Tips, techniques and tutorials to elevate your beauty game and help you find your foundation shade match.

Remember the old days when every celebrity and their dog was making a fragrance? Well, my mum sure remembers - she still gifts me Britney Spear’s 

 fragrance every now and then as it was my favourite when I was thirteen.

These days however, it seems the mark of a celebrity is not defined by the success of their fragrance lines but by their beauty brands. From Naomi Osaka to Kim Kardashian, Pharrell Williams to Lady Gaga, Rihanna to Harry Styles 

For almost 100 years, beauty brands have been using the allure of celebrities to market their brands – Maybelline even used silent film stars back in the 1920s! With such a long legacy of success using celebrity spokesmodels, do celebrity ‘founders’ of beauty brands do anything more than that?

Well, it’s hard to say. According to a recent article by Allure, the “celebrity's role usually involves testing and approving products and doing consumer-facing activities like shooting content and speaking directly to their followers.” While they may not be makeup artists, they spend a lot of time getting their makeup done by artists all around the world, lending credibility and a sense of confidence in consumers that celebrities know what they’re talking about it when it comes to beauty (though what I really need is a celebrity taught Facetune masterclass.)

When Lady Gaga first met with Nicole Quinn to start developing her makeup brand Haus Laboratories, Quinn quotes Gaga as saying “I have three passions in this world: music, movies and beauty.” Gaga says that “I have my fingerprints all over every part of this business so much that it looks like a crime scene!” Staying up until 4am working on mood boards, coming up with names and product ideas (as Gaga allegedly does) exhibits at least a passion, even if she is not a professional product developer or makeup artist.

But it seems like it is not just a celebrity face with a passionate attitude that determines the success of a celebrity founded beauty brand.

Alison Hahn of Sephora says that “Clients are wanting to be connected to what a celebrity stands for. What are their values? What are the emotional connections, and is there something good and a mission behind a celebrity?” It is not enough to just have a celebrity front a brand – they need to be a celebrity with a purpose. This sentiment could be behind the sold-out pre-orders of Harry Styles’ new brand Pleasing with Styles saying that he wanted to “dispel the myth of a binary existence.” While he has been a part of the celebrity zeitgeist for over a decade, his championing of gender fluidity has become a part of his identity in his post-One Direction days. While arguably just as famous when he was in One Direction, I wonder if there would be as much buzz about 

Indeed, it seems that the celebrity brands that have seen the most success are the ones with a purpose – especially those that want to help groups of people who have traditionally been excluded from this $500 billion industry. Rihanna’s 

 hit the ground running with the launch of a hugely inclusive foundation range and Naomi Osaka’s Kinlo makes products specifically designed for deep skin tones. Selena Gomez too has a purpose to her brand with 1% of sales from 

 going to mental health organisations with a goal of raising $100 million over the next ten years. As celebrities personal identities become more entwined with the causes they support, so too do the brands and companies they found.

Whether or not the celebrities are responsible for day to day running of these companies, or simply appear as the face of them, their reputations are on the line. This is especially notable when it comes to people boycotting Rihanna, the woman, when it was revealed that children could potentially be working in an Indian mine that sourced Mica for

 While it is almost impossible to believe that Rihanna herself was overseeing the traceability of her ingredients and applying for the necessary certifications, it was 

Incidents like this highlight further, the social and ethical responsibilities celebrities are being held accountable for with the brands they found – whether they actually do the running of the business or not. If being called a founder is just a vanity credit, should celebrities still be held responsible for making production decisions? Personally, I don’t know, but I think we’d all be grateful for a more transparent understanding of the roles that celebrities play in their brands (and that Facetune masterclass please!!)

Celebrity Beauty Brands MMM

A Look At Celebrity Beauty Brands

A Look at Celebrity Beauty Brands

We've always known that eyebrows frame the face, but eyebrow styles and shaping can still be a challenge to many! We sit down with Jazz Pampling to talk about eyebrows and their importance. Jazz says: “A well shaped brow helps to lift and frame features by highlighting subtle lines in the face. Women the world over are discovering the importance that brows have, and educating people about this is the focus of my work.”

Are there trends in brows? If so, what are the current trends?

Brows have always managed to trend in one way or another. From the super thin curved arches of the 20s to the fuller brows of Icons like Audrey Hepburn. Today however we are recovering from the thin highly arched brows of the 90’s. The 90’s were not kind to our brows. Trends today are definitely full and natural, think Brooke Shields in Blue Lagoon. The latest Chanel Runway show in fact featured quite masculine eyebrows.

However your eyebrows, unlike trends that come and go, do not return once taken. So it is important not to follow trends when it comes to shaping your brow.

How do you assess brow shape? What makes a good brow shape? Do you have favourite brow shape that suits most people?

Assessing brow shape comes down to many factors. Face shape is the most important. Brows have the ability to compliment and counteract our facial features and it’s important you get that right. From there it’s about what a client naturally has and what they want. It is very important that you feel comfortable with your brow, after all you have to wear it.

Good brow shape has the ability to shave years of our age, help our eyes look bigger, and features like a larger nose appear smaller. My favourite brow shape will always be a more natural brow with a soft arch. 9 times out of 10 any client with a softer brow arch will look younger. However we have had highly arched brows for such a ling time, its hard to imagine ourselves with anything else.

Are there any rules to follow when it comes to maintaining our brows at home?

There are a couple rules that I give all my clients for their at home maintenance. My work as a brow artist is not just about waxing/tweezing a brow. I aim to give my clients all the knowledge they need to have confidence to shape their own brow at home.

Do you believe in the rules that are currently used about where your brows should start or end?

I think the rules for the alignment of the brow is the reasons so many of us have miss shaped brows. We aren’t stencils as humans, so relying on a template isn’t going to work. When it comes to rules of alignment, I always say use them as a guideline, but don’t be stuck in only seeing your brow that way. I find that I usually have to realign the lines a little for each client.

How do you do brows? We know you are the best because you do brows very differently from everyone else. How are you different?

I think my approach to brows is less is more, I am all for low maintenance eyebrow. Clients have faith that when they come to see me, their brow will still be there at the end. I sit down with my clients and ask them what they want and really work to tailor the brow to their likes. As time goes on, I continue to ensure they are happy with their shape and that they are confident in tweezing at home.

I like to use gentle products on the skin. When I do wax I don’t use strip wax and harsh cleansers. I never use anything on my clients I wouldn’t use on myself. Our eyebrows go through some kind of hair removal generally once a month, so we are pulling on some of the softest skin on our face, its important to be gentle with ourselves.

If you have hair that is almost black in colour, use a 

 or powder to fill the brow in. Black will be too dark and brown colours stand out against the black, charcoal/grey tones are amazing. Great for anyone with an Asian background for example.

What were your favourite tips and tricks that Jazz discussed in our interview? Hit us up on our socials and let us know!

Your Eyebrow Questions Answered

Jazz Pampling - Eyebrow Expert Fills Us In

Somewhere in Europe, a top-secret meeting of industry experts meet annually to discuss one of our favourite topics: colour. The colour forecasts of these experts are narrowed down from thousands until only one remains: the Pantone Colour of the Year. This colour ideally encompasses the mood and trends of the upcoming year (though often guided by past trends) and is filtered down to us in the form of consumer products: makeup, paint, fashion etc. Now that I’m saying it out loud (text counts as out loud in these WFH days), it all sounds 

Devil Wears Prada. And this year, Pantone’s version of Miranda Priestly has designated Very Peri as the colour of 2022.

Coming off the back of a year that saw a lot of isolation, Very Peri is a colour that aims to inspire us to “embrace the altered landscape of possibilities,” and “encourages personal inventiveness and creativity.” While these whimsical reasons for picking it are poetic and inspirational, the cynic in me thinks they picked this colour purely on the back of the retro-futurism pastel home décor trends. Pastels have been on trend everywhere from fashion to wallpaper over the last year and continue to be a mainstay (well, at least I hope so – I just bought a lilac faux crocodile skin trench coat...)

If blue is the warmest colour, then periwinkle is the warmest blue. It gives warmth to blue and cools down red, and you know what that means? Periwinkle suits almost everyone. Although you may not want to paint your walls periwinkle, there are a tonne of great ways to incorporate the colour into your beauty regime.

Nail polish is one of the easiest ways to add some colour into your look while still being work appropriate. Essie has a huge selection of periwinkle and periwinkle-adjacent shades – we especially love 

 online and give yourself a periwinkle tipped manicure to subtly celebrate this Very Peri year.

Blue and purple eyeshadows are not just for your cranky maths teacher (or was it just mine who wore blue shadow up to her brows?) Eyeshadow palettes like 

are great for giving blues and purples a modern vibe by including light shimmers with some solid matte browns to help your blending game.

If eyeshadows aren’t for you, NYX’s Epic Wear Liner Stick in 

 is a fun colour to use for a cute winged liner look. Even though we know that wings are sisters not twins, using a light colour like this also will minimise the appearance of unevenness. 

Give yourself a celestial glow by using a purple coloured highlighter like 

Inglot’s Intense Sparkler Face Eyes Body Highlighter

 in shade 20. Brush it on your cheekbones and shoulder blades before using a wet brush to press some onto your eyelids – a one stop shop to achieve a cohesive and galactic periwinkle look.

A funky way to add periwinkle into your beauty look Keep your eye out for limited edition lipsticks – most of the big hitting brands don’t keep periwinkle shades in their permanent rotation but we LOVE Fenty’s Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick in 

. Though, if you manage to get your hands on MAC’s Men Love Mystery buy yourself one and then send me the link please. Seriously. I need it.

All in all, this is one of our favourite Colours of the Year of all time (or of all 22 years that Pantone has been running this). Do you love it as much as us? If you want to give periwinkle a try in your beauty looks this year, we’d love to see what creative designs you come up with – tag us on Instagram so we can check them out!

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Pantone's Colour of the Year: Ways to Work it Into Your Glam

Have you left your Christmas shopping until the last minute again? Me too. Every year you promise yourself it will be different – you won’t be one of the thousands of people at the mall frantically trying to figure out what to get your loved ones. But every year, nothing changes. As a fellow procrastinator I feel your pain and want to take some of that stress away from you, so I’ve made a list of amazing beauty gifts for the glam loved ones in your life that they are sure to love!

Chanel Rouge Allure - Limited Edition No5 Holiday 2021 Collection in Emblematique

Is there a better gift than Chanel? While No 5 is a classic fragrance it isn’t for everyone, but this lipstick 

This year, Chanel has released a limited edition homage to the fragrance that Marilyn Monroe made iconic with super luxe packaging embossed with the number 5. A warm toned red, this limited edition lipstick will suit almost everyone and we all need a red that will make us feel like a million bucks.

MAC Hyper Real Glow/Hypnotizing Holiday in Step Bright Up/Alche-me

The candy inspired holiday packaging is completely adorable, but the limited edition mixture of two highlighters is the real winner here. The deeper golden bronze shade swirled together with the lighter shade makes it a universally appealing highlighter for a huge range of skin tones. We’re all tired of cool toned highlighters not working for deeper skin tones and this is a welcome relief from that!

While foundation might seem like an odd Christmas gift, there are some foundations that are so good an exception can be made. This foundation is arguably the most exciting foundation launch of 2021 and if there’s a makeup lover in your life I am sure they’re dying to give it a go! If you need to find their perfect foundation match, sneak into their makeup drawer to see what product they currently use. Enter that info into our tool and we’ll tell you what they’ll be in Lisa!

This gift pack may have the cutest eyelash curler that I have ever seen. My teenage self in 2008 with her bedazzled Hiptop would be SO jealous that 2021 me could potentially receive this as a Christmas gift. Not only does this come with the glam eyelash curler but also Tarte’s eyelash primer and mascara. If you’re feeling super generous and love what Tarte is throwing out, you could combine this with a travel size of their famous Shape Tape Concealer (see above on how to find the perfect shade match.)

Alright, I think this is my favourite gift idea on the whole list. This year, Armani has put together an amazing set with its perennially popular fragrance Si and a satin finish lipstick packaged in a gorgeous clutch handbag. The handbag is marked with the Giorgio Armani symbol on top and is a perfect versatile bag for party season. Buying a fragrance for someone can be scary, it is so subjective. That being said, in all my years of fragrance collecting, the most universally complimented is Si (though keep in mind it is very sweet and feminine, so I definitely don’t recommend it for more woody or musky fans).

Pastels are back and I am here for it. This collaboration between Pony Park and Morphe is packed full of wearable matte neutrals and fun galaxy-inspired colours. It’s one of those palettes where every single shade can work with every other shade and many of the shades can double up as highlighters or blushes. It’s whopping number of shades is a classic Morphe move but that is what makes it such a great gift – there’s a colour combination to suit every mood.

What are your favourite beauty brands to gift your loved ones? What are you hoping Santa brings you this year? Hit us up on our socials to let us know, and have a happy holidays!

Armani gift

Best Holiday Gifts for the Beauty Lover in Your Life

We’ve rounded up a list of the top five foundations that we’ve seen people moving towards so far in 2021. Everyone is loving foundations with a natural finish, buildable coverage, and a wide range of shades. So, has your favourite foundation made the list? Read on and find out!

1. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation

Waterproof, long wearing, with hydrating ingredients, it comes as no surprise that 

Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Foundation

 has topped the list of most sought-after foundations so far in 2021. Tilbury put a lot of research into this range – from skin tone analysis to the hydrating benefits of the ingredients. While we don’t usually recommend a full coverage matte foundation for mature skin, Airbrush Flawless Foundation is designed to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. It applies beautifully to the skin, but throughout the day we've noticed a tendency for it to separate - especially in warm weather. 

2. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

Although at this point it is almost expected that 

 would make the list, maybe the only surprising part is that it is not number one! Regularly making the list of the best foundations on the market, Luminous Silk has been a mainstay in beauty bags around the world. Its medium coverage, dewy finish formula has remained unchanged since its inception and has inspired sister products like the Luminous Silk Powder Compact. This is one of the few foundations that we firmly believe lives up to its famous reputation, it looks absolutely stunning in real life and in photos (though the shades do tend to lean fairly pink).

Huda Kattan developed this foundation so “that every person should be able to wear our foundation, no matter their skin tone, undertone or skin type.” Specifically targeting the coverage of blemishes, scars and unwanted pigmentation the 

 can be used as a foundation and a concealer. If you’ve found your perfect foundation match in this range but don’t want something as full coverage, you can always sheer it out with some moisturizer. If you love full coverage foundation, we absolutely adore the Huda Beauty #Fauxfilter Skin Finish Foundation Stick - I was honestly surprised it didn't make this list!

4. Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup

Although Estee Lauder has blessed us with numerous Double Wear ranges, none have become as iconic and perennially popular as 

. Made without oil or fragrance, Double Wear Stay-In-Place is a surprisingly lightweight full coverage foundation. Since its release almost 25 years ago, this was one of the first product lines with a truly inclusive shade range including a huge selection of undertones and depths. Although we always say skin prep is essential (though, just quietly, I've been known to lazily skip it every now and then), it is especially essential with Double Wear Stay-In-Place. It's full coverage matte finish can cause skin to look dry if it hasn't been appropriately hydrated beforehand. 

5. Nars Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation

. According to one US study, 91% of surveyed participants “agree that the skin appears smooth while wearing the foundation” and it “blends effortlessly.” Its unique ingredient list includes the extracts of fruit like apple, watermelon, and raspberry with the goal of giving the skin a natural and longwearing glow. Non-comedogenic (meaning it won’t block your pores!) and oil free, this could be the best foundation for acne-prone skin. Often, when beginning to use a new foundation, the skin can develop a few pimples as it adjusts to a new foundation - even if it is non-comedogenic. If you decide to try out Radiant Longwear, give it a few weeks before deciding whether it is right for your skin or not!

Keen to try out one of these ranges? Head to our

 to find your perfect foundation match now!

Top 5 foundation photo

The Five Most Sought After Foundations of 2021

You have no doubt seen brands advertising themselves as “clean” but what does it mean? Is it just a marketing buzzword? What products can be considered clean? Unfortunately, there is no regulated definition of “clean beauty” but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be informed about how brands can manipulate certain terms and how regulations work to keep them in check. We will be exploring some of the common clean beauty associated buzzwords, what they mean and what to be aware of so you can match your foundation to your ethics and health concerns.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) who developed the Guides for Use of Environmental Marketing Campaigns, if a brand claims the item is “free-of” ingredients, then it can not in its place have an ingredient with similar impacts to the environment. This prevents dodgy brands from replacing a famously dangerous ingredient with a similar, but lesser known, harmful ingredient.

The FTC notes that some companies can claim to be “free-of” certain ingredients even if there are “trace amounts” of the ingredient found. While the definition of “trace amounts” can be vague, consumers can reasonably assume that it would not be enough to provide negative health or environmental impacts.

According to the FTC, anything claiming to be non-toxic must be non-toxic to both humans and the environment. If the product is simply non-toxic to humans, then it should not advertise itself as non-toxic. Due to the ramifications of toxic ingredients, it does seem (pardon the pun) natural that this is one of the most strictly regulated buzzwords associated with clean beauty.

While non-toxic is used as a popular clean beauty buzzword, most reputable and well known brands will have ingredients that are non-toxic for humans at the very least. Illegal dupes and copies found on cheap websites will likely NOT have the same composition as the brands they are copying, and are often found to have toxic ingredients so we do NOT recommend buying cheap imitations.

Traditionally, there has been no regulation determining the use of the word ‘natural’ in advertising cosmetic products, though attempts are being made to change this. A 

 introduced in the US congress aims to mark a clear difference between the terms ‘natural’ and ‘naturally-derived,’ and requiring the term ‘natural’ only be used when the composition is at least 70% natural substances (not including water or salt). The fact that they request water not to be included is very important – water makes up a huge amount of most foundations so by excluding it from the required 70%, the manufacturers must ensure that most of their other ingredients are also natural. This bill will require mandatory testing by suppliers, with the results being provided to manufacturers.

For now, ‘natural’ can mean almost anything (after all, most chemicals found on the periodic table are found in nature – a loophole that can be exploited). However reputable brands, like our friends 

, explain clearly how they define ‘natural.’

 is defined as ‘coming from living plants and animals’ and/or ‘not using artificial chemicals in the growing of plants or animals.’ So what does that mean for beauty? Much like ‘natural’ it legally means nothing.

 which provide a ‘certified organic’ label which requires ‘most of its ingredients to be … produced and processed without synthetic chemicals’ though they have traditionally applied to food products.

For now, there are no legal requirements in the beauty industry for the use of the word ‘organic,’ so it is important for consumers to research the ‘certified organic’ sticker, who provided it and what their standards are for certification.

While not necessarily a buzzword, we thought we should highlight a few important things to consider regarding ingredients.

If the ingredients of a product are not transparently available, do not consider the item “clean” or even “non-toxic.” In Australia, 

 set forth by the government require ingredient lists to be readily available for consumers at the point of sale and on the product itself.

There are certain terms used in ingredients lists that truly don’t mean anything on their own – like the word fragrance. There are so many possible ingredients that add a scent to a product and without further regulation, brands can keep listing “fragrance” as an ingredient without telling us exactly what ingredient is used. However, most “natural” and “clean” beauty brands do not add any extra fragrance, so for clean beauty shoppers this may not be as common an ingredient concern.

Usually, ingredients are listed in descending order of the volume of that ingredient – that means whatever is listed first on the ingredient list makes up the biggest part of the product. Once the ingredient list has descended to products that make up less than 1%, they can be listed in any order (just because something is listed last doesn’t mean it is only a trace amount!)

Clean beauty is the future for makeup, and we don’t want it to just be a sales buzzword so we sincerely hope this article hasn’t scared you! It is our wish that the industry can begin to truly regulate the definition of clean beauty and the words that are commonly associated with it. In the meantime, we hope that this piece has provided some insight and education regarding the ways in which brands can use these words. Education is key and we hope we have helped you to narrow down your search while you look for your best foundation match!

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What is Clean Beauty?

Spring has sprung for us here in the southern hemisphere and we are predicting a lot of colour, glitter and experimentation this season. Here are our favourite spring looks straight from the runway – and don’t worry they are all super wearable!

Monochrome doesn’t necessarily mean all black – it just means one colour. This spring we are loving seeing monochrome makeup looks – like a coral eyeshadow paired with a coral lip, or a brown smokey eye with a brown lip, a hot pink winged eyeliner with a pale pink lip. It can either be a subtle way to pull your look together or a bold statement celebrating the return of lipstick!

 are perfect for these sorts of looks if you want the colours to be exactly the same. We also love the Ilia 

 which is available in six shades to suit every mood and skin tone.

With general beauty trends leaning towards fresh and healthy looking skin, faux freckles are a great way to finish your makeup look. When done right, they give you a natural, sun kissed look. You can use a specific faux freckle tool like the one by Freck – touch it on where you want the freckles to go and use your finger to lighten the colour (the longer you wait before pressing your finger, the darker the freckles will be). You can also use eyeliner or eye brow pencils – we recommend using two or three shades of brown to suit your skin tone. Layer the different shades in spots across your face with varying levels of pressure to give a natural variation in size – you can press your finger over them to lighten it if you’ve gone too dark.

 tool is designed to give you natural faux freckle looks. If you want to use a classic eyeliner pencil we love the MAC 

. Pro tip: add a few on your lips too to make it look truly natural!

If you happened to catch the Spring/Summer 2021 Valentino show, you would have seen the models walking the runway with their faces drenched in glitter (created by the queen of glitter – Pat McGrath). As this isn’t a super wearable look day-to-day, we love the trend of covering your lids in shimmery, glittery shadows. Makeup artist Manuel Losada swears by glitter, saying that it “is ideal for enhancing your eyes,” and who doesn’t want their eyes to pop?

Nobody does shimmer eyeshadows better than Pat McGrath and we adore her 

. If loose glitter is more your style, we love MAC’s 

 which comes in dozens of sparkly colours.

Lipsticks are making a comeback, and we are here for it. After hiding our lips behind masks for almost two years, this spring we are seeing a lot of fun experimentation on the runways. One of the more wearable, while still fun, looks we have seen on the runways this year is a two toned lip – one colour on the top, and a different on the bottom. Pink and red, plum and berry, coral and pink – there are endless combinations with your creativity being the only boundary.

 (with 18 colours!) are great options to recreate this trend. They have complimentary colours across their palette with hundreds of possible combinations.

For Spring/Summer 2021, Rodarte brought us natural doe eyed looks straight out of a Thomas Hardy book and we are here for it. Although false lashes have always been a mainstay in our beauty looks, it is time to show our lower lashes some love too. By putting false lashes on your lower lid your eyes will look large enough to give Anya Taylor-Joy a run for her money. We definitely recommend using individual lashes so you can customise the look to suit your eye shape and the level of glam you’re after!

Individuals Knotted Mini Black Lower Lash

Winged eyeliner will never go out of style, but why stop there? This season we have seen a lot of funky eyeliner on the runways (and on TikTok). We love the retro 60s style black liner above the lid seen on Naomi Campbell by Daniel Sallstrom as well as the floating eyeliner look shown at Stella McCartney’s spring show. Experimentation is key here and we recommend checking out makeup artists like Ana Takahashi for inspiration.

 for their deep black colours and their small, precise brushes.

If you're ready to try those looks out but still haven't found your foundation shade/your perfect foundation colour match to pair with these, check out our foundation shade finder 

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Our Favourite Looks for Spring 2021

Spring Trends 2021

After a year which saw almost every big event completely cancelled or dramatically changed, we are so excited for the Gala's triumphant return! The gala this year is the first part in a two-part exhibition celebrating American fashion through the years – this years gala is titled ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion’ and will be accompanied next year by ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion.’ Inspired by the social and political shifts America has seen over the recent years, curator Andrew Bolton told Vogue that “[he’s] been really impressed by American designers’ responses to the social and political climate, particularly around issues of body inclusivity and gender fluidity, and I’m just finding their work very, very self-reflective.”

In the beauty department, we saw a lot of throwbacks to the golden age of cinema and to Y2K pop icons like Aaliyah and Britney. While this year was tame in all departments, we have rounded up our favourite makeup looks of this year’s gala – and most of them are surprisingly wearable!

Joanna Simkin’s Statue of Liberty inspired celestial look for Amanda Gorman is out of this world. The combination of organic patterns and sparkles make this look on trend and flexible for those of us who want to give it a go!

Ben Platt, Julia Garner and Ella Emhoff are just a few of the other guests who are also on board the sparkle train – special mention to Julia Garner who managed a cat eye crafted out of rhinestones!

Old school Hollywood meets new. We loved Barbie’s homages to old Hollywood with her blocked brows and classic lip shape that she combined with modern glam like blush sitting right against the eye and a pop of purple on the inner corners of her eyes.

Who says the party has to stop at your makeup? We are obsessed with Saweetie’s bedazzled hair – it is a stunning combination of old school Hollywood and fun Y2K hair sparkles.

Wearing a mask doesn’t mean you can’t have fun! We love Grimes’s thick bold liner, and above the brow glam. Her Dune inspired look shows us that if masks are here to stay, then we can get creative with the rest of our face and re-think our old ideas about where makeup should sit.

Amandla’s Vernon Francois styled hair sums up what has truly made American fashion great, though has historically been ignored: black culture. Her braids are styled to look like a du-rag, and it is a bold commentary on how African hair has been forced into euro-centric styles throughout modern history.

Her deep blue eyeshadow provides a bit of spunk and interest in a classy and wearable way. Extending the shadow past her eyelids give the look a punk edge while still looking elegant.

Gigi’s makeup look, crafted by Erin Parsons, is a stunning homage to THE American wedding – Priscilla and Elvis Presley. Her brown liner extending past her bottom lash line is a great hack to make your eyes look bigger and further apart.

Ok, this one isn’t so wearable for day to day but we LOVE it. Sandy Ganzer created the look using only Shiseido products and combined with Evangeline AdaLioryn’s face piece and white contact lenses, Schaefer is serving up alien glam in a major way.

So, who has your favourite Met Gala beauty look this year? Has your favourite made the cut? Let us know on our socials who you thought killed their looks!

Gigi by Erin Parsons

Our Favourite Beauty Looks of the Met Gala 2021

Met Gala 2021

As summer draws to a close, we have hit the books (read: rewatching Fall 2021 runway shows) to bring you a list of exciting trends for the new season. Even with a lot of color, shimmer and Y2K vibes these trends are wearable, versatile and suit almost everyone!

Falsies are out, and chunky lashes are in (who am I kidding – false lashes will never be out). By applying multiple layers of mascara on your top and bottom lashes your eyes will pop and look much larger. This retro-grunge look has been spotted everywhere from the pages of high fashion magazines to Tik Tok, and it is an easy way to add extra drama to any look.

 mascara to add volume and length. By layering it multiple times you’ll get the perfect spidery, chunky lashes of your dream.

As consumer savviness grows, more and more people are learning that makeup only looks as good as the skin underneath it. This realisation has seen the rise of personalised, medicated, skin subscription services like 

 and the growth of influencers like Skincare With Anja embracing their skin conditions and teaching their followers how to care for their skin.

Unfortunately, Software is currently only available in Australia (you can check it out here), we also adore 

 for simple, affordable and effective skincare.

Whip out your butterfly clips because the 90’s are back with a vengeance. This fall, expect to see a lot of shimmer on cheeks, eyes and in lip gloss. Accent stickers have also made a comeback on the runway, and we are loving it. Makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench created a starry series of looks for the Men's Fall 2021 Burberry runway show, creating “celestial” looks to “hark back to nature, this vastness of a night sky.”

 eyeshadow palette has a fun and on trend selection of shimmers. We also love the 

 eyeliner. To recreate Ffrench’s runway look, you can draw stars using the eyeliner or use 

Thick brows have been on trend for a long time now, but their iterations keep evolving. Alchemy Beauty Lab owner, Loren Gilbert, says that it has become popular with local influencers as well as “older clients who want a thicker brow.” Brow lamination has become one of the most popular brow treatments for Gilbert’s clients, with people flocking to get the sleek and fluffy look.

While we don’t recommend laminating your brows yourself (leave that to the pros like Loren), you can use soap brow products for a similar effect. We recommend the 

 that has everything you need to get that great brushed up, fluffy brow look. If you want to use traditional soap, we recommend the 

 due to its gentle ingredients with inbuilt glycerin (the compound that will hold your brows in place).

This trend transcends seasons and has really become a trend for all of 2021. Bright colorful eyeshadows provide a bit of spunk as our wardrobes transition to the inevitable monochrome of fall and winter. There are colors to suit everyone – purple eyeshadows go great with green eyes, orange looks great with blue eyes, blue eyeshadow looks great with hazel eyes and EVERY color suits people with brown eyes.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Pro Pigment Palette Vol. 2

 has something to suit everybody with some beautiful neutrals thrown in too. Its fun color story will provide you with endless creative options. If you want to test the waters with color, we recommend the individual shadows available through 

 – they have almost every color imaginable and are an affordable way to make a custom palette or are great if you only want one or two specific shades.

After almost two years of wearing masks everywhere, lipsticks are finally making a comeback. A deep berry lip color adds instant glam to any look and is the perfect, moody color for fall. Paired with a simple eye look, a berry lip easily goes from day to night and suits almost everyone.

YSL Vernis A Levres Water Stain in Cascade Bordeaux

. Their matte finishes help with longevity, but putting a clear gloss (like the 

) over the top will really make them pop.

Nawal Sara

Our Favourite Fall Trends for 2021

Fall Trends 2021

Beauty books are great for learning, experimenting, finding inspiration and look pretty damn cute on a coffee table. Over the years the Match My Makeup team has collected a huge variety of amazing makeup and beauty books. After much deliberation, we’ve managed to all agree on five favourites, and we’ve listed them below. Has your favourite made the cut? 

Part art history lesson, part biography and part makeup guide 

 is a masterclass in creativity. Editorial and commercial makeup artist Lan Nguyen-Grealis gives us a glimpse inside her creative process while teaching us about art and how she became one of Britain’s most successful and versatile makeup artists.

Is there anything Lisa Eldridge can’t do? We adore 

 as she takes us through the history of makeup to its future. She explores the ingredients that have been used over thousands of years, and at around 60,000 words, acts as an encyclopaedia of the cultural impact of makeup. 

 is an educational goldmine. With step-by-step processes, clear to understand instructional guides and a scientific method, this book is a must have for those who like to understand in depth what will suit them. Her colour wheels are life saving - you’ll never struggle to pick the right eyeshadow colour again!

An iconic book by an iconic makeup artist, 

 by Kevyn Aucoin has stood the test of time. While it is often joked that the 90’s were the decade that fashion forgot, the looks and tips he explores in this book are still on trend today.

Not just stopping at practical advice for professionals and consumers alike, this book is also packed full of beautiful images of some of the 90’s most well known celebrities.

’s Edward Enninful touts Funmi Fetto’s 

 as “the beauty bible for women of colour everywhere” and an “influential voice in the conversation around inclusivity.” People of colour have been traditionally excluded from the beauty industry and skincare discourse, so this book could not have come sooner. It not only lists over two hundred beauty and hair products that work for people of colour but is a symbol of “representation and equality.”

Is your favourite beauty book on this list? Hit us up on our socials and let us know!

Face Paint by Lisa Eldridge

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Five of Our All Time Favourite Beauty Books

5 of Our Favourite Beauty Books

While it felt like 2020 would never end, 2021 is proving to be the opposite. Somehow we are halfway through the year already, and it has been a BIG year for beauty brands. This year we’ve seen the growth of inclusive, multi-use products, sustainable packaging and skin loving ingredients all designed to give you a natural and dewy glow. We've put together a list of our favourite launches so far in 2021.

With over two million Youtube subscribers, numerous Vogue covers and campaigns for the likes of Prada and Lancome, 

 is one of the world's most respected makeup artists.

After launching her eponymous brand in 2018, her first line of lipsticks sold out in hours 

[Pt(NH3)Br3]2-and Temptalia readers named it the best Niche Beauty Brand of 2020. Although lipsticks were where her brand began, this year she has expanded into complexion products – and we could not be happier.

A true master of colour and texture, her Enlivening Blush has a beautiful selection of colours suitable for all skin tones. It gives off a natural skin-like finish with a hydrating, vegan formula. It definitely lives up to, if not exceeds, her previous launches.

Fenty exploded onto the scene back in 2017, with arguably the most inclusive debut range of all time – the 

 range. This full coverage, matte, 50 shade range forced other brands to step up and expand their shade offering. With this many shades, we know you will be able to find your foundation shade match in this range!

Fenty didn’t rest on their laurels and has continued to expand their product offering while paying close attention to what their customers are after. Recognising the market's desire for more lightweight formulas, in 2021 they released the 

, designed to be “a light coverage, easy-to-apply, flexibly skin tint that … evens out your complexion and give[s] a flattering blurred effect.”

We adore this lightweight skin tint for its range of shades, its cruelty free formula and its dewy finish.

This beloved and wildly popular brand has released something you don’t often see in tinted moisturizers – an actual range of shades. Gone are the days where tinted moisturisers came in three shades of beige – Morphe’s new 

 comes with an impressive fifteen shades with a variety of undertones. 

It is also packed full of skin loving ingredients like Lactic Acid, Vitamin E and Hyaluronic Acid. Free of parabens, fragrance and oil but with SPF30 protection, this is a great option for those of us with sensitive skin.

Merit Beauty is one of the most exciting brands to have come out of 2021. Instantly popular with both celebrities and the general public, Merit is a quietly confident brand that has potential to revolutionise the beauty industry.

, a multi-use foundation and concealer is not new, their goal for you to receive “compliments on your skin, not your makeup,” certainly is. 2021 has seen a major shift towards products that look natural and barely there, and Merit has led the charge.

With help from aesthetician Biba de Sousa, Merit intentionally excluded 72 acne-triggering ingredients from their range, making it a great buildable product for people with sensitive skin. Not only is it good for your skin, but it is also good for mother nature. The product itself is completely vegan, and in a truly revolutionary move the actual hardware is made with 43% recycled plastic!

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A Look At Celebrity Beauty Brands

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