Rocks for Frocks 2015 campaign in Liverpool

Another great shoot I was part of for Rocks for Frocks, on this occasion I again worked with the designer Gail Bell for her 2015/16 designs, Carol Ellis-Thompson created the amazing hair designs and the photographer this time was the very wonderful Herve Gillet, who is based in the Liverpool Wedding House with Gail.  Gowns again were supplied by Cloud 9 Bridal who are also in the Wedding House.

We used various locations for this shoot, but the main location was the Cunard building which graces the famous Liverpool waterfront.  It just so happened that this location was part of the historic event that weekend with the 3 Cunard ships docking in Liverpool, so it was perfect timing for our shoot.

Model was the very beautiful Lucy who had the perfect look for our vision with her stunning Auburn/red hair, we wanted to create a more unique look for this shoot, slightly vintage to reflect the vintage styling of the pieces and in the final looks we went more avant garde.

The final locations for the shoot where the Liverpool Pier head and the Dock Road outside of the Titanic Hotel.

Carol created some beautiful soft updo's and romantic curls and some of the images and looks had a Edwardian quality to them.

Here is a run down on the products I used.

Many of the headpieces on this shoot had slight colour in them so on this occasion rather than nudes and browns I wanted to inject a bit more colour in the looks.




Base - Lucy had really porcelain skin and many of the bases I had were too yellow in tone and too warm, so the colour I used was 01 and 02 from Illamasqua Skin base which was perfect for her I was concerned that what I used in terms of contour would be too warm again for her skin as most contour has too much bronze in it.  On this occasion I used a 02 on its own  in the illamasqua skin base and blended in with my beauty blender,  I did not want to create any strong contour.


Eyes - We decided on soft pinks for the eyes and we started the look by using Urban Decay Naked Pallette, I then moved adding a bit of a burgundy/brick tone from my Illamasqua Empower palette.  For the final look I used a Lit Glitter not to look glittery as its hard for glitter to show up on photos but to give the eyes a wetlook sheen, the tone I used was the Cowgirl shade.

Cheeks - I used a pink blush from my custom made Inglot palette.

Lips - I made a custom blended lipstick on each of the looks with my Le Maqpro palette which can be used on both cheeks and lips and I love it.

I love this shoot and the images I use as my main picture on all my advertising because all the pictures are beautiful and timeless.

Rocks for Frocks Advertising shoot

One of my fave designers in the Bridal industry is Gail Bell of Rocks for Frocks, who designs Jewellery and Headpieces for brides for their wedding.

Her pieces are beautiful and I wore a side tiara for my wedding day 2 years ago, from her collection.

Since my wedding I have got friendly with Gail and have worked with her on her advertising photo-shoots.

On these shoots I work with a very talented hair-stylist called Carol Ellis-Thompson. Carol too was my hair-dresser on my wedding day and she too I have become very friendly with and work with her on many weddings and photo-shoots.

Photographer for the shoot was Morgan Wiltshire Photography.

Dresses from Cloud 9 Bridal who are based at the Liverpool Wedding House.

Locations for this shoot, various locations around Liverpool and 30 James Street Hotel, in Liverpool city centre.

30 James Street is a boutique hotel that offers brides and unique and very fashionable wedding venue in the heart of Liverpool city centre, overlooking the Liver and Cunard Buildings on Liverpool's impressive water-front.

Carol and I created various looks in both hair and make-up for each of the head-pieces from the Rocks for Frocks collection.

The brief was very pretty and romantic with pretty pink hues in the makeup







I used the following:

Base - Illamasqua Skin base - it photographs amazingly and looks flawless when applied to the skin, I used a primer under this again by Illamasqua called Hydra-veil, this adds hydration to the skin and paired with skin base it looks beautiful.

Contour - I used to use a budget brand for this by Sleek, its excellent, blends well.  I prefer to contour with powders I feel I get better control and it does never look heavy.

Blush - To give her a pink flush to the cheeks I applied Benefit lolli-tint to the cheeks its a liquid that can be built up depending on the intensity, for the first looks I also used this on the lips as well.

Eyes - I used an eye-shadow from Bobbi brown called Ballet, which is a shimmering pink and through the shoot I built up the intensity with pink shadows I have in my kit by MAC.  Liner was Illamasqua in kohl and gel liners.  Brows HD Brow Palette through the brow and brush the product through with a dry mascara wand to help disperse the colour and make it look less block colour.

Lips - I started the look with Lolli-tint by Benefit and moving up to custom blended colours from my OCC lip tars and clear gloss.

I love working with Gail and Carol and I will be covering the other shoot later this week that we did earlier this year.




Links -
www.rocksforfrocks.co.uk
www.facebook.com/hairbycarolellisthompson
www.madeupbycathryn.co.uk
www.cloud9brides.co.uk
www.morganwiltshireblog.com

Nikki and Mike - Inglewood Manor

Another Bride from this years Summer season, was the very beautiful Nikki who married her man at her local church following on to her reception at Inglewood Manor in Ledsham, Cheshire.

I love Inglewood Manor its a beautiful place to get married set it stunning gardens and grounds and the property itself is very impressive mock tudor building, a very grand venue for a wedding.  When I started out as a Makeup Artist, my very first Bridal photoshoot, was in this venue so it holds a special place in my heart.

Nikki had 4 Bridesmaids who looked absolutely sensational in Light Orange halter neck, long gowns, perfect colour choice for a summer wedding, which matched perfectly with her floral colour scheme.

Each Bridesmaid wanted a relaxed natural look and each Bridesmaid had Airbrush Foundation, with it being a Summer's day and it being hot makeup has more of a chance of moving off the face and to stop this happening Airbase is the best option as it is water-proof and sweat-proof.

Nikki's gown was possibly the most breathtaking gown I have ever seen it was so beautiful, following the trend this year of form fitting, fishtail gowns.   This dress had a high neck which was encrusted with beautiful beadwork and the gown the in highest quality satin.  Her gown was a David Tutera gown for Mon Cheri which she purchased from bridal boutique, Bethany Hannah in Stockton Heath near Warrington, Cheshire.

For Nikki's look I used the following:

Her dress being fairly vintage in styling she wanted a look that was reminiscent of old school Hollywood which she wanted with her gown.

For her Base I again used Airbase on her skin as she wanted to look flawless and for her make-up to last throughout the day.

I used a light bronzer on her skin as she had a spray-tan at Star Beauty a couple of days before and the only bronzer that I use is MAC Matte Bronzer, with it being matte it has no shine or shimmer particules and the colour is really lovely and not too orange in tone like many bronzers on the market.

I used a little bit of contouring on her skin but she did not need much at all just a bit to bring our her cheekbones, a bit on her temples for this I used Illamasqua Contour palette,  I highlighted her with Gleam a light cream highlighter by Illamasqua.

The quintessential look for a Hollywood look is less on the eyes and more about the liner and the lashes.  I highlighted Nikki's brow with MAC vanilla pigment and used that product in the tear duct also.  I added into the crease from my Naked Palett, in the Naked tone and in the centre of the eye I used my trusted Furore Pigment with Beguille over the top by Illamasqua.  Liner I used Inglot Gel Liner and her lashes were Classic semi-perm lashes that she had done by me a couple of days before the big day.  Finally I tidied her brow a couple of days before the day and then I used Anastasia dip brow to define them on the big day.

For the  blush I used by Illamasqua Palette in Lover and Hussy (I do love the names of these blushers)

No Hollywood glam look would be complete without the red lipstick and for this I used a Matte red called Red Velvet by Lime Crime.

Red lipstick can look sensational on a bride and Nikki really pulled this look off well.  With red lipstick I always advise my brides who are going to do this look to do with caution its not a look you should try if you do not normally wear it, the reason why is you want your future husband to see you on the day and if you don't normally wear red it can be quite shocking and a real statement, however its the best statement and I always love it when a bride is brave enough to do it.

I am sure you will agree that Nikki looked amazing and I thank her very much for allowing me to share this blog and her photographs.

Links

Bethany Hannah Bridal - www.bethanyhannahbridal.com
Mon Cheri - www.mon-cheri.co.uk
Inglewood Manor - www.inglewoodmanor.co.uk
Made up by Cathryn -www.madeupbycathryn.co.uk

Steph and Rowan - Wedding at Sheldrakes on the Wirral

The first of my brides, that I want to showcase their style and the make-up I used on the day.

My Bride from September 2015 is the lovely Steph.  Steph married her sweetheart at Sheldrakes in Heswall, on the Wirral. Sheldrake's is a unique and quirky venue with picturesque views of the Dee Estuary and the North Wales coast.

Steph's style was very romantic with a beautiful form fitting gown by designer Ronald Joyce and she looked truly stunning.

I met Steph a month before her big day and she wanted to look flawless but still look fairly natural.  In the week before the day she visited my studio at Star Beauty and had her eyebrows done by the HD Brows technique and she also wanted Classic semi perm lashes that would take her through the wedding to her Honeymoon the following week.

Steph is a stunning girl with beautiful skin and gorgeous eyes and I wanted her make-up to make a real statement of her eyes and this started with the lashes she had done by me.

For her make-up I used the following:

Base - Steph wanted her make-up to look flawless, but equally to last all day without the need for touch-ups and for this reason she opted for airbrushing and I used Airbase on her to create this look.  The great thing about Airbase is that the product contains Silicone and this is known for its longevity and it is also waterproof.

Contour - I used my Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow, this is a wonderful product the bronze used to contour and the glow the highlight and with Steph having high cheek-bones it really brought them out further.

Eyes - I created a subtle glamorous look on Steph's eyes and I used the Urban Decay Naked Original Palette and to create more drama in the centre of the eye I used Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Furore.  The Liner I used was Illamasqua gel liner and Illamasqua brown pencil liner, I do like to use 2 different types of liner.

Blush - Inglot makeup, this is a pro-brand of makeup, sold all over Europe, I bought this palette that I custom made when I was on a trip earlier this year in Malta.  The colour I used was a light pink with a slight sparkle.

Lips - I use a brand of lipsticks by Love, honour and be true, these are the perfect colours for brides each one unique but correct in tone for Bridal Make-up.  The one I used on Steph was a Nude called Just Married, paired with gloss in the centre of the lip.

Thanks to Steph for allowing me to share these breathtakingly stunning photos from her day, these images taken by photographer Vicki O'Brien.

Links:

www.sheldrakesrestaurant.co.uk

www.vickiobrienphotography.com

www.madeupbycathryn,co.uk

www.lovehonourandbetrue.com

www.illamasqua.com

www.airbasemakeup.com

www.ronaldjoyce.com

Winter bridal photoshoot

I just wanted to share some images from a shoot that I took part in last year and with the Christmas season looming again this shoot is perfect.

This was a shoot at the beautiful and picturesque Bodysgallen Hall near Llandudno in North Wales,  Stunning National Trust property with equally impressive grounds around the property. 

www.bodysgallen.co.uk

The shoot was with photographer Ioan Said, a North Wales Award Winning Wedding Photographer, his business Celynnen photography www.celynnen photography.co.uk
Stunning Floral designs were by the very talented Scent with Love in Llandudno www.scentwithloveflowers.co.uk

  

The model for the shoot was Leanne who at the time was Miss Cheshire and Ellis a Chef from the Marram Grass Cafe in Anglesey

The fabulous gowns used in the shoot were from designer Diane Harbridge.

www.dianeharbridge.com, she has a showroom in Chester City centre..

Product breakdown

The base on all the looks was using Airbase Airbrush Make-up.

Eyes, I started the looks with a pink tone and worked the look up for a more evening look so first looks I 

used the Naked 3 palette by Urban Decay, and for the final more dramatic look I used Burgundy tones the

colour picked from the floral arrangements and this was a Kiko Cosmetics Quad Palette using the deep burgundy

shadow.

Contour was Sleek Cosmetics contour palette.

Blush was my personal favourite Illamasqua Lover and Hussy (love the names)

On a photo-shoot I always tend to use OCC Lip tars as I like the consistency and the way they look on

camera.

Hope you like our winter/xmas shoot 

Foundations I use...

For many years now I have been a Bridal Make-up Artist and in my kit I carry several options of foundations for brides, this is because each bride has a different requirement and skin type.

The bases I carry are:

Airbase Airbrush 

This foundation was developed with longevity in mind, it is silicone based and this ingredient is known to be heat and waterproof in make-up.

So when her bride is made up for her big day she is confident that her make-up will look perfect from the morning until the early hours after, tears and lots of dancing and celebrating.  My brides who opt for this make-up always comment that they still looked flawless waking up the next morning.

www.airbasemakeup.com

Illamasqua Skin Base

I love this foundation and I use this on myself on a daily basis and I wore this on my big day 2 years ago.

Its beautiful make-up and photographs so well, its light but still has great coverage, blends well.

Use this with their primers Hydra-veil or matte veil (depending on skin type) and it really is the best foundation you can use.

www.illamasqua.com

MAC Face and Body and NEW Studio Water-weight

For a while now I have loved and stocked the MAC Face and Body base as not everyone likes a full coverage and occasionally I have to do the make-up for young girls who have amazing skin.  If the skin is clear and flawless there is no need to use a heavy coverage base, for this reason I stock the Face and Body and its a lovely make-up.

Then this year MAC brought out the new Water-weight foundation and after using on myself I very quickly have added this make-up to my kit for 2016 brides.  Like Face and Body in terms of dewy finish and being very natural, but it has a stronger coverage.  Also application is really simple no need to buff into skin as it can rub the product off, so I use a flat foundation brush and stripe onto the face.  

www.maccosmetics.co.uk

Laura Mercier Silk Creme

I did a review of this base in my previous blog, but its that good I have had to add this.  Fantastic product, it works best when the skin heats up unlike other foundations that tend to move when the skin warms up.  A perfect choice on mature skin and young skin alike.  On more mature skin it sits beautifully and does not sink into the fine lines and wrinkles.

Last all day and this is my other option on oily skin as the Airbase is not always the best choice on oily skin, as this is an oil free base then this is my fave foundation.

www.lauramercier.com

I am investing a lot in my kit at the moment and 2016 I will be stocking far more bases for my brides to choose from and I will be adding Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation, RCMA (pro Brand) and Giorgio Armani.

My kit 

I have an extensive Make-up kit and I would like to share with you what is in it and the products I love and use:

Urban Decay Naked Palettes

I use these palettes pretty much on every wedding that I do, the colours are extremely bridal friendly in terms of shades.  They are highly pigmented so great intense colour, but the quality and consistency makes them so easy to blend seamlessly.

I own each of the palettes, my personal favourite is Naked the original which is more brown tones so perfect for bridal looks, Naked 2 is lovely too its slightly grey in tones with shimmering champagne undertones, finally I also use the Naked 3 which I have found to be a great choice for the bridesmaids, slightly pink in tone. 

Laura Mercier Silk Creme

I absolutely love this foundation and it is becoming my immediate go to foundation now for my brides.  This is classed as a full coverage foundation which it is but unlike many well known full coverage foundations from MAC and Estee Lauder, this isn't heavy or cakey.

Laura Mercier foundation was designed with skin changes in mind with many bases when the skin heats up foundation normally moves and comes off the skin, however this foundation works better when the skin heats up and this is why I love it for Bridal makeup, because body temperature changes with emotions and dancing etc, so I am confident that this makeup will have staying power.  It equally looks amazing on older more mature skins as it does not sit in the lines and creases. Team this foundation with the primers from the range and it really is the ultimate bridal foundation for my brides.

Charlotte Tilbury Film star Bronze and Glow

I am not a fan of contouring using stripes on the face with different coloured concealers and foundation, or using the cooking method with a base and translucent powder.  Here are my reasons it looks heavy to the naked eye and it has no place in bridal makeup...

However I do like to lightly contour my bride and the only product I use is this, and its wonderful, the contour in the palette is not overly orange so creates a subtle shadow and the highlight is beautiful and light and blends beautifully.  Its expensive but I have had mine since May and it is still going strong.  Its wonderful and a must have in my kit.

Love, Honour and be True - Lipstick in Blushing Bride

I love this brand of lipsticks that are designed specifically for brides and weddings.  Each colour has a bridal related name and they come in the cutest packaging with a little card and bag for the bride to keep her lipstick in.  

Its a UK brand made by 2 Bridal Makeup Artists who wanted to create bridal friendly colours with longevity that is so important in all bridal makeup.  My fave in the brand is Blushing Bride a lovely light coral/pink shade.  The lipstick is glorious and creamy and this shade matches many skin tones.  I also retail these to my brides for £12 a lipstick.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog space....

Allow me to introduce myself, I am Cathryn Kerwin-Rawlinson and I am an Award Winning Bridal Makeup Artist who is based near Chester, because of my location I cover the North West of England and North Wales.

I am fanatical about Weddings and having been a bridal MUA for over 8 years now, I have seen many brides and have watched many bridal styles come and go.

This blog will be my place to review make-up products, share images of weddings I have been MUA for with a breakdown of the products I have used and also photo-shoots I have been principle MUA for.  I am also a slave to fashion and I will review many of the up and coming styles for the future.

Hope you enjoy reading my blog.....