I was in desperate need of a new foundation, so I headed to my mecca that is Brown Thomas, Dublin. I really should not be allowed in the place without a shopping list because it is a recipe for spending alot of money on make-up

Having suffered from acne through my teens, I have found myself continuing this battle at the age of 27! Come on hormones, give me a break! Anyway I had heard that Clinique had a new foundation specifically targeted at spot sufferers like myself called Anti-Blemish Solutions, so I decided to go road test it.

I was approached by an extremely welcoming and friendly girl called Kirstie: “What are we looking for today?” Aha! I am on to you, the salesy open question…however what could I do but answer! I told her I was looking for a foundation and she paired me off with a Make-up Consultant (can’t remember her name for sure, but I think it was Sandra). Sandra discussed my needs and was able to tell me that I needed their anti-blemish foundation. She tried two colours and asked would I prefer to go a shade darker or the same as my skin tone. Of course I said the same as my skin tone…this usually means I look like a ghost, but at least I don’t have to try blending it down my neck! Anyway I luuuurve me blusher as you know, so the ghost look is no problemo. So turns out I am Fresh Alibaster, which is 01 VF-Very Fair.

I only wanted to try the foundation out and wear it for the day before buying it, because it is so important to road test a foundation first. Often you will find that colours look completely different in natural/fake light and not only that, some foundations change colour as they dry, so what you could try on that looks fine could end up looking too dark later on. This is usually the way with highly pigmented or matt foundations.

Anyway we tried the foundation and I said I would be back if I still liked it later. She was completely cool with it, didn’t pressurise me for the sale and she even let me know that in three days they would have a gift with purchase on.  Roll on three days:

I am happy enough with the foundation so far, but it is very drying, so we shall see what this does to my skin over the next couple of weeks. I bought their anti-blemish solutions concealer too, this is great for covering spots as it is so pigmented – a little goes a long long way. It has a toothpaste like consistency and it takes a bit of getting used to, I find that applying it with my fingers is best. It lasts ALL day which is amazing for me, because I rub and touch my face all the time.

Anyway to summarise the whole Clinique counter in Brown Thomas Dublin experience:

Counter Atmosphere: 10/10
Consultant Friendliness: 10/10
Make-Up Application: 9/10
Product Suitability: 10/10
Pressure to buy: 0% (this is a good thing!)

That is pretty good!!

Let me know your thoughts xx

I wrote an article for Beauty Bag recently on Make-Up Secrets that the Pros don’t want you to know. I just thought  would share it here in case you haven’t seen it:

1.) Always start with a good base. It is imperative if you want your Make-Up to last. Primers are great. If you have oily skin make sure that you use a mattifying primer.

2.) Brushes are the key to a great make-up application. If you can’t afford to buy a whole set of brushes, just ensure that you pick up at least a good quality eyeshadow brush. That is the only way that you can achieve the dramatic smokey eye.

3.) White eyeliner on the inner rim of the eye helps to make the eyes look larger and is great if you haven’t had a good night’s sleep.

4.) If you want to get a nice defined eye, but can’t get the hang of tricky liquid eye liner, try and use a pencil eyeliner instead. Roughly draw a line on the eyelid as close to the upper lashline as you can manage. Afterwards you can smudge the line with a brush or finger. Then set this in a matching eyeshadow colour so it lasts all day.

5.) The face isn’t the only thing that needs to be primed before you begin applying your make-up. You can now get primers for your eyeshadow which makes it last and last. Also you can get lip primers, which are especially great for older skin as it helps to prevent lipstick bleeding.

6.) If you find that you are getting oily by the end of the day, get a tissue and pat it on the face to absorb any excess oil. Afterwards use some blotting powder to refresh and mattify your look without making you feel caked in make-up. If you don’t remove the excess oil first you can end up looking very ashen faced.

7.) Contouring is your best friend, you can give your face a beautifully defined look and create bone structure even if you don’t have any.

8.) Always curl your eyelashes, it helps to widen the eyes and make them appear larger. There are great heated eyelash curlers on the market if you can’t figure out the manual ones.

9.) To make your lipstick last all day, you line your lips with your lip liner. Then you fill in the whole lip with the same pencil. After this you apply the first coat of lipstick. Then you use translucent powder to set the colour. Then apply a top coat of lipstick.

10.) Although not technically a make-up product, eyedrops really enhance your make-up look, this makes them bright and clear.

For more advice and professional make-up visit www.emmafarrellmakeup.com

I attended a MAC Trends Masterclass which was hosted in the Brown Thomas headquarters. The masterclass was run by Lesley Keane and Nikki Gillick.

The day started off with a snappy video of all the backstage action in London, Paris, Milan and New York. I love seeing the mayhem and discord before a big show. Leslie fresh from behind the scenes herself was able to regale us with tales and anecdotes. The biggest trend (which I was talking about in a previous post) is definitely bleached eyebrows.

This can be done using the good ‘ol Jolene, usually a staple for the lady bleaching her top lip, you can now use it to stay on trend and brighten up those brows. If you don’t want to commit fully to this look, you can always cheat it by using MAC full coverage foundation and working it into the brows with a mascara wand. Make sure you brush them in all directions ensuring that every side of each hair follicle is covered.

There were a few mentions of this season being a real throwback to the 70s with strong colours and a more rounded eyeshape, following the natural curve of the eyesocket.

I went away from the event inspired.

Here are the finished looks:

Here are some of the MAC Trend Facecharts for Spring Summer:

American Nomad Trend

Dye a Tribe Trend

Pale n Dandy Trend

Underground Society Trend