Champagne and Tiaras

It was a very cold yet lovely sunny drive to Rushton Hall Northamptonshire. As I drove up the serpentine driveway I was taken aback by the beautiful architecture and grounds.

Once inside I felt like I had gone back in time. Wooden panelling, magnificent artwork and furnishing lined the route to the Duke Suite where Michelle, the bride was getting ready for her special day.



The Duke Suite was a very fine room for a bride to get ready on her wedding day, with lots of room for the bridesmaids too. Whilst attending to the brides hair and makeup it was lovely to see the bridesmaids tending to the finer details for the photographer such as champagne and tiaras!



Michelle’s stunning wedding dress was adorned with diamantes and small ruffles softening the structure of the dress. It sparkled in the sunlight that beamed through the windows.



We have all heard the saying "something old, something new, something borrowed"……….however for something blueMichelle had amazing blue satin peep toe shoes! They were adorable (yes I do love my shoes!) and even had a sixpence fixed inside to keep up with bridal traditions.



The bride’s hair was softly curled so that it tumbled over the shoulders. The tiara placed and pinned in with small burgundy roses pinned in to compliment the colour of the bridesmaid’s dresses. Makeup was natural with soft taupe colours on the eyes, crème blusher such as MAC Lillicent and a light pink gloss dotted on the lips.



Congratulations to Michelle and Kevin and huge thanks for letting me write about you in my blog. Thanks also to Dan Evans Photography for permission to use these wonderful pictures.

Jen x

Jenny's page on the Beauty Call website

Wedding Hair and Makeup at Luton Hoo

As I drove through the massive iron gates of the Luton Hoo I was looking forward to seeing the Great Mansion. Huge trees lined the drive that must have been hundreds of years old. Then the stunning venue came into view.

It’s the former home of the Wernher Family of diamond miners who used to entertain royalty. The suite I was escorted to by a porter (who also carried all my kit!) was no ordinary suite! Queen Elizabeth II used to use this suite when she stayed with the Wernher family. The décor was amazing and I guess that now it must have been modernised but how amazing to being staying in the Queen’s former suite!



Ross and Jo chose an Autumnal Wedding theme. The bridesmaids dresses, flowers and accessories all had hues of browns, burnt orange and cream. The flowers were an amazing assortment of red berries, roses and leaves, and the Bride’s bouquet even had a small squash encased within it.



The hair and make up was very natural and the colours used on the Bride were soft browns and creamy peachy lip gloss. A nude base on the eyes with a darker brown on the inner corner and a shimmery taupe was used on the mid eye area. Brown gel eyeliner by MAC gave a soft definition and was smudged to soften the look. Jo’s hair was blow dried and given volume at the back the front swept to the side and the small pearl comb was pinned in.



I enjoyed being a part of the wedding preparations and making Jo and her bridesmaids up. Wishing Ross and Jo all the very best for the future!


Special thanks to Christian for letting me use these picture in my blog.

http://www.trampenau.co.uk/

Jen x


http://www.beautycall.co.uk/artistinfo.php?id=84

Diary of a Makeup Artist

27Sept to 3rd Oct

I met with Wedding planner Heather who is on my recommend suppliers list we chatted about wedding fairs we had attended and swapped ideas as I was interested to learn more about wedding planning services. She offers different packages and help with any aspect of helping to plan your wedding.

Then the preparation for the largest wedding show in the area was underway for the MK Wedding Show! Thursday the exhibitors set up their stands ready to start on Friday and there was a second catwalk rehearsal for the Bridal Fashion show.

Saturday Beauty Call made over the models giving them wonderful classic Bridal hair and natural make up. Huge thanks to Melissa and Elise Beauty Call Make Up Artists who worked with me to create beautiful looks for the models. See our news feed to see some pictures.

A huge thank you to all those who booked your Bridal Hair and Make Up and entered my competition at the MK Wedding show!


Jen x

Diary of a Makeup Artist

20-26 September

This week started with a shoot in Salcey forest for Shutterbetty. The theme was dark. I created a well defined eye area with some full on strip lashes and nude lips. I used airbrush make up by Airbase to apply the foundation. It was an amazing and we were blessed with sunny day! I can’t wait to see the pictures.

Suzanne had her trial at home and I enjoyed meeting her and her two dogs. Suzanne wanted to have boho style curls as she was having her wedding day on her Dad’s farm and did not feel that a structured up do would suit the theme of the wedding. The make up was very natural using dark brown eye shadow such as urban decay twice baked. A sweep of Clarins instant sunlight bronzing duo to add a sun kissed look to the skin. The lips had a coat of berry coloured Prescriptives lip gloss, this also made the lips look fuller.

I was really excited about meeting all the models for the MK wedding show and watching the rehearsal for the Mk wedding bridal show. The Beauty Call team will have a stand as well as making the models over on Saturday ready for the catwalk.

Katey had her trial this week at home. She was very Vintage and had some great ideas for her trial. Her eye detail was defined on both the top and bottom lashes and lots of mascara was applied to Katey’s taste. She initially chose to have her hair down with sections clipped back. After seeing it in this style Katey changed her mind and decided to have most of the hair losley pinned up with small sections of curls coming down one side. Katey was really happy with this and I look forward to seeing her again on her Wedding day.

Diary of a Makeup Artist

13th -19th September 2010

This week I have the pleasure of doing Claire’s bridal hair and makeup for her black and white themed wedding. I am sure she will enjoy her ride in the limo she left in! (Featured in blog 9th August )

It was Nancy’s wedding too and I really enjoyed creating all the hairstyles for the bridesmaids, as well as creating Nancy’s chosen hair style. Short bobbed hair was given volume, plaits, low buns, curls and half up half down were some of the styles created and I had lots of fun meeting them to.

Two trials also kept me busy this week and I enjoyed meeting Karen. I applied a light grey using Jane Iredales putty and crushed ice. Black individual lashes were added to make them look fuller and bolder. A light blusher was applied to highlight the cheek bones and cinnamon shimmer lipstick complimented the look. Her hair was curled and pinned loosely so it had a soft finish. A comb that Karen had brought was placed to one side of the hair style.

Rebecca and her Sister had a trial for her New Years Eve wedding. She chose a classic up do which crossed over at the back and the hair folded over each section creating an elegant up do. This was complimented with a small comb with small pearls placed in the hair where it crossed over at the back. The make up Rebecca wanted was light natural coverage. The base used was MAC face and body over Laura Mercier foundation primer. The eyes were soft browns to define and open the eye lids and individual lashes were placed on the outer corners just to thicken the lashes and make them look more open. Rebecca sister had bobbed hair, so I blow dried it to give it more volume then using wide barrel tongs I created some flicks. Her make up included a nice bade to give great coverage and to even out the skin tone. Bobbi brown gel eyeliner in black was used to create a well defined eye on both the top and bottom lashes and then smudged to softer finish. This brand of eyeliner is my favourite as dries quickly.

Diary of a Makeup Artist

6th September to 12th September 2010

I had a great time at the 1940's Fashion Show this week. Judy had a very interesting collection of vintage clothing including an original 1930's wedding dress, which was great to see! It was very different from the styles we have now and the detail was amazing, especially the buttons. Some people came dressed in the 1940's spirit and they looked so glam! There were lots of women with red lips especially as lips, lashes and liner were popular at my stand. I chatted with people about vintage style hair styles and makeup looks and enjoyed browsing through the vintage style jewellery too.

Congratulations to Sam who married Alf, I wish you both lots of warm wishes for the future. Sam’s hair and make up trial featured in my very first blog. Sam had the dramatic Smokey eye for her wedding makeup look. Her wedding was at the Woodland Manor in Bedfordshire a lovely setting for a wedding.

Dare I mention the weather has changed! This made me think about looking after my skin as the seasons change. I’ve always felt it is important to check your moisturiser is still doing the job. If you still feel dry or tightness in the skin after applying your usual moisturiser then it’s time to use a more concentrated one. Perhaps a richer night cream if you are already using both in your skin care routine. Or if you feel like your moisturiser is not absorbing, switch to a lighter version. Keeping your skin moisturised will help you look amazing for the party season ahead! My favourites are Dermalogica Active Moist and Liz Earle Moisture Repair - I use the dry/sensitive option especially in the colder months. There is a lighter version of moisture repair for oily prone skin too. Don’t forget to use Sun Protection Factor (SPF) in the Winter. It is just as important as using it in the Summer and it will protect your skin against ageing and sun damage. Vie at Home have a great product called Face the Day SPF 15 Skin Shield. Use it under or over your favourite moisturiser. Ideal for skiers too!

Catch up next week Jen x

Diary of a Makeup Artist

30th August to 5th September 2010

I’ve had a really busy week this week, with three brides to get ready for their weddings!

Congratulations to Hung. She had a traditional low bun, with a head band style tiara. Her makeup was nice and light, so it complemented her skin tone. She was really pleased with the final look. Congratulations Hung and all the very best for the future.

I went to Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens to do Alison’s hair and makeup for her wedding. Kelmarsh was just a wonderful picturesque setting for Alison’s 18th Century style wedding. Alison had her hair Edwardian style with one large ringlet coming down one shoulder. The makeup was a light coverage, so evening out the skin tone. Light rose eye shadow was applied and mascara. Her bouquet was made of English country flowers with colours that matched the dress. The specially made dress was stunning it had a v-shaped front panel and embroidery going down the front of the dress and down the train.

I talked about Louisa’s trial in my blog on the 15th July. It was a pleasure to be part of preparation for the wedding party and as well as getting Louisa ready, I enjoyed doing all the hair for the bridesmaids too, and pinning in all the small fresh white roses.

I have been busy minxing people to! I had two minx toe parties booked in this week. It's great fun, 4-6 friends get together and have there toes minxed. I have been fascinated by the designs and how good they look! Especially the one’s I did for my hairdresser Lindsey.

I watched Hello, Mister Cappello at Watford Palace theatre. It was a great production based on Watford football club! The cast included my Nieces Julie and Sarah. I was very proud to see them as dancers in the performance.

Michelle had her trial for her November wedding. I always ask Brides-to-be to collect pictures of their favourite hair and makeup styles to show me at the trial. She chose an updo (similar to the advert by L’Oreal Elnett with Cheryl Cole). Lots of height was created at the front with the fringe sweeping round. Using MAC face and body for the foundation over Laura Mercier foundation primer gave a fresh faced look and evened out skin tone. Her eyes were kept neutral using Jane Iredale Ecru and shell, with shimmering supernova in the outer corner of the eye. Thin eyeliner was applied to define the eyes and Dior mascara to thicken and volumize lashes.

Catch up next week.

Jen x

Diary of a Makeup Artist

23rd to 29th August 2010

Best wishes to Becki, I wrote about her trial in my blog posted on the 5 August.

Becki’s Mum, Sharon wrote a lovely thank you note the next day: "Just thought I would let you know the day went lovely and Becki’s hair and make up looked fantastic. Everybody complemented on it. Becki looked amazing. We would both like to thank you for making Becki look wonderful and helping alleviate some of the stress on the day".

Also best wishes to another bride this week, Elena, I wrote about her trial in my blog. She had her hair styled for her wedding day. She decided on a different style from the one created at her trial. It was plaited down each side of the head and then the ends were made in to a low bun. She got ready in the Varsity Hotel and Spa which had amazing views of Cambridge to admire whilst getting Elena ready for her wedding.

I am very excited about having a stand at a 1940’s fashion show in Grafton Regis on the 12th September. The fashion show is on at 2:30pm followed by tea and scrummy cakes. Visit my stand to have your lips, liner and lashes applied. Choose from strip or individual lashes. Come along and have some fun 1940’s style.

From the 1st to the 3rd October I will be at Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre, Middleton Hall for the Wedding Show. On the 2nd and 3rd (Sat and Sun) there will be fashions shows. Our stand is next to The Wedding Planner Magazine near to the catwalk. Come along and meet us and enter my prize draw to win £50 off your bridal hair and make up package.

Jen x

Diary of a Makeup Artist

16th to 22nd August

Congratulations to Polly who featured in my blog posted on the 28th July. It was a pleasure to style her hair on her wedding day. I also showed her maid of honour how to take the veil in and out of the hair before I left. All the best for the future Polly x

Pictures from the bridal shoot I mentioned from my blog last week are fab. I was so pleased with the way they came out, as was everyone involved. I look forward to working with Donna and Zoe again soon.

My car had its final stage of sign writing applied and I now have the iconic face which is Beauty Call’s logo and I think it looks great on my car!

Six ladies got together to be pampered this week and all had great fun comparing tans after! Using Tantrick and Tandare for spray tanning I carry six different solutions starting at 5% for really fair skin tones going up to 18% for darker skin tones. I also have enhancer dropped for those who want to go even darker!

Want a great way to get instant French nails that dries straight away. Well Dashing Diva is great for those who normally have a French manicure. I am wearing them now and I am really impressed with how they dry straightaway without using any UV lamps or drying sprays. No dents or smudging how fab! Especially if you have not got a lot of time as these can be applied in half an hour.

Have a great Bank Holiday weekend.

Jen x

Diary of a Makeup Artist

9th August to 15th August

My toe nails are blinged up in metallic silver Minx. This week I trained in applying Minx to the fingers and toes, an instant way to achieve great looking nails that are ready to go with no smudging and instantly dry. There are over one hundred designs in the Minx range and I am pleased to be offering this to as another service in addition to the Hair and Make up options that are available for weddings, special occasion, wedding reception and hen parties.

Jenny had her trial this week (great name!). She wanted big hair, so I created height which held the fab tiara in place. All the rest of the hair was swept to the side and curled cascading down one side of the neck. Airbrush makeup was applied using Airbase foundation shade 03, blush and bronzer. All the Airbase products are available in the Beauty Call boutique. On the eye I created a dark brown smoky eye and applied full strip lashes after curling the natural lashes. I used salon system number 107 that are longer on the outer corner.

My copy of Shock Horror Magazine arrived on the doorstep and I was very excited to read the four page article on the feature film which I did the special effects make up for. There were also pictures of the makeup as well as a mention from the Director too!

Claire and Lesley, a bride to be and mother of the bride, both had a hair and make up trial together. Claire had short thin hair and thought there was no way her hair could be styled. Claire was thrilled to see that I had created an updo for her. I build up height and backcombed the hair on the top of the head then smoothed it out. I pinned in the back sections to create a small pleat with the front sections pinned in covering the tiara band. The tiara was diamante and black in design to compliment their black and white wedding theme. Lesley had a volume blow dry with the back flicked up and the top blow dried under creating a very full look. This was to give the hair body and make the fascinator Lesley had chosen stand out. Makeup was kept light on the eyes with lots of black mascara about three coats to keep the eyes open and some individual lashes applied to the outer corners to define the eye area. One the lips I use MAC creme de le femme over pencilled in lips to sharpen the lip shape and avoid feathering and bleeding of the lipstick.

My week finished as a hair stylist for an Asian bridal shoot. I thoroughly enjoyed the shoot and had a great time meeting and working with everyone. The use of colour is amazing and I loved the clothing and jewellery. I applied tikka’s to the hair styles that I created which were stunning. The first style was a bouffant with a plait coming down the side. The second was a bouffant on top with a pleat at the side and the rest of the hair curled coming down one shoulder. Next was a huge bun on top of the crown to support the legha with a smoothed out swept to the side fringe. For the quick change I did a plait coming down over the crown of the head coming into hang down on the shoulder. The final style was taken out to leave the style half up half down with tousled curls. That shoot was fun as the wind machine was used and some great photos were created. In all, six looks were achieved and I am really looking forward to seeing the pictures.

Take care.

Jen x

Diary of a Makeup Artist

2nd to 8th August

Congratulations to Charlotte who featured in my blog 28th June. I had the wonderful pleasure of making her over for her wedding this weekend at Hengrave Hall. What a gorgeous location for a wedding, I really enjoyed my time in the magnificent grounds and what a luxurious bridal suite to get ready in, amazing!

I have to confess I had a sneaky peak at the Beauty Call make up clips that were filmed recently. I can’t wait for you to see them as I think they are fantastic. They are short and snappy, and most of all easy to follow. Join our Beauty Call channel on You Tube to be the first to see them as they appear on-line.

I met with a photographer this week, Anna who has a studio in Linford Wood, Milton Keynes. Anna’s work includes weddings, proms, make-overs, pre-wedding shoots, family portraits – oh yeah and your pets too! Anna and I will be working together to offer promotion so you can have wonderfully applied make-up and your hair fabulously styled for you chosen photo shoot. I am really excited to be working with Anna and she is also on my recommended supplier’s page on the Beauty Call website.

Zoe (zoe hardwick photography), Donna (with love from pearl) and I got together to create Bridal photography. We had a great time out in the corn fields and at the water tower near Castlethorpe a very picturesque and unique setting. Using Donna’s wonderful vintage head bands and jewellery, I styled the hair and makeup to suit and cannot wait to see the end results. Huge thanks to our models Hayley, Amy and Claire.

More from me next week, bye for now!

Jen x

Diary of a Makeup Artist

26th July to 1st August

This week I was invited to the mixer evening at the Becca Cosmetics Boutique in South Kensington, London. I met up with Sam and Nicky (Beauty Call franchisees) and we enjoyed a glass of wine and some nibbles. We had a chit chat before trying the gorgeous products.

The boutique was wonderful and very glam! The products are amazing and I really like the packaging too. My makeup bag has now expanded!

Shimmering Skin Perfector (pearl)- Excellent for highlighting areas of the face. Apply a light amount around the eye, under the outside area of the brow. Just above the cupids bow to reflect the light and on the cheek. This will give a luminous finish.

Compact concealer – This compact is split in two. The medium coverage side of the compact is used for broader coverage such as under the eye. Use sparing under the eye as too much concealer can show all the fine lines on the delicate under eye area. The other side is for extra coverage so great for blemishes and spots. It is slightly thicker and more opaque. Apply with a concealer brush if you have one and roll the finger over the concealer to blend in.

Shuntang Eye shadow (Shimmer) - The pigment in the Becca eye shadows is great. This colour is amazing! It has green, gold, yellowy tones. This would suit people with olive and darker skin tones but also people with brown and green eyes too. It's a very versatile colour to have in your make up bag. Thanks to Nicky who told Sam and me about this colour, so we now have it in our kits. Once we tried it we had to buy it!

Also this week I met Becki for her bridal hair and make up trial. She wanted her hair curled. The front sections were then taken up and pinned in around the tiara covering the band. I created height behind the tiara by back combing and pinning the hair in. This area will also hold a full length veil so the backcombed area will be great at supporting the comb and holding it in place.

With Becki’s make up I begun by applying N3 face and body by MAC. Becki does not normally wear foundation so this was the best option for her because is light and has good coverage. I used Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector (as mentioned above). I tapped it on around the eye area in a c- shape contouring the bone around the eye. I applied MAC blanc type as a base to the eye lid. Then used Jane Iredale Putty eye shadow which is a matt mid grey colour then used Lancome dark silver from a quad palette on the outer corner and along the lash line as Becki choose not to have eye liner applied. Lots of black mascara was applied to the lashes. On the cheeks I used my finger to blend in some MAC crème blusher in Lillicent.

By the way it’s not to late to get your ticket to come to my next Tips, Teas and Tiaras great for brides-to-be to come and chat about their wedding plans. It's being held at Beretun Designs in Kingston Shopping Centre, Milton Keynes on Thursday 19th August at 7pm. Come and meet us for tips on wedding dresses, hair, make up and tiaras. With our compliments you will receive goody bag, cupcakes and bubbly.

Catch up with you again next week.

Jen x

Diary of a Makeup Artist

19th to 25th July

This week I went browsing around a Vintage Craft Fair in Newport Pagnell to see what little treasures I could find. At the fair I met Donna who makes exquisite vintage jewellery and head dresses for brides. Her company With Love from Pearl is bespoke, hand made and custom designed.

So I'm really pleased that 'With Love from Pearl' is now a recommended supplier on our links page of the Beauty Call website for MK and NN.

We are also following Donna’s blog too: http://www.withlovefrompearl.blogspot.com/

Also this week I met Polly for her free bridal hair trial. Polly wanted boho style curls and is wearing a small headband in her hair. I started by blow-drying her hair which is very fine using lots of volume spray worked into the roots. I rolled the hair and pinned it allowing the curls to cool as I worked through the hair. I then removed the clips and rang my fingers through the hair which loosened the curls. Creating volume behind the band gave style shape. I am looking forward to seeing Polly on her wedding day.

Another bride to be, Nancy confessed to me that she had always been worried about having her makeup done and was scared she would have an orange line around her face! I assured her that the foundation would match perfectly and this was often a concern for people who had never had professional makeup applied before.

I used MAC N1 face and body foundation and blended this in to the face giving flawless light coverage (with no orange line much to Nancy’s delight!) The eyes were light with MAC Blanc type and all that glitters. Bobbi Brown black gel eyeliner was applied with a tiny flick up at the corner of the eye lid. Then I applied a couple of coats of black mascara to the eyelashes that had been prepped with eyelash curlers. To finish black individual lashes were added to make the lashes appear fuller. To the lips I added Ruby and Mille lip base to moisten the lips and applied Vie Crème Brule gloss a peachy colour to compliment Nancy’s blue eyes.

Her hair was taken up at the crown and pinned in creating soft loose curled look. Sections were kept free and these were twisted around and pinned in to the main style. I softened the fringe and finished off with hairspray to hold in place.

I was so excited when my copy of Vintage Life magazine arrived! It’s full of all things from past and includes a modern twist. There were really good retro hair and makeup tips too! I particularly enjoyed reading the article about makeup packaging and may have to find one of these compacts for myself.

Jen x

Diary of a Makeup Artist

12th to 18th July 2010

This week I thought I would share with you some exciting makeup products I have brought to add to my kit.

Whilst in London I popped into M.A.C just off Carnaby Street. I come across a foundation brush which is round and not flat. It picks up less foundation than the other styles of foundation brushes where the bristles are quite compact. Use it in circular movements and it effortlessly blends in the foundation giving a smooth finish. I’ve found it easier to blend with around the eye area. It’s a must have! This is great for anyone updating their make up bag.

In Debenhams Milton Keynes I picked up some more YSL Touch Eclat. I would not be without it!! I love the way using a small amount can make such a difference to your complexion. Use it on the inner and outer corners of your eyes. Also down the side of your nose and just above your cupids bow. My tips would be not to apply it with the built in brush but to use your finger and gentle pat this on to your skin. Use it sparingly and it will work wonders for you.

I had seen the Guerlain Terracotta Lady featured in the August copy of Vogue Magazine. So I had to go and see what it was all about!! In my local House of Fraser I tried it and said straight away ‘I’ll take one please!’ I wore it over the weekend and was very impressed. It’s so sheer and adds a soft subtle glow to the skin. It looks good on the décolleté and shoulders too. I will use this on brides who want to have a subtle glow and also have a tan. The packaging is wonderful and the lid holds the wonderful brush which you can apply the powder with.

I’m so excited as I had my car sign written with the Beauty Call logo. I am so thrilled to be promoting my franchise in Milton Keynes and Northampton for Beauty Call…if you see this car around you will know I am somewhere nearby!

Just a reminder that "Tips, Teas and Tiaras" at Drop Dead Gorgeous is next week on Wednesday 28th July…it is not to late to get your ticket….come and meet me for top bridal makeup tips, bubbly and cupcakes. You also get a goody bag!

Catch up with you next week.

Jen x

Diary of a Makeup Artist

5th to 11th July 2010

It’s been a jammed packed week….let me tell you all about it!

I met with Elizabeth who is the owner of Shutter Betty this week. I’m so excited that we are going to be working together. Elizabeth has asked me to be her recommend make up artist and stylist for her creative portraiture work. Elizabeth’s work has been printed in The Times, Under the Radar, 4Talent Magazine, Guitarist Magazine, Metro and London Lite. I look forward to shooting with her very soon.

The airbrush makeup clip that I filmed went live this week on the Beauty Call You Tube Channel. Why not subscribe to our channel!

There are lots of fantastic tips that are quick and easy to try yourself. On Sunday all the Beauty Call franchisees came to Milton Keynes and filmed lots more clips to bring to you on our channel including 40’s lips, messy up do, foundation tips, long lasting lips and strip lashes to name a few. There will also be some before and after images too. If you have any makeup hang ups you would be interested in seeing tips on please e-mail us and let us know.

I had an airbrush make up trial this week for Emma and her Mum Margaret. I applied the eye make up first Margaret had light colours to compliment her deep set eyes and Emma had a striking Lancôme Pink from my colour quad and some amazing Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner in black. The eyeliner was thicker in the middle of the eye and then thinner going out to the corner of the eyes. I then used the airbrush to apply foundation, blusher and bronzer. Airbrushing gives amazing flawless looking results and they were very pleased with the finish. The look for them both was compliment by thickening the lashes using individual lashes.

Louisa had her Bridal hair and make up trial. I tousled the hair using tongs then ran my fingers through to soften. On the wedding day I will add some clip in extensions to make the hair fuller at the back. At the crown I backcombed the hair to create height and then pinned in Louisa’s tiara. Louisa’s make up was light but effective. I evened out the skin tone with foundation and applied MAC eye base in medium to the eyelids. I then used the Lancôme colour quad, white shimmer eye shadow as a base to open the eye area and then applied a soft shimmering pink on top. This created a soft shimmering eye. I then applied MAC dip down gel eyeliner and MAC Mascara X in dark brown to define the eyes. I used YSL spring look highlighting palette which is a mix of three shades and has a slight bronzing effect without any shimmer.

Saturday was Natalie’s wedding. Because of the heat she choose to change her hair style which was understandable as I think it was the hottest day of the year!! I loosely curled her hair which is coarse so the curls need to be loosened off slightly be separating them. I then pinned them in from the nape of the neck giving the illusion that the hair was down but it was loosely pinned in (If that makes sense!!). Natalie’s eyes had neutral colours with cappuccino brown and ivory shimmer in the corner. I used Clarins Bronzing powder duo to compliment her tanned look and finished with Vie Blush Gloss on the lips.

I was delighted to see Natalie had e-mailed me this message the day after her Wedding (I love my job!!):

“I just wanted to email to thank you for doing my hair and make up so beautifully yesterday. My hair and make up lasted the entire day without needing a touch up and without a hair out of place. I felt beautiful and received so many compliments from my guests (and my husband!) as to how beautiful I looked. You were a pleasure to have with me on the morning of my wedding and were so unphased when I changed my mind at the last minute as to how I wanted my hair because of the heat. I didn't feel made up and felt totally natural."

Just one more thing…...there is now a Beauty Call channel on Askmk.tv - my blog is on there, as well as our video clips and we are just working on some podcasts to add too. There are some amazing images on display of the work that Beauty Call Artist has created. Your comments and feedback are very welcome so let me know if you would like to see anything else on here.

More next week. Bye for now Jen x

Diary of a Makeup Artist

28th June to 4th July 2010

Thanks for coming back to read my blog!

The Double Tree Hilton at the MK Dons stadium was packed full of Brides-to-be on Sunday. I had a great day talking to you all about hair and make up for your forthcoming weddings. I held a draw to win £50 off a Bridal hair and make up package. I am delighted to announce that Emma in Flitwick won the prize!!! Congratulations and I will enjoy making you over on your big day. To find out what other wedding fairs we are attending visit our fairs page on the Beauty Call website


Our new event Tips, Tea and Tiaras are coming to Milton Keynes and Northampton!!

The first will be on 28th July at 7pm at Drop Dead Gorgeous in Towcester. They sell a wide range of stylish custom made fascinators and hats. I will be on hand to give advice on hair and make up and how to style your hair to best compliment you chosen head piece.

On the 19th August at 7pm I will be at Beretun Designs at the Kingston shopping centre. Beretun Designs sell bespoke Bridal gowns, tiaras, jewellery and shoes that are handmade and custom designed. I will be showing you how you can achieve a glamorous look with airbrush make up. Come along and join us for an fun evening packed with full of tips and how to look your best in your Tiaras, Fascinators, Bird cage veils and hats.

To buy your tickets go to our website - they are a bargain at £10 and you will receive a complimentary goody bag. There will also be bubbly and cupcakes!!

I had the evening off on Wednesday to watch Les Misrables in the West End London. What a moving production, I loved it!! The wigs, the hair, and the make up were amazing and the whole cast had amazing voices. Well worth seeing.

I met Elena and Charlotte this week for trials fof their wedding hair and make up. Elena had a very elegant up-do. Sleekly pinned in at the front with the back all pinned in with crossing over detail at the back. Elena is wearing a mantilla which is a Spanish veil and it’s absolutely beautiful. Her make up was very natural and light with good coverage, a light foundation and a luminous dewy finish to compliment her pale complexion.

Charlotte’s decided to have an up-do at her hair trial. She had collected pictures that helped to build the style she was looking for. I started off by creating a chignon at the back. The front was kept soft by taking the front sections and pinning them but not tightly. The left over sections (as Charlotte had really long hair!) were pinned at the crown of the head creating some really nice detail.

I had great fun Saturday afternoon making over Maureen for her 80’s charity event that she organised in aid of Willen Hospice in Milton Keynes. Maureen and her husband went as Sonny and Cher. So I gave Maureen a Cher make over, with dark eyes, fuller eye browns, bold blusher and dark red lipstick. Then I applied her wig and false lashes to finish off the look. I heard that this event rose over £4000!!

I will be back next week and thanks for reading my blog. Comeback to see what I have been up to!

Jen x

Diary of a Makeup Artist

21st - 27th June 2010

Wow!! What a busy week, lots of enquiries coming through for Proms and Weddings this summer…but I did take a day off to go to Wimbledon and enjoy the tennis on Centre Court as well as a Pimms..great day!!

Anyway this week I have been getting ready for the Wedding Fair at the Doubletree Hilton Hotel, part of the Milton Keynes Dons Stadium. It’s on Sunday 4th July, 11am till 4pm. If you are in the area come along to meet me and find out more about what we do. You’ll also be in with a chance to win money off your bridal package!

Have a look at the Beauty Call website for more details of the wedding fairs that Beauty Call franchisees will be exhibiting at.

I would like to wish Lauren best wishes for the future. I had the pleasure of applying her and her bridesmaid’s makeup at Sedgebrook Hall in Northamptonshire this week. The weather was gorgeous!! They both had individual lashes applied to make the eyes look more open and the lashes thicker. The results were great and along with Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner in black, this completed the glamorous look that they both wanted.

I have been doing lots of bridal trials this week and have noticed that dry skin seems to be a problem. This could be perhaps due to the hot weather and also the stressful preparations before any wedding!

Dry skin does affect the final finish of your makeup. So my tip would be to meet with you Beauty Call makeup artist and find out how to improve your skin for the wedding day. They have tried and tested loads of products so will know what works for you.

My advice would be to:
1. Drink more water (a cliché but it does work!!), and.....
2. Use a really good moisturiser such as Dermalogica active moist and a good eye cream. Lots of my brides to be have used Vie 24hr eye cream which I have recommend to them, it’s a double ended applicator one end has wide awake eye gel the other eye cream. It also pops nicely into your hand bag and is small enough to take on the plane for your honeymoon to.

Diary of a Makeup Artist

14th – 20th June 2010


Huge congratulations to Sally and Sharon, the brides I had the pleasure of making up for their wedding days this week! I hope you had wonderful days?

Both brides chose to have airbrush makeup. In fact Sally’s whole bridal party (two bridesmaids and her mum) chose airbrushing. Airbrush make up is applied in a fine mist through a compressor and gives a flawless finish and great coverage. It even covered Sharon’s tattoo as well! I always use Airbase foundations, blush and bronzer.

The Beauty Call website has a Boutique page where you can buy lots of great makeup and accessories including the Airbase makeup and the kit required to apply it.

Sally went for sultry silver grey smoky eyes which complimented her diamante detailed wedding dress and wonderful deep red roses. Her hair was loosely curled and mainly down with slight height at the crown to show off the tiaras full beauty.

Sharon had natural eyes with earthy browns blended on the eyes. This suited her complexion and she felt comfortable as the make up was light and complimentary to her colouring. Her hair was curled and pinned up with the front sections loosely pinned in with a fabulous tiara to complete the bridal look.

As a self-confessed product junkie, I have been out and about again this week, this time in Debenhams at the MAC counter. I love their eye bases. They come in light, med and dark. My advice is to sweep a layer over the eyes before applying eye shadow and it stops your eye shadow creasing in the lid. It also keeps the colour of your eye shadow looking fresh all day and is excellent for people who suffer from dry skin around the eye area. A great buy if you always find your eye shadow has disappeared part way through the day!

Hi All,

Welcome to my new blog ’Diary of a Make Up Artist’……well what a busy week!! Bridal season is in full swing resulting in Beauty Call and myself having truly manic schedules!!

I met two brides this week whose hair and make up trials were a pleasure to undertake with them both being delighted with their resulting looks. The brides choose very different styles for their eyes:

- One kept it natural, having the eyes nice and light with neutral brown tones using Jane Iredale Cappuccino Duo and the hair all up and curled with the front sections softly swept back topped off with a diamante tiara.

- The other choosing dramatic smokey eyes for which I used Urban Decay Oil Slick shadow with Vie Gold Mine swept over the top. For the hair a blow dry to give lots of root lift with a small section of height at the front to hold in a small fascinator.

Earlier this week I met Beauty Call franchisee’s Nicky and Danni for lunch, it was great to catch up and talk about all the work that we have coming up and the people we are meeting.

It is full steam ahead with us all busy planning Tips, Tea and Tiara’s so keep an eye on our website http://www.beautycall.co.uk/latestnews.php for upcoming details. These will be small bespoke events for brides-to-be where we will talk about make-up and skin care, as well as having our recommend suppliers on hand with the latest tips. A focal point of these days will also be yummy cupcakes and lots of tea!!

I recently met with photographer Zoe Hardwick who specialises in Wedding photography and so she is now one of my recommended suppliers. If you would like to know more about Zoe and her work visit http://www.beautycall.co.uk/linksJenny.php

Also this week I have been planning a shoot for the Beauty Call You Tube channel. All seven franchisees are really excited about bringing you new clips showing short snippets of how to’s. From applying false eyelashes to using airbrush make up, there is something for everyone! If you have any suggestions on items you would like to see please get in touch and let me know, I would love to hear from you...

Spray tan season is here!! The weather is really disappointing as I love the sunshine. It is great to be able to give people a fab tan and I have been doing that this week with clients who are happy to have great colour when the weather outside is rubbish!!

I recently took a trip down to my local John Lewis makeup counters. My favourite buy was some Laura Mercier Foundation Primer which I have started using on brides-to-be. I love the great matte finish that helps foundation smooth over the skin.

If you would like more great daily tips for all your beauty needs add Beauty Call on Facebook!

Speak to you again next week

Jen x