Back To Black - Behind The Make Up

Back To Black

Behind The Make Up..

The Skin..

Great make-up starts with great skin, which is why NuBo's cosmeceutical grade products are a permanent fixture in my professional kit. Loved by celebrities including Kylie and Pixie Lott. I've used their products on pop star / style icon Sunday Girl aka Jade Williams and presenter / model Zara Martin. It's also a firm favourite of Lisa, the gorgeous model pictured above. I recommend clicking on her photo to see the shoot make up close up. I had used NuBo products on her at a previous shoot (including their miraculous White Diamond Ice Glow Mask), leading her to post me a message on Facebook asking if I'd be using the "amazing skin care" again for this shoot.

To prep her skin for Back To Black, I first cleansed with the Cell Dynamic Velvet Cleansing Cream. I always take a few minutes to really massage this rich, creamy, rose-scented cleanser into the neck and face, removing with disposable facial sponges and warm water to gently exfoliate. Containing a tri-peptide, wheat germ and coconut oils, it leaves skin peachy smooth and plumped.

I spritzed her skin with Shu Uemura Lavender Depsea Water to tone and refresh, then pressed NuBo Cell Dynamic The Essence over her neck and face with my palms. This serum works at a cellular level, encouraging healthy and efficient cell function, converting toxins into water, offering essential hydration. It also creates an instant lifting and firming effect.

I tapped NuBo Cell Dynamic Eye Focus around the orbital bone, this eye cream not only tackles the causes of ageing, it also lifts, reduces puffiness and diminishes dark circles - ideal for frazzled models, celebrities and anyone who wants to cheat 8 hours sleep (that would be most of us then).

Next I massaged NuBo White Diamond Radiance Cream into Lisa's neck and face. This product is so silky on the skin, a little goes a very long way. Containing pro-vitamin C, "micronized" diamonds and propionic acid, there is nothing quite like it for instant dewy, luminous skin. It's my go-to cream for shoots, red carpets, special occasions and bridal clients.

On Lisa's lips, I applied a slick of NuBo Instant Lip Perfection SPF15, a silky hydrating balm containing collagen boosters and natural capsicum for a "bee-stung" pout.

Lastly, I soaked two cotton pads in Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic and lay them over Lisa's eyes as a 5 minute mini treatment. Containing extracts of aloe vera, cucumber, calendula and chamomile, as well as vitamin E and pro-vitamin B5, Liz Earle herself taught me this trick for instantly refreshing weary and puffy eyes.

NuBo

Cell Dynamic Velvet Cleansing Cream - £28

Cell Dynamic The Essence - £200

Cell Dynamic Eye Focus - £180

White Diamond Radiance Cream - £80

Instant Lip Perfection SPF15 - £38

Shu Uemura

Depsea Water (Lavender) - £16.50

Liz Earle

Instant Boost Skin Tonic - £12.50

The Base..

To achieve Lisa's luminous golden glow, I first primed her skin with NuBo Voile in Shade 5 Tan, smoothing over the neck and face.

For her base, I went a a couple of shades darker than her natural fair complexion. In Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Oil Free her natural match would be Nude, but for the shoot I used Fawn. I mixed it with a little Benefit Hollywood Glo (discontinued), a pearly pink liquid highlighter. A great alternative would be BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal. After mixing together on the back of my hand, I buffed it into her skin with a synthetic foundation brush, starting in the central panel of her face, blending outwards, making sure I covered her neck, ears and decolletage.

Using a synthetic concelar brush, I applied Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage SC-3 where Lisa needed it, mainly around the sides of the nose, over the lips to neutralise her natural lip colour, and below the bottom lip. I mixed the concealer with a little NuBo Eye Focus to make a creamy concealer for under Lisa's eyes, gently pressing with the tip of my ring finger to blend seamlessly.

NuBo

Voile (Shade 5, Tan) - £40

Laura Mercier

Tinted Moisturiser Oil Free (Fawn) - £33

Secret Camouflage (SC-3) - £26

BECCA

Shimmering Skin Perfector (Opal) - £33

The Cheeks 1..

To enhance Lisa's cheekbones and create subtle warmth and luminosity, I buffed the NARS Multiple in Orgasm (peachy pink shot with gold) into the apples of her cheeks with a synthetic blusher brush. I contoured her face and created a golden glow by buffing the NARS Multiple in South Beach (shimmering golden apricot) below her cheekbones. To highlight her cheekbones, I blended Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow in Slink, an exquisite champagne shimmer, along the tops of her cheeks, using a synthetic highlighting brush.

NARS

The Multiple (South Beach) - £29

The Multiple (Orgasm) - £29

Illamasqua

Powder Eye Shadow (Slink) - £15.50

The Cheeks 2..

I dusted a little NARS Blusher in Orgasm over the apples of her cheeks (over The Multiple in Orgasm) and swept a tiny amount of NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna (over The Multiple in South Beach) below her cheekbones. Layering the products helped create the sheer, luminous, multidimensional skin finish you see in the shoot image at the top.

NARS

Blush (Orgasm) - £21

Bronzing Powder (Laguna) - £25

The Eyes..

I started by priming Lisa's eyelids with the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base.

I wanted the eyes to be a neutral shimmery minky bronze, so I used the neutral bronze shade from the Dolce&Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Duo in Mystery, blending it with a natural bristle eye shadow brush from lash line to crease, smudging it beneath the lower lash line to create a halo of colour.

I pressed the Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Ore (rich russet bronze) over the centre of Lisa's eyelids with a flat synthetic eye shadow brush and blended a little Powder Eye Shadow in Slink on the inner corners of her eyes and her brow bone with a synthetic eye shadow brush to highlight.

Lisa has a feline eye shape, to open her eyes and really make them pop, I applied the NARS Eyeliner Pencil in Iceberg to her water line.

I filled in and slightly extended Lisa's brows with the NARS Eye Liner Pencil in Jodhpur.

I swept The Body Shop Brow & Lash gel through brows to groom and set.

To create a wide-eyed effect, I curled Lisa's Lashes with Illamasqua Eye Lash Curlers.

I finished her eyes with a light slick of Estee Lauder Sumptous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara in Extreme Black, wiping excess product on the back of my hand before sweeping through upper and lower lashes, zig-zagging at the root then sweeping through to the ends.

NARS

Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base - £18

Eyeliner Pencil (Iceberg) - £16

Eyebrow Pencil (Jodhpur) - £16

Dolce&Gabbana

Smooth Eye Colour Duo (Mystery) - £29.50

Illamasqua

Powder Eye Shadow (Slink) - £15.50

Pure Pigment (Ore) - £15.50

Eye Lash Curlers - £18.50

Estee Lauder

Sumptuos Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara (Extreme Black) - £22

The Lips..

I had already neutralised Lisa's natural lip colour, pressing Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage SC-3 over them.

I used a natural lip brush to apply several coats of Dolce&Gabbana Classic Cream Lipstick in Nude over Lisa's lips.

The finishing touch was a coat of Dolce&Gabbana Ultra-Shine Lipgloss in Caramel. The effect was a gloiously opaque, vinyl finish beigy nude lip, absolutely stunning.

Dolce&Gabbana

Classic Cream Lipstick (Nude) - £23

Ultra-Shine Lipgloss (Caramel) - £21

The Body..

To fake a golden glow and highlight Lisa's body, I first massaged Illamasqua Illumine Oil in Pulse (golden tan shimmer) over her skin. Containing Passionflower oil to hydrate, the pearlised particles create a subtle sheen. The scent of this product reminds me of Marc Jacobs Gardenia, it's rather yummy.

Using a synthetic kabuki brush, I buffed Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Enrapture (molten bronze) over Lisa's limbs, to further enhance her glow.

The final touch was a light dusting of New CID Cosmetics i-glow in Sirocco (champagne shimmer) all over her body, using a synthetic kabuki brush.

Illamasqua

Illumine Oil (Pulse) - £25

Liquid Metal (Enrapture) - £17.50

New CID Cosmetics

i - glow Compact Shimmer Powder (Sirocco) - £24

The Powder..

I pressed a tiny amount of Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder under Lisa's eyes to set her under eye concealer, using a flat synthetic concealer brush. This light diffusing miracle is great for tackling dark circles.

Throughout the shoot, I lightly powdered down Lisa's T-Zone with a tiny amount of Daniel Sandler's Invisible Veil Powder, using a large natural bristle powder brush to minimise shine in these areas. Finely milled, I love the barely-there texture of this translucent loose powder, plus it doesn't cake or flake.

Laura Mercier

Secret Brightening Powder - £18.50

Daniel Sandler

Invisible Veil Powder - £22.50

Stockists:

BECCA

www.beccacosmetics.com/uk

Daniel Sandler

www.beautique.com / www.danielsandler.com

Dolce&Gabbana

www.harrods.com

Estee Lauder

www.esteelauder.co.uk

Illamasqua

www.illamasqua.com

Laura Mercier

www.beautique.com

Liz Earle

http://uk.lizearle.com

NARS

www.narscosmetics.co.uk

New CID Cosmetics

www.newcidcosmetics.com

NuBo

www.nubobeauty.com

Shu Uemura

www.shuuemura.co.uk

To view the Back To Black shoot in it's entirety, go to:

http://diaryofafashionmister.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/back-to-black.html

Bling When You're Winning

Bling When You're Winning..

I know I posted about Kabuki and myface.cosmetics not so long ago, but the legendary make-up artist (and Artistic Director for myface) has been wizarding up so much Kabuki magic of late, that I couldn't help but be inspired.

Not only is he the official make-up artist for Kylie's incredibly well received Aphrodite tour, he also created three "out of this world" looks for Katy Perry's E.T. music video.

The video is directed by one of my favourite image makers of all time, Floria Sigismondi. Floria has been responsible for a host of memorable music imagery, having directed Christina Aguilera's "Fighter" video, The White Stripes' "Blue Orchid" video (starring possibly my favourite supermodel Karen Elson), not to mention shooting the stunning artwork for the divine Siobhan Donaghy's "Ghosts" album. She also directed last year's cult film The Runaways, about legendary female rocker Joan Jett and the eponymous band, starring Kristen Stewart as Joan.

Sadly, the E.T. video features Kanye West, who despite his musical genius, really ought to be issued with a restraining order when it comes making any sort of public commentary, be it at high profile awards ceremonies or on Twitter. The artist formerly known as "nut job" has kept the world's Press (and no doubt his poor PR team) busy with memorable acts of lunacy, such as storming the stage at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards to interrupt Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for the award of Best Female Video, to proclaim:

"Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'm gonna let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time."

Wow Kanye, how gracious of you..

More recently, on the subject of abortion, he ranted on Twitter:

"An abortion can cost a ballin' n*gga up to 50gs maybe a 100. Gold diggin b*tches be getting pregnant on purpose. STRAPUP my n*ggas!"

Hmm, "getting pregnant on purpose"? Is it just me or is contraception as much the responsibility of the male as it is of the female? And as for his use of the "N" word, for an African American, he seems to be painfully unaware of the slave trade origins of that hideous word. I think he ought to spend some time with US Vogue's Andre Leon Talley, a man so cultured and eloquent, he could start his own finishing school for rappers.

Katy Perry is smart, amusing and has a charming coquettish streak a mile wide, so why collaborate with an unsavoury chap like Kanye? Katy, next time the record label suggests you collaborate again, please say no. On the plus side, in the E.T. video, Kanye is seen floating through space. If we're lucky, Katy left him there (without Twitter access).

Mass-censorship of Kanye aside, let's get back to the glory of Kabuki, and his fabulous looks for the E.T. music video.

Pictured above are Kabuki's sketches for the Alien and Faun looks. A quick Google search online led me to some fabulous tips from Kabuki himself on how to re-create these looks at home (though maybe best saved for Halloween or fancy dress parties).

The Faun Look

"Create graphic eyebrows with a flat angle brush (try the Illamasqua Eye Brow Brush) dipped in dark brown powder (try Illamasqua Powder Eye Shadow in Wolf). Fill in the inner brow and extend the line straight out into a thin spike."

"Use myface mymix foundation in medium 01 (also used for the base), applied with a flat brush to perfect the outline and to mask the real brows (try the Illamasqua Foundation Brush)."

"Fill in the lower inside eye with a soft black pencil (try the myface high def eye pencil in black). Blend into the lashes and taper off into points at the inner corners. Line the upper lash line with black liquid liner (try the Illamasqua Precision Ink in Abyss) and extend the line outward to mimic the line of the new brow."

"Use medium and dark brown powder as a shadow (try myface eyetouch/soulful shade trio in a whole latte love), sculpting the eyelid into the inner brow, and blend the lower line down in a graceful curve, following the bridge of the nose. Use myface r&b rouge blusher in sweet escape to soften the edges and the black liquid liner to sharpen the inner point (try the Illamasqua Precision Ink in Abyss). The lashes are curled (try Shu Uemura eyelash curlers), coated with black mascara (try the myface upload lashes mascara in black), with winged false lashes applied to the top lashes (try the "Nicola" lashes from the Eyelure Girls Aloud lash collection)."

"Create the faun-inspired spots on the forehead and cheekbones with a medium brown concealer, a dry consistency works the best (try the Illamasqua Concealer in CC 320). Start with the larger shapes and work outward to the smaller ones. With a myface high def eye pencil in brown (pictured above), outline the shapes. Use a white pencil (try the Illamasqua Medium Pencil in Elate) to continue the shapes under the outer eyebrow."

If all these written tips leave you confused, why not watch this hilarious You Tube tutorial from AndreasChoice (as posted on Twitter by Katy Perry). I'll post each of her tutorials after every corresponding set of tips from Kabuki:

A shot of a faun-hoofed Katy, hand in hand with her albino alien lover (of the moment male model Shaun Ross) in the closing scene of the video.

These hoof shoes from the late Alexander McQueen's final Darwin show could have been a great accessory choice for the final scene, saving on a lot of CGI expenses (had Lady Gaga's stylist Nicola Formichetti not already used them in her Bad Romance video).

The Alien Look

"Take a bright pink cream foundation (if you can't find one, try a matte lipstick such as Illamasqua's Lipstick in Atomic) and begin to fill in the temples, jaw line, cheekbone to under eye, and in between the inner eyebrow and eye lid. Use a fluffy foundation brush to blend the pink into the white cream (try the Illamasqua Highlighter Brush and white Cream Foundation in CF 100)."

"With a royal blue cream make-up (try the Illamasqua Lipstick in Disciple) define the upper crease of the eyelid and blend outwards and upwards until it wings out the eye in a kind of Egyptian style. Set with powder as you did with the pink (try the pink Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow in Virus and the blue Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow in Sadist). Using the same cream, paint a blue border framing the face, making it look like a mask."

"Apply the myface diamonds&pearls blingtone to the upper lid and line the lower water line with white pencil liner (try the Illamasqua Medium Pencil in Elate), extending the line all the way to the edge of the brow. Paint a tapering line of electric blue liquid liner (try mixing the Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow in Sadist with the Illamasqua Sealing Gel, painting on the with the Illamasqua Angled Eye Liner Brush) under the lower lashes and give it time to dry. Use the myface upload lashes mascara in black on the top and blue mascara on the lower lashes (try the Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara in Violet). Apply 3/4 of a false lash to the middle of the lash line (try the Shu Uemura Partial Soft Cross False Eyelashes)."

"Fill in the lips with a dark violet eyeliner pencil and matching lipstick (or just use the Illamasqua Lipstick in Disciple again). Highlight the centre with metallic violet eye shadow, such as the myface blingtone in purple haze)."

Here is the AndreasChoice video tutorial from YouTube:

Loving the Chinese Ming Dynasty style nails.

Why not coordinate the diamonds&pearls blingtone Kabuki used on Katy's eyes for this look with the the corresponding nail colour shade, lil'bling in diamonds&pearls.

Perhaps Lady Deathstrike from X-Men 2 inspired the nail look from the video?

Or maybe they owe their origins to Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China?

Katy Perry's stylist for the video Carol Beadle, created the ensembles for the Alien and Tribal looks (the Alien look is pictured above).

She referenced jellyfish and amoebas as inspiration.

The late Alexander McQueen's Darwin collection also paid homage to the beauty of aquatic life.

The Tribal Look

"To create the bold red/orange rectangle around the eyes, I used tape to help mark off straight edges and a broad flat square brush (try the Illamasqua Lipstick in Flare and the Illamasqua Foundation Brush)."

"The eyes are decisively outlined with the myface high def eye pencil in black and black cream eyeliner (try the Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Liner in Black). The inner and outer corners are extended a little and squared off for a digital effect. Large orange Swarovski crystals (try the Sunset Hotfix Rhinestones from amourrocks.com) are used in the centre of the forehead and on the edges of the rectangle around the eyes, like bookends. Lash glue is the best way to apply them (try Duo false eye lash glue). I glued them ahead of time onto a fine orange mesh (try the "Tulor" orange tulle from cheapfabrics.co.uk) and applied it as one piece rather than individually."

"With a flesh coloured pencil (try the Illamasqua Medium Pencil in Hex), lightly sketch a geometric design onto the face. I made stencils ahead of time when I did it on Katy. However, they simply served as a guide; they were all done freehand. Using a light pencil will help cut down on mistakes. Then go over with a navy blue eye pencil (try the Illamasqua Medium Pencil in Please)."

"The lips are nude with a slight lavender tint (try filling in lips with the Illamasqua Medium Pencil in Hex and following with a dot of MAC Lustreglass in Flashmode applied to the centre of lips)."

Here's the AndreasChoice YouTube tutorial for this look:

Here's Madonna sporting a similar look in her "Nothing Really Matters" music video in the late 90's. I call this her Geisha phase, as it is well documented that at the time, she was lobbying to get the lead role in the film adaption of Arthur Golden's best-selling novel Memoirs of a Geisha. The lead role of Sayuri was eventually won by Chinese actress Ziyi Zhang, who was supported by leading Chinese star Gong Li and Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh. The lack of Japanese actresses cast in lead roles created quite a storm, given that the story is set in Japan, focusing on its legendary Geisha heritage.

The second clothing look stylist Carol Beadle created for the E.T. video, again, inspired by jellyfish and amoebas. Loving the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon pose.

See the resemblance?

A shot of Katy cosying up to hot albino male model du jour Shaun Ross. Albino models are quite the trend of late, as Illamasqua featured a stunning female albino model in the campaign for their Spring/Summer 2011 Toxic Nature make-up collection.

Shaun doing his thing on the cover of Vogue Africa. This shot reminds me of a famous Diana Vreeland quote. Legend has it, that on first meeting Somali supermodel Iman, she remarked "now that's a neck".

myface.cosmetics

mymix foundation in medium 01 - £12.99

high def eye pencil in black - £6.99

high def eye pencil in brown - £6.99

upload lashes mascara in Black - £10.49

eyetouch/soulful shade trio in a whole latte love - £9.99

r&b rouge blusher in sweet escape - £9.99

blingtone in diamonds and pearls - £9.99

blingtone in purple haze - £9.99

lil'bling in diamonds and pearls - £5.99

www.myfacecosmetics.com

www.boots.com

Girls Aloud by Eyelure

Eyelure Girls Aloud Lashes Nicola - £5.36

www.boots.com

Shu Uemura

Eyelash Curlers - £20

Partial Soft Cross False Eyelashes - £15.50

www.shuuemura.co.uk

Estee Lauder

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara in Violet - £22

www.esteelauder.co.uk

Illamasqua

Eye Brow Brush - £18.50

Powder Eye Shadow in Wolf - £15.50

Foundation Brush - £26

Precision Ink in Abyss - £17

Concealer in CC 320 - £13

Medium Pencil in Elate - £13

Lipstick in Atomic - £15.50

Cream Foundation in CF 100 - £21.50

Lipstick in Disciple - £15.50

Powder Eye Shadow in Virus - £15.50

Powder Eye Shadow in Sadist - £15.50

Sealing Gel - £10.50

Angled Eye Liner Brush - £16.50

Lipstick in Flare - £15.50

Medium Pencil in Hex - £13

Medium Pencil in Please - £13

www.illamasqua.com

MAC

Lustreglass in Flashmode - £12.50

www.maccosmetics.co.uk

Laura Mercier

Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Liner in Black - £18.40

www.beautique.com

Amour Rocks

Sunset Hotfix Rhinestones "SS-30" (144 x 6.5mm stones) - £5.25

www.amourrocks.com

Cheap Fabrics

"Tulor" Orange Tulle - £1.99 per metre

www.cheapfabrics.co.uk