Angela Duncans savvy work on the front cover of the Capital times

Check out our Ange's work on the front cover !!

Just thought for those of you who have not seen it, we would give you a  peek of  the wonderful work that our very own Ange Duncan did on Soul Singer Bella Isdale last week.  It is now gracing the cover of the Capital times! Nice one Ange  x

Finalists!!!!!!!

Woop Woop we have just become the finalists of the Chamber of Commerce business awards!!
All will be revealed at the black tie event in November.

 A big fat thank you to all of our team for being bloody amazing and Ange for all the tireless work you continue to do to make our business successful!!! I Love you guys :)

A quick fix tip!

For those of you that have rough elbows and knees, cut a lemon and gently rub over your rough bits.  The fruit acid may help soften away roughness and lighten dark patches on your body.   The miracles of the Lemon Loofah!

Hils x

Natural fibre brushes versus Synthetic

A bit of blush, a few coats of mascara, a swipe of lippy. If you wear makeup, you probably have a routine for applying it. But how exactly do you put it on? A bevy of specialized makeup brushes are available. Even if you usually opt for all-natural beauty products, dont automatically rule out synthetic makeup brushes! Compare natural and synthetic versions, and learn the pros and cons of each.

Different Functions, Sizes and Shapes

When it comes to makeup brushes, one size definitely does not fit all. Specialized brushes are designed for different areas of the face and different types of makeup. So, how can you tell one kind of brush from another? It can be confusing, but here are some quick hints...

• Blush brush:  Medium-sized head with a round tip and soft natural bristles.
• Concealer brush: Small synthetic head with a thin, fine rounded but flat tip for a precise application to a small imperfection.
• Eye shadow brush: It has an oval-shaped or slated natural brislte head. It can apply powder eye shadows.
• Foundation brush: Med synthetic brush with a round flat head.
• Lip brush: firm synthetic with a thin, pointed tip, similar to a concealer brush. Some lip brushes are retractable or come with covers.
• Powder brush: a large, rounded, fluffy  natural brush, similar to a blush brush.

Natural Brushes

What they are made of: The bristles of natural makeup brushes are often made with real hair from animals, like squirrels, goats, horses, minks, sables, badgers, mongooses or a combination of multiple animal hair.  If you oppose using animal products or suffer from alleries from animals, you might not want to choose this option.

Pros

Softer, more natural finish to your makeup (you can get a real air brushed look)

Easy application of powder cosmetics, like loose powder, powder blush or powder eye shadows.

Even distribution of makeup pigments, which prevents streaks, blotchiness or a caked-on look.

Cons

Some people are allergic to certain animal hairs. If you have an allergy to some animal hair or fur, you might not want a natural makeup brush.

Natural brushes are not good for applying cream-based makeup. This can result in a cakey, sticky finish

Natural brushes are often more expensive than synthetic brushes

Synthetic Brushes

What they are made of: Typically, synthetic makeup brushes have bristles made of Taklon or nylon. They dont use natural hair or fur from animals.

Pros

They are ideal for deep, rich colors or dramatic makeup looks.

They offer precise application in small, defined areas, such as your lips, eyelash line or on specific blemishes 

They have a lower price tag than natural brushes .

They are ideal for cream-based concealer, foundation or lippy.

Cons

They can become cakey and goopy with makeup.

Their bristles harden with time, which can make your makeup application more difficult and uncomfortable.

Buying Tips

Make sure the brush fits your hand and is easy to hold, use and control.

Run the brush over the back of your hand: if bristles become misshapen or fall out, they are likely lower quality and wont last long.

When buying a set of good quality brushes, make sure you have both synthetic and natural brushes for the perfect application.

What the team have been up to lately

Well it has been a while I am sorry.  I have barley come up for air since becoming the lead Elf, Evangelinge Lilly's  makeup artist (on Hobbit).  Its been 17 hours each day but great fun and Evangeline has become a great friend and mischief maker :)

I thought I should fill you in on what the rest of the team has been doing...
Ange has been contracting to Weta workshop working on up coming Hollywood block buster Allysium which will be coming out in the new year (I think), She has been making some amazing creations at the workshop which will all be revealed in the up coming movie.

Lea has been working on all our Fishhead photo shoots,fashion and commercials which has been keeping our talented lady out of mischief, not to mention all the school balls that have been happening - with Leas years of hairdressing under her belt, she has that special eye for detail for our brides and ball girls stunning hair dos.

Nat has been working for us up in Auckland, working on the "Cloud" (Gibson Group show) which is for the world cup screening along with sorting out a long list of Fashion week and world cup visitors.  In between all the work, Nat has also just completed and qualified herself at Cut above in hairdressing  so we are very proud of our youngest team member.  Nat will be back home shortly to start a new film called the Cure in November and start on our long list of brides.

And as you already know, I have been personal makeup artist to Evangeline Lilly (lead Elf) on the Hobbit, and sorting out a tonne of work for all the girls.

We have been nominated for Lower Hutt business of the Year which we eagerly await to see how we have done, and have 2 of our ideas have made it through to the final stages of the bright ideas challenge, so I think we could say it has been a successful year to date :)

I will try my best to keep you posted as to what is happening and whats coming up.
workshops are getting sorted as we speak and the wedding season is nearly full yay!

Until the next time. Have fun Hils x

Lea, Ange, Hils & Nat

www.hilcook.co.nz