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

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

I Love Dermalogica!

In my past life when I worked in an office I was fortunate enough to review lots of potions and lotions as part of my job. As I now have to pay for my beauty stash I am much more selective about what I use. A brand I keep coming back to is Dermalogica. Not only do I love the stark grey and white packaging but the stuff inside works wonders. Everything I've tried from Dermalogica gets results from the body creams to the spot zappers, but here are 4 products that I'm never without.

Daily Microfoliant, £41.30 I am a firm believer in exfoliating the skin to make it smoother and fresher so I use this gentle formula after cleansing my skin on days when it feels a bit grubby and needs a good scrub. Made from a rice based powder that you mix with a few drops of water to make into a paste, it eradicates dead dulling skin cells with a blend of salicylic acid and rice enzymes. It also contains grapefruit to help balance uneven skin tone, good for me as I suffer from melasma. I scrub it all over my face, neck and on the back of my hands for about a minute before rinsing off with warm water. This product would make it into my all time Top 10 beauty buys, I can't recommend it enough.

Skin Refining Masque, £30 As much as I love a professional facial, time and finances don't permit too many of these, so I'm a huge fan of DIY facials. I like to cleanse and steam my face before applying this clay masque. It contains tea tree to blitz blemishes (who else thought their spots would stop by the time they started getting wrinkles?!?), grapefruit to smooth and antioxidant green tea. It dries and tightens on the skin within 10 minutes and I remove it with a damp muslin cloth. My skin is definitely smoother and cleaner after using this. 

Day Bright SPF 15 I use this pearly cream over moisturiser but under foundation to give my skin a healthy, even glow. It contains botanical brighteners to even out skin tone and an SPF 15 to protect. I like the sheen it creates and sometimes use it on my cheeks as a highlighter. Sadly it's no longer available, but I have it on good authority that the product in the link above is a good replacement.

Night Bright When my skin is misbehaving I slap this on before bedtime and without fail I awake with clearer brighter skin. A blend of lactic acid, vitamin C from kiwi and wrinkle fighting licorice help to resurface the skin, soften lines, brighten dullness and dry out spots. It's a hard working treatment rather than a daily cream so I don't use it each night.