Becca Beach Tint

Last week I posted about Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector which I picked up at my local Space NK, and truth be told, true to form I didn't buy just the one item. I also treated myself to Becca's Beach Tint in Guava. This may be a strange item to purchase in February in London where there is absolutely no chance of me seeing a beach but anyhoo .....

Beach Tint is a water-resistant blush and it comes in 8 glorious shades, each one as lovely as the next one. Choosing one colour was difficult, each shade is named after a fruit and even smells like its namesake. I came home with Guava which is a bright pink shade which blends out to give the cheeks a very natural flush. I have been known to hit the blush a little hard so being quite a sheer tint, this is a good product for someone like me.

I was a little shocked at the teeny tiny size of the tube once I got it out of the box (7ml), but as you only need a small amount I think this will last me a decent amount of time.Texture-wise, the closest product I can compare it to is the Pixi Sheer Cheek Gels (which you can read about here).  I love the fact that these are oil-free, streak free and water proof making them ideal for warm climates, it is just a shame I no longer live in one!  The price is £20.00 / $42.00.

After not being around for a while, Becca has been relaunched recently at Space NK (UK) and David Jones stores (Aus). They also have a good online store which you can see here, as well as some of the most beautiful advertising campaigns I have ever seen .... sigh.

NY Fashion Week Fall 2014 Inspiration

By the time you read this, I will be backstage at London Fashion Week assisting Dani Guinsberg at the Hemyca show (starts to hyperventilate whilst typing ...), so I thought it was timely to show you some of my favourite makeup looks from last week's NYFW.

Beautiful glitter eyes by Tom Pecheux at Altuzarra

Gunmetal cream shadow by Charlotte Tilbury at Donna Karan

Winged eye-liner with a twist at Rag and Bone by Gucci Westman

Glitter lips and heavy brown eyes at Rodarte by James Kaliardos

Shoreditch Test Shoot

Last week I did a really fun test shoot in Shoreditch with the photographer Abigail Lewis-Savage (who's portfolio you can view here) and the lovely model Hollie Nwofor. There are so many interesting walls to shoot against in Shoreditch and I think we got some really creative images.

Luxe versus Less, Illuminators. Becca versus Revlon

I recently invested in a product I had wanted for absolutely ages - the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal, only to get it home and realise it is rather similar to the Revlon Photoready Skin Lights in Bare Light. Something happens to me in Space NK. I go into a vortex and my eyes glaze over. I can't remember what I already have or what I really need and end up spending way more than I meant to. For this reason, I don't venture in there often as I just can't be trusted.

Obviously I had to do a comparison. First off the Becca version is much creamier than the Revlon which is much more liquid. I find the creamier texture easier to blend and you can get the product exactly where you want it without over doing it. If you are planning to mix it with your foundation then I find the Revlon one easier to mix and a little lighter to wear over the entire face. 

As you would expect, the Becca packaging is much more luxe however I do get annoyed with these pumps as they also dispense way more product than you need. Even though the Revlon is runnier in consistency, is is much easier to get the amount you want out of the tube so you don't end up wasting it.

As you can see from the swatches, once blended into my hand they are almost identical. Becca's version does come with the addition of being SPF 20+ which is a bonus if you live somewhere where the sun actually shines. Obviously in London this is not really necessary.

Top: Revlon in Bare Light, Bottom: Becca in Opal

Partially blended ....

Fully blended and you can't really tell which is which ....

The Becca comes in 4 shades, and it is £33.00 / $66.00 for 50ml. The Revlon also comes in 4 shades and it is £11.99 / $29.95  for 30ml. While I love the Becca brand, the packaging and the whole philosophy behind the makeup, I just can't ignore how good these Revlon illuminators are ... and at almost half the price I think I will always have them in my kit and perhaps keep the Becca for personal use for those days when i'm feeling expensive!

Revlon Colour Burst Matte & Laquer Balms

Welcome to Revlon Kissable Balm Stains version 2.0. Regular readers of my blog will already know how much I love the originals. The colours Honey and Crush are my particular favourites. Suffering from constant dry lips, I have never been a huge fan of matte lip products but in the spirit of keeping with the times (and the fact that my lips are now in good shape thanks to my By Terry Baume de Rose), I wanted to give them a try.

The Boots 3 for 2 deal gets me every time ....

I went for the colours Elusive, a soft pink and Striking which is an orange-based red. Of the two, I actually prefer Striking as it works well to give a bit of a kick to my usual Winter uniform of black and grey clothing. Elusive will come into it's own in Spring I think.

Top: Striking,  Bottom: Elusive

They all have the zingy mint feel that the original balm stains have. It reminds me of Blistex. 

Boots released these with a 3 for 2 deal so I also purchased the Laquer Balm in the colour Demure. I don't need this but it was basically free. Enough said. The colour of the Laquer Balms is very sheer and better suited to the warmer months for me. 

I don't feel that they have the same staying power of the Kissable Balm Stains which is a shame. If you like drawing your lipstick on using a crayon format, then you will enjoy using these. Priced at only £7.99 here they are a good budget alternative to other products out there but I must say that I do prefer the formula of the Kissable Balm Stains over the Matte and Lacquer versions.

Making it in Makeup at The Session School

Recently I attended a super-useful workshop at The Session School called Making it in Makeup. It is aimed at people just like me, who have done the makeup training and now need to launch their careers. This can be a really daunting thing, and even more so if you have moved countries and left behind all your old contacts like I have.

Firstly, the vibe of The Session School and everyone who trains there is just so relaxed and welcoming. I was rather looking forward to the day and to the chance of catching up with Dani Guinsberg (founder), Karena Callen and Amanda Bell. 

Some of my recent work after graduating from The Session School

Karena took the morning session where we covered all aspects of social media and how to get yourself set up professionally on all these platforms. We were given tips on how best to use Twitter, how to set up a Facebook business page and tips on writing blogs (which I hope you will agree I have been using successfully!). I feel fairly confident on the social media end of things, but one of the main benefits I got from the morning session was how to approach agencies, beauty companies and magazines for work. 

In the afternoon Amanda took us through the business end of things, including tax, national insurance, how to invoice and expenses. I really needed this. I barely have my head around the Australian tax system, so to be embarking on freelance work in the UK is tough. 

Some more recent work

Since the workshop I have been slowly adapting the things I learnt in the way I look for work. I am now keeping a close eye on my out-goings and feel like i'm starting 2014 off on a very organised and methodical footing. If you are a recently graduated MUA looking for some business nous then this workshop is just what you need. You can contact The Session School here.