If I was to create a makeup line, I would need to look no further than my front windows for inspiration.  I live in a beautiful part of North Wales, in a small village called Bodelwyddan (pronounced bod ell with in).  We’re surrounded by green fields and farmland, with views of the Clwydian Mountain range in one direction and the often snow-capped peaks of Snowdon in the other.

At 10pm at night, I watch trails of cars drive down the main road as workers leave the Hotpoint factory that sits on the outskirts of the village, next to the Carlsberg Depot, who’s trucks rumble up and down the road day and night.

From my bedroom window, I can see the ornate church built by Mrs Willoughby De Brook in 1860, in memorium of her late husband.  The bells ring every Tuesday night, prompting me to remember my own wedding day there.  The bell tower steps lead from the back of the church where there is a baptismal font that has life-size sculptures of Mrs De Brook’s nieces who drowned after they fell through ice whilst skating with their nanny.  Their father committed suicide and the lecturn at the front of the church, beautifully sculpted with angels wings, was created in his memory. 

In the grounds of the church are hundreds of military headstones in memory of Canadian soldiers who died here in Wales, in the First World War.

 In the other direction, I can see the De Brook family castle, now a Warner’s Hotel, but had been previously commandeered during the war and used as a recuperation hospital for soldiers, many of whom lost their limbs and often their lives.

During the second world war, an estate of houses, Coronation Close was built at one end of this picturesque village, exclusively for use by Army personnel, many of whom either still live in them now, or their widows do.

In 2006, Bodelwyddan, having already witnessed great personal tragedy, was rocked to its core.

On November 5^th, 2006, 5 year old Caitlin and 3 year old Aidan were smothered to death by their father and their bodies dumped in their bath. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/6162349.stm) 

Their home was in Coronation Close.  3 year old Aidan had been a classmate of my eldest son.

So if I was to use my village as inspiration for a makeup line, do I use the rolling hills and the sound of the church bells, or do I make reference to the heavy industry that blots the landscape?

Or should I use the deaths of the anonymous Canadian soldiers from WWI or the more recent murders of 2 beautiful children?

While I don’t know Sarah, the children’s mother, I do see her and her own mother in the village from time to time, but I cannot imagine a time when it would be acceptable to say “I’ve created a makeup line and decided to name a lipstick ‘Caitlin’ and a nail polish ‘Smother’”  Its too sick to even contemplate.

 Slightly less sickening, and more understandable would be something along the lines of “I’ve created a makeup line, inspired by Bodelwyddan, and rather than allow your children’s memories fade into notoriety, I want to celebrate their lives, and would like the key products to bear their names.  This particular lipstick I’d like to call Caitlin is a colour I like to think she may have chosen to wear”

I really hope that this was the thinking behind MAC’s collaboration with Rodarte, who’s Fall line is inspired by the Mexican town Juarez where the visual imagery of women trudging to either work or death seemed like a good idea.

Thousands of women are raped, murdered and missing, and they are collectively referred to as the Dead Women of Juarez.  Because I am not a political journalist, rather than make errors, or report incorrectly, I suggest the following as places to read in order to understand further why this collection by MAC and Rodarte has caused such controversy and outrage -

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/08/03-8

http://colorlines.com/archives/2010/07/rodartes_unfortunate_line_of_juarez-inspired_cosmetics.html

http://www.now.org/issues/global/juarez/femicide.html

Or you could rent a copy of BorderTown, the movie starring Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas which is based on the murders and atrocities in Juarez.  There’s a phenomenal amount of information out there, just google one word and your computer will overflow with heartbreaking images and text on the situation there.

Much like Bodelwyddan, my sleepy little village in North Wales, Juarez appears outwardly to be peaceful and beautiful, but there is a history of murder and tragedy, a history that is made and repeated on a near daily basis.

On a slightly more personal note, though I have used my village as an example, I can’t imagine a time where I would ever use a murdered person as a marketing tool, or as a name for a makeup product.  I have inner conflicting issues with Illamasqua’s Sophie pencil.  I think I’d prefer something louder and prouder to honour me, though I understand why they’ve added a signature piece to their campaign, and love what they are doing with it.

Of course one does wonder what was happening in the meetings at MAC when they chose to name a product Ghost Town. 

I live in hope that it was a group of creatives who didn’t know the back story and were handed a set of images and told to ‘say the first thing that comes into your heads’. 

If that is the case, there may yet be a Phoenix that rises from these ashes, if it’s not, then it will be a controversy too far. 

Many will remember the Anti MAC campaigns of 2005/06, when a handful of freelance makeup artists were booked for a fashion show, only to be bumped off when MAC offered to sponsor it, providing their own artists.  Within days, the stories (and Chinese whispers) had whizzed around the globe, with freelance artists actually putting Anti MAC logos on their websites.

In fact, it was a hotly discussed and debated topic on MAF right in the middle of it, however, it was in our private area on the original forum, so I can’t reference it, it’s gone into the cyber ether.

However, there were many artists, worldwide, who were very vocal about their Boycott of MAC, but after the storm passed, they quietly removed the logos, and drifted back to the MAC counters.

 Will this be the same?  What’s different now though is that bloggers and youtubers are much more part of the makeup inner world than it was 5 or 6 years ago, and within minutes of the rumblings of this ‘story’, blog posts and videos were being posted up with the authors telling of their feelings.

 Many bloggers and youtubers are saying that the collection should be removed, or all of the proceeds to go to these women, whereas others are saying that the awareness that this has created is the silver lining.

 I can’t see that MAC will remove the collection, as the saying goes, no publicity is bad publicity, and even if they did, all they would do is rename and re label the products, so it would be a pointless exercise, the original intent would remain.  But equally, should they be forced to remove a collection, or even to explain themselves?  We’ve all at some point in time had issue with someone and said ‘I shouldn’t have to explain myself to you’ and perhaps MAC will say the same.  

Whatever the right or wrong of this is, is really down to each individual, and should that individual choose to boycott this collection, will they do an out and out boycott of MAC altogether?  In the online beauty world, the likes of Temptalia and Specktra’s successes have been born out of a devotion to MAC, and in fact Lauren Luke, the UK’s most famous online makeup export also started on the road to fame using almost exclusively MAC products.  I wonder what their opinions may be. *At the time of writing, I have asked all 3 for a quote, and at this time, none has been forthcoming.

MAF though, has joined forces with a group of British Bloggers to get this as widely distributed as possible.  MAF has a readership of 1 million a month, most of whom are neither bloggers or readers of bloggers, so I urge you readers in particular to please put forward your thoughts in the section below, but to also read the following blogs.

http://www.ladyofthelane.com/ who hopes that this will raise awareness of the plight

http://www.mizzworthy.com/ who doesn’t intend to buy from the collection, and feels that the apologies made so far, are only papering over the cracks

www.BritishBeautyBlogger.comwho is of the opinion that MAC and Estee Lauder didn’t do even basic research into the women of Juarez

http://www.beautymouth.com/ Caroline explains the process and length of time that goes into creating a makeup line, and questions how many might have been privvy to the pending collection before it got to the stage its at now.

www.getlippie.com who asks not specifically for a boycott, but for MAC to redress the situation and to clarify their new statement where they say they will donate a portion of the proceeds to the causes out in Mexico

http://www.londonmakeupgirl.com/ says “‘MAC may claim that this collection is highlighting the situation in Juarez, but a collection based around ghostly pale faces and darkened eyes does not seem to me to be a particularly sensitive way of bringing attention to the troubles there”

And for any bloggers out there who wish to have their voices heard beyond the usual blog circles, you are most welcome to add your links and comments below also, in fact, they would be welcomed.

At the time of writing, I and other industry personnel are collating our resources and industry contacts, and are preparing them for the mass publishing of this and similar articles.

Further suggested reading:

http://www.bangsandabun.com/   

http://big-fashionista.blogspot.com/

http://www.vexinthecity.com/

http://www.sofarsochic.co.uk/

http://www.lesalondebeaute.com/

http://www.londonbeautyqueen.blogspot.com/

http://www.kraseybeauty.com/

http://www.makeuploveer.blogspot.com/

http://www.the6inchstilettos.blogspot.com/

http://www.sparklesandbows.blogspot.com/

http://www.healingbeauty.co.uk/

http://www.reallyree.blogspot.com/

http://www.just-nice-things.co.uk/

With the ever increasing rise in numbers of Beauty Blogs, and the continually increasing awareness of Beauty PRs to this new type of media and ‘advertising’ by offering free products for Bloggers to review, it was bound to happen at some time, that some bad apples were going to start rotting the whole bowl.

I’m talking freebies.

Bloggers, like printed press journalists, are now being invited to their own special launch events, taking home goodie bags stuffed full of products, and many are receiving free products through the post in exchange for reviews.  Nothing wrong with that at all.  Its the way things are changing and moving.  Everyone has to move with the times.

But while this is fast approaching the norm, there are some who are seeing their freebies as a way to make a quick quid or three by selling on those products on internet auction sites, sales on their own blogs, putting them onto swap sites, basically anywhere they can sell them.

But I’m not the only person to have spotted this, British Beauty Blogger a respected blogger and beauty writer, wrote a blog post yesterday on this very topic.

It’s definitely worth a read, not just for her insight and heartache at how just a few are spoiling the fun for everyone else, but also for the comments responding to it.  Many are disgusted by the practice, though there are one or two who have got defensive.  Questionable perhaps?

British Beauty Blogger, and other insider bloggers, are working exceptionally hard to get blogging recognised, and contrary to popular belief that I’m anti blogs, I’m not.  I think there is a perfect place for them.  Or rather those that are well written, show a clear passion for their blog and its content, and keep their integrity intact.  It must be incredibly frustrating for those who are swimming against the tide to get blogs recognised to constantly hear of things such as this.  It makes their job doubly hard.

In the last 10 days or so, I’ve heard of at least 6 ocassions of bloggers being ‘caught’ selling sample goods that were given in good faith, and I’ve been working away for 5 of those days!  One forward thinking PR manager makes it her business to investigate every blogger who requests samples from her firm, to the point of becoming a Facebook or Twitter fan, and as a result has caught quite a few in the act of selling free goods.  On one ocassion, she trusted and respected a particular blogger, sent out some products, having been promised a review, and only days later saw this same blogger mentioning her For Sale items on her Twitter account, which included those free samples that had arrived in the post probably only a day or two before!

Another PR told me of many ocassions where bloggers sell many many items then bemoan the fact that they don’t have any cash to send the items through the post!

Where does it end?

But what about the new companies out there who have a tiny advertising budget and are watching their hard work get sold off on eBay, or for that matter, what about the large international firms, who’s beauty PR takes the time to get to know a blogger and trusts her with a prelaunched product, only for it to end up on eBay 2 months before it’s launched on the market?  I don’t suppose it matters how large or small the company is, its still a bit of a kick in the teeth to see a product sold off on eBay when it could have been given to someone else who’d genuinely love to try it, use it, and declare it their new best friend!

Yet another company won’t give anything to bloggers anymore because they’re sick of seeing their newly launched goods on ebay, and another has said that this is almost ‘of epidemic proportions’.

I recently read on a website of a US mineral makeup company, the following statement;

“Requests for free products will be ignored and deleted. ***** never sends free products in exchange for advertising or reviews. Sometimes actual customers receive free products, but they are gifts, we never expect any promotion. Despite that message being here, we still get numerous freebie requests each week through this form. Odd. ”

I’m not certain that’s the right way to go about public relations, but clearly they’re also sick of the blagging/blogging outbreak!

Of course, these really are only a handful of bloggers, for now.  I’m sure there are many more to come who think this ‘blogging lark’ (to use one of BBB’s quotes) is an easy way to make some extra cash.  There are many bloggers who clearly don’t sell their stuff, you can see it when they post up pictures of themselves with a face of makeup on!  Got to try it somehow!  There are those who’ve worked so so hard to get their good reputations and high follower count, that why on earth would they want to ruin it all for a £2 sale price on a limited edition lipstick?

And again, reading BBB’s comments section, there are some highly respected bloggers who are so outraged by it, that it probably hadn’t even ocurred to them to sell products!  Now that’s a true beauty junkie.  I’m also sure, that if every Beauty PR was to stop sending products out to bloggers, then the cream would rise to the top, because for those bloggers, getting the free products is a bonus, they’d be writing it anyway, and would continue to, as they all say “they’re passionate about it”.

But of course, it doesn’t sit exclusively at the door of the Blogger, there are printed journalists who have been caught doing the same, and it would appear that many of them are selling their wares at Carboot sales.  I know, I’ve seen many of them.

So is it just a few bad apples that will die off soon, or will the quick-buck-crowd drown out the rest, and spoil it for everyone?

Oh, and for the record, I don’t test everything that gets sent to MAF myself, I have a wonderful group of girls (and the ocassional chap!) on the forum who very willingly test products for me, and they give honest and impartial reviews!  They have 2 sections, one for when I’m requesting Product Testers, and one for when they want to put in their Product Reviews… 

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

At the risk of sounding boring while I bang on about bronzers all summer as I meet and fall in love on a daily basis, I’ve decided that rather than cover MAF’s front page in articles about them, I’ll collate some of my favourites and put them all here for easy review!

I’ve already enthused about Clinique’s and Estee Lauder’s bronzers, both of which I’ve been using for a number of yeras, but the following have all passed by the MAF offices, one way or another, over the last few weeks.

Barbara Bort Summer Fever Tanning Earth.

An enormous palette, larger than the palm of my hand, this is not dissimilar to MAC’s mineralise skin finishes. It’s a feverish swirl of coppers, browns, coffees and chocolates with a light swirl of shimmer. Most definitely a product for use on face and body, and it doesn’t rub off on clothes!

Boots No7 Sculpting Bronzer

This years limited edition colour, you’d be forgiven for taking a glance and thinking it too pale to be a bronzer. Please stop and look again, it’s a sculpting bronzer – perfect for etching in some highs and lows to the natural contours of your face.

Urban Decay Baked Bronzer.

Please apply sparingly! Don’t do what I did on first outing of this… I splooshed it on, as I would any other bronzer, but whoops, far too dark! It wasn’t orange, but way too dark, I would have fitted right in with the kids outside my local corner shop. On the upside, with a lighter hand, this gives a gorgeous halo-like glow to your face, a warmth that you can only get after a day catching a few rays. Applied sparingly, its definitely a warming colour that I’d recommend. Just do what I didn’t do, and read the suggested ways of applying that Urban Decay carefully put on the back of the pan…

Lancome Tropiques Minerales

Have you checked this out yet? At first look, it looks like 5 toning shades of blush and bronze, but did you spot those golden dividing lines? Have a look at the picture again. Very clever Lancome! Sneaky way of getting the shimmer-shy to try it out, but I’m fairly certain they’d be converts.

NYC Mineral Bronzer.

Like the Urban Decay baked bronzer, you can tend to overdo the tan, and because its in the barrel-and-brush packaging, there doesn’t seem to be much you can do about this, but if you have a spare brush, dust off the excess until you’re used to how much it dispenses.

Ruby and Millie Cheek Glow

Creamy and dreamy, these are quite sheer bronzers that add more shimmer and shine than colour, but that’s perfect for paler ladies. Who wants an over bronzed face and a pale white body? And despite these being creamy, they last incredibly well, around 12 hours both in and out doors!

Barbara Bort Hypnotic Bronzer

Bronzing balls with modern technology! Bronzer, Highlighter and blush in triangular wedges. Pick out individual colours, or swoosh a brush through them all. Either way is gorgeous!

Smashbox Fusion Softlights

I can’t tell you how many years I’ve been using Smashbox Fusion softlights. 6, maybe 7 years? A bit like Barbara Bort’s above, they are highlighters, blushers and bronzers all in one, but their added bonus is the almost invisible hint of shimmer. Why is that a bonus you ask? Well it adds a 3D element to a face in photographs. Not flat blocks of cheek colour, but a face of depth and warmth that comes off the page.

Rituals Natural Bronzing Powder

As with all of Ritual’s products, this too has gemstones in it. Amethyst in this case. It adds a blurred edge to your face, in a good way of course! Sort of diffusing how your face appears, less angular, softer, yet with a fresh edge to it!

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

If there’s anyone who’s going to take a seasonal trend of colours, and make it literal, it’s going to be www.findmeagift.com who do it.

They’ve taken Ice Cream back to child-like fun! 

6 Ice Cream flavoured/scented lipbalms in Strawberry, Tutti Frutti, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Cookies ‘n Cream, Bubble Gum and Mint Choc Chip!  These mini pots of balm look like miniature tubs of Ben ‘n Jerry’s ice cream.

They even have the words ‘everyone loves ice cream’ on the side, and they’re right!

But taking it a step further, they have a sweet pops trio of lipglosses in Ice Lolly packaging on keyrings!  How much fun?

Flavoured Lemon, Orange and Strawberry, they suggest mixing them together to create your own flavours, a la Jelly Belly jelly beans – Orange and Lemon for citrus tart or Strawberry and Orange for sweet sorbet, or go for the other option of Lime, Fudge and Berry!

Sam Donald.

www.SamDonald.com

Have you heard of Rituals?  No?  Then why not?!

This very clever and most innovative of companies takes mineral makeup to the next lever.

It is a gentle formula opf minerals, without perfume and parabens, but with gemstones.  Yes, you read that correctly, gemstones!

I’ve previously mentioned an eyeshadow with sapphire in it, and this particular palette is enriched with amethyst.

But is there a point to it, or is it just a way of diversifying away from every other joe bloggs mineral brand that’s currently flooding the market?

I’d say that yes, it is a clever spin, but it’s not pointless, far from it.  I’m not convinced that my eyes have become firmer as Rituals claim, however I don’t really mind that, what I do agree with though, and love, is that the reflection in the mirror is like a soft focus photo.  It most definitely is a very useful product for face and cheeks, and visibly blurs the image in front of you.

This particular palette is a very pretty collection of pinks, chocolates, lattes and creams.  They all have shimmer, so its a ‘use sparingly’ on the face, and ‘buff well’ to avoid the over shine, but on the eyes, it takes on a whole new identity; layered, buffed on, contoured, you name it.

Very pretty indeed!

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

Floaty Fabrics, lightweight maxi dresses, your hair pulled back with a chiffon scarf, and a pair of oversized sunglasses protecting your eyes. But in these glorious summer days, what’s going on behind those oversized Chanels?

You can bet it’s not a full on smokey eyes look with heavy black liner and mascara. This year, its all about the pastels. Soft baby pink with a light layer of mascara, a slick of blue liner contradicting another slick of liner, this time in lime green… Or maybe its a soft lilac and pink combination with a wash of sparkle, or a striking pastel rainbow of pink, lemon and mint?

Here are some of the best colours currently on the market.

Ruby and Millie Eye Colour in Yellow. Not egg yolk yellow, but a creamy Cornish Vanilla ice cream yellow. Lay it on strong with black liner, or soft with brown mascara.

Estee Lauder new shadows in Enchanted Forest, Lilac Whimsy and Ivy Envy. Soft soft soft! So easily blendable, these new shades and formulations from Tom Pecheux are screaming “summer days, Pimms in the evening and long long walks in the country”

Rimmel Glam Eyes Mono Shadow in Precious Rose. This has the softest sheen that I’ve seen in an eyeshadow, in a long time. Almost invisible at first glance, this has a shimmer that really only shows in sunlight. Perfect!

Clinique Colour Surge eyeshadow quad in Polar Blue. Creamy, dreamy and so very pretty. Classic quality and longevity from this classic brand. Timeless elegance.

Lancome Color Design shadows in Darling Pink and Cupid Blue, plus Ombre Absolu in Un Taxi Mauve. Hot pink or not? Both! Lay the pink down wet for a high impact strawberry ice cream pink, or wash it on dry for a very pretty look.

Rituals eyeshadow singles in AmberGold, Rose Romance and Jade Delight. Silk and smooth, these are enriched with natural sapphires. So so soft on the skin, yet the gemstones included give such an intensity of colour, you won’t be able to stop at just one shadow, you’ll have to go back for more!

Illamasaqua pure pigments in Conquer, Lust and Furore. High shine metallic powders from this ego altering company takes eyeshadow to a whole new level, and because Illamasqua’s products are designed for use anywhere, add a dash of this to another product and start making your own colours up.

Boots 17 eyeshadow trio from the Candy Collection, in Dolly Mixture. 3 candy coloured shadows in yellow, pink and blue. Not the longest lasting eyeshadows around, but for less than £5, you can have a perfect look that’s right on trend with the season, but without busting the budget!

Tesco All About Face eyeshadow singles in Heather, Meadow and Light Pink. Very sheer colours, okay, so they won’t last all day on their own, but applied directly over a neutral cream shadow or base, and you can be summer stylish for mere pence, and trust me, it lasts a lot longer than some other low priced brands!

Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!

On a technicality, these at first glance, don’t look like they fit into my summery ice cream colours category, but afte the first brush stroke through them, they most definitely do!

4 shades of gold, green, lilac and blue, they positively ooze sparkle and shimmer.

They are another of Barbara Bort’s clever glimmered eyeshadows, I already adore their Starlight Glittering eyeshadows, as they’re all about the sparkle, and no issue with fallout, and these are pretty much the same.

Okay, so there’s a little fallout when you use these on yourself, however, using them in a professional capacity on clients, and the fallout seems minimal…?!

The softness of the colours mean that they are beautiful on their own, with a lick of toning eyeliner and some mascara – instant beach glamour, however they sit equally well with matte shadows as a pop of colour.

These are most definitely a recommended buy, for both kit and personal use.

Love it, love them, love that summer sparkle!

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

If someone had told me 12 months ago (maybe even 2 months ago actually), that I would be singing the praises of a Tinted Moisturiser, I’d have told them to stop lying to me!

I’ve never ‘got’ the concept of tinted moisturiser.  To me, a moisturiser is a treatment product that is absorbed into your skin to balance it out.  A colour product adds colour to sit on top of your skin.  It seemed so very alien to want to put a coloured product onto your skin, that would then sink in, taking that colour with it.  Yuckiboo!

However, in the name of research, I am prepared to try most things out.  They get trialled on my own skin first, then taken out and tried on clients, to give a balanced view of how a product performs.

In my hand, I have a tube of Balm Shelter, by The Balm, which is changing the way I work with Tinted Moisturisers, and how I see them.

Its understandably, a sheer product, offering a really natural tint of colour.  It does offer a degree of moisturising capabilities, but I’ve found that the best way to use it, is to moisturise skin as normal, then gently apply this over the top.  I’ve found that it actually seems  to ‘lock in’ moisture, rather than apply it.   My skin certainly feels softer for longer, and my client feedback is saying the same.  Things like ‘a natural coverage that remains looking dewy and soft all day’.

It does have an SPF, though it is only 18.  For days when you know you’re going to get caught in the sun, I’d definitely recommend a stand alone sun-care product, but again, it doesn’t seem to alter the effect of the Balm Shelter on skin, it seems to add to it!

I would say that if you love Tinted Moisturisers anyway, then you’ll definitely love this.  If you’re like me, and can’t get beyond two products trying to be the same thing, then you might want to take a closer look at this.  For me, the term ‘tinted moisturiser’ isn’t right.  I would say, ‘complexion enhancer’ is better, as something like ‘sheer foundation’ makes most people run a mile, as traditionally, they just disappear off the face, but this doesn’t.  It just keeps your face and skin looking fresh and very natural, but for a very long time…

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

Bronzer.  The staple of every makeup artist’s kit, but something we’re all searching for to get the perfect colour.  I don’t use shimmery bronzers all that often, they can translate quite badly in pictures, leaving the model/client looking greasy and shiny, and just not that great!

I came across the Estee Bronze Goddess Bronzer quite a few years ago, when a bronzer I’d been using was discontinued and my quest for the perfect bronzer was on again.

What makes this one so perfect though, is that its a duo.  A Pale and a Darker shade, together in one very large compact, yes, it’s huge, around the size of your palm!

I love it for contouring and creating ‘fake’ shadow, for hollowing out cheek sockets, for adding depth where needed, and when I’m doing a very natural makeup, for swooshing over eyelids. 

For me, this has been a staple in my kit for such a long time, that it’s a no-brainer to just keep rebuying it over and over again, and I really hope that Estee keeps it as part of their core line and doesn’t discontinue it!

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

For as long as I can remember, I’ve used Lancome Eyeshadow Quads.  What initially appealed to me, as a younger fledgling makeup artist, was that the colour quads are very cleverly thought out.

No matter what collection of 4 you get in your chosen palette, every colour will work together.  You can choose any 2 at random and they’ll work, take 3 of your choice, and they’ll work equally well, but choosing to use all 4 is where you’ll really shine!

The colours are always rich and true, what you see is what you get, and in the case of the colour focus palettes, you’re able to use them both dry, in a traditional sense, but also wet for a high impact colour, or for a more metallic ‘foiled’ look.

I’m not sure that I’ve got enough words in my vocabulary to express just how much I adore these palettes.  I love them because they don’t crumble.  I love them because they’re versatile.  I love them because a very bright spark in the product development team decided to make every palette work incredibly well when you take bits or all of it.  A very good case of ‘the sum of the parts is greater than the whole’!

And because we’re in Ice Cream season, I’ve chosen to focus on the Delicate Romance quad, number 203.  Okay, so it does fit my stereotype for the ice cream colours, there is a strawberry shade, a vanilla, a chocolate, and even a white Mr-Whippy shade, but for me, its not just about the colours meeting the ‘brief’, its about the colours themselves.

The thing about Lancome quads is that they’re buildable colours.   I always use a primer first, but I do kick the rule book out of the window, and I always set the primer with powder first, but you can take a gentle sweep of the chocolate shade across the lid, and it will be sheer and soft, or you can continue to layer it, don’t go in heavy handed with a thick stripe, just keep gently layering to build up the colour.  You’ll a) have a much better and more even colour, but also b) you’ll have a much longer lasting colour.

On average, I get around 16 hours of life out of Lancome eyeshadows when I’m either wearing them myself, or working with them on clients.  On a personal basis, as a very busy mother and business woman, I have zero time to stop and even check my makeup, let alone reapply it.  And from a professional point of view, you cannot afford to have your cosmetics quality let you down, and ruin your repuatation.  Who wants to hear ‘the makeup was nice, but it only lasted a couple of hours’.  What you want to hear is ‘the makeup is lovely and it was still perfectly intact when I came to take it off at the end of the night’…

The soft strawberry ice shade can give you such a pretty look.  With a slash of black eyeliner, not winged, and a very light layer of mascara, spot of bronzer, and a sheer gloss, and you’ll look English Rose pretty!

I however, like to play around with all 4 colours.  Taking the vanilla shade all over the lid, from lash to brow, the pink on the inner half of the eye, and the chocolate into the outer half, built up gently, and blended well, then a tiny spot of the white right under the brow, for an instant eyelift!

I would definitely say that these are 4 colours that aren’t exclusivley for summer, they’re a year round set, and definitely worth the investment, whether you’re a professional makeup artist, or a woman who loves her makeup.

And, once you’ve discovered Lancome quads, you’ll be back to buy more and more and more and more….

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com