As I was saying on facebook and twitter recently I worked on a TV Show called “Ireland’s Beauty Queens” which was on TV3 last week. I did the makeup of the commentators. Below are some screenshots:

Roisin Ingle from the Irish Times:

Melanie Morris, Editor of Image Magazine:

Clare Kambamettu from former Rose of Tralee:

Cathy Kelly famous writer

Cathy Kelly famous Irish Writer:

A synopsis of the show:

It’s Summertime in Ireland and all over the country local festivals are in full swing and beauty queens are out in force. The banquet tables are laid, the tiaras are polished and hair dryers are on full power. Many of these festivals are run by volunteers – who just want to keep their communities alive. In these tough financial times, the Summer Festival is the biggest source of income for many communities, so they must put on a show that will attract the crowds, bring emigrants home from abroad, give the tourists a fun time and get them spending in the pubs, shops, hotels and restaurants, giving the local economy a much needed shot in the arm. For most people taking part, the high point will always be the crowning of the Queen. In this first programme it’s all about crowning The Blue Jean Country Queen in Athboy, Co. Meath, The Ballyheigue Summer Festival Queen in County Kerry and the Lady of the Erne in Belturbet, Co. Cavan.

In the second programme it’s all about crowning The Charleville Cheese Queen in County Cork. We head north to County Donegal where the little town of Muff comes alive as they crown their Festival Queen. And we sail into the beautiful east coast town of Wicklow as they crown their Regatta Queen. During the Festival in Muff, the local pub, The Squealin Pig is at the heart of the action, and it is here that the Festival Queen will be crowned.

I am absolutely loving the look from the Chanel 2012-2013 Cruise collection which took place in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. It was a really fun modern look with a nod to the Marie Antoinette era. A bright pop of pink eyeshadow taken right up to the brow and on the cheeks in a harmonising wash of colour. The best bit was the Chanel logo placed underneath the eye, similar to where you would see a beauty spot.

Chanel will release black velvet double C stickers as part of the upcoming Collection Versailles de Chanel. I don’t know about wearing a brand label sticker on my face, but I am really liking the decals, tattoos and the idea of this in general. Anything else to adorn the face with is always a plus in my book! What do you think? Will you be running out and getting the stickers?

This is just a little snap from behind the scenes of the most recent series of the Savage Eye that I worked on. This is the Bull Mick character played by David McSavage.

Products used:
Eyebrows – grey crepe hair applied with Spirit Gum.
Face – Skin Illustrator FX palette
Teeth – Kryolan tooth enamel paint
in Nicotine

I was looking through some work from last year when I realised I never posted about this little shoot I did for the Irish Cancer Society. When I was younger I never looked after my skin. I used to use facewipes, not wear sunscrean and even did the occasional sunbed!!! (I know, very silly, but I was young and irreverent).

How times have changed. I now have a 5 step daily skincare routine (precleanse, facewash, skin hydration booster, moisturiser, eyecream), as well as exfoliating twice a week. Also, most importantly I now wear sunscreen every single day. I love the Pure Light moisturiser from Dermalogica, it hydrates my skin without making it feel oily, it is lightweight enough to wear under my make-up and it also protects me from the sun. Plus it has really improved the unevenness of my skin, getting rid of that pesky bit of pigmentation that I had on my upper lip that somewhat resembled a moustache.

Seriously, it is really important to look after your skin. According to cancer.ie. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer found in Ireland and one in three people in Ireland will develop cancer during their lifetime. 50% of cancers are preventable!

For the last few years I was a volunteer with the Look Good Feel Better programme. It was a really beneficial programme where make-up artists and wig specialists would visit hospitals in Ireland and teach beauty techniques to cancer patients to help them manage the appearance-related side effects of their cancer treatment. I would come face to face with so many ladies that were dealing with cancer and it really opened my eyes. Cancer doesn’t just affect the old, many of the patients were young, in their 40s, also there were plenty that I would say were the same age as I am 28. Unfortunately the programme was ended due to lack of funding, a very sad sad day in my eyes.

For those of you unlucky enough to have been diagnosed with cancer of any type who may be reading this, please get in touch if you have any beauty related questions that I might be able to help you with. It could be anything on how to get the right brow shape, to how to get rid of redness etc. If your skin is highly sensitised since you have been getting treatment, I can highly recommend Avene Skincare products, they are extremely gentle and formulated especially for sensitive skin. Also they have recently brought out a tinted compact. Which gives great coverage as well as a high spf protection.

With all this in mind, it is so important to protect your skin everytime you leave the house with a good SPF(Sun Protection Factor). A lot of people I talk to, don’t realise that there is actually a formula for SPF to help you choose what is the correct number for you. Have you ever spent the whole day out in the sun, had your high spf on but still burnt? Well it could be because you didn’t have a high enough one on, or you could have spent too much time in the sun. If in doubt follow this formula:

Figure out how long can you stay in the sun without any sun protection on before getting burnt. Then you multiply this by your chosen factor to see how much longer you can stay in the sun with it on. For example, most Irish people can probably stay in the sun for 15 minutes before burning. If you choose an SPF of 10, you could stay in the sun for 150 minutes before burning. 15min x SPF10 = 150 minutes or 2.5 hours. So if you plan on staying in the sun all day on holidays, an SPF of at least 40 is a must!

When you go out in the sun, at home or abroad, there are no excuses, be skin safe!

Emma xx

I thought I would share a non-makeup related topic with you for once. I recently attended a networking event for people in the fashion industry called Style Network. It was great fun and I got to meet lots of interesting people from designers, to make-up artists and jewellery makers.

When I was there I also met Sarah of Miinto.ie. I think this is a fab idea, basically it is a website where you can buy from your favourite boutiques, but online…So no traipsing to the village trying to find parking etc, now you can shop to your hearts content at home and know that you are still supporting your local Irish boutiques and fashion labels.

Miinto.ie will launch in Ireland the first week of May with some serious players in the Irish fashion scene, boutiques such as Indigo & Cloth, Sirona Boutique, Diffney, Lara’s Fashion Boutique and Blush Boutique will all be involved as well as a host others, it will provide Irish boutiques the opportunity to sell their products online easily, effectively and inexpensively. All the better for us fashionistas!

They are launching really soon, so be sure to connect with them on www.facebook.com/miintoIE or www.twitter.com/miintoIE to be the first to know when http://www.miinto.ie/ is online.

I hope you are all well and keeping busy! I was working on a little show last week called The Spinner. It is performed by the Dish Dance Collective and is part of “Turn Around: A season of performances in rep” by ABSOLUT Fringe and Project Arts Centre.

Here is a review of the show from the Irish Theatre Magazine. My work got a little mention too, because I painted Tom one of the performers gold

Who believes in fate anymore? There’s really no room for such a fanciful notion in this enlightened day and age, but it was a concept the ancient Greeks set a lot of store by. In DISH Dance Collective’s The Spinner, choreographer Aoife McAtamney takes the Greek legend of the three Fates, or Morai, and turns it on its head to present a commentary on ideas of mortality and free will.

In the original tale from Greek mythology, the Fates dictated the lifespans of mortals through the medium of sewing, spinning the threads of each human life and cutting them at the moment of death. In The Spinner, the Fates themselves are subject to the whims of some power outside their control, executing their various roles in what looks like anguish.

It’s an interesting inversion of the story, undermining the notion that there is an independent force somewhere steering this ship. The sure-footed performers at the centre of the piece (McAtamney herself with Anna Kaszuba and Juan Corres Benito) seem to be the manipulated, rather than the grand manipulators. Torsos are pulled off-kilter by invisible strings, hinged limbs jerk every which way and the general impression is one of involuntary action. At one point, the dancers fling themselves about on the floor as though prompted by electrodes, limbs smacking resoundingly against the stage with wince-inducing violence.

A gold-hued Tom Lane (he is clothed in a loincloth and gold spraypaint) provides live accompaniment on viola, the sometimes creaking, sometimes soaring twanging of the instrument wonderfully evoking the image of taut threads while building tension.

The three dancers alternate between performing as one bubbling, harmonious unit, and separately in jagged discord. These collective interludes, textured by unison changes in tempo, are beautifully paced, the dancers winding sinuously around one another with compressed movements, or expanding outwards with rounded limbs in gravity-less slow motion.

Often, the movement is eerily unearthly; Corres Benito stalks about the stage like a faun, whilst McAtamney spins like a top recalling a sewing machine spool. This otherworldly atmosphere is maintained throughout, until the close of the piece when the dancers suddenly emerge from their supernatural chrysalises and stand plainly as though really human, seeming for the first time capable of free action. The fates, who are supposed to dictate the destiny of mortals, are shown to be trammelled by their godly roles, whilst us mortals are in fact trammelled by the burden of free will.

The final scene is a stroke of genius, re-introducing a moment from the beginning of the piece where the three performers crowd around something invisible on the ground, crouching to draw whatever it is out. The lights go down on this tableau, dangling the prospect of eternal return before the audience.

The Spinner is rich with the possibility of multiple interpretations, which is what makes it so compelling. This, along with innovative choreography, completely engaged performances from the three dancers and Lane’s eerie score, make for a wonderfully unsettling experience. I’d say McAtamney and DISH Dance Collective are fated for greatness, if I believed in that sort of thing…

Written by Rachel Donnelly is a Dublin-based freelance writer and editor

Make sure you come and see the show, the last performance is on Saturday, 28th April. You can get the tickets at the door or online here.

I am one of those people that has deep set hooded eyes, as a result the skin underneath the eye area is quite thin. This means that you can see alot of the blood vessels and veins underneath my eye, so it looks quite dark all the time, regardless of how much I sleep. Also I have quite a strong hollowing underneath my eye which in turns adds to the general look of tiredness.

Here is a picture of my eye with no makeup on (scary I know!):

There really is nothing I can do about this other than get surgery, there are many skincare products out there and I have tried the lot and they really don’t make much of a difference. This is where being a make-up artist comes in handy, because although I am not able to get rid of them permanently. I am absolutely able to reduce the look of my undereye circles with the magic trickery that is make-up.

The first thing that we have to think about is what colour makes up the bulk of the undereye circle. In my case it is quite blue-purpley in colour (I know it looks quite red in the picture, but I think that is just my camera). We then need to look at the colour wheel to find its opposite colour which will help to cancel out the colour and neutralise it. I bought my colour wheel in the art and hobby shop and always carry it with me when I am working. In my case, I need something that is an orangey yellow.

So I know what colour my products should be, but what kind of products are best? Well I definitely think when working with such discolouration a two pronged attack is best. I use my D62 Kryolan Dermacolor concealer from my Minipalette. It is SUPER pigmented, so means you can cover just about anything. When using it under the eye, be careful it can become quite cakey and accentuate any lines if you are not careful. I find if I mix it with a little bit of eyecream, it thins it out a little and stops it doing this.

On top of this then, I use the holy grail of undereye potions. The Touche Éclat in 2.5. For years, I was not a fan of this product as I found the colours quite limited. When they brought out a heap of new colours I decided to give it another try and I was pleasantly surprised. The 2.5 is great as it is the right yellowy/orange to neutralise my discolouration and it also has light reflective particles which bring lightness to the area.

Well here is the finished result, just concealer and foundation on. What do you think? What do you use under your eyes?

Emma xx

It has been a while since my last post, but I have just been really busy the last few weeks. I love this time of year when the make-up industry really starts to pick up. I have been busy with weddings, photoshoots, a television show and I also helped out with a 3 ad which had some members of the Irish Football Team in it, which was a great bit of fun.

I was pretty astounded by the response to my last competition, so I have decided to run another one to help lift your spirits and to celebrate it nearly being the weekend again already! Aren’t bank holidays great?

To enter:

Make sure that you are a fan of the Emma Farrell Makeup Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/emmafarrellmakeupartist

Then you can enter by:

Leaving a comment saying “I love Trilogy”  on this post http://www.emmafarrellmakeup.com/10-beautiful-years-of-trilogy/

and either sharing on facebook or twitter by posting this:

I just entered the Trilogy product giveaway by @makeup_emma. Check it out: http://wp.me/pLofS-Q3 

*Competition will close  April 19th and the winner will be announced on Twitter and Facebook, so keep an eye out.

MAC Senior Artist Lesley Keane hosted a Bridal Beauty Workshop with Make-up Artists from all over Ireland. From feedback after past events, Lesley knew that alot of Irish Make-up Artists are nervous about darker skintones as they don’t get much practise on anything other than pale Irish skin. For this reason she had a beautiful ethnic skinned model to demonstrate one of the Bridal looks for the day. This look was called “Ore-Inspired”.

Ore-Inspired Bridal Look Products Used:
Eyes: Constructivist Paint Pot as a base, Coppering eye shadow all over, contour the socket line with Corduroy eyeshadow,  Honey Lust on the inner corners and under the brows. Coffee Pencil on the waterline and Blacktrack to line the top eyelid. Finish off with #36 Lashes and mascara to blend them into the lashes.
Brows: Fling and Spiked brow pencils with Brow set.
Face: NC45 Pro-Longwear foundation all over, Orange Studio Finish Concealer under eyes to brighten up any darkness and remove ash tones, Careblend powder in Med/Deep all over, Corduroy eyeshadow to contour the face, Mineralise Skin Finish in Peach as a blusher, Luster Drops as a highlighter
Lips: Chestnut lip pencil to define shape, On Hold creamsheen lipstick and Desire lipgloss

The second look that she demonstrated was called Nouv-eau, this was a very soft pale, pink and irredentist look.

Nouv-eau Inspired Bridal Look Products Used:
Eyes: Painterly Paint Pot as a base, Vanilla shadow all over, Samoa Silk all over the eyelid and underneath the bottom lashes in a circular shape, deepen the intensity with Passionate eyeshadow,  Brule on the inner corners and under the brows. Reflex White Pencil on the waterline. Finish off with #33 Lashes and mascara to blend them into the lashes.
Brows: Spike and Fling eyebrow pencils, set with Clear Brow Mascara
Face: Pro-Longwear foundation all over, Pro-longwear Concealer under eyes, Mineralise Skin Finish in Light all over, Dainty blush
Lips: Whirl lip pencil to define shape, Hug Me creamsheen lipstick and Desire lipgloss

Although this look is probably not for the typical bride, I did think that there was some elements that I would love to use. I thought the fact that all the colours on the eyes, lips and cheeks were the same tone made it more interesting and modern. It also created a very soft harmonised feel.

Leslie in action.

This is the set up for the demo. I like the fact that Leslie has decanted her paint pots and concealers etc into Muji Containers, I have done this with my lipsticks and I have to say it saves so much space! Also Leslie made a good point that her kit is a lot lighter since she did this, afterall those glass containers for the paint pots are actually quite heavy.

I think it is a great idea to attach the product information stickers on the back like this. I didn’t do this and it can be difficult to figure out which colours are which months down the line.

A sneak peak at the Pro-Longwear Concealer Palettes that are coming out soon. I think these would be a great kit staple as they have a great range of colours and the formula is supposed to be even better than before.  I am looking forward to getting them!

Are you like me? You have a cupboard full of products that will probably last you for the next ten years and you have no valid reason to ever buy another beauty product…ever.

Well fear not beauty lovers, because there has never been a better excuse to pamper yourself with a new skincare product. And it is all in the name of doing something good. If you would like to help sick Irish Children you can now do so buy going to Khiel’s and purchasing a Crème de Corps by Pearl & Daisy Lowe. As €2.50 plus VAT of the retail price of each 250ml and 500ml bottle sold will go to Temple Street University Children’s Hospital.

Us self indulgent? NEVER! It is for a good cause I swear.

Well a little bit of Kiehl’s generous spirit has rubbed off on me, so I have decided to run a little competition for all the skincare lovers out there. You can win the Kiehl’s Products pictured above which includes:

Kiehl’s Crème de Corps: An all-over body moisturizer formulated for extremely dry or flaking skin. Enriched with the finest ingredients known to Kiehl’s, for a rich, elegant skin texture.
Crème de Corps Nurturing Body Washing Cream: A Nurturing body wash to thoroughly cleanse and moisturise skin for a smooth, soft feel.
Gently Exfoliating Body Scrub ’Grapefruit’ with Aloe Vera and Camomile is a creamy and highly effective body scrub that gently yet exfoliates to remove dead surface skin cells without over-drying.

Enter in two easy steps:

1.) “Like” my Emma Farrell Makeup facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/emmafarrellmakeupartist

2.) If you are on twitter if you could just copy and paste the following:
I just entered the @KiehlsNYC product giveaway by @makeup_emma. Check it out: http://wp.me/pLofS-Pv
or
If you don’t have a twitter account just leave a comment at the bottom of this post saying you would like to enter the Kiehls competition.

*Competition will close  March 28th and the winner will be announced on Twitter and Facebook, so keep an eye out.