This year you can’t but have noticed the amount of colour blocking going on in fashion. From jeans to accessories it is everywhere and make-up has not been left behind in this trend. Bright, bold colours were all over the catwalks and are a great way to add a bit of oomph to your look.

Model: Adrienne Murphy
Photographer: Richie Stokes
Stylist: Triona McCarthy
Make-Up: Emma Farrell Make-Up

There is one big trend this season that we definitely can’t ignore and that is brows! As a make-up artist, I am constantly harping on to people about the importance of brows and how they help to define and finish off a look.

This season brows are full and barely plucked. They are nude, light, or in some cases blocked out. A nude brow really alters the aesthetic of the face and makes the eyes seem larger and become the main focus of the face.

Another big trend this season is nude and barely there eye colours, we are talking coral pinks, dusty roses, smokey salmon and barely there beige. Think antique over exposed photos, weathered away from years of handling and reminiscing. The look is a much loved, hazy summer holiday.

Giambattista Valli

Chanel

Dior

Like blossoming flowers, there is a wash of colour making it’s way through the beauty industry. Dior had bright oranges and vivid sky blues. Jean Paul Gaultier used the rainbow as a palette, ensuring that there was a brighter alternative to the pale pastels making there way on the runway.

Dior

Jean Paul Gaultier

Lastly I couldn’t talk about Spring/Summer 2010 without mentioning the much raved about Chanel transfers. To be honest, I have seen these for many years in the likes of Claire’s Accessories, so it isn’t really groundbreaking. I won’t be rushing out to get these myself, but I like that a classic brand like Chanel is embracing popular culture and moving with the times.

Chanel Transfers

The Irish Film and Television Awards were on recently and the ladies were out in style! I know that this is a bit of a delayed article, but I have been mad busy…better late than never.

Amy Huberman

I think the style award for the night definitely goes to Amy Huberman. She radiates an effortless glamour and style. She is primped and preened, however she knows the exact measure needed for red carpet perfection. Her fringe sweeps gently across her warm lightly bronzed face, framing it so that your attention is drawn to her dark lined eyes and beaming smile. This look really compliments the gorgeous green dress.

Photo courtesy of www.jmcphotography.com

Saoirse Ronan

The leading lady of the night was off course Saoirse Ronan. Not much to say makeupwise, but I do REALLY like her nude shoes, they make her look tall and long legged.

Photo Courtesy of entertainment.ie

Colette Fitzpatrick

Colette and Amy must have looked at the same hymn sheet because their Make Up is very similar. Again this is a very pretty fail safe look which enhances your natural beauty. The upstyle makes a real feature of her statement jewellery which are so pretty I am extremely envious!

Image courtesy of www.jmcphotography.com

Aisling O’Neill

I always like to see a bit of red lippy on the red carpet and Aisling did not disappoint! She teamed this with a well defined black eyeliner and tons of mascara which ads an extra hint of drama.

Image courtesy of www.jmcphotography.com

Photo courtesy of celebrity-gossip.net

Normally known for her healthy sunkissed skin, due to her active sporty lifestyle it seems like either she hasn’t been on holidays for a while or she is slathering on the sunscreen. I am loving her gorgeous opalescent skin tone. Keeping it very natural apart from a flash of red lippy, this look screams Hollywood sophistication. If you would like to replicate this look I would recommend the following key products:

Foundation: Vitalumiere from Chanel

Photo courtesy of chanel.com

Lipstick: Ruby Woo from MAC

Image courtesy of nowmagazine.co.uk

Eyeshadow: Ivory Opulence from Lancome

Image courtesy of macys.com

Eyeliner: Double Wear Black from Estee Lauder

Image courtesy of icnetwork.co.uk

Blush: Benetint by Benefit

Image courtesy of Benefit

Mascara: High Impact Curling Mascara by Clinique

Image courtesy of makeupbag.net

2.) Ginnifer Goodwin

Ginnifer is also working a classic look with a striking winged black eyeliner. This look really suits her pixie haircut and gives her a youthful fresh feel. She has kept lips nude which helps to keep us focused on her eyes and that gorgeous Royal Blue dress. If you would like to replicate this look I would recommend the following key products:

Foundation: Diorskin Nude from Dior

Image courtesy of Macys.com

Eyeliner: Black Liquid Eyeliner by MAC

Image courtesy of maccosmetics.com

Lipstick: Belle de Jour by NARS

Image courtesy of sephora.com

3.) January Jones

Image courtesy of talkingmakeup.com

Strong eyebrows frame January’s features perfectly, I really like her lush berry lip colour which shows off her radiant smile. I read an interview with her Make-Up Artist Rachel Goodwin, who breaks down the look on talkingmakeup.com, which I will share with you here:

Beauty Inspiration & The Look: “January’s Golden Globes makeup was all about taking a fresh approach to the classic red lip.”

Beauty Tip: “I used Le Blanc de Chanel under her base to create luminous ‘glowing from the inside’ porcelain skin, then treated her lips with Chanel Hydramax + Active Lip Treatment before applying Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Colour in Paris – a gorgeous garnet red from a new lipstick line launching in March. I painted the finest black line on her upper lid with Chanel Automatic Liquid Eyeliner in Noir and shaded under her eyes with Chanel Intense Eye Pencil in Graphite in the outer corners. I finished her look by layering lots of different false eyelashes then added Exceptionnel de Chanel Noir Obscur Mascara over the top for an intense black lash line.”

Had a photoshoot the other day with some great models Cha and Lou.

Lou

Cha

Was my first time working with the girls and it was brilliant. Had an early enough start time. After a rather tempestuous start: my hand and the eyeliner were not communicating! We headed over to the stylist’s back garden which was a wonderful assortment of old, new and simply bazarre. There was even a Bentley in the back garden! But unfortunately the the weather literally rained on our parade, before we could shoot it. We did get some great shots on the tractor though!

After this shot we headed indoors to a metalwork shop which was fantastic to shoot in. There was just so many props for the girls to use, will probably have more photos of that when I get them.

Already planning the next shoot with the girls

Model: Lou Daly
Model: Cha Roberts
Photographer: Freddy Lee
Stylist: Alice Collins
Make-Up Artist: Emma Farrell

Alexis was fantastic to work with and she really was a trooper! We were asking her to do the impossible, to look gorgeous while staring directly at the sun. People always look nice with the sun shining on them, but unfortunately it isn’t so nice for the eyes.

She is from Edmonton in Canada and does mainly promotional/commercial work. If you would like to get in contact with her for a booking go to:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=52343819991&ref=ts

I have been wondering if the downturn has effected the wedding industry or not and how this would affect me as a make-up artist…from my research it would seem that it hasn’t. People are just keen to get value for money now, aware that with the financial crisis there is a real opportunity for a bargain. I think if you offer quality service for good value you will always be kept in business.

A fellow make-up artist in Ireland has this to say in a recent press release:

Co. Clare, Ireland — 05 May. 2009 — Irish Brides-To-Be searching for the perfect choice of makeup artist have had their prayers answered with the launch of ‘Makeup By Gillian’ in County Clare.

Gillian Dunphy, a professional freelance makeup artist specialising in weddings, says that the economic downturn has had little impact on the number of couples deciding to walk down the aisle.

“The demand for Makeup Artists is as strong as ever. However, most brides are looking for more competitive rates without jeopardising how they look on their Big Day. Like every other sector, the wedding industry has had to adapt by offering clients a quality service at a reasonable cost”, stated Ms. Dunphy.

She said that there was a common perception of makeup artists being overly expensive.

“This could not be further from the truth”, stated Ms. Dunphy, “Price being hiked for Brides To Be is an unethical and wrong business practice but is less frequent than it would have been in the past. The vast majority of practicing makeup artists in Ireland are today professionally trained and are cogently aware of the financial burdens placed on couples getting married. Makeup By Gillian, for example, offers special rates to anyone getting married”

She noted that the Internet had played a major role in making the wedding sector more competitive for service providers and customers.

”The Internet has allowed customers to discover these special offers and to compare one service over another. This can only have positive consequences for the sector as it too attempts to devise business strategies in response to the current economic downturn”, Ms Dunphy concluded.

WHILE I WAS HAVING A LOOK AT THE PRESS RELEASES I STUMBLED ACROSS ANOTHER INTERESTING ARTICLE.

I  am always keen on learning more about style and fashion. Now it seems it is made easy for you with styling classes from Style Fish:

Co. Kildare, Ireland — 09 Apr. 2009 — In times when all we seem to be hearing about is DOOM & GLOOM – WWW.STYLEFISH.IE HAS ARRIVED TO BRING A SMILE TO THE FACES OF THE WOMEN OF IRELAND!

Walking in a woman’s shoes nowadays can be tough. With children, husbands, work, mums, friends all to keep happy, but what about you?!
Sophia Loren once said “A woman’s clothes should be like a barbed wire fence, serving their purpose without obstructing the view!” While the clothes we wear will never make us who we are, what we wear & how we feel in our clothes has a huge affect on our self-confidence & that helps make us who we are. Style fish was set up by Julie Cobbe to inspire women to find, develop & have fun with their style & beauty in an inspirational 8 week programme just for women! Making that ‘Stylish’ feeling accessible to women everywhere no matter what your lifestyle or budget! Someone once said ‘Men look at themselves in mirrors, women look for themselves.’ Women see a deeper meaning in themselves and sometimes just sometimes need a little help to see what they know to already be there. Style fish has done the research, asked the questions, road tested the classes & this ladies is what you have asked for! From body shapes to bras, from your colours to your closet, make-up to hair, confidence to calories, clothes swapping to clothes shopping and everything in between its not about buying more clothes its about understanding what suits you & what doesn’t, how to put together the clothes you have & how to get away from the ‘Nothing to wear’ Syndrome!
Each lady will walk away with their very own personalised‘Style fish Fashion Bible’, full body & colour analysis, exclusive Style Fish Membership Card with 12 months of offers, discounts & ‘extras’ all for you. Tailormade for you, Saving you so much money all in an inspirational & fun class setting!
Julie is a qualified Style Coach. She has worked in fashion & weddings in London, has been involved in bringing Ireland’s first ever designer Wedding Dress Sample Sale, Billion Dollar Brides to Ireland, she has appeared on TV3’s ‘Xpose’ & has written for numerous fashion publications on everything from fashion & weddings to life & love.
“You don’t have to spend a huge amount of money on personal shoppers & consultations, it is the financially friendly solution – educating you! It’s simple, its cost effective, its fun & it will give you everything you need to totally transform how you feel about yourself & your style!” Julie
For further Information contact julie@stylefish.ie/ 087 4130336 or check out www.stylefish.ie
Starting Laois; Thur 16th April, Maldron Hotel, Portlaoise/Time; 7.30 – 9.30pm/ Cost €299
Starting Kildare; Tues 28th Apr/ Venue; Osprey Hotel, Naas/ Time; 7.30-9.30pm/ Cost; €299
Starting Dublin; Mon 18th May/ Venue; Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Naas Road, Dublin/ Time; 7.30pm – 9.30pm/ Cost; €299

AND CONTINUING WITH THE STYLE THEME:

Co. Dublin, Ireland — 06 Feb. 2009

Fee G is an independent Irish Fashion House based in Dublin. Fee G was founded in 2003 by Fiona Heaney and her partner Don Gormley, under the Fee G label.
Graduating from NCAD Dublin, Fiona worked internationally and in Dublin before launching her own collection with it’s distinctive style.
The SS09 collection makes a strong statement by juxtaposing classic silhouettes with bright colour and vibrant pattern.
Luxurious fabrics, silks and linen blends are teamed with quirky unique embellishments and embroideries. Each garment is created with love and is designed to make the wearer feel beautiful and feminine.

The collection is stocked in over 120 boutiques in Ireland and the UK. Images are available at a high resolution for printing.
Contact design@feeg.ie for more information regarding the brand.
www.feeg.ie