On the weekend I gifted a mini makeup workshops to 3 women who won their place after registering for a flower crown craft workshop hosted by Cloe’s Creationz. Cloe creates unique dining settings for couples and groups, but since the planned venue of Kulim Park was soggy and cold, we went indoors for an even more ‘intimate’ workshop in her lounge. 😉 There I met Tearani, Sarah and Jemma. I took them through a 1-hour mini makeup lesson, which would usually be a private, one-on-one experience, as a small group of three. Here are their self-applied results. What do you think?

The ‘cat eye’ or winged eyeliner is not an essential makeup technique for most women…but it’s certainly iconic. Having enough skill and know-how to be able to apply iconic makeup styles can open you up to a whole new range of looks. One of the most recognisable and diverse looks that you can play around with is the cat eye. Very few looks and makeup styles are as fun, elegant, and multi-functional as Cleopatra’s signature eye makeup. This simple but intriguing style of makeup was first popularised in the 1940’s on the floors of swing dance halls. However, its widespread appeal only really exploded when Elizabeth Taylor wore it in the 1963 movie Cleopatra. Since then, it’s been worn and remixed into different iterations,  but all based on a single principle: stylishly extended eyeliner. Prep is Important… I advise you to make sure your foundation (and any layers under your eyemakeup) is not too creamy or dewey. A non-creamy or matte-finish foundation will be less likely to make the eyeliner fade, smear, and if you have hooded or deep-set eyes, transfer into your upper eyelids.   …But Eye-Shape Is Everything! My main warning with the iconic cat eye is that no amount […]

Back in 2011, when I heard Mary Lambie was speaking at a local women’s business event, I used the power of social networking site, LinkedIn, to contact her and request an interview. Having been in broadcasting for 20 years (including ‘Good Morning’), but recently making the switch to operating a Subway franchise, I figured she’d have something to say about makeup, practicality and life. Mary agreed to chat where she was staying at the Sebel Hotel and, in return, I applied her makeup for the event while we talked. Her three energetic children were in tow, having come down that day from Auckland for a weekend-long volunteer recognition event.  Mary’s husband, Jim Mora (of TV’s ‘Mucking In’), was to arrive later. Makeup Mishaps and Challenges Having set up my kit in her apartment, I ask Mary whether she has any favourite makeup techniques. “Because I very rarely do my own I don’t have any great tricks.  It pays to spend some time with your eye lashes – lengthen them, curl them, really mascara them well.  Good use of brushes.  I’m not really big on sponges, I tend to use a brush over a sponge and sometimes fingers, because fingers seem […]

This post is 3 in a 5-part series. Missed the rest? Start at the beginning with part 1. In the previous post in this series, I explained the problem with most beauty ‘advice’…and gave my favourite source of unbiased product recommendations: online product review database ‘Beautypedia’. How did you feel after your first browse through Beautypedia?  Disappointed?  Shocked?  Pleased?  Relieved? In this post I’ll show you the best way to find and master your most flattering makeup colours and techniques. We’ll also discover why most in-store or party-plan ‘makeup consultations’ are a waste of time and money. The second step to becoming your own beauty expert: Discover and master your personal best makeup colours and techniques. You need advice based on what suits your unique features and challenges – not merely trends or what suits your best friend or sister.  Only then can you can be confident you’re wearing some of your best makeup colours and application techniques that work for you, rather than being swept up in trends which change every season. Have you ever had your personal colours or ‘colour season’ analysed? Colours (and people) fall into two categories.  Most of us suit either warm OR cool colours, but […]