You know the story… Part 4

Here we go again… (And just incase you had lost count its 12 days till I go on holiday 😀 )

Make ups number 25,26,27 and 28 were quite exciting! As many of you will know by now I am going to be involved with new boutique “Blush Boutique & Blow Dry Bar” opening this Saturday! So 2 weekends ago the blush beauty team collaborated to show the Aberdeen public just what you could get when you visit the shop…

What do you think… Accepatable? The girls looked awesome and were styled in some of the dresses that will be available. So, meet the blush beauty team.. There is the wonderful and extremely talented hair stylist Cheryl…

And me of course but you all know me…. (And I looked awful that day.. So no pictures of me are required 🙂 )

All of the looks were themed around glam girlie night out make up and I had so much fun! For me the more make up the better!

So, the shop opens 10.30 this weekend! It is every girls night out dream! Clothes, hair and make up… Without turning your room into a bomb site 🙂

These are few of my favourite things…

I get asked all the time what I use and what’s best and being the make up junkie I am, it’s a question I can never answer. I love make up so I use a huge variety, sometimes things that do the exact same thing but because its different its my favourite that day! So… I thought I would start sharing every so often some of the things I’m loving at the moment.

I don’t always wear foundation, I think sometimes just as beautiful a result can be achieved without it and this little beauty makes that possible. (Left picture)

It’s clinique’s pore minimiser. I think it’s fantastic. It works like a “poly filler” and gives the smoothest completion to the skin, filling in lines, pores and smoothing over drier areas which tend to clog make up. It also has a tint through it which helps to diminish any redness or uneven skin tone. If I am however wearing a foundation I am absolutely loving bourjois healthy mix serum and even more so the concealer! It gives a lovely overall coverage which blends easily into the skin. It’s semi matte (which is big for me because I like matte) and when I say semi I mean my skin is matte but still incredibly bright. My next big make up must have at the moment is my lashes! I HATE my lashes, they are really long but incredibly sparse and straight. Everything makes them look spidery and clumpy. So when I went on a mascara mission and found a mascara that claims to be non clumping… I didn’t believe it. But I take it all back, it’s max factor and its amazing and paired with my new vintage eye lash curlers, I say it was mission successful.

So all this make up is great but if my skin isn’t great it’s all for nothing. I’ve worked with many expensive moisturisers and skin products and I can honestly say some work and some work but not any differently than an in expensive moisturiser. However I do love a good serum and none are better than Lancome’s Genifique and now that it has a new advanced formula… It has me squirming! The lovely ladies gave me a wee sample and I must say I love it. It really does make my skin so much brighter. The first sign of ageing is dull and tired skin and its the one thing I would pay money to prevent. Lines and wrinkles will come. If not, you’ve not lived your life (she says at the ripe age of 23 years and 360 days 🙂 ) but dull and tired skin can be rectified and make a huge difference to your makeup. The Genifique comes in a whole skin care range, go see the lovely ladies at Lancôme and let them tell you all about it.

And lastly hair! I’m not big on nails but I do LOVE good hair. I was recently given a sample of matrix exquisite oil by the lovely Julie from JS Hair in Fochabers. It works as a hot oil that you comb through the tips of your hair working your way to the roots. And my hair felt like silk! I do take care of my hair so it wasn’t a necessity for me but I still felt a difference in the condition. I love good hair but I love big hair better and batiste finally have a dry shampoo for dark brown hair! I know they have the brown hairspray it I still felt it was too grey..this goes on brown! It gives a really nice full blown out finish to the roots without having to back comb your hair. For me it’s a must have. They now also have one for red heads too. No more grey roots!

The inspiration for this blog came from the most amazing article I read recently… Click on the link and read it, what a wonderful song and woman!

http://salubrious2.blogsome.com/2009/03/11/julie-andrews-70th-birthday-song/

secrets…

I’m not a doctor or a nurse saving lives everyday, I’m not a lawyer battling huge cases, putting away the bad guys the police catch. I am a make up artist… but this can also be so rewarding. I partner a photographer in studio portraiture sessions where normal women can come in and have their hair and make up done and for two hours they get to be there most fabulous selves and afterwards have a range of photographs to treasure their most fabulous selves forever. These are some of my favourite moments in my job, these regular women terrified at the thought of standing in front of a camera… alone. until they have that first look in the mirror after having their hair and make up done.

This is Lesley, she was one of the first women PalomaSecrets shot and this was what she had to say…

“Stephanie focused on my individual preferences, taking time and effort to understand what look made me confident. She offers a flawless service in make up artistry, which filled me with self adoration.”

And this is Lindsay…

” Thank you so so much! I have never looked so beautiful… Not even on my wedding day.”

So yes, I may not save lives but I can make a life better. Some people may look down at me for my choice in career, thinking all I do is play with make up. So I tell them a story. When I worked in cosmetics a woman suffering from cancer, receiving chemo treatment, came to me to help her with her eyebrows. She left in tears… it was the happiest and most feminine she had felt in months because I had helped her with her eyebrows. I then enjoy them eating their words… (tee hee)

I have my off days when I think my career choice is bigger than me so I look at these quotes, put my big girl pants on and slap my self on the back. All these women share their “secrets” with me during these shoots, they put themselves in a vulnerable position.  I owe a lot to them and to my partner in crime Karen Will at Paloma Violet Photography, who believe in me so much. So to all of you that have “bared all” to me, here’s my secret…

It’s you women that give me the confidence to do what I do.

Thanks for listening!