M.A.C LESSON - LEEDS

KARLIE KLOSS! Can you believe she is 17?! Not only is she currently the 'it' model in the fashion world- she fronts Marc Jacobs Lola fragrance campaign and I like the fact she has quite small eyes (a change from all the doe-eyed models I usually see)!

First of all, really sorry but there are no photos from the lesson/haul but if you are interested in what I got up to, I'll try keep the post informative and not ramble!!

So yesterday I got to M.A.C (Harvey Nichols Leeds) at 11am and was greeted by Becky* (really terrible at remembering names sorry!!!) and was told she would be teaching my lesson. We decided to do a day look but I left it pretty much up to her- pick colours etc. as long as she used products I don't already use/have.

She started doing the eyes first and was really informative on why/how she used certain products and I never felt patronised (though sometimes I did tell her I owned certain products to save her the effort and time on explaining!!). The lesson was not 'structured' into a plan rather it was personalised to the clients needs, so instead of me actually doing the other side of my face I let her do it and I watched her with a hand held mirror in front.

Me and E.S asked her a lot of questions and she was always willing to answer them and in quite in-depth, even to the point I felt maybe she was telling me a bit too much (about working at M.A.C/retail/how to deal with clients/freelancing)!!

I was really pleased with the end result as it was exactly what I asked for- a day look. I think maybe I would be more 'amazed' if I was new to make-up but the look was nothing 'new' to me but the application was. I think sometimes people overlook application and depend on products/expect them to perform a certain way when really it usually depends on how you apply them and what tools you use.

Lately I have been using the traditional flat foundation brush but she used the M.A.C 187 (I use this for powder usually) to apply foundation and my skin looked so much better and 'airbrushed'. She also used a tiny-tiny-tiny amount on a petri dish which I am guilty of not doing and just end up using way too much.

She also used the 224 brush to do most of the eye work blending which again I was pleasantly surprised by (much softer appearance) as I'm often dependent on the 217.

The lesson ended at around 10 past 1, so half an hour overtime and we spent the end of the session talking about the products we used and me and E.S never felt she was trying to fob us off.

I would definitely recommend a lesson at M.A.C especially if you are new to make-up as you not only learn about the products themselves but also the application and tools to use. Not only that, your teacher is usually a MUA who has worked for M.A.C for several years or if your lucky you could even have the manager herself (M.C had her!!) so you know you will be in safe/experienced hands.

My only criticism is I didn't get a face chart as advertised but to be honest I didn't exactly mention anything about it and I didn't exactly need one.

WHAT SHE USED (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER):

• PAINT POT- SOFT OCHRE
• FLUIDLINE- BLACKTRACK
• STUDIO FIX FLUID SPF 15- NC20
• CREAMSHEEN GLASS- RICHER LUSHER*
• EYE-SHADOW- HONEY LUST AND EMBARK
• POWDER BLUSH- STYLE AND HONOUR
• PREP + PRIME TRANSPARENT FINISHING POWDER
• EYEBROWS- SPIKED
• STUDIO FINISH CONCEALER SPF35- NW 35
• ZOOM LASH- ZOOM BLACK

WHAT I BOUGHT (REDEEMABLE AGAINST LESSON COST- £50):

• STUDIO FIX FLUID SPF 15- NC20, my favourite 'night' foundation ever!!!!!
• STUDIO FINISH CONCEALER SPF35- NW 35, my quest to find the perfect under-eye concealer continues....
• 109 BRUSH, I blame Pixi2woo!!!!
• 217 BRUSH, I use this brush so much!!
• AND I bought on-line- FACE AND BODY FOUNDATION IN C2, as I want a 'everyday' foundation and I don't want to use up NARS sheer glow so quickly- yes I broke my finish-sheer-matte-foundation-first promise!!!

Hope it was useful and I will try to get all my comp' troubles sorted ASAP!!

HARVEY N' HAUL- M.A.C

So I had x amount to spend at the entire Harvey Nichols beauty floor and I spent it all at M.A.C? Yep! Not sure why but its' the brand I turn to. I kept walking back and forth to NARS but nothing stood apart except from the eyeshadows...... and I seriously have enough!!

M.A.C was absolutely chaotic, so I returned when it was slightly less busy and I asked the artist (sorry can't remember her name, but she was really nice) to basically show me some staple lipsticks, recommend a decent concealer for photography and lastly on a whim I picked up 2 eye brushes.

WHAT I GOT:

LIPSTICKS:

MORANGE (AMPLIFIED)

CYBER (SATIN)

GIRL ABOUT TOWN (AMPLIFIED)

UP THE AMP (AMPLIFIED)

BRUSHES:

239

224

CONCEALERS:

SELECT COVER UP IN NW20 AND NW50

Hope you liked my haul! Its not really stuff I would personally go for but my kit was seriously lacking in lipstick shades. Can't wait to try out Cyber, it looks so cool!

HARVEY N' HAUL- LIMITED EDITION BEAUTY BAG

My entire Harvey Nichols haul

CUTE Will Broome bag

The contents inside!

Hey everyone. I've been bad... really BAD (sorry sister, I know you hate me spending money on MU but this is for my kit, promise!) . I only went to into H.N to check out the new M.A.C viva glam lipsticks (I will pick them up another time, the GAGA one was already sold out and they are apparently limited edition for a whole year!) but near the counter I saw a poster about a free goody bag worth £100 pound if you spent £95 on beauty, fragrance or cosmetics. YES. I caved in. But I only got products that my kit needed not for myself, so my conscience feels better! Haha!

Anyway the actual haul will be posted in another post. I thought the goody bag should have its own post as you get so much!!! And we're talking about good brands and actually decent sized samples :)

Taken from the website:

Spend £95 or more on Harvey Nichols beauty products, fragrance or cosmetics this March and receive a limited-edition beauty bag to the value of £100 (for our Irish customers simply spend €100 to receive the gift worth €130). Available in all Harvey Nichols stores and online, this exclusive gift selection is presented in a custom-made make up bag designed only for Harvey Nichols by illustrator Will Broome.

This fantastic offer includes a carefully selected range of 12 hero products; including a bespoke nail varnish "I Heart Nails" created for Harvey Nichols by Butter London, a full sized Yves Saint Laurent lip and contour shaper, fragrances by Marc Jacobs, skincare by Elemis and a voucher from Shu Uemura giving customers complimentary corner eye lashes and application appointment.

Exclusive offer is on sale from Monday 15 March 2010 and available while stocks last from all stores and our online shop.

The full range of products within each beauty bag includes:

Cosmetics

Custom blend (I Heart Nails) exclusively for Harvey Nichols, 11ml, Butter London.... <3>

Foundation and application brush, Bare Minerals..... for ref I got medium beige

Mini lip gloss in rose, Laura Mercier

Mini mascara in black, Lancôme.... I got Virtuose

Complimentary corner flare eye lash application voucher, Shu Uemura (available in Knightsbridge, Bristol, Dublin, Manchester, Edinburgh and Leeds)... how cool is that?!

Skincare

Replumping concentrate lip and contour shaper, 15ml, Yves Saint Laurent.... FULL SIZE!!

Pro-radiance cream cleanser, 30ml, Elemis.... I got Tri-enzyme resurfacing facial wash

Rescue mask, 15ml, Eve Lom

Brazilian tan, 5ml, Rodial

Fragrances

Daisy or Lola fragrances, 4ml, Marc Jacobs.... I got Lola which I love anyway

Great new stuff to try out or what! I'm particularly excited to try out the Eve Lom rescue mask, the Bare Minerals set and the Lancome mascara. I think each bag can vary in products but if you need to stock up on some products or just to treat yourself £95 to spend is easy!!

NARS LEEDS MAKEOVER REVIEW

Before, a typical look I like to do for school or shopping. Block colour blended with liner and lots of mascara! And yuck for dry lips.

After! Hopefully you can read the products she used.

First of all I feel so CRAP!! Sore throat and general sniffles. To top this off I had my art foundation year interview and my mum is getting beyond mad at my make-up buying habits (she knows I've been shopping but I'm not telling her how much I spent!!).

After my interview I returned back to Leeds to do some shopping with my close friend Elly who is coincidentally as obsessed with makeup as me but she's particularly addicted to lip products and nail polishes while I'm drawn to eye shadows (we make a good pair!).

Eventually my makeover (3:30pm) loomed and Elly decided she wanted to join me and watch. When we both got to the counter it was so busy! Luckily it was Joanna working who I've met before , meaning she'd be doing my makeover. Whilst me and Elly made ourselves useful and starting swatching stuff it was apparent Joanna had literally just finished making someone over (poor girl).

I guess she didn't recognise me at first but after I was sat down she told me she remembered me. This was my first time anyone has done makeup on me as its usually the other way round which is quite a weird experience. Joanna asked me what I wanted to achieve, and I asked for a more toned down look similar to what she was wearing (she was rocking the spring collection).

After removing my makeup we didn't concentrate on skincare too much as my skin isn't particularly problematic and I was happy with what I was using.

She went through the steps of foundation, concealer, highlighter, powder, bronzer, blusher, eyes, lips, mascara and eyebrows! Which sounds a lot (and is) but her being a pro made it so natural and non cakey!

Tips I picked up was to press powder onto the skin, tap off excess THOROUGHLY and layer on eyeshadow and obviously to blend blend blend. Obviously if I had all the time in the world I would, but sometimes I rush and that's when my makeup isn't as "perfect". Layering was another good tip as I honestly don't do it that often as I prefer to pack on colours and blend but Joanna literally spent like 30 mins just layering and blending to create a stunning gradual effect.

The highlights of my makeover would have to be the blusher, as the application and placement really made a difference and surprisingly... the brows! I usually use an angled brush but she used a small tipped brush to properly fill them in (not patchy like the befores) they look so natural!!

Joanna herself was fantastic and I'm really glad she was my artist. She was super friendly and energetic even though she had just finished a makeover and with interruptions from customers buying things and asking queries. She was also very helpful in questions me and Elly had about application and about careers in the makeup industry and told us to come back if we ever had any more questions.

So that's my review of my makeover, which started at around 3:30pm and ended around 5:00pm. I definitely don't recommend booking one if you're in a rush and please be aware there is slight delays with customers wondering in (unless your counter has more than one SA).

£30 redeemable against products! Do it, highly recommended!

My haul will be posted in a separate post and sorry for the rubbish photos but I was in a rush (I do like to make excuses don't I?) and my god do I look horrible with my eyes closed!

VISITING NARS IN HARVEY NICHOLS

On the last page.....nom nom nom

The pamphlet cover

Booklet cover which housed my sample

So I was mooching around Leeds today, on one of those days where you don't particularly have lots of money and you don't really need to buy anything.

Just when I was about to leave Harvey Nichols where I was just aimlessly at MAC swatching everything. I decided, no I'll go to Nars cause I want to try something out and I will not feel intimidated by the M.A!

Got there and I spotted the M.A who I've seen a few times and told her I wanted to try out Nars' sheer matte foundation. Once she tested it on me, I decided to *shock horror* actually hold out a conversation about how I wanted to know more about Francois :p, the brand and what they carried. The M.A called Jo/Joanna was really really nice which was a pleasant surprise as I presume most of you have experienced ( I have anyway) the either stuck up or pushy sales assistant. But no she was lovely and took her time to show and demonstrate how products worked and what would suit me.

Since I didn't have enough money with me and wasn't prepared to splash out (again) on another foundation anytime soon. I asked for a sample of the foundation which surprise surprise was not available in my shade, so I had to opt for a lighter shade. As well as this she also gave me a foundation pamphlet which has the amazing Francois at the back!! And mentioned they did "makeovers" and makeup lessons which costs £30 but is redeemable against purchase.

So next time your are shopping in Leeds check out the Nars counter! The products are so nice and I might be tempted to book a lesson after the Paris trip........bad l.f!!!

TAKE TWO WITH MICHELLE CHEUNG

Bags don't belong to us... but our mothers!!

Taking a break, posing still necessary

So here is my Harvey Nichols women's wear interpretation.. take two! Wasn't really pleased with my first time shots but this time I'm really happy and I think they look more "polished" and professional. Michelle fell asleep while I was doing her make-up which was really weird to move a lifeless head!

The make-up was a smokey eye with 'bleached' eye brows as seen on Lara Stone for example!

Updated Topshop ones will be taken on Wednesday!