What this is all about

I have had an idea, and bear with me while I try and get it started, from now it is the experiment I was talking about in my bio and description. I hope it makes sense, and maybe then the complications and difficulties of finding a 'correct' and 'indie' style while not being too far 'off the rails' will be explained. Maybe it is just all down to influence. Influence from others. Anyway, I will still post reviews, trends, and street style. But this is going to be my main focus. It is just all for a bit of fun in the end. I hope you enjoy.

Editorial Make-up

Preparing a shoot: Make-up

Maybe seemingly a bit off topic but being me and being probably the worlds biggest disaster at applying make-up, I was over the moon that today I had a chance to learn and create two different faces of editorial make-up. Through sweat and blood I fought to be able to copy the make-up artists perfect example; and this is how it turned out:

Beauty look with a red lip

Cleanse the skin, using preferably a natural cleansing water. Be sure to remove all previous make-up. Tip: hold cotton wool onto the eyes to allow previous eye makeup to soak in, also, holding the cotton wool under the eye up to the bottom lash line, use a cotton bud to gentle rub along the water line.

Using a spatula, take out a bit of moisturiser onto your hand, and wake up the skin by massaging it into the face.

Using a spatula again, take out a bit of lip balm and moisturise the lips. Tip: If there are any dry spots left on the skin, use the lip balm over them.

Asses the skin as to weather it is more of a yellow based colour or red based colour. I used Mac cosmetics, and they organise their foundations as to weather they are a 'C' colour (yellow based), or an 'N' colour (red based) Tip: always choose a slightly lighter colour, and test colour on the neck. Place it on the back of your hand then use a rounded brush to place it on the skin then blend in.
Then use a concealer lighter than the foundation to highlight the nose, eye lids, cheeks, and chin using a flat small brush.  I used C2 for the foundation and NC20 for the concealer.

Tip: you can mix a tiny bit of orange-red creme colour into the concealer to use on the blue patches between your eye and your nose to correct it. Like this you can use a yellow creme colour in the concealer to take the red out of spots and blemishes. 

Set the makeup using a powder with a soft brush. Be gentle with the powder and pat it on, make sure you cover the eye area.

Brows. Using a brow pencil lighter than your natural hair colour, start under the brow and gently flex back and forth. Extend the brow, and if needed make the brow bigger. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE SYMMETRY. Comb through the brows with a brow brush, then with a slightly cleaned mascara wand brush up.

Gently contour around the eye with a little bronzer, in the socket line and under the eye.
Then take the bronzer and a light blush. Smiling, dust the blush with a powder brush over the apples of your cheek. Then using the bronzer, contour around the head (under the jaw bone/ around the nose/ connecting the blusher.)

Lips. Firstly blot off the excess lip balm. Then powder the lips so that they do not bleed.

With a sharpened lip pencil, start at the bottom and create a line. Then over the rose do the same at the top. Then with an opened mouth connect the sides, make sure the line is a little thick. 

Pick a lipstick that compliments the skin colour. I used 'Lady Danger,' as the skin is relatively tanned and the orangy-red is very complimentary. But if you are working on a paler hue, perhaps try Macs 'Russian Red' as it is a bit colder. Using a spatula place a little on your hand, then using a lip brush fill out the lip, using a smaller brush on the edges. Be sure not to go over the line. 

You can gloss the lip by mixing the lipstick in some clear lip gloss and painting it in the middle of the lip.

Once you have finished, put cleanser on a small brush and tidy up the lip line. Finally clean up anything else with a bit of concealer. 

Editorial Colour

To use creme colour on the eyes, make sure you have used a conealer base before, be bold and confident when using the colour, and be sure to have a block between your colour and the skin. We went for a more 70's look, and didn't do much else to the face, other than a bit of eye liner and a more messy purple lip.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

Review - 'Savage Beauty'

I do not even know where to begin. Critics have been worshipping at the feet of the curators and McQueen himself, but walking in trying to hold an open mind, I too found myself bowing at their feet, even on my second visit. The careful positioned rooms evoked such deep emotions that many including myself had tears come to their eyes, especially seeing Kate Moss as the hologram. What was deeply disturbing was how one can witness McQueen's mental state, through the cuts and names of his collections, such a big part of his life was his designs.

"I'm a romantic schizophrenic" - McQueen

Jacket

Collection: Jack the Ripper stalks his victims

MA Graduate Collection 1992 - Isabella Blow

"There is blood beneath every layer of skin" - AM

The expert tailoring demonstrated in this jacket is one of a true expert. The plumed net back creates an air of importance and status, when coupled with the deep red silk lined extended collar and pointed cuffs, a sinister dangerous atmosphere over pins the jackets beauty. Showing us obviously, how beauty is indeed savage. 

Coat and Skirt

Collection: Autumn/Winter 2010

"I oscillate between life and death, happiness and sadness, good and evil" - AM

This was my favourite piece in the whole collection, the painted goose feathers over the embodied silk was so beautiful, it took ten minutes just to take in. In this piece you can see the 'empowering' women theme that I think echos through the collection, empowering them to not only be protected, but to be feared.

Dress, coat, headdress, and shoes

Collection: The girl who lived in a tree

Autumn/Winter 2008 

"It is about trying to capture something that isn't conventionally beautiful to show that beauty comes from within" - AM

The silk tulle embodied with Swarovski crystals, is the perfect balance between innocence and scandal. The dark romance hinted in the piece makes it magical. The red demonstrates another thread that is woven in his work that is the sexual exploration, or 'suggesting' that can be interpreted.

All in all there simply is not enough to say. The collections vary so dramatically, but through out this haunting underlying feeling weaves along. Collections such as 'Plato Atlantis', the 'Widows of Culludon', all completely different, but yet pieces of this puzzle, that when completed, can begin to explain the workings of this creative genius Alexander McQueen.

"There is no way back for me now. I'm going to take you on journeys you've never dreamed were possible" - Alexander McQueen

London: 18th July

Trip Out - London

Going out to London, it is apparent that for many (especially around the east end), influence towards fashion does not directly deliver from stores. In fact the fashion there originates from much of the art work, the graffiti, even the types of building, all from different eras. All infect and twist much of the bubbling up fashion trends. So here are a few photos I took, of art around the east end, and some street style from Brick lane, and Carnaby street, both statement landmarks for fashion over the past century. 

Skate Park: 16th June

Street Style - Skate Park

We came across this skate park on the way back from Reading. It was immediately apparent that the whole look around 'skater boys' is well and truly in existence. They were more than happy to pose as I took a few photos and I liked how they all were so uninhibited.