That MakeUp

Hello to you all.

Just wanting to let you in on a little special we are running for the next couple of weeks. Until the end of June you will receive a FREE Ali Hamylton Mascara with every purchase over $25!

Pretty cool hey?!

Ali Hamylton Mascara is a super, jet black mascara. 

It has a beautiful gel base, is fibre free and long lasting.  The gel base gives it the effect of a volume mascara, without the gluggy leftovers of those fibre filled ones, it leaves your lashes looking shiny and inviting. 

It is not a waterproof mascara, so it wont break your lashes.  It is well and truly the BEST mascara I have ever used, my eyes stay itch free all day, and my lashes look freshly painted when I cleanse it all off at night.

Now, I thought I would celebrate this little gem of an offer with an online Mascara lesson. I know this is going to be a tough one to get across in words (all of you will have to get your tongues right) BUT I think it can be done.

There are a couple easy techniques that lead to perfect mascara so grab your new Ali Hamylton Mascara and head to the mirror.

Actually, first off let's deal with a couple of the questions that I get asked the most.

To pump or to wind the mascara wand?

That is the question. Well, if you have read anything written by the late Kevin Aucoin you would be on the 'pump' team and if you have ever been in the room at any of Ali Hamylton's memorable events you would surely be in the "wind the wand" team.  I sit well and truly on the fence on this one.

Ali doesn't like the pump action as she thinks it shortens the life of the mascara, and this may be true BUT this is made irrelevant by the answer to the second question...

How long should I keep a mascara?

Well, you really should change your mascara at least twice a year.  That small, dark, moist, airtight container of black sexy stuff is a wonderful place to grow all kinds of things that you wouldn't want too close to your eye, so I say swap it over a couple of times a year for a fresh, clean batch :) Therefore, you can pump or wind as much as you want as there is no way you will dry out an Ali Hamylton mascara in that time... or even twice that time for that matter.

Now that we have that ironed out, lets get to the job at hand.

Get your fresh mascara wand and clean the excess off the brush by running it along the top of the pot, then place the brush along the BASE of your upper lashes. Once you have it there give it a little wiggle to make sure you are going to really coat those lashes. Now, slowly and gently close your eye and run the wand through your lashes in the direction that you want the lashes to go (which is ALWAYS out toward the top of your ear!!) Now tilt your head back, look at your eyes in the mirror and work your lashes into the shape you want them to sit.

The bulk of your mascara should be on the base of your lashes, this will either give the illusion of eyeliner, or enhance the eyeliner you already have in place.

On the bottom lashes all you need to do is touch the lashes a tiny bit with the brush BEFORE you put it back into the pot. One doesn't want too much on those bottom lashes as these should only be subtly enhanced, not looking like a spiders web.

Then it is just a matter of repeating the process on the other eye and there you have gorgeous, long sexy black lashes. If you are wanting them to be a little longer still, just run a fresh wand over the tips of your lashes, not the base as this will make it too heavy, just the tips will give you an extra millimeter for sure.

Let me know how you go with this one, and remember to hold your tongue right :)

Take care, Kylie x

PS.  Here is a clever idea, you could buy one beautiful black mascara and get one free and land yourself a year's supply of Mascara for half the price!!  Now that is a good idea! 

Buy it here...

Ali Hamylton Mascara $22.95

(I know I said purchases over $25 get a free one, but I know I will get away with saying this, I mean I am the boss!)

Kate asked me "How do I use the deluxe liner brush best to define my eyebrows?"

Great question Kate!

The Deluxe liner brush is the BEST eyebrow brush I have ever used! So it will be a pleasure to teach the whole world how to use it.

I am going to assume that everyone has watched my videos on how to shape and tint your brows and therefore your brows are perfectly shaped and just looking for a little definition.  (If you haven't click, watch and learn.)

I always define brows with an eyeshadow, not a pencil. I find that a shadow lasts longer and looks more natural, pencils just seem to be too heavy for my liking and they also tend to shine up quicker on a sweaty day, if you know what I mean.

My favourite brow shadow is Yass, it really does work for most colourings. If you have very dark hair then Tilba would be the go, and if you have super light hair you could go with Leura. The most important things to remember when choosing your brow colour is that if your hair is dark your brows should be a shade lighter, and if your hair is light your brows should be two shades darker and also that you never want to use an eyeshadow that has any shimmer in it, I mean who wants shimmery brows?!

Deluxe Liner BrushUsing the brush is simple, the fantastic, curved designe along with the firm (but not scratchy) bristles does almost all of the work for you!  Just fill the brush "tip" with the desired colour (you don't need a lot of product for this), tap off the excess and then gently shape colour in the brows, first going in the direction that the brows are growing, then going against the brows. This is so you are coating both sides of the hair. Then brush the hairs of your brows back into shape with either a clean mascara wand or a small toothbrush.

The secret to this looking perfect is not to press too hard, this will splay out the bristles and thicken your line. Practice drawing the shape you want on a piece of paper or on the back of your hand, you will soon see what I mean about pressing too hard... better to do this on paper than above your eyes!

Hope this helps, let me know how you go.

Kylie x

Jennifer Aniston at The Oscars. (photo from JustJared.com)She's on the cover of everything you can see at the news agency at the moment, the world is totally enamored with her story. Whether it be her look, her clothes, her previous marriage, her current relationship, who dumped whom, we all seem to want to know more about Jennifer Aniston. I have read a few of the articles and have to say don't go and buy anything based on her story as all of the articles seem to be different versions of the same interview!!

I have to admit to being a bit of a Jennifer Aniston admirer, not a weird fan, I just like her style from head to toe.  I like the way she wears her hair, like the clothes she wears, like how fit yet feminine she is, love her style and always love her makeup. She has such a great class about her, if I could steal one Hollywood wardrobe it would be hers. I am not interested in any other information about her, so I am not going to mention any of that other crap, it is just her style that I am interested in.

At the UK premier of Marley and Me I don't know whether I should be bowing at the alter of her or her stylist, as I am not a stalky kind of 'know everything about her' person, but either way, I wish I could stay this classic all the time. She seems to maintain her own look through each fashion craze, I doubt I would find a photo of Jennifer with a belt done up around her ribs because it was in Vogue, or some such other fad that is momentarily going about. She just seems to stay herself, and that is a self-esteem thing that I aspire to.

As you will see, I have included more than one photo, this is so you will see that she has a bit of a formula that she only deviates from a little here and there. Her look at the Oscar's was fresh and playful, with a little bit of extra oomph for the cameras, I thought the hair was gorgeous, it made me smile as I did my daughters hair exactly the same way last week and would never have thought it could look so good on a 40 year old woman. Her look on the cover of Marie Claire is the same, but just a little more bronzed California girl. Ultimately this is a woman that has found what looks good on her and knows how to play with it.

On the cover of March Marie ClaireIn her interview for Marie Claire Magazine she says "physically, I feel the best I have ever felt, and I feel happier than ever." This shows so much, and is an important aside to add here as I think it is the biggest beauty secret of all as it shines through even the heaviest foundation. When we are happy our hormones do so much more work for us than our blush or our concealer. I know this can be hard to manage sometimes, when the kids are pushing your boundaries, when the bills are more piled up than you would like or when things just aren't going your way, but it is the one beauty secret we all need to master.

Anyway, once again I digress!!! Back to Jennifer's makeup. As it was so recent I am going to tell you how to get her Oscar's look...

Just showing you agan to jog your memoryThis is a glowing look, so I would go for the Ali Hamylton Creme foundation in Charlotte. I would apply it with my hands, and then go over any areas that need a little extra cover with a mix of the dark and light amber concealers, apply these with a brush and blend into the creme until it disappears.

The eyebrows are enhanced with a swipe of Yass applied with the Deluxe Liner brush.

For the cheeks, apply Melrose Creme blush with your ring finger... start at the apple of your cheeks and work your way back in circular motions. You only need a little bit so build it slowly. Then for that extra bit of glow use Otto Creme Eyeshadow as a luminiser along the top of your cheekbones, closer to the eye.

For the eyes use a combo of Lillipilli, Perth and Figtree. Lillipilli goes all over the lid area right up to the brow line, Perth goes on to the lid area up to the socket line. Blend that Perth into the Lillipilli so that there is not a sharp line there, but don't go too high as this is a fresh, summery look not a smokey look.

The figtree is used like a thick, soft eye liner, showing just a hint of colour. Apply this with the Deluxe Liner brush starting from the outer corner and working your way in (only about 2/3 of the way in though)

Then it is time to line your eyes. This is really important as the eyeshadow you have on now should be quite soft, not really red carpet ready yet. Start out with your Ali Hamylton eye pencil in black, line the eyes from the outer corner in, concentrating on the upper rather than the lower line. Once you have your line, smooth it out with a cotton bud and then seal it with the Ali eyeshadow in Bulla, apply this with the Deluxe liner brush as well... think we might have to have a special on the Deluxe liner brush as you need to have a few of these, I know I have 3 in my personal kit one for eyebrows, one for black eyeliner and one for occasions such as the Figtree line in this makeup.

Then curl your lashes and give them two coats of Mascara.

Line your lips with Shale lip pencil and then swipe on a coat of Jazz lipstick.

To finish off your summery look and to give you that glow that we are all looking for get your Ali Hamylton Bronzing Powder and give your whole face a super light swipe with a mop brush. You don't need much, just a little glow.  You can also brush it over your chest and shoulders if they are exposed, it really gives your skin a lift.

And there you are, your bronzed California girl look is ready to go.

I will post a special with this one as it is so easy, so keep an eye on the specials blog to see what is available or make sure you're on our specials mailing list to get advanced notice!  Good luck, I know you wont need it as this one is EASY.

Kx

Claire Danes

Boy oh boy, hasn't Claire Danes grown into one beautiful bombshell! I could hardly believe my eyes when I found this photo on JustJared.com. Back in the days when you would see her by Ben Lee's side she wasn't scrubbing up like this. And what a fantastic, current makeup style she is sporting. According to Allure Magazine's December issue, this is THE look to be wearing... it is all shimmery whites and soft, shimmery, pinks.


So, if I were Claire's makeup artist I would start with a Light-Neutral Concealer. You wouldn't think that she needs a concealer looking at this photo, but there is definitely concealer being used here. When you are using concealer, the important thing to remember is that you only conceal what needs to be concealed. Sounds obvious but so often people assume that concealer HAS to go in certain areas of the face... it is not the case, you just cover up the imperfection and move on.

I always apply my concealer with a brush first, so get your Ali Hamylton Concealer Brush (this one doubles as a brilliant lip brush for those blessed with full lips) and apply it to the blemish and blend it out. Start with just a little, you really don't need much and if you put on too much you will find your makeup gets cakey. So blend that concealer, really work it, I don't move on to foundation until the concealer is perfect... this way you will need very little foundation. 

In the March issue of Marie Claire magazine, the one with Jennifer Aniston on the cover, the L'Oreal makeup artists disagree with me saying that one should conceal AFTER foundation... This is impossible with a Dual foundation for one, and secondly, you need to match your foundation to your chest and your concealer to your face.

So it is a technique that has never worked for me... give it a go if you want though because I believe we have to find what works for us individually.  (btw, this is not the opinion of Marie Claire, it was just a paid ad by a hefty member of "Big Makeup" throwing their weight around... if you have read all my blogs you will know how I feel about big makeup, if not, have a read of this  Click here)

Once again I digress!!!  Back to work... I don't always use concealer, but I do use it more often than not, as I find that the makeup lasts much longer when I do. I really want to reiterate here, it is important that you get that concealer finished before you move on to foundation, to me this means that it should be so well blended that you really cannot see where it starts and where it finishes.

A big mistake that many women make, and makeup artists for that matter, is that they make the concealer too light in colour, this in turn makes the foundation too heavy as you need to use sooo much in order to COVER UP THE CONCEALER! Strange concept really... covering up your concealer. So get your concealer the exact colour of the skin on your face.

This may mean that you have to get two concealers and mix them, I mean really, what are the chances of a makeup company matching you exactly?! For example, I use a mix of Light Amber concealer and Dark concealer... ha ha, you would think if your Mum owned the company you would get a concealer that matches your skin wouldn't you? But, alas no, mine is a skin tone that will always take a little extra effort, such is the life of a red head... back to Claire!

Once I have her concealer perfect I would dust over her face with the Nerang Dual Finish Foundation with the Mop Brush... no sponge, just the brush.

Then get your Otto Creme Eye Shadow and use it as a luminiser. Apply it to the top of your cheek bones, starting at the apple of your cheek and blending back in circular motions. I just use my ring finger(which is sporting nowadays :-) to do this, no special brushes.

Moving on to eyebrows. We have another set of beautifully shaped brows here, the arch is 2/3 of the way along the eye (if not a little more) and this is opening up the eye, giving her a fresh and alive look. So get your Yass Eye Shadow and your Deluxe Liner brush. To apply, first go with the lashes of the brow, then go against the lashes of the brow and then brush into shape with a small brush like a tooth brush or an old mascara wand.

For the eyes; start with Eliza all over the lid area and up to the brow line as a base. Next get your Darwin eyeshadow and also put this all over the lid area and into the socket line. This should leave your lids looking pink and shimmery. Now, with your ring finger get your Cloud Eye Shimmer and gently push it into the lid area... not too heavy, you are not going for the smoky look here, you are just wanting a dusting of silver.

Then get a cotton bud, put some cloud on the tip and accentuate the outer corners and use it like an eye shadow underneath. Now, get another cotton bud and the Moon Eye Shimmer, and lightly dust it around the inner corner of the eyes, this will open them up sooooo much you will love it! (NOTE: Use the Moon gently, you only want a dusting here.)

Now get your Grey Pencil and lightly define your eyes, then curl those lashes and apply your Black Mascara.

For your lips I would either use the Diamond Lip Gloss, or if you prefer a lipstick because you want it to last longer, line your lips with Pebble Lip Liner and apply Astrid with a brush.

Lastly, get your Melrose Creme Blush and give you cheeks just a hint of colour... not much, this is not a rosey cheek look, so start with a little and build up the the colour you are looking for.

The special I am going to attach to this look is a big one, and not for the faint hearted, but if you are wanting to get a good deal on updating your makeup up kit, the Claire Special is for you. You will get...

Concealer
Concealer brush
foundation
Otto
Yass
Liner brush
Eliza
Darwin
Cloud
Moon
Grey pencil
Black Mascara
Melrose

At only $250.00... that is 30% off the normal retail value of $350.00!, this will also include your express post to anywhere in Australia (Valued at $10). If there are Eye Shadows or Shimmers that are included in this special that you already have just let me know what you would like to swap them for and I will do that for you. Also make sure you let me know which foundation and concealer colours you would like so that I can get your look exactly right.

If you are having trouble getting your look just right let me know and I will see what I can do to make it work for you, maybe we can do a skype makeup lesson or something...

I hope you enjoy putting this look together, it was a new one for me and I love it, look forward to hearing from you, Kylie. x

Claire Danes Special
$250.00 (that's $100 off!)

Angelina JolieI found this gorgeous photo on JustJared.com and thought I had to tell you all how to get this look.  Actually, to tell you how to do this makeup is so easy... seriously, Angelina Jolie has gone to the Golden Globes with such a simple, classic, beautiful look. BUT, and here is the disclaimer, to get you to look like this unbelievably beautiful creature is a whole other story!

She has started with a beautiful and perfect foundation for her, if you have skin like Angelina's I suggest that you wear the Charlotte Creme Foundation with a dusting (ever so lightly!) of Burdekin Dual Finish Foundation over the top.

Get your Ali Hamylton Bronzer and dust under your cheek bones, not like a tiger stripe, just enough to give you a little contrast and a little glow... you can also dust it over your forehead.

Now, for the cheeks. Get a rosey blush, Sydney would be nice as it is not too pink, and apply it to the front (or apple's) of the cheeks and blend it backwards along the top of the cheekbone. Then get the Otto Creme Eye Shadow and run it lightly along the top of your cheek bones, you will be AMAZED at the glow this stuff gives you! Blend it out with you ring finger in small circlular motions. If you find that you have applied too much don't just keep rubbing, this will muddy your look, just get a soft tissue and gently wipe off the excess.

Now check out those eyebrows! They are a lesson in the classic brow. The attention to detail of her stylist is to be commended. Notice that the brows are a shade lighter than her chocolate coloured hair, this gives her the definition that you look for with out the harsh, sharpness that a darker brow would give. To get this brow look I would use the Delux Brow Liner and the Yass Eye Shadow. Remember to go against the lashes of the brow, then turn the brush around and go with the lashes of the brow. You can repeat this process for as long as it takes for you to get the desired shade. If you have darker hair you could use the Tilba Eye Shadow instead, but be careful, that stuff is potent! Once you are there just get a small brush, like an old mascara wand or a tooth brush and comb those brows into line (if they get too unrooly you can put a little hairspray or moose on your brush first, this should tame them).

Phew, this is a lot of information for a simple makeup isn't it?!   So now we can move onto the eyes. Start with Lillipilli Eye Shadow all over the lid area as a base with the Large Fluff Brush, then go over the lid area and into the socket line with Yass using the Small Fluff Brush. Use the angle of the brush to blend the Yass up to create a soft, deep contrast, then run the brush around the outer corner of the eye and bring it underneath to create the beginning of your frame. The frame is so important in this look because it is all shading.

Get your Tilba Eye Shadow and run it over the outer corner of the lid and up into the socket line making a sharp ">" shape on the lid and up into the socket line, then blend it so the line is softened. Bring that darker shade around under the eye and along the bottom lashes too, not as far as the Yass, just enough to enhance that framing.

A little closer for you.Get your Black Eye Pencil and make a dark line along the top lashes from the outer corner all the way to the inner corner making sure that your line starts thicker and gets thinner, until it disappears rather than stops (you will need a sharp pencil to do this properly, a little tip is to put your pencil's in the freezer for a little while before you sharpen them, that way you can get them really sharp.) Then run the pencil along the bottom outer corner and the inside of the bottom inner corner... I hope this is not too confusing but the liner is sooooo important with this look. Now get a cotton bud and blend these lines out.

Now, with your Delux Liner Brush and your Bulla Eye Shadow go over the pencil to seal it in place.

If you want to make it a little more intense, which would be nice, you could get your Midnight Liquid Eyeliner Duo and your Delux Liner brush and apply a super fine line along the top lashes.

Now for a sweep of Black Mascara... I would do two coats and I would curl my lashes, and then coat your lips with a slick of Diamond Lipgloss.

And hey presto, you are ready for the red carpet!