Sarah's Make-Up Bag

Take a sneak peak inside Sarah's make-up bag and discover her favourite products and tips. If you have any favourites, please email me and I will add them to the bottom of the article under client favourites.  Favourite brands are Astara Skincare, Mac, Bobbi Brown and my dream day would be to get lost in the 'Benefit Factory'!


Cleanser
Cleansing is the most important step in any make-up regime. It removes dirt, avoids pores from becoming clogged and therefore dry or greasy.  If you don't create a clean canvas for the make-up, then you will feel like you need more and could easily get caught in the vicious cycle of trying to 'cover-up'. Invest the most in your skincare products, and you will have a more beautiful canvas to work with.  Apply with hands, add some water to create lather, scrub your face lightly, remove with moist large cotton cleaning pads and completely remove. Top pick: Astara Skincare Cleansing Gele or another of their cleansing products.


Moisturiser
To restore moisture is essential to maintaining a young skin. Apply after a spray of fresh toner. Top pick: Astara Skincare Rich Moisturiser or another of their products.


Foundation
Apply a light, natural foundation (up to jaw-line and not neck). Test the colour on your forehead first for the closest match to your skin. Use a proper foundation brush (rather than sponge - also available at Prescriptives) for best application.  Top Pick: Prescriptives  'Traceless' (level 1-5) available from Selfridges, Macys, Sephora.com, or NuSkin 'NuColour' complexion with spf 15 and natural ingredients. 


Concealer
For under/around the eye area. Top Pick: Laura Mercier 'Secret Concealer' available from Sephora and Space NK, or Benefit  'boi-ing' available from Selfridges and Sephora.


Eye highlighter
Apply a highlighter to eye lid/upper eye lid to lift eye and open up your eye area. Top Pick: Benefit 'Lemon Aid' or your lightest white/stone/cream in your colour palette. Available at Sephora or Selfridges.


Eye Shadow
Apply to eye lid, crease in eye/upper eyelid to open up eye. Balance out eyelids by placing darkest colour where you have the most e.g. deep socket - darker eyelid, more upper eyelid - darker on crease and upper.  Where you have less eyelid apply lightest colours. Use a sponge brush for applying to lids and a powder brush for highlighting.  Top Picks: Bobbi Brown Cream Shadow, Wash Eye shadow, and Eyeshadow.   Mac have a great range of colours.


Eyeliner
My favourite eyeliner is to apply eyeshadow using a damp narrow/fine long brush. Apply along the entire upper lid if fuller lid or to lower lid if deeper socket to open up.  Avoid wearing the typical black if it isn't in your colour palette; you will only take away from your natural colouring rather than enhance it.  Top Pick:  Bobbi Brown Essentials Eyeshadow in Navy (looks very dark) or Espresso, Charcoal, Smoke, Cement, Steel or Longwear Eye Gel is also great, especially Hunter Ink with hazel eyes. Apply with a fine brush.  Mac's eyeliner is great if you are looking for a kohl style pencil.


Mascara
The mascara is a finishing touch and should not overpower the eye area. Rather than wearing thick or heavy mascara, instead use an eyelash curler and then apply a light mascara to set the curl.  And avoid the conventional use of black unless you have black/dark brown eyes are very dark eyelashes.  Black overpowers most people so instead use brown black, brown or navy. The difference is only neglible but very obvious around the eye area and how it impacts your skin tone around the eye. Top pick: Clinique – 'Natural Gloss Mascara'.


Cheeks
Gone are the days for dabbing powder in the center of your cheek. Instead the gels provide a healthy glow and reflect the natural look that is in-vogue.  Apply along the cheekbone, from corner of eye to hairline.  Top Pick: Lets raid the Benefit factory! Benefit 'Dandelion', 'Dallas', 'Hoola' or 'Georgia' all enhance your natural tones and are great for no-make-up days so you don't feel like you have made no effort.  Glamazon is brilliant for glamour types with olive/darker complexions.  'Benetint' is fantastic as a cheek stain and also Revlon's Limited Edition Pinch Me cheek tint.  I also favour Vincent Longo Blushers or cheek stains.


Lips
A woman should never be without her lipstick.  Gloss, matt, sheen - whatever you choose you can have these days. A lipliner makes all the difference and a plumper (try Benefit 'plump') can also enhance lip size and create more definition.   Top Pick:  my favourite lipstick is Laura Mercier - Healthy Lips.   A great in-between gloss/matt is Paula Dorf's Lipsicle.   Mac - Tinted Lipglass is fantastic.  Vincent Longo's new Baby Balm lipsticks are fantastic for adding colour and sheen.


Nails
Why wear nail polish? Keep your nails groomed with a good handcream and a nail oil for the cuticles. Top Pick:  Marvala Cuticle oil available from various department stores including Selfridges. 


Perfume
I always avoid perfume that is overly fragmented and unnatural, which accounts for 99% of the market. Perfume should be your signature and leave people understanding you more rather than fending them off. What is the point of wearing great clothes if you spoil it with a cheap or over-chemicalised scent.  Create your own using distilled water and oils or opt for an oil based perfume such as Aveda's Pure-Fume. I guess my biggest style secret that I haven't revealed before is what perfume I wear. I used to wear Aveda's Attraction II oil-based perfume. That is no longer available, so now I use an unconventional choice - Bush Flower Space Clearing Essence Mist. It consists of natural fragrances and I feel it gives me a Feng Shui at the same time. I also use Rose Water mist too which is light and creates a similar affect.  At some point, I may introduce my own range of products as this market I feel is over-saturated in the completely wrong way and a scent is a very personal thing that leaves a lingering memory with others. I always remember my grandmother's scent and my mother by her perfume.


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©2007 Sarah Whittaker  [www.thewardrobeshrink.com].
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Sarah Whittaker has been featured in numerous newspapers and magazines worldwide, and writes The Wardrobe Shrink Newsletter full of the latest fashion trends, celebrity style and honest image advice.

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