THE SECRET TO ANGELINA JOLIE’S FLAWLESS COMPLEXION- THE DERMAROLLER

THE Dermaroller has revolutionized the home beauty industry - despite looking like an instrument of medieval torture. The needle-studded roller, reportedly loved by Angelina Jolie, works by puncturing the face with 0.5-1.5mm pins, causing it to bleed and stimulating the body's natural healing process.  The idea is that this causes trauma to the outer layer and stimulates the repair process, boosting collagen production, which makes skin appear radiant .It has been dubbed the credit crunch laser and, although it sounds savage, it has become this year’s biggest beauty hit. But does it really work? And, more importantly – does it hurt? I tried one for myself...

What is it Good For?

The Dermaroller can be used for a variety of conditions on the face and body, including: Lines and wrinkles, sun damage, stretch marks, acne scars, trauma or post-operative scarring.

The Science Behind it.

The device is rolled over the treatment area, where it creates thousands of tiny pin pricks only 0.1mm wide into the dermis of the skin.  These pin pricks are so tiny that they will close rapidly and the skin can recover quickly. In response to Dermaroller treatment, your body will naturally regenerate and repair the skin and the dermis below the surface in the treated area, forming new collagen and skin cells. The results are natural, healthy, fresh looking skin, which is smoother and brighter.

What Was it like?

I bought my Dermaroller online at eBay, for less than 30 euro and once it arrived, I immediately set to work rolling it across my poor unsuspecting face. The sensation was hot and prickly rather than painful. It lasted a few minutes and left my face covered in thousands of tiny pin pricks. Although my complexion was quite ruddy looking the next day, it was nothing make-up wouldn’t cover. During the next week my skin felt dry and started flaking. Two weeks later, having used the Dermaroller twice weekly, I noticed that my skin was plumped up and my acne scars had been dramatically reduced. So, do I look like Angelina Jolie? Well, I’ll never have her lips or her husband BUT three weeks in and I am definitely one step closer to having her glowing complexion - my skin looks so much fresher and younger and my acne scarring is a thing of the past.

Dermarollers can be purchased through a variety of online sites including ebay and www.thehospitalgroup.ie

Scrape your way to way to a perfect complexion.

THERE ARE some modern women who think little of traditional beauty techniques, dismissing ancient secrets and tools as plain old- fashioned. Who needs them if perfect skin can be achieved with a myriad of products available at your nearest department store?

Their shelves are simply heaving with beautifully packaged jars aimed at women, and women alone. Women who are worried about not being beautiful, women who are worried about getting old, women who are  just plain worried and want some expensive goop to slap on their face and melt away the pain.

Each product promises to remedy at least one of our many physical imperfections, inviting us to indulge our vain hope for flawless beauty. So we buy, try, test and often discard every new lotion and potion, hoping this will be the one to leave us blemish free, wrinkle free - and beautiful. Whether they actually improve our skin is anybody's guess. We just keep paying out and praying.

But, in these austere times who can really afford spending a fortune on beauty products and treatments that seldom live up to their promises - surely there has to be an alternative?

 That’s where the ancient Chinese practice of skin scraping comes in.  If you want to look 5 to 10 years younger or maintain a youthful complexion, you must definitely try the "GuaSha" anti -aging facial – a technique that you can easily learn and incorporate into your beauty regime. In Chinese, Gua is literally translated as scraping, friction, rubbing or extracting, while Sha means sand or sediment, signifying the congestion or toxin removal from our body through scraping therapy.

But is it difficult to do?

Not at all. There are a myriad of videos on YouTube that will teach you the techniques required to do this by yourself.

So let’s going.

 Before the facial, daub the skin with oil (olive oil works best for me). Then scrape the skin with something that has smooth edges. Coins and porcelain spoons are widely used and special scraping equipment are also available in traditional Chinese medicine shops (if you don’t have access to these stores an old credit card works just perfectly). Always scrape the skin in an upwards direction and continue until your complexion is pinkish in colour.

The intensity, speed, duration, depth of the action, and the location of scrape, all has direct impact over the results you will get. Use a firm but gentle scraping action for the best result and avoid delicate the delicate eye area all together. The GuaSha facial is easy to learn and works on specific acupuncture points that promote rejuvenation and beauty. So go on, what have you got to lose?

It’s effective, easy – and absolutely free!

Crunch time for cosmetics; Times are hard, but you can still look fabulous. Here's how to bag the best buys on a budget.

BUYING cheap is nothing new when it comes to filling our wardrobes - but has the trend for bagging a bargain finally reached the beauty industry? The products we slather on our faces are arguably as important as the clothes we wear, but in the inescapable credit crunch it seems women are torn on the subject of downsizing their beauty budget.

With so many great designer look-alikes on the high street who needs to shell out for expensive beauty products?

 Some of these glamourous goodies are dead-ringers for the real thing, and they're such bargains you can even treat yourself to one in each colour. No mun no fun? Au contraire. Being broke doesn't mean living out of bargain basement cosmetics departments, it just means smart beauty shopping - and that's something we all need to do a Lidl more of.

Here’s a few of my favourite budget beauty buys.

A CLASSIC SCENT: Madame Glamour €3.49 at Lidl

IT'S as sought-after as a Chanel perfume but with one difference - the price tag, Lidl has created a €3.49 fragrance that has beaten its €70 designer counterpart in a blind smell test. The discount store has started selling Suddenly Madame Glamour in Irish stores after it became a hit in the UK when it hit the shelves in May 2011. A consumer test showed 90% of women preferred this to Chanel's Mademoiselle fragrance. Did I mention that it smells fabulous! It has citrus and floral notes that are not too heavy and the Jasmine is definitely evident. I get complimented every time I wear it!

THE PERFECT TAN: Pennys St. Moriz Tan €4

AFTER a few months of cold weather, and even more relentless economic gloom, the prospect of acquiring a tan for less than the price of a cup of tea is alluring. But you may be surprised that the latest place to get your 'just got back from St Barts' tan is none other than Pennys. During the heady days of the Celtic Tiger , I was one of those women who just could not live without my professional spray tan but , these days, I just can’t justify spending  quite SO much on my appearance. The St. Moriz Tan range, available at Pennys, has been a lifesaver. It delivers a natural golden glow and it comes in a range of shades to suit almost every skin tone . At only €4 it’s at a price every woman can afford.

LUCIOUS LASHES:Tesco Waterproof Lash Build mascara, €1.50

CHEAP mascaras tend to be clumpy and the wands can be thin but this is surprisingly good. When I tested it, this seemed particularly dense and creamy it contains nourishing vitamin E and the substantial wand helped it glide on evenly. It was far better than others I tested which cost more than ten times as much.  Good quality and excellent value.

THE PERFECT BLUSH:Collection 2000 The Cheek Of It! Cheek & Lip Tint, €6.00

COLLECTION 2000 have always been quick to copy great products and their cheek and lip tint is virtually identical to the cult Benefit Benetint, which at a whopping pounds 23.50 makes it nearly six times the price!

EFFECTIVE SKINCARE: Tesco's Q10 Day Cream, €2.15

TESCO’S Q10 Derma intensive+ anti-wrinkle Day Cream, which costs just  €2.15, is out-selling brands like Nivea, Olay L'oreal and Garnier at the supermarket, and is currently their number-one best-selling facial moisturiser, it has already been hailed as a hero product within the industry for its anti-oxidant and regeneration properties.

THE ALL- ROUNDER:Johnson's Baby Oil €3.25

JOHNSON’S Baby Oil is the ultimate all-in-one product. It can be used as a bath oil, a body moisturiser, for removing eye make-up and for shaving your legs. Even your other half can use it as a shaving lotion. And it's super cheap too - pounds €3.25 for a 500ml bottle, available from Boots, chemists and supermarkets.

BEAUTY BASIC: Vaseline €1.15  

Good old Vaseline acts as a great under-eye cream and nail-cuticle softener. It's another good one for taking off eye make-up too. You can also use it to smooth unruly eyebrows and keep split ends together, and it's always a popular lip-gloss. At only €1.15  for 100ml from chemists and supermarkets nationwide - you can't go wrong.

SKIN ESSENTIALS: Nivea Essential Care €1.97

A lone jar of Nivea on the bathroom shelf has become a truly iconic sight down through the ages. This simple cream is one of the most enduring beauty products and can be used for sore noses, chapped lips or rough patches. Nivea also has a great lip range, all with SPF for added protection. Nivea has many of the same ingredients as the uber expensive Crème De La Mer and many women swear that it is just as good. Trya Banks is a fan or their cellulite busting lotion but my favourites are - Nivea Essential Care €1.97, enriched with Jojoba Oil and Shea Butter, or Nivea Pearly Shine €2.75, which is a lovely shiny lip balm.

A GREAT CLENSER €5.39: Ponds Crème Cleanser

Kylie Minogue has revealed her budget anti-aging beauty secret, which she claims keeps her skin looking fresh and young. The singer said that she uses the classic product Ponds Cream Cleanser, a tip she picked up from her mum. 'It’s really changed my skin. It’s all I really use. It’s such an old classic. My mum uses it and it really does work. It’s made such a difference.’ She told Marie Claire magazine in a recent interview.

REMEMBERING AN ICON - AUDREY HEPBURN

Audrey Hepburn's timeless chic continues to intrigue and inspire us writes Georgina Heffernan

No one has captured the hearts of the fashion industry more than Audrey Hepburn .For decades, her clean style sensibility and radiant grace have inspired the likes of Hubert de Givenchy, Salvatore Ferragamo and Isaac Mizrahi, all of whom have tried at some point to translate her spirit into their clothing and accessories.

Even after her death in 1993, her status as a style icon still remains. Mary Quant called her the "most stylish woman who ever lived". Hubert de Givenchy said she was "a gift from on high". Gregory Peck called her unique and Steven Spielberg considered her an angel. Today she still influences major stars, such as Victoria Beckham, Johnny Depp and the Olsen twins who have named her as a major influence.

Even at the height of her career, when she was universally reckoned to be the most beautiful woman in the world, Audrey Hepburn thought she was 'funny looking - just another skinny broad' with crooked teeth, thick eyebrows, a bony collarbone, flat chest and huge eight-and-a-half size feet.

'I never thought I'd land in pictures,' she once said, 'with a face like mine.' But whatever part she played, her physical appearance was always captivating. From her first appearance as Princess Anne in Roman Holiday, those huge doe eyes seemed to take up the whole screen, and I couldn't get enough of that gentle voice with the sweet, staccato enunciation.

But it was her performance in Breakfast at Tiffany's that really made people sit up and take notice. Her pearl choker and gloves may have set off the outfit perfectly. But it was Audrey Hepburn's little black dress that became an icon. And, despite the passage of time, the stunning frock the movie star wore in that film in 1961 has stayed firmly in fashion.

In a poll of 3,000, more than 75 per cent named it as the most influential garment in fashion history. She was the epitome of 1950’s glamour - the decade where style was born - a time when elegance was the cornerstone of fashion. Whether in a black cocktail dress, or jeans, a turtleneck and flats, she always looked impeccable. But what was it about her timeless look that makes her so impossible to forget?

Ask a woman to name her fashion icon, and the answer is likely to be Audrey Hepburn. The elegant actress simply was "haute couture," writes Melissa Hellstern in How to Be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life. "Her style, and its evolution, simultaneously defies and defines fashion," she writes. "Hers was a closet built on quality, not quantity. The pieces were deceptively simple - a black dress, a white wrap blouse, a tasteful suit. Not always the latest, simply the best."   In this age of austerity, somehow that makes perfect sense today. And with fifties inspired style making a comeback this spring, there’s never been a better time to invest in a little Audrey inspired style.

THE RETURN OF KILLER HEELS: Stiletto sales go sky high as women choose glamour over austerity.

They're tall, good looking and sexy. What woman could resist them? We're talking high heels, of course. Shoe stores and fashion pages are crammed with these towering beauties, with heel heights soaring past 3 inches to 4 inches and higher. Yes, they elongate the leg. Yes, they're in style. And yes, they can hurt like hell – but that doesn’t seem to concern the women of Ireland who have been snapping them up by the truckload. Impossible to walk in? Perhaps. But these shoes are looking good.

So much so that celebrities, Victoria Beckham and Amanda Holden, continued to wear the ankle-worrying footwear well into the late stages of their pregnancies (No Ugg boots for these glamorous ladies). Now the trend is gathering pace. On a stroll down Grafton street, I recently spied at least 10 young women struggling to walk in these outlandish creations. It just goes to show that nothing comes between a fashion follower and a new pair of shoes - and the designs get wackier every season.

Just walk into a mainstream department store like Brown Thomas and you'll find a surprising array of totally impractical shoes. Not just a couple of pairs here and there. Lots: Tall, thin, rectangular heels that make you feel as though your entire weight is balanced on the head of a pin. There are heels shaped like curvaceous, hourglass figures, uber-pointy spikes and everything in between. No doubt about it, previously risque shoes, like platforms that never quite made it off the dance floors, are now mainstream. But why are women buying these towering and (often) expensive shoes now?

Maybe the collapsed economy has us longing for a little escapism. The 1940s, that era of make do and mend, of utility and frugality, certainly chimes with the present mood of austerity. Familiar images from that time - the broad-shouldered silhouette, the narrow waist with pencil skirt and high shoes suddenly seem relevant again – and they are back in style.

Now, with the future so uncertain, it seems that we are looking to fashion as an escape route from the humdrum, the mundane and the downright scary. Much has been written about the lipstick index (when an economy nosedives into recession- lipstick sales soar) but, it seems, women are embracing the highest of heels as their weapon of choice against the economic gloom and doom. And why not? Even if most of us cannot afford a pair of Christian Louboutin’s, that’s no excuse to feel down at heel, especially when there are so many affordable options on the highstreet. Check out Pennys, Dune, Office and Topshop for sky high heels at a fraction of the cost.

　　

Gold & Sparkly Christmas look

One of my favourite makeup artists, Lisa Eldridge on how to get a perfect party look for the festive season...

Get her look: Kathryn Thomas

PRESENTER Kathryn Thomas certainly knows a thing or two about style. Whether, glomming it up in a figure hugging Stop Staring dress or  dashing  around jeans in skinny jeans, heels and a leather jacket  - the  presenter always looks effortlessly cool.  As one of the hosts on Ireland’s new talent show The Voice, Kathryn seems to have won the style lottery, opting for a selection of brightly coloured dresses, which show off her enviable figure to perfection.

 Gorgeous Kathryn said her years climbing the ladder at RTE prepared her for hosting The Voice. "This is definitely the high point of my career.” She told the Mirror in a recent interview," I've wanted to do a show like this for a long time. I feel it's the right show for my personality and it is the right time for me.

"It's a big show for RTE and this is an international collaboration so the fact I've been chosen to hold it all together, it's a real honour but I'm ready for it.”If this was three, four or five years ago I wouldn't have approached it with such certainty and determination.

"Now though I'm just ready to get stuck in, get my hands dirty and make this as big a success as it can be." But Kathryn said she would never turn down any position offered to her, admitting she's happy not to be on the dole given the state of the country. She said: "To be working at the moment is a great privilege.”I'm so conscious that there are people out there who aren't working and for me to be working on something that I love is fabulous."

Stylish at any age ; Fashion trends aren't just for 20-somethings ....

"There is no fashion for the old," Coco Chanel once declared at what was presumably a youthful stage of her 87-year life. The mademoiselle's fashion fortune-telling was usually unerring. She brought black from funerals to the cocktail hour, embraced men's underwear (i.e., jersey), and insisted on mounds of costume jewellery. But regarding age, well, let's just say she never had the pleasure of meeting Madonna, who, at 53, looks better , and younger ,than ever before.

The same can be said for stars such as - Jennifer Aniston (42), Kim Catrell,(55) and Kylie Minogue (43) - who always manage to look incredibly stylish, regardless of their age.It just goes to show that, it doesn't matter how old you are; it's all about knowing how to accentuate your best assets and finding clothes that fit and flatter your shape. Everything you wear, whether it's a bra that helps you look good in your clothes, or an attention- getting accessory, should be chosen for the way it works with your body. After all, you should wear your clothes; your clothes should not wear you.

So this season, whether you're celebrating 20, 40 or 60, don’t be afraid to expirement with your look. Go ahead and make a trend your own with these simple style secrets in mind .After all, that's what fashion is all about! Everyone can look good in these styles. It's just a matter of degree: Younger can go edgier; older more polished.


Skirting The Issue - The legs are the last to go, so if you've got a great pair, then by all means wear a hem above the knee. If you've got bad ankles, enter the shoe bootie to cover them up.

Belt It Out - An undeniably hot trend right now are belts. Whether they're wide, skinny, studded or chained, they are versatile enough to pair with jeans or couture, depending on the look. The trick is to pick one that accentuates your shape.

Accessible Accessories - Lots of young Hollywood is loaded down with accessories from head to toe, so don't be intimidated. There's something for everyone; just stick to what's proportional to your size and silhouette.

Divine Dresses - They can be great camouflage. Wear them with leggings, boots or even skinny pants. The waists can fall low in a chemise style, rise up high in the empire style or wrap to fit your body.

Skinny pants -They don't have to be skin-tight. The straighter the leg, the better. Get rid of the boot cut if you can. For slimming colors try not only black, but dark winter greens and browns.

When in doubt wear classics - You know ,those little black dresses, classic-fitting slacks, cashmere sweaters and blazers.

Stay True to You - Fashion is now more about your personality.If you're a businesswoman, socialite, or rocker, it doesn't matter if you're 30 or 60, you can wear the same things.

Fit is Everything - Poorly tailored clothes are a faux pas. Make sure your sleeve lengths are precise, your pants fall at the proper point, and that no unseemly bagginess compromises your silhouette.
 No matter how expensive your clothes are or aren't, they won't look rich if they don't flatter you. Your shape, not the year on your driver's license, is often the determining factor.



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 PROMOTION

A Question of Style  is  the  fashion bible for the over forties . Created by fashion journalist Georgina Heffernan , it is currently available from Amazon.com

"The idea that you could look the way you did in your prime is incredibly appealing but is it ever really possible? We dream of regaining our youthful good looks but for most of us that‘s just a dream. 

You cannot turn back the clock, no, but you can transform yourself with the right cosmetic  treatments, make-up choices and styling tricks.

Stars of shows such as Desperate Housewives and Sex & the City have totally changed our attitudes to ageing; instead of growing old gracefully we are facing the advancing years with lashings of glamour!

You may look at pictures of those stars and think 'How do they do it?'  I'm about to share their secrets with you..."

Georgina Heffernan

GeT her look: Florence Welch

FLORENCE Welch, the 24 year old diva behind Florence and The Machine, is our latest fashion crush. Why? Her tousled, shiny red locks are surely the crowning glory of her effortlessly cool and quirky, slightly boho look - a look that's seen her wear everything from flowing maxi dresses and skin tight jumpsuits - to polka dots teamed with plaid. Florence's style goes from strength to strength and hasn't become any less bonkers just because she's a mega-selling artist. Although she is occasionally wardrobed by Topshop, you sense her heart is still in the 5p basket of her local Oxfam store, where she always manages to pull out just the right sort of insouciant dress to accompany her winsome image. We love her pale white twig legs in their ankle socks and the shapes she throws in her long, diaphanous stage outfits

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PROMOTION

"The idea that you could look the way you did in your prime is incredibly appealing but is it ever really possible? We dream of regaining our youthful good looks but for most of us that‘s just a dream.

You cannot turn back the clock, no, but you can transform yourself with the right cosmetic  treatments, make-up choices and styling tricks.

Stars of shows such as Desperate Housewives and Sex & the City have totally changed our attitudes to ageing; instead of growing old gracefully we are facing the advancing years with lashings of glamour!

You may look at pictures of those stars and think 'How do they do it?'  I'm about to share their secrets with you..."

Georgina Heffernan

A Question of Style  is  the  fashion bible for the over forties . Created by fashion journalist Georgina Heffernan , it is currently available from Amazon.com

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HOT TRENDS - POLKA DOTS

Designers were feeling a little spotty as they paraded perky polka dots all over New York and Paris runways this season. There was an outbreak in the autumn/winter collections with Michael Kors, Miu Miu and Stella McCartney sending them down catwalks. As a result, everyone's gone dotty for the polka dots again. Though reminiscent of sixties beatniks and Lucille Ball in "I Love Lucy," these are not the polka dots of yesteryear. Crisp and graphic, this vintage look is pretty, but it is not precious.

Polka dots were first worn on silk scarves in the late 19th century across the pond in England. The earliest use of the term "polka dot" was in 1866 in The New York Times. Polka dots were traditionally seen on flamenco dancers and performers. The pattern of circles reappeared in the 1920s with Walt Disney's creation of Minnie Mouse.The 1950s created a new group known as "teenagers," who were influenced by film, television, magazines and music. As consumers, teenagers dominated styles from fashion to music, cars to bars. This decade would be credited with making the world go dotty for polka dots.

The ever impeccable New York designer Carolina Herrera often used polka dots in her collections in the 1980s, and who can forget Julia Roberts in a brown-and-cream polka-dot dress and wide-brimmed hat in the 1990 hit "Pretty Woman."
Now the trend has filtered down to the high street from Topshop to A Wear. Sixties inspired fitted dresses, Pencil skirts, handbags, platform heels and trench coats have all been given the polka dot makeover. River Island , Dorothy Perkins and ASOS also have well-rounded selections of styles and colour ways, while those after something a little more luxurious should head to Harvey Nichols, where the Rolls- Royce of polka-dot blouses, designed of course by Marc Jacobs, is currently available in store.

Looking for polka dot style inspiration? Check out Rihanna, Daisy Lowe and Alexa Chung sporting the style.

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PROMOTION

"The idea that you could look the way you did in your prime is incredibly appealing but is it ever really possible? We dream of regaining our youthful good looks but for most of us that‘s just a dream.

You cannot turn back the clock, no, but you can transform yourself with the right cosmetic  treatments, make-up choices and styling tricks.

Stars of shows such as Desperate Housewives and Sex & the City have totally changed our attitudes to ageing; instead of growing old gracefully we are facing the advancing years with lashings of glamour!

You may look at pictures of those stars and think 'How do they do it?'  I'm about to share their secrets with you..."

Georgina Heffernan

A Question of Style  is  the  fashion bible for the over forties . Created by fashion journalist Georgina Heffernan , it is currently available from Amazon.com

Forties fashions are still fabulous

They had to endure rationing, having no bananas and Vera Lynn on the radio, but if there was one boon for women in the 1940s, it was fashion. In the history of couture, very few eras can match the innovation and originality of the post-war period. With difficulties in sourcing high quality materials, style had to come from somewhere else.

Design, cut and detail became a priority, and the current trend amongst today's designers to take their influence from the period is testament to its enduring legacy of style. There were lots of forties references on the international catwalks this season and the best approach to reinvent this fashion era has been realized by Mui Mui, as well as by Gucci, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Jonathan Saunders.

Talk of 'austerity chic' was de rigueur in the 1940s, and 'make do and mend' was the mantra of the day. But it's not just the philosophy of the decade that is suddenly relevant again - it's also the clothes and accessories. Straight out of a noir film, the retro look - featuring sleek skirt suits and elegant dresses paired with peep-toe pumps and slingbacks - embodies the elegance of the era. The key looks are fur collars, silk blouses, pencil skirts, pill box hats and the most delicate of tea and shift dresses.
But it's in the detail, the accessories, that this romantic trend really comes into its own. If you like having fun completing a look with just the right finishing touch, then you're going to love immersing yourself in this new style. The essential rule to remember is to keep your accessories sweet and sophisticated.
While your clothes may be vintage-looking, reminiscent of wartime glamour, your bag, shoes and jewellery need to be polished and sharp, for balance.

But there's so much fun to be had in accessorising this look: leather driving gloves, for example, are back in style and red leather ones couldn't be more fashionable. Bright, roomy tweed bags with wooden or metal frames will house all your essentials - or you could add a trilby for an unexpected twist. Jewellery is also key - vintage pieces add that unusual and one-off look to your outfit.

And, of course, no outfit is complete without a fantastic pair of shoes. For day, choose a pair with a good heel, blocked and tapered a peep toe and for evening, bring the look right up to date with a slim ankle strap heel, with a matching clutch bag in satin. Groomed, neat and as sophisticated as a shaken Martini. Perfect for a night of Art Deco decadence. After all, you may be Forties inspired, but there's no need for rationing.

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PROMOTION

"The idea that you could look the way you did in your prime is incredibly appealing but is it ever really possible? We dream of regaining our youthful good looks but for most of us that‘s just a dream.

You cannot turn back the clock, no, but you can transform yourself with the right cosmetic  treatments, make-up choices and styling tricks.

Stars of shows such as Desperate Housewives and Sex & the City have totally changed our attitudes to ageing; instead of growing old gracefully we are facing the advancing years with lashings of glamour!

You may look at pictures of those stars and think 'How do they do it?'  I'm about to share their secrets with you..."

Georgina Heffernan

A Question of Style  is  the  fashion bible for the over forties . Created by fashion journalist Georgina Heffernan , it is currently available from Amazon.com

SHADES OF AUTUMN; Makeup artist Julianna Grogan gives us her tips on the season’s hottest beauty trends

What is your favourite make up look coming through for Autumn/winter 2011?I have to say that I’m a big fan of the bold lip trends this season. With a huge range in the colour palette from blood reds to deep berries and my favourite acid orange; everyone can rock this look.

How do you wear it?The best way to wear a strong lip colour whether its red, orange or plum is to downplay everything else. Soft camel or barely there nude shades on the eyes will bring out the colour of the eyes and won’t look over powering with a bold lip. The skin should be creamy and flawless with little or no blush. The only exception to this rule is the lashes - mascara can be heavily applied and it's all natural lashes this season - falsies are out!

What were some of the more inspirational or outrageous looks on the international catwalks?This season on the catwalk was all about strength and definition teamed with understated softness. Some designers went for glowing natural skin with subtle fleshy tones while others took more risks – such as Marc Jacobs' fluro oranges on the eyes and lips. Gucci's influence was seen all over the catwalks with strong glassy red lips paired with nude or caramel shades on the eyes.Sculpted liner in all shades from metallic’s to amazing electric blues and classic black were winged out to create cat like definition. We also saw a lot of metallic shades in this season's smoky look to create smoulder with shimmer and glow.

Are any particular cosmetic brands or products you've totally falling in love with this season?Brows are huge this season and the bigger the better. Smashbox 'Brow tech to go' is my must have to create this look. It has a gel on one end to create a 'boyish' brow and the colour stick on the other end to add definition and density to the brows- it’s the perfect two in one. On the lips I’m totally in love with MAC's matt lipsticks in shades like 'Ruby Woo', 'Sin' and 'Lady Danger' and my absolute favourite product this season is my MAC gel liners to create the perfect winged effect without mess.

What look should we avoid and why?Avoid going too silver or shiny with eye shadows this season. Metallics are in but not sparkle princess style. A touch of silver, grey, bronze or gold is great but too much shine on the eyes will look garish and sit in any fine lines or dryness that often appears during the cold months. The best way to avoid the shine overload is to use a palette with complementary tones to create your metallic look. Another look to avoid this season is heavy foundation. Even though the sunshine is gone, healthy glowing skin is still in and can be achieved without excess product if you rely on your concealer for the coverage rather than foundation.
　
　
Any interesting looks for eyes/ lips?On the lips: tangerines, burgundy, berry or hot red are in but make sure lips are well conditioned before applying. Cold temperatures combined with central heating can really dry out the lips and ruin the look. If you’re not into colour then the classic nude hydrated lips will work with any of the eye looks this season.
On the eyes: Apart from the metallic’s, warm autumnal camel shades will enhance any eye colour and still look soft this season or if you’re feeling creative go for the nude eye with striking winged eye liner in your favourite colour.


You've recently been working at New Zealand fashion week- what looks did you create on the models and why?For the designer selection show at New Zealand fashion week the makeup look had to work for every designer showing in fashion week. Two main looks were create done - metallic purple smoky eye with a tangerine matt lip and the other - a soft gold eye with a strong liner and matt pink lip. There were also alterations backstage during the shows to suit the various collections.

I've heard that 'flawless skin' is a key look this season. How can you fake an amazing complexion - when your skin is misbehaving?Flawless skin never goes out of fashion and this season is no exception. Luminous, bright and creamy skin is a must. The best way to achieve it or fake it is to use less foundation and cover with a good concealer. A lighter foundation or tinted moisturiser will keep the skin hydrated and avoid that masked look on the skin. In the areas where more coverage is needed dust a matching concealer - which has a thicker consistency - to adhere to problem areas and keep it undercover. If all that's not enough, then finish with some mineral powder on top which will give you extra coverage without a chalky or caked look. Smashbox Halo Hydrating Powder, MAC Mineralize loose powder or L’Oreal Bare Naturals are some of my favorites

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