Musings of a Makeup Mastermind is moving!

There is exciting news in the Kate O’Reilly Makeup headquarters today. This blog shall be no more! If you wish to continue reading my jibber jabber you may do so on the all new and improved kateoreillymakeup.com where I shall be sharing my inspirations, icons and how to tips with one and all! Hurrah!

Cara Delevigne at Burberry Prorsum AW12 LFW

What a magnificent way to open the Burberry Prorsum AW12 show at London Fashion Week. Cara Delevigne looked absolutely smoking hot, complete with my favorite fashion statement; the hair-in-jacket-do! Key makeup artist Wendy Rowe went for a striking and extremely wearable look that works beautifully with the chic understated mood of the collection. Simply stunning!

The gorgeous new Burberry makeup collection is available in:
Harrods in the UK
Nordstrom in the US
and the Online Burberry Store

After perusing the makeup collection online, I reckon Cara is wearing a combination of Eyeshadow in Gold Trench No4, Eyeliner in Midnight Brown No2, and Lip Cover in Nude Beige No1.

GET THE LOOK
1. Apply a matte foundation
2. Use a deep amber coloured eyeshadow under the eyes, all over lids and blend upwards. If you’re extra brave you can bring it right up to the brow.
3. Deepen the socket line with a darker brown shadow.
4. Define brows in a shade slightly darker than your hair. Remember to retain some texture in your eyebrows to avoid the dense “scouse-brow” that looks as though its been painted on with a sharpie pen! Using feathered strokes is the best way to achieve texture.
5. Finish with a cool nude lipstick.
6. To make this look a little more wearable, pop a little blush on your cheeks to liven up your skin tone. Alternatively, swap the cool nude lipstick for a soft peachy gloss. Burberry’s Lip Glow Sepia No3 looks like it would do the trick!

xK

How To… Buy A Foundation Step One: Colour

Buying the correct foundation can be an absolute nightmare. Liquid or compact, which colour am I and what does luminous mean anyway!? There’s so much choice out there it can be a daunting task so here’s my guide to make things a little easier for you.

Image: Prescriptives Design: Kate O'Reilly

First thing is first, what am I using this gloopy brown stuff for anyway?? Well, foundation is designed to even out your skin tone and cover minor imperfections. Unfortunately it cannot:

1. Cover pimples, broken veins of undereye circles.
2. Change your skin colour.
3. Be a finished makeup look worn on its own.

Foundation works in tandem with other products to perfect your skin. If you feel finished after applying only your foundation chances are it’s too dark, too heavy, or you need glasses.

This can be the most confusing part of buying a foundation but to keep it simple, go into the makeup counter on a quiet day and try a few foundations of your jawline. Look at the different shades in daylight and decide which colour blends into your natural skin tone the best. Your foundation colour should unify the colour of the skin on your face, neck, chest and any other skin that is showing. If you apply fake tan, your foundation should match the fake tan.

Whether your skin is pale or dark it will have a specific undertone. Usually called “Yellow”, “Golden” or “Cool” and “Pink”, “Rosey” or “Warm”.

A handy way to determine your skin tone look at the inside of your forearm. Everyone’s veins appear blue what other shade can you see?

PINK toned skin will have purplish blue veins

YELLOW toned skin will have greenish blue veins

… and if you really can’t chose, or insist that its just blue then you probably have a NEUTRAL skintone, which is a mixture of pink and yellow.

P.S. The colours I have used here are a guide only as skin will look very different in the flesh (no pun intended). Also, if you spot a photo of one of the celebrities above with the different skintone to the one I’ve assigned them, don’t despair. Post production and studio lighting can alter skintones, so although Scarlett Johansson looks very English rose above you may see another photo of her with a golden tan.

Check back next week for information about Coverage and Texture!

Guest Post for Film Fatale: Holly Golightly

To get everyone in the mood for their upcoming Breakfast at Tiffany’s event in the Sugar Club on 17th February, the wonderful gals at Film Fatale asked me to share my tips on how to create the perfect Holly Golightly makeup look. Read below!

She survived in her furniture-less apartment by taking $50 tips everytime she needed to powder her nose, but still we all want to be Holly Golightly. Here, makeup maestro Kate O’Reilly shows us how to channel our inner Holly by painting her onto our face!

Audrey Hepburn is an icon of effortless chic. She has none of the glossy red lips or frosted white eyeshadow of more obvious 50’s bombshells like Marilyn Monroe or Jane Mansfield. Audrey’s is a more understated glamour. Here is the best way to achieve her look.

1. Skin should be natural and glowing. Not too shimmery, not too matte. Try Chanel Vitaluminere foundation in a shade that matches your skin tone exactly.

2. Give cheeks a flushed glow with a soft pink cream blush. Try Bobbi Brown Blushed Rose.

3. Highlight undereye circles with makeup artists favorite; Givency Mister Bright.

4. Finish your glowing skin with a light wash of powder such as Laura Mercier Finishing Powder.

5. Define brows in a strong arch using eyeshadow or pencil.

6. Apply a matte slate grey eyeshadow along your lash line and blend upwards. Don’t go higher than your sockets.

7. For a night time Holly look, add some black liquid liner. Go for an angular flick that exaggerates your lashes.

8. False lashes will give that extra Oomph! Eyelure have redesigned their Girl’s Aloud range and Cheryl’s new style is just perfect!

9. Throughout the film, Holly appears in a variety or coral coloured lipsticks. You can go coral red, coral pink or true coral depending on your mood! Keep it pale and not too vibrant.

10. If you’re feeling REALLY brave, why not dye a small streak of hair blonde and chop a ridiculously short fringe! Ah go on, you’ll look like Holly!!

NOM!

Film Fatale’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s event takes place on the 17th February in The Sugar Club, Dublin. Click here for tickets.

If you are in London, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is showing in The Roxy Bar and Screen AND The Prince Charles Cinema on the 14th February, especially for Valentines day!

Green Tea Magic!

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theporgiepig/ Design: Kate O'Reilly

On a recent shoot, our male model pulled out some green tea bags and popped on the kettle. Seemingly, drinking green tea has sorted out his skin problem in no time so he carries 3 bags with him very day! Needless to say, I nicked a teabag from him and have been drinking it ever since. My skin does feel lovely and clear, I wonder if it works that quickly!?

According to Harvard Medical School, the antioxidants found in green tea are “more powerful than vitamins C and E in halting oxidative damage to cells”. Top tips include;

1. Drink 3 cups a day.
2. Allow tea to steep for three to five minutes to bring out the “catechins” (super-duper antioxidants).
3. Adding lemon or milk to your tea will help you to absorb iron, as tea has been shown to impede iron absorption.

Happy sipping!

Nars Blush Bronzer Trio

Image: www.narscosmetics.co.uk Design: Kate O'Reilly

I know you are all racking your brains trying to figure out what to get me for Christmas so here’s some help. I get a bit over excited about palettes at the best of times but this is the most perfect palette ever made! It consists of Nars’ three most popular cheek colours that also happen to be my favorite cheek colours of all time. “Orgasm” is a warm peach blush, “Albatross” is an ivory highlighter and “Laguna” is the perfect bronzer, not too dark or too orange. The powders are so sheer that they melt into your skin and every one of them contains beautiful soft shimmer particles in ivory and gold to make your skin glow. You can even use the colours on your eyes for a really quick makeup look. The highlighter is perfect for the inner corners of your eyes and brow bone and then you can pop either the bronzer, blusher or a combination of the two onto your lid and socket.

Because the colours are so sheer so they will suit most skin tones. However, I have found that on darker skin tones sometimes the shimmer particles are all you can see, which can look just a little bit TOO shimmery, like you’re coated in gold. Best to steer clear if you’re anywhere darker than the average St Tropez user.

NARS products are available from SpaceNK, Brown Thomas and online here.

Temptu Silicone Based Foundation

I have searched the land high and low for a foundation that looks natural on my skin whilst withstanding the heightened levels of oil production that I inherited from my Mother and finally I have found it! Temptu are probably the most respected airbrush makeup company and their products are used on most High Definition TV and Film productions around the world. I’ve experimented with airbrushing in the past and was never sold on it but I have encountered so many professionals who swear by it, maybe I should give it another go. Meanwhile, I tried out this liquid foundation with my brushes instead and was delighted with the results. The magic ingredient is silicone, which happily sits on top of the skin and allows oil and sweat (don’t say yuck.. they use it on “Dancing on Ice”) to pass through without disturbing it. Finally, my skin looks glowing without being slick with oil! (Sorry guys but these are the harsh realities of my life). Fortunately, this foundation isn’t only for oily skins. Use it with an appropriate primer and amount of powder and it will work on any skin type.

OILY SKIN
I prepare my skin with my new favorite primer Shu Uemura UV Underbase Mousse all over my face, avoiding my undereye area.
COMBINATION SKIN
Try Smashbox Photofinish Foundation Primer or Clarins Beauty Flash Balm for a special occasion (you can’t use this baby everyday!).
DRY SKIN
Laura Mercier Hydrating Foundation Primer is specially formulated for dehydrated and aging skins.

Guest post for Film Fatale: Barbara Stanwyck

Film Fatale is a twice monthly film event in The Sugar Club, Dublin. Films are hand picked for their cult classic credentials and attendees are encouraged to channel the glamour gods and goddesses on screen with their own hair makeup and styling. The wonderfully glamorous girls that run the show asked me to give a few tips on 1940′s makeup to coincide with their screening of “Double Indemnity” featuring Barbara Stanwyck. Check out my guest post here and feel free to have a look around! Film Fatale is one of the most fun things about living in Dublin and I miss it dearly!

Shu Uemura UV Underbase Mousse Spf 30

This pretty little bottle is the limited edition version of my new saviour, Shu Uemura UV Underbase Mousse Spf 30, designed by Japanese artist Mika Ninagawa. I am forever struggling with my very oily skin and sometimes it feels better to wear no foundation than to sport the ‘oil slick’ look. Not anymore! This delicately coloured mousse leaves my skin feeling velvety soft and absorbs every single trace of oil. It is the most heavy duty primer I have ever used so it is not suitable for dry skins, and combination skins be warned you may need a little light moisturizer underneath, lest your foundation crack like cement! So, if like me your skin starts to look shiney after less than an hour, hallelujah!!

AVAILABLE IN
Space NK
Brown Thomas – coming soon

Masacara Bonanza!

It’s the holy grail of makeup, the perfect mascara. Every few months a new revolutionary formula is revealed, promoted by Penelope Cruz or that alien that Christian Dior use. Millionize, maximise, impactify, with advertising techniques that hark back to the 1950s, why are we still falling for it? Unfortunately, it’s because we all love a good gimmick. We want to try that mascara because it has a pink plastic brush, no other reason. We know that it probably won’t work but we’re not buying the promise of better lashes. We’re spending money because we liked the ad, and we are paying in droves. Just look at the budget of most mascara adverts. We are buying enough gimmicky mascara to fund the addition of 12inch computer generated lashes to Eva Longaria’s face!

Tricks to applying mascara;

1. Fresh is best.

It’s a rule we all learned from Mizz magazine back in 1992 but never quite got the hang of. After 2 months, throw it out! Cosmetics are now legally required to print the recommended shelf life of a product on its packaging, so if in doubt just look at the box.

2. Curl!

The humble eyelash curler might seem like a medieval torture device to you but I literally don’t do ANYONE’S makeup without using it. Talk about lengthening, instead of relying on hocus pocus to make your lashes transform, just bend them into shape! Metal curlers are the best, and make sure the spring is working well. Best lash curlers; MAC, Shu Umera, Laura Mercier.

3. Metal comb.

Ok, now this is a little dangerous, but mostly for your fingertips. I have impaled my finger on one of these a few times. However, the best metal lash comb, like tweezerman’s offering, will fold up to protect you from the sharp pins. If you’re in a fix (and are very brave!) maybe you could try a pin ala Julia Roberts in “Charlie Wilson’s War”… although I wouldn’t recommend it!

4. Panoramic lashes.

No, I haven’t gone all Longaria Parker on you. Panoramic is a very good way of describing the shape you want your lashes to sit in. The lashes on the inner corner of your eye should point inwards, towards the nose. The lashes in the centre should point up, and the lashes at the outer corner should point out towards your ears. Check out the HEAVILY digitalised image above you for the ideal (if a bit over-idealised) effect. With all lashes spread out like a fan, they will look thicker, longer and neater.

5. Clear mascara.

A quick swipe of clear mascara after your normal mascara can help to separate and de-clump.