New Work

Before Christmas I had the pleasure of working with photographer Dominic Nicholls on an editorial fashion shoot for The City Magazine. 

We worked in 2 different locations in the East End of London, Shoreditch Townhouse, a gentleman's club with the best polka dot carpet and most beautiful interior filled with taxidermy. I especially loved the flamingo. Then we moved onto Murdock Shoreditch, a cool barber shop where our female model got to play Sweeney Todd.

Here are a few behind the scenes shots from the day.

A rail of all the men's clothes

I really wanted to take this flamingo home with me!

The most divine Hermes cuff

I fell in love with these Christian Louboutin men's shoes

Feathered heels and the fun polka dot carpet

Our models getting ready for their close up

Dom, the photographer, getting the perfect picture

In Murdock's getting ready for the close shave shot

And here are the final images. Thank you to all the PRs who kindly lent clothes for this shoot!

Tips From The Pros: Sara Clark

Make up artist and men's groomer Sara Clark has been in the business for almost a decade. After originally working in TV production Sara decided it wasn't for her and went on to study hair, make up and special effects at the infamous Greasepaint. Sara's CV is impressive and varied working across TV, music, film junkets, editorial and red carpet events, while the faces she's worked on include Sheridan Smith, Ne-Yo, Kelly Brook, Lewis Hamilton, Jason Statham, Kanye West...the list goes on!

Behind the scenes with Sara Clark

Here Sara shares the tricks of her trade with me.

Make Up Forever HD Foundation

I have two favourite foundations that are always in my kit. 

Firstly Makeup Forever High Definition Foundation as it gives a flawless and natural finish, which when working in these days of HD cameras is incredibly important.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation £36.50 BUY HERE

Secondly Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation is light and silky and gives skin a gorgeous glow.

Laura Mercier Secret Concealor Pot £19.50 BUY HERE

My all time favourite concealors are Laura Mercier's Secret Concealor Pots. They are super moisturising and easily conceal dark eye circles without settling into fine lines.

MAC Blot Powder Pressed £20.50 BUY HERE

MAC Blot is a fabulous pressed powder that eliminates shine and sets make up, without adding too much colour. It comes in 5 shades and is always in my kit.

NARS Blush in Orgasm £23 BUY HERE

It's a classic and my favourite blusher, NARS Orgasm. It suits most skin tones, adding a healthy glow and natural flush to the skin.

Weleda Skin Food £9.95 BUY HERE

Unfortunately I can't just recommend one favourite face product, so I'm naming my top three! 

First up is Weleda Skin Food. I really can't do without this cream; it's in my kit, my handbag and my bathroom cabinet! It's incredibly hydrating and nourishing but doesn't leave your skin looking like an oil slick. Plus it's inexpensive. 

Dermalogica Active Moist £44.60 BUY HERE

Dermalogica products suit 99.9% of my clients' skin so I always keep a selection in my kit. My favs are Active Moist as it's light-weight and oil free, making it perfect for normal to oily skin. 

Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream £47.70 BUY HERE

The Skin Smoothing Cream is perfect for relieving dry and tight skin. 

Dermalogica Barrier Repair £36.90 BUY HERE

Finally the Ultra Calming Barrier Repair has a velvety texture and really calms sensitive skin.

Clarins Gentle Peeling Smooth Away Cream £25 BUY HERE

Lastly Clarins Gentle Peeling Smooth Away Cream is a very gentle facial exfoliator that leaves skin silky soft and smooth. I cannot praise this product enough.

Essie Nail Polishes BUY HERE

In my opinion Essie do the most incredible nail polishes with too many fantastic colours to count!

Kerastase Products BUY HERE

I've used Kerastase shampoo and conditioner for as long as I can remember. The smell is divine and leaves hair looking healthy and gorgeous. 

Bumble & Bumble Products BUY HERE

When styling hair I favour Bumble & Bumble, so many gorgeous products to choose from and they all work to create beautiful hair styles. Combine them both and you'll have perfect hair!

Johnson's 24 Hour Moisture Radiance Body Butter £3.05 BUY HERE

I've tried oodles of body products but the one I return to time and again is Johnson's 24 Hour Moisture Radiance Body Butter. It's inexpensive, enriched with shea and cocoa butter and the scent (which admittedly is fairly strong) reminds me of chocolate and holidays...what's not to like!?!

Original Lucas Papaw Ointment £7.89 BUY HERE

I'm a firm believer in ensuring you prep your lips before applying lipstick, so a blob of Original Lucas Papaw Ointment is the first thing I apply. Plus I always have a tube in my handbag as it's such a versatile product.

Lancome Definicils Mascara £23 BUY HERE

The mascara I have loved for years is Lancome's Definicils. It lengthens and defines the lashes, while the brush ensures an even application.

DHC Perfect Pro Double Protection Mascara £14.50 BUY HERE

Recently though I have strayed and fallen for DHC's Perfect Pro Double Protection Mascara. It has a slim brush (great for lower lash application), and makes lashes appear thicker and longer.

Optrex Eyedew Dazzling Blue Eye Drops £3.99 BUY HERE

The one product in my kit I couldn't be without is a bottle of Optrex Eyedew 'Dazzling Blue' eye drops. A little drop of this counteracts any redness, revitalises and gives you super white eyes in an instant!

Thank you so much for all your expert advice and top tips Sara!

Sara's work can be viewed here www.sara-clark.co.uk and don't forget to follow her on twitter @SaraMakeup2014 for lots of insider info.

Images: Sephora, Selfridges, John Lewis, MAC, Nars, Weleda, Dermalogica, Clarins, Kerastase, Bumble & Bumble, Johnson's Beauty, Boots, Amazon, DHC, Optrex

I'm Back!

Apologies for the naughty lack of blogging. This year kicked off with plenty of work, loads of travel and some life changes, meaning that I've been incredibly lazy about spending time with the blog. But I'm back and will be blogging on the regular again.

So what have I been up to lately...Travelling to Malta at the beginning of the year for a photo shoot. It looked much warner than it was!

 The renovation of the kitchen is finally happening...my beloved Smeg fridge now sits proudly in the kitchen awaiting the rest of the refit.

Then I flew half way around the world to Sydney to work on some TV programs with Gok Wan. It was so lovely to catch up with dear friends and enjoy some warmth and blue skies. And I finally got to tick something off my bucket list, swimming in the open air swimming pool, the Icebergs, at Bondi.

I've also been focusing on some investment purchases to add to my wardrobe, namely these outfit elevating Jimmy Choo flats and this Miu Miu across-body bag, a recent bargain find from Bicester Village.

And finally I celebrated my birthday last week with lots of cake and beautiful flowers.

Festive Dressing

No doubt you've already been to at least one Christmas party, but hopefully you have a few more invites in between now and New Year's Eve.

Here's a round up of 3 party outfits fit for the festive season.

Dress, Charlie Brear, BUY HERE

Earrings, Lulu Frost for J. Crew, BUY HERE

Shoes, Saint Laurent, BUY HERE

We all know that every woman's wardrobe should include a failsafe LBD that makes her look and feel stunning wear after wear. I used this Charlie Brear dress in a photo-shoot recently and instantly fell in love with the pocket and cape detail. If I only had to buy one more black dress this would probably be it. Pair with these delicate crystal earrings and these super sexy heels from Saint Laurent (love the slope at the back, total shoe porn!)

Skirt, £50, Oasis, BUY HERE

Top, £35, Oasis, BUY HERE

Shoes, £58, Topshop, BUY HERE

Ruby Woo Lipstick, £15.50, Mac, BUY HERE

This outfit may look like a dress but it's actually a skirt and top combo. It's this season's modern way to do the LBD. Buy this and you are shopping clever as you could wear the skirt with a cashmere sweater, tights and ankle boots and the top over a white shirt and jeans for daytime. I adore these feather shoes so much so that I've already bought them. Add a slick of Mac's classic red lipstick Ruby Woo and you're ready to hit the dance floor.

Jumpsuit, £135, Whistles, BUY HERE

ZAC Zac Posen from TheOutnet.com, £151.25, BUY HERE

Shoes, Lucy Choi London, £195, BUY HERE

This has certainly been the year of the jumpsuit so I had to include this beautiful lace one in my party dressing round up! Plus it's just gone in the sale so snap it up and wear it for Christmas Day or New Years Eve. This clutch bag is super chic and would work with all the outfits I've selected. And Christmas time is the best time to wear sparkly shoes and these by Lucy Choi London are exquisite.

Merry Christmas!

Images: Charlie Brear, Net-A-Porter, J.Crew, Whistles, Lucy Choi London, TheOutnet, Oasis, Topshop, Pinterest

How To Do Easy Christmas Party Make Up

Make Up artist Charlie Duffy has kindly agreed to share her top tips for creating easy to do Christmas party make up. Over to you Charlie!

Image Pinterest

Having the perfect 'canvas' to work on is key to creating flawless make up. So the night before the big party prep and prime with Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (a Sunshine & Stripes favourite too!) which is very gentle but effective and will allow any moisturisers to do their job properly. Afterwards prep the skin with Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate which is fab for adding radiance to the skin and plumping it while you sleep. 

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant £41.30 BUY HERE

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate £36 BUY HERE

Don't forget your body either; I recommend using Bliss' Blood Orange and White Pepper Sugar Scrub paying particular attention to elbows, knees and decollete. Then the night before slather whatever skin will be on show in your new party frock with Nuxe Multi Use Dry Body Oil in Golden. It's a wonderful product that has a delicious smell that highlights the skin and won't come off on your clothes.

Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Sugar Scrub £30 BUY HERE

Nuxe Multi-Use Dry Body Oil £28 BUY HERE

I know many people will be going straight from the office to their Christmas party so here are my quick top tips to create the perfect party make up. 

To add a glowing highlight to skin my favourite product has to be Becca Skin Perfector in Moonstone. It suits most complexions and adds the most amazing highlight. Add over your usual foundation to the cheekbones, under the brow bone and the top of the cupids bow on the lips to make them look fuller. I use this product on my A-list clients and they all love the effect it creates.

Becca Skin Perfector In Moonstone £33 BUY HERE

Christmas is the one time we can have more fun with our make up and in my opinion glitter is the way to go! Urban Decay's Heavy Metal Glitter Liner or Stila's Magnificent Metals Eyeshadow both have foolproof formulations. Urban Decay's is suspended in a gel so it won't end up half way down your face after too much dancing and Stila's has a little primer you mix with the shadow then apply with the finger tips, so again you won't have any glitter mishaps! Both are great if you are in a hurry as they have the most intense effect.

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Metal Liner £14 BUY HERE

Stila Magnificent Metals Eyeshadow £33.50 BUY HERE

I like a classic red lip for Christmas party make up, but to make it more festive put Sisley's Phyto Lip Star in White Diamond on top to add a 3D glittery effect to lips. Perfect for shenanigans under the mistletoe!

Sisley Phyto Lip Star £32.30 BUY HERE

And finally a very quick and easy way to make your nail polish more Christmassy is to paint a coat of OPI's Gold Shatter over the top. Instant party ready nails!

OPI Gold Shatter Nail Lacquer £11.50 BUY HERE

Thank you Charlie! Happy Christmas partying everyone!

Images: Dermalogica, Pinterest, Kiehl's, Bliss, Nuxe, Urban Decay, Stila, Sisley, OPI

Terrific TK Maxx

A little part of me didn't want to write this blog post, but I feel I would be doing a diservice to my fellow bargain lovers if I didn't share this. So here goes...think of it as my Christmas present to you!

I used to visit TK Maxx about a decade ago, visiting the out of town branches, to pick up good designer jeans at a fraction of the price. But in recent years I've been disappointed by the fashion on offer and headed straight to the home wears to rummage for pots and pans.

When prepping for a job at Westfield Stratford recently I thought I'd take a look in TK Maxx. I headed straight to their Gold Label section which showcases designer past season clothes. Wowseroo! What a selection! I grabbed handfuls of Stella McCartney, Helmut Lang, J Brand and Balanciaga.

Sadly this stripe JW Anderson shirt above didn't fit so that stayed instore. 

As did this cream Stella McCartney jacket. At £249 it isn't as cheap as the bargains to be had at the McCartney sample sale, but it's still an incredible price for a beautiful jacket you would love for years.

And it pained me no end that these stunning wool black trousers with tiny button detail by Balenciaga for £149 were too big. I was tempted to buy them and eat more cake but reason prevailed.

I did however score this classic black blazer by Helmut Lang for £149.99. The sharp shoulder creates such a strong silhouette and I know I'll wear it loads.

I also picked up this See by Chloe navy pea coat for £129.99 and have already got lots of wear out of it. It's the perfect weekend coat, working perfectly with a cosy cream knit and jeans.

They also had a large selection of classic skinny J Brand jeans for £49.99 so I thought it only sensible to get some!

Then I went back to TK Maxx a few days later, just for a little look, not expecting to find much. But they get new deliveries 6 days a week and I walked away with possibly my biggest bargain buy ever, I was literally hopping with excitement in the queue to pay!

And here she is. A black silk evening dress with crystal embellished neckline from the summer 2013 Lanvin collection. Yes Lanvin! For the bargain price of £149.99! I couldn't believe my luck and can't wait to wear her over the festive season.

If you manage to bag any bargains at TK Maxx please let me know. 

Happy shopping!

Sx