All Eyes On You: Swinging 60’s eye definition

The 60’s is a decade I still love to draw inspiration from. The fashion & the music from that era is like a never dwindling goldmine full of fun, dramatic and eclectic styles and sounds. Above is a look that is very distinct of the 60’s - matte porcelain skin, pale lips and dramatically defined eyes with huge lashes. Please follow below steps to achieve this look.

1. Base is key here. When you are putting extra enhancement and definition on the eyes it is key that any blemishes or redness in the skin is well hidden. Use powder to cream foundation or a liquid base with a matte finish and set with a good mineral powder. The face is kept matte, matte, and matte – no shimmer in this look, please!

2. Dust a little of a peach/apricot blush just underneath the highest point of the cheek bones and blend well. If you have olive or darker skin, go more towards a bronze or a rose hue.

3. Prime lids to ensure smooth application and staying power. Smooth a white or a nude matte shadow onto lids and blend all the way up to the eyebrow.

4. Next, line upper lash line with a jet black liquid liner winging line outwards and upwards at the outer corner of the eyes.

5. Using a fine brush and a jet black shadow, carefully draw a line into the crease of the eye, following your eyes natural shape. This look is meant to be graphic with quite “harsh” lines, so don’t blend the black into the crease of the eye. Draw it on using small short strokes and again, “winging” the line upwards and outwards at the outer corner of the eye.

6. Draw on “fake lashes” onto the lower lash line. Hold the brush vertical and then dot on the black, smudging it into lash roots, leave a ½-1 cm gap between each black dot.

7. Time for mascara – slap it on! Does not have to be perfect - a little clumpy application just adds to this look! Let first layers dry and then apply more. You will need at least 4-5 layers of mascara to achieve this look. Fake lashes are also a good alternative here if you want to go all the way.

8. Lastly, “kiss” a piece of paper to remove any moistness from lips and then apply one thin layer of a matte lipstick in a very light color, for example: baby pink, light coral, or a nude skin tone. Once applied dust a very thin layer of a loose powder onto lips to set, mattifye and create a long lasting surface. You will be a real stunner! Don’t “overdo” this look by matching it with other 60’s trademarks. (Don’t back comb your hair or wear a baby doll dress!) A look always seems more modern and individual when you mix things up a bit! Wear you hair down, loose and unfixed and your favorite well fitted jeans and a t-shirt for updated & doll faced every day glamour with a rock ‘n roll twist!

Have fun and don’t forget to shake it up!

Love,
Sara x x x x x x

An August in Europe

Hey there lovely ones!

Hope everyone has had an amazing summer! I can not believe it’s nearly over - it’s literally rushed by! I spent most of August in my native Sweden but I also squeezed in a stop in London (naturally!). Therefore, I will dedicate this blog to a few of my favorite home-away-from-home spots in these two trendy and fashion forward cities - if you find yourself on the other side of the pond make sure to make a stop!

The Troubadour London:
I swigged a couple of glasses of rose and caught up with friends over lunch. During my 10 years living in London, people would joke that I was literally part of the furniture in this place. I sang there regularly but also met some of (to this day) my absolute dearest friends. Go there to catch new upcoming bands, some proper old school rock ‘n rollers and well established musicians & artists. Truly famous for its bohemian vibe - this is a place where A-listers, scruffy poets and royalties hang out alike.


Miss Juniversum – Malmo Sweden:
Owned and run by my talented friend Jun (yes, miss juniverse) this store is well worth a visit if you happen to visit the Swedish south and its slightly edgy town of Malmo. She sells a rainbow array of craziness - don’t really know how else to put it! She simply adds an alternative “if you don’t want your house to look like an IKEA catalogue” I think she offers so much more! She sells everything you think you did not need until you laid your eyes on it: huge pink flamingos, red lip telephones, clothes & jewelry and pretty much everything else under the sun. You’ll leave the store not being able to carry more!


The deepest Swedish forest:
Never seen fairies, trolls or pixies? Easy, travel to Sweden and hang out in the forest, it is not a coincidence that so many famous fairy tales were written here…Call me crazy but I heard stories about them early on as a little girl from my grandma as we would stroll through the moss, collecting wild berries and mushrooms and believe me, I don’t think these folktales came to be because of nothing! I love the Swedish forest dearly, it is as far away from luxury but as close to nature as you can get! And honestly, I can sit by some fancy pool sipping a cocktail any other day. Our little house in the deepest forest with no neighbors is one of my favorite hide always!


F12 Terrace Stockholm:
This night club in Stockholm is always CRAZY packed with people hanging out on the castle-like stairs, looking impossibly trendy, good looking and icy cool - the way only Stockholmer’s can. But its well worth a visit if you want to mingle and listen to loud music. It has a beautiful view overlooking the water and is not one of Stockholm’s tourist traps. Usually I like bar hopping or going out to listen to bands, but if I feel like a big night out you might very well find me here on a Saturday night, apple martini in hand! The restaurant next door to the club is one of Stockholm’s best and also well worth a visit.


Hope you’ll make it to these places one day and if you do – I hope you will love them as much as I do. Always good to be “home” though!

Love as always,
Sara x x x x

Makeup Artist Mind Reading - What I think but don't say when I'm applying makeup

1) I wish she would stop looking in the mirror the whole time - I don’t want her to see the progress, just the transformation!
2) Wow, great lashes!
3) Her eyes would POP so much if I got her to wear her green shadow! Persuasion time!
4) Please stop flinching…
5) Oooops! (We never say that out loud, but yes, sometimes we do think it!)
6) It is amazing how models transform with makeup, you either have a face that’s meant to wear it, or you look best with an absolute minimum
7) She has naturally gorgeous colored lips - I need to mix a shade that matches hers exactly.

8) Where did all the sponges go…?
9) Ta da - I am a genius! (Hahaha yep – sometimes it turns out good!)
10) Ok 1 hour and 15 models, this will be interesting…
11) Actually, yes – you do need to wear foundation…
12) Where is the light, where is the light?
13) Relax your lips
14) Did that model just go into the bathroom and change the lipstick, again?
15) Wow, a bunch of beautiful, unpainted faces – where can I set up!?
16) Not quite there yet… I never send someone off before its perfection in my eyes.
17) This calls for faux lashes!

18) Oh just trust me, I know what I am doing!
19) Can I get away with rhinestones and gold flakes here? At least a little glitter….
20) OK so, frame eyes without framing, color in without coloring, lift without lifting, it’s all an illusion
21) I love makeup!
22) There is no better feeling then giving a girl a proper confidence boost, making her look and feel gorgeous!
23) I don’t care what anyone says, makeup is art!

xxx
Sara

Buff It Up!

Always wondered how to get your nails looking fun and flawless? Below I spill the beans on how to make those neon hues stick out longer! Make sure to have a real play with our famous POP shades. Use a fine brush and paint your nails in polka dots, rainbow stripes, peace signs or fluffy clouds! Bring out the artist in you and get playful!

1) Always start with clean, buffed nails. Make sure your nails are completely dry and that there is no oil or lotion residue on them so that nail color can adhere properly.

2) Use a good base coat that is also a treatment for your nails.

3) Apply color in thin coats, letting each layer dry in between, a layered effect will create a better seal and reduce air bubbles. Don’t do too many layers though, as this can make the polish too thick, making it less likely to stay on properly and taking ages to dry. After 3-5 coats you should have the optimum fullness of the shade.

4) Throw away old and "glue" like polishes.

5) Wrap each tip of the nail with the color; sweep a little color around the tip of the nail, this will minimize the risk of chipping.

6) Let dry properly! This is so key. I am always anxious to keep on going but there really is no better way to ensure the nails keep looking good apart from letting the polish dry properly.

7) Stay away from water, washing dishes, re-potting plants - you name it, for the next 12 hours at least.

8) Apply a top coat and keep it handy for touch ups.

9) Last but not least - POP’s amazing neon nail shades are nail hardening and non-occlusive, your nails will look so pretty and perky, you will take proper care not to chip them!

xxxx
Sara

POP Your Day - I dare you!

- Wear a really bright lipstick!
- Pick a recipe that seems impossible to recreate online, and invite your friends over for a yummy (?) dinner with lots of wine
- Cut bangs
- Go with a friend to a costume shop and try on the pirate outfits
- Add a neon blue on top of your usual black liner
- Buy yourself a bouquet of flowers
- Paint your toe nails bright neon
- Make really pretty paper planes and throw them off the balcony
- Send an “I love you because…” letter to the people you love
- Write a list of all the things you want to do that would make you happy and then – do them!
- Create a new cocktail
- Paint each nail a neon “M&M” color
- Learn three new words and annoy everyone by using them vigorously
- Get up in the office and challenge everyone to a hoola hoop competition
- Kiss someone
- Book a trip for the weekend
- See how many Swedish fish sweets you can fit into your mouth at once
- Write a “thank you” Oscar speech
- Make your eyebrows a real statement, really fill them in!
- Put large pieces of paper on your walls and splash them with your favorite hues
- Wear feathers on your lashes
- Mix up the textures, matte on lips and shimmer on eyes, or the other way around
- Have a look in your wardrobe to see what can be altered, remade or just thrown away
- Paint your lower lip red and your upper lip pink
- Treat yourself to the best, most expensive chocolate around
- Sing, sing, sing – at the top of your voice, as loudly as you can!
- Spend a happy hour making up names for the new band you and your mates are forming
- Sign up for a dance class and then actually attend it
- Go to the beach to watch the sunset
- Plan a party, a really, really good one
- Dye your hair – you can always change it again
- Flirt with everyone you meet
- Use white eye shadow, no mascara, bright red blush and bright red lips – modern geisha!
- Watch three cheesy musicals in a row
- Name your plants and then chat to them about the weather
- Using eyelash glue, glue pearls and beads and gold leafs to your cheekbones
- Try to learn the famous Fred Astaire dance from “Singing In The Rain”
- Feed the pigeons
- Make up true and funny nick names for everyone you know
- Have a glass of champagne for lunch
- Buy a 50’s prom dress
- Load up your ipod with all your favorite music and go for long walks
- Go to a theater makeup shop and by the strangest color makeup you can find, then find fun ways of wearing them

I could go on and on, but that should keep you busy for today! Shake it up!

Love as always,
Sara

POP ‘til YOU DROP

Play with this thought: Makeup as an accessory, never as a must. An expression of art, confidence and color. Not always to beautify but the main goal is to brighten or to mystify!

Bright color on the edge can take you many places, where does creativity go when it gets air under its wings. How do you feel today? Where does your mood take you?

Okay - granted, I am not asking you to step out the door with bright colored makeup splashed all over your face (or wait....am I?!) but I am asking you to start feeling differently about makeup. Do not look at it from a stand point of correction, look at it from a standpoint of fun, of enhancement or, if you are brave enough, performance art!

As a makeup artist you might think that we look at people’s face and think “hmm, got to cover that up, spackle some stuff on there, hide that, and...” we do – but ONLY after we have noticed what amazing color eyes you have, how sculpted your cheekbones are, the perfect arch of your eyebrows, your amazing lips, etc. EVERYBODY without any exception, (whatsoever) is beautiful and has some feature to enhance. That is just the way it is. So I wish to look at makeup from a different perspective, and sometimes it can be useful to bring that new perspective into your everyday routine.

It is not a tattoo, it is not a haircut, it is just some pigment - some color! and its easy to wash off if you don’t like it!

Start looking at your makeup bag the way you look at a box of jewelry, it’s to embellish what’s already there, you don’t put on a necklace to hide your neck, quite the opposite!

So get that child in you a box of crayons and mummy’s lipstick, play with your box of jewelry, and start embellishing those peepers, instead of hiding behind those browns!

Have fun,

With love, Sara x x x

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