Well hello September. Whence did you spring? It feels like only yesterday that I was slipping on my flip flops with the quiet hope that the weather would hold out and I wouldn’t need to resort to socks for months.
Before I start with a slew of articles on making the most of a fading tan, quenching thirsty skin and smoothing frayed cuticles, I’m going to write a little homage to good make-up artists the world over. You see, I’ve been a little scathing in the past thanks to bad experiences. The first time I had my make-up done professionally was on one of those ‘photo shoot’ days that my friends and I were all tricked into during the early noughties. Our hair was teased into a matte mess somewhere at the nape of my neck and make-up applied with what might as well have been a trowel.
More recently, I stopped at a make-up counter post-facial/pre-dinner. I gave the make-up artist free reign, simply telling her I wanted to ‘look good.’ This was a mistake of epic proportions – in the wrong hands, a subjective instruction can be abused and I emerged with: powdered skin, no concealer on spots, enormous winged eyes without a hint of mascara and lips lined in a blood red liner and filled with a deep rose colour. I looked like the fourth member of TLC, minus the mocha skin. So violently opposed was I to entrusting my make-up with another ever again that I even did my own make-up (and that of my sister) on my wedding day.
This weekend, however, I had the privilege of having not one but two brilliant make-up artists make me up for my friend’s wedding and realised that in the right hands, it can be applied by another to look brilliant. Both Jessie Richardson (Lisa Eldridge’s first assistant) and Ashley Denny did stellar jobs of making up the bridal party with make-up that: glowed, lasted all day and enhanced features sufficiently for photos.
The crucial difference between one who applies make-up for a living and one who really understands it? In the words of Jessie: ‘being make-uppy’; a good make-up artist doesn’t simply shove the stuff on a face but instead looks at the bigger picture, understanding how make-up wears and how to play with texture and light to enhance or conceal features. Before Jessie even touched me she asked what I’d done to prep, whether my skin was dry or oily and how I usually wear my make-up. The resultant look was a collaborative process and at no point did I feel nervous that I’d emerge looking airbrushed and overdone a la Kim Kardashian (I fear this look so very deeply).
So, if you find yourself in the position of hiring someone for make-up my advice would be this; look at their make-up if they’re wearing any (as with hairdressers, this is as good an indication of skill as any), talk to them about their ideas (a make-up artist who really loves make-up will understand the many muddled languages we women employ to describe a look) and do a trial.
Onto the wedding day look itself. As the bride wore her hair down, we bridesmaids had ours pinned up by the Currancreatives team. Our dresses were blush pink floor-length numbers from Made to Measure, so most of us wore pearls to complement the colour. We all had our make-up done to perfect skin and enhance eyes, though the methods employed to do this varied across the board. Mine wore so well that twelve hours later the only touch up I needed to make was add a little liner to my waterline (I used Urban Decay 24-7 liner in Perversion) and unpin my hair to be party ready. The bride only had to update lipgloss throughout the evening. Quite a feat of make-up skills indeed.
Jessie Richardson at work on the bride.
My make-up on the way to the wedding
Essie Nail Polish in Spin the Bottle
Midway through having hair teased
Bridesmaid Sam’s up-do
My bridesmaid make-up plus a little eyeliner in the waterline
Jessie’s Kit (and some of the products I love in it) //
Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Pots, £24 here.
Chanel Les 4 Ombres, £40 here.
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliners, £18 here.
Tom Ford Eye Colour Quads, £63 here.
MAC Face & Body Foundation, £21.50 here.
Ashley’s Kit (and some of the products I love in it) //
Vichy Dermablend Foundation, £16.50 here.
Sunday Riley Liquid Light Foundation, £40 here.
Kevin Aucoin Essential Eyeshadow Palette, £46 here.
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage, £26.50 here.
Nars Lipgloss, £18.50 here.
