Bare Face Cheek

I love a blusher! I remember doing a fish-face and dousing my cheeks in a thick layer of my mum's heavy powder blushers in the 80s, resulting in looking like Cher. The ritual of taking the plump powder brush and clicking open a shiny Estee Lauder compact made me feel very grown up! These days there are so many blush options, and I use them all.

Tints
Benefit's Benetint is a must-have in my makeup kit, a raspberry stain that works well on lips and cheeks that is my every day staple for a fresh natural look. It comes in a bottle with a small brush and all you need is a tiny dab, but blend it fast, as it will stain cheeks. It gives you that 'pinched-cheek' natural flush. The tints now also come in Posie (a lolly pink), Lolli (an orchid pink) and Cha Cha (a mango coral). The Balm's Stainiac is another favourite which comes in a handy tube with a cotton bud type applicator.

Powders
My faves are Benefit and Bourjois (which I need to buy from the UK). I like a slightly coral infused pink so Benefit's Coralista is perfect, and comes in a super cute cube box with brush. Dandelion by Benefit is another great shade, a pretty pale pink. For more of a colour pop, try Benefit's Bella Bamba, a watermelon pink infused with gold that provides a 3D effect. It works well on a tanned olivey skin. Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher Powders are another of my faves. They also come with a brush and have a great range of colours in 12 pretty shades, so plenty to choose from.

Cream
Creams give you a really great natural look and blend well. I can't go past NARS - The Multiple in Orgasm - a gorgeous peachy-pink with a subtle iridescent golden glow. The stick has the most beautiful creamy texture that just sinks into the skin. The Multiple now comes in 14 shades & can be used on lips, eyes or body. I also love Palm Beach, a rich goldy bronze.

Where to blush
My friend makeup, stylist & photographer Owen Allison recommends to apply blusher high on the apple of the cheek, as it has an anti-gravity effect. "Avoid blush on the hollow of the cheek, as this leaves the face looking exhausted." On the apple (the high, rounded bony part) of the cheek is definitely the most flattering. Keep it high!

Blush on the run
If I'm caught short and need a pick me up but don't have blusher on me, I'll just blend some lipstick to my cheeks. Great if you've been at work & decide to go out but have a pasty washed out face! I find I never seem to have a blush on me. I generally keep a concealer, lipstick, chapstick & black eyeliner in my bag, which usually cover most beauty emergencies!

Fixing shattered powder blush
Ever dropped your fave blush or eyeshadow on the  bathroom floor and watched it smash into a million pieces? There is a solution! Pour the powder into a small plastic bag (like a freezer bag) and press down to make a loose powder. Then carefully pour it back into it's container. Grab some rubbing alcohol/surgical spirit from the chemist and add a few drops at a time to the powder mixing with a cotton bud until it is damp, but not watery. Press it firmly back into the container and let dry. The alcohol will evaporate out and leave you with a nice firm compact again!

Bare Face Cheek by louloublue

NARS The Multiple - Orgasm

Benefit Benetint

Benefit Coralista

Benefit Dandelion

Nars The Multiple - Orgasm

TheBalm Stainiac

Bourjois blush

NARS The Multiple - Orgasm

Bat for Lashes!

Larmes de verre, 1932. Man Ray

Mascara is one of my favourite products, an absolute must have in my make up bag! Maybe my second most favourite product (after concealer). I am obsessed with Bambi eyes! A few weeks ago my friend, super-stylist and makeup artist Owen Allison put some eyelash extensions on me - and my goodness, I am hooked! I immediately felt very glam and ready to go out on the town. It was simply a matter of laying down and closing my eyes while each synthetic lash is glued on individually. You can also get mink, feather or silk lashes (J.Lo often gets mink or feather), but synthetic is the usual - they look just like natural ones, but stiffer. You can choose different lengths, and naturally, the more lashes - the thicker the look! It is a very fiddly process for the practitioner,  so make sure you go to a certified lash-extension beautician - I have had friends who have experienced glue in the eye and dodgy ashes! I found my experience not at all uncomfortable or painful, but that comes with going to a professional who knows what they are doing. I was chatting away and before I knew it, I had 17 lashes on each eye and the most amazing long luxurious lashes - no need for mascara!  Check out this website for more info on my lash extensions & care - www.lashperfect.co.nz.

 

I have also found myself able to spy a lash-extension from 100 paces. When you see celebs like Kim Kardsah and J.Lo, you KNOW they have fakies on!

Watching my latest new fave Homeland, Clare Danes extensions stick out like beacons, and look amazing against her character's minimal make-up, natural look. Indeed, Claire joked at the Television Critics Association's Summer press tour that starring in those ads for the eyelash-enhancement product Latisse have given her new character an edge in fighting terrorism. "I'm going to trap those terrorists in my very long lashes," she said.

My extensions stayed on for 2 weeks and after a bit of regrowth I got them removed, which is a quick process of dabbing them off with a glue solvent - quick and easy. But now I feel like I have the shortest, stubbiest lashes ever! So am back to dousing them in as much mascara as possible, always in blackest black! In my teens, I was all about Max Factor 2000 Calorie. Then in my 20's & 30's, I splashed out on Lancôme (Definicils) and Estee Lauder. I have never subscribed to the iconic pink & green Maybelline Great Lash mascara - it's just not thick & gutsy enough for me! I want LONG, FAT lashes. To be honest my latest faves are still tubes available from the supermarket - Covergirl's Lash Blast and Maybelline's The Colossal are my latest favorites. I'm also keen to try the Maybelline's Falsies and the new Rimmel one, Scandal’Eyes. If I'm Duty Free - I reach for Estee Lauder's MagnaScopic. A makeup artist once told me only a handful of factories in the world produce mascara cream, so it is all about the brush. 

I used to prefer a big fat brush but my friend makeup artist Fox taught me that a smaller brush with thin tip in order to manipulate and separate the lashes more. But whatever mascara you like, Fox recommends to take the time to get it right. She also recommends add more layers for a lusher, thicker look, especially if you have an event. Fox'es faves are Maybelline's Falsies and Lancôme mascaras such as Hyponose. Lancôme mascaras aint cheap - but they do give 'good lash'!

 

Lash-licious! by louloublue. Click HERE for product details.

I am currently making my way through this fabulous book from my sister, Amazing Face written by former Cosmopolitan and Harper's BAZAAR beauty director Zoë Foster

 

Zoë recommends Scandal’Eyes, saying that this product "has been created to give you plumper, sculpted lashes thanks to its collagen and keratin enriched formula and MaxDensity brush that’s 50% larger and thicker than most ‘regular’ mascara wands. To completely coat every lash (which is half the battle for getting them noticed) start at the base of the lashes and wiggle your way to the very tips." This is a good tip that I use - wiggle the wand, and I also tip it on it's side to grab the little stray lashes at the ends of my eyes, and almost 'mould' them upwards.  Zoë also has a fab beauty website called Primped. Here Zoë talks you through how to get luscious Kim Kardashian style sweeping lashes, beginning with combing and curling your lashes, and aiming to coat lashes by working in 2 or 3sections, rather than trying to coat all lashes at once. 

Zoë also adds that you can look more youthful by dropping your mascara altogether! This gem comes from supermodel Christy Turlington (above & below), who suggests curling the lashes. (BTW Christy also hawks Maybelline products, so it is safe to say she is also a mascara enthusiast when not going au natural. Besides, great Lash IS a good option for a more natural lash.) 

Speaking of eyelash curling, I just today received this brilliant pressie from my Mum, who swears by it!I used an eyelash curler religiously for years, but when I lost it on one of my many moves, I dropped the habit. So now, I will curling up with THIS nifty wand! However, I will be sweeping my lashes with my obligatory 20+ coats as well. 

And lastly, great lashes start with your natural ones, so make sure you take your mascara off each night with a good makeup remover like Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover. I like this one because it is oily, so feels slippery and comfortable on my eye. Also renew your mascara every 3-4 months to avoid germy buildup and other nasties. 

Also, Owen gave me this great little product - Lash Food. He swears by it! Lash Food is a non-chemical natural conditioner that contains Nano-Peptide technology & is clinically proven to provide longer, thicker lashes and transforms frail and brittle lashes making them healthy & strong. Results should be visibly in 4-8 weeks. I will let you know! See more on this product here. 

Just Browsing - Cult of the Eyebrow

Bambi Northwood-Blyth by Bec Parsons for Oyster Magazine

Eyebrows. I discovered mine at age 17. My friend had gone to work in a pharmacy and came home telling me that eyebrow pencils are important because eyebrows "frame your face". I had never paid them much attention, or even really noticed them much before! Upon inspecting them, I realized my brows were really quite sparse, and the shape was not defined and a bit sketchy - so went out and bought a dark brown eyebrow pencil. Later that week I was watching Twin Peaks and realized what made Audrey Horne's look so hypnotic - those eyebrows! All Elizabeth Taylor arches. It was an epiphany!

  Audrey Horne's 'Elizabeth Taylor style' brows, early 90's

Elizabeth Taylor, 1958

When I was growing up, eyebrows were huge - literally. Brooke Shields lead the way with her dark, bushy, natural brows.

 

Then in the 90's, the style threw back to a far more manicured, shaped look, a la Sherilyn Fenn/Audrey Horn. I like to call it the 'tadpole' look - rounder & thicker near the nose then arched and tapering out. Eyebrows were immaculately penciled, and neat as opposed to the bushy look.

Sherilyn Fenn

As plucking took off, Tweezerman sales went besek as their Tweezers became a beauty must-have.  It got to a stage where there was a lot of over plucking happening. Look at J.Lo & Pammy!

 

 

Lately we've swung back to a thicker, more natural loo -, the antithesis of over-plucked 90's eyebrows. We realized that over-plucking means less growth, and worse - no growth! Latest IT models Arizona Muse and Bambi Northwood-Blyth lead the charge with natural looking, thick brows, Brooke Shields style.

 Arizona Muse

 

Bambi Northwood-Blyth

Thick liquid eyeliner trends mean that brows must be immaculately shaped to match, 60's style. A lot of attention is going to brows, to the point of being able to get brow stencils for that perfect arch. Eyebrows are big business. You have eyebrow "Queens' such as Anastasia in Beverly Hills, Eliza in New York and Carmen Duma in Melbourne. Many celebs will not trust their eyebrows to anyone else! Julia Roberts once said, “The hardest thing about looking at old photographs of yourself is seeing all your old eyebrows.”

 

Angelina keeps them medium and tidy, with her trademark liquid eyeliner

Gaga goes full-blown

 

Kim K, Megan Fox & Beyonce currently opt for fuller, natural brows

Now we have the option of eyebrow tattooing. Once thought of as a freaky Michael Jackson move, this is now quite common for those with faded or sparse brows, who are sick of drawing them in. Local beauty therapist Nita comes recommended and recently did a stunning job on my colleague's brows. Check Nita out here.

I recently discovered threading. This technique dates back to the ancient India and Middle and Far East, where threading was used to remove unwanted facial hair. The technique involves two threads, rolled over the hair at follicle level, pinching and plucking it out between the tightly entwined threads. It can sting a wee bit but this method is really effective, as it removes hair cleanly and evenly, making it quicker and easier to shape your brows, and like waxing, no strays are left. After years of plucking and waxing, I'd pillaged my brows a bit much, leading to a bit of over-plucking meaning that they had come to look too far apart. Not good. I went to the fabulous Namita at East Day Spa Auckland. She pointed out where I needed to re-grow my brows and immaculately threaded them - the shape has never looked better! As with all brow technicians, finding a good practitioner is key - not only do they need to be able to create the right shape for your face, the method must be carried out correctly or can lead to ingrown hairs, misshapen brows or hair breakage. Best to ask around.

Top Brow Tips by Owen Allison

A brow natural and full is the current fashion shape - think supermodel Hilary Rhoda (above). Measure the balance of the brow by these three guidelines:

1. With a ruler line up the corner of the nose and the inner corner of the eye this is where your brow should start. When you’re looking straight ahead, line up the pupil of the eye and the corner of the nose this should be the highest point of your brow being the peak of the arch

 

2. Then line up corner of the nose and outer corner of the eye and this is where the brow should end. This gives you the brow formula that best balances the symmetry of your face. My favourite brow is groomed up with an empty mascara wand and then filled and defined with a fawn coloured pencil (even on brunettes). 

3. Soften the brow and hold in place with brow gel or a tiny spray of hairspray on a mascara wand

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More tips...

* The trend of bright neon lips pairs well with groomed defined '50s looking brows - think pin up girl!

* Brows are sisters, never twins. Try not to fret as few women have perfectly matched brows. Re-balance shape and fill problem areas with stone/fawn coloured pencils or matte brow powders

* Try re-growing your brow shape to achieve a softer younger looking face but if this isn't an option cosmetic tattooing can be very helpful and take years off the face.

* Get to a brow expert to achieve your ideal shaped brow. It may mean 6 months of re-growing to achieve a fuller look

* Try and tonally match your hair colour and brow colour for a more natural look to your face. 

* Brow stencils can give you better guidelines as to fullness and re shaping ideas when working towards the ideal brow shape. 

Check out a full cachet of eyebrow grooming tools and products below.

Eyebrows by louloublue on polyvore.com

Shiseido Eyebrow and Eyeliner Compact -BL2 Deep Brown

NARS Brow Pencil

Laura Mercier Gel Brow Definer

Shiseido 'The Makeup' Natural Eyebrow Pencil Br704 Ash Blond One Size

MAC 'Impeccable' Brow Pencil Taupe

Dior Backstage Brow Design Brow Shaping Stencils Kit

SEPHORA COLLECTION Arch It Brow Kit

Tweezerman Slant Tweezer Zebra Print

Estee Lauder Pencil Sharpener

Benefit Brow Zings

EYEBROW COMB - TOOLS - SPACE NK - SHOP BY BRAND - Space NK

BENEFIT INSTANT BROW PENCIL- DEEP (1.2G)