Immortalised in glitter… Fame at last!

Unfortunately, the only thing you can be sure of in life is that one day it will be over. With this in mind, I am happy to know that whatever may happen to me, my legacy will live on in the form of this exquisite Peaches and Cream glitter! Named after yours truly, Rose, this gorgeous magenta colour is now available to buy from the shop in-store or online. We have all been having a laugh in the shop that this one will definitely fly off the shelves because I’ll be excitedly buying all of them!

One of the most popular makeup looks that Peaches provides is a ‘glitter smoke’. One of our Peaches, Polly, created a tutorial on the Peaches blog the other day about how to achieve this look – take a peek at the tutorial by clicking here. This look can be adapted to suit any colour that takes your fancy (we’ve launched a huge range of glitters all named after our nearest and dearest) but today all of us Peaches modelled our own signature glitters. Here’s a look at a Rose glitter smoke!

I am also excited to use this colour on my lips. The fixing gel we sell to use with these will mean that it will stay put wherever you need it to, be it eyes, lips or anywhere else on your body. Here’s a look at me with Nicola, modelling her signature Nicky glitter, a classic gold that will never fail to turn heads.

What are you waiting for? Choose your favourite glitter from the online shop and have a play with a glitter smoke. At just £4.00 a pop, you can afford to be as daring as you wish. I’ve chosen my five favourites here, complete with stories about who they were so carefully named after…

Katie
This champagne coloured glitter is most frequently used by one of the Peaches, little Katie, and looks gorgeous on all skin types. If you can’t find it among the other glitters in the shop it is usually because Katie has it at her beck and call ready to dust over her clients on a Saturday!

Delia
One word springs to mind when I see this glitter, ‘bling’, and it’s exactly the same word that could describe it’s muse, our very own Scratch Dollface. Known for her dirty laugh, her incredible nail art and her hip-hop style, Delia is the perfect ambassador for this glitter that you can’t help but fall in love with.

Stephanie
Named after the gorgeous Steph Blower, this glitter is as lovely as it’s name-same. During my first week at Peaches I had a date and Polly threw this on me in a glitter smoke! I remember thinking ‘Oh my god, can I really go out with someone for the first time wearing this?!’ but was too shy to say anything, and then when she’d finished I was eating my words because I felt a million dollars. What I love about this glitter, too, is that it’s soft enough to dust over your highlighter.

Cheryl
Dark with a hint of silver, this beautiful glitter is like something you’d get if Balmain made cosmetics. Worn to perfection by our favourite wee hen, the beautiful Cheryl Ballinas, it reminds me of the many times I’ve picked up the phone, heard a Scottish accent, and known exactly who it is wanting her makeup doing!

Toni
The queen of the smoky eye, Miss Toni Grant, is the perfect model for this beautiful black glitter. No one rocks a smoke like Toni, she is one of the clients that you can always guarantee to have a laugh with and she has always had patience with me in the many tight corners we’ve been in during my training! (I’d love to think that this may be something of an in-joke but on the particular day I am referring to Kate was filming. Something tells me that this footage will come back to haunt me and amuse Toni one day soon.) If you love a smoky eye but want something that extra bit glitzy, this is the perfect remedy.

To purchase your Rose glitter follow this link, and be sure to explore the other shades while you’re there.

shop.fabulousmakeup.co.uk/product/rose

Happy Halloween

May I take this opportunity to wish all of my Mixed Gems readers a very Happy Halloween. Halloween is one of my favourite days of the year and I celebrated it extensively over the weekend by exposing myself to many weird and wonderful makeup concepts.

On Friday 28th October, my friends from Hot//Light//Fiesta were playing a gig in Liverpool. Keen to embrace the Halloween spirit, I gave them all a Clockwork Orange inspired makeover. We decided that it would be fun to just create makeup schemes that were on one half of their face; in accordance with how they were to be positioned on stage, we shaded a half of their face which would be initially concealed as the gig began and then unveiled as the action began to unfold! This is photograph of Tim Brennik, Hot//Light//Fiesta drummer, with his abstract face-painted makeover.

The rest of the boys decided to go for more of an unfinished makeup look. I gave each boy a dramatic eye (with enormous Peaches and Cream eyelashes!) and then used a mixture of face paint and MAC pigments to create whiteness and shading on their faces so that the look was softer, fading into nothing. Here’s the boys ready to hop into the tour bus and scare their unsuspecting audience.

The following morning, I had my first ever Peaches and Scream experience. Peaches and Scream is the name of the legendary Halloween weekend at Peaches and Cream. Ever on a student budget, I decided to attend as a zebra because I found a pretty zebra-print dress in Primark for ten pounds and I thought that it would be one of those looks that allowed the makeup to do the talking. Much to the amusement of the Peaches, I was complimented on my ‘pussycat’ look all day. As I don’t have as much theatrical makeup experience as the other girls, I was working with clients who wanted subtle Halloween touches to their normal makeup schemes. Here’s a photo of a mermaid that I did.

All of the Peaches went all out on their makeups. One of my bosses, Nicola, ordered a mask online and went as Avatar. I have never seen anything like it in my life… she looked exactly like what you would see in the film and everyone was just amazed by her all day. Lots of clients even asked her for photographs because she was so striking. Another unbelievable concoction was Kate’s makeover for Rosie - an original Peaches monster named Eyeleen. As the evening progressed with a shortage of glasses, we all enjoyed drinking a celebratory shot from an eye that Rosie had torn from her face.

 Hilarious, too, were the reactions of those eating alongside us at the local Greek restaurant after work. (That’s me at the bottom, on the left, grazing.)

All in all I have had a wonderful Halloween and so I hope you all enjoy your celebrations too!

Introducing Mary Donnelly and Marebands

 Welcome the Summer with Mare’s Accessories

Don’t you just love the Summer?

For the past few weeks, most of us have been enjoying a spell of glorious weather. The sun is shining, the clouds have parted and gardens are aglow with lovely flowers!

It’s funny how a small change in the weather can completely change your attitude to your wardrobe. All of a sudden you’re motivated to fake tan, you’re grabbing for the acid brights among your collection and you’re embracing the new season in every outfit choice. But how do you accessorise to suit the new climate? I’ll let you in on one of Liverpool’s prettiest answers to the glorious weather…

The MareBand

Mary Donnelly, Mother Peach at Peaches and Cream, makes the most beautiful hairbands to sell at the shop. Coming in all sorts of configurations, different colours, sizes, textures and styles, each and every one of her creations is a one-off and offers a beautiful concoction of garden favourites.

These small wrist bands are just £6 and will add a splash of Summer alongside your watch or bracelet.

Mary’s hairbands are £10 each and come in a number of forms. Whether they’re circular or finished with loose ends, they’re sure to add a little dose of Pixie Lott festival chic to your wardrobe. Whenever I wear a MareBand I am guaranteed to be complimented and people are always desperate to know where my lovely hairpieces are from.

Baby Peach in a lilac MareBand

What are you waiting for? Come along and browse Mare’s Accessories for yourself… there are countless bands to choose from and she brings new creations every single week. Add a bit of Peaches sparkle to your Summer wardrobe.

Peaches and Cream is located on Dale Street in Liverpool city centre.
www.fabulousmakeup.co.uk

P.S Pixie Lott is a fan of our Marebands… she told me so on Twitter!

“It smells delicious!” – Aunt Sponge, gazing at James’ giant peach

 A peachy announcement!

A Peaches and Cream cupcake

In November 2010, when Peaches and Cream teamed up with me to host a ‘Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder’ themed Bed-In at the Bluecoat, a lasting love affair began. Since then, we have kept in contact to discuss numerous ventures such as their University of  Peaches and Cream classes, their exclusive nail collections and most recently teamed up to create a visual concept for another of my blogs, Bluebird. Now, in an exciting new leap, the girls have decided that it is time to nurture me into becoming their newest, succulent peach!

Peaches and Cream Barbie

I will be training in make-up artistry with the Peaches and have been set the challenge of being peachy perfect by their most exciting pamper day: the Aintree Races. For my first trial, I asked my friend Bridget if I could practise my skills on her before her night out. Here’s what happened…

To begin I started working on Bridget’s eyes. We did these first so that we could wipe off any powder that spilled onto her cheek before going on to apply her foundation.

Bridget wanted a soft, smokey look so we used some gold shades to warm up her eyes.

I added some liquid eyeliner to sharpen Bridget’s eyes and add a little feline fun. Meow!

We finished off Bridget’s look with some bronzer, blusher and of course a set of fabulous false eye lashes. Here she is proudly posing with my University of Peaches and Cream handbook.

This is the first time I’ve followed the Peaches guidelines so hopefully my skills will soon blossom. If you are interested in taking a make-up class with the Peaches, click here for more information. You may also be interested to hear that this Monday the Peaches appeared on BBC3′s How To Live With Women. Follow this link to watch what happened when the girls took on a very bruised and rotten peach…

In the foreword to Express Makeup by celebrity make-up artist Rae Morris, the following is proposed by Natalie Bassingthwaighte:

“(Make-up artists) can make you feel like a million dollars on days when you can hardly bear to look in the mirror, and they have the ability and expertise to transform you completely.”

I couldn’t agree more. Hooray for the Peaches!

www.fabulousmakeup.co.uk

Bluebird Makeover

 An account of my transformation from girl to Bluebird…

Those of you who have met me for more than five minutes will be well aware that I don’t do anything half-heartedly, and so when I was appointed as the ‘Bluebird’ at the Bluecoat my mind went into overdrive. A bird brainstorm began to take over my Moleskine notebook and winged words were beginning to drive me cuckoo. But as much as I love to write, I couldn’t help but feel that I needed to embrace the visual sense of a Bluebird in order to fully engage with my role. Wanting to feel physically acquainted with my inner bird, I knew there was only one solution… I would simply have to pay a visit to my good friends, the Peaches, at Peaches and Cream!

With elaborate hair nests and Black Swan in mind, Kate took to work on my little pale face. Here’s a guide to the journey that we went on…

Post nest-crafting, here I was bare faced and ready to be made up. We had planned on using Cadbury’s Creme Eggs for my nest so we devoured the spares and cracked open a bottle of Rose wine for some cheeky inspiration!

How amazing were these lashes! Despite being decidedly hen-like, we voted against them this time in order to truly channel the blue theme. A definite must for any future aviary projects, though.

Now for stage one – the eye make up. Lots of make up artists recommend applying eye make up before anything else on your face so that you can remove any residue that may drop to your cheek and Peaches and Cream are no different. (If you’re looking to brush up on your make up skills why not enroll in one of their make-up classes? You can click here for more details.)

With Lancome foundation and MAC blusher applied, the basis of my make-up was complete. Although an exquisite evening configuration, this wasn’t quite birdy enough. Now for the real fun to begin!

Adding a blue trim to my hair line, Kate began to sculpt a new shape to my face to make me look like my flying alter ego. Influenced by the transitions that Nina experiences in Black Swan, we loved the idea of shading the skin on my neck to seem as though feathers were bursting out from under my skin.

Isn’t it lovely when everything falls into place? Parading around the parlour like a peacock, the girls and I came to take some photos and giggled with joy when we took the time to realise what a brilliant background was right in front of us… a section of faux grass on the floor! Laying down (unable to stop laughing – finding a photograph of me NOT in hysterics proved difficult) I embraced my eggs and nest to capture that back to nature shot that complimented the Bluebird theme most.

All of the pampering and posing became oh so tiresome, so it was time to kick back on the Peaches couch with my good friends Elton and David…

So there you have it, a brand new beaky me! These photographs are going to be used on my new blog, Bluebird. I’ll be writing about my experiences at the Bluecoat, Liverpool’s creative hub, from the perspective of a little bird that watches over all of the action. If you haven’t already seen my first Valentine’s post then there’s no time like the present.

www.thebluecoatbluebird.wordpress.com

If you think you’d like to pay a visit to Peaches and Cream then pop along and say hello. They’re located right in the heart of Liverpool on Dale Street and are happy to help you create the perfect look for all of your occasions. With the likes of Rebecca Ferguson and Alex Curran in their little black book, they are the masters in making any girl feel fabulous. Take a look at their website for details of all that they have to offer.

www.fabulousmakeup.co.uk

Thank you so much for my make over Peaches!xxxx

“The ripest peach is highest on the tree” – James Whitcomb Riley

The University of Peaches and Cream

Grab your geek chic spectacles and plaid pinafore because it is time to go back to school. This, however, is no ordinary lecture. Prepare to study the art of beauty at the University of Peaches and Cream!

Starting tomorrow, the girls behind Liverpool’s most amazing beauty parlour will be on hand to deliver personal tutorials to those wishing to improve their make up skills. Taking a maximum of 8 ladies per sesson, Peaches Nicola and Kate will be sharing their coveted tricks of the trade and encouraging women to feel confident in applying their make up.

By enrolling in the University of Peaches and Cream* each girl will be taught exactly how to do her make up in accordance with the features of her own face. The initial course will consist of the following:

• Learning the trademark Peaches and Cream beauty style: a brown smoky eye with peachy cheeks (this will be compulsary).
• 1 hour tutorial demo.
• 1 hour practical tutorial with feedback.
• A step-by-step learning guide for you to take away at the end of your session.

Further to this course, the ladies will be providing later tutorials in accordance with the following themes:

• Glittery smoky eyes (I’ve had these before and trust me they are to DIE for! See our Bed-In event page for some pictures)
• Showgirl and theatrical
• Bright eyes
• Burlesque style
• Additional discs to take away featuring images of these looks for future reference.

Want to book? All courses will be on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 6-8pm at the parlour in Dale End and will cost £40. Payment must be paid in full to secure your place but you can do so with ease over the phone! Call 0151 227 1669 to book your place and embrace your pretty features.

Details:

Peaches and Cream, 8b Dale Street, Liverpool, L2 4TH

• Tue 8^th February
• Wed 9^th February
• Wed 16^th February
• Tue 22^rd February
• Wed 23^rd February
• Tue 1^st March
• Wed 23^rd March

www.fabulousmakeup.co.uk

*Please note: this course does not result in a qualification in make up.