Ruth Funnell - Glamour May 2011 Geri Halliwell

Ruth worked on this shoot with Geri Halliwell published in Glamour last month with Sarah Clark styling and Chris Craymer behind the camera.

The story was inspired by Bert Stern's Famour Last Sitting pictures of Marilyn Monroe'. To achieve this the lighting was slightly washed out and back lit, giving Geri a sexy playfulness like the original pics of Marilyn-which fitted the bikinis perfectly.






 The story showcases the bikinis Geri has designed for Next with a retro 50's / 60's feel to some of them, so Ruth wanted to give Geri's makeup a slightly more modern take of those iconic Monroe photos, but to give them a nod in that direction.

Ruth used a beautiful pale coral colour on Geri's toes- Essie 'Tart Deco' (also Ruth's personal current favourite at the moment).









Ruth said that Geri's skin is naturally glowy with freckles so she used Laura Mercier tinted 
moisturiser as a base. She then lined her eyes with Chanel black eyeliner and used Bobbi Brown pale white eyeshadow on lids followed by lashings of Givenchy mascara, and some M.A.C eyelashes for extra depth and length.

Ruth then used Bobbi Brown Calypso Coral pot and applied lightly and kept retro mat on lips and the apples of the cheeks, finished off with a touch of Guerlain Bronzer.

Ruth then used Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse available from Space NK (R.R.P. £33) for a lovely golden sheen on the body.

I would like to say a very special thank you to Cult Beauty for their help with this post.

Post by Eli Wakamatsu - Marie Claire UK June 2011 Tanzania

This was the second story I worked on from the Selous safari camp trip in Tanzania for British Marie Claire Magazine with the photographer Kim Myers Robertson and the stylist Sarah Christie.

In this story you will see more of the camp, with the beautiful model Gabriela having fun and relaxing in the safari all in the true Tanzanian heat of 47 degrees.

When we shoot in the location like this, we are usually up well before the sunrise to get the model ready to shoot when sun comes out.

One day, in the beautiful African dawn when I was busy working on Gabriela's make up, I sensed someone was watching us, and I turned to  the direction to found cutest giraffe butting her eyelashes staring at us only a couple of metres away !

 

This is how we had lunch in the safari !

For this story, I used these items on her skin.

For the glow and highlight I used the Dior Radiance Booster pen.

To keep skin texture as nude and erasing shine, I applied skin Dior Christal Nude over the foundation.

This product is a magical invention to keep skin looking shine free without layering more powder! And it's works wonders even in the African heat !

On her eyes, I used Dior summer look 2011 5-Colour Eyeshadow Rosy Tan and Rosy Nude.

I would like to finish this post with gorgeous Tanzanian sunrise.

Eli Wakamatsu - Marie Claire UK June 2011 'The New Shape of Denim'

Eli worked with the photographer Max Cardelli who captured these dynamic images by shooting model Georgina in 'mid-movement'.

Eli said, “I love this story which has feeling of speed and movement!”

She added that “The make up look for this wonderful denim story 'The New Shape Of Denim' was all about keeping Georgina 'pure'.”

Eli used Dior nude foundation for her skin to make a silky and porcelain texture. This foundation contains 40 percent water to keep skin moisturized and radiant… Perfect for the pure look.

Eyes were swept with shades of cool organic colours from the lids all the way to the eye brow (in 736 Sepia and 566 Brown Fever)

On the lips Eli used Dior addict lipstick (525 nude) applied after dabbing Georgina's naturally red lips with the same foundation to keep her make up tone all neutral.

By Eli Wakamatsu: My Favourite Sun Care Products

It's been lovely in London with beautiful sunny days working up to the royal wedding big weekend.

Being out and about more, I would like to share some of my favourite sun care products on the market today.

It has became so important for us to protect our skin from the sun's harmful effects and other environmental stresses, and I urge people to put these step into your skin care routine whether it's sunny or not as damage can be done even it's cloudy day.

Do not worry that you won’t tan with products with high SPF numbers, you will still get sun  through with it and still have the benefits of Vitamin D.

The key is to give your face a good protection - don't underestimate the power of sunshine!

To start every day, after good clean wash, I love this all in one, day care moisturiser from Sisley. The All Day All Year Essential day care acts “like a protective “bubble” against outside aggressions ' responsible for  skin ageing for 8 hours”.

Then, I recommend to use facial sunscreen such as Sisley Facial Sunscreen SPF 30 (for normal to dry skin)

Shu Uemura makes amazing UV armor sun protector for a complete guard. (all skin types)

Shu Uemura's UV under base mousse SPF30 PA+++ is great for normal to oily skin to protect and prep the skin.

Follow with your usual make up foundation or tinted moisturizer.

If your make-up starts to wear off with the warmer weather touch up with pressed powder with added SPF in it such as Laura Mercier’s mineral pressed powder with SPF 15.

 And finish with Natural Glow Sculpting Powder makeup SPF 10 by Dior.

By Eli Wakamatsu - Marie Claire France May 2011 - "Tres Chair"

As an international make up artist, I do travel often to other places. I am confident to say that getting the Eurostar from Kings Cross St Pancras station is one my favourite forms of travel!

I was really fortunate to be working at great studio near Kings Cross called Big Sky Studio on this particular day, and after a nice day work, simply popped to Kings Cross for a short journey to Paris to shoot this story with Thiemo Sander for French Marie Claire with fashion editor Mako Yamazaki. The shoot took place in a stylish and personal studio called the Upper East studio near Pere Lachaise Cemetry.

St Pancras station is filled with nice cafés and restaurants to relax in before departure with free wifi which I’m always delighted with.

When I go to Paris, I always like to go to a Japanese restaurant called Yen  (22, rue Saint-Benoît 75006, near Saint-Germain-des-Prés).

They serve most incredible Japanese food, specializing in fresh soba noodles served in a soup, which is delicious!

It is very popular restaurant and well known faces like Karl Lagerfeld and Catherine Deneuve are regulars there.

For the make-up for this shoot I used Givenchy Photo'perfexino Light, Givenchy Blush Gelee (Candide Pink) for the face.

On the eyes I used Miste Eyebrow No 1 Natural, Magic Khol No 1 Black, Prisme Yeux Mono No 1 Showy Black and Phenomenyes Mascara in black.
 
On the lips I used Rouge Interdit in Enchanting Beige and on the Nails Givenchy Vernis Please! (No 173 Candide Peach).

Maria Comparetto at the Givenchy Mascara Launch

Maria Comparetto attended the Givenchy launch to celebrate their new mascara, Démesure (which hits stores in July £22). They also launched their AW11 collection (which will hit stores late August, prices start at £13).

The setting was the very Grand ‘Quintessentially House’ Portland Place. There was a Champagne reception followed by a presentation by Nicolas Degennes, the Creative Director for Givenchy make up who came over from Paris to talk through the inspiration for the new mascara and also preview the AW11 collection. In a blackened room, he presented the new colours and textures.

Using a powder highlighter underneath the foundation Nicolas demonstrated how easy it is to use the AW11 palette to allow the glow to look more natural. Apparently this new product will be available in only two shades (light & dark) and does it all.

Nicolas then demonstrated with the use of just a pencil, this palette and the new mascara how easy it was to create a seductive look in a the matter of minutes.

Maria said that Nicolas approach is to break all the rules and use fewer products to keep things simple.

After Nicolas' presentation, journalists, publishers/editors and make up artists could experience the new mascara for themselves with the help of four make up artists including Kevin Fortune, Adam De Cruz, Lyz Marsden and Dani Guinsberg.

For Maria the most exciting of all the products was the Mascara with its new and innovative retractable wand. Maria thought that ‘The ribbed applicator seems thick and clunky at first with slight grooves at the end to brush through the lashes’. She said that the trick is to apply your mascara, and then twist the base of the wand. This exposes a super flexible brush which helps you work the product from roots to ends to separate the individual lashes.

Maria’s said, “The result is amazing. Any transfer of mascara onto the eye area can be easily blended as eye shadow to enhance the Smokey eye.” And added that “The mascara will be out soon and I can’t wait!”

According to Maria the one to watch also is the Golden stardust, “In a beautiful “old school” black perfume bottle. The dust is applied as if you were applying perfume to hair & skin, truly magical… The room fills with flecks of Gold”. Unfortunately we can’t see for ourselves what this looks like until nearer the time…

M∙A∙C Pigment Colour - A Versatile pot of Magic

One of the best and most versatile beauty buys I have made in the last (yikes) two decades has got to be the M∙A∙C Pigment Colour in ‘Frost’.

Twelve years ago a make-up artist recommended I make the purchase and I wondered what on earth I would do with it. Now I wonder what I would do with out it!

The official brief from M∙A∙C is that pigment is ‘a highly concentrated loose colour powder that contains ingredients to help it adhere to the skin’ and M∙A∙C claims that you can use it ‘to create a subtle wash of colour or an intense effect’. They also say that it ‘does not streak or cake, is easy to blend and long-lasting.’

Unlike a lot of press releases or product descriptions, this is actually 100% true (and more and I don’t even have the latest refined version)…

I (speaking as a non professional) have had the following uses of it and can make the following tried and tested claims:

1.    With a little bit of moisturiser to wake up the skin on the face and body (and no, you don’t end up looking like a Twilight vampire in the sun – but could do if you wanted to). A perfect primer.

2.    A little added to tinted moisturiser or foundation to make me look like I’ve had a few more hours sleep than I have.

3.    As a highlighter.

4.    As a full on fancy dress disco glitter silver eyeshadow.

5.    As a subtle addition to a daytime eyeshadow.

6.    A little more to change a daytime look for evening.

7.    To soften a smokey eye when I’ve overdone it.

8.    A teeny amount with a little lipsalve (over lipstick and not).

9.    On the shoulders and décolleté for a bit of party shimmer.

10.  VAT returns (obviously joking but I wouldn’t be surprised – it does everything else and will certainly make you feel nicer as you get it done)

To give a professional view, I asked Maria Comparetto for her comments and she said that “Pigments are the most versatile product on the market today…” She suggests choosing the 'correct mixing medium and create an array of effects from eyeliner with maximum lasting power to the most intense body paint' (as seen in the image). She added “For whatever occasion and effect there is a pigment for you even used straight from the pot. I  love M∙A∙C pigmets as they turn even the most inexperienced of makeup artists into a professional.”

Vanilla Pigment

It blends beautifully and it’s very easy to manage. However, my little pot of magic is coming to an end and unfortunately the exact shade I have doesn’t exist any more but apparently the closest is the Frozen White Pigment RRP: £15.50 (with blue duochrome) or the Vanilla Pigment with a pearlescent finish will be a good substitute. Price per wear it has been the best value I have ever spent on a product so I’m going to try both.

www.maccosmetics.co.uk