Lightning Strikes!

That illusive wonderful ray that makes all the difference to a face in a picture, those spotlights piercing the darkness to light up a face on a sullen stage - there are ways to highlight, to brighten and to pour rays of sunshine on your face, sculpting and lifting your features and opening up your eyes. Below are a few of my favorite tricks on how to do this.

1) Light at the base: For a gorgeous all over glow mix a drop or two of a luminizer into your foundation and apply all over face. For a brightening effect for sullen, grey or too yellow looking skin, use a pearl essence with a pink tone. To warm up skin, use a pearl essence with a gold holographic tone and for a universal suit all glow, just a drop of a pure white pearl essence. It should not change the color of your foundation but rather just add a light hint of shimmer.

2) Light up the bones that sculpt your face: Apply highlighter at the highest points, powder is fine but I do prefer a gel or a shimmer for this as it looks like your own skin. You can play with hues - soft pastels with a holographic hint sometimes looks so much more amazing then just a plain white, nude, or gold. Use clean fingertips and dab just underneath the brow bone and then down onto the cheek bones, ending diagonally (away from the nose) under the pupil. You can also add a small touch of glow to the bridge of the nose for lit from within effect.

3) Light up your gaze: Use a light, loose shimmer dust right in the inner corner of your eyes to reflect the light into peepers, opening them up and brightening them to the max. (Hint of color - blue mascara also brightens the eye whites, it truly works!)

4) A lip lighting maze: After applying lip color or lip gloss, dot a sheer shimmer crème just outside your natural lip line at the cupids bow and smudge a little bit onto the middle of upper and lower lips. Creating an enhanced lit up illusion.

Come out and play in the light!

With love as always,
Sara x x x

Got Style?

Pinup? Rockabilly? Mod? Housewife? Hippie? Rock ‘n Roll? Punk? Is that really all there is? No way! Let’s shake it up! Want to go vintage? Good – take your favorite elements and frazzle them up to bedazzle! Get your favorite little 50’s prom dress out and mix it up with a tattered leather jacket, a pair of boots and messed up hair. No limits! I know this is no news to you, so now let’s do it with our makeup too. This is really how to create something new, to whip it up and get the milk frothing.

You want to follow your individuality, not some set rules of what things should look like!

I was doing my makeup the other day and as I was putting on my usual winged eyeliner, I suddenly remembered that young girl I used to be. That girl who was always late for school because she was busy hair pinning tin foil to her hair or trying out that new blue lipstick found in the theatre makeup shop. In the last school picture I look like a complete mess, just a small hippie gone wrong! In my grandmother’s house coat, REALLY back combed platinum blonde hair and way too big jeans stained with paint splashes. But oh, did I have fun! In the course of 4-5 years I went through every style I knew of. I was the surfer girl (in freezing December in Sweden), I was mod (and a pretty good one, I went to the all nighters, still love the music), I was punk (yes, I had pink and purple spikes), I was skate girl (gave that up, fell to often :), I was grunge (I looked pretty good as a grunge), I was also beat, hippie, gypsy, rock ‘n roll (now those last three kind stuck with me!)

See, the hardcore followers of all these styles would tell me I am insincere and a poser, that I had to much time on my hands and that each style comes with a culture that is not to be played with. Sure, I’ll take it on the chin, but...I will keep on playing. That’s what makes makeup, fashion and life fun!

I would encourage you to do the same – mix it up! Go after your mood and make a statement, make it yours (even if it’s your grandma’s house coat!)

Make it POP!

Love, Sara x x x

At the Base!

Hi everyone-

What’s the most important part of your makeup routine? It’s actually what happens before you even put the makeup on! It’s in your skin. Below are some of my personal favorite ways to make sure my skin is prepped, primped and happy. Apart from sleeping lots (which rarely happens!) - moisturize, drink lots of water, or just being blessed with good genes (to those lucky few!) How do you really create a great canvas, so that you can start playing with those yummy hues?

• Prime: POP’s Face Magnet Primer is one of our absolute bestselling products. With ingredients like skin plumping and revitalizing caffeine, calming and antiseptic liquorish root and healing Vitamin E, this face brightening lotion will even out the skin tone as an amazing first step in your makeup routine, and it holds on to rest of your makeup all day!

• Hide: A good concealer really is key! I don’t want to go anywhere without my No Show Concealer. One side for full-on coverage and one side for a highlighting luminosity. Dab high coverage end under the eye area and around the nose and chin, or anywhere you need extra coverage. Use clean finger tips or a synthetic brush.

• Cover: your choice of powder, tinted moisturizer, liquid or crème foundation. I like to switch them up depending on the event, weather and how I feel. Always keep two shades in your base wardrobe. Lighter and darker for “summer” vs “winter” and then you can mix them together for when your skin is anywhere in between.

• Prime again! Time to prime those eyelids for shadow. The POP Eye Magnet Primer is amazing for creating a flawless finish for lids, making the shadow blend easier and stay on until you take it off!

Now you should be ready to start throwing those fun hues around! Enjoy!
With love, Sara x x

Sunrise to Sunset

Dear fellow makeup lovers!
Ever wondered how to get from drab to fab? From the office to a party without missing a beat, from coffee with the girls to a fancy dinner? I am talking about how to get from day to night with minimum effort... What are some of the key things to really glam it up in a matter of minutes? Below I give you a few tips on makeup products that really lift the face and get you party ready, touches that add that icing on the cake and make a true difference to the face. Hope you will implement and enjoy!

1) Crème foundation: this is my secret weapon for a quick touch up – if the formula is good enough it works as a concealer and skin base in one and using a nice sponge and quick dabbing motions you will have erased dark circles and have your skin looking back to flawless in seconds. Note: does not work if you have been wearing lots of powder before hand, then you might as well start over. We are developing an amazing crème foundation for POP – in the meantime, try Pixi’s Vitamin Veil – it is amazing and looks just like skin!

2) Liquid liner: frames your eyes and makes them look sharp and “clean cut”. A liquid liner is no doubt an evening staple for me, make sure to apply lots of mascara with it! POP’s My One Liner is your best bet, trust me. I have tried them all and it is truly is my no 1! No smudge no flake, just pure eye perfection!

3) Faux lashes....Need I say more? Nothing takes you from day to night with a flirty flutter like a pair of falsies. Try the collection, Dressed Up Lashes for nights on the town, Icons for full on glamour and Fantasy Lashes for “before fashion” moments and stage. Should be a lash for each one of us!

4) A deep lip. If you have no time to do anything else, opt for that perfect red or bright berry lipstick to take you from office to party. It will brighten your face, add some drama and make you look party ready in no time at all!

5) Highlight properly. A soft nude or even bright white eyeliner “cleans up” the rest of the makeup and puts focus where focus should be. Apply on top of cheek and brow bones to open up those peepers and sculpt and sharpen those cheek bones, you will be surprised at the effect, it really works!

From daytime to playtime – in no time! Enjoy!

With love as always,
Sara

5 Top Makeup Mistakes

Hi all you lovely people!

Hope all is really well and that spring turning to summer is putting a spring in your step as well as mine! As a makeup artist there are some things we get asked over and over, one of those questions is without a doubt: what are the biggest makeup mistakes…..I have listed my main ones below – hope this can be of some help!

With love as always! Sara x x x x

1) Trying to fake a tan with a darker tone foundation, or trying to lighten skin with a too light shade foundation. These are the most common and the worst mistakes. Base/foundation is supposed to be the canvas where all other shades can then be applied. The base should be exactly the same color as your skin or all other makeup you put onto will look wrong. If you want to look pale, stay out of the sun, if you want to look more tanned – invest in a bronzer or a nice holiday in the Caribbean’s…

2) Too much of a good thing….piling on the powder. this is not a good look, you want skin to look like skin, not like you stuck your head in a pile of flower. If you feel powder is a must, dust it on sheer with a big brush and blend until it is seamless on the skin. The above applies here as well – choose the right shade for you.

3) Lip liner. Sorry to say but a lip liner can so easily look outdated. Whatever you do, do not try to make your lips look bigger by drawing the line outside your natural lip line. Did not look good in the 80’s, does not look good now…Only works on camera if you ask me. If you really want to wear a liner to stop lip color from bleeding and feathering, follow your natural lip line, it will look so much better!

4) Matte, matte, matte. Mix up your textures! A matte base with a matte eye shadow and a matte lipstick makes you look really harsh and over painted. If you like a matte base, use a cheek color with a little shimmer and maybe a lip hue with a dewy finish. Mixing textures on the skin will make you look more youthful and alive.

5) Lips and eyes and cheeks….No – choose one feature and go all the way there, keeping the rest to a minimum. You can mix it up of course, do eyes one day, lips the other. But don’t make them compete with each other – that’s just not fair.

Last but not least! Use a POP of color. Move away from the browns people, mooove away from the browns!

With love as always,
Sara

Shakeup your makeup!

Hello gorgeous people! What’s shaking in your world? In the world of POP everything is crazy as per normal, just the way I like it! Now, I wanted to give a little insight to what it means to shake up your makeup – as this is one of the taglines for POP. I am sure you have heard the expression to shake it up, mix it up, and try something new?

Take a different route home, wear your hair up for once, Put a stop to buying more black clothes, treat yourself to a super fancy dinner alone, date someone not your usual type…you get the picture - now, apply it to your makeup routine! Ever looked in the mirror in the morning and felt, “hmm something is missing, I am just going through the motions here, I am not being creative and the products I am using are not making me feel like the goddess I am,” then, my friends, it is time to shakeup your makeup!

It is time for a beauty routine overhaul; it is time to have a proper look at what products make a real difference and what products you are just putting on because you always have. With POP I want to bring you unusual makeup solutions, products that give you a little nudge in a new direction, while making you feel amazing! Shaking up your makeup is about having fun, experimenting and moving out of your comfort zone – we don’t have to look flawless 24/7 but if we have gotten stuck in a rut that does not do us any favors, then that’s a real shame.

As always I am advocating a little color, and that’s half of the shaking up your makeup job done. I am about to yawn if I see more browns or grays on the list of best sellers and sticking out of your makeup bags. There are soooo many ways to look sophisticated without looking like everyone else and without going through a rut. Textures and color pigments change and develop constantly in the world of makeup – if you say you can’t wear green, I say with 100% certainty that you are wrong – there are a thousand shades of green and I can find one that suits you fine and actually makes your eyes really pop – no matter your coloring.

If you say you can’t wear shimmer because it will get into your fine lines, I say with 100% certainty that you can. Today’s crème & gel textures will sit on top of fine lines, plumping them and directing the light away from them, making them disappear!! So here is my plea: Try a vibrant red lip, try a pair of falsies when you are going out, try a different foundation, stop piling on the powder – add a neon liner to those neutral eye shadows; and you might look in the mirror and see a new side of yourself! Punches of color are not just for the young and brave, mature ladies look amazing with a little color on the lips! I try to shake it up every day – now it’s your turn!

With love as always,
Sara x x x x

The "No Trend" trends

Hey everyone!

Hope life is wonderful and exiting as it should be! I am now going to take the bull by the horns and approach a sensitive subject – makeup trends.

In my job I get endless inquiries about trends in makeup - what is happening this month, what is happening in makeup next season, etc. Of course, it is easy to scan the catwalks and pick up on the makeup thermometer of the street but the truth of it all is – who cares what the trends are?!

Now, ladies (and fellas for that matter!) don’t get me wrong here, I love my industry and creative thinking is definitely at the forefront of what I do. I like to believe that POP sets the trends rather then follows, so… what on earth am I talking about? I am talking about following what works for YOU – create your own trend! In product development we are always looking for the newest most effective technology, that elusive PERFECT shade and texture, the best packaging and, last but not least, that product you have never seen before and did not even know you really wanted – that is my mission.

But…. when it comes down to your own makeup bag, pick what works for you! Makeup is just as individual as what sweet you like the taste of, what clothes you wear, which jewelry you pick out! Don’t let trends get in the way! So one top model had to shave off her eyebrows for her latest catwalk show, c’mon – that does not mean we are going to do the same, does it? What works for the catwalk does not necessarily work for lunch with your friends (or dinner at your boyfriend’s parents house for that matter!) lets be sensible here…

Also, let’s not listen too much too people like me – if you like it, wear it! That’s how you create your own fashion! As a makeup artist, nearly every woman I meet has been told to wear browns….Why is that? I find it beyond puzzling as almost no one looks their best in browns….Sure, neutrals mixed with a pop of color, bronze with a blue liner for example but just browns…No – it does not do it for me, they can actually make you look more tired and sometimes when it gets bad, like you need a good scrub.

This is also what people usually mean when they tell me they want to look “natural” - as the word natural comes out of their mouths they are usually looking at my set makeup table and with raised eyebrows hinting and pointing in the directions of the neutrals, forsaking a rainbow of yummy looking shades. I shall state my case: Brown is NOT natural – no one has naturally brown lips! Most of us have a naturally rosy pinky tone to our lips – so that would be the natural hue to enhance!

So apart from not following trends like a robot, my advice to you is – try something new, try a POP of color, let’s have fun and be playful and you will be surprised at how good you will look, before anyone else has had the time to catch on!

With love as always,
Sara x x x x