Sunday Tittle Tattle: Mariposa, Saying Goodbye

downing street reception mariposa trust

I had the privilege of attending an evening reception at 10 Downing Street this week. It was held by Samantha Cameron for the Mariposa Trust, a charity that helps parents and families who have lost a baby, whether through miscarriage, stillbirth or death in early infancy. There are four parts to the charity, the main division being Saying Goodbye, which supports people who have suffered a baby loss and also holds the remembrance services (the first in the UK) so that parents and families can grieve properly. It’s an incredibly sad thing to have to think about, but millions of people have to face this loss every single year and I think that Saying Goodbye are providing an amazing service to those who are feeling utterly devastated and alone. They reach in excess of 50,000 people globally every week – no mean feat.

I also noted with interest that there are more divisions of the charity in development – GrowingYou, which offers support and advice to women who are pregnant after a loss, and Holding Hope which supports people going through the IVF process. Again, brilliant and much-needed care for those who need guidance and reassurance in what is a very nerve-wracking and emotionally fraught time.

You can find Saying Goodbye here and the Mariposa Trust homepage here.

caroline hirons downing street

On a lighter note; after a very tearful speech by one of Saying Goodbye‘s ambassadors, during which both Caroline Hirons and I had to stare at the ceiling very hard so as not to burst into tears, we emerged into a beautiful blue-skied Westminster evening and had our pictures taken at the front door of Number 10. It had to be done; Mr AMR made it very clear that he would be extremely disappointed if I didn’t get a photo. So we whipped out our iPhones and abandoned any sense of dignity or professionalism and posed at Number 10, even roping Dave the policeman in for a quick snap. It was some much needed comic relief after an intense and thoughtful couple of hours.

ruth crilly hush feather tee

And whilst on the subject of charity: one of my favourite clothing brands, Hush, is helping to raise funds for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer this season. 30% of sales of three specially selected items will be donated to the charity; the summer jumpsuit, the feather t-shirt (pictured above) and the gorgeous sequin dress. You can find all of the pieces online here.

The post Sunday Tittle Tattle: Mariposa, Saying Goodbye appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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Photoshoot Ready Makeup

Hi Makeup Geeks!
So I’ve been redoing my headshots lately as it’s been a few years since I’ve taken new pictures.  (what can I say, it’s been busy!)  I posted a couple of my pictures that Nicola took of me (which she did such a great job!) on Instagram, and many of you wanted to know how I did my makeup.  So…. Here’s how I do my makeup for photoshoots plus some tips on how to get ready and what to wear!

Marlena 14

Makeup Tips for Photoshoots

  • Always wear a matte finish foundation, so your face doesn’t look oily under the hot lights or camera flashes
  • To add glowiness to the skin, apply cream blush or a cheek highlighter as you want shine to be only on your cheeks (not all over your face)
  • Apply more color/makeup than you wear on a daily basis, as cameras wash out 30-40% color.  If your makeup looks a bit too dramatic for everyday, then it’s perfect for camera!
  • For clothing, wear brighter colors as it “pops” more.  If you wear neutrals, go with a pattern so there’s visual interest in your picture.  Definitely avoid plain white, nude, or black clothing. Find your best color, and wear that.  For me since I’m a brunette with fairer skin, purples, teals, and greens look best on me.
  • If you can, wear false lashes.  The singles or the half lashes work great and come across more natural.  (You obviously don’t want dramatic drag queen lashes for your headshots if you normally don’t wear  much makeup everyday 😉 )  If you’re not comfortable with false lashes, be sure to apply a good 2-3 coats of mascara.  This is to make sure your eyes stand out and don’t disappear in the brighter lights.

Marlena 20

Face:

  • Eve Pearl Salmon Concealer – (Makeup Geek Store)
  • Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation – (Amazon) (eBay)
  • Cover FX Pressed Mineral Foundation – (Amazon) (Sephora)
  • Kat Von D Blush – “Truth” – (Amazon) (eBay)
  • Stila Convertible Color – “Lillium” – (Amazon) (eBay)
  • Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer 01 – (Amazon) (eBay)

Eyes:

  • MAC Paintpot – “Painterly” – (Amazon) (eBay)
  • Rimmel Brow Pencil – “Hazel” – (Amazon) (eBay)
  • Makeup Geek Eyeshadow – Drama Queen (Pan Version / Compact Version)
  • Makeup Geek Eyeshadow – Fairytale – (Pan Version / Compact Version)
  • Makeup Geek Eyeshadow – Unexpected – (Pan Version / Compact Version)
  • Makeup Geek Eyeshadow – Beaches and Cream – (Pan Version / Compact Version)
  • Makeup Geek Pigment – Birthday Wish – (Makeup Geek Store)
  • Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner – Black – (Amazon) (eBay)
  • Loreal Voluminous Mascara – (Amazon) (eBay)

Lips:

  • NYX Extreme Lip Cream – “Candy Land” – (Amazon) (eBay)

Tools:

  • Beauty Blender – (Makeup Geek Store)
  • Makeup Geek Blush Brush – (Makeup Geek Store)
  • Makeup Geek Outer V Brush – (Makeup Geek Store)
  • MAC 239 Brush – (Amazon) (eBay)

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New Diorskin Star Foundation: Tried and Tested

Dior Diorskin Star Foundation Review

I’m back with another Beauty Reviews video; this time it’s Dior’s new Diorskin Star Foundation that takes centre stage, along with a brilliant primer from Smashbox and an old makeup favourite, Pixi’s Natural Brow Duo. I’ll be talking about the Smashbox primer in another post and the Brow Duo has been mentioned here on the site about sixty-five million times, so it’s the Star foundation that I want to concentrate on today. This is Dior’s newest launch; a foundation that’s incredibly lightweight but that still manages to have very good coverage. A base that has a true radiance but that doesn’t contain any shimmer or glitter. I think that it’s just beautiful. Here’s my skin without foundation, for purposes of demonstrating coverage:

star foundation before pictures

and here it is after I’ve applied Diorskin Star:

star foundation after pictures

I’ve done some close-ups, too. Without foundation:

model ruth crilly reviews new star foundation

and then with:

before and after pictures

I like that there’s enough coverage to properly even out skintone and cover small blemishes, but that the finish looks very real and natural. I don’t want to look as though I’m wearing foundation when I wear foundation, so all of these new-fangled barely-there bases that keep launching are ideal for me. The problem with many of them, though, is that unless you have flawless skin to start with, you’re only going to be putting a kind of “tinted blurring veil” over the top; you can still see imperfections, though they are made less obvious. With Star, I feel as though you get a proper coverage but the formula is still lightweight. Not “weightless”, but very, very light

Take a look at the video and my sponge application method; I’ve never been big on sponges, but it actually works very well with this base. I tried it with a dampened sponge too (I used the Beauty Blender from Dior, but I’m guessing that many of you will already own a makeup sponge!) which gave the sheerest coverage, a very healthy and ethereal kind of sheen. I’d highly recommend trying out Star when you pass a counter – it has launched this week exclusively at Debenhams, so easy enough to locate. It has definitely usurped Dior’s Nude foundation, for me – much lighter, but with the same (or better) coverage and an extra whack of natural glow. The foundation seems to diffuse light rather than “reflecting” it away from the skin, so it’s a really soft, overall glow with an almost matte finish, rather than anything too shiny or – haven’t heard this phrase in a while – dewy. Very modern, very chic. Tres bien. You can find Star at Debenhams.com

Smashbox Blemish Free Primer: http://tidd.ly/3cc1d068
Dior Star Foundation in shade 30: http://tidd.ly/23e2e2b1
Pixi Brow Duo in Medium Brown: http://tidd.ly/886cac8

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