:::Miss me?

Well my normal things have resumed, at least 'normal' before The Rose kicked in and took over my life! It has been FABULOUS. I have not only met a great group of people to work with in the future but it has been a total pleasure and privilege to work with such talented cast and crew and for the Rose itself.

Back to me and my fabulous work... You like?

Jeremy Smith- Clowne/ Pompey

We tried something a little cleaner and more elaborate a few evenings!

And added some facial hair too!

Otis Waby- Claudio ( Arrest/ Assault scene)

Otis Waby- Claudio ( Jail Scene) added dirt, dark circles by eyes

Bourneville and Baby Oil- Jail hands and torso

The daintiest Queen of Vintage I have ever met Fiona Navalis- Mariana

One of the many hairstyles I created for Fiona 

We opted for 'shabby chic' victory rolls one evening

The ever amusing Lisa Depuis- Nun Francisca ( Whilst at Nunnery)

Escaped from Nunnery

Elizabeth Bloom- Mistress Overdone (Consistently Baby Oiled and STD Ridden!)

And a tad neater and drier on the last performance!

Lawrence Russell- Barnardine guise

Well, from a cast of 10 I got backstage photos of 6 with a few changes, I don't think that's too bad at all. Being with the theatre taught me so much, I taught myself how to attach facial hair pieces in a matter of minutes, both a round goatee ( no picture shown) and the funky eccentric version but also ( among other things) how to do a face and touch ups on 10 people in two hours! In designing all the make up and changes for each character I found myself challenged yet blessedly given the freedom and opportunity to take my ideas and run with them- convincing Jeremy that the rouge cheeks would be good for character took some exchanged looks! Whilst it wasn't the warmest of experiences ( temperature not a metaphor for unfriendly atmosphere) I felt truly at home with the Rose. I look forward to many more productions to come in the New Year!

7 Crew Members, 6 Cast member photos, 5 packets of Baby Wipes, 4 Lipsticks, 3 Tubs of Cocoa, 2 Bottles of Johnson's Baby Oil ( Boxes of Kleenex and ), 1 Production of Measure for Measure!   

Title Photograph Courtesy of Robert Piwko, all other images by themakeuplady, with thanks to the cast and crew of The Rose and Measure for Measure x

... and four kids later they were happily ever after

Emma and Phil have been together a long time, four kids long... I was around 13 when their first born was announced, to be asked to be the Beauty Artist for their Wedding Party meant a lot. Really. Then to make me even more nervous I was asked to be the Photographer for the day too! Team equipped, I had my work cut out... How do you think we did?

It was truly a pleasure to capture and beautify them for their special day. They had after all waited long enough! An especially touching gesture was discovering they had picked their eldest Son to be 'Best Man'. A thoroughly fabulous day!

Special Thanks to Emma and Phil Weber and Family, Mr MakeupLady, and Molly Tierney Phillips x

...BEHIND THE SCENES

A fabulous shoot thanks to Cara Bendon Photography, Fina Creative Hair and copious amounts of Illamasqua Liquid Metals. nomnom

The first look was in fact the second of the day, both were created with:

• Illamasqua Liquid Metals in Superior
• MAC Superslick Liquid Eyeliner in Gold
• Clarins Eyeshadow in Gold Leaf
• Clinique Lipliner in 36 Soft Rose
• Sleek Lipstick in Stiletto
• Clarins Bronzer in Mosaique and Blush Prodige 06
• Dermacolour Camouflage Mini Palette 16 Nr1 Shade D5

Photographs courtesy of Cara Bendon Photography. Hair By Fina Creative Hair. All Make Up By Kylie McMichael, themakeuplady

NEW OPPORTUNITIES :]]]

THE ROSE THEATRE is London's oldest, with a historical site surviving over 500 years of natural preservation.

A beautiful space in need of some SERIOUS TLC, generous donation in spirit, hardwork, dedication and monetary funds I was delighted when they offered me a permanent position within the company/ charity as In House Make Up Artist. I will be taking up my position starting as Make Up Artist from 31st October for their event Dead City: Halloween at The Rose and continuing with their production of Measure for Measure. THRILLED doesn't begin to cover it!

Primer+ COLOURCORRECTOR= SHU UEMURA

This was NOT my original choice.

When a lovely Shu Uemura representative at Liberty calmly explained to me that Shu Uemura had discontinued my original colour corrector, I wanted to weep. Uncontrollably. This was not a good situation. Having inherited oddly red splotchy Celtic skin from SOMEONE in my family, I need a daily dose of green goop to cover it up with a lightweight dash of foundation added for good measure. Then he showed me this.

 I was not altogether convinced. It shimmered for a start, shimmer doesn't cover, it HIGHLIGHTS, then he explained that aswell as acting as a primer, this was also a colour corrector and an illuminator. So TECHNICALLY not only was I being able to replace my old faithful, but I was getting a BARGAIN in the process. SO, sceptical, I bought it, took it home and tried it. And I have to say I was really quite impressed. It wasn't QUITE as good as the old one, lord knows why the dumb ass cosmetic Japanese folks got rid of it anyway, buuuuut given a chance it did exactly as I was promised it would. I applied it with a long thick eyeshadow blending brush ( I don't like foundation brushes and they don't like me) the first time layering with my foundation and now I mix it altogether. I applied all over my cheeks and under my eyes. It controlled the oil in my skin, looked beautifully dewy with my foundation and died down my red complexion without making me look ghostly. Infact considering the definite green colour, it made me look... HEALTHY. With the help of my Clarins Foundation it gave me a blank canvass to work with and made me look positively RADIANT! Happy times. You can BUY IT HERE which yes, is the US site, or can take a trippydoodle down to any fabulously flashy department store and buy it there too!

NEXT TIME:::   DERMACOLOUR PALETTE REVIEW!!!

inspiration to write from a fellow blogger

My perfect primer and beauty buy.- Thanks to a very useful review by SUNDAY GIRL I have decided to include my own review of a high end primer as opposed to the less sigh inducing high street versions. I first decided to try this when I had to get a Clarins press loan for the Kensington and Chelsea review. One of their lovely representatives based in Boots suggested I try it. It "fills and smoothes as it glides invisibly over the skin...Line-filling and skin-smoothing Acacia Micro-Pearls... lodge themselves in wrinkles and like tiny sponges swell and plump the skin as they absorb moisture." Well that it did. It has a smooth paste like consistency and you use a very minimal amount, I mean half the size of a garden pea amount, glide over your finger tips and smooth out in problem areas. I use it on my forehead, cheeks and nose. It is a fabulous 'base' for your base, it removes excess oil and sebum- less use for mattifying powders this way; and it DOESN'T dry out dry skin. I use it everyday under my foundation and it pats on a treat, you can also, as it suggests use it without foundation, just as a natural base, it is completely clear. My make up generally stays put anyway but this does give it a hand. It is quite expensive, £24.00 for 15ml, but it is worth it. A fab treat for yourself.


BUY HERE

'''BACK TRACK ON black track

Remember this one?

SO yes, originally I was quite doubtful about it, it's a gel eye liner and I don't DO gel eye liner... I tried an Inglot one once before and the results were so 'concrete' like and generally horrific I didn't use it again. The Inglot one I tried dried very quickly- too damn quickly if you ask me, you couldn't work with it, blend it or take it off... at all. No exaggeration. My first on location shoot a few years ago and I couldn't get it off the damn model. EMBARRASSED does not cover it.

Anyway: MAC. I generally don't do MAC either. I used to love their eye shadows until I found the eyeshadows started being less saturated with pigment and the foundations for me just aren't what I like to use. HOWEVER, after using this I have found it's pretty legendary. It's fab for any kind of style of eye, you just have to figure out what brushes you wish to use with it, a short rounded and small eye shadow blending brush is fabulous for under eye smokiness, layer as you wish to make the look darker/ heavier. If you wish to go for something more dramatic then I suggest teaming this with a fine angle tipped brush, you can really experiment with shape and technique with these.

Application and De Application? VERY very easy, and I like easy. It smoothes on beautifully, whether your first smooth on is a little or a lot, layering is easy and can leave you COMPLETELY saturated in darkness, fabilicious you do however have to wait a tiny while for it to dry properly- this is not necessarily a bad thing. Blending it isn't hard work either. Whilst it is largely waterproof and stays put after a good 12 hours at work, taking it off to be honest is just as easy as putting it on. I did my usual cleansing routine, damp cotton wool and putting a marrowfat pea sized portion of Simple Kind to Eyes Nourishing Eye Make Up Remover Cream and massaging gently over my whole eye area. I then proceeded to take it off by gliding my damp cotton wool pads over my eye. It literally slid of. YAY!!! No red puffy eye in SIGHT! MAC for ONCE I salute you!


BUY HERE

Getting back to PAKS

DENMAN::: You may recall me buying their Thermo Ceramic Self Grip Rollers, well I tried them for a wedding I did back in August. I tried them on the trial as luckily I knew the party on a personal level and the Bridesmaids played Guinea Pig for me. OK, they WORK. They were not the BEST quality in the world, and I am still not entirely sure which part of them exactly was ceramic, but they work. They did make the hair hold shape and give body which is generally what they are supposed to do. After tonging with a 38mm barrel, I used them on three front sections of the hair using the L'Oreal Curl Spray from before and a VO5 Heat Defence Spray. And I have to say even after brushing out they retained the curl and volume for the hair as intended. The ONE downside? The 'self grip' part is a real pain in the ass. If you are using them on relatively short hair, no longer than say 4 inches, then yeah fabulous, otherwise it's a messy matted up NO GO. The 'self grip' act like velcro and grip every piece of hair, which is great, apart from when you're wanting to undo them and have about 10 seconds to undo 20. NOT GOOD. But yes apart from that they do the job, like every product on here I have reviewed and haven't thought it be the best thing in the world, everyone's opinion is different, I gave these to one of my assistants so she could try them. I will ask her how she got on with them, maybe they're a hit with her...

The Chook+Karen Rothwell

Hair and Make Up: Kylie McMichael

Jewellery Featured: Karen Rothwell

Read the ARTICLE

cuts and [burns]

Whilst at a Charles Fox Masterclass sometime I ago, I accomplished these little lovelies-

a bit of bloglovin

good luck TRINE!:::

COURTESY OF VOGUE MEN SS12

PUBLICITY! A review of a review...

One of my good friends and professional acquaintances, Karen Rothwell is a fantabulous recent graduate of Central Saint Martins BA Jewellery Design. I met her whilst providing my Make Up and Hair Services for her second year show ( just over a year ago) which was covered by VOGUE. We have since struck up a great friendship and have become very trusting colleagues. I find it very hard to find a designer, especially one in the fashion industry nowadays that works very hard, knows their craft in depth and has a real and underlying passion for what they do and who they're benefiting, as well as themselves. Karen, for me is one of those people. Her travels to Kenya have heightened her enthusiasm for most things African, namely helping the communities within them, not by just throwing money at them in patronising sympathy, but in the admiration and multi- benifit utilisation of community skill and tradition. After working for her again for her final graduate pieces, Jewellery Focus and Africa on The Blog ( respectively) have picked up her fascinating and beautifully unusual pieces and written a couple of articles on them. All make up and photography work featured is by me, Kylie McMichael. All Jewellery featured is by the lady herself Karen Rothwell:

Evening Jolly to PAKS

After a recommendation during a High Fashion Masterclass with this lady I decided to take a wander to PAKS. It is a cosmetics and hair care shop, well there are several actually, mainly taking up a road in Finsbury Park. They specialise in Afro Caribbean and Asian hair but trust me, there is PLENTY for us white folks too! I literally took in a breath when entering the second store- the first was just hair extensions ( I say JUST hair extensions, it was a decent 30feet by 30feet wall hugging space of JUST hair extensions). SO yes, I breathed in heavily then breathed out again, quite loudly as the Asian guy at the counter asked if I was OK. After trying out some lippies ( not reaaaaally the reason I was there, but when in Rome...) I found just what I was looking for, then found more, and more and before you know it I had filled a small basket with these goodies :)))))

Yes that's right 99p! These are amazing for holding curls or straightened hair to one particular side of the head WITHOUT ' denting' the hair.

Everyone LOVES a doughnut, well I DO... £1.99! These are a fab neat cheat for buns, simply attach to any height or positions ponytail and wrap hair in sections around this little gem as neat or as dishevelled as your heart's desire.

£2.29 bargain. Denman are a real quality brand that have been round for years and years so I was well chuffed to have found these Thermo Ceramic Self Grip rollers. Simply use as you would normal rollers ( I'll be using grips anyway to practise) and blow dry to activate the tiny Ceramic Plates in the roller. Fab for coiffed fringes, loose waves and volume.

Very tempted to use a pair of Fiskars but I'm sure these £1.99 set will do me fine for trimming Falsies. 

These I believe as well as my straight pins have been the best bargain of the day. You can often find these in Boots, but the pricing is ever so slightly different- *hint hint*. These you use after and during tonging/ curling hair. Make sure you use them UNDERNEATH the curl rather than on top or you could end up with lovely dent shapes set into the hair. Not a very sophisticated look.

By far the cheapest comb I have ever bought. These tail combs are great for sectioning/ prepping hair. they also double as freeing up knots when passing hair through straighteners. Price is particularly fantastic as combs I see as being pretty disposable, they're very hard to clean after a day of hairspray, endless hairstyle changes and extensions.

My second best bargain of the day! Yes that's right a POUND of pins for £3.99! I bought some the other day from Charlie's in Shepherds Bush, and I didn't get half as many- No regrets as they were a different colour, but £3.99!

Now as much I love a Chanel, MAC or Clarins Lippy or two, I do LOVE a bit of Sleek. The pigment is fantastic and they really do have quite a bit of staying power, better than almost every designer brand I have tried. I will also be going to PAKS for the 99p lippy! I tested on the way home and was of very similar quality to Sleek. 

Outlandish Shades can be mixed with neutral lippies for more of a 'day look'.

Again a little trick the above lady taught me, these are fab for making a ponytail more of a convenience than an inconvenience! Once you have your combed through hair ready to go into the usual elastic, slide hook number 1 into the hair and wind round until quite solid, hook the other end into the ponytail- scalp end, not tail end. Finish by wrapping a small amount of hair over the elastic to create a 'hair band' GENIUS! ( and so very very polished)

Ok so this was from Boots... Trying this out as my V05 has almost disappeared and I don't like the nozzle, a review is to come! £3.56 Buy HERE

Another one I wanted to try from Boots, a new brand I've sort of seen around. Lets see shall we. £4.07 Buy HERE.