Illamasqua Summer Campaign Teasers

I absolutely love Illamasqua and their new Summer collection looks completely brilliant! 

Featuring matte liquid lip colours and cream to powder velvet finish blushes, the almost anti-season vibe that Illamasqua does each collection is in full effect.

The image is SO striking and amazing, I love that they always offer an alternative take on seasonal makeup, for those who aren't particularly keen on bronzing and/or fake tanning but still love a good colorful trend.

http://youtu.be/ipthGYfDBaQ

Kellie Lewis - Working Hard Music Video Look

Kellie Lewis' "Working Hard"

A few months back I was lucky enough to get to meet and do makeup for Kellie Lewis, a contestant on The Voice of Ireland.
I love these kinds of jobs because everyone involved is so into what they're doing that it never feels like work.
Kellie is insanely talented and was so fun to work with, so funny! She's also quite into makeup which was great as I can talk about eyeshadow and lipstick all day long haha!

The video was shot in Miss Daisy Blue ,hair and styling was by the amazing Tommy Heffernan and photography and video were done by Kachmarsky Photographer.

Kellie has huge blue eyes so I wanted to make them stand out as much as possible while still keeping it chic so I used a yellow-gold shadow all over the lid and blended a slightly darker brown through the socket and just under the eye to keep it bright but still a little edgy. I used the Sleek Makeup Sunset Palette which is just amazing.
I then blended a little bronzer over the brown through the socket to warm it up and add depth, I believe it was Benefit's Hoola Bronzer.
To keep it chic, I lined the eyes in a semi cat like shape, getting right into the top inner corner and extending the outer corners slightly using Bobbi Brown Long Wear Eye Pencil in Jet as it's a super long lasting but creamy pencil that's really black and fantastic.
I added a few coats of mascara and added a few Liz Martin's individual lashes.
I kept the brows pared back slightly, just brushing them into place with Illamasqua Brow and Lash Gel which does not budge!






Skin was kept flawless but light using a mixture of Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation shades, concealer was used sparingly, with emphasis under the eyes and I used the Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer  (again in a mixture of shades). I contoured with Illamasqua Disobey Powder Blush and set everything with some Chanel transparent loose powder.

On the lips, I used a mix of coral and pink shades, which was custom mixed on the day from various MAC shades.

For Kellie's guitarist Ben, I used Revlon Colorstay Foundation in the Dry Skin formulation to even out any discoloration and under the eyes lightly, and set with powder.










Check out the video below!

Motley Behind The Scenes

Found a few behind the scenes vignettes from the Valediction shoot! 

The DJ Booth / candle shrine! So awesome.

Motley Series

Final issue of the University Term!

I can't believe how quickly the year has gone! I can't believe how quickly the last THREE years have gone!
University has been an incredible, life altering experience and I've loved it. I have had some amazing opportunities and changed so much for the better, as cliched as that sounds. Going back to college was daunting but so beyond rewarding and if anyone is thinking of doing so PLEASE do, it's completely brilliant.

I'll quit with the educational seminar and move on to the FINAL photo set we shot for Motley Magazine.
I have been a fan of Margaret's blog( http://www.4ngstyle.com/ )  and her personal style for a long time and having (very briefly) met her at last year's Cork Fashion Week I was really excited to get to work with her.
I had a concept in mind for what I wanted the shoot to look like, which was all about a kind of sultry, tropical but very chic and sophisticated style.
I have been to 6ix Bar Cork many times and as well as having some seriously amazing cocktails and food (margaritas and tacos, need I say more?!) I was completely blown away by the decor, fantastic Cuban inspired surroundings, stunning jewel tones and a little shrine tucked away under the stairs! Just fantastic and perfect for the concept I had in mind. (I was basically just wishing for summer!)
I sourced some amazing fashion from Amity Cork and Miss Daisy Blue, asked the always fantastic Amy Frahill if she'd shoot for us and we were off!

 This first shot is SO awesome, it also made the cover which is really exciting!

Fringed crop top and Zig-Zag Trousers both Amity Cork

Black Body-Con Dress - Amity Cork

This image really shows off the makeup look so I thought I'd mention what I used,where and how!
I wanted the skin to look plumped and dewy and Margaret already has flawless skin so I prepped with some of the completely amazing Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream which I highly, HIGHLY recommend as it's a transformative product.
I then buffed a little of my beloved Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation into Margaret's skin, using a Real Techniques Buffing Brush, really making sure it was worked into the skin for a polished look. I lightened the under-eye area using one of the Skin Base Lifts, also from Illamasqua, these little guys work wonders as a subtle but noticeable highlight and work really well with Illamasqua's Blending Brush #2 to buff the product into the skin.
I highlighted the tops of the cheekbones, down the center of the nose and on the cupids bow using MeMeMe Cosmetics Beat The Blues Highlighter in Oyster Gold and powdered lightly only in certain areas using the Paese Cosmetics Bamboo Powder.
I moved onto the brows and used a mixture of MAC shadows I have in a little brow quad, I'm not entirely sure which they were though, possibly Omega and Charcoal Brown or Brun!
I prepped the eyes using Paese Cosmetics Eye Primer, then worked some of the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pink Gold onto the lid using an Ilamasqua Blending Brush #2. I worked a little soft pink shadow through the crease, I believe the shadows were a mixture of various pink shades I had in my kit and I remember using the bright pink from the Illamasqua Pink Smoke palette and the glittery pink from my Make Up Academy in Glitter Ball (incredible palettes and SO inexpensive!) I used a Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush and Domed Shadow Brush to apply and blend the shadows along with a MAC 217 to blend the edges of the shadows and make sure there were no harsh lines.
I ran a little bronzer through the crease the warm everything up a bit and make the pink less harsh, and lined the lash line with some Bobbi Brown Gel Liner which I winged out and up into the outer crease with some black shadow, I think was Laura Mercier's Noir.
I finished the eyes with a few coats of mascara, which was a Maybelline one (I think!) and used some of my favorite Liz Martin's individual lashes to wing out the outer corners.
On the cheeks, I used Illamasqua Disobey Blush to contour lightly, Margaret has AMAZING cheekbones, and I buffed some of the STUNNING Paese blush (with Argan Oil!) from Paese Cosmetics onto the cheeks and high onto the cheekbones.
This is such a great colour, similar enough to NARS famous Orgasm with that fantastic gold shimmer which works so well on the high points of the cheeks if you really buff it up and out.
For the lips, I used Paese Cosmetics (really into this brand at the moment) really amazing Manifesto Lip Creme in 905. These lip cremes are phenomenal, (and an absolute bargain at only €6.99!) they are so creamy (as you'd imagine from the name) and last for ages as they stain slightly and the colour was perfect for the look.
I sharpened up the edges of the lip by using some of the Skin Base Lift around the edges to add soft definition.

Cropped Red Jacket - Miss Daisy Blue

Bag - BooHoo

Cropped top and Trousers - Amity Cork

 White dress with Bird and Flower embroidery - Amity Cork

Shoes - BooHoo

 Vintage Sequined Top - Miss Daisy Blue

Black Body-Con Dress - Amity Cork


That's a wrap for this year!

It's been such a great year, and I've had an amazing time working with the magazine. Huge thank you to everyone involved with the magazine as well as to all of the photographers, stores, models and business owners without whom none of the shoots would have happened.

Thanks for stopping by!

LxK

 Hello!

Moving on to issue 5 of Motley, we were super lucky to shoot at the STUNNING Hayfield Manor Hotel (www.hayfieldmanor,ie).
The grounds of the Hotel are just fantastic, the staff were extremely helpful, polite and courteous and the room we were given to shoot was incredible. The room even came with a lovely pet fish named Pedro who makes a cameo in the first shot below!
He was such a pro.

The theme for this shoot was inspired by glamor and beauty, particularly from older Hollywood movies and TV shows. I very much wanted to make it a modern look with certain nods to various actresses, models and photographers.
I'd been looking through a lot of old photos and campaigns and I kept thinking that the women looked SO beautiful and otherworldly, and that was something I wanted to capture, that almost magical aspect.
Not too sure if I get too into these concepts but it is my job at the end of the day, even if everyone in the room is blinking at me in disbelief haha!

The model was the super lovely and talented Emma and the photographer was Michal Zagorski (www.michalzagorski.com) who is beyond talented, a phenomenal eye.

The makeup was an array of purple products in a variety of textures. I think if you're going to stick to one color mixing texture is important.
I prepped the skin with moisturizer which was Embryollise Lait Creme Concentrate (http://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/embryolisse-laboratories-lait-creme-concentre.html) and buffed Illamasqua's Skin Base Foundation (www.illamasqua.com) in a mix of shades onto Emma's skin and used a light Make Up Forever HD concealer as a natural highlight under the eyes and a different, more skin-tone matched shade on anywhere I felt needed extra coverage.

On the eyes I used a Chanel's Illusion d'Ombre in Illusoire as a base. A fantastically nuanced browny/purple shade with shimmery particles which is amazing alone but works so well as a base too!
Over the top I blended several shades from MAC, including Stars N Rockets, Shadowy Lady and Beauty Marked working the darker shades outwards in a wide, circular, upward shape. On the inner corners I used an Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Solstice (I believe) and layered a yellow/orangey gold shadow from the Sleek iDivine palette in Sunset (www.sleekmakeup.com).
I also blended the faintest bit of bronzer through the crease to add a little warmth and depth and as you may realise at this point, I quite like a grungey, unpolished makeup!

For the rest of the face, I contoured with my trusty Cream Pigment in Hollow from Illamasqua, seriously it's incredible on fair skins as a contour and brilliant on all skin types as a cream shadow/ eye primer for neutral, nude looks! (http://www.illamasqua.com/shop/hollow-cream-pigment)
I used a small amount of NARS Orgasm blush right on the apples of the cheeks and blended lightly to point to a lot of screen sirens of old off duty I had seen pictures of, the shimmer helped it look a little more modern.
I intensified the highlight I had gotten on the cheekbones with some MAC Silver Dusk iridescent powder (http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/159/595/Iridescent-PowderLoose/index.tmpl?LOCALE=en_CA)which I am obsessed with!

Finishing off with the lip, I outlined Emma's lips in a pale, cool toned pink pencil that I believe was from NYX (looking through my kit, can't remember the exact name!) and finished up with one of my favorite lip products, Sleek's Pout Paints! This time in the shade Mauve Over I believe!

I

Hello!

The third issue of Motley Magazine (www.uccmotley.ie) I worked on as Fashion & Beauty Editor was another studio shoot, this time done in the amazing Origin Hair Design Academy (www.facebook.com/originhairdesign).
There was no theme really outside of an glamour that wasn't too high maintenance!
The models for the shoot were Mairead and Kayleigh both with Lockdown Models (www.facebook.com/lockdownmodelagency) ,who were styled for the shoot by Alexandra Frahill and the photographer was the amazing Amy Frahill!

This shoot was SO much fun, the team just really gelled and everyone was in a funny kind of mood, which was in no small way helped by the wall of heads-weaing-wigs which sits in the studio.

For the makeup, when I thought glamour, I thought "Red Lip" and so I went with it, adding a glistening, glittery eye in a silvery tone.
I kept the skin light, glowing and defined to allow the lip and eye to stand out.

Both looks were essentially the same makeup, just a few changes to the foundation and concealer shades.

 Face was Maybelline's FIT ME Liquid foundation, and concealer.
I contoured using Illamasqua Cream Pigment in "Hollow" and added NARS blush to the cheeks (I think it may have been "Orgasm")
Brows were lightly filled in with MAC "Fling" and/or "Lingering" eyebrow pencils where needed.
On the eyes, I used Urban Decay Primer Potion as a base, then filled in the lid with a silvery/grey liquid glitter I mixed using some glitter sealant/adhesive.
I shaded the socket using Benefit's "Hoola" bronzer, and swept a little mixed with a cooler toned matte brown shadow under the eye.
On the lips, I used a mixture of various MAC lipsticks in varying degrees of red, I know I used "Dubonnet" and "Ruby Woo" as they are near one another in my lip palette haha!
I loaded up a lip brush and really pressed the colour into the lips to create a lived in effect (something I'm quite fond of!) and then defined the edges very slightly with my fingers for a kind of unkempt look without being too trashy.
I finished with a curl of the lashes, a slick of Maybelline Great Lash Mascara and some loose Powder.



Maired wears;
Top: Amity Cork
Skirt: TOPSHOP



Maroon gown: Amity Cork



Black Shawl/Top and Baroque Jeans: Amity Cork.
Jewellery: Azure Cork.
Shoes: Model's Own.




Sequinned Top: Mercury Goes Retrograde.





Necklace: Azure Jeweellery
Denim Shirt: Mercury Goes Retrograde
Velvet One-Piece: TOPSHOP

This shoot was a blast, there are some really funny behind the scenes too!

Getting Kayleigh's base down.
(Photo from my Instagram)


Photo by Alexandra Frahill


Photo from Kayleigh's Instagram


Wigs!
(Photo from Kayleigh's Instagram)


Photo from Kayleigh's Instagram.


LOLS with Kayleigh
(Photo from Kayleigh's Instagram)


SO funny!


The Hillbilly Family Folk Band.
Coming to a town near you!

Thanks for stopping by!

LxK

Hello!
Continuing with my series of Editorials I worked on as Fashion & Beauty Editor of Motley Magazine, was this fun shoot with Anuzis Photography (www.facebook.com/AnuzisPhotography) and a new alternative model agency called Vanity Vague. (www.vanityvague.com)

This was more of a stylist job for me, though I did do makeup, or rather Male Grooming on model Robert with Vanity Vague using their in-house makeup artist for Ciara's makeup and hair.

For the shoot, I wanted the style to be quite easy but in a punky kind of way, almost like models off duty, quite youthful and fun. Kind of street, I've seen a lot of kids (well people in their early 20's but kids to me!) looking great, really different but not overly done or too try hard,like they just swapped clothes and put on whatever from thrift stores and vintage markets so I tried to capture that.

Robert's tee and bag are both TOPSHOP (obsessed with that shirt!) and his jeans and boots are his own.



For the grooming, I kept it very light with some highlighting concealer under the eyes (a MAC Prep and Prime product!) and used a regular concealer on any redness etc. (MAC Studio Finish in NC15).
I emphasized Robert's already amazing cheekbones, the contour of the eyes and around the perimeter of the face using Illamasqua's "Disobey" powder blush and smoothed a small amount of the highlighting concealer I'd used under the eyes onto the top of the cheekbones and along the bridge of the nose. I also patted a small amount on the inner corners of the eye to brighten that area a little.
For brows I used a little Illamasqua Clear Brow Gel (fantastic budge proof product, highly recommend!) then curled Rob's lashes, not using mascara or anything as I felt it was unnecessary.


Top: Stylists Own.
Chain and Jeans (just seen): Model's Own





Mustard Bunny Top: Amity Cork
Leather Skirt: TOPSHOP


Navy Sparkle Coat: TOPSHOP
Skirt and Heels: Model's Own.




Bag: As before (TOPSHOP)
Cardigan: Vintage (Robert's own)
Belt: Model Agency MUA's own.
Jewellery and Heels: Model's own.



















Robert: All Clothes and Jewellery are model's own.
Ciara: As before.

Thanks for stopping by!

LxK