April Tatler "Oh you pretty things" Bianca

Back on a freezing February Saturday a huge team of  people and many rails of beautiful dresses gathered at Fulham Palace to shoot this feature on the most beautiful teenagers in Britain for April's Tatler. There were 10 girls , myself and fellow make up artist Linda Johansson worked on 5 girls each , and Hairdressers Choccy and Daniel Dyer worked wonders on the hair.All styling is by Mouchette Bell and it was photographed by Iris Brocsh.

For Bianca Morris i used Benefit cosmetics
Hair by Daniel Dyer.

Random page of polaroids

A very random page of polaroids here! Kate Lawler ,Patsy Kensit , Sam Taylor Wood and Paris Hilton . Bizarre combination.

Polaroids

I dug out my old shoot polaroid book today from under a cloud of dust, it rarely sees the light of day any more thanks to digital technology. It hasn't been updated in a long time. We are all loving Hipstamatic on the i phone but nothing beats the real thing . I especially love the lingerie shoot which was shot by Craig Fordham.

Beauty tip: How to get a hollywood smile.

•  One of the best beauty assets of all is a set of  perfect white teeth.I am not about to suggest everyone runs off and gets a set of expensive veneers that will eventually fall off , but here are the rules for perfecting what you have : 
• Visit your dentist every 6 months to get your teeth cleaned professionally.
• Use a toothpaste twice a day containing fluoride , and brush gently[too hard and you risk your  gums receding ] for at least 2 minutes  -30 seconds  isn't long enough to remove plaque. Remember to brush your tongue too.
• Change your toothbrush every 2 months or better still invest in an electric toothbrush.
• Use dental floss every time you brush teeth and little interdental brushes for gappy teeth.
• Use an alcohol free mouthwash after every brushing to remove bacteria, if you have inflamed gums use one containing chlorhexidine [temporarily].
• Use whitening toothpastes regularly, home whitening kits tend to contain very low levels of peroxide so any serious whitening by laser needs to be done by a professional.
• Reduce stains by rubbing lemon zest , fresh strawberries,charcoal,sage leaves or burnt rosemary. 
• Massage your gums daily with your index finger to improve blood flow and help prevent receding gums.
• A make-up artists tip to quickly age someone for a film is to brown their teeth ....this says a lot.
• I am all in favour of moving the teeth you have !I have been using the Clearstep system which involves a series of invisible teeth positioners which slowly move your teeth for a perfect smile and nobody need know you are doing it . And they come on a set of colourful plaster moulds !See photo above.

Time saving beauty tip : Face Mask

 None of us has enough time in the day, but get in to the habit of doing your beauty treatments when you are doing your chores. Don't even think about doing the hoovering  or cleaning the oven at home without putting on a face mask [or even a hair mask or eye mask.]While this may sound frightfully old school, the new products certainly aren't. I am not going to give you a recipe involving egg whites and seaweed , though it would probably work wonders, as this is a time saving tip. I am in the habit of trying all the new products , but these are 3 i am currently using : 1:Shu Uemura Phyto -black lift for anti aging /lifting. 2: Aveda Deep Cleansing Herbal Clay Masque for deep cleansing of pores.3: Sisley Flower Gel Express Gel for hydrating, toning and firming. To maximize benefits, always apply to clean, exfoliated and ideally steamed skin, leave for approx 10 minutes and rinse with warm water.                                                                                                                                                                                          

Beauty shoot at The Grove Spa today

Shooting a beauty story at The Grove Spa today. No time for drawings today though. Its a place with a beach in the middle of a walled garden, giant plaster walnuts, square trees , bejewelled bras, topiary giraffes, video installations, black swimming pools amongst the golf courses .Beautiful.

Milan Fashion Week : Just Cavalli

Amongst a collection that veers between high glamour and hippy smocks is this slightly geek chic kooky girly dress by Just Cavalli . Check out the rest of the collection for mismatched prints, trouser suits,tweed,romper suits,patchwork,lambswool parkas and snakeskin. Everything goes.