On Line: Aspire

You may remember a few weeks ago I wrote about Blaze mineral blusher from Earthnicity Minerals having used it on a shoot over the summer. Finally the images from the shoot are live and I can share a couple of them with you along with a brief run down of the make-up involved and a little about the day.

Top Five: Organic Grey Eyeshadow

I have a bit of a love affair with grey eyeshadow. I love the way it looks on the skin, it's personality and its enduring style but most of all I love its versatility. Yes it's only an eyeshadow but it is in a league of its own in my eyes.

Duped: Touché Éclat

Toućhe Éclait is allegedly the must-have pen of Make-up Artists and a cult product adored women everywhere. With one stick being sold every 10 seconds, it one of the worlds most in demand beauty products! If you believe the hype then this is the one beauty essential all women shouldn't be without...  

Online: Yumi Spring/Summer 2015

Back in December, whilst in the midst of working out what to buy people of christmas, I was worked on an E commerce shoot for fashion line Yumi, shooting the Spring/Summer 2015 collection - here is a little snippet of the make-up...

My Holiday Bag 2

I am on holiday!! I am on the beautiful, beautiful island of Sardinia, so you read this I am (with any luck) taking a relaxing stroll around the streets of the local town, exploring the beautiful Sardinian countryside or devouring exquisite local cuisine (I am a real foodie) in a little family run trattoria... *Sigh*...

As I am away, I thought I would share with you the contents of my make-up bag.

I have a tendency to pack light when I go away. I am not one for loads of make-up on a day to day basis anyhow and holidays are more often than not spent bare-faced and my focus is very much on skincare. That said this particular trip is very much a family one and the OMUA household are joined by my parents (AKA the babysitters) and that may (fingers crossed) mean that myself and Mr OMUA may just get a night out, so I am prepared for just such an eventuality...

Travel and sample sized products are a great way to keep help holiday luggage light and so I have raided my drawer of spare skin/hair/body care items for more portable alternatives to my full sized products - a great way to try out some products I have been holding off on too!!

So here we are...

Skincare

I've opted for a dual purpose cleanser/make-up remover with the Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm (and muslin cloth) to save space (leaving my much loved [and slightly less practically shaped bottle] Beyond Organic Radiance Cleanser at home). I love this as it makes my skin feel amazing after use and the small exfoliating particles don't make my skin feel over

My must-have facial oil of the moment is the Beyond Organic Rejuvinating Serum. I am slathering this on night and day and although it doesn't quite match up to the Age Defying Serum (which I am sure you are aware I utterly adore) in terms of it's age-reducing qualities, my skin is super happy with it - despite the fact it is designed for combination skins - mine is pretty dehydrated and sensitive with a tendency towards dryness.

I am topping off the serum with a sample pot of The Body Deli Creme De La Rose Regenerative Moisturiser - a sample I have just opened and am thoroughly enjoying using.

My eyes are being cared for with a tube of Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream. A lightweight triple action eye cream to help minimise fine lines and ward off any puffiness or dark shadows whilst I am away.

SPF protection comes in the form of Jason's Facial Sunscreen. Not the cleanest of all natural sunscreens but it is one that doesn't irritate my face as I find many natural and organic facial sun creams too thick and heavy and in turn this brings my face up in heat bumps - you can't win!!

Surprise surprise, I have included a tube of my beloved Hurraw! Lip Balm (I had to get one in somewhere ;). This one is Grapefruit. I plan on liberal lashings on the plane to help combat dehydrated lips.

Weleda Sea Buckthorn Body Oil (this will obviously be decanted into a smaller, plastic bottle to save space/weight) will be covering my body on a daily basis. I am a complete convert to body oils and the Weleda ones are fabulous! I have just finished working my way through a fifth bottle of citrus and thought I should probably try another one - this I purchased at Weleda HQ last year during my trip to the gardens.

Make-up

I don't plan on wearing make-up everyday but it may be called for on occasion so I have packed a few basics...

My go-to base for easy application and minimal fuss is Madara Moonflower Tinting Fluid. I mix in a little facial sunscreen or apply over the top to protect my face.

Couleur Carmel Concealer will hid any dark shadows or blemishes which may occur during the holiday. Although the colour spectrum isn't that great, this is a lovely concealer that is easy to build up where necessary.

As much as I wanted to take a couple of Kjaer Weis shadow compacts, practical thinking came into play so instead I have packed Lavera Eyeshadow Quad in Purple Fantasy. Lightweight and perfect for mixing and matching to create anything from a smokey eye to a nude wash of colour. I have also packed an Lavera Eyeliner Pencil (although it seems to be camera shy in the image above).

Lashes will be coated with Jane Iredale Lash Extender and Conditioner (a product I can no longer live without) and then covered with a couple of coats of the last of my Neal's Yard Remedies Lengthening Mascara.

Finally, my lips have the treat of my new best friend Rhubarb from Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil. This is such a versatile colour and it looks great for day and evening wear. Either apply directly from the crayon for full impact or dot a little on your finger for a lower-key look.

And thats it.

If you want to keep up with my adventures on this stunning island, I will endeavour to update my (non Organic Make-up Artist) Instagram account, so check it out :)

Main Image: Natasha Mileshina via Flickr

Body Images: Laura Jane Sessions - Organic Make-up Artist

From The Vault: The Kiss

This months trip down memory lane takes us back to Valentine's day 2013 and five steps to getting your lips in tip, top kissable condition for the most romantic day of the year...

Top Five: Essentials for Natural Looking Eyebrows

I am a big fan of a natural looking eyebrow. I love a full brow that hasn't had too much tinkering and that comes across in many of my make-ups. Eyebrows frame your face. They strengthen, balance and define. They add character. They can also take years off you! A good set of brows can really help carry the rest of your look. Look at rugby players - they often spend their playing years (and more often than not, afterwards) eyebrow-less. Odd.

Couleur Caramel Smoothing Velvet Primer

When it comes to male grooming for broadcast one product that I use almost without fail is a mattifying cream of gel. Whether it's used it on it's own with a little concealer or under a fuller make-up a mattifier is an essential part of a grooming kit and it took me quite a while to find one that I felt was comparable to products I was using in my pre-eco days (my weapons of choice for such a make-up was usually Supermatte Antishine by Make-up International).

Make-up: Luva Huva Autumn/Winter Collection 2014

A few weeks back I shared a couple of images from a shoot I worked on over the summer. Midnight Garden is the new Autumn/Winter 2014 collection from ethical lingerie line Luva Huva; a sumptuous yet sexy range of handmade underwear produced using ethically sourced and sustainable fabrics such as organic cotton, bamboo and soy. 

New Additions - Autumn 2014

It's been a busy couple of months so I have been doing quite a bit of replenishing of my kit. Some of the bits and pieces I picked up were to restock old favourites, whilst others were complexity new additions. It's been a while since I shared the new additions to my kit, so here we are... (Apologies in advance for the different settings in the photos)

Top Five: 60's Inspired Nude Lip

Many of the big Autum/Winter 2014 shows looked to the 1960's for inspiration. The catwalks of Oscar de la Renta, Mochino and Yves Saint Laurent were all rocking a retro vibe reminiscent of Marianne Faithfull or Britt Eckland.

Love: Couleur Caramel Autumn/Winter 2014 Collection

Tonight I Love You is the beautiful new Autumn/Winter collection for 2014 from the french organic make-up line Couleur Caramel. I recently purchased the majority of the range (I didn't set out too; it just happened) and have completely fallen in love with it!

Top Five: Organic Liquid Eyeliner - Black

With the sunny days dwindling quicker than you can say raincoat, I have decided to cover a product that is a fantastic cross over from this years summer trends to the gems that this Autumn/Winter season has to offer...

From The Vault: Elysambre Lipstick

One of the favourite aspects of my kit is my lipstick collection. Once a bag full of unidentifiable bullets and pots, more recently I have de-bullet-ed, depotted and decanted into clear palettes to make specific lipstick spotting a little easier when I'm on at work. All of the palettes are clearly labelled with each the name and brand so when I run out, I know what to replace. Simples.

Top Five: Organic Bronzing Powders

Although it seems to be a little intermittent at the moment, believe it or not Summer really is here and with it the eternal trend for glowing, sunkissed skin.

Top Five: Blue Eyeshadow

For many blue eyeshadow reeks of the 1980's, of first forays into make-up and of ancient Yardley wearing relatives. Blue has hardly had the best of track records when it comes to adorning the lids so I can understand if you are a little dubious when I say that blue is back...

Education, Education

Make-up is ever evolving and I am a big believer in the old adage you never stop learning. I am always looking to update existing skills, learn new techniques and find out more about products and brands. This week I had an education double bubble and took part in two training sessions - on the same day!