Hair, make up and beauty is one of my favourite subjects having had a lot of experience working in this field and genuinely having a passion for being a woman and taking good care of yourself I wanted to share my product knowledge with you and give some good recommendations…
My new fave perfume Louis Vuitton Mille Feux for all the oud lovers…
For a long lasting distinctive fragrance the best brands are: Creed, Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford, Jo Malone, Louboutin, Molecule, Le Labo, and Acqua Di Parma! The thing about a great fragrance is it should be addictive and you can’t get enough of it! I recommend always wearing it on the skin for a while first and if by the end of the day you are obsessed go and get it!
Skincare prep is really important, the texture of the skin totally changes how your make up sits especially if you are prone to dry skin you will notice make up clings to it and makes you look as if you are wearing more make up than you are. Also many people with oily skin make the mistake of not wearing skincare, as they believe they are generating too much oil, however they don’t realise how dehydrated their skin is and make up again magnifies dehydration!
For amazing glowing skin use a great face mask – weekly, exfoliate in the shower – twice weekly, serum, moisturiser and eye cream – daily. As said in a previous blog post I hugely recommend the bare minerals skincare range, it’s not too expensive and kind to sensitive skins also recommended for problematic skins.
A more recent discovery is The Ordinary skincare range, quite tricky to navigate your way around the website, I certainly recommend going to visit their store / concession to find out what would be suitable for you. I have a normal – dry skin, I like maximum hydration and rich products, I also like a serum, moisturiser and eye cream, rather that a bunch of different products to use as and when. I was recommended the Rosehip Seed Oil and Natural Moisturising Factors + HA, and then SubQ Eyes eye serum that is from the sister brand Hylamide focusing on: High-strength serum concentrate uses a wide array of peptides, plant saccharides and active technologies to rehydrate the fragile eye area, while targeted technologies improve the look of fine lines, crow’s feet, puffiness and dark circles. The entire set comes to £42.80 BARGAIN!!!! A recommendation for oily skins as a serum is Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%. The price point really is amazing and the reviews are incredible so I cannot wait to try it out!
Face
Primer – the wonder product that holds our make up on for the duration! Apply to the face after skincare.
Laura Mercier – comes in all different skin types – best on the market and award winning!
Smashbox – never tried and tested however the brand is famous for their primer
Hourglass – silky with skincare benefits but a little more expensive
Bare minerals – also a great primer offering different types for different skins
Concealer
I truly believe everyone should have 2, as concealer around the eye is designed to brighten and concealer for blemishes you want to hide and camouflage.
Under eye – bare skin from Bare Minerals is a lovely light texture for anyone that likes contouring I’d recommend a shade or 2 lighter than skin colour
For anyone that finds their under-eye concealer creases set it with Laura Mercier’s brightening powder this is stop this happening!
Avoid applying to the crows feet wrinkles around the eye
Blemishes – bare pro from Bare Minerals offers maximum coverage and is a little more matte for better staying power
Foundation
Depending on the desired finish such as- matte / glowy / full coverage / sheer, lightweight texture etc, my recommendations are as follows:
Full coverage – silk creme oil free for a matte finish to add a glow add the illuminating tinted moisturiser all products by Laura Mercier
Or
For sensitive skin and a matte non stick finish Bare Minerals pressed power is great and this powder does manage to get a full coverage
All above foundations can be applied sheerly for less coverage and set with a setting powder.
Medium coverage with a glow – Bare Minerals original foundation is a fantastic loose powder with buildable coverage and you cannot even feel it on the face
Or
Giorgio Armani luminous silk foundation is great for a fresh medium buildable foundation
Light coverage (tinted moisturiser) – Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser – BEST SELLER! Offers original, oil free and illuminating
Or
Bare Minerals complexion rescue is also great
Setting powder – Laura Mercier universal power is amazing and also Bare Minerals mineral veil to set make up and minimise shine
Colour
Bronzer – orgasm by Nars is a gorgeous natural bronze shade or Bare Minerals warmth bronzer is very dark but to be used very sparingly
Highlight – Huda beauty do a stunning 3D highlighter palette that is a great texture and highly pigmented to be used on the bone structure of the face
Or
Iconic do an incredible liquid highlighter which is their best seller and can be mixed with foundation or layered
Or
Make Up Revolution is great for highlighters at a more affordable price
Blusher – Laguna by Nars is by far my favourite but Nars as a whole is great for blushers and colour
Laura Mercier do some beautiful muted tones and so do Bobbi Brown
Eyes
Primer – Laura Mercier eye primers in my opinion are the best, wheat, flax and buff being the most popular colours
Or
Make Up Revolution original primer is great and only £3
Cut crease eye make up is a current trend, a super effective look, Make Up Rvolution just bought out a product to help create the base to cut crease with, I cannot wait to try it.
Eye Shadows – with eyeshadows it is good pigment that makes a good eyeshadow.
Make Up Revolution eye palettes are fantastic at around £8 each they have matched the naked palettes by Urban Decay extremely well and I don’t believe there is much difference in quality yet a staggering £27 difference in price.
Or
Huda Beauty, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Pat McGrath, Laura Mercier, Nars, Morphe and Illamasqua do the best most pigmented shadows which are beautiful although more costly. I personally prefer a good palette than singular eye shadows.
Liners
Pencil – I truly believe there is no need for expensive ones unless you are after a particular colour, however for black and brown Rimmel does the job. Most pencils smudge unless they are water proof thick and hard to remove. If you are looking for a soft smooth pencil in different colours Laura Mercier do a great selection.
Liquid – a product that dries out quickly yet Stila and Marc Jacobs do a great liquid liner I always prefer a pen as you have more control over it but for a more cost effective version Make Up Revolution has some great options the double ended pen being my favourite.
Mascara – Dior black out, YSL baby doll, EyeCo and Lancome I believe to be the best mascaras but mascaras do tend to dry out quickly so to save yourself £20 L’Oréal I think are also great for mascaras.
Lashes – Red Cherry are by far my favourite they are human hair making them incredibly light in weight and also are made on a clear strip to there isn’t a bulky black band that you have to try and blend in to the lash line. They retail at around £4-5 and if bought in bulk a bit cheaper with certain retailers usually online.
Brows – Anastasia Beverly Hills I think is the best for brow products they have to offer, my preference is always a pencil and always apply when sharpened
Or
Make Up Revolution do a great double ended pen / crayon and powder palettes etc.
Lips – Liner / Colour / Gloss
To be honest many brands do a great lip ranges and obviously it is down to preference whether you prefer a moisturising glossy or matte finish I find Nars is great for matte lipsticks the staying power is brilliant!
Tom ford, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Charlotte tilbury and hour glass do gorgeous lip sticks and glosses in beautiful packaging which makes for lovely handbag accessories.
Tools
Brushes – Real Technique brushes from Superdrug or Boots are brilliant and are at a great price point, Laura Mercier do a perfect brush set every Christmas worth around £80, which is amazing value as there is approx 8 brush heads retailing usually at double if not more, I would say Laura Mercier brushes are my favourite. The newest Bare Minerals brushes all in black are also really lovely and not a rip off! Crown brush is also a great brand that is fairly new to the market specialising in brushes and are good quality and again a good price range! Morphe Brushes are also fantastic quality and value for money!
I promise you a £50 Chanel brush is a total waste of money you are paying for a name and not a well made product!
Once you invest in a decent brush set and you look after them, wash them every 2 weeks and depending on how much you use them then they should last you for years.
I have not changed personal brushes in around 6 years or more and they are still in perfect condition.
Brushes I recommend you have:
Foundation & concealer brush (2 different sizes)
Bronzer brush (not too big for better definition)
Blusher brush
Powder brush
Synthetic creme colour eye brush
Tapered blending brush
Small dense colour brush
Brow bone brush
Smudge brush
Eyeliner brush
Brow groomer
Extras
I swear by my Laura Mercier lash curlers they are amazing best ones I’ve ever used!
Tan
Always exfoliate with a body scrub before tanning laura merciers one is a dream.
I recommend a mousse texture with a mitt for the best results
Discovery – This make up bag is so convenient…
Hair
Shampoo / Conditioner – my hair responds well to change so I use Osmo and Nashi which always works well for me I find L’Oréal far to heavy for my hair and it seems to leave it greasy looking
Masks – can’t be coconut oil applied warm directly to the scalp
Serum – Moroccan oil is one of the best on the market and L’Oréal is a great serum for shine once styled
Brushes – the smaller the roller brush the tighter the curl I think it’s great to have a mixture also tangle teasers are the best invention!
Non crease hair bands are unreal great to use when chucking hair up that has been blow dried
Hair dryers – Parlux lightweight hairdryers for me are unbeatable and I’ve tried a few! I’m not a huge fan of the dyson hair dryer I feel it is a novelty and not the best for styling
Straighteners – GHDs win the crown every time
Note: for anyone that has bleach on their hair regularly, make sure your hair dresser is only applying it to the root of the hair and does not leave it on for too long or use a too higher vol developer! Have regular cuts and hydrate the hair with masks serums and oils!
Tip: for anyone with dry skin around the nails or toenails use cuticle oil regularly this will get rid of it and leave your hands and feet looking far nicer.
As you can tell I’m an avid fan of Laura Mercier, Bare Minerals, Nars, Stila, Illamasqua, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Morphe, Huda and Make Up Revolution I believe in quality products at a reasonable price. I feel Tom Ford and a few other brands can be over priced unnecessarily, many brands such as Dior and Chanel I feel are just fancy packaging. I strongly feel with make up that in most cases less is more and I can’t stand using a product for the sake of it or if it doesn’t serve a purpose. I highly dislike Mac face products as I feel it can be detrimental to the skin the only thing I believe they are good for are lipsticks and lip liners. I tend to prefer stand alone make up brands that aren’t part of a umbrella company and have been built to bring quality useful products to the market without being ripped off!
Be careful with contouring, yes it’s all the rage right now made fashionable by Kim Kardashian, however no one should have muddy looking cheeks or look like a cartoon character and I believe it is fine for tv and photos but not such a great look in real life, you can define the face lightly with bronzer for a far more natural and classy finish. For the face, look for great products that are kind to the skin, and with colour look for good pigment and staying power those are my 2 rules!
As a professional Hair Stylist and Make-up Artist where I am constantly trying and using different products on myself and clients, I hope you all find my recommendations and advice helpful, happy shopping! xoxo
Emma Mack MUA 