As it’s nearly Christmas, and after such a successful Label Style photo shoot, we thought it would be a great idea to share how some of the make- up looks used on the shoot (as well as some that weren’t) can be achieved with just a few simple products and techniques, so that you yourselves can be the belle of the ball this Christmas!
The first look, modelled by Georgie, is a very classic, 1940’s Hollywood- style; great for parties and events with the use of the fabulously stand-out festive red lip.
With Georgie’s pale complexion and fiery red hair, I chose to keep things simple with regards to colour. A lot of red-heads often avoid wearing red completely for fear of it clashing with their hair, but it’s a bit like the pink and red rule- if you can get the right shade, then go with it. Go for a pillar-box red like this one, (Rimmel London, ‘Alarm’) for a simple glam style.
Because the lips are the focus of this look I wanted to make sure that they stood out for the right reasons, which meant keeping them as neat and perfect as possible. If you are lucky enough to have big lips, it’s essential that you invest in a lip liner so as to create this nice even outline for whichever filler colour you go for (Rimmel London, ‘Wine’).
For the face, Georgie used her own foundation, (Rimmel London’s ‘Wake Me Up Foundation’, ‘Ivory’). I avoided using too much blusher for this look, because rosy tones will just look messy against the vibrancy of the lip colour. I’ve used a mixture of Benefit’s ‘Sugarbomb’ blusher which has some soft coral- pink tones, and Rimmel London’s ‘Live Pink’ to just to add a light pinkish tint to Georgie’s cheeks, before adding just a little sheen to the cheekbones with Benefit’s cheek illuminating tool, ‘Watt’s Up!’.
To complete this classic vintage look, I’ve added a flick of Barry M black liquid eyeliner to the top lid, bringing the line out at an almost horizontal angle to give that tightening effect. Add some black pencil liner too (Max Factor Kohl Black eyeliner pencil) and a little mascara (L’Oreal ‘Telescope Lash Extension Mascara’) to finish everything off.
With blue eyes like Georgie’s, any kind of dark colours around the eyes looks amazing because they create a contrast and exaggerate the eye’s natural colour, so feel free to add a little bit of shading around the liner for a more stand out look. (Here I used M&S eye shadow ‘eye palette’, ‘multi(zz)).
The next look I wanted to demonstrate for you is a more natural look which works really well on brunettes and suits both the party occasion as well as general day- to- day look. It’s such a pretty look and almost Grecian with the kind of colours and tones it utilises, i.e. bronzes and golds, which again, work really well with the Christmassy reds, golds, blacks and greens.
I chose to model this look purely because of my particular skin tone and eye/hair colour combination which suits these colours quite well, but feel free to experiment with it even if you don’t have these features- make-up is all about trying out new things after all!
For the face I have used Benefit’s ‘Erase Paste’ in the lightest shade (1), as a concealer, and also their fabulous ‘Boi-ing’ concealer, just as a base for the foundation (Rimmel London’s foundation in ‘Soft Beige’). I then applied the same ‘Watt’s Up!’ illuminating stick to add that little sheen to the cheek bones.
Next is the blusher. For this look, a more bronzy tone is better, but just make sure to apply bronzers in good light as they can often look understated in poor lighting. I have here used a mixture of ‘Sugar Bomb’ (Benefit) and also Rimmel London’s ‘Sun Bronze’.
For the lips, keep it simple with a nude lipstick, or if you don’t have one, just do what I sometimes do which is add a smidge of concealer, (Benefit’s ‘Boi-ing’ in this case) to just give the lips that lighter tone- just don’t go overboard! Alternatively, you can just a little splash of lip gloss/Vaseline and you’re good to go.
For the eyes it’s a bit more fun. Play around with bronzy golden hues to create whatever kind of effect you want (M&S eye palette used again here, and Rimmel London’s ‘Glam’ Eyes’ in ‘Smokey Brun’). I often go for the kind of smoky eye- look but with these lighter, brown colours, so start with a pale golden sheen in the inner corner of your eye, and then apply the more golden tones to the crease, before adding the darker shades and blacks to the corner. Then blend!
Add some black pencil liner (Marks and Spencer ‘Limited Collection Kohl Eyeliner Pencil’, ‘Black’) to magnify your eyes that little bit more, and if you really want to stand out add some liquid liner (Barry M) too like we did in the last example, as this flick really outlines the eye and always shapes the eye really nicely. Finally, add some mascara (Bourjois, ‘Volume Clubbing Mascara’, ‘Absolute black’) and a little eyebrow pencil (Rimmel London, ‘Professional Eyebrow Pencil’, ‘Dark Brown’) just to finish off this fabulous look.
This last example I wanted to try out is something a really fun and quite daring if you’re not used to wearing very much make up. I have gone for the smoky eye look on Lauren, a classic with celebrities and nights out, but it can take a bit of practise.
I chose Lauren to model this look because of her eye and hair colour combination which stands out so well against darker make-up looks.
For the face Lauren has applied her own Rimmel London ‘Wake Me Up Foundation’ (‘Ivory’) and their ‘Stay Matte’ powder, to which I have added a little of Maybelline’s ‘Dream Touch Blush’ blusher to give a really lovely, soft rosy tone to the cheeks.
Again, because the eyes are so heavy in this look I have had to be minimal elsewhere, so the blusher is noticeably subtle. I have also used the trusty Benefit’s‘Watt’s Up!’ tool to add that nice little shine to the cheek bones, and also Accessorize’s ‘Obsessed’ nude lipstick to keep everything par the eyes simple and pretty.
The same sort of technique we used for the previous eye look, can now be applied here, but instead of browns and golds, we’re going to be using whites, silvers, blacks and greys from a combination of 17 eye-shadow palettes. (‘Six Cream Collection’, ‘17 Smoky Eyes’, ’17 Smoky Eye Palette’.)
Smokey eyes can come in all sorts of shapes and designs and this is my go to method for achieving this very sought after look, but feel free to experiment and try it out in your own way. I for example like to use darker shades on the outer crease and then use lighter tones towards the inner part of the eye, but you can do this sort of gradation method going upwards too, so start by using black liner and progress and blend with black shadows, moving into silvers and greys as you move up the lid and onto the brow bone.
As always, add a flick of liquid liner (Rimmel London’s Glam’ Eyes’), and some black pencil liner (Rimmel London) to really intensify the look. A lick of Rimmel’s‘Glam’ Eyes Day 2 Night’ mascara and this look is done!
Whichever look you go for, have fun, experiment, use colours, try new things, be adventurous and look gorgeous this Christmas.
