Makeup Crush: Haley Bennett

I have always thought that one of the most timeless, classical and glamourous looks are derived from the pin up girl style of makeup of the 40's and 50's.  Obviously the three main components that generally fuse together to create these looks are the set waves in the hair, the slightly stronger brows and the black flicked eyeliner.  You can go all out and wear a vivid red lip or go modern by wearing a nude lip.  There are so many variations on this look and the Megan Fox pics I used for my last Makeup Crush post were a great example of a contemporary take on the genre.  It's something that still looks fresh, sultry and super feminine.

This week's makeup crush is still pin up and it's the american actress from Marley & Me, Haley Bennett.  This look is so striking but amazingly simple...champagne beige lids, black liquid eyeliner and pillarbox red lips.  I love the contrast between her pale skin and the red lips!  I was just thinking that I would LOVE to dress up as a pin up girl for a fancy dress party so I will have to keep that in mind for the next party I get invited to.  Although I would definitely go for a tamer version as I don't think my husband would let me out of the front door wearing some of the get ups you see in the retro illustrations!

The products used in the above look are as follows:

Chanel Base Lumiere Illuminating Makeup Base

Chanel Pro Lumiere Correcteur Professional Finish Concealer

Chanel Mat Lumiere Long Lasting Soft Makeup

Chanel Ultra Fine Translucent Powder

Chanel Blush Duo Tweed Effect in Tweed Pink

YSL Eyebrow Enhancer Duo in Chestnut Brown

YSL Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown

YSL Water Resistant Eyeshadow in Pink Sand

YSL Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Wood Brown

YSL Faux Cils Volume Effect Mascara in High Density Black

Palladio Liquid Eyeliner in Black

Shu Uemura Individual False Eyelashes (Flare/Black)

Chanel Lip Definer in Rouge

Estee Lauder Hydra Lustre Lipstick in Simply Red

Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect Lip Gloss in Red Stockings

YSL Golden Gloss in Simply Gold

In my opinion, there's nothing more glamourous than the pin up hairstyles, whether it's the Veronica Lake style set waves, the classic pin up pomp 'fringe' or the bandana look.  There are tons of tutorials on You Tube to show you how to create looks like these.  Obviously you don't have to make the look too structured and that will ensure that you still look contemporary.

This is a really popular look for celebs like Katy Perry, Dita Von Teese, Christina Aguilera, Megan Fox and Scarlett Johansson.  Katy Perry has really pushed this look into popular culture and often finds new and fun ways to play with it.  The likes of Dita and Christina tend to stay true to the original look.  I like the idea of creating makeup ideas INSPIRED by this look rather than all out copying it to a T.  I think by adding glowy skin and playing around with the colours, you can bring this retro look right into 2010 and easily pair it with current fashion.

I need to do some practice on the hairstyle side of things but I'm currently trying to find the best colour of lipstick to suit my skintone.  I never ever wear a bright lip because to be perfectly honest, I always found it a bit scary.  But now that I have learnt a shedload more about makeup, I feel confident enough to try these things out now.  So over the next few weeks I am going to try some hot pink and bright red lipsticks to find out if I am brave enough to rock a statement lip!

What about you guys, do you lust after this look from yesteryear? Who do you think embodies the pin up girl look the best?

ASOS Purchase & Styling

I was browsing on ASOS the other day and spotted a dress that was SO me that I just had to have it.  It's a pastel lilac panel bandeau dress with a grecian feel to it.  I absolutely adore the sweeping, knotted sashes across the body.  It comes a couple of inches about the knee so it's the perfect length for me.  It's such a flattering fit because the sweetheart neckline compliments my fuller bust and the ruching has a really slimming effect!  The best thing is it only cost £42.

I tried it on as soon as it was delivered and before long, I was mentally styling it with different accessories I have.  I wanted to take you through my thought process I have when I get a new piece of clothing.  I am such a massive OCD clothes geek that I mentally plan what I would wear with the item, even down to the makeup, hair and what shade of nail polish I would team with it.  So I raided my shoes, bags and jewellery and these are the options I came up with...

The shoes above are from Carvela, the bag is from Accessorize and the necklace is from Coast.

The shoes above are from Next, the bag is from Coast, the jewelled bangle is from Debenhams and the thin bangles are from Accessorize.

The above shoes are from Aldo, the bag is from Warehouse, the necklace is from Coast and the cuff is from Next.

The above shoes are from Aldo, the bag is from Oasis, the necklace is from Coast and the ring is from Monsoon.

I think with this dress, loose waves would work best to compliment the femininity of the dress and makeup wise...I'm thinking either a subtlely smokey eye with silvers and greys OR a bridget bardot liquid liner flick with a candy pink lipgloss.  Oooooh the decisions!

As I said, I even plan my outfits down to the nail polish I'm going to wear and I picked out the above four shades in my collection as perfect partners from the gorgeous dress.  (Elf Royal Purple, YSL no.42, Illamasqua Jo'Mina and Essie Bachelorette Bash).

So what about you guys...do you plan your outfits this thoroughly or do you prefer to wing it on the night and choose what comes to hand?

On another matter, I cannot get Rihanna's new song out of my head! It's so damn catchy and I love the feel of the video...the way they have created that pinky, orangey sunset lighting.  That's always a magical time of the day and the location of the video looks incredible!  Apparently they filmed at locations just outside LA and I love the way they have created this colourful wonderland.  It looks amazing with Rihanna's vivid red hair and I'm also loving the retro styling!  Definitely one of the better pop videos around at the moment!

Style Crush: Eva Mendes

I love to watch what the glitterati are wearing because it provides great inspiration for your own outfits.  I would never all out copy someone's look because I am an individual and I like to chop and change things to suit me and my personality/style.  There are certain celebs who never seem to put a fashion foot wrong and Eva Mendes is one of those women.  I love almost everything that she wears because she mixes this retro 50's, feminine look with fluid goddess dresses and simple accessories.  You will never see her laden with jewellery because she opts for the less is more school of thought.   I think it was Coco Chanel who said "When accessorizing, always take off the last thing you put on".   I think that is sound advice!

Her 'grown up' style is classical at times but with a modern twist, be it an acid bright or contemporary silhouette.  Most of the time she favours pastels and neutrals which look amazing against her olive skin.  Her footwear is almost always a neutral shade so they never compete with the gown she is wearing.

She manages to look sexy and chic without showing too much flesh and I think that is the key to real style.  She wears alot of floaty feminine numbers but her figure is also made for 50's style prom dresses and structured shapes...we've ALL seen those Calvin Klein ads!

She knows what suits her and plays on it which makes her a real fashion inspiration for me.  I rarely see her in a dress and think "urgh...what were you thinking??".  I actually really admire people who are consistent in the way they want to look, rather than bending to whatever is in vogue.  To me, it seems ridiculous to wear something that looks unflattering on your figure just because it's in vogue. 

What do you reckon to Eva's style?

Caring For Coloured Hair

I haven’t seen my natural hair colour for a long, LONG time. It’s a dark shade of blonde and just very ‘blah’ to be quite honest. I remember hearing the old saying “your natural hair colour will always suit you because it was ‘designed’ to suit your colouring”. What a load of old pants! I definitely suit and look a lot healthier with lighter blonde hair. Believe it or not, I actually experimented with many shades of brunette…cool browns, reddish browns and plummy browns as a teenager with mixed results (I’m sure there’s a bad hair photo archive somewhere!). Once I started getting my hair highlighted when I was about 15, I knew I was on the right track! I was born to be a blonde! My hairdresser even told me once that if I ever came in and asked her to dye my hair brunette, she would refuse to do it!

I just got my hair highlighted yesterday by my lovely hairdresser, Leigh...

So now that I’ve had 12 years of experience when it comes to looking after coloured tresses, one thing I do know is that blondes always have to spend that extra bit of time caring for their hair since the chemicals used to highlight/dye the hair are a lot harsher than our brunette/red head counterparts. However, this is a post dedicated to all hair colours and how to preserve and care for your coloured hair.

PRE-COLOURING HAIR CARE

Ok, so we all know that it’s important to take good care of your hair after you have coloured it, that’s stating the obvious. But, if you want the best possible results, it’s really important to prepare your hair before you colour it, whether you’re going to DIY it with a home dye or take a trip to your hairdresser. Here’s what I do every 6-7 weeks before I get my hair highlighted:

• I always do a deep conditioning treatment the day before getting my hair highlighted to make sure my hair is hydrated and in the best condition to receive the colour. I have started using Phyto Pre-Shampoo Intense Hydrating Oil Treatment (it’s A-mazing!) but I also love Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment. You can just apply either of these to your hair before shampooing, leave for 30 mins, then wash hair and condition as normal. You won’t believe the difference in the condition of your hair afterwards…the shine is incredible!

• If you are on a budget or just don’t want to splash out on treatments, then you can also apply a completely natural, home-made, protein rich treatment made from one avocado with 1 tablespoon of jojoba, grapeseed and coconut oil. Leave it in for 15-20 minutes then shampoo and condition as normal. The advantage of making your own hair care products is that it allows you to have complete control over what goes on your hair. It’s actually really satisfying to know that you are using fresh and pure ingredients on your hair.

• Another home-made treatment that is brilliant is this hot oil treatment for damaged/dry hair:

Ingredients

1/2 cup organic soybean oil or organic sunflower oil

8 drops oil of sandalwood

8 drops oil of lavender

8 drops oil of geranium
Mix all the above ingredients together and then warm oil to a comfortable temperature. Apply the mixture to damp hair. I like to wrap my hair in a plastic cap and then apply a hot towel for 20-30 minutes. Then I just shampoo the mixture out and condition as normal.

• You can also just buy pure Coconut Oil and this alone can be used to treat hair in the same way.

• Lastly, always make sure you get a trim when you get your hair coloured, even if you’re trying to grow it. If you don’t, the ends of your hair will REALLY suffer. I mean, who wants long hair with scraggy ends? Not me! By trimming a smidgen off, your hair will be more manageable and the worst of your split ends will be dealt with. Your hair colour will look SO much fresher when your hair looks and feels healthy.


POST COLOURING HAIR CARE

So you have coloured your hair or had it coloured for you. Taking special care of your coloured hair will help to preserve the colour for longer, add healthy shine and make sure your hair is soft and manageable. Here’s what I do to help my hair on it’s way:

• Static is always a big problem if you colour your hair and especially if your hair is fine. To reduce the static, you should always use a thermal protecting product when blow-drying to minimise damage to your hair. I really like Paul Mitchell Hot Off The Press Thermal Protection Spray.

• It’s important to use a moisturising shampoo that’s suited to your hair colour to avoid stripping further moisture from the hair. I switch between using Loreal Professionnel Shine Blonde Shampoo (which is a purple colour to brighten my blonde and counteract any brassiness) and Sebastian Penetraitt Shampoo to strengthen my hair. Brunettes could use something like the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette range. These specially developed shampoos do not strip away the natural moisture from your hair and also help to keep the colour soft and fresh.

• I deep condition or treat my hair with oils religiously at LEAST once a week to rebuild moisture levels in my hair. Coloured hair can become really dry if you don’t treat it in this way. I use the oil/natural treatments as mentioned above but I have found that my favourite shop bought treatment for coloured hair is Kerastase Chroma Riche Masque.

That stuff is just incredible! I finished my current tub of it last week so I have ordered more from Lookfantastic.com straight away…I just cannot live without it. I leave it on my hair after shampooing for around 5 minutes and it just makes my hair feel heavenly…so soft and silky yet so volumised…the perfect combination and the shine it imparts is out of this world. It’s a must have for coloured hair and fantastic as a pre-party treatment if you want your hair to look amazing (and lets face it…when would you NOT want your hair to look amazing???).

• I try not to blow dry my hair every day and when I do, I never use the hot setting to avoid heat damage. It’s best to try and let your hair dry naturally as much as possible to keep it in the best condition.

• Coloured hair tends to be more brittle and slightly weaker so I’m always really careful when combing my wet hair after a shower. I always use a wide-toothed comb instead of a brush to avoid tearing my hair to pieces.

• I truly believe that what you put into your body makes a huge difference to your skin and hair so if you want your hair to look hydrated, you have to make sure you drinks loads of water. I know it’s clichéd and boring but thems are the rules to nice hair and skin. The condition of your hair is an sure fire indication of your general state of health. Hydrated hair means that the colour will last for longer!

• Limit the changes you make to your hair colour as much as possible. Each time you change your hair colour, more chemicals are needed to achieve the desired effect, and more chemicals means more damage to your hair. So, by gradually changing your hair you are giving it the time it needs to repair itself and deal with the chemicals at a manageable level.

• Always rinse your hair well after shampoo and conditioner. This will prevent a build up of product residue on your hair that will just make it look dull and lank. It’s a good idea to spend the last 10 to 15 seconds of your shower using a cooler setting to seal the hair and add shine…if you can stand it that is!

Have you got any great natural hair remedies or amazing products for coloured hair?

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