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!

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.

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

What is your favorite mascara?

Ugh… Mascara… the most difficult product there is. It never does what you want it to do, it never does what it did on the ad. Are any of you out there happy with your mascara? Let me know your favorite mascara by adding a comment below. Tell your friends too, the more info I can get the better!!

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powders

I never use this phrase but; OMG!!! I love this powder… so much so I have a light one to set my foundation and a darker one to use as bronzer… It has a matte shimmer (if you can imagine what that means) so it gives a beautiful soft glow to the skin with out looking truely shiney or glittery. Here’s the lovely packaging so you can recognize it in the shop and some image I created using this wonder product!!

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Clean and Clear

Ok guys, I just had to share this bit of info with you… I LOVE clean and clear! I always had really good skin growing up but when I hit my early 20s I had a pretty rough patch. Adult Acne ~ UGH! Things have been picking up over the past year with less acne, more spotty, but since using good old clean and clear I haven’t had a single spot!!! (well maybe 2, but that’s in 3 weeks!) I have very oily skin so I use the toner at night after removing my makeup, and in the morning after the shower. I also use very little moisturizer, if any. Because the toner lifts dead skin cells from the surface of your skin, it gets rid of dry patches too so if you have oily skin like me you don’t really need moisturizer after it. God I love this thing…

Pictured above is the American packaging that says “Deep Cleansing Astringent”, the UK packaging says “Deep Cleansing Lotion”… same same but different…

I shall keep my eye out for more recommendations!