Claire

A client recently told me that she was taught to colour match foundation to the back of her hand, which I thought was a really bizarre concept. I mean, unless you are spending your days modelling the latest Tiffany & Co catalogue, your hand isn’t really near your face #donttouchyourface, so why would you colour match to it? I remember as a teenager being taught to colour match to your jawline – nope, we don’t do that now either. It turns out your neck is one of the palest parts of your body, thanks to your noggin shading it from the sun. You want your face and body to be the same colour, so we match your foundation to your chest area. Another way to check that you are all over this matchy matchy business is to turn your head to the side and rest your chin on your shoulder. Step back and have a look in the mirror – your forehead, chin, shoulder and arm should all be the same colour. Of course this theory all goes out the window if you have a cracking farmers tan like me.

How were you taught to colour match?

Claire’s eyes were prepped using @maccosmeticsaustralia Pro Paint Pot in “Groundwork” and created using the @toofaced Born This Way Palette in colours “Truffle”, “Cocoa” and “Nude”, with @maccosmeticsaustralia “Bronze Frost” on the mobile lid. @bobbibrownaustralia Black Ink Gel Liner on the upper lashline and lower waterline, mascara and @modelrocklashes individual lashes. Brows filled using @anastasiabeverlyhills Brow Powder Duo in “Soft Brown” and tamed using @makeup_weapons Brow Balm. Velvety skin achieved by using the @smashboxcosmetics Photo Finish Primer, @meccacosmetica Lit from Within Illuminating Drops, @narsissist Sheer Glow Foundation, finished off with a dusting of @hourglasscosmetics Veil Translucent Powder and Ambient Lighting Powder. Contour, blush and @meccacosmetica Enlightened Highlight on the cheeks. Lip is @maccosmeticsaustralia “Cream in your Coffee” Lipstick.

Emily

I was recently asked why I only post professional edited images on my socials and not quick snaps off my phone. There are a number of reasons I use professional images, the first and main reason is because my dodgy Sony Ericcsson from 1986 takes the crappest photos of all time, but it’s a great tool to actually call people with. I understand it’s a novel concept to use a camera to take a photo these days.

Secondly, I have a background in photography and graphic design, so to be able to combine all three brings me an immense amount of joy and pleasure. I would imagine it’s similar to the kind of pleasure you would feel if you were to have all three Hemsworths lined up in front of you.

And thirdly, I like it. I love that it looks professional, it’s the OCD in me.

I take all my portrait images myself, and also edit them myself, but I would like point out that I NEVER edit my makeup. I find the images that come straight out of the camera are flat and do not represent the actual colours in real life. I mainly edit the lighting and tweek the colours.

Emily’s eyes were slightly contoured using the @toofaced Born This Way palette in the colour “nude”. Natural lashes were curled with mascara applied. @maccosmeticsaustralia kohl liner in “Fascinating” applied to the lower waterline. Brows filled using @anastasiabeverlyhills Brow Powder Duo in “Soft Brown” and tamed using @makeup_weapons Brow Balm. Velvety skin achieved by using the @smashboxcosmetics Photo Finish Primer, @meccacosmetica Lit from Within Illuminating Drops, @narsissist Sheer Glow Foundation, finished off with a dusting of @hourglasscosmetics Ambient Lighting Palette. Contour, blush and @meccacosmetica Enlightened Highlight on the cheeks. Lip is @maccosmeticsaustralia “Full Fuchsia” Lipstick.

Lara

Ever since the beginning of time, aka: when I first moved out of home, my Mum would collect newspaper/magazine clippings of articles that she felt would be of interest to me. She would always send them to me, no matter where I lived in the world – she even posted them to me when I lived in London.

Last week she rocked up for babysitting duties with the standard handful of clippings. She showed me a makeup look, and I’m not sure what she saw, but she did that thing she does with her nose when she doesn’t like something. What I saw was a perfect wing, yeah it was electric blue, not a look you’d slap on to head down to Coles, but it was a superb application.

If you want it, I can do it. My makeup style is definitely ‘natural’, I love ‘barely there’ foundation, soft dewy skin and subtle eye makeup that enhances your natural beauty. But I’ve got skills I keep hidden away for special occasions, like tormenting my Mother, so if you’re feeling inclined to hit the local with an electric blue wing, I’m up for it.

(I’m predicting a shit tonne of newspapers on my doorstep after this little dig. Luv ya Mum, and your bloody newspapers). 

Lara’s eyes were slightly contoured using the @toofaced Born This Way palette in the colour “nude”. Mini wing applied using @inglot_australia Duraline to transform a dry powder shadow into a liquid liner. Brows filled using @anastasiabeverlyhills Brow Powder Duo in “Soft Brown” and tamed using @makeup_weapons Brow Balm. Velvety skin achieved by using the @smashboxcosmetics Photo Finish Primer, @meccacosmetica Lit from Within Illuminating Drops, @narsissist Sheer Glow Foundation, finished off with a dusting of @lauramercier Translucent Powder. Contour, blush and @meccacosmetica Enlightened Highlight on the cheeks. Lip is cult favourite @maccosmeticsaustralia “Velvet Teddy” Lipstick. 

Ella

I love using contrasting colours on the eyes, it really intensifies the colour and makes them pop. For hazel eyes that’s colours like dusty pink, burgundy, aubergine, and even purple. But the brief for this shoot was raw+emotional. I debated whether I should pull it all the way back to a barely there makeup, but I could see so much potential in Ella’s facial structure and eyes. So instead I decided to use complimentary colours on Ella’s hazel eyes, basically the colours of her eyes – brown, amber, rust and green all blended together in this beautiful smoky eye. I paired back on her gorgeous porcelain skin, leaving it raw and fresh, just adding a bit of colour on her cheeks, letting those sweet freckles shine through. What a beauty! 

Ella’s eyes were created using the @toofaced Sweet Peach Palette in colours “Tempting”, ”Charmed Im sure”, “Puree”, “Bless her Heart”, “Bellini” and “Caramelised”. Eyes prepped using @maccosmeticsaustralia Pro Paint Pot in “Painterly”. @bobbibrownaustralia Black Ink Gel Liner on the upper lashline and @maccosmeticsaustralia “Teddy” kohl liner on the lower waterline, mascara and @modelrocklashes indi lashes on the upper lashline. Brows filled using @anastasiabeverlyhills Brow Powder Duo in “Soft Brown” and tamed using @makeup_weapons Brow Balm. Velvety skin achieved by using the @smashboxcosmetics Photo Finish Primer, @meccacosmetica Lit from Within Illuminating Drops, @narsissist Sheer Glow Foundation, finished off with a dusting of @lauramercier Translucent Powder and @hourglasscosmetics Ambient Lighting Powder. Contour, blush and @meccacosmetica Enlightened Highlight on the cheeks. Lip is @maccosmeticsaustralia cult favourite “Velvet Teddy”.

Nicky Fletcher The Makeup Artist

You guys asked some great questions over on my Insta stories! #tookitsoseriously 😜. I’ll endeavour to answer as many as I can. Some questions were so awesome they require their own post – watch this space.
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What are you most proud of? The fact that I work in the beauty industry, am over 40, and my face still moves #agegracefully
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Who is your celebrity crush? Look, there’s a solid top 5 #itslaminated, but you can’t go past a good Aussie larrikin that also happens to be the God of Thunder @chrishemsworth #hallpass
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Are you single? Is Chris Hemsworth asking?
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How did you get so sexy? Great question Chris….
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What is the most challenging part of being a MUA? I’m a perfectionist, which is a head injury in itself in the creative world. But great for my clients #cantstop #wontstop until it is perfect.
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What are your fav makeup products to use? Top three would be – @smashboxcosmetics Photo Finish Primer, @meccacosmetica Lit From Within Illuminating Drops and @maccosmeticsaustralia Mini Lash Curler.
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What is the best part of being a MUA? When a client genuinely loves their transformation.
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And what’s the worst part of being a MUA? The anxious feeling you get waiting to see if the client is happy. If I were an artist selling a painting, the purchaser would be buying the painting because they love it. Essentially the client is purchasing a piece of art they haven’t seen, so there is always that anxious wait to see if the client is happy with your work.
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What is your favourite makeup style? Definitely natural. I believe makeup should enhance your features, not completely change how you look.
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Will you travel for makeup? Absolutely!

Nicky Fletcher The Makeup Artist

Sometimes the photographer asks me to bring alllllllll the props to the photoshoots. This is my other life. I’m a country girl #executivebogan, and I live on a stunning property in Northern NSW, Australia. We have a beautiful little home amongst the gum trees, with lots of plum trees, a sheep or two and a kangaroo…. Ok, I’ll stop now #onefortheaussies. My husband and I have two amaaaaaazing little girls and an unruly extended family of horses, dogs, cats, chooks, cows and the occasional snake.

I grew up on a farm and have always been an animal lover. My Dad was a Professional Horse Trainer and Breeder, so growing up I was surrounded by horses. I always hoped that life would bring me full circle, and that one day I would have a farm of my own that my kids could grow up on and experience a small piece of the childhood that I had.

Nicky Fletcher The Makeup Artist

Let me introduce myself and tell you a little about the creative journey I have been on that has led me to become a Professional Makeup Artist. I studied Graphic Design when I left school, with the aspirations of working in the magazine industry, in particular, fashion and beauty. I wanted to have a thorough understanding of all aspects of the industry, and therefore undertook extra study in Photography and Makeup Artistry. After a brief stint as a Freelance Graphic Artist I did what every other 20 something was doing with their tertiary education – packed my bags and moved to London #goodtimes#thatIcanremember. When I returned home I helped my old man run the family business, while continuing to do makeup and photography on the side. I felt a passion for Makeup Artistry and enrolled in various Masterclasses and courses to further my skills. The family business was sold when my old man retired, which presented the perfect opportunity for me to pursue a full time career along a creative path that I genuinely love and enjoy.

I’m a creative soul. I’ve dabbled in a lot of aspects of creative arts over the years – illustration, painting, typography and signwriting, millinery, photography, design, sewing, arts and crafts. It’s a passion, and I’m extremely grateful that I have been able to turn my creative passion into a career.

Lara

The Rona pandemic has hit my little business hard. I’ve had all my bookings over a five month period either cancel or postpone. I decided to use the down time to have a good look through my portfolio and found there were quite a few gaps – looks that I haven’t demonstrated. My style is definitely “natural”, I believe makeup should enhance your features, not completely change how you look. However, if you aren’t demonstrating that you have the skills to achieve other looks, then people assume you can’t do it. So I’ve taken this opportunity to mix up my portfolio a bit to demonstrate a few different looks.
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Lips tend to be forgotten a lot of the time, they’re usually applied last, and in a rush. I loooooooove this classic look, the bare eye takes a back seat to let the bold lip do the talking. I remember @deltagoodrem wore this look on The Voice a few seasons back and my old man, being a connoisseur of all things makeup, reaaaaaalllly didn’t like it. And he wouldn’t let it go. What do you think? Maybe it’s a look you either love or hate?
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The eyes were softly contoured in using @maccosmeticsaustralia “Soft Brown” shadow and a light sweeping of mascara on Lara’s natural lashes. Brows shaped using @anastasiabeverlyhills Brow Palette and tamed using @makeup_weapons Brow Balm. Velvety skin achieved by using the @smashboxcosmetics Photo Finish Primer, @meccacosmetica Lit from Within Illuminating Drops, @narsissist Sheer Glow Foundation, finished off with a dusting of @lauramercier Translucent Powder. Contour, blush and @meccacosmetica “Enlightened” highlight on the cheeks. Lip is slaying courtesy of @maccosmeticsaustralia “Russian Red” mixed with a touch of @maccosmeticsaustralia “Full Fushcia”. Applied using @crownbrushaustralia

Emily & Chill

Back in March I had the pleasure of meeting Emily and her awesome girl gang on Emily’s Wedding Day. I achieved Emily’s natural Bridal look by using earthy tones on the eyes, blushed cheeks, a slight contour and highlight and a smudge of pink on the lips.
She looked natural, she looked beautiful x