Fashion Show

Sorry, I've been away too long and now I'm back with a little update as to what has been happening in my mishmash of a world.

A couple of weeks ago, I had an very early start when I was asked to be part of the creative team for the John Lewis Seasonal launch show. These shows are put in place to promote the seasonal looks and to reach out to the Press, retailers and general fashion types to create a buzz around the brand.

We arrived at 5.45am and once my Redbull kicked in we got stuck in straight away with the 11 females models. The look was very "Parisian chic" and subsequently we used Laura Mercier products! Let's be honest, if you're looking for parisian chic, Laura Mercier, herself is where you look for inspiration.

Me and the lovely Flavia.

We kept the skin very clean, with a glow, using Laura Mercier's Illuminating Tinted Moisturiser and just the odd bit of concealer if needed. The eyes had no real defination with just a wash of colour swept across the lid and up into the socket. Brows were kept reasonably natural with a little brow pencil or powder as appropriate. 

The Lips are where we threw in some colour and drama, with a gorgeous strong red/brown pencil and blue/red lip stain to lift the brown up a little, creating the perfect shade.

                                                   

We had 4 shows and after a long but successful day, working with some great artists and catching up with models that I'd not worked with for a while, we finally packed up our kits at 4.30pm and headed home. Below are some of the shots from the show and the products used to create this gorgeous, sophisticated look.

Hope you enjoyed the photos! List of products used, below.

Laura Mercier Products


Primer
Illuminating Tinted Moisturiser
Secret Camouflage
Secret Concealer
Eye basic
Ginger Eyeshadow
Black Ebony cakeliner
Brow pencil
Wild Bouquet Cheek Colour
Thickening and Building Mascara
Redwood Lipliner
Scarlett Lipstain

From Miami to Mice! Glamour all the way!

Oh my Goodness! Talk about coming back down to earth with a bump!

This blog will definitely reassure you that being a makeup artist is not as glamorous as we like to believe! I'm sitting at Edinburgh Airport writing this, waiting to board my plane back to Heathrow!

Now, I must begin my telling you that I love Edinburgh, it's one of my favourite cities in the world! I have some amazing memories involving Scotland's Capital and last time I was here my future husband proposed so, as you can imagine, I was thrilled to be coming back for work!

I was due to take a Masterclass at Harvey Nichols at 6.30pm and gave myself plenty of time to get to the accomodation I'd booked, do a quick change,slap on some makeup and dump my case! This is where it all started to unravel! Now, on my travels, I usually book hotels but on occasion like to stay at those serviced apartments, especially if it is for a few nights, because you are able to cook for yourself etc. So, I booked Edinburgh Apartments, also known as Scottishapartment.com! I arrived at the "apartment" block and when no one answered I called the number on the email, only to be told that I have to visit the office first to collect the keys! What???????? So, I proceeded to get a taxi over there to pick them, up which left me no time to go back and freshen up!

Can you even imagine what is coming next? No! I ended up changing in a shopping centre toilet cubicle and then dashing to Harvey Nichols to lecture women on how to look effortless! Hahaha! Well, on a good note, the Masterclass went extremely well and the women and myself all had a great time and they went away very happy......and oblivious to my dressing room drama!

As it was late by the time I left, I took my suitcase and went straight to the apartment......one word...... disgusting! The amusing part of this story is that the woman in the office insisted on reminding me about 4 times that I would be charged for any damage! DAMAGE?!?!?!?! Damage would have been doing this place a favour! Cracked TV, only 2 channels working, hair on the bed sheets, damp on the bathroom ceiling and then to top it all off.....when I went looking for an ironing board, I open a cupboard door to find that I was sharing this "apartment"! With MICE!!! Well, a mouse trap, which I took as a big indictor that there was mice in the block!

To cut a very long story, short! The people running this organisation were useless, don't get me wrong, they offered me another apartment the following day......in the same block! Wow, genius! Thanks! As, you can imagine, I returned the keys the next day and booked into a hotel! I'm awaiting a refund, which I was informed had to come from Lastminute.com! 7-10 working days!

In short, what I'm telling you, is never,never, never book accommodation through these people, they couldn't even bring themselves to say sorry!

So, there is my story from Miami to Mice! Glamorous huh?

Weekend with Laura Mercier in Miami!

Well, where do I start? Firstly, I apologise for the insane length of time between posts but I've finally had broadband installed at home so there is no stopping me! You're actually more likely to want to slow me down! haha!

Last week I was lucky enough to spend 5 days in Miami with the amazing Laura Mercier company, learning about the new and exciting launches that they have coming up this season, insights into the company and spending time with some of the most inspiring artists in the business.

We started the first day with an amazing Q&A section with Miss Laura Mercier herself and the esteemed plastic surgeon and creator of Revive skincare, Dr Gregory Brown. This was amazing to hear the inspiration straight from the horses mouths (in want of a better word) What a way to start the 3 day conference!

I'm obviously not going to give you an hour by hour account as you'll drift off to sleep, fall off your chair and damage some part of your anatomy......and I certainly don't want to be responsible for any injury so I'll continue with my highlights!

Another amazing part of the weekend was sharing 2 hours with Laura's new ambassador Matin Maulawizada, who is not only a hugely sought after celebrity makeup artist but a truly warm, funny and kind man who does amazing work with Afghan Hands charity. He had recently returned from the Sex and the City press tour as Cynthia Nixon's artist so was a little tired but a trouper!

He, along with Laura took a 2 hour artistry class with only 15 of us in the room which meant we had a very intimate and honest session! I can not explain how valuable this was.

Laura spent time amusing us with stories of her time spent travelling the world meeting Mercier fans, working on some of the beautiful faces in the business and her time with the wonderful Sarah Jessica Parker, who has inspired one you the new fall collection products to hit Sephora this year......my lips are sealed until it has been launched and then I 'll tell you which one!

She shared some of her favourite looks and products, and was raving about using the Laura Mercier Bronzing Gel on top of your foundation but rubbing it between your hands and pressing into the skin for this summer glow.

On one of the balmy tropical evenings we were whisked off to the beautiful Vizcaya Museum and gardens for the award ceremony and wow, it was amazing! Some people were saying that it had been used as a location for the iconic film Scarface but I've yet to confirm that bit of trivia! After the awards were over, we went through to the casino and enjoyed the evening!

Above is a pic of me and the lovely Laura Mercier herself.

As you can imagine, we packed all sorts of other bits and pieces into the conference but most of it isn't interesting to write about. Although I'd been to the States before, I'd never ventured to Miami and it really was an "awesome" experience and one that has made me look to plan a return trip (for pleasure) to this beautiful and gorgeously hot state!

Please feel free to ask any questions relating to Laura or Matin and I will try and answer as best I can.

Thanks for reading and remember "makeup should be fun"!

Kisses,
Katie

BE GENTLE

So, here goes......... this is my first blog so please be gentle as I am a little nervous!

I'm spending today, my day off , getting over a very long Sunday! Having spent 10 hours at the Albert and Arthur Studios in Shoreditch beautifying 3 professional models and 2 (equally as gorgeous) non-models, and having drank copious amounts of Redbull,  I find myself needing some much needed fresh air!

What a great day, the three models we used had very different looks and we wanted a very rock chick, edgy finish! (Please find a list of products used below) We achieved this by keeping the skin really clean, with minimal contouring and concentrating on a strong, dark and slightly smudged eye.

First, the charming and very down to earth, glasgow girl, Abigail Rose who, with short platinum hair and a tiny face resembles the early Twiggy. Then fabulous long locked, Danielle who just could never look bad, no matter what you do! Finally, the young and quiet Emily who, when the camera starts clicking turns into a full on goddess (who'd have thought).

After this, we turned to the very nervous girls that we were using as hair models! As they had been getting more and more intimated by the watching the models work the camera, I was convinced the photographer was going have to work really hard to get the girls to open up and "strike a pose"! Wow, was I wrong, Charlotte, an A level student had clearly been practising in her bedroom, and I thank god for "Britains Next Top model " and what she had clearly learnt from it! Go girl!

And as for, Sophie, who with her pale skin, bright dyed red hair and strong bone structure, photographed like a punky Nicola from Girls Aloud!  I loved the end result! I can't wait to share the photos with you, which I'll do as soon as I have them from the photographer!

All in all, a great shoot with some really fun people! The hair stylist, Vicky Turner from Goldworthys, Cirencester was amazing and is hugely talened, and already booked for my wedding! Hahaha!
http://www.goldsworthys.co.uk/


Products used!

Laura Merciers        Silk Creme Foundation
                                Secret Camouflage
                                Kohl pencil in Black Violet
                                Eyeshadow in Black Plum
                                Cake liner in Black Ebony
Bobbi Browns         Gel Eyeliner in Ebony
                                Shimmer bric
MAC                       Blue/Brown pigment
Dior's                       Diorshow mascara
Girls with Attitude     Lashes
...................and Vaseline!

Any questions, don't be shy!!!!!!!