Great Lengths

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Mascara is my absolute favourite make-up bag essential.  If I had to pick just one piece of make up to use for the rest of my life it would have to be mascara (or maybe concealer, oh, and what about an eyebrow pencil, hmmm a bright lipstick...nevermind).  You get the picture though. It is the one product that instantly makes you feel like your eyes are bigger and brighter, like you are more put together and generally serves as a little daily 'lift'.  Yes, mascara you are wonderful but there are just so many to choose from so where do you begin?  Here are just a few options. Some I love and am utterly committed to, and others are very good value and perhaps worth a try.

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This one is a long shot to get hold of.  It is one of my favourite EVER.  Helena Rubenstein - Long lash waterproof mascara.  It is impossible to find in London (I found mine in Japan after being discontinued in the UK and I bought a load). You can source this product on the internet, it's fairly expensive at about $40.00 (£25.00). It is waterproof and refillable (where, I don't know), It comes in a very glamourous gold metal tube with a vintage feel.  It is packed full of silk fibres for thickening and elongating and has the most unique metal brush I have ever come across.  If you manage to get your hands on it you will never let it go!

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If you are in the market for a new mascara, Armani- Eyes to kill is the one I would most urge you to go out and buy.  Again, it is not cheap at £23.50 ($38.00) and I get mine in Selfridges, London. It is a sound investment for your make-up kit.  Because of the lovely fat, bristly brush it gives the most voluminous effect, blacker than black lashes and it never ever drops.  It lasts all day and gives you tons of extra length.  Can you tell I'm a fan?

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Diorshow mascara from Dior is £22.00 ($35.60) and it was always my go to mascara until I discovered Armani-Eyes to kill.  This is also a brilliant product that has a similar effect.  The brush is once again made from thick and flexible fibres and the results are very dramatic. 

When It comes to mascaras I find the products with this type of brush always perform the best.  The moulded plastic brushes like this are clearly cheaper to manufacture, which is why you find most of the drugstore brands have adopted this type. I feel that they are gimicky and under perform which is always a disappointment .  Although the one linked above is actually one of the better ones because of its formulation.  You could always purchase one of the cheaper mascaras and pop a separate mascara wand like this into it and see what effect you get.

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Here is another Helena Rubenstein one called Lash Queen - Feline Blacks.  It is priced around £23.00 ($37.00). Once again, it has a great brush and the most awesome packaging.  I'm a sucker for unique packaging!

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So lets have a quick look at the cheaper options on the market at the moment.  This is the new one from Mabelline whose Great lash mascara is brilliant and it's still America's number one selling mascara to date.  It is called Lash stiletto voluptuous mascara and is £8.20 ($13.00). It has a fibred brush, albeit bent into a strange shape (another gimmick I'm sure).  Mabelline always creates really good products for the cheaper end of the market and the packaging is in the shape of a stiletto heel. What's not to love? 

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This is Illamasqua's Volume mascara, which is a really decent product and is very reasonably priced at £15.00 ($24.00). It is now on sale at only £5.00 although it appears only to be left in Nocturnal - dark brown and Lewd - royal blue,  but if you were looking to add some colour to your mascara arsenal then at that price you should get them both!

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Last but not least, well actually least by a long way and we're talking cash here.  This is e.l.f's earth and water mascara duo.  It is apparently designed with both regular and a waterproof formulations to choose from (perfect for your summer holiday). Now, I haven't tried this one yet and I rarely review a product that I haven't tested myself but I simply had to with this one as it is only £1.50 ($2.45). What amazing value.  e.l.f (eyes.lips.face) is a great brand for experimental make-up junkies who want to try out a ton of different looks without spending a fortune on products.  You can really behave like a kid in a candy store on their website without any buyers remorse. Have you tried this mascara? What did you make of it?

I could go on and on about mascaras forever and these are just a few out of the hundreds on the market and the ones I like at the moment but that is always subject to change!  Which is your favourite mascara?

Keep your eye out for my second tutorial, coming up next!

Light & Dangerous

Just a couple of awesome ideas from a few of my favourite daily clicks.  How amazing are these eyelashes?  They are made from paper inspired by the ancient Chinese art of paper cutting.  You can cut them down and just use parts of them in the outer corner of your eye for a slightly more subtle look (like most falsies).  And you can buy them right here.  Gorgeous.

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And how fierce (literally) are these fingertips?  I'm not sure why or how practical, but I kind of like them none the less. Perhaps these will start a new trend.  Do you think you would ask for this finish at your next manicure? 

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Sirens

Sometimes a product comes along that is just so genius that you wished you had thought of it.  This is one of those products.  Waterproof bronzer, so we have the mascara pool-proof, even lipstick can withstand a glamourous dip, but what about your sun kissed glow?  This is made by an incredible company called Hourglass,  The Venice, California based make-up brand was launched in 2004 by Carisa James.  I discovered it exclusively in Liberty, London, last month.

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Their products are multifunctional and their brushes are endorsed by PETA, always a huge plus in my book.  Some synthetic brushes struggle to match up to their natural bristle counterparts, but these are so thick and luxurious, providing an amazing finish on the skin.

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My absolute favourite product from Hourglass so far is this, Extreme sheen lipgloss in - Siren.  I have never in all my time as a make-up artist discovered such a vibrant, dramatic and metallic red.  I will be doing a tutorial soon showing how to achieve the perfect red pout and this is definitely one of the products I will be showcasing, you will be stunned at the results!

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Wouldn't this be a great look to work with your shiny red lips, courtesy of the super talented Charlotte Olympia, her shoes are always works of art!

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Finally I would like to introduce you to my guy, Daniel.

He has kindly agreed to help me out around here. When it comes to guys I am often asked questions about, eyebrow taming, pimples, dry lips, scar reduction, oily skin,  great hair products, you get the idea.  Usually by male actors, models, friends and family, I figured it was time answer some of those questions and with Daniel's opinion on the grooming products I ask him to try, review some of the potential solutions here.  So Gents, and Ladies, for all the men in your life, keep your eye out for our upcoming Gentleman's Row posts.

A lack of commitment

If you are like me and love the idea of being covered in tattoo's, but totally lack the stone's to endure the pain and panic at the idea of having to choose something that will be relevant and beautiful to you for the rest of your days, or perhaps you are a huge fan of body art, rock masses of ink and have a little person who isn't quite old enough to follow family tradition just yet.  Then these are a witty solution .

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Created by the endlessly inspiring Tina Roth Eisenberg at swissmiss in Brooklyn NYC, Tattly is your answer.  Designed by a select group of graphic artists these temporary tattoos are a modern take on the dull lick and stick versions of yesteryear.  They remind me of the sheets of special effects tattoo's I often use on shoots for actors who need to be inked up.  These are far more fun though.

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The collections are limited editions and I am really looking forward to seeing what they come up with next.

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Very simple eyeliner

I am always overwhelmed by the number of women who ask me how to do the very basics of make-up application. So I decided that I would start to put together a online manual, working as simply as possible through the processes of make-up application starting at the beginning and working our way through to the more complicated business of individual eyelash application and oscar-worthy hairstyles, to name just a few projects.

This is my friend Leslie, Parisian, beautiful and make-up free. I am a firm believer in keeping make-up simple on a daily basis using no fuss techniques and minimal products to enhance your look, certainly not to overwhelm. However, I am the advocate of quite the opposite on a night out or special occasion, where in my book, anything goes!

My first rule is if the make-up you have applied does not enhance your natural beauty, you are doing it wrong!

A very simple slick of top eyeliner is one of the easiest ways to polish your look with minimal effort.

In doing this you will create the illusion of thicker more elongated lashes with one flick of a brush. Brilliant. Here is what you are going to need.

I have always found gel or cream eyeliners the easiest to use, if you make a mistake this type of product is the most forgiving and is easily able to be blended back into shape. This MAC one is my favourite but with so many options available these are great too, Stila, Bobbi Brown and if you would prefer a drugstore brand this is just as effective.

The biggest mistake most people make when applying their eye make-up is staring into a bathroom or vanity mirror straight on, this makes it nearly impossible to achieve anything but a messy uneven line. Hold a compact mirror beneath your chin and about two inches away from your face and look down into it. This means you are working on an eyelid that is almost closed and not blinking about all over the place. This also eliminates the need for you to pull your eyelids about with your fingers, a terrible thing to do with the most delicate skin on your face.

Then using the thinest, pointiest eyeliner brush possible, with the tip dipped lightly in your gel. Place the point with the product as close as you can into the inner corner of your eye. Use your eyelash roots as your guide and as a rest for your brush and pull the product across your lash line in one clean sweep. Then if you are feeling brave open your eye up a little, look head on into your mirror and fill in as close to your inner corner as possible. Voila, you should have a very neat eyeline. If you would like something a little more dramatic use the line you just drew as a guide and build up another layer. The better you get at this the more experimental you will feel like being, I will show you how to do the "flicks" in a future tutorial where we will be looking at vintage inspired hair and make-up.

You don't have to purchase really expensive make-up branded brushes to achieve this look.

One of my guilty pleasures is to go to my local art suppliers and pick out a ton of new tools. Of the two brushes above, the blue one, which has been used endlessly, is not only made out of the exact same hair as the other one but was a total snip at about £1.99 ($3.00). At that kind of price you can afford to experiment with different sizes and shapes and work out what is best for you, without compromising one bit on quality.

If you didn't get your eyeliner right first time don't worry just add a little depth and a little more drama by blending a tiny smudge of dark eyeshadow such as this along the line, which will eradicate any imperfections, a sweep of mascara and your good to go. Very simple eyeliner, vey big difference.

We had such fun doing this tutorial, I hope you guys have fun experimenting with your eyeliner, and of course you don't have to stick to classic black!

Don't forget to follow us on twitter @56toRivington and tell us what you think!

(All the images were shot by my talented friend Kye Corfield who I would like to thank, along with my gorgeous friend Leslie)

Let the sun shine

Whilst the rest of the world is seemingly basking in sunshine, London is as grey as it ever was. I thought this picture taken in Barbados when I stayed here (an amazing place, I highly recommend) was appropriate for this cloudy day spent photo editing. I hope its sunny where you are!

Coming next, our first tutorial. How exciting.

Catch us on twitter: @56toRivington

Dead or Alive

Illamasqua is a fabulous British make up brand redefining the boundaries of self expression using make up as a medium. The brand is innovative, brave and forward thinking. Their product range is incredibly impressive and I will be reviewing their goods in future posts for you. In short I am a fan of the brand and in particular one of their creative powerhouses, make up visionary, Alex Box. This post however isn't about her...

The final act of Self Expression is a service that they have launched today. Are you ready for this?...

Offering professional funeral make-up transformations applied by a specially trained Illamasqua make-up artist, the Final Act of Self-Expression encourages people for whom making-up is an intimate part of their identity to plan their final transformation - one that pays tribute to who they were in life and how they want to enter the afterlife.

Leverton & Sons is one of the oldest and most respected funeral directors in Britain. The company's longevity combined with Illamasqua's truly professional make-up products ensures a distinguished service of quality and dependability.

Illamasqua encourages people to self-express and embrace their alter ego in every way. Why should this be any different when you pass away? It is a celebration of life, and one that should be indulged for your last glamorous look.

How do you feel about this. Is it the weirdest thing you have ever heard of? or are you totally up for a post life make over so you can go out with a bang, eyelashes and the perfect pout included? At £450 a go, it's a good thing you only require the service once!

I would love to hear your opinions on this one...

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