Have you tried Crown brushes NEW seven Syntho brushes yet? I am in love with them &keep using them this week on my make-up jobs …

www.crownbrush.co.uk

Karla
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‘Tales of Creativity’ Illustration 4. 

My next addition of my Charity project ‘Tales of Creativity’ designed & created by Carly Watts taking in your amazing stories you email us, we came up with this one. ’Ropes or Chains that hold you down’

To read more on this charity and to submit your stories click >here<

Karla

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More Make-up Images for Choulachou London NEW SS13 Lookbook!

“Be fun, be creative, be quirky, be funky, be daring, be stubborn, BE YOURSELF!” Choulachou.

Key Products used to create the look:

Skincare:

Bioderma Sebium H20

Simple- Kind to eyes soothing eyebalm, Skin Moisturise Boost Hydro Mist

Origins- Mega Bright Serum, Super Spot Remover(amazing for removing spots on models quick on shoots) 

Key Tools:

Crownbrush Infinity Series-

*C451

*C454

*C456

& Syntho Series-

*SS021

*SS020

*HD 7pc 613 Set

Base:

*Origins Plantscription

*Kryolan HD Micro Foundations

*MAC Powder blush in Harmony

*Benefit High Beam

*Make-up Forever HD Micro Finish Powder

*Crownbrush Blusher Palette 

Eyes:

*Crownbrush Professional 88 01 Matte Palette

*Bourjois Kohl & Contour pencil in Ultra Black

*Kryolan Black Cream Liner

*Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette 

*Eylure False Lashes 116

*Benefit They’re Real Mascara

Lips:

*The Neat Kit Lips

*MAC Lip Pencil in Spice

Nails:

*Deporah Lippmann in Careless Whisper

Check out Choulachou London’s amazing new website with more images from the shoot here: http://choulachou.com/ 

Karla

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The Team:

Photographer: Ryan Handy Photography

Make-up & Nails: Karla Powell

Model: Anya Barker @ Storm Model Management

Stylist: Natalie Read

Hair Stylist: Seaane Chin-hoyte

Stylist Assistant: Becky Joiner-O’Riordan

Shot @ Adrian Pini Studio

I Love my PP08 Pink Fan Badger brush from Crownbrush. A fan brush is one of the most practical makeup tool essentials in my kit.

Here are some top ways I use my Fan Brush:

Mistake eraser-

If your powdered makeup products (especially eye shadow) are leaving flecks behind, a light swipe of the fan brush can easily wipe away the excess.

Blusher/bronzer-

 If you want just a sheer touch of blush or bronzer on your cheeks, a fan brush will enable you to create a softer look. In turn, use the brush’s flat shape to assist in contouring where needed.

One thing about owning pink brushes in your make-up kit is, you can always find them in the bottom of your make-up brush bag ;) 

Karla

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I am in love with my Crownbrush 504 Studio Set! It’s such an amazing starter set for make-up artist’s starting to build up their make-up brush collection. I am particularly in love with the C250-0 eyeliner brush in the set. The fine detail I can create with this brush is un-real! The best thing about this set it’s only £34.49 ! Bargain…

Karla

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In Love….

Crownbrush UK Duo Fibre brush in style C406 LG Duo Face

Karla

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My Favourite Make-up Brushes in my Professional Make-up Kit

Whether I am aspiring make-up artists on my social media platforms or teaching a master class, one of the questions I am most often asked is “Which brushes are best and what are your favourite make-up brushes in your kit?” The answer is not nearly as simple as the question, since there are many factors that must be considered, however I am hoping today’s blog post can answer some of the questions I get frequently asked.

The type of bristles you need within your kits depends on the medium you are working with. Natural bristles work best with powder products and synthetic bristles with oil, cream and some powder based products. Powder works well for camera work, as it doesn’t melt or shine and reflect. Therefore, most of the brushes in a media make-up artist’s kit should be made with natural bristles. 

Quality, not quantity, is the rule in my kit (even though I am guilty taking nearly all my brushes  ‘JUST’ in case) A general guideline is to look for high quality brushes created for a specific use. Most of my brushes are dense, with a silky texture and a tapered, rounded shape. Make-up brushes are a very essential part of any make-up routine. Having a good brush set is important because poor brushes can damage the quality of your make-up application. As a professional artist I wouldn’t paint a canvass with just any brush, it’s important to make sure that you have clean, soft brushes available for your daily make-up routine as well as being professional. Finally the true qualities of a great brush are the comfort of the brush in the hand and the amount of control you have with application. You need to go through a lot of trial and error to find what works for you; what feels good in your hands and what makes product application easier so even though I am sharing what I love it might not be a brush suitable for you!

Here are some of my top make-up brushes I tend to use on all my jobs:

*Illamasqua Angled Brush

*Crown Brush 613 7pc HD Set

*MUA Cosmetics E7 & F6

* Sigma Synthetic Kabuki Brush Set 

*Sigma Synthetic Precision Set

*MAC Short 130 duo fibre brush

*MAC Small 188 duo fibre face brush

*Kryolan Premium Filbert Brushes 

*Illusion Magazine Body painting brushes

*Finally some a variety of painting brushes from Art Shops

My top tip when buying make-up brushes:

Make sure you buy more than one of your favourite makeup brushes. You never know when a staple brush in your kit is going to get discontinued. Also, for someone like myself, who works fashion week and shoots, it’s convenient to carry more than one brush on hand when working on multiple faces or if one brush gets dirty and you don’t have time to clean it on a tight schedule.

Karla
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Make-up products & tips from MAC Senior make-up artist Jane McKay… which she shared with me at NYFW ……

MAC 224 tapered blending brush:

I feel I have control with this brush, it is just so versatile .This brush has soft fibres which taper to form a medium size dome shape, which feels great on the models skin.  Jane also likes to use this to apply translucent powder to areas such as around the nose and under eyes for a light application.

MAC Strobe cream:

This Strobe cream is just beautiful! (Whilst Jane is applying it to her hand to show me)  It’s the ‘the ultimate quick fix for the skin. Super-powered with potent botanicals, de-stresses, moistens, freshens and boosts the look of dull, flat or tired-looking skin with a fully loaded vitamin zap and a mega dose of green tea. Brightens and clarifies with iridescent particles and antioxidants. The product also enhances the effects of light on all skin and in all lighting conditions from sunlight to spotlight. It gives it that not over done dewy look. This does have a pink undertone, so make sure you know your skin undertone colour before purchasing.

MAC Eyelash curlers:

A must have! They say that the ‘eyes are the windows to one’s soul,” and if that’s true, then eyelashes must be the drapes to those windows! Jokes aside, a perfectly curled eyelash can really open up those eyes instantly. Jane demonstrated to me on the model to curl the lashes twice, Always checking that the eyelash curlers are not pinching the models skin.

MAC Prep & prime highlighter:

Your own MAC version of VSL Touche eclat! Simple…

More tips & products from the industry experts at fashion week coming up!

Karla

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My Top Favourite Make-up Brushes I own and Swear by!

Brushes make all the difference in make-up application. Everyone from the most skilled make-up artist to people who wears only the basics can benefit from using the right tools. Consider investing in at least a few key brushes. High quality blush, eye shadow, eyebrow and eyeliner brushes are basic. Good brushes are not hard to find. Look at those made by Make-up Artists’ lines as well as expensive versions available at beauty and art stores.

To find out which brushes you need and which ones are good quality, familiarising yourself with a vaeriety of styles, shapes and bristle types.

Top Tips & how to assess your brush quality:

• Know what you are looking for
• Assess the quality by testing how soft the bristles feel on the skin
• Run your fingers through the bristles to make sure they don’t shed
• Test how the brush feels when you hold it in your hand
• Finally make sure it feels comfortable in your hand when using the brush
• Natural bristles are very soft and offer more blending- best for powder application
• Synthetic bristles are the best choice used with creamy products such as concealers, foundations & lips

I have gathered a list of some of my basic favourite make-up brushes in my kit, which are a definite must in your make-up kit!

• MAC 188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush, £26.00. A flat-topped, full circular brush used for lightweight application and blending foundation or cream blush in – fluid & cream. I also love using it for powder or pigment. Ideal for creating soft layers or adding textures.

• MAC 130 Short Duo Fibre Brush , £28.00. A short, round dual fibre with flat head composed of both natural bristles and synthetic fibres ideal for application with creams and powder products!!

• MAC 187 Duo Fibre Brush, £32.50. A large full circular brush used for lightweight application and blending of face powder or pigments- . This can also be used for application of aqua colours when body painting. I always have comments of models that this feels amazing on their skin, It’s made from a soft blend of goat and synthetic fibres.

• MAC 222 Tapered Blending Brush, £19.00. I was advised at New York Fashion week by the legend Luc B who works for MAC that this is a must blending brush in your kit.  It’s great for applying, contouring or highlighting powder-based products such as eye shadow, powder, or Pigment. It’s great to see what colour you have on the brush as some black blending bristles you can’t see if you have a pigment on there or not! No time for mistakes I say!

• Illamasqua Blending brush 1, £20.50. This is great for moulding and shaping your eye make-up to perfection. I love using this to blend cream around the eyes such as concealer and I use it for applying cream to the eyes.

• Illamasqua Blending Brush 2, £23.50. An essential tool for all make-up artists. The incredibly versatile brush can be used to apply and blend any cream or powder product. I use to contour with cream products. 

• MY FAVOURITE BRUSH IN MY KIT! I HAVE TWO! Illamasqua Eye Brow Brush, £18.50. For brows that make a statement and any one who knows me eyebrows are my best area of a model I love working on! This is angled for precision application that ensures you always achieve the sleekest, most defined brows. Also fantastic for lips for sharp definition

All the above are my favourite brushes I use in all application of make-up from wedding, fashion all the way to T.V Make-up. I do have 100 more brushes in my kit from body painting brushes to the cheapest brushes that still do the same job as the expensive brushes. So do shop around.

Here is a link to some of my other favourite brushes I have in my kit:

http://www.victorialovesbeauty.com/

http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/

http://www.sigmabeauty.com/

http://www.urbandecay.com/makeup-tools/11,default,sc.html

http://www.crownbrush.co.uk/?gclid=CJb067yZkqoCFcNP4Qod4Rhpxg

http://www.themakeupbrushcompany.co.uk/Home.asp

Karla

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