Tag: techniques

3 Tips Every Great Wedding Hairstylist Should Know

wedding hairstylist
Posted on by Ruby Deevoy

Being a wedding hairstylist and working with brides is without a doubt one of the best jobs in the world. If you’re looking at our courses as a way to really kick start your career in the world of weddings, you’re making an excellent decision!

 

A wedding hairstylist is so much more than just that. If you’re not an experienced wedding hairstylist, you might be surprised to find that on the big day, the bride will look to you for more than just fabulous hair and makeup.

Bridal Hair Webinars

With so much competition in the wedding industry, it’s important to stand out from the crowd. You’ll be all set on creating gorgeous hairstyles and makeup looks after having attended our courses, but it is also a big part of your job to be able to take good care of your bride whilst you have her.

 

We know that there are many scenarios you might find yourself in and many questions that a wedding hairstylist might want to ask, which is why we offer the ‘Ask Pam’ tab as a part of our Habia endorsed online bridal hair course, so you can get in touch with Pam directly with any questions whenever you need to – even if it’s on the wedding day itself! There are also 100s of troubleshooting ‘quick tip’ videos for you to watch and learn from in your own time.

 

For those of you who haven’t signed up to our course yet to have access to all that and much more, we’ve put together 3 key pointers every great wedding hairstylist should know to really shine on the big day, whether it’s your first time or you’re a seasoned pro!

wedding hairstylist

Listen with Your Eyes & Ears

 

During your bride’s trial day (which you absolutely must have with every client) you want to make sure that she goes away happy. No, more than happy – ecstatic! But just getting positive comments isn’t enough, as many clients will say that they’re pleased with the results even if they’re not, and if they get away without having found their perfect style the chances are that they’re not going to book you.

 

Just as important as talking to your client about all of their likes and dislikes is to watch their body language. If you’re paying attention, you’ll be able to pick up whether or not they really are thrilled with how their hair and makeup is looking, or if they’re just being polite.

 

Don’t be nervous and don’t be put off if they do tell you that they’re not happy – that’s exactly what you want. Clients are very rarely satisfied with the first look, and you shouldn’t be either. It can take a while to work out the kinks and get that perfect look. Ask questions to try and get them to tell you what they don’t like.

wedding hairstylist

Keep Your Cool

 

Even if it’s your very first bride and you’re frantic with the pressure of their wedding day on your shoulders, don’t let it show!

 

Your bride is likely to be in a bit of a flap herself as you’re getting ready and it’s part of your job to keep her relaxed and together, so the last thing you can be is panicked.

 

Take a deep breath, remember that she has chosen you to be her wedding hairstylist because you’re talented and she loves your work, and know that you’ve got this! There will be times that you will inevitably come up against something that you don’t know the answer to, or that knocks your confidence a bit. Sign up to our online course so that you can have ‘Pam in your pocket’ to help you figure everything out.

wedding hairstylist

Use Great Technique

 

It’s all very well and good creating a style that looks gorgeous, but it’s no good if it A. all falls out of places before your client is even ready to walk down the aisle or B. the hairstyle starts hurting her from being too tight or having poorly placed pins and grips.

 

You want your client to be over the moon with her final look long after you have left the building, not only because you will always want to give your brides the very best but also because of those all important positive online reviews, which in 2016 you absolutely need to pick up work.

 

Join us on one of our 2 day, 4 day or online bridal hair courses to find out how to create beautiful styles that last and stay comfortable, even when they’re loose and tousled or sleek and tight.

Heated Rollers – Now Available in Our Online Shop!

heated rollers
Posted on by Ruby Deevoy

Heated rollers – if there’s one thing a bridal hairstylist needs in her arsenal, it’s these babies!

 

If you’ve ever attended one of our bridal hair courses, you’ll know that the first thing we cover is correct roller positioning for beautiful, bouncy curls. Even our students who have been styling hair for years find this incredibly useful as Pam’s special techniques, learned from over 20 years of creating beautiful hairstyles, allows for ease of use and gorgeous results every time.

 

Because we love heated rollers so much and we’re always recommending our favourites to our students, we’ve now started selling these in our shop, so you don’t need to go on the hunt for the very best – you can buy them straight from us!

 

Unless you’re used to using heated rollers, you might not be familiar with the effect or know why you need these in your bridal hairstyling kit for almost every style you will ever create. Regardless of whether you’re going for a curly style or a smooth and sleek look, heated rollers are the best way to give your client’s hair fabulous root lift and bounce, creating the perfect base for any style.

 

If you are using your heated rollers for the purpose of creating curls, it’s really important to get the positioning right so that they fall beautifully (get in touch for a Create Beautiful Hair roller setting plan). You can create different types of curls and waves too depending on how you lay the hair onto the roller – you can do a classic wind for a corkscrew curl, or a wind with a twist for more of a beachy wave.

heated rollers

Want to learn more about these techniques? Join us on one of our 2 day bridal hair courses or 4 day bridal hair courses. Can’t make those? Sign up online and start creating beautiful styles today!

heated rollers

Bridal Hairstyles Created With Heated Rollers

Want to see what styles we’ve created using heated rollers? Here’s a selection by Pam Wrigley.

heated rollers

Buy Your Heated Rollers Here

Braiding Course Red Carpet Inspiration

braiding course
Posted on by Ruby Deevoy

With our 1 day braiding course now being available nationwide (in London, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham), we just can’t stop obsessing over all the gorgeous braided hairstyles we keep seeing all over the red carpet events!

With so many plaits and braids to learn, and so many ways to use them to create unique and beautiful styles suitable for both big events and walking down the aisle, knowing all the hottest braiding techniques is an absolute must for all hairstylists.

We’ve seen so many inspirational styles on celebs recently that we just know our create beautiful hair students and blog readers will love, so here are four of our favourite braided red carpet looks for you to have a go at. Not sure where to begin with how to create these styles? We’re here to help!

Book onto our 1 day braiding course for an intensive training day with our expert braider, or sign up online for loads of great, in-depth braiding video tutorials.

Amber Heard, Looped Braid Style

 

If you’re a fan of the messy boho look with added intricacy, then this is the style for you!

Amber Heard is a big fan of braided styles and is regularly seen sporting some incredible plaited creation that manages to look completely fabulous whilst retaining that super sexy relaxed finish.

Amber’s style is designed using Herringbone plaits pinned up into a looped, flyaway style which is actually fairly simple to do if you know the right techniques (which can be learned on our braiding course!). Paired with an edgy and almost futuristic looking cat-eye, this completed look is a real show-stopper.

Amanda Seyfried, Tight Dutch Braids

 

Ditching her usual ‘natural girly-girl’ look for a hair and makeup style that can only be described as fierce and fabulous at the ‘While We Were Young’ premiere. Amanda Seyfried’s tight dutch braided style is an excellent example of the contemporary rock chic fashion we keep seeing pop up, with just a gentle nod towards nineties styling.

This style isn’t for everyone, but it is absolutely perfect for someone who loves making a statement with their hair choices and wants to flaunt their beautiful, strong bone structure and we love trying out statement styles on our braiding course!

The key to making this style great is to be able to control the plaits well as you create them, to keep them as smooth and tight as possible. Finish with a glossing spritz to boost that shine and you’ll be all set!

Elle Fanning, Floral Crown Braid

 

Elle Fanning was spotted with a gloriously girly floral crown braid for the premiere of ‘The Neon Demon’ and we are loving it for bridal, bridesmaid and even flower girl hairstyle inspiration.

This is the perfect style for a summer wedding, keeping the hair away from the face and neck and embracing an utterly feminine feel. We just adore the combo of neat but chunky braids, studded with big bright blooms for a real Boheme, flower child vibe.

This could be an ideal option for bridesmaids accompanying a bride who has chosen to go for having her hair down for the big day, with flowers selected to choose the wedding colour scheme.

Kate Bosworth, Slicked Back Braids

 

Kate Bosworth wore a similar style to Elle Fanning’s at ‘The Big Sur’ premiere, but instead of leaning towards the laid back boho side of things, her hair stylist decided to give her more of a slick, modern finish making this look a bit more catwalk.

This style would work beautifully with a number of different braids that you could learn on our braiding course to make it look even more sleek. Paired with just a little bit of volume at the top and front of the style to give it that fashion feel, this is definitely a braided style to try for 2016.

10 Steps – Great Wedding Hair for your Brides!

Posted on by Ruby Deevoy

Wedding Hair Styles Made Easy!

As a bridal hair stylist, you will know that wedding season will be starting again soon, and if you’re new to it all this prospect can be a little daunting…but don’t panic!!

With top tips from award-winning bridal hair stylist Pam Wrigley, with over 25 years experience to share with you, your job is about to get a whole lot easier…

The Trial Run

Don’t be tempted to leave the trial run until the last minute! It is in both yours and the bride’s best interest to have the trial at least 2 or 3 months before the wedding day.

You will probably find that bookings with brides tend to be a bit quieter in the winter months (Jan – March and into April), so keep yourself busy during your down-time and not overloaded during summer by filling your winter weekends with these all important trial runs.

Working with ‘day old’ and unconditioned hair will be easiest for you, but the last thing you want is the hair to be greasy, so discuss this with your bride in advance.

Ideally, your client will have clean, dry hair, washed the night before, but if your client tells you that she likes to wash her hair every day then let her – just ask her to forgo any deep conditioning treatments or 2-in-1 shampoos, as this will leave the hair too sleek and therefore un-manageable.

Be Confident

It may seem like your clients want you to have all the answers, but you’re only human, and if you’re a little unsure about what styles to suggest to your bride . . .

Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know!

You might feel a bit ‘on the spot’ if she asks you what your going to do with her hair, but just be confident and let her know that you need to get your hands in her hair first and have a play around before you decide together what is right for her.

Pam explains “From my experience as a bridal hair stylist, I have found that you can force most hair types into practically any style, but you’ll find chances are if you have to force it, it won’t suit her and it won’t want to stay in! Take your time and get to know your client a little bit for best results”

Hair Products and Kit for Creating Beautiful Bridal Hairstyles

Face Shapes

If you’ve found yourself trying to memorise which hair styles suited which face shape. . .

Pam’s advice is “don’t worry about it!”

Most people are actually a combination of face shapes and even if they aren’t, there are so many other things you need to take into consideration when it comes to choosing the right hair style: the dress, the venue, even the height of the groom!

Just relax and talk to your client. Try a few styles out when you do the trial run – you’ll find the one that works.

Get Your Bride’s Input

The best way to find out what a client wants is to ask!

Advise your bride to start looking for styles that she loves in preparation for her trial run and ask her to let you in on her wedding inspiration too.

Pinterest mood boards are fun to make and very useful for a bridal hair stylist to get an idea of the whole wedding theme. Get your bride to send you pictures, or invite you to share her Pinterest albums.

Once you have an idea of the sort of styles she likes, and doesn’t like, have a go on your practice head or a friend in preparation for the trial run.

You can watch our online tutorials for in-depth guidance and hairstyle inspiration, so you’ll be really confident when you have to do it for real.

Always ask lots of questions about her dress, the venue, the bridesmaids dresses, her flowers – not just about hair! Be sure to find out if there’s anything she doesn’t like too – does she have big forehead she wants to hide? Is she self conscious about her ears?

Be sure to keep an eye of your bride’s body language, as this will tell you how she’s really feeling! Ask lots of open ended questions and assume there is something she doesn’t like, to end up with a happy client.

Natural Curls & Waves

Pam says “Unless your client has really curly hair – like mine, or curlier – it is probably best to ask her not to straighten her hair before you arrive, as you will have to see the hair in its natural state so you know just what you need to do.”

If you want to add some height and oomph into the hair with heated rollers, you should start the styling process working with the natural shape and texture of the hair rather than going from poker straight and flat.

If you do find the hair needs straightening to get it glossy and shiny, you can always straighten it when you arrive and then re-curl with your tongs or straighteners before creating your fabulous hair style.

Get your styling kit in our shop – there’s lots to choose from!

Work With A Mirror

Don’t try to second guess! Work with a mirror in front of your client and always involve her in the styling process.

To make sure you give your client the best hair she’s ever had, it is the job of a bridal hair stylist to listen to her input. Try asking these questions, and add some of your own:

Where does she like to part her hair? Would she be happy trying the parting in different positions? Would she like width at the sides of the hair or would she prefer it sleek and tight back? Does the hair above her ears look better going back and down or up and back? How does she like her fringe – forward and sweeping over, to one side, or back with height?

If you ask for her input she will feel more relaxed, and between you, you’ll get the perfect style!

Sleek or Tousled?

Your client might have a very particular idea of what style she wants in her head, but it’s still worth trying a few different looks on the trial run. She may be surprised at what she falls in love with!

If your bride can’t decide what style she would like to have on the big day, it is possible for her to have both. She can have her cake and eat it! After all – she’s the bride…

If your client asks for a smooth sleek backcombed style, you’ll still need to curl the hair, so try a quick soft relaxed style first so she can see what it looks like. A very popular this year is the “I woke up this gorgeous” effortless beauty look, but a lot goes into getting these styles just right and once you’ve created a smooth and sleek backcombed style, it’s practically impossible to get the soft curl back again if she decides she doesn’t like it.

Come along to one of our bridal hair courses or sign up to our online tutorials to get confident with all the different types of waves and curls: soft beachy wave, soft, relaxed corkscrew looking curls etc…

Braids are a must have too! Make sure you’re happy with at least 2 or 3 braiding techniques and practice incorporating them into your soft relaxed looking styles. Not sure on these? Join us for our 1 day braiding course!

wedding hair

Keep Detailed Notes

Once you’ve found the perfect style, you will need to keep a record of it so you can recreate it perfectly on the wedding day. Here’s how:

  1. Taking photos is great so you can see how the finished style looks, but you need to remember exactly how you achieved that look…
  2. You’ll need to remember all the little things that you did to tailor make this style to make it perfect, so take notes! Pam says “I find it invaluable to write the detail down – how did I curl the hair, did I use a reverse wind or reverse wind with a twist? Tongs, straighteners or heated rollers? What products did I use? Does she like her ears covered to not? How does she like her fringe, her parting the height on the crown? There are so may thing to remember!

It will make your job as a bridal hair stylist so much easier on the wedding day if you know exactly what you have to do to achieve the perfect style, so write everything down in our specially designed wedding hair and makeup planners.

Bridal Makeup – Working With Mature Brides…

bridal makeup course
Posted on by Ruby Deevoy

Bridal Makeup – Working With Mature Brides

When you’re a bridal makeup artist, it is so important that you are equipped with the skills to create gorgeous bridal makeup looks for all ages and skin types.

Many bridal makeup artists have only ever had the opportunity to practice on younger models but you must remember that not everyone getting married is in their 20s! A lot of women are getting married later in life these days, and as such, knowing how to apply bridal makeup for mature brides is essential for success.

As we age, our skin and hair texture starts to change, and applying bridal makeup on mature skin very different to what you may already know.

Learn all about makeup for mature brides and MOB on our 2 day bridal makeup course,

To keep you going before you can join us there, here are some top tips on applying with wedding makeup for mature brides from award-winning makeup artist Pam Wrigley:

Bridal Makeup –  Mature Skin

When starting with your base on a mature bride, remember that her skin may have a tendency to be quite a bit more dry than what you’re used to.

 

To combat this and ensure a flawless finish, be sure to start with a lovely hydrating primer to prepare the skin. Do not skip this step, whatever you do!!

Using a primer such as Laura Merier hydrating primer on your mature brides will help to create an even and supple base to work with. If your client has open pores you may find a matifying primer will work best, again Laura Mercier do a fabulous oil free primer, but you can also try Benefit Porefessional to help to minimise pores and fine lines.

Pam’s favourite primer for this instance is the Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer.

Go light on the foundation if you can – thick makeup will only lend to deeper creases and lines on a mature bride! To better your chances of getting good coverage with as little product as possible, make sure you’re using really high quality foundation or tinted moisturiser, with high pigment content  – we love cosmetics a la carte skin tints – they have a fabulously high pigment content, for smooth, even, gorgeous coverage and what’s more they come in practically any shade imaginable .

Pam’s favourite foundation when working with a mature bride is Cosmetics A La Carte – Skin Tint.

Wedding Makeup – Beautiful Eyes

Be very careful when working on the eye area on a mature bride – the skin here, both on the eye lid and under the eye, can be very delicate and sometimes very creased.

Eyelids:

As far as eye primers go – we recommend Inglot eyeshadow keeper  a fabulous light primer perfect for delicate skin around the eye area.

Pam often uses MAC paintpots as an eye primer when working on younger skins – but they really are far to heavy for mature skin. If the eyes are a all hooded – the paintpots make the skin look weighed down and puffy, not a good look. And if there are any fine lines the paintpots will make them look like deep creases, definitely not the look we’re going for.

Under eye area

Pam loves By Terry touch expert under eye and of course – the old favourite YSL Touche Eclat

Pam’s favourite under-eye coverage for mature brides is YSL Touche Eclat or By Terry Touch Expert

For lining under the eye, avoid using eye pencils as these do tend to get into the creases and smudge. Instead, opt for an angled brush and a dark eye-shadow to create the required ‘oomph’!

Pam’s favourite brush for this is the Screenface Angled Brow Brush

bridal makeup course

Wedding Day Eyeshadow & Eyeliner

Once you’ve applied a light primer on the eyes it’s time to start applying the eyeshadow. One size does not fit all! some brides may want a natural makeup an others will want full on glamour – ask lots of questions and if they’re not sure find out what wedding makeup looks they don’t like before you begin.

Pam’s favourite light primer for a mature bride is Ingot Eyeshadow Keeper.

When working with a mature bride, always use powder eyeshadow rather than cream, as they last longer and won’t settle into the creases. Gentle shimmer and matte shadows can work well for bridal makeup, but avoid too much glitter as this will just emphasise lines.

Pam says “Sometimes I start with a matte eyeshadow to get the shading and highlights just right and then I add a touch of colour with a slight shimmer on top (just in the inner and centre eye lid and a touch below the brow) – this gives a bit of freshness to the finished look!”

When applying eyeliner, avoid harsh clean lines – keep them looking soft and subtle instead. By all means, use a liquid or gel liner for precision, but not too thick! Once applied, soften it by applying a smudge of a dark eyeshadow on top and blend out with a soft angled brow brush.

Beautiful Bridal Lips & Lashes

When it come to doing the lips, it’s always personal choice whatever your bride’s age! However, for mature brides try to avoid glosses they can bleed in to fine lines around the lip, or anything too dark – lips tend to be less plump as we age and dark colours can make the lips look thinner. Don’t be afraid to offer your expert advice on bridal makeup – you are a professional after all!
Ideally, you want a soft moist look to the lip, but nothing too over the top.

To keep the lip colour precise, make sure you use a great liner. Cosmetics a la Carte do a lovely waterproof invisible lipliner.

Lashes also get thinner as we age, however, using a thickening mascara to beat this will only end up looking clumpy. Use a fine mascara and build it up in layers for that gorgeous, fluttering volume.

Pam uses Clinique Lash Power on her mature brides, or Lancome Hypnose Drama for a bit of extra oomph!

False lashes are always a winner when it comes to adding those finishing touches, however, avoid strip lashes as they look far too fake! When you’re going for fabulous, effortless looking glamour that looks like we haven’t tried too hard(!) try using individual lashes – You can use different lengths for a really natural look but do try this out on the trial day first!

Pam likes to use the Salon System Individual Lashes, as they come in a great variety of lengths to enable you to create the perfect look for each bride. Try combining Ultra medium, short and ultra short along the eye for full on gorgeousness or if your bride has shorter lashes, just try the short and ultra short for a natural look.

bridal makeup course

Brow Shaping for the Mature Bride

When creating beautiful brows you may find powders easier to control than pencils, to get just the right amount of colour without going too heavy.
With mature brides, brows should only be gently defined and not too dark – just enough to frame the face. We love Makeup Forever Brow kits but go carefully – a little goes a long way.
You might find that your client has thin brows and she loves them! Strong brows haven’t always been the fashion, so if she has plucked her brows away over the years, don’t pressure her into changing for her wedding day – this is about what is right for her after all, so let her keep them that way and just add a bit of definition.

Benefit Brow Zings Brow Shaping Kit comes in a couple of different shades with some great little brushes. It also comes with a set of mini tweezers – ideal for getting the perfectly framed face effect!

Bridal Blush & Natural Contouring

Cream blushers are lovely to use on mature skin – they look fresh, dewy and fabulous!

Pink tones on the cheekbones and apples looks stunning on most complexions. However, if your bride has a ruddy complexion, avoid pink tones and opt for nude tones on the outer edges of the cheek bones instead, avoiding the apple, as the natural redness might start peeping through after she’s had a glass of champagne!!

Bobby Brown do some lovely, textured, cream blushes in fabulous natural looking shades.

If you’re after some definition and want to try your hand at a bit of contouring wit your mature bride, easy does it!

It is very easy to over-do this technique, so take it slow and build up gradually.

Illamasqua do some lovely contouring gels that are easy to use and work well on mature skin, but use with caution!

2 Day Bridal Makeup Course

Learn all about makeup for mature brides and MOB on our 2 day bridal makeup course,

With just 2 students on each course you’ll get lots of help and 1-2-1 advice.

To keep you going before you can join us there, here are some top tips on applying with wedding makeup for mature brides from award-winning makeup artist Pam Wrigley:

BOOK NOW

Hairstylist’s How To: Julianne Hough Fauxhawk

Posted on by Ruby Deevoy

We love Julianne Hough who always provides us with short hair inspiration. She is never afraid to try something new, this time sporting a textured faux hawk to the Golden Globes. The style actually looked amazing with the art deco inspired Monique Lhuiller dress and gave it an edgy yet sophisticated twist.

 

Step one:

Shampoo and condition hair, adding an extra dose of conditioner to remove any tangles and ensure that it is lovely and glossy. Remember to rinse it out well.

Step two:

Spritz over with volumising spray about an inch from the roots to give it some extra lift. Blow dry hair well using a round brush until it is completely dry.

Step three:

Start from the back of the head and backcomb small one to two inch horizontal sections until you have worked your way right to the front. Take hold of the backcombed Mohawk section and clip it up so it is out of the way.

Step four:

Gently tease the sides to give them extra texture and volume and then part the hair on each side of the temple. Take one of the sides and divide it into a top and bottom section. Twist these back to the nape of the neck, creating little ponytail which then need to be pinned in place. Do exactly the same on the other side.

Step five:

With the top section take three inches of hair from the front, twist the hair to the left hand side and pin it in place. Then take the following three inches, twist to the right and again pin in place. Keep doing this until you reach the back of the head and you have made a twisted style Mohawk.

Step six:

To finish off you can use a touch of volumising spray or dry shampoo to add extra texture and volume where needed, followed by some strong hold hairspray to ensure the style stays in place.

By Gemma

French Plait Braided Red Carpet Hairstyle – Get the look: Amanda Seyfried

Posted on by Ruby Deevoy

Having been around forever you would think that braids must be on their way out, but then we see Amanda Seyfried at the premiere of ‘While We’re Young’ and we remember why we love them so much. This youthful look can be hard to pull off but it works brilliantly paired with Amanda’s Valentino dress and smokey eye makeup, resulting in a sophisticated and structured look.

 

 

Here’s how to get the look

Step one:

Wash, condition and blow dry your hair to start. If you don’t have time to wash your hair then a great tip is to mist over a product like a foundation mist which will revitalise you look. Follow this up by blow drying and brushing hair to refresh it for that just washed look.

Step two:

Make a clean centre parting from the top of your head right down to the nape of your neck so that your hair is split into two sections. Apply some molding wax to the sections to give your hair added texture and hold.

Step three:

You can now start to French braid one side of your hair. Begin with a section about a quarter to half an inch size. Make sure that you pull the hair tightly as you braid down the head, increasing the size of the section as you go. When you reach the bottom secure the end with a clear hair band.

Step four:

Take the end of the braid and roll it up into the desired shape and when you are happy with it fix it in place using bobby pins. You can now repeat the steps on the other side of the head.

Step five:

To make sure that the style stays in place spray over it with some strong hold hairspray.

By Gemma

Trend Watch: Beautiful Makeup Looks for 2015

Posted on by Ruby Deevoy

Having been through seasons of au naturale looks when it comes to beauty, AW15 will come as a relief for many as make up takes a more grown up style. Here are our top five trends you should embrace next season – Take advantage of out ÂŁ100 OFF our 2 day and ÂŁ200 off our 4 day  makeup courses to learn how to perfect the look.

Luxe Beauty

 

At Herve Leger beauty took on a sophisticated finish with a flawless complexion and glowing cheeks to create a highly groomed look rather than making just one feature the focal point.

Amped up Lashes

 

For a while now models have walked the runway with clean, bare lashes but that all changed at Giambattista Valli where the makeup was all about creating doll like lashes. Easy to recreate yourself: just apply several coats of mascara to get the look that’s ideal for both day and evening wear.

Lip Gloss Makes a Comeback

 

Matte lips take a back seat as it’s all about the gloss next season. It didn’t just stay on the lips either as we also spotted it making its way onto cheeks and even eyebrows.

Blacken the Waterline

 

Black eyeliner will never go out of fashion and AW15 is the season we will be applying it to the waterline. For those that don’t know, this is the area next to your eye just above your lower lashes. You can either line the waterline and carry on the eye liner around the eye or as we saw at Victoria Beckham, smudge it downwards all the way through the lower lashes to give you a cool smokey eye look.

Berry Lips

 

Bright red lips have been replaced by rich berry shades and pale pinks. Wear these tones on cheeks and as eye shadows to pull the whole look together, rather than using the hue as a statement to highlight just the one feature.

By Gemma

Get the look: Kate Middleton’s pretty ponytail

Posted on by Ruby Deevoy

Kate Middleton looked as stylish as usual during her visit to the Turner Contemporary Gallery earlier this month. Pregnant with her second child, she showed off her baby bump in a cheetah print dress whilst her hair was in a messy, volumised ponytail – the ideal hairstyle for this season. Perfect for both work and weekends, it can be achieved in just ten minutes. You can also add accessories like a pretty headband to dress up the look for date or special occasion.

Get the look

Step one:

Wash and condition your hair with volumising shampoo, making sure that you thoroughly rinse your hair. Apply some mousse to your roots before blow drying your hair. It is easier to work your way around your head if you first divide hair into sections.

Step two:

Now that your hair is dry, lightly run over the ends with hair straighteners to create a smooth finish. Avoid going over your roots as you will only flatten out the volume that you have just put in. Flip your hair upside down and comb through from underneath to again achieve more volume.

Step three:

Flip your hair back the right way and pull hair back using just your fingers to form a ponytail. Avoid using a brush for this as you don’t want to flatten your locks or create a look that is too precise. The idea is to have a slightly messy finish. Secure the ponytail using a hair elastic.

Step four:

Take a small section of hair from underneath the ponytail and wrap it around the hair elastic to conceal it. Fix this in place with a bobby pin.

Step five:

Use a touch of invisible oil to make any flyaways disappear, and avoid the stickiness and smell of hairspray. If you prefer to use hairspray then go for a product with light hold as you don’t want hair to have a rigid, crispy look.

By Gemma

How to wear baby blue eyeshadow: Red Carpet Makeup Looks

Posted on by Ruby Deevoy

Blue eye shadow is set to be one of the biggest make up trends this spring and as usual we are keen to give any beauty trend a try, so it is time that we forget all about the 80s association.

Jennifer Lopez ditched her usual bronze eye makeup in favour of an icy baby blue shadow for the American idol series 14 finalist party. The 45 year old chose to wear a short collared white mini dress with gold floral embellishment paired with a white clutch and nude court shoes, but it was definitely her makeup which stole the show.

 

To rock this trend try lining the top and bottom lashes with your eye shadow of choice like JLo for a youthful look. To really bring out the ice queen in you make sure that you thinly line your upper lid with liquid eyeliner and apply a touch of mascara. The blue shadow should speak for itself. Your base should be flawless with just a hint of sparkly pink blusher to highlight your cheekbones.

If you want to try a look that is a bit more subtle then go for an eye shadow that is quite translucent. Blend it well along your lash line and only apply the one layer.

Really open up your eyes and make them pop by mixing a bit of white eye shadow with the blue. Don’t forget to dot a touch of the white in the inner corners of your eye. It is important that you do use the eyeliner and mascara as without them you run the risk of them getting lost in the blue, and potentially looking smaller.

If you just want to introduce a hint of the trend then why not give blue mascara a go? Just keep your eye makeup neutral.

By Gemma