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15 May
Our friend Melanie is back with another blog post this week. Melanie is a personal stylist from the Berkshires, United Kingdom where she helps people choose the styles and colors that work best for them, including makeup. Today Melanie has chosen to share some of her unique insight and suggestions for creating everyday style with an opulent influence.
Loud cheer from West Berkshire! The long awaited warmer air and lighter evenings are bringing some welcomed changes. My orange tree is packed with blossom buds and its first fruit is coming on beautifully!
Wherever you are today – isn’t it just soooo good how colour, light and new ideas kindle our lives.
Across the pond, in the beautiful Berkshire’s of the U.S, Jane Iredale’s team continue to perfect what they do best: ‘everything-makeup’, for every woman. I say every woman – I’m working with a big mix of wardrobe and image wishes, colouring (eyes, skin, hair) and variety of lifestyles. For makeup, the two top wishes from my clients are: “A healthy look and easy to apply”. This goes for everyday makeup right up to bold and wa-wow. My jane iredale ‘happy-kit’ has it all covered!
The wave of social and sporting events is revving up. I catch some of that energy as clients’ appetites for style tips and new projects steps up a gear. You’ll find me buried in wardrobes and dressing rooms, assembling the possibilities for the winning outfit, out and about hunting style (whether new or previously owned) and calling on my trusted specialists under headings of millinery, bespoke tailoring, jewellery, accessories and the like.
The social season from the traditional to the eccentric is here again. The Cartier Queen’s Cup, the wonder of the Chelsea Flower Show, PGA Championship at Wentworth, Polo in the Park, Royal Ascot, Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, Henley Royal Regatta, Glorious Goodwood, the Formula One calendar, RSC Season. It’s packed – and Oh! What to wear?
Gorgeousness comes in many forms! From Bath to London – there is a pool of millinery talent to top off an outfit. The Royal Enclosure is at the heart of Royal Ascot – gentlemen are required to wear morning dress with a top hat and ladies must wear formal day wear. Hats are the more popular choice, however, interest in headpieces is growing again (a base of 4 inches/10cm or more in diameter is acceptable as an alternative to a hat). In a West Berkshire neighbouring village, I called in to Emma Moscow’s studio – coffee and hats first thing is a great start to the day.
I always carry a camera and whilst I took a few shots, a couple of Emma’s creations sent my thoughts right to Baz Lurhmann’s The Great Gatsby. One was a Berkshire spin on the Jazz Age, in my eyes, with its garnish of pheasant feathers (abundant in the county from this non-native bird) and great on a short hair style.
Your milliner and stylist, or both, will help you enhance your outfit – your hat in harmony with not only your face shape and colouring but also your neck and shoulder proportions, height and personality. For ‘hat makeup’, it’s important to define the eyes and lips with a little more intensity. A hat, by its nature, will be noticed and the key to good styling is noticing the woman first – it’s the ultimate balance of colours and dimensions working with each other.Costume designer, Catherine Martin, when asked about the elaborate styling for this year’s Great Gatsby said that one of the elements which defines the period is evening headwear. Hats indeed define the character and help the audience move in to another time. There are about 1,000 hats in the movie! For the men, there are boaters and caps and homburgs – a high-crowned men’s felt hat that was introduced by Prince Edward in the twenties. The women mainly wore cloches and then there is the incredible party headwear that reflects the spirit of the Gatsby story. Pretty much 250 party headpieces and styled to compliment each individual actor’s face. Every headpiece was made for a particular person! The talent behind all of this was Sydney-based milliner, Rosie Boylan.If someone says to you, “what a stunning hat” – well, ok, they noticed it. Now, if they say “you look amazing in that hat”. The Gatsby look is quite soft and feminine, with quirkiness and sophistication. Enjoy the eye makeup in this movie Smouldering, smokey-eyes and vibrant, strong lip colour with dramatic lashes and pencilled-in eyebrows!
I always carry a camera and whilst I took a few shots, a couple of Emma’s creations sent my thoughts right to Baz Lurhmann’s The Great Gatsby. One was a Berkshire spin on the Jazz Age, in my eyes, with its garnish of pheasant feathers (abundant in the county from this non-native bird) and great on a short hair style.Your milliner and stylist, or both, will help you enhance your outfit – your hat in harmony with not only your face shape and colouring but also your neck and shoulder proportions, height and personality. For ‘hat makeup’, it’s important to define the eyes and lips with a little more intensity. A hat, by its nature, will be noticed and the key to good styling is noticing the woman first – it’s the ultimate balance of colours and dimensions working with each other.Costume designer, Catherine Martin, when asked about the elaborate styling for this year’s Great Gatsby said that one of the elements which defines the period is evening headwear. Hats indeed define the character and help the audience move in to another time. There are about 1,000 hats in the movie! For the men, there are boaters and caps and homburgs – a high-crowned men’s felt hat that was introduced by Prince Edward in the twenties. The women mainly wore cloches and then there is the incredible party headwear that reflects the spirit of the Gatsby story. Pretty much 250 party headpieces and styled to compliment each individual actor’s face. Every headpiece was made for a particular person! The talent behind all of this was Sydney-based milliner, Rosie Boylan.If someone says to you, “what a stunning hat” – well, ok, they noticed it. Now, if they say “you look amazing in that hat”. The Gatsby look is quite soft and feminine, with quirkiness and sophistication. Enjoy the eye makeup in this movie Smouldering, smokey-eyes and vibrant, strong lip colour with dramatic lashes and pencilled-in eyebrows!Back to Berkshire, and any excuse to mention more colour and style. The Gatsby effect is receiving nods from the creations of the top-drawer floristry, Ruby & Grace. Styling from the 1920s – rich colours, old gold, pearls, velvet, brocade, beading and lots of texture is irresistible – as too is the inspiration from the sets and costume design from the Downton Abbey series filmed at local Highclere Castle.
Ruby & Grace confirm wedding flowers for 2013 are vibrant and bold with grand styling touches. The big blooms will be used to create a theatrical feel. For accent shades, the use of one main flower colour with a strong accent colour (peach and emerald, lemon and grey, or coral and turquoise) will be a popular selection.
I shall return to the Bridal theme in my next posting..!
Remember the two top makeup wishes from my clients: “A healthy look and easy to apply”? G may be for gorgeousness and the new Gatsby but it’s also for Glow, yes, Glow Time!
Three months in to using Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream and its close friend, Smooth Affair Facial Primer and Brightener – the ultimate coverage is at my fingertips. Incredible cover, the usual light-ness of the jane iredale bases, SPF 25 and quick to blend. It happily works over the eye lids and evens out everything it touches. I personally use BB7 and BB5.
My first name is Melanie..but as I don’t use any other makeup brand for myself or my clients, I came up with another definition of ‘BB’ – “a one-Brand-Betty” – a woman who has arrived at a happy place with her chosen makeup brand and has no reason to shop elsewhere!
Back soon..
Melanie x
Owner | Melanie Sarah Image Styling www.melaniesarah.co.uk
The post Gorgeousness, Glow and a New Gatsby! appeared first on jane iredale.
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