Emma Farrell Make-Up Artist

I was loitering around one of my favourite beauty haunts the other day. I was determined that I was just browsing and was going to look but not touch. I happened upon the newly relocated Make Up Store, a Swedish make-up brand that is available exclusively in Arnotts on Henry Street. What caught my attention was the cover of a very interesting Make-up Magazine. I was happily flicking through the store’s magazine which is published by the beauty brand twice a year when I was approached by a counter staff member.

She had very cool make-up on which consisted of stark black elongated eyeliner matched with contrasting silver and white lines. The problem with the Make-Up was that it had started to slide on her face and wasn’t the best advert for the brand. However I will say that she was really friendly and had a very warm approachable aura. She asked me if I needed any help, which I said I didn’t was just flicking through the magazine. She promptly engaged me in chat and offered to give me a free copy of the magazine.

Of course I was delighted, it made me stay on the counter longer and I ended up telling her that I was running a bit low on mascara. In the end she showed me what they had on offer and let me road test one particular mascara. In the end I bought the mascara, which was 31 Euro, not a bad sale when you consider I was determined not to buy anything. Either she is a great sales person or I have the will power of a kid in a candy store (I’m gonna go for option 1!).

The Magazine was the best part of the experience, packed full of amazing high fashion/fantasy images and interviews with people in the industry. It is a great reference book for aspiring/working make-up artists. A great feature of the magazine is that it lists out all the products used and method of application. I have even seen a few things that I would like to try out and I will be heading back to purchase supplies sometime soon. I shall post the images up when I do.

Counter Atmosphere: 8/10
Consultant Friendliness: 10/10
Make-Up Application: 7/10
Product Suitability: 9/10
Pressure to buy: 15%

The British Film and Television Awards took place last night and as per usual there was a plethora of glamour and star studded beauty. I thought that I would share my favourite looks with you. First up is Jaime Winstone, who has defintitely channeled her inner Marilyn. This look is total Hollywood glamour puss and I think I will do a seperate post on how to achieve this look later.

Image courtesy of Empire

I love Carey Mulligan’s short crop, she has gorgeous features that really suit this cut. She has kept her Make-Up very pretty, flawless skin, black eyeliner and false eyelashes, just showcasing her dress.

I absolutely love Edith Bowman and she has kept to a winning formula here, smokey eyes, with a beautiful black lined eye and lashings of mascara. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!

Courtesy of bafta.org

I am loving Kate Winslet’s strongly defined eyebrows, they are great, really help to frame her face.

Photo courtesy of bafta.org

I have to mention the jewel of Irish exports, the fantastic Saoirse Ronan, she is blooming into a wonderful young woman. She pulls of simple sophistication like a seasoned pro.

Photo courtesy of bafta.org

Audrey Tautou’s red lips looked great with her soft twisted upstyle.

Image courtesy of empire

ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
VANESSA REDGRAVE

OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA
JOE DUNTON

BEST FILM
AVATAR James Cameron, Jon Landau
AN EDUCATION Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey
THE HURT LOCKER Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness, Gary Magness
UP IN THE AIR Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman, Daniel Dubiecki

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
AN EDUCATION Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey, Lone Scherfig, Nick Hornby
FISH TANK Kees Kasander, Nick Laws, Andrea Arnold
IN THE LOOP Kevin Loader, Adam Tandy, Armando Iannucci, Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche
MOON Stuart Fenegan, Trudie Styler, Duncan Jones, Nathan Parker
NOWHERE BOY Robert Bernstein, Douglas Rae, Kevin Loader, Sam Taylor-Wood, Matt Greenhalgh

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
LUCY BAILEY, ANDREW THOMPSON, ELIZABETH MORGAN HEMLOCK, DAVID PEARSON Directors, Producers – Mugabe and the White African
ERAN CREEVY Writer/Director – Shifty
STUART HAZELDINE Writer/Director – Exam
DUNCAN JONES Director – Moon
SAM TAYLOR-WOOD Director – Nowhere Boy

DIRECTOR
AVATAR James Cameron
DISTRICT 9 Neill Blomkamp
AN EDUCATION Lone Scherfig
THE HURT LOCKER Kathryn Bigelow
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Quentin Tarantino

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
THE HANGOVER Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
THE HURT LOCKER Mark Boal
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Quentin Tarantino
A SERIOUS MAN Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
UP Pete Docter, Bob Peterson

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
DISTRICT 9 Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
AN EDUCATION Nick Hornby
IN THE LOOP Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE Geoffrey Fletcher
UP IN THE AIR Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
BROKEN EMBRACES Agustín Almodóvar, Pedro Almodóvar
COCO BEFORE CHANEL Carole Scotta, Caroline Benjo, Philippe Carcassonne, Anne Fontaine
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN Carl Molinder, John Nordling, Tomas Alfredson
A PROPHET Pascal Caucheteux, Marco Cherqui, Alix Raynaud, Jacques Audiard
THE WHITE RIBBON Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka, Margaret Menegoz, Michael Haneke

ANIMATED FILM
CORALINE Henry Selick
FANTASTIC MR FOX Wes Anderson
UP Pete Docter

LEADING ACTOR
JEFF BRIDGES Crazy Heart
GEORGE CLOONEY Up in the Air
COLIN FIRTH A Single Man
JEREMY RENNER The Hurt Locker
ANDY SERKIS Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

LEADING ACTRESS
CAREY MULLIGAN An Education
SAOIRSE RONAN The Lovely Bones
GABOUREY SIDIBE Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
MERYL STREEP Julie & Julia
AUDREY TAUTOU Coco Before Chanel

SUPPORTING ACTOR
ALEC BALDWIN It’s Complicated
CHRISTIAN McKAY Me and Orson Welles
ALFRED MOLINA An Education
STANLEY TUCCI The Lovely Bones
CHRISTOPH WALTZ Inglourious Basterds

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
ANNE-MARIE DUFF Nowhere Boy
VERA FARMIGA Up in the Air
ANNA KENDRICK Up in the Air
MO’NIQUE Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS Nowhere Boy

MUSIC
AVATAR James Horner
CRAZY HEART T-Bone Burnett, Stephen Bruton
FANTASTIC MR FOX Alexandre Desplat
SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL Chaz Jankel
UP Michael Giacchino

CINEMATOGRAPHY
AVATAR Mauro Fiore
DISTRICT 9 Trent Opaloch
THE HURT LOCKER Barry Ackroyd
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Robert Richardson
THE ROAD Javier Aguirresarobe

EDITING
AVATAR Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron
DISTRICT 9 Julian Clarke
THE HURT LOCKER Bob Murawski, Chris Innis
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Sally Menke
UP IN THE AIR Dana E. Glauberman

PRODUCTION DESIGN
AVATAR Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair
DISTRICT 9 Philip Ivey, Guy Potgieter
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS Dave Warren, Anastasia Masaro, Caroline Smith
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds Wasco

COSTUME DESIGN
BRIGHT STAR Janet Patterson
COCO BEFORE CHANEL Catherine Leterrier
AN EDUCATION Odile Dicks-Mireaux
A SINGLE MAN Arianne Phillips
THE YOUNG VICTORIA Sandy Powell

SOUND
AVATAR Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson, Tony Johnson, Addison Teague
DISTRICT 9 Brent Burge, Chris Ward, Dave Whitehead, Michael Hedges, Ken Saville
THE HURT LOCKER Ray Beckett, Paul N. J. Ottosson
STAR TREK Peter J. Devlin, Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, Mark Stoeckinger, Ben Burtt
UP Tom Myers, Michael Silvers, Michael Semanick, Doc Kane

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
AVATAR Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andrew R. Jones
DISTRICT 9 Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros, Matt Aitken
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE John Richardson, Tim Burke, Tim Alexander, Nicolas Aithadi
THE HURT LOCKER Richard Stutsman
STAR TREK Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh, Burt Dalton

MAKE UP & HAIR
COCO BEFORE CHANEL Thi Thanh Tu Nguyen, Madeleine Cofano, Jane Milon
AN EDUCATION Lizzie Yianni Georgiou
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS Sarah Monzani
NINE Peter Swords King
THE YOUNG VICTORIA Jenny Shircore

SHORT ANIMATION
THE GRUFFALO Michael Rose, Martin Pope, Jakob Schuh, Max Lang
THE HAPPY DUCKLING Gili Dolev
MOTHER OF MANY Sally Arthur, Emma Lazenby

SHORT FILM
14 Asitha Ameresekere
I DO AIR James Bolton, Martina Amati
JADE Samm Haillay, Daniel Elliott
MIXTAPE Luti Fagbenle, Luke Snellin
OFF SEASON Jacob Jaffke, Jonathan van Tulleken

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
JESSE EISENBERG
NICHOLAS HOULT
CAREY MULLIGAN
TAHAR RAHIM
KRISTEN STEWART

Photographer: Ali King
Stylist: Michelle Jones
Model: Kristyna Kelemenova
Make-Up: Me

Touching up Kristyna's Blusher

I did a photoshoot recently for Style Tonic, a fabulous online boutique that had all the best that Irish fashion labels and retailers have to offer. Style Tonic unites Ireland’s top boutiques bringing their exclusive clothing and accessories right to your fingertips. Not only can you shop till you drop, but they also have style advice, photography, competitions and interview from those in the fashion know. Check it out now http://www.styletonic.ie/

Actual shots to follow.

Image courtesy of thesavvyshopper.ie

Frequently when I do Make-Overs I find women are wearing the wrong products for their skin or colouring. Asking them why, has turned up some very interesting answers. One of the biggest issues is that people are too intimidated to approach the cosmetics counters. Even more alarmingly is the fact that some people have gotten advise from the counters, but the wrong advise!

So I have decided to do a series called “Counter Spotlight” where I go into a counter in Dublin or wherever else I might be and give you a review of the service, the advice given and the general atmosphere. That way you will know what counters you can head to and trust.

So my first counter review is for Make-Up Forever in Arnotts on Henry Street.

It was a relatively busy Saturday as was Valentine’s Day the next day. I was browsing having a look at foundation. I wasn’t approached straight away rather left to my own devices, which I like. I turned and asked a girl for some advice on the foundation. She was very friendly and approachable. I thought that her Make-up was lovely, she had a quite a dramatic look with love hearts on the side of her face which was nice touch seeing as it was Valentines.

Image courtesy of Sephora.com

I said that I was currently using the Make-Up Forever HD Foundation, which I loved when I applied it, but after a couple of hours I was left with a greasy film all over my skin. I was promptly invited to sit in a nice furry high chair and she proceeded to try on my colour in Make-Up Forever’s Matt Finish Foundation. She also asked if I would like to try some concealer for under the eyes and my spots. Of course I said yes, not liking being “naked”(of make-up) in public. While she was applying the Make-up I mentioned that I had a voucher. As it turns out, in the Arnotts store you cannot use the Make-Up Forever Voucher. She then asked me if she should continue.

Image courtesy of Sephora.com

Now this I found a bit of a strange question…because why would I want her to stop applying the foundation half way through just because I couldn’t use my voucher in that store. That would mean walking around with half a face of foundation. I was only asking for advice on foundation, I didn’t say I was going to buy something there and then. So this means that she was only applying the foundation because she thought she was going to make a sale. In other words what she was asking me was: “Now that you can’t use your voucher, are you going to pay for this? Will I continue?” I let her continue and afterwards I said that I would like to see how the Make-up lasts.

She was very friendly and understanding, but I definitely felt like I was expected to buy it. I know that alot of people probably would have bought the foundation to save face.

The foundation itself was an exact match for both my needs and my skin tone. She also used the correct concealers for my problem areas. However the application was by no means perfect, it was really way to heavy and was not blended properly. Over some spots I had tons of product that was clearly visible and not blended.

So in summary:

Counter Atmosphere: 8/10
Consultant Friendliness: 9/10
Make-Up Application: 6/10
Product Suitability: 8/10
Pressure to buy: 90%

This is just some of the goodies that I got in MAC at the IMATS recently in London.

MAC Cosmetics

I think that too often we see what the finished product of a Make-Up Application is without seeing the before pictures. I thought that I would share a recent Make-up that I did for the University College Dublin Veterinary Ball that took place in the Shelbourne. I met the girls at a Workshop that I did recently for the UCD Woman’s week in partnership with the Student Union. they booked me for the ball because they wanted to make it a special night and have the treat of someone else doing their make-up.

We went for a very pretty, classic look, just focusing on the eyes by using dramatic false eyelashes:

Here is the before picture:

And After:

Products Used:

Make-Up Forever HD Foundation, MAC Blot Powder, MAC Blusher in Fleur Power, MAC Contour Powder in Taupe, MAC Highlight Powder in Emphasize, Estee Lauder Doublewear Lipstick, “Sarah” Girl’s Aloud Lashes from Eyelure, Clinique Curl Mascara, Skin Colour Eyeliner, Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow Duo, MAC Eye Definer on Brows.

Last weekend I attended the International Make-Up Artist Tradeshow in Alexander Palace. I had a wonderful trip to London, delving into the many facets of the city…I spent some time wombling around the shopping mecca that is Oxford Street. Popped into MAC Pro in Soho, which is just around the corner. On the hunt for nautical inspired clothing for a friend, I delved into the alternative shopping destination that is Camden. They cater to every taste vintage, character, goth, neon madness and cheap/nasty.

Image courtesy of Rob Inh00d

Having recently given up dairy and being a vegetarian, I thoroughly enjoyed the delights of the vegan cafe InSpiral Lounge. They had really funky tunes playing on the Saturday evening and a really friendly atmosphere. I had a yummy Vegetable Bake with Nut Cream Sauce yum! If you are in London, check it out!

Photo courtesy of www.quarrygirl.com

I also went down to Southbank for the first time and met some friends in the British Film Institute, it was a hive of activity and is far superior to our little Irish Film Institute I just love the way that London has so many personalities, there is definitely something for everyone, from the hippy to the corporate type every taste, pocket and desire is catered for.

Image courtesy of theboybg

Anyway I have kind of gone off point there, as this isn’t a travel blog, back to the IMATS. I had a fantastic time and really shopped till I could no longer wedge anything else into my back pack and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to make it home with the weight of the thing! I will do a different post about all the things that I bought. I really liked looking at the fantastic work of all the talennted sculpters, make-up artists, model makers in the SFX display. Here are some photos:

Ape Sculpture
I hate to be negative, but I was a bit disappointed with the IMATS this year. My main goal was to attend some talks and learn some new techniques and listen to people at the top of their game. All I can say is that the lectures were badly organised, I felt that there should have been more talks spread across the two days and that they should have repeated some of the classes that they knew would be popular.

Nightbreed:
Queued for half an hour only to be told that it was full. Was very disappointed.

Eve Pearl:
She was very funny, charismatic and seems like a genuinely nice person, but I felt that her make-up just wasn’t up to scratch. Maybe it was because I was watching everything on the blown up monitor (I was right at the back of the hall) her Make-Up was not very tidy, the blending was off and the lip line was all over the place. The model’s skin looked extremely shiny and the make-up looked like it was sliding off her face. I kept willing her to fix it, but she just kept missing all her flaws. In her defence, she did say a few times that she couldn’t really see what she was doing. It was very disappointing as I really wanted to learn something new from the “masters” but I felt like anyone could have done that make-up…if it was a lighting problem and she couldn’t see then IMATS should have fixed it for her…did they not do a practise run?? I felt sorry for her, because loads of people kept leaving her talk, if that was me I would have been really unnerved and I thought that it was a tad bit rude of people.

Tom Savini:
I made sure to queue extra early for this talk learning from earlier experiences. This was the saving grace of the whole trade show. I felt that it was so inspirational to hear about his journey and how he had become such a phenomenal artist in the slasher film genre. Tom brought up some excellent points in the discussion and one of them was that you should always have your portfolio with you…you just never know who you will meet, this lead to the prolific statement that kept ringing in my head after the talk…I think this will become my new motto in life:

“Success is about being in the right place at the right time and being ready.”

Some of the stalls were disappointing. Compared to 2006 which is the last time I attended the show, it is a lot bigger. However as the old adage goes, bigger isn’t always necessarily better. On alot of stalls the prices were not that good, in particular Charles Fox weren’t offering any discount on the day, which I thought was a bit crazy seeing as it was a “trade show”. I did have a great experience getting a few bits in MAC, even though they were crazy busy, I still got the personal attention from one of the artists who helped me get everything I needed, I just wished that I had gotten his name so I could thank him publicly. Also I got a fantastic deal in Mouldlife, where I got huge discounts and a couple of free products to try at home.

I bought a DVD of the World Bodypainting Festival whilst in the IMATS. I watched it the other day and it looks AMAZING. I think that it is the last time that I will attend IMATS London, next  trip I am off to the Boden for the Bodypainting Festival where it would seem spectacle and entertainment play a big part in the procession.

Anyway I would like to hear some other opinions on the Trade Show In the meantime here are some more photos of the event:

Photo courtesy of http://www.istoleyoursoulforthis.com/

Photo courtesy of http://www.istoleyoursoulforthis.com/

Photo courtesy of http://www.istoleyoursoulforthis.com/

Witch