Professional Beauty Awards 2013

 

 

As you may have already seen on my Facebook or Twitter profiles, I was announced as a finalist for the Professional Beauty Awards Make-up Specialist of the year towards the end of 2013.

 

I have followed the awards for a few years now and on a whim, decided to apply on the last day of entry. To my delight, a few weeks later, it was announced that I had made the final and I was to travel down to London to compete!

 

The brief for this year was to complete a Spring/Summer 2013 trend look. A week of research, planning and designing later, I arrived at the location and met my model. My focus was on the 'Brights' trend as seen at Moschino, Michael Kors and Stella McCartney. I applied a bright, peacock-blue liner underneath the lash line for a pop of colour to the eyes and chose a matte, fuschia lip. I kept my models skin minimalistic with a fresh, velvet finish and a little contouring and sculpting. I spent the last 10 minutes of our allocated hour finalising the look with individual lashes, which in hindsight perhaps wasn't the best idea with shaking hands!

 

One of my Moodboards for Spring/Summer 2013

 

An interview with judges Daniel Sandler, Justine Westwood and Antonia Hawke followed the practical. These well-respected artists have been in the industry for many years and whilst at first very intimidating, they were very friendly and easy to talk to during the interview. It was a pleasure to discuss my career past, present and future with them.

 

I also thoroughly enjoyed meeting the fellow five contestants, all of whom were incredibly talented! The results are to be announced in February, so wish me luck!

 

 

What do you think of the Bright trend for Spring/Summer 2013?

 

 

 

 

Red Carpet Summer Trends

The beginning of June saw two of the biggest Red Carpet Events, the MTV Movie Awards and the CFDA Fashion Awards, showcasing the best of the seasons make-up and hair.  

The CFDA's are often referred to as "The Oscars of Fashion" with Designers, Models and A-Lister's alike pulling out all the stops for the occasion. The dress, hair and make-up are all heavily influenced by the latest trends from the catwalk.  The MTV Movie Awards bring a more casual, relaxed vibe to the red carpet, often with youthful, fun and fresh make-up.

Here's a rundown of four of the stand-out trends from the awards. The stars seem to have taken inspiration from the Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter 2012 Catwalks, among them the modern cat-eye and tangerine trend. It's good to see such a variety of experimental looks to inspire us this summer.

Trend 1 - The Modern Cat-Eye

Zoe Saldana offered a nod to this Autumn's graphic liner trend as seen at Lanvin. All the emphasis was on the eyes, leaving the lips nude and hair slicked-back.

Doutzen Kroes paired her cat-like liquid liner with gently swept-back hair. Get the look with MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack. Using a fine liner brush, sweep across the lash line from the inner to outer corners extending out into a winged shape.

Trend 2 - The Bright Lip

Emma Stone embraced summer with a pretty pink lip and liquid liner. Make-up artist Rachel Goodwin used Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous - a bright, coral-y pink.

Model Devon Aoki teamed her sultry cat's eye flick with a classic red lip. Get the look with Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Red Square. Her skin was kept fresh and natural allowing her beautiful freckles to show through.

Mandy Moore sported bubblegum pink lips and a high ponytail. The bright lip was balanced out with a flushed, rosy cheek and flawless porcelain skin.

Trend 3 - Full Lashes

Kate Bosworth drew attention to her extra-curly lashes by keeping her hair sleek and off her face. White eyeliner has been used on the waterline to make her eyes look even larger and brighter. Get the look with Shu Uemura Eye Light Pencil. The rest of her make-up was kept minimal, as seen on the catwalk at Calvin Klein, with just a hint of blush and rose-bud pink lips.

Lily Collins complemented her neat chignon with a classic smoky brown eye and groomed brow. Her long lashes were coated top and bottom with mascara allowing her big eyes to take centre stage.

Victoria's Secret Angel Candice Swanepoel paired her halo braid with pretty, radiant make-up. She kept it simple with a light, shimmer eyeshadow, fluttery lashes and a nude lip. Get the look with Eylure False Lashes.

Trend 4 - Tangerine

Dakota Fanning displayed a more wearable version of Givenchy's Autumn show look. Her orange eyeshadow has reflected the coloured accents in her Proenza Schouler dress. This shade really brings out her bright blue eyes and the lashings of black mascara add definition. Honey hued cheeks and lips finishes this look perfectly. Get the look with Illamasqua Eyeshadow in Vapour.

Leighton Meester has teamed a bold orange lip with striking black liner and peach cheeks. This shade looks fantastic with her new, lighter hair colour.

Model Karolina Kurkova's orange lip complimented her stunning graphic print dress. Her shimmery gold shadow and black mascara balance out the daring tangerine. Get the look with MAC Lipstick in Morange.

Image Source: Vogue.co.uk and Allure.com

Which red-carpet beauty do you think translated the summer make-up trends best?