trends, myface cosmetics is happy to be a leader. Since this trail-blazing, trend setting brand launched their molten metallic lil' bling nail chromes and matching crushed pearl blingtones, matching nail and eye bling is everywhere...from the runways, to the high street (where it's the most requested look Boots has ever experienced). It's no wonder that where myface goes, other brands quickly follow!
Yet who would expect anything less with myface Artistic Director, Kabuki at the creative helm? Yes – the same Kabuki who created the very buzz-worthy, space-age looks for Katy Perry’s E.T. video and all of Kylie’s makeup for her latest tour and videos (go on Twitter to feel the love from these ladies - @kabukimagicNYC). Kabuki says: ‘before myface cosmetics you had to be a professional makeup artist to create a metallic look, but now with their revolutionary collections and new advances in formulations, anybody can create this on trend, high glamour look – from the high street!”

Coco Chanel once said that 'imitation is the highest form of flattery" and myface cosmetics couldn't agree more!

Merci Ms. Coco...!!

· myface lil bling nail chromes - £5.99 & matching blingtone eyeshadows - £9.99
· at Boots nationwide, Boots.com and www.myfacecosmetics.com

Royal Wedding Make-Over!

As the country counts down to the most anticipated wedding of the century, take a leaf out of the future Queen’s beauty book to help you bag your very own Prince Charming with a little help from Boots. If it’s a royal flush you’re after, why not visit No7 consultants in store to help you perfect the look in the run up to the wedding, with a free No7 make-over.*

Vanesa Guallar 17 Make-up Artist: “With her glowing, natural looks, Kate Middleton has a glamorous classic look. The key to copying her style this wedding season is keeping your look simple and sophisticated, whether you’re the bride, bridesmaid, guest or even mother of the bride – just follow these tips”

Simply Flawless

Kate’s trademark flawless complexion is nothing short of princess-perfect, with a natural glow that gives off airs of royalty. To mirror her look, a good base is essential, prepare with 17 Photo Flawless Primer, 15ml, £4.99 to create an effortless matte finish, minimising pores and helping foundation glide on seamlessly. Next, apply 17 Photo Flawless Foundation, 30ml, £6.49 for 24 hours of smooth, continuous coverage and a professional finish fit for the flashes of the paparazzi!

Next for a rosy glow, give yourself a hint of a royal flush and apply a light dusting of 17 Blush Powder in First Kiss, £3.49, on your cheeks.

Elegant eyes

Kate’s make-up is fresh and natural, with a seamless, warm glow. To get her look this wedding season make your eyes sparkle with 17 Vintage Love Eye Palette, £5.49 in Metallic Nude, the sophisticated natural brown and golden tones will complement any skin tone. Finish off with lashings of glossy, plumping mascara, such as No7 Extreme Length Waterproof Mascara, 7ml, £13, perfect for even the most teary of eyes as Kate and Wills says their “I dos”.

Crowing locks

The jewel in the crown of Kate’s look is her glossy, lustrous hair. To mimic hers, keep yours in tip-top condition with Botanics 3 Minute Deep Conditioning Hair Mask, 450ml, £5.10. To achieve Kate’s natural, voluptuous look, use a brush that is gentle to your hair such as the Boots Botanics Paddle Brush, £8.16, with Umberto Giannini Incredible Blow Dry Spray, 200ml, £4.99 and all you’ll need to create her look is a tiara!

Princess Pearls


Capturing her Prince has certainly given Kate something to smile about. Achieve your dazzling smile with a little help from the Boots Expert Teeth Whitening Stick, £10.20. The innovative whitening stick is quick and easy to use as well as being clinically proven. Finally, create that perfect wedding kiss pout with a hint of No7 Moisture Drench Lipstick in Chic, £10 and you’ll be ready to kiss your prince.

Fit for a King

Not forgetting the William wannabes out there, revive those Prince Charming looks with Botanics Mens Anti Ageing Under Eye Cream, 30ml, £7. Improving the texture of the skin around the eye area and reducing dark circles, it’ll leave eyes looking brighter and smoother. Finish with a healthy application of No7 for Men Energising Moisturiser, 50ml, £8.25, to help recharge skin with a boost of Vitamin C.

For All Products Visit www.boots.com

Get skin ready for Summer!

If you’re dreading baring skin as Summer begins, then look no further than the Velvotan self tan applicator mitt. If your fake tan looks like it’s been applied in the rain then put your trust in Velvotan, for an even coverage that looks perfectly sun-kissed.

The revolutionary mitt will ensure your self tan glides on, velvety smooth and streak-free, leaving skin summer ready, and you feeling confidently gorgeous!

The Velvotan self tan applicator mitt can be used to apply your favourite tanning product and is machine washable so you can use it again and again!

Velvotan™ applicator mitt is £2.99 and available from Savers and Tesco.

Professional Smokey Eyes On A Budget!

Cosmopolitan TM Smokey Eyes Brush Set (RRP £5.95) OR MACTM 239 Eye Shader, 263 Small Angled Brush, and 219 Pencil Brush (RRP £54)

Mastering the art of that classic ‘smokey eye’ look couldn’t be easier with Cosmopolitan’s Smokey Eyes Brush Set.

The trio of professional brushes have been specifically designed to create and perfect an eye look that’s truly smouldering! Use the base brush to layer and blend your desired colour, using deeper colour on the outer corners of the eye to make them appear larger. Use the angled brush to add a deep colour to your top & bottom lash line, the smudger brush is perfect for smudging colour along your lash line for sultry definition! Using the smudger brush add a white or silver shadow to the inner corner of your eye to make them appear brighter.

Created by a team of beauty experts from the world’s number one glossy magazine, let Cosmopolitan’s Smokey Eyes Brush Set be your weapon in creating a killer look!

With designer doubles like this, why pay ten times the price?

The full Cosmopolitan™ Beauty Accessories range includes 21 products covering make-up brushes, false nails, make-up sponges and beauty essentials. Stockists include Superdrug and Tesco. For more information visitwww.slgbeauty.com

Brand New! Lee Stafford Dry Shampoo Mid Brown and Dark

Hair superhero, Lee Stafford has once again stepped up to solve yet another of the modern girl’s hair dilemmas by creating two new shades of Dry Shampoo – Mid Brown and Dark – for all those brunette beauties who like to look good on the go!

Sitting alongside his existing and bestselling Dry ShaMPOO for OilY rOOts these two new shades are for those with darker roots who need not worry any more – hair can stay fresh, fabulous and full of volume for longer!

Lee now provides the perfect pick me up to mask unsavory roots and finally allow brunettes to get more days from their blow-dry without having to rewash their hair.

Lee Stafford says…“I am so proud of my new Darker Dry Shampoo additions for brunettes….these little beauties have been five years in the making as I wanted to get them spot on so the formulas give the best possible results and this is what they do! As good as my original Dry Shampoo you simply spray onto roots that need revitalizing from about 16 cm away, gently rub in the excess powder with your fingers and you are out the door - easy!!!”

· Lee Stafford Dry Shampoo Mid Brown and Dark is priced £5.49 150 ml
· Lee Stafford Hair care is available exclusively at Boots nationwide