Sometimes the images that we, as a creative team, love the best, are not the ones that get published. Here is one of those images, from the series 'Troy'. The rest of the series was published in the January 2014 issue of Wove Magazine.
Photo: Jess & Bekha Lafrankie
Styling: Christabell McDonald
Model: Ashlee @ Giant
Makeup: Amy Kenny

Here are some behind the scenes touch ups of Lucinda from Vivien's Models, taken by Sabine Legrand. Hair, makeup and nails by me. Styling by Khoa Nguyen

I have had the pleasure of working with French photographer Sabine Legrand a few times this year.  She always takes beautiful behind the scenes photos. Here are a couple from a shoot we did a couple of months ago.

Photo by Sabine Legrand http://sabinelegrand.com
Model: Emily @ London Management Group
Hair and makeup by Amy Kenny
Styling: www.cecylia.com

Winter can be a difficult time for our skin, particularly in Melbourne. With little moisture in the air and punishing winds, our skin can dry out very easily, leaving it feeling tight and uncomfortable. 

A couple of months ago I was sent a bottle of Trilogy's Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+ to try. This product is organic and 100% natural. It contains lycopene and phytosterol (antioxidants) to protect skin from free radical damage, and essential fatty acids to moisturise.

If you have dry skin like me, you will love this product. It is used like a serum, so you apply two drops to your face and neck, smooth it into your skin, then apply your moisturiser over the top. I have been using it for over a month and find that it leaves my skin feeling really comfortable and soft.  If you have a normal to combination skin, you can use it on it's own.

This brand also appeals to my environmental conscience as it reminds consumers on the box that all cosmetics and toiletries have an effect on the environment. To minimise your impact, use the correct amount (ie. not too much), so that you aren't creating excess waste packaging.

I'm looking forward to cleansing my face tonight so I can apply it again!

www.trilogyproducts.com

About six months ago, I discovered that Melbourne makeup artist Dean Nixon (AKA Master Makeup) had released his own range of makeup brushes.  Dean and I have crossed paths many times over the years, so I was interested to see how he had incorporated his years of knowledge and experience into these brushes. Dean was lovely enough to meet with me personally to show them to me.

The 'Eyeshadow Brush' is my new favourite brush. It has taken over from my previous favourite brush for applying colour to the lid. It is firm, dense and wide and makes applying colour to the mobile eyelid a breeze. I really can't express how much I love this brush without seeming a little too obsessed.  I have two of them, one for me and one for my kit.

The 'Blending Brush' can be used to blend your eyeshadow, but is also great for contouring your eyelids. It's soft, wide and slightly tapered so it blends the edges of your contouring with little effort. Use it to pick up some dark coloured eyeshadow, tap off the excess and put the brush in the socket of your eyelid. Move the brush back and forth along the socket line and you have blended, contoured lids!

I must admit, I wasn't sure about the 'Eyeliner Brush' when I first saw it. But Dean assured me it was great for blending eyeliner to smoke it up. And he was right. I have also been loving it for applying smoky colours under the eye. It's pointed design blends your eyeshadow as you apply it. Super easy!

The 'Kabuki Brush', is the softest brush I have ever felt. It is made from pony hair and feels like velvet when it touches the skin. It can be used to apply powder, or turn it on a slight angle and use it to apply blush to the apples of your cheeks and sweep up you cheekbones.

So, if you are wanting brushes designed by an Australian (Melbourne) local, look at Master Makeup brushes. They are available online and through selected stockists. Each brush can be purchased individually, or as a set which also contains the above brushes plus a foundation brush, a concealer brush, and a free brush roll (for a limited time).

www.mastermakeup.com.au

I recently worked on hair and makeup for the advertising of The Green Ball by Grassroots Productions. The Green Ball is a sustainable food and fashion event that will take place at Pipemakers Park, Maribyrnong in February 2013. A behind the scenes video was produced by Graeme Passmore which can be found here  http://vimeo.com/53652229 or find the link on my facebook page.

I often get asked how to cover dark under eye circles.  I believe the best way to disguise darkness, is to think beyond concealer.  You need to approach the whole face, but this doesn't mean you need to apply a full face of makeup.  You can apply foundation, tinted moisturiser, or just moisturiser before you try the rest of my ideas. CLICK 'READ MORE'.........

This year, I decided I needed some new makeup brushes.  I purchased a selection of individual brushes from Rae Morris, Makeup and Glow and the Italian Badger range from Crown Brush Australia.
I bought several eyeshadow brushes as I am always looking for the perfect combination of softness, density, shape and length of hair.
Rae Morris "medium oval shader" is exactly what I have been looking for! It is really soft and dense, and perfect for applying colour to the moving eyelid, with minimal fallout.
The "medium precision shader" and "deluxe precision shader" are both great for doing socket work. I prefer the medium as it is a little smaller and easier to work with on small eyes. The tapered shape means that the brush does half of the blending for you. The "deluxe kabuki" is great for blush. It's tapered shape helps to apply colour and blend the edges at the same time.
Italian Badger "deluxe oval shadow" is fantastic for applying your base colour eyeshadow.  (The colour that you apply all over the lid, up to the eyebrow). It is super soft, and reasonably dense, so it is great for blending as well.  The "pointed crease" is great for applying colour to the socket. The hair is shorter than the Rae Morris range so it is less flexible, but great if you want a bit more control and ease of use. "Chisel deluxe powder" is a huge soft powder brush.  Some might find it  a little large for the face, but is good for applying powder and bronzer to large areas like your chest and neck.
Makeup And Glow "angled contour/blush" is a really dense brush, perfect for contouring cheekbones and temples. "Pro blush" is a soft, flexible, rounded brush. This is a gorgeous classic style blush brush.
These brushes are all my new favourites and I use them all every day.  Now I need doubles of them for my kit, as I can't part with them!

*The Italian Badger range can also be purchased as a 10 piece set from Makeup and Glow. It contains the three brushes I have mentioned.  The Rae Morris brushes come in a professional 27 piece set and a personal 10 piece set. The 10 piece set does not contain the "deluxe precision shader".
www.makeupandglow.com.au
www.raemorris.com
www.crownbrush.com.au

**It was difficult to photograph the brushes, particularly the Rae Morris ones as some of them have magnets in them. Thanks again to my bathroom for supplying the backdrop.

The name hair dust may conjure images of dandruff, but no, it is MUCH better than that. I finally purchased L'Oreal Professional 'Super Dust'.  There are a few of these types of products on the market. L'Oreal's is quite new,  Schwarzkopf Professional 'OSiS+ Dust It' was one of the first.    Shake a small amount into the roots of your hair and you have instant volume and texture!  You can push your fingers into your hair to shape it a little, even at the end of the day.  It has a fantastic matte finish. Schwarzkopf Extra Care also do a consumer version, 'Volume Powder' that you can purchase at the supermarket or Priceline.

(I took this photo in my newly renovated bathroom.  Mixing beauty with interiors!)