#10: Frankie Essex Hair

Evening everyone!

Just a quick post to share with you one of my more recent make up jobs. Last Thursday I headed up to Manchester to a shoot for Frankie Essex's, best known for her role in cult UK show The Only Way is Essex and big sister to the hilarious Joey, new hair range.

I can't say much about it right now, all will be revealed soon, do follow Frankie's twitter if you want updates. The hair pieces are absolutely gorgeous and I'm not just saying that. I will be picking a few up for myself and for presents. There is a huge variety, ranging from buns, to ponytails to real Remy hair pieces (my favourite).

Here are some 'Behind the Scenes' images from our shoot. I shot with the fabulous Hannah Furness photography and KKHairdressing - both lovely girls and a great atmosphere for a great shoot. Make up wise, we stuck with quite a natural look; smokey eyes with Ardell 'wispies' lashes and pink toned lips. It was all about the hair baby!

 

 

 

Can't wait to see the final images! I will be posting them here and on my Twitter (@katelambiemua) when I get them.

Kate x

#9: Lipstick play

Happy snowday everyone!

So if you're living in the UK, no doubt you've been affected in some way by the snow. It's been pretty awful in the midlands where I live so I'm filling a cold day with a onesie, hot water bottle, a mint aero hot chocolate and some blogging. On Monday I noticed that a very talented and inspiring make up artist Karla Powell was running a competition to find someone to assist her on her next project. I really look up to Karla as an inspiration and she is currently somewhere I would one day love to reach. That being said, I entered, fingers and toes crossed.

Karla had asked the people who entered the competition to find inspiration from her "colour run" lips series that she shot with photographer Jayesh Pankhania, and to post our images onto her Facebook page. I decided that my two favourite shots were the black and pink lip and the blue and magenta lip she created, so decided to use similar colours with my entry. Here is a picture of the amazing work Karla and Jayesh created together.

I went for an ombré style lip from one side of the lip to the other fading from black to blue to purple to pink. I used everything from a NARS black eyeliner to MAC pros 'Lipmix' to create my finished piece and I was really happy with it!

I didn't win, but there were so many brilliant entries, and to be honest I just liked the fact it pushed me to be a bit more creative. I'm not overly confident in some aspects of make up still and I think it's great to push your creative boundaries and realise that actually, you can do it. Practice makes perfect and one day I hope to be in the same calibre as artists like Karla.

I hope you are as inspired as I was of Karla's work and here are some links if you would like to see more of what she, or Jayesh does;

Karla's Facebook

Twitter: @karlapowellmua

Instagram: @karlapowellmua

Karla's Website

 

Jayesh's Website



I saw this quote on one of my colleague's Facebook pages last night and it sums up experiences you will always have in this industry; 'disappointments are just life's way of saying I've got something better... Be patient, live life, have faith.' Never give up!

With those inspirational words, I will leave you with a picture of the snow at my house. Not going to lie, I don't have much faith that this will thaw anytime soon!

Kate x

 

 

#8: OOTH - Outfits of the Holidays

Hi everyone,

If there's one thing I love almost as much as planning make up looks, it's planning outfits. Everytime I go away, I try so hard to plan my outfits in advance, as to not overpack. However, I think it's part of a girls' DNA to overpack. We would be deemed 'not right' if we didn't. I did do quite well this time, with only a couple of dresses that I didn't wear whilst away in Morocco. My case still weighed bang on 20kg though - must be all my make up and skincare weighing me down! Without further ado, here are some of my favourite outfits and pieces from my time away...

Travelling outfit

The need to be comfortable yet stylish on a flight is something I find hard to do. I would happily wear my leopard print onesie, but I'm acutely aware it's socially unacceptable. I decided on a loose jersey tshirt and some highwaisted jeans (both Topshop), my gold jewelled Zara necklace, my vintage Chanel Jumbo XL handbag and some LK Bennett pink ballet pumps. Also my standard watch and rings combo which is the same throughout all pictures. In the picture below, we had just arrived at the hotel and I had changed into some Topshop sandals and my Rayban sunglasses. I had also shed my super comfy Topshop fluffy boyfriend cardigan that will be featured in a couple of shots later on.

 

 

Accessories

I'm not one for chopping and changing my accessories constantly. I have a few staples in my collection that I wear everyday without fail; a vintage ring that my Dad bought me for Christmas a few years back and my two new Pandora treats. My watch was a Christmas present from Tom and my ring was a late Christmas present to myself in Duty Free. I haven't taken either off since I got them.



To be honest I don't have many day outfits to show you. I was in a bikini or a swimming costume every day with just some River Island jelly flip flops and a crotcheted black cover up - nothing too exciting!

 

Cut out swimsuit; River Island

 

 



Jelly flip flops; River Island

Evening outfits



Blouse: Warehouse

Skirt: Zara

Ballet Pumps: Topshop

 

Necklace: Zara

Body: American Apparel

Trousers: River Island

Shoes: Topshop

Handbag: Chanel

 

Cardigan: Topshop

Maxi Dress: Izabel

 

 

Blouse: Topshop

Trousers: Topshop

Ballet Pumps: Topshop

Handbag: Chanel

Earrings: Topshop

 

 

Blouse: Topshop

Maxi Dress: Izabel

 

 

 

Jumpsuit: Miss Selfridge

Belt: Warehouse

Jacket: Zara

 

Maxi Dress: Warehouse

Belt: Warehouse

Sandals: Topshop

Necklace: Zara

 

 

Cardigan: Topshop

Body: American Apparel

Skirt: Zara

Ballet pumps: Topshop

Earrings: Topshop

Belt: Warehouse

 

Blazer: Warehouse

Vest: Topshop

Trousers: River Island

Sandals: Topshop

 

 

So there you have it, my holiday in outfits! Sorry for the lengthy photo heavy post and I hope you enjoyed it. Please link me to your ootd or ooth should I say!

 

If I have learnt anything from this post, it's that I own so much from high street stores! I now feel that I need to broaden my fashion horizons, so please post any amazing stores (online or on the highstreet) that you swear by. Need to update for the coming months!

 

Kate x

#7: I have found 'the one'

Happy Saturday everyone!

Hope you're having a lovely weekend. I arrived home from holiday on Thursday and was straight back to work today and back in again tomorrow - nothing like getting stuck in straight away is there?! Safe to say after one day of work after two weeks off, I feel pretty exhausted. Pathetic I know. Anyway, I digress! This post is about something very important in every girls' life, and that is mascara.

MAC launched a new mascara just after Christmas, and I snapped it up before my holiday. I was after a new mascara and so it came at the perfect time. MAC have so many mascaras, and I tend to go for the 'all rounders' - ones that curl, volumise, lengthen and define the lashes. My favourite ones until this baby were Haute and Naughty Too Black Lash and Dazzle Lash. In my opinion, this one has blown all other mascaras of any brand out of the water. Say hello to In Extreme Dimension mascara. Thank you MAC.



Taken from Google

How amazing is that visual? Here's what MAC have to say about this mascara...

"Lashes take on unreal scale, structure and sweep-and now in a new Carbon shade, techno-chic black. The M•A•C patented brush design holds more mascara as rows of micro fibers weave in between lashes to separate, define and enhance on a dramatic lash-by-lash level."

 

 

"M∙A∙C's lightweight whipped formula saturates lashes root to tip, adds volume, extends length and creates curl, while conditioning for softness and flexibility. The final result: extreme dimension that won't smudge, clump or flake."

 

 

I love how MAC describe things on their website, they leave nothing out and I love the description they give. I would like to put out a disclaimer and say I am a total and utter mascara whore. I can't get enough of them. I flit from one to the other and have never been 100% happy with ones i've tried. I've tried cheap ones and expensive ones and it is something I know i'll always change. I'm not so sure anymore. This mascara has delivered every single day since i've worn it, and shows no signs of drying out three weeks later. I love the formulation. It feels so creamy when you apply it and the wand is massive, which I don't usually like but I find this one gives great control. I think this is because the bristles aren't massive so you're not getting mascara all over the place. I really like the packaging, some might think it's abit 'in your face' but it's something abit different to MAC's usual sleek black packaging.

 

 

As I said, I worked today and had the chance to try this mascara on two different customers in appointments. Sometimes, I feel that just because it works well for me, (I have naturally long lashes that curl very well with my Shu Uemera curlers) it might not be every womans' cup of tea. Both of my customers had short and straight lashes, and when I applied two coats of this, both of their reactions were 'wow!' I was also extremely impressed at how it really curled the lashes, and I didn't use lash curlers on either of my customer's before I applied the mascara.

'Where is the picture proof!!' I hear you scream! Here you go, don't say I'm not good to you.



 

No make up



 

Close up after one coat

 

Finished look with In Extreme Dimension

 

Close up after two coats

 

 

Are you impressed? I am! This mascara is in the slightly more exepensive category for MAC mascaras at £18, but I know I would buy it again. Yes I get discount but hell I'd pay full whack for this in an instant.

 

MAC have come up trumps with this. I am well and truly impressed and i'm sure all my customers are just wishing I would shut up about 'my new and all time favourite mascara'. But I need to tell people, and I'm glad i've told you! Has anyone tried this product? What did you think?

 

Kate x

#6: Bonjour from Agadir! Duty Free beauty purchases.

Hey everyone,

No I'm not backward in thinking Morocco is in France, it's their second language after Arabic. Wasn't too sure on the Arabic greeting so I'm sticking with what I know!

I am currently away on holiday with my boyfriend until the 10th January, but I am constantly in work mode so am always reading up on blogs, twitter and general make up news. Seeing as my New Years resolution was to blog more, I also want to live up to that. So here I am, Smirnoff and
Lemonade in hand, by the pool ready to blog for you. This could get messy.

In my eyes a holiday starts the minute you enter the beautiful world of Duty Free, where anything you purchase "doesn't count", until you get home, look at your bank balance and think sh*t. I actually outdid myself this year and bought something I could have got in duty free for full price in Manchester the day before we even flew out. I was worried they wouldn't have it in stock so as far as I'm concerned that was reason enough. The other thing I bought was MAC, and I should've got it before with my discount. But I forgot. When it comes to spending, all control is lost.

What did I buy?

YSL Le Teint touché éclat foundation (BD30)
MAC Prep & prime Highlighter (Bright Forecast)

Do I love them both?

HELL YES! No seriously they are amazing.

Although I work for MAC and absolutely believe 100% in all their foundations, as a make up artist I refuse to get stuck in a rut with my make up by only using one brand. I like to try new things and it in no way means I don't wear MAC foundation. Studio Sculpt and Face & Body are staples in both my professional and personal make up kits, but when a foundation makes such a stir in the beauty world it would be rude not to try it. And I'm so glad I did.
This isn't a massively in depth review, but if you want to find out more about the product and the science behind it and it's shades, there are so many brilliantly comprehensive reviews on the web about it.

I am really taken by this foundation, I think it makes my skin look flawless and dewy but at the same time very natural. Exactly what I'm looking for. It is a dream to apply and I find using my Real Techniques Stippling Brush or my MAC #130 brush gives it that soft focus photoshop look. I was very impressed with its longevity. I applied it at 3.40am before flying and I took the picture below at about 6pm at the hotel. It still looked brilliant and felt lovely on my skin. I have combination skin but it didn't make my tzone look shiny at all and i didn't powder it through the day. The packaging is so luxurious which I personally like very much. I saw a video of Corrie (Dizzybrunette3) on YouTube wearing this and I was like "omg I need this in my life. NEED." Her skin looked perfect. So thanks Corrie, I'm sure I'm not the only one!

MAC Prep&Prime Highlighter in bright forecast is a little miracle in a pen to me. It is the piece of the puzzle I have been missing in my make up routine and now I'm 99% happy that my face make up routine is now foolproof. I apply this over my NW (pink toned) pro Longwear concealer under my eyes and my dark circles are combatted. Here's what MAC say and I agree... "A pen-style highlighter that efficiently brings a soft sheer wash of colour to the skin. With its precision application, adds radiance just where you want it. Goes on smoothly for cushion-soft wear. Use over makeup for highlights, touch-ups or under makeup to brighten and prime."

I don't have a picture of the product but here is a picture of my eye area from last night. No editing has been done and the flash was on as I believe that picks up every little flaw. My eye circles are pretty bad and I can see such a difference when I use this in conjunction with my daily concealer. I find it to be nice and moisturising too and I've noticed it doesn't sit in any fine lines or wrinkles which is a huge plus for us ladies. I also find it much more pigmented than YSL's touché éclat so it's perfect for someone like me who needs that bit more coverage.

So that's what I bought! Have any of you tried either of these products? I love to hear what you think of products and also if you have any other questions about them, ask and I will do my best to answer them for you!

Goodbye for now, from sunny Agadir!

Kate x

#5: Happy New Year! Holiday prep

Happy 2013 to each and every one of you reading my blog. I hope this year brings you health, happiness and prosperity. Time flies, I can't believe it's been one week since Christmas and I hope you all had a lovely day.

I'm off on my travels on Thursday, my boyfriend Tom and I are going to Agadir in Morocco for one week and I can't wait. We've been away in January before and there's nothing nicer. It's always a bit of a depressing time after Christmas with not alot to look forward to. So in my eyes, a holiday is perfect.

One of my only goals for 2013 is to blog more. I am busy with work, but I have decided I have time to blog at least two times a week - I always seem to have a lot to say so it can't be that difficult!

Unfortunately, my holiday prep food and diet wise has gone down the pan - Christmas is like a free pass for me to eat myself into oblivion and that doesn't change just because I am going on holiday; in fact this year I think I've been even worse than usual. So to combat my Christmas induced bloat, I bought myself a cut out swimsuit... Brains.

Like all beauty obsessed girls, I love a holiday prep. This includes some heavy duty pampering and I thoroughly enjoy that. First up; nails. I got my fingernails done at Mint Salon in Birmingham, bio sculpture gel manicure with glitter. I had this done for Christmas when a lady came into my work with hers done - I am a total magpie, I see glitter and I want it. I have had them done again since Christmas the same colour because I really loved them and got lots of comments about them. I'm super impressed with bio nails, my natural nails were terrible and with daily Solar Oil application and my Bios on I can definitely feel them strengthening and growing day by day.

I chose copper glitter, but lets face it, it's rose gold. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

 

Next on the agenda is toes. Call me crazy, but you wouldn't catch me on the beach or poolside without a pedicure. Nobody wants to see the crusty soles of your hoofs on holiday - your feet need to be in good condition. This was hard for me to say the least. I have neglected my feet since August, so this was not a pretty site and a slight mission. My mum got me these incredible moisturising socks for Christmas which have been an absolute foot saver. The insides are coated in a moisturising gel that nourish your feet as you wear them. I pop my feet into these for twenty minutes or so and there is a huge improvement. I can't say they're the prettiest things in the world, but they do their job.

 

 



For my toenails, I stuck with the glitter side of things. This time I did a slight DIY job on them with my MAC Pro 3D Gold Glitter and Shellac. When I do my fingernails or toenails, I always prep my nails thoroughly beforehand; file, cuticle work, buff. I then went in with a base coat of Shellac that I cured, then on with a thin coat of red Shellac. I didn't cure that straight away and instead sprinkled the glitter onto the wet polish. I pressed down gently, cured and then applied two top coats to insure a smooth surface. I am really pleased with the result and hopefully they last the length of my holiday - saved me thirty odd quid even if they don't! I will take a back up polish just in case.

Now onto body prep. *Shudders*. I think unless you have a figure like Miranda Kerr, everyone gets the 'bikini fear' come holiday time, and I am all for doing small things to lessen that fear. Unfortunately, I was not blessed with an olive complexion and I certainly won't catch a tan in seven days, so I will fake it. Simple as that. Not even ashamed, how brazen of me! Tom tans so easily, so next to him if I didn't tan I would feel like a polar bear. I believe you should do what makes you feel happy and having a tan, fake or not, does that. It gives me a little bit more confidence to step out in my bikini and makes me feel slimmer. I ordered the new Xen Tan Moroccan Tan - how appropriate! I am yet to try it, that is happening tonight so I will be sure to tell you how I get on. Follow me on twitter as I'm usually raving about one product or another on there! @katelambieMUA

Obviously, with tanning comes dedication. Lots of scrubbing and shaving in the run up. Luckily that's another part of holiday prep. Salute the God of body scrubs...

If you have not tried this from Soap&Glory, I insist you do. It's gorgeous and works amazingly with all the tans i've ever tried, and I've tried alot. It's alot more inexpensive than most tanning companie's scrubs too. Smells good enough to eat as well. Plus points all round, thank you S&G.

So that's about it for holiday prep for me. I've had my hair done too and always make sure I tidy and tint my brows if I'm inbetween a HD Brows appointment. Is that too much?! On second thoughts, don't answer that...

Kate x

#4: Face of the Evening

Last night I was out in my hometown for my birthday night out with my nearest and dearest. I had my make up look sorted before I had my outfit sorted - this look is what I like to describe as a Power Brow and Autumnal lip look. Not much emphasis on the eyes, much more focused on the shape of the brow and the colour of the lip.

I ended up wearing a high neck lace dress so this just added to the Vampy look that is ever so popular at the moment!

MAC Natural Radiance Primer

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation, Cashew Beige

MAC Pro Longwear concealer, NW25 (under eyes)

MAC Studio Finish concealer (highlighter)

MAC Prep and Prime translucent finishing powder

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish, Soft & Gentle

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish, Give Me Sun 

MAC Powder Blush, Gingerly

MAC Paintpot, Painterly 

MAC Paint, Bamboom

MAC Eyeshadow, Embark

MAC Kohl Pencil, Coffee

MAC Haute & Naughty Mascara

MAC #20 Lashes

MAC Fluidline, Dipdown (brows)

MAC Lip Pencil, Brick 

MAC Matte Lipstick, Rocker

I love finding out what other people wear for their nights out, so I hope you've enjoyed this post; I now notice I am definitely using my MAC Staff discount to its full advantage seeing as only one product is not MAC, but it just shows how good it is. I absolutely love lots of other make up brands and products though and will be sure to include them too in future to add a little bit of diversity!

Hope you have all had as nice a weekend as I have!

Kate x