My Make-up With Marilyn by Maria Comparetto

After watching a week with Marilyn and being mesmerised by Michelle Williams' performance I felt compelled to talk you through the most iconic look in history! 

The makeup has so many different interpretations but could work very well with a nude lip using Dior Addict Lipstick in Nude rather than the bright red mouth we automatically associate with Marilyn's look. This would keep it looking modern and would best suit those with thinner lips.

The thing that really makes this look for me us not the lips though it's the defined soft brow and taupe (‘not really there’) socket line.

Keep both these elements by defining firstly with a pencil, blending with a brush then softly intensifying using a powder of the same tone such as the Sisley Phyto-ombre éclat eyeshadow in Dune. This makes the eyes ‘pop’. 

Apply a micro thin liquid liner such as Dior Style Liner close to the lashes then apply black mascara on the outer corner of the lashes having curled them first with (my favourite are Shu Uemera) eyelash curlers! 

Do not apply any mascara to bottom lashes. Contour the cheekbones with a Guerlain terracotta bronzer and there you have it!

As well as the nude matt lip, another variations on this could be a cherry lip-gloss such as the Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in Triomphal from the Christmas Collection. (RRP £23.50)
 

Christmas Nails by Andrea Fulerton

I asked Andrea Fulerton if she could tell us how to get the ultimate Christmas nails. Here's what she had to say...


 "Classic red for Christmas, a divine shade that suits all is my Andrea Fulerton Nail Boutique ‘Jessica’ named after client Jessica Alba another gorgeous red is L’Oreal Resist & Shine 651a richer darker red.

With any strong colour always use a base coat to protect your natural nail from staining such as Revlon Calcium Nail Gel  which has the added bonus of strengthening too. 

When painting allow a minute or two between coats to let the varnish settle though if your in a rush Revlon Red will apply in just one even coat. 

Anchor your hand down to a flat surface to get a steadier control [less wombly lines]

Bling up your festive season nails by adding a few Andrea Fulerton Nail Boutique Gemstones or Aurora pearls to accent a nail by dabbing them directly onto semi wet varnish and seal down with a Top Coat."

And to prove how doable this is - here is my (obviously non-professional) attempt (with Andrea Fulerton Nail Boutique Gold studs rather than the Crystal Gemstones). How Christmassy is that?! AND I should be excused from all dishwashing duty to keep them looking tip top over the festive period.

Sarah Clarke & Ruth Funnell Red Magazine January - Black Dresses

Sarah Clark styled this beautiful story shot by Bruno Barbazan for Red Magazine January 2012 and Ruth Funnell worked on the make-up.

Sarah said:

“I was asked to shoot a Black Dresses story for the January issue. I wanted to shoot a good selection of styles of dresses, not just 'little black dresses', so I basically just called in dresses that I really liked!! I wanted the feel of the pictures to be quite laid-back and relaxed and a little 'undone', so I didn't want the hair or makeup to feel too party-ish I love all these dresses, but my faves are the Nina Ricci, the Alexander Rich, and the Moschino. All very different, but all gorgeous in their own right. Another amazing team. A really fun two days.
”

Ruth said of the shoot:

“On the lovely story with Bruno Barbazan and styled by Sarah Clark, we wanted to leave the gorgeous clothes and our beautiful model Zuzana, to speak for themselves and keep the makeup sheer and modern in an understated way.

This was achieved by careful shading using sheer and complimentary taupe shades that appear to 'melt into the skin'.

Firstly I used Dior's new Skinflash Primer [available in the stores from 16th Jan] in ‘Sheer Glow’. It both smoothes and perfects the skin with light reflective particles and glides on like a dream with the innovative 'foundation like' brush applicator. 

After the prep, I used Dior Nude glow -a silky light base, as Zuzana  only needed the minimal amount of cover and then used Dior Skin Crystal Nude Matt Skin Perfector to blot any shiny areas.  

Eyes were enhanced gently with the classic colours of Dior 5 Couleurs in  ‘Amber Design’ [the staple palette all girls should have in their makeup bag!] and followed by a couple of light coats of Diorshow black mascara.

Cheeks were sculptured using Dior Skin Bronze in Honey Tan-great for giving shade and glow without too much obvious colour.

I finished with Rouge Dior Lipstick in ‘Beige Angelique’, which was the perfect beige colour to give the natural look without being pink in any way.

All these are great very wearable colours to ask for in your Christmas stocking ;-) !”

See the full story here.

Maria Comparetto Sunday Times Style

Maria Comparetto worked with the photographer Karin Berndl on this shoot for Sunday Times Style (27^th November 2011). Here’s what she had to say about it.

The room was full of security guards, the most amazing cakes and taxidermy… Murano lampshades and props crammed into every corner...hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery and shoes and dresses. This had to be opulent!

The concept for the shoot was by Heidi Taylor. I have worked with Karin Berndl the photographer before and knew this would be amazing.

We wanted the makeup to have an edge but not make it too theatrical or scary.

The Dior Winter collection was perfect for this look! I made the skin a little paler than their natural skin colour and gave it a pearlised quality, typically this period (Marie Antoinette) had very matt skin but I wanted to give it a twist. I used Dior Skinflash Primer (available in January).

Emphasis was added to the lashes using Diorshow Mascara and the brows giving a doll like quality, I didn’t want to make the girls look too young but just couldn’t resist making Fabiana's cheeks pop with hue of Dior Blush in Sunkissed Cinammon and then a touch of the new Dior Tulipe Pink on the lips (available in January). 

Overall I was thrilled with the result and really enjoyed working with Federico the hairdresser for the first time he was vibrant, funny and vey talented.
 

Karin added that the shoot would not have been possible without Simon Lycett (the florist), the cake makers and Harrods.

Movember Grooming Tips Part 2

Ruth Funnell suggests using 'Clinique Anti Fatigue Eye Gel' for men which was launched in August. It's apparently good for tired, dark under eye circles and bags due to late nights and tiredness...  Maybe from all those sleepless nights spent deliberating over what style to wear your moustache for Movember! A 'Ron Burgundy' or 'Clark Gable'?
  

 





www.movember.comThe Clinique eye gel comes as an easy roller-ball applicator that cools and soothes the area and can be used twice a day and won the GQ Grooming awards for 2012.

With all this attention to the face, it's good to be groomed all over. Everybody finds men with neat, clean fingernails far more attractive. Andrea Fulerton gives some tips on keeping your nails as groomed as your moustache!

• Always leave a small amount of white length and keep the shape the same as the cuticles. 

• If you need a good stain remover at the end of the day mix some handwash with bicarbonate of soda.

• Prevention is better than cure - scrape your nails over soap or Vaseline before a 'dirty job' (such as gardening or tinkering with the car or work) this is also a good preparation to remove dirt with a nail brush. The best time to do this is after a bath or a shower.

Read the first installment of the grooming tips for Men here.

Kelly Rowland - Stylist Magazine - Nails by Andrea Fulerton

Andrea Fulerton worked with the photographer Rankin on this shoot for this cover shoot and story for Stylist Magazine. 

Andrea used Andrea Fulerton Nail Boutique Nail polish in 'Helena' as a base colour and PUFF DUST in Electric Blue and pink (£7.99) followed by an overcoat (all available at Superdrug).

Andrea said she was a pleasure to work with - really cool and really very nice.

See the full interview and images here.

Giannie's Autumn 2011 Top Tips and Wish List

Giannie Couji lists a few of her favourite things for this Autumn.

• Chloe: Black tuxedo jacket and Tan high boots  

• GOUDEMALION -  Jean-Paul Goude Retrospective at the Musee les Arts Decoratifs

• Thomas Wylde: Cognac leather jacket, Black sheer chiffon tunic and Black biker boots. 

• BOOK: Diana Vreeland "The Eye Has to Travel" by Lisa Immordino Vreeland (Editions Abrams, New York)

• Great website - www.notvogue.com

•  Listening to the old time classic DIVAs: Betty Wright ( New album out in the US), Marlena Shaw, Sylvia Striplin, Sarah Dash, Nona Hendryx, Betty Davis and VickiAnderson.

• Going to Martinique : Lush, exotic, vibrant island in the French Caribbean

• PHE collection by Paul Herve Elisabeth

• Anoushka Shankar new album "Traveller"

• Tom Ford red python bag 

• Kimmy Skota aka Pretty Yende. Amazing soprano opera singer to discover

• Postmodernism: Style & Subversion 1970-1990  at the V&A

• William Klein  (Roma + Klein ) Exhibition @ the MEP and the accompanying book ( Editions du Chene)

• Diane Arbus Exhibiton @ Musee du Jeu de Paume

• Club Shelter @ Vandam 37 Vandam Street, best tea dance in NYC with legendary DJ"s Timmy Regisford and Junior Vasquez

• Maison Adam: Best Macarons and patisseries. 6 place Louis XIV St Jean de Luz

• Vodou Bar 95 Halsey St 11216 Brooklyn :Great music and people

Ciao Bella! Sarah Clark visits Rome for Glamour

Sarah worked on this story for Glamour Magazine for the August edition. After having recently visiting Rome myself, and being a  bit obsessed with it, I asked her about the shoot and thought we could put a few tips together of places to stay and go to…

Here’s what Sarah had to say:

“It was a 'Pre-Season' story, which basically means the collections that go into the stores after the Spring/Summer collections and before the Winter collections (sounds obvious now!).

Also known as the 'Fall' collections. They are often a taster of what you can expect from the designers for their main Winter collections. I noticed that there were a lot of great prints around, so that was my starting point for the story. I was particularly inspired by the Marni collection, and loved the way the prints were all mismatched and clashing. I wanted it to have a fun feel, but also still be ladylike (a slightly eccentric lady perhaps??). I also loved the hats and the socks and clompy wooden soled shoes. I loved it all!

My rail in the Glamour fashion cupboard looked a bit like a charity shop, but I knew (well, hoped anyway) that once the outfits were on the model and in situ in Rome, the clothes would really come to life. I loved the idea of shooting in Rome (the locations, the light, the mood...), but also liked the idea of shooting something more unexpected (i.e. not a 'Roman Holiday' story). I wanted it to feel like the model was a tourist on a quick tour of Rome, cramming in all the sights. 

It was the best trip ever! We had so much fun. Amazing team, amazing weather, amazing food!! One of my most memorable trips for Glamour and also my last, so great to end on a high. I will miss working with Pamela. She's incredible.”

See the full story here.

Rome Tips:

Stay: The Il Palazetto Hotel on the Spanish Steps. Owned by the Hassler – benefit from the Old School glamour of the Hassler yet staying in a boutique hotel. Perfect. 

See: As well as the many sights in Rome, if you are there before the 23^rd November, it’s worth checking out the Mario Testino Todo O Nada Exhibition – 54 amazing images beautifully presented. Great merchandise of posters, postcards, cards and books available. 

Drink: Bar Del Fico in Piazza Del Fico is a lovely little bar with good snacks. It was recommended by two separate and very different people. Perfect afternoon stop and quite lively at night with a cool crowd of young and old (playing chess outside), mismatched chairs and tables and kitsch bits and pieces. We found ourselves accidentally there a few times! Oops.

Eat: The Filippo La Mantia restaurant at the Hotel Majestic has fantastic food using no garlic, butter or onions. Gorgeous Art Deco setting and delicious. A real treat.