Monday 7 September 2015

Strobing: How to get killer cheekbones without going near a bronzer



Wow, everyone and his dog seem to be banging on about STROBING this month. Yes, you did read that correctly. Strobing is an official makeup term that is providing light relief in response to contouring fatigue.

What is it?
Strobing is essentially the yin to contouring's yang. A way to sculpt the cheekbones without bronzer (ideal for those who feel they've seen one too many paint-by-number Kim Kardashian looks).

Also referred to as highlighting or illuminating, the inventors of strobing (so they claim) are that well-known powerhouse of colour, MAC, although it's highly possible the technique was developed decades before by another makeup artist/s. Whatever the case, MAC's cult Strobe Cream* (£24.50 full size or £10 travel edition) is seriously worth checking out.

Strategic strobing
Strobing (highlighting) is all about creating the appearance of good lighting by highlighting the areas of the face where light naturally hits. Think...


CHEEKBONES                                                                    
                                                                                             TEMPLES 
                               ARCH UNDER THE BROW            
                                                                                                                            CUPID'S BOW


...You can also highlight the nose and forehead but I'd be sparing with these areas as a shiny nose and forehead can look sweaty in flash photography, even when you're dry as a bone.

Places to avoid when strobing: cheeks (Shiny cheeks = Santa. Not a great look).

* MAC Strobe can look ashy on deep skin tones. Please see my note below re. the right shades for highlighting all skin tones.

Strobing powders: Hourglass (left), Kevin Aucoin (right)

Clockwise from left: MAC Strobe Cream; Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow (more of a primer 
but you can wear it on top of makeup); Clarins Beauty Flash Balm (cult product, again, 
wear as a primer or on top); Kryolan 'Cashmere'/Illusion 'Silk'

MAC Strobe
The choice is yours
Your strobe or highlighting product will come in one of two forms: cream or powder. 

Cream: 
Apply a little to the back of your hand then mix it using the flat of your ring finger. Gently pat the product onto the areas you wish to highlight.

Powder: 
Use a fan or tapered brush (two examples below).

All age types can wear both cream or powder but it's been my experience that some highlighting powders can end up sitting in fine lines on more mature skins (and by that I mean if you're over 30). That's the reason I love the Hourglass Ambient Lighting series (£38) as the powders are so delicate on the skin and never feel heavy, even when I apply several layers.


Kryolan fan brush (left, £10.50), Charlotte Tilbury Powder & Sculpt Brush (right, £35)

Different shades of strobe
It's not a one-shade-suits-all game with strobing so it's important you choose the right shade for your skin tone. Here's a quick guide:

  • PALE: silvery / champagne / light
  • OLIVE: pink / golden hues
  • INDIAN: as above but add to that 'coral' hue
  • DEEP: golden / deeper coral / warm (avoid silver which will look ashy)


Is strobing appropriate for work?
Absolutely, but as with all business makeup it's important to strike the right balance.  I'd opt for a low shimmer powder that's 2-3 shades lighter than your natural skin tone or a cream/lotion of the same shade. Dab/apply only very lightly and avoid the nose and forehead altogether.


Image: Pixiwoo
The strobing jackpot
There is one product in my kit - Glamcor's Glamor Glow Ultra Sheer Skin Brightener (£30) - that simply cannot be surpassed when it comes to highlighting. It works brilliantly on both younger and more mature skins (particularly on mature skin because it doesn't settle into fine lines). It comes in a light liquid form that's easy to blend and layer up.
I. Absolutely. LOVE. IT. (Word of warning: This one's an absolute pain to track down...but if you can get hold of some it's worth it! Main stockists now seem to be States side).

Practice on the cheap
Applying a little rich moisturiser such as Nivea cream to your cheekbones, over the top of your makeup, is a great way to practice. The really dewy photos you see in magazines? Makeup artists have generally reached for Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream or a face oil but this can be impractical in everyday life as the oiliness either doesn't sit well on top of makeup or will easily slide off as the day progresses (not a good look, particularly in a meeting!). A good strobing cream product will dry quite matte on the skin whilst leaving a subtle 'shine'.

Do you have a favourite highlighter? Or does the idea of highlighting scare you? 

Wednesday 2 September 2015

Makeup + cancer: The one tip women going through chemo really want




If you read my post last week on Makeup + Depression you're probably thinking 'Jeez Louise' (yup, I'm on a roll ;)...but hear me out. This is important.

I want to share a conversation I had recently with a wonderful lady who's undergoing chemo.

The lady in question runs a B&B in Guernsey (which, by the way, was the best god darn B&B I've ever stayed in. To protect her privacy I shan't mention her name, or the name of the B&B, but if you're thinking about visiting Guernsey anytime soon, inbox me!).

Laura* and I got to talking after a delicious breakfast**. I knew she was undergoing chemo because she wore a scarf tied several times around her head and had no eyebrows (and I suspected no lashes although was never close enough to see).

Not that you would know Laura had cancer...she was one of the most inspiring women I've ever met.

* Not her real name
** Full English, fresh coffee, homemade lemon curd(!!) served in a crystal condiment thingy (technical term), muesli and Guernsey milk which, quite frankly, should be illegal.




How much makeup is too much?
Laura and I soon got chatting about makeup (she'd sweetly enquired what I did for a living) and I told her I'd volunteered a couple of years ago for Look Good Feel Better - the charity that provides hair, makeup and beauty lessons for women undergoing treatment for cancer. She'd also experienced a session as a participant.

I did two sessions with the charity and after each one I remember feeling inspired and confused; inspired because the sessions were full of the most extraordinary, talented, strong, beautiful, broken-but-not-beaten women; and confused because the makeup look we taught involved learning something like thirteen (or was it ten?) steps: skin, base, concealing, eye shadow, eye liner, brow pencil, bronzer, blush, lip liner, lipstick...and so on.

Is this what women undergoing chemo really want? To learn how to do a full face of makeup? Laura's response to my recounting the steps was most humbling.

The reality
Laura said she can map how she'll be feeling according to the weeks pre- and post- her cancer treatment. Week one (post-chemo) is spent desperately trying to muster the energy to get out of bed (no mean feat for a lady who runs a busy B&B!). Week two sees the arrival of a bit more energy but makeup is far down the list of priorities. Week three (the week before the next chemo treatment) and she's just starting to feel like herself again. Chemo and repeat.

"I'd rather concentrate on my skin during chemo, not my makeup....because when my skin's looking good, I feel good'.




Skin deep
When a person's body is being hammered by chemicals one of the first places this will show (in addition to hair loss) is their skin.

Rather than covering up very dry, itchy, red and sometimes flaky skin with makeup it seems what women with cancer would much rather focus on are the products that will help to calm their skin and edge it back to looking more vital. I'm not saying LGFB classes don't teach good skincare, they certainly cover this at the beginning of their sessions, but if this is the one thing women (and men) with cancer can find the energy to do during chemo then I wonder whether there should be more of a focus on skincare and less on makeup?

Little makeup, huge difference 
I can imagine that, like Laura, once a person's skin is feeling calmer (less red and more hydrated), applying one, maybe two items of makeup would feel doable.

If I were to pick three makeup items I thought would give someone going through cancer a little bit more confidence during treatment I'd have to say:
  1. A waxy brow pencil (or Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade which is regularly hailed by Beauty Bloggers although I'm yet to try it)
  2. Concealer (preferably with a slight peachy hue to counteract dark circles (e.g. Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener which has a touch of corrector in it to help tone down dark cricles)
  3. Creme blush (Stila's Convertible Colour would be perfect on dry skin as it's lovely and hydrating. Tip: Be sure to tone down any visible redness on the cheeks first with a light tinted moisturiser or concealer/foundation).

More skincare tips
If you'd like to know more about how to look after your skin during cancer I really liked this post. It mentions things like choosing hypoallergenic products over ones that are overly perfumed and advises when to apply products after washing (within 3 minutes is good apparently!).

Meeting Laura inspired this post and really opened my eyes to the kinds of 'beauty' tips women living with cancer are really after. I hope this post will inspire you to talk to your friends or perhaps someone you know, male or female, who's currently undergoing chemo and could do with some skincare or light makeup tips.

As always, thank you for reading.

Please note: It is not my intention with this post to disrespect or to criticise the wonderful work Look Good Feel Better undergoes and the difference it makes to the lives of those dealing with cancer.

Image credits and with grateful thanks to:

Erin (surname unknown):
http://www.photosensitive.com/breast-cancer-survivors.php

Claire Featherstone
http://www.chemoheadwear.co.uk

Sharon Blynn
http://blog.suburbanturban.co.uk/hair-loss/how-i-lost-my-hair-and-found-myself-a-guest-blog-by-sharon-blynn/