Autumn Nailpolish Must haves!!!!

I am a HUGE nail polish girl!!! –That’s understatement. Over the years I’ve built quite an obsession with nail polish and though its still quite warm mere in sunny Brisbane these are my ultimate Autumn/Winter shades!

Starting from the darkest shade, this is OPI’s Light My Sapphire. This is definitely one of those shades to wear if you’re in the mood for a black but not black nail -polish! I would describe this shade as very dark gunmetal with purple and blue undertones and a frosty finish. The formula of this particular shade is amazing-extremely pigmented and you can easily get away with two coats.

This shade is probably one of my favorites, Butter London’s LA Moss. I am a huge fan of good burgundy shades…and this one definitely hits the jackpot!! This is a very sophisticated shade; it is a vampy, blood red colour. I will say that it does take about three coats until this shade is the desired colour-the first coat comes out almost like a streaky red, however intensifies with the second and third coat. The finish of this colour is extremely glossy and creamy, it almost looks like gel nailpolish!

Revlon’s Colorstay Gel Envy nailpolish in Queen of Hearts is a relatively new shade to my collection but it is definitely creeping up to one of my favorites! This particular shade is a classic red with some pink undertones, a cult must-have for autumn. The formula of this nailpolish blew me away! It is as close to a salon gel manicure as an at home nail polish can be. The formula is longwearing and chip resistant for at least a week, extremely pigmented, easy to apply and has a high gloss finish.

Saving the best until last, Essie’s Lady Like. This colour is perfect for autumn if you still want to wear pinks, however this shade is more of a dusty rose/mauve with grey undertones. It has a very creamy finish and is extremely opaque.

(Brisbane mobile hair and makeup artist experienced in weddings, bridal, formals, tv, photoshoots, theatre -  Melissa Coleman)

Brows, Brows, Brows!!! (Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade)

Okay so eyebrows are definitely one of my favourite steps when creating a makeup look and they are definitely one of the first things that grab my eye! All my ladies out there with sparse brows (like me!!) don’t you dare neglect them! Brows do wonders in framing and sculpting the face and can soften or intensify a makeup look.

My biggest, most important tip when it comes to brows: do not over pluck! Yes, you heard me…don’t do it!!! Over-tweezing brows can lead to follicle damage underneath the brow hairs and consequently these hairs may never grow back.

I have a cheap little DIY trick that I use which truly has worked miracles on my brows (and also eyelashes)- coconut oil. Coconut oil has been all the rage recently and there are plenty of reasons why: it is natural, moisturising, thickening and stimulates hair growth through conditioning the follicles. It is easiest to heat the oil in the microwave for a few seconds, then dip a q-tip into the oil and apply on your brows and lashes every night so that it can work its magic!

Now onto my Holy Grail brow product, which I cannot get enough of…Anastasia Beverly HillsDipbrow Pomade- it’s a mouthful! This brow product is truly amazing and in my opinion, the best on the market. I purchased it on Beauty Bay for only $16.20 (AUD)! There is a wide range of shades, suiting practically every eyebrow colour.  This is the shade "Blonde" (which I find quite universal)  with the amazing brush #12, which is synthetic.  Perfect for applying the pomade.

 I have found that most brow products out there often have red/orange undertones, however these colours are very ashy which I believe looks more natural. This pomade is almost the consistency of gel eyeliner; hence it is best applied with a synthetic brush to ensure a precise and easy application. This product is extremely long lasting, rain and sweat proof-one of the biggest assets of this product. I also love that I don’t need to set this product with a gel, unlike when using powders to ensure that the eyebrows stay in place. It definitely takes practice when using this product-a light hand is essential, however it looks incredibly natural.

Here is a before and after on an eyebrow, to give you an idea of how natural but defining this is (even with untamed brows!):

before:

after:  

Enjoy!

(Brisbane mobile hair and makeup artist experienced in weddings, bridal, formals, tv, photoshoots, theatre - Melissa Coleman)

Bold Lips

I have just received two more gorgeous lipstick shades to add to my kit! Recently I have loved creating a really simple eye look, bold lashes, full brows (hint hint for next weeks post) and a BRIGHT LIP!!

Whenever I am wearing bright lips I always try to exfoliate (dry skin is always more noticeable on bold colours)-it makes a huge difference and is the perfect canvas. Bicarbonate soda and water is a very simple and cheap scrub or I have also found that lathering lip balm and scrubbing with a toothbrush works wonders!

Now onto the new colours:

Persimmon- a matte coral/orange with pink undertones

Deep Rasberry- a shimmering cool toned dark pink

(left - Persimmon; right Deep Rasberry)

I always finish off bold lips by outlining with concealer- ensuring they look flawless and crisp.

Have fun with the bold colours ladies!!!

(Brisbane mobile hair and makeup artist experienced in weddings, bridal, formals, tv, photoshoots, theatre - Melissa Coleman)

My Current Eyeshadow Faves! (MAC and Inglot)

Recently I purchased two beautiful eye products to add to my already ridiculous eyeshadow collection- Mac prolongwear paint pot in Lets Skate And Inglot’s body sparkle #68….. And I am obsessed!!!

I absolutely love the formula of the Mac prolongwear paintpots –they are creamy, extremely pigmented and blend beautifully. Sometimes when I’m in a rush I don’t have time to set them with powder, within six hours they still look flawless -no creasing or smudging! This particular shade, Lets Skate is definitely one of my favourites. It is a soft baby pink with gold sparkles (not chunky glitter!) and looks incredible layered with bronze and copper shades as they compliment the gold undertones in the paintpot. I also love layering it with a simple champagne colour-Stila’s kitten is gorgeous and this really enhances the pink and creates a fresh, glowing look.

The inglot body sparkle has a copper/bronze undertone with pink, gold and even green shimmers. It is so unique and definitely adds an extra dimension to a simple eyeshadow look. A really easy eye look which I love doing is smoking out Mac’s eyeshadowin Woodwinked (medium toned bronze) and placing this pigment in the middle of the lid for a pop of colour! It looks stunning and takes less than 5 minutes, which is the best part about it! Sometimes I mix this pigment with an adhesive-I have the Too Faced Shadow Insurance Glitter glue and it instantly bonds the body sparkle intensifies the look, making the pigment even more vibrant with NO fallout!!!. This pigment can get quite messy, so I recommend doing your foundation and concealer after because there can be a lot of fallout!

I’m loving layering cream shadows with powders, playing around with different colour combinations which creates beautiful duo-chrome effects! This Mac paintpot and inglot pigment are such an amazing combination– a gorgeous rose gold/copper colour with the pink undertones of the paintpot shining through.

(Melissa Coleman is a Brisbane based, mobile, freelance hair and makeup artist experienced in weddings, bridal, formals, special occasions, tv, photoshoots, theatre.)