by Sarah Newstead

Last updated at 16:38, Thursday, 22 January 2009

As winter shivers on, try putting a little Spring into your beauty routine with a few new hair and make-up tricks.

Shauna Sullivan, left and Emma Sanderson after their post-Christmas transformation

Me models Shauna Sullivan and Emma Sanderson picked up some advice from Carlisle's beauty experts to boost their New Year look.

Dark-eyed brunette Emma Sanderson, 21, of Brampton, was treated to a makeup makeover at Debenhams’ Clarins Spa with beauty therapist, Tricia Mountsey.

Tricia showed Emma how to make the most of her colouring by bringing a few new ideas to her make-up routine.

A radiance-boosting foundation was applied to make the most of Emma’s clear complexion followed by under eye concealer to brighten the whole eye area and act as a base for a smokey eye in plum shades.

Tricia chose plum as a way to highlight Emma’s eye colour – a move away from “safe” taupes and browns which can really make dark eyes pop.

Using a lighter shade all over the eye area then defining the socket and outer corner with the darker plum, is a tried and tested way to smoky eyes. The look can work for day or night according to the intensity of the shadow. Simply load more onto your brush for night and go a little sheerer for day.

But according to Tricia, success is all in the blending – invest in a proper blending brush to give your look a professional finish.

Black eye liner was then used along Emma’s eye lid. A cunning trick for bigger-looking eyes is to work the liner into the roots of your eyelashes to make them appear thicker and fuller.

A plum mascara was used to frame Emma’s brown eyes.

Tricia said: “It’s something different and really emphasises the eyes.”

With a dramatic look for eyes, keep blusher neutral and a bronzer was all Emma needed to give definition to her cheekbones.

Lips again stayed neutral to avoid fighting for attention with the smoky eyes – a natural gloss was enough to give Emma’s look polish.

Blonde, blue-eyed girl Shauna Sullivan, 22, from Carlisle, was treated to a sophisticated daytime look from Helen Spedding, Chanel team member at House of Fraser.

A light-reflecting foundation was used to add radiance to Shauna’s complexion and a brightening under eye concealer freshened the look.
A blue-toned eye shadow was used on her lids followed by a metallic grey to bring out Shauna’s eye colour and add definition.

A black liquid eye liner applied finely along her top lids gave a sleek finish to the look. A top tip from Helen was that black eyeliner with paler eyeshadow shades can look chic, particularly if you’re sure-handed enough to extend the line just past the outer corners of your eyes and flick it up. Think Audrey Hepburn or Alexa Chung.

Shauna has a typical English Rose complexion of fair skin with undertones of pink. A bronzer in winter would look too harsh according to Helen, who swept on a pink blusher to put the apples back into Shauna’s cheeks.

The look was completed with a slick of black mascara.

Next, the pair were whisked off to The Sculpture House hair salon to learn how to make their most of their locks with stylists, Lisa Wheatley and Kim Moore.

Lisa whipped up Shauna’s fine blonde hair into heated rollers to give volume and texture. She then lifted a section from the front of the head and backcombed the roots.

After this, Lisa smoothed over the front of the backcombed section with a bristle brush then fixed it in a mini-beehive shape at the back of Shauna’s head using hairgrips.

She then tonged sections of the hair left loose, plaiting hair from one side to create more interest to the style.

The mini-plait was fixed with hair grips and the remaining loose curls backcombed slightly to give texture.

“It’s all about big, bouncy hair at the moment,” said Lisa. “Straighteners are out!”

According to Lisa, popular requests take their inspiration from television’s X-Factor with the tresses of songstress Diana Vickers topping the list.

“It’s a teased and backcombed look with extra height at the crown,” explained Lisa who has six years of styling experience at the Fisher Street salon under her belt. “The extra height gives glamour which is great for a night out, but it’s all put together in a more modern way.”
No surprises that Cheryl Cole’s look tops women’s blow-dry wish list.

Kim worked her magic on Emma’s fine to medium hair by blowdrying it using a round bristle brush to give body. After the hair was 100 per cent dry, Kim used straighteners to give curl and bounce by grasping sections of the hair in the irons and twisting them so the top of the iron lies flat along the hair strands.

Curling with irons instead of tongs gives a modern wave – ensure curls begin a third of the way down the strand to keep the look contemporary.

Over a cuppa, the girls told ME they loved their new looks. Busy snapping each other’s makeover on their mobile phones, the pair agreed a new way of styling hair or applying makeup can give a lift to your look and your mood.

Emma, an administrative assistant at Cafcass family legal advisers, said: “It’s great and I’ve really enjoyed today!

“It’s good to revamp your image from time to time. I’ve picked up some tips, like I wouldn’t have thought to use plum on my eyes. It proves you don’t need to do anything drastic like cutting all of your hair off to get a different look.”

Shauna, who works in the offices at Kingstown’s Ford garage, agreed. “This is a massive change for me – I always style my hair the same way. With straighteners!”

Emma’s makeover used Clarins’ instant light under eye concealer, so chic eye shadow palette, kohl eyeliner in extreme black, wonder length mascara in plum, colour quenching lip balm in shade 16, and a bronzing powder.

Shauna’s makeover used Chanel’s ecriture de Chanel liquid eyeliner, Lumiere foundation, new drama lash mascara in black, levres scillantes lip gloss in blizzard, tea rose blusher, eye shadows in bois bleu and platine.

Both girls’ hair were styled with Tigi Bedhead products.

First published at 15:01, Friday, 02 January 2009
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk