Desperate Scousewives

I absolutely love reality TV programmes such as Jersey Shore and TOWIE so being from Liverpool, I cant wait for the start of Desperate Scousewives which starts on E4 on Monday 28th at 10pm. I know a lot of people are going to slate it, but as with all of these programmes we have to realise that they are an exaggerated reality, and many of the scenes are set up. Whilst it isn't scripted, there is definitely truth to the rumour that they get told what to say.

I had the pleasure of doing Debbie O'Toole's make up on friday, who is one of the stars of the show. She was lovely and very pretty. Hopefully, the girls will show the glamour that Liverpool girls are famed for. I hope people take it with a pinch of salt and don't show too much jealousy. Here is a picture of Debbie with make up done by me:

ProChart

As a make up artist, I know the importance of planning a look out before you create it. For this I use face charts, this is mainly when doing fashion shows or photoshoots but I also use face charts for my clients and brides so that I know which products I have used on them. As well as helping me to remember on the day of the wedding it also allows the client to see which products go where and therefore, enables them to recreate the look themselves, which is fantastic.

I have the luxury of working with MAC facecharts on a day to day basis, but as MAC don't advertise I'm not sure how they feel about make up artists using their facecharts. Fortunately, my lovely friend Victoria came up with an amazing concept to combat this problem! She created ProChart, a book of blank facecharts that make up artists can use day to day without the worry of infringing a MAC copyright. The paper is from a recycled source and is of an amazing quality. The face is symmetrical and easy to work on and I love using them. You can buy them online from http://www.prochart.co.uk/. They've been amazingly successful and I know Vic has had orders from make up artists around the world!

Here are a few pictures of the ones that I have done:

There are various different tips and techniques for creating a gorgeous facechart so let me know if you want to hear mine. These facecharts are amazing, whether you're a make up artist, or just somebody who loves to play around with art and make up, I would definitely recommend them!

New Illamasqua Store in Liverpool!

Alex Box, Joe Corre and two Garlands performers at the opening of Illamasqua Liverpool on Wednesday night.

I am so ridiculously excited about the opening of the new Illamasqua store in the met quarter. It opened last saturday but had it's official opening party on wednesday night with both Alex Box and Joe Corre in attendance. I absolutely love the store, it looks amazing. Previous to the store opening in Liverpool though, I had never really tried any illamasqua products as they weren't the easiest to get hold of.

I went in the other day and was served by my lovely friend Paddy. I got;

• Skin Base Foundation in Number 9.
• Powder Blusher in Lover, which is an amazing light peachy coral similar to Melba from MAC.
• Cream Pigment in Androgen. Another gorgeous coral product which can be used as a base or alone as a cream blusher.
• Pure pigment in Alluvium. A gorgeous deep blue with gold glitter flecks running through it.
• Pure pigment in Berber, which is an amazing cranberry colour and is part of the new collection, Theatre of the Nameless.

I cannot wait to try all the new products out and as soon as I do I will let you know what I think of them. I have been wearing skin base foundation for a couple of days and I really like it so far, but I will definitely do a more in depth review when I have been wearing it for a little bit longer.

My friends Sarah and Rachael also work there so go in and have a little look round, I'm sure you will be greeted with amazing service, as I was. 



MAC Future Length Lash Serum

If you ask any girl what would be on their list of desert island beauty products, mascara would make an appearance on almost everybody's list. It has always been a popular product but recently, with more and more technological advancements, mascara sales, along with those of false lashes, have soared. So when MAC announced that they were adding a new lash product to their prep and prime range, I was excited to see what it would have to offer. Currently my favourite mascara is the MAC Studio Fix Lash, and it has stood as my favourite for quite some time now, with other mascaras never having quite the same effect. MAC mascaras haven't always been the best but I think that the company have really upped their game lately and some of the newest mascaras have been amazing.

Prep and Prime Future Length Lash Serum claims to lengthen, thicken and strengthen your own lashes when applied twice daily to both the upper and lower lashline over an 8 week period. It does this by encouraging protein production within the lashes, and I have to say that I was quite sceptical at first as it did sound like a miracle product. My own lashes are fairly sparse as years of wearing a million coats of mascara as well as false lashes, have inevitably damaged them. At £21, I was also pretty sceptical about the price but then I thought on to how much I would spend on a good mascara and I decided to give it a go.

I noticed the difference straight away. I wouldn't say that my lashes felt any thicker or longer but I would definitely say that the felt in a much better condition. After about 3 days of use, my mascara glided on so much easier and looked so much better than it had before. I even had compliments within a week of using it and it seemed that everybody was telling my how long my lashes looked. Even my mum, who is pretty much a make up virgin, commented and has decided to give the serum a go herself.

I have now been using the product for almost 2 weeks and I have to say that I think it is an amazing product, my lashes looked multiplied as well as thicker and longer. I am also using less mascara now as I only need to apply one coat. It is also really easy to apply and it doesn't disrupt my routine at all. I apply it in the morning with my moisturiser and eye cream and do the same at night before I go to bed. It is dry within seconds and doesn't sting or feel uncomfortable. It is now one of my must have products and I cannot wait to see the effects after the 8 weeks are over.

The only downside to the product is that the effects disappear after you discontinue use of the product but the way I see it is that, we spend a fortune on moisturisers and primers to make our foundation look better and last longer so why not do the same for our lashes? As said before, lashes are clearly a very important aspect of a girls make up, and so I have a feeling that this product will be very popular. It has definitely earned a permanent place in my make up bag!