What make-up brands do you use?

I am often asked what make-up brands I use, rather than send a huge message to you with a list I thought I would create it here to show the combination of luxury make-up products that have been tried and tested throughout my extensive career. As you can see from the photo above I work with all skin types and tones, my time working for MAC Cosmetics prepared me for a variety of clients and since then I have continued to find the right products that work together to compliment everyone. For the quality products and colours that could not be located I decided to invent them along with my business partner Amena Khan and this was when Ardere was born.

Ardere ‘Natural to Night’ Eyeshadow Palette £15.00

Back to brands, Ardere Cosmetics is one of them, along with a huge makeup collection of leading brands, no expense spared, packed full of luxurious items we would all want to possess at one time, not to mention the plush brushes for the best application and the addition of my artistic flare and blending (so I am told ha ha). Here is the list of some of my collection and a little info of why I like the brand or what products I use.

Pat McGrath- This is a very prestigious brand and the quality shows it, love their eye shadows.

ByTerry- I love her foundations, the transformation of some of my clients are incredible.

Hourglass- My favourite product is their face powders.

Dior- The ‘Backstage Face and Body Foundation’ gives a natural, skin-like look, Dior caters for most undertones.

Chanel- A great brand for foundation and powders.

Dolce and Gabbana- Bronzers and Highlighters are fab.

Charlotte Tilbury- I have quite a lot of this brand including lipsticks, eye, face and body products.

It Cosmetics- Great for base products.

Lancome- A go to brand for concealers.

Laura Mercier- Recommend her Setting Powders.

Nars- Another good brand for foundations to suit various skin tones, blushers and eyeshadows.

Iconic London- If you want to GLOW then this is the product for you.

Cover fx- Another good brand for products that make you glow as well as foundations.

Mac- Really like some of their Mineralise Powders as well as lip pencils and lipsticks.

Bobbi Brown- Beautiful blushers and foundations.

Becca- Great products for the finishing touches such as bronzing powders and highlighting powders.

Too Faced- Fab Concealers.

Tarte- Another great brand for concealers.

Tom Ford- Lovely selection of eyeshadows, blushers and lipsticks.

Kryolan- A must have for full coverage.

Urban Decay- Love their Glitters, fantastic for my brides who have an extravagant look.

Huda Beauty- Good range for lip pencils.

Kevin Aucoin- Foundation is amazing.

Ardere Cosmetics- check out our reasonably priced cosmetics and tell me what you think.

Facial Exfoliants.... What do you use?

The benefit of exfoliation is to remove the dead skin cells, blackheads, and impurities to brighten the skin showing the new smoother skin underneath, this process then continues. This post will allow you to review your current exfoliating routine and I will discuss my own findings with the many faces I have worked with over the years. But first… What do you use?

• Ground Exfoliants:

Salt, Sugar, Fruit Stones, Nuts, Coffee grains, Plastic micro- beads.

• Electric devices:

Facial brushes, Rotating brushes, microdermabrasion.

• Others:

Muslin cloths, Flannels, Face wipes.

“Have I listed them all???….

I’m going to add Resurfacing Peels/ Chemical Peels/ Exfoliating Peels to the list”.

Ground exfoliants are the most popular exfoliant on the market, they can benefit some people if used correctly but in my experience I have seen the harsh effects of using certain scrubs that have actually caused hyper pigmentation, micro cuts (especially from exfoliants made from sharp fruit stones), dry skin as the natural oils are stripped away, visible wrinkles, more spots with the extra sebum being produced and scar tissue. The outcome of exfoliating can vary depending on your skin type, what you are using, how often and how you are using the product. If you exfoliate too much the skin is over worked and is constantly trying to repair itself, the skins lipid barrier is therefore compromised leading to visible changes in the skin as already mentioned. If you do not exfoliate the skin this can result in a build of dead skin cells causing dry, dull, flaky, patchy skin as it does not allow the skin to regenerate (there is a reason why a snake sheds its skin), clogged pores and something I see very regularly is uneven skin tone. When makeup is applied to skin that has been over or under exfoliated you can see a difference, even if the makeup artist is highly skilled. Your face (the canvas) requires much needed attention in order to make the foundation (your skin not the make up) ready for application, which is why I advise my brides to start a skin care routine months before some are currently starting a year before. Of course I have many clients with issues such as acne, hyper pigmentation and scarring and try to cover these up as much as possible without the make up looking caked on, but I would always advise during consultation that a tailored skincare routine as well as being healthy all round is required.

Other exfoliants such as electrical devices (Facial brushes, Rotating brushes, microdermabrasion) and various cloths (Muslin cloths, Flannels, Face wipes), can all cause a similar effect to what I have already identified. Also some of these exfoliants can cause cross contamination, eg. If you have acne you can spread the bacteria from spots to other areas of the face. Baby wipes/ facial wipes are my enemy as well as my clients enemy too, but most do not realise until I give them a huge lecture after I have noticed the friction marks, especially around their delicate eyes, and the bumps caused by dragging those synthetic, harsh, chemically filled sheets (STOP USING THEM). A recent client used a rotating facial brush so often that it literally stripped all of the moisture from her face and caused more problems than she had experienced prior to using it. I know I am being critical to the exfoliants mentioned, but I strongly feel that due to a lack of education they are over used and not used correctly to suit individual skin types as well as the horrid effects we have seen in our oceans from the micro bead exfoliants, I wanted to cry when I watched the recent BBC documentary ‘Drowning in Plastic’, this goes to show that we do not really know what is in the products we use. Over the years I have tried and tested so many things and seen the detrimental effects on myself as well as all my clients that it made me seek further ways I can still use an exfoliating product as I know it is important to exfoliate, this is when I started to become interested in the benefits of facial acids, please read my latest Blog.

The Skin Resurfacing Peel also known as Chemical Peels/ Exfoliating Peels are thought to be harsh on the skin, this is NOT the case, in fact they are much more gentler on the skin compared to other exfoliants as the acids target the top layer of the skin directly and works its magic by dissolving it, drawing out all the dirt imbedded beneath the surface without the need to scrub, rub and blast it away with force. We need to also blame ourselves for scrubbing our faces as though we are sanding the floor, this human error can make exfoliating more harsh than it needs to be but with a Skin Resurfacing Peel we do not need to worry about this as long as it is done by a Fully Qualified, Insured, Professional Skin Aesthetic Therapist with products suitable for your skin, like the ones I provide, and not a home kit as this can be misused and you could cause further damage to your skin.

Currently I am experimenting with a range of clients with different skin types, conditions and ages ranging from 19- 67 years old who are all undergoing a course of Skin Resurfacing Peels suitable for their particular skin. I have also had a course of treatments myself and can honestly say that it is the best thing I have ever done for my skin, my pores have reduced in size, my face has a natural glow, I have been told I look younger (wink wink), make up stays on all day and my skin is balanced compared to before. A group of clients have allowed me to take photos throughout their course as well as keeping a diary and I will share with you in the New Year.

If you wish to book for Skin Resurfacing Treatments please get in contact.

Paula x

So you want to put ACID on my face?

Yes, but please let me explain…

I am a professional makeup artist as well as a fully qualified, insured beautician specialising in skincare and aesthetic treatments, I am currently doing various case studies on some of my clients who are having a course of ‘Skin Resurfacing Peels’, watch this space for their results and other Blog posts that will explore my number one topic… SKIN.

The acids that are used in my chemical Skin Resurfacing Peels all derive from natural sources, such as sugar cane, apples, citrus fruits, almonds and milk. A Skin Resurfacing Peel gently exfoliates, penetrating deeply into the skin without using abrasive techniques that can cause irritation, it is suitable for both mature and sensitive skin. Fruit is very healthy for our diet and we are told to consume more than five a day, but what about our skin, it is the biggest organ in our body after all. Fruit acids can benefit our skin when using the right combination of compounds and applied professionally by an Aesthetic Therapist (me). Lets look in detail as to why these common acidic compounds can improve our skin:-

The Alpha Hydroxy Acids are used in combination for best results, the acids include, Glycolic Acid (from sugar cane), Lactic Acid (from sour milk), Malic Acid (from apples), Citric Acid (from citrus fruits) and Mandelic Acid (from bitter almonds). These acids contain unique properties that exfoliates the upper layer of skin from the bottom up to remove dead skin cells, decreasing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as aiding the skin to retain moisture. Glycolic acid will be combined with another ingredient to help with anti- inflammatory to prevent any irritation. The acids also helps reduce dull complexion, uneven skin tone, age spots, hyper pigmentation, congested skin, acne prone skin, shrinks pore size and is suitable for all skin types.

For more information or to book please email info@pauladurance.com or use the contact page