This Party Season's Makeup? Full of Sparkle

Just like the fashion trend of sequins that I blogged about the other day and so very much love (in case you didn't get that the first time round) glitter's big in makeup this Christmas too!

So how do you achieve those sparkly peepers without looking too much like a Christmas tree? Here are a few tips and pointers if you want to go glittery while you partay...

1. Keep foundation fresh and lips toned down

Your eyes will obviously be the main spectacle for the evening/event so you want them to do the talking rather than anything else as well. Bright red lips added to the mix for instance will make you look far too overdone so keep lips on the subtle, sultry side. You don't necessarily have to go nude, you could choose a beautiful sheer berry shade that adds a pop of colour but isn't overpowering. Whatever the shade, make sure it's light or sheer.

What with the eyes being very heavily adorned in glitter you also want to keep your foundation, or your canvas looking as fresh and fuss-free as possible. Go as light as possible when applying your base as it will prevent your overall makeup from looking too 'perfected'. If you can get away with tinted moisturiser then go for that, if not try to keep the coverage as minimal as possible.

2. Use a base for the glitter to stick to

It can be a gel, a liquid eyeliner or if you have a safe and natural lip balm, use this on your eyelids to allow the glitter to stick to the areas you want it to stick to without falling over your face. Apply the glitter with your fingers to get maximum control of where and how much you put on. If you use a brush you might get too much fallout and it could go everywhere.

3. Pick one colour to focus on

Popular colours for this season are purples, blues and golds. Choose a colour to compliment your hair or eyes - if you have brown eyes purple will look gorgeous on you. If you have blue eyes then golds will really make them pop! Or simply just experiment and find what takes your fancy. By all means go multi-coloured with your glitter if you like but the really fresh, modern take right now is one shade all over the lids.

4. Do your eye makeup before anything else

This is a messy look so it's best that you apply your eye makeup and work on the glitter first, then apply your foundation, blush, etc. afterwards. This means that if you do get glitter down your face you can wipe it all off without worrying about ruining your base makeup and having to start all over again or reapplying in areas and creating an uneven base.

5. You don't have to go glitter-mad!

If you don't want to put glitter all over your eyelids for fear of it being too much for your features or you're not feeling quite that full-on then keep eyes neutral but simply add a lovely line of glitter eyeliner on your upper lash line. Choose neutral skintone shades and brown eyeshadows for your lids and then why not add a pop of colour with a lovely electric blue glitter eyeliner for example? You can create equally amazing impact even with a smaller amount of sparkle!

Now that you have the how-to here's a run-down on what you'll need for your look to help get you started...

For All-Over Glitter

For full sparkle, you'll need the following:

• Choose a base that will compliment your choice of colour of glitter:
  - Going blue, purple or green? Opt for a smoky base like a grey or black. MAC Carbon, Typographic, Print or their Paint Pot shade in Blackground will all work well. Or try one of the smoky shades in the Sleek makeup palette if you're on a tighter budget.
  - Going gold, yellow or pink? Choose to wear browns beneath the glitter - a lovely wash of a light browns will be just right.
  
  
• MAC's Clear Gloss, safe natural lip balm or even liquid eyeliner in a similar shade to your base will make a great ingredient for your glitter to adhere to.
  
  
• For the glitter MAC make a fantastic selection of colours to choose from and whilst the price of a pot is a little on the expensive side (£15.00 a pot) you'll get heaps that will last you forever. If you really don't think you'll get through that much, try Helen E in selected Debenhams stores or online as these pots are smaller and much more purse-friendly.

Just the Eyeliner, please!

• Pick two or three varying shades of brown to create a defined but natural eye. One highlight shade and one midtone will be perfect. Colours like MAC's Brule, Wedge, Shroom or Benefit's Birthday Suit will do the job nicely.
  
  
• You can find wonderful, long-lasting glitter eyeliners from GOSH and Urban Decay at prices that won't break the bank. My favourites are Urban Decay's Catfight, Stagedive and Metal Head. I can't get enough of these brands' eyeliners as the colour impact is to die for and they really don't budge!

Image from Vogue.co.uk

Lip Balms & Hand Creams - What Works, What Doesn't & Why

With the chill of winter making itself well and truly comfortable, skin starts to cry out for moisture: Lips become dry and cracked just when we need them lush for the many opportunities under the mistletoe. And hands turn flaky and leathery as soon as we start thinking about having our party manicures.

For years now I've constantly struggled to find a hand cream that actually does what it claims to. I've been using a hand cream that boasts to moisturise even after you've washed your hands - it's complete rubbish. As soon as I wash them, the silky smooth feeling that came with the handcream is down the sink and my skin looks cracked, dry and a complete state once more!

As of late my last lip balm had stopped having its desired effects as well. So recently I've been in a pretty poor state skinwise, ha! However having spoken with Gemma from Anderra and doing further research since I've discovered that many hand creams and lip balms on the market don't do their jobs because there are certain ingredients in them that only produce false or short-lived effects.

Take a look at the labels and see if you recognise any of the below:

Petrolatum or Petroleum

You may recognise this ingredient because it's the basis to Vaseline - something I've seen nearly every girl slather on hands, elbows, eyelids and lips. All this ingredient does is seal moisture out, it doesn't provide moisture to the skin whatsoever. Meanwhile it also seals out oxygen preventing skin from breathing and traps in toxins - not really what you want from a moisturiser!

It's added to cosmetics to make you think that it's doing its job when in fact once you wash it off the effects are gone. Further research shows that petroleum, like petrol, is carcenogenic. Remind me why we use this so enthusiastically?! I once opened an ancient tub of Vaseline at home a few years ago and remember it smelt like a petrol station. Trust me if you smelt an out-of-date tub/tin you'd think twice about using it anywhere on your body. I've therefore never felt compelled to use this. Ever.

Mineral Oil

This is a by-product of petroleum, therefore having the same effects and incurring the same problems. If it's in your hand cream and you're wondering why it's not really working for you, it's because mineral oil is simply greasy, but it has no benefit like bringing moisture to your skin.

Propylene Glycol

Another by-product from petroleum posing the same problems as the ingredients listed above.

Camphor, Menthol, Phenol

Added to lip balms for a cooling effect so you think that they're soothing the sore, chapped sensation you suffer in times of cold weather. You feel a tingling but all the ingredient is doing is drying out your skin further. So you reapply, reapply and reapply. Oh and then run out so you buy more of the product sooner. Clever maths from cosmetic companies...

Salicylic Acid

If you think you've seen this in acne treatments and skin care products for oily skins, you'd be right. It's a great exfoliant and is intended to dry skin rather than add moisture. Believe it or not though, this ingredient is added a-plenty to lip balms, drying and peeling your lips as you wear it.

Fragrance

Some fragrance, whilst nice for the senses, can dry out the skin, especially when combined with alcohol. If you have sensitive skin, fragrance can also irritate it. If you can overcome the temptation to have your lip balm or hand cream smell of fruits or an equally delicious scent then opt for the fragrance-free variety - it will be much gentler in the long-run.

Silicone Oil

This ingredient's added to glosses, lip balms and even lipsticks to make them stay put for longer and prevent pigment in tinted lip moisturiser, lip gloss, or lipstick from transferring. But like mineral oil it too locks out moisture and doesn't provide any benefit to your skin.

The Alternatives?

What then, do you use if your lip balm or hand cream has any of these ingredients? I've come up with a list of products for you to look into as great alternatives that will cure you of your dry-skinned woes without the nasty side-effects and many are even multi-purpose giving you more for your money:

Badger Balm Healing Balm

This one's perfect for people who work outdoors or who, like me, suffer from chapped, dry hands in the depths of winter. Full of wonderful ingredients like Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Beeswax it will provide the natural solution to your skin's upsets. Use it as a lip balm or moisturise with it, it really is multi-purpose because the ingredients are so safe and natural! This balm smells great too and comes in a massive tub - you can take a look here.

Alba Un-Petroleum Lip Balm & Multi-purpose Jelly

If you can't go a day without your Vaseline why not switch to Un-Petroleum lip balm? It's completely petroleum, petrolatum, paraffin and mineral oil-free making it much safer and does a much more effective job too : ) It also comes in a variety of scents including Cherry, Tangerine and Vanilla. The multi-purpose jelly can also be used to remove makeup as well as soothe and cure dry skin. Find more details at www.unpetroleum.com

Steam Cream

I haven't tried this myself, but word on the street is this is the new craze in skincare. It's becoming vastly popular because it provides much more effective moisturisation due to the way it's produced. Because of the use of steam in the manufacturing process, the emulsion is held together very loosely so that when you apply it to your skin it breaks down faster allowing for better absorption into the skin.

If that's not enough, each pot only costs £9.95 and also comes in many pretty boxes of different designs: you choose which one you prefer - it makes beautifying more fun and colourful! Not only is it safe for hands, you can use it on your face and body. You can browse and find out more here.

Lush Lip Balms

Last weekend I bought the Christmas edition lip balm 'Let Them Eat Cake'. It smells like toffee, vanilla or even Sailor Jerry's - when I use it you can smell it across the room - my boyfriend can tell when I've put it on, people ask me what it is all the time and the smell lingers long after you've left a room.

The great thing is that the fragrance is derived from completely natural ingredients - if you can smell sherry, it's because there's sherry in the lip balm. And vanilla absolute. But instead of useless, cheating mineral oils this beauty saviour has organic olive oil in it - a favourite natural moisturiser, hoorah! This one comes thoroughly recommended (I bought two pots to see me through the year). Get yourself down to your local Lush store or shop online at www.lush.co.uk

Green People Help At Hand

For those of you who like your hand creams to do their job but not be heavy or greasy this one is the answer. This light hand cream contains Geranium and Lavender to help your skin return to its former glory. This one's completely organic and is free from all preservatives and other synthetic ingredients. You can find out more at Green People. As testament to its effectiveness, this is out of stock until January on Green People's website! If you want some now however you can find it on other online stores like There Must Be A Better Way.

Lush Helping Hands

This hand cream is also ideal at this time of year because of its ultra soothing and nourishing ingredients. A popular product among nurses and those who work outside due to all of their exposure to detergent and the great outdoors. Many claim this to be their saving grace when all other hand creams couldn't even come close. Coming in at only £5.94 a pot I think that it's at least worth a go. Try www.lush.co.uk to get your hands on some or pop in-store for a sample!

Smashbox Hits UK Stores

There's so many US brands that I've wanted to be available to us in the UK so we don't have to keep paying international shipping (or even to get my hands on at all if they don't sell internationally!) Usually when they do finally make the leap across the pond, they land in the London flagship department stores though. Well finally Smashbox are well and truly settled in House of Fraser stores across the UK.

Smashbox make great makeup, slightly on the more pricey side but do have some really handy cosmetics like their foundation primer that comes in different undertones depending on what you need to achieve. For instance they sell a green primer that counteracts any red patches in the skin so you achieve an overall even undertone when you apply your foundation.

The selection of their products available in-store is fairly limited compared to that of their London branches, but for those of you who have been long awaiting their arrival and live nowhere near the UK capital you can now finally explore their goodies : ) With any luck, as the counter establishes itself more, House of Fraser will expand the stock available.

You may remember a while back I reported that another US brand i.d. Bare Minerals had come to the UK? Well their counters are even bigger than they were a couple of months ago and seem to be doing fairly well for themselves which hopefully means they're here to stay. I think I also spotted Make-Up Forever or MUFE in House of Fraser in London the other day which means with any luck, they'll hit other UK branches in 2010 - watch this space...!

For those of you who haven't heard of MUFE, they make fantastic liquid mineral foundations and also make superb HD foundations for those of you who like to look good for the camera or who work in the makeup artist industry for film, camera and television.

So if you want your Smashbox fix or even to try them out for the first time, you now need internet shop no more!

Breakfast at Sotheby's

One of my favourite all-time style icons is Audrey Hepburn. I absolutely love her in Breakfast at Tiffany's and I hear that Roman Holiday is a must-see too. Miss Hepburn's most sought-after dresses are up for auction at the world-famous Sotheby's, London on Tuesday the 8th December. It's reported that items are so rare now that previously some have been sold for 1 million dollars!

All proceeds raised from the sale of the pieces will go to the Audrey Hepburn Children Fund and Unicef. I myself will have to merely be a window-shopper this time, like the beautiful Miss Holly Golightly at her favourite jewellers!

Here are a few pictures from the BBC News website of the dresses up for auction and a few inspiring shots of the lady herself...

Do You Tweet?

I've now opened up a Twitter account. I thought it all seemed a little unnecessary at first (she says, eating her words) but I'm noticing much networking, mingling, sharing and many discoveries are being had among the people who use it so what the heck!

If you're a Twitter-er then please come along, follow and say hello - in the meantime I'll see you on the other side : )

Say hello here.

Video Shoot: You Heard Nothing Promo Video

You may remember a couple of months ago I mentioned I did the makeup at a casting session for a promotional video to be filmed the following weekend? Well the video was sent out onto the Worldwide Web for all to see last night and I wanted to share it with you all here too.

If you haven't heard of You Heard Nothing, they're a group of DJs and VJs (Visual Jockeys) who hold immensely awesome club nights where you'll hear a mix of indie, electro and rock. Between them, the Surgery productions and Skidoosh, starring the very lovely Alessandra Leonie and makeup by me, this promotional video was born.

It was so much fun making it, coming up with the makeup and seeing it go through the motions in post production. And if you're wondering what the super crazy, rock-your-socks-off track is it's 'Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues' by Fight Like Apes. Their songs are so much fun - their gigs are even crazier - they're a must-see!

So without further ado I present to you You Heard Nothing's first promotional video - enjoy!

You can find You Heard Nothing here.

You can find Fight Like Apes here.

Happy Birthday to Me & Exciting News...

... Well Happy Birthday to All That Glitters that is! Yes my blog is one year old today - hoorah!

It's such great timing too - what a way to celebrate it with a blog award but also more importantly a huge, big thank you to all of my followers and to those of you who leave comments and enjoy my scribblings!

Whilst I'm here celebrating the birthday joy I'm going to let you in on a surprise too: I've been thinking, planning and daydreaming away for a few weeks now about new ideas and directions in which to take my blog. As a result All That Glitters will be going through a dramatic overhaul very shortly - the full fruits of my labour should be all ready to see early next year during January/February time : )

Don't worry I'll still continue with all of the original content like makeup reviews and so on so you guys won't be losing out on that, but there will be further features added to those that currently run.

For now that is all I'm going to say because I don't want to give away too much (trust me, I'm fit to bursting to tell you all, but surprises are fun.) Needless to say I'm very excited and can't wait to share with you the new sparkly format that All That Glitters is going to take on!

Now over to you - is there anything you would like to see more of in my blog? More fashion? More makeup reviews? Let me know in the comments below.

*Blows out her Birthday Blog candles*