How to make your own lipgloss

I have had a whole bunch of emails asking for more makeup tips and yesterdays post I told you about primer, but what I didnt tell you is that you can get it for a mere cost of $9 dollars in the Supermarket. WHAT A BARGIN!!

Anyway today I am going to tell you how to make your own lipgloss on a shoe string budget.

What you need...


. Cheap lippie from the $2 shop
. Vaseline
. Small metal bowl or metal tablespoon
. Straighteners  (does not need to be GHD's, can be any sort)
. Small container with lid (recycled) or from Plastic box store
. Fruit tea (optional)


Step one: Cut about 1cm of cheap lippie and place it in a small metal bowl or metal tablespoon.
Step two: Add approx one teaspoon of Vaseline into the small metal bowl or tablespoon.
Step three: Place metal bowl or spoon with ingredients in it on your hot straightener plates (can be done on stove if no straighteners) and once melted, give it a good stir together.
Step four: To make gloss scented, brew fruit teas like Raspberry zinger and add a small amount of the hot fruit scented water to your mix. Stir well

Step five: Pour the mix into your small container without the lid on, put it in the freezer for around 15 mins until set. Add lid and your done.

 WOOP WOOP Your very own Lipgloss

Hot tips!!!!
you can add 1-2 drops of food colouring instead of lippie for that bee-stung balm look or you can crush up any eyeshadow or blush shimmer to add a sparkle.
Flavours like Vanilla essence may be added also, but make sure it has been warmed up when mixing together.

Strapped for cash for birthday pressies, this is the nicest gift for a friend and really made with love!

Tune in for more tips tomorrow
Hils x

Face primer on a budget - Hot tip!!!!!!

Face Primer on a budget ...


A lot of us these days are on a budget right? Heck, most of us are on a budget all the time and cant spend a fortune on all the higher end brands of makeup for certain necessities like a  foundation primer. Luckily I have found an item, which is not limited to, but have noticed works the best and that is to me a Godsend!!!! For those of you makeup junkies who may not have the means to go out and spend 40 - 80+ dollars for a bottle of face primer which we might end up using a lot of the time, Aveeno baby daily moisture lotion is definitely the way to go!!!!!

First of all, what is a face primer or foundation primer????

A face primer is a cream or lotion that is applied before a foundation is applied. Why? because it gives a nice even slick finished canvas for the product to set on, it will contain ingredients that fill in tiny lines and pores, and it provides a long lasting wear for your makeup products. Most face primers on the market today will read in the ingredients Dimethicone as one of the main ingredients, Dimethicone is a skin protectant which is a silicon based polymer and is a key ingredient to reduce pores and give that slick finish.

Aveeno baby daily moisturiser is gentle enough for newborn delicate skin and contains the magic ingredient to work miracles at a fraction of the cost of high end brands. This completely delivers like any high end face primer and to be honest I don't think you can notice one is better than the other (except for price). Try it and see for yourselves.                

Most of all our eyeshadow primers and bases have the main ingredient Dimethicone, This is why when I stumbled upon this as a beauty item other than a child's lotion I was intrigued, the main ingredient is Dimethicone! You can pick this product up at any of your local Countdowns, Farmers or Chemist for very little cost. It makes skin feel very supple and smooth and makes a perfect base canvas.

It works very well to give foundation 'something to hold onto' and keep it there. Because it is silicone based it actually gives just a bit of dewy glow. I was surprised to see how well foundation looked over Aveeno baby lotion and found no creasing up into fine lines or congregating into the pores even after a whole day.                      

Give it a try, if not for a primer, for a moisturiser because it's so nice to skin and has worked wonders for sensitive baby skins! 

Hils

Latest fashion shoot for THRIVE ... The most wearable collection ever!

I had the pleasure of doing the hair and makeup for Thrive's latest collection, and next seasons garments.
Thrive is a fantastic edgy Kiwi clothing design label and I suggest if you have not visited them on line yet, or been to their fab store in Martinborough, you should certainly check them out.
Photographer Tim Watson from Studio 62 and I, both agreed that it was one of the most wearable collections we have ever worked with. I was dribbling over everything!
Our gorgeous modle Sophie from Kirsty bunny Management was a complete dream to work with, one of my extra special favorites :) you can see why!!
I will show you this seasons collection but you will have to wait  just a wee bit longer for the next seasons edgy looks. Enjoy
                                                                    Hils x

Another Stunning bride, Chloe

Just though I would share with you this gorgeous photograph by Kate Mcpherson of beautiful bride Chloe.
She wanted to look fresh, natural and effortless.  I used smoulderey taupes on her eyes, a fresh Bobbi brown base, vintage rosebud coloured lips and a soft hit of rose bush. End result... STUNNING!

Thanks to kate for sending us the pic.  Hils x

Types, Textures and Choices (Oh My!)... Lippies

Types, Textures and Choices (Oh my!)

A woman’s lipstick color and finish is indicative of how she wants to be perceived. Sheer formulas convey a feeling of ease and approachability. Shimmering and iridescent finishes represent an effervescent or playful attitude. Matte or cream lipsticks in bright or vibrant colors demand attention. The same finishes in rich colors evoke a feeling of confidence and power—have you ever met a woman with rich, deep red lips who didn’t appear confident?  High shine/glossy lips exude a heightened level of sexuality because they simulate the look of lips that have just been licked. 

When you mix any of these finishes together, you create a different, more complex personification. For example: A woman with richly colored, high-gloss lips is sending a powerful message—she’s strong, sexy and in control.

Penny, my Audrey Hepburn bride

Just wanted to show you some amazing pictures of Penny which talented photographer, Jenny Siasoi, from fine line Photography took.  My bride Penny,  went for the Audrey Hepburn look for the day with a stunningly detailed french roll. Check the pics...

Punk is the new black

PUNK IS THE NEW BLACK  

By Kevin Murphy

 

Hi everyone,

Here is the latest shoot I did for Vogue in which you can see that Punk is everywhere this season. Now it’s a glamorous punk, or you could say a punk on a trust fund. 
When researching for the shoot I tried to find images of girls from that period and I was drawn to Debbie Harry from BLONDIE and I had to ask myself “what would Debbie Do???” 



In the late seventies, there were not a lot of products available and punk was about rebellion. I had just made a new product called BODY.BUILDER which is a mousse. Robert Lobetta and I had talked and he stated what was old is new again, so I decided to lay mousse into the hair and blow it out with little skill so I could achieve a fluffy texture to the ends. I tried not to try too hard and focused on getting volume at the roots only. 



Using a ROLL.BRUSH I lifted up the roots at the sides to create the flicked over look. The BODY.BUILDER gave me lots of control over the hair but kept the finish soft enough for me to mould the shape. I then BACK COMBED the roots of the hair (to achieve the shape) and then followed through and BACK BRUSHED the ends and the mid-lengths to achieve the texture. 



Of course SESSION.SPRAY played a big part in the style and I went mad with the spray. Why? Because that is what Debbie would have done!  
I kept on using my SMOOTHING.BRUSH during the day to release texture on the ends so they looked soft - this kept the fullness in the ends of the hair. I had to hide some of the hair to give it a layered look so a lot of the hair was hidden from view with clips. This gave the front of the head more volume. 



Its was so good to be able to do something strong and soft at the same time, and using old methods to create something modern. Who knew that my new best friends would be a can of mousse, a ROLL.BRUSH and tons of spray. 
Since discovering BODY.BUILDER, its all I reach for. BODY.BUILDER’s weightless qualities allow me to create so much more than I had ever expected so I hope you like it. 

Bye for now and regards,

Kevin xx

Wairarapa brides this weekend gone

This will be short and sweet as I am doing it off my iPhone in a retro hotel (the highwayman) in Masterton. Over the weekend the whole team were here working on weddings, one being the stunning Belinda and her bridal party. Belinda and her groom were married in Martinborough and had the reception at Alystone Vineyard.  Ange and I did the hair and makeup but you just HAVE to check out the marquee, woodland themed and AMAZING! If anyone wants to know the who the florist was that decorated the marquee, flick me an email hil@hilcook.co.nz, and I will get hold of Belinda to find out.
One of our favorite wedding photographers Sharisse Eberlein worked her magic on the day and well, the photos speak for themselves. 


 The not so good photos are mine further down ahhh. ( like you need to be told!)

Thought I would share a few pics of my photos with you too with ...

BELINDA'S WOODLAND THEMED WEDDING BELOW

Belinda's beautiful mum

Utterly stunning!

Check out all these amazing flowers

There were even trees in the marquee.

Happy birthday Fishead magazine!!

The team and I have had the pleasure of doing all the makeup and hair styling for the fashion and front cover pages of Fishead magazine ever since it has started, this birthday shoot our youngest team member, Natalie, did a wonderful job assisting me and we had plenty of red wine and cake at the end of it ( Natalie managed to wear her wine home he he).
Monday was Fishead's official 1st birthday so it started the day with the latest Fishead mag to hit the shelves of Aoteroa.
As always the very talented Samantha Hannah did the styling and Tim Watson worked his magic with the photographic Lens.   The Fishead shoot was held at Tim's savvy studio, Studio 62 in Petone, and I was lucky enough to be given Immersion mineral cosmetics, to use on our gorgeous model Anna (from kirsty Bunny agenecy), to get that beautiful new mum glow.
I wanted to share with you the 1st birthday shoot and some of the cute behind the scene numbers.
I also need to add that I am the proud mum of the spunky wee male model in the latest fashion pages, Jaxson Cook, my 6 year old who now thinks of himself as famous and is wondering when people will ask for his autograph!

Sophie Hambleton our front cover model was a delight to work with.  Inspiration... you guessed it, Marilyn Monroe

The kiwi way, butterflies hanging by a fishing rod!
Inspiration - the kiwi families and mothers day

Jaxson (my baby) and Samantha Hannah's ( Stylist) girls, Thomasina and Xavia.  The kids all have butterflies in their hands.

Sam doing her styling

Jaxson Cook

Anna the beautiful model. Immersion mineral foundation gives her a fab glow

I used Immersion mineral foundation on Anna's skin for that fresh dewy look with Bobbi Brown eye shadows in smouldering bronzes and Stilla lip gloss

What a gorgeous little boy if I may say so myself!
Anna's curls are Richard Kav curls

Sophie's final look before it goes to press.  She was air brushed and for her flawless finish with Mac's silicon based airbrusing foundation. She is wearing  Mac eye shadows, Ruby woo lips, black cream gel liner and Ardell long single lashes with some shorts ones also, just for good measure

Hil x