Lovers of fashion are in for a treat next week with the New Zealand Fashion Festival kicking off. The festival will be celebrating wonderful Kiwi fashion and, even better, the collections are all available in stores now.
The festival is a chance this time for the general public to experience their own "fashion week" (New Zealand Fashion Week is held every September and designers show their collections for the next season ahead to buyers and the media).
There are many events happening next week including various runway shows, which can be checked out here.
Something we're really looking forward to is M.A.C's Beauty
Seminar with the company's senior make-up artist Amber D.
Click here for tickets.
Amber is fresh off fashion shows in Milan and Paris and she just bristles with so much sheer enthusiasm and unbridled excitement it's contagious!
Amber became a senior artist at M.A.C in 2006. The next year saw her backstage in Milan for her first international collection.
Travelling solo to the event as the only M.A.C artist from New Zealand, her make-up kit safely stashed in the hold, the butterflies were soaring in Amber's tummy - but she needn't have worried.
She still recalls being introduced to the M.A.C team and the incredible impact they made. Everyone is an individual, unique, but creatively a team she said.
"It's awesome when you understand that you are part of that."
That pivotal experience was the element that pulled all the threads of M.A.C together. One glimpse and she could see how trends were developed, runway looks were created, and how designers, stylists and make-up artists all collaborated to create that season's "look".
M.A.C Beauty Seminar
Tuesday, March 22, 7.30pm
Shed 6, 90 Wellesley Street, Auckland
Tickets $75
This Tuesday night, Amber and two other top M.A.C make-up
artists will be sharing their tricks of the trade at the M.A.C
Beauty Seminar. Guests will be introduced to all the key make-up
trends from the international runways while being taught industry
tips needed to master the art of make-up application.
Amber believes that New Zealand women crave beauty education and
just want to know how to apply make-up as many don't know and have
never actually been taught.
The seminar will be projected on a giant screen so no-one misses a thing. The $75 admission fee is so worth it! Even better, guests will receive a gift valued higher than the ticket price.
The seminar will discuss and demonstrate key products and trends for Spring/Summer 2011, creating inspirational looks on models, but at the same time making it all thoroughly wearable for consumers.
Amber leads a glamorous life and has virtually just returned from doing all the Paris and Milan shows (Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh and Marni to name but a few!). One of her favourites is the Vivienne Westwood show which is always highly creative and out there.
This season the make-up look at Vivienne Westwood was based solely on M.A.C's black and white chroma-cakes. Top international make-up extraordinaire Val Garland did a wee demo but then the brief was basically just to go for gold.
Vivienne Westwood's Gold Label was another unorthodox show which saw models' faces pushed into vats of glitter to create quite the disco look!
On the other side of the spectrum some of the most beautiful make-ups are the hardest to do - such as a simple, perfect, nude face. Top make-up artist Tom Pecheux is a maestro at achieving this look.
Make-up trends
Amber took us through the four biggest trends happening in the world of make-up right now.
1. Colour-blocking
Loud, bold and confident colours are all the rage over in Europe at
the moment. Everyone is wearing clashing or contrasting colours for
maximum impact, and make-up is also reflecting this strong trend.
The once dreaded "matchy-matchy' look is also back - look out
for bright oranges, neon pinks, electric blues and purples and all
sorts of whacky colours.
2. Icy pastels
Icy pastels are also back with a vengeance. Beautiful lavender,
mint and baby pink pastel tones are huge this season. It all looks
very "kawaii" or cute as the Harajuku girls say in Japan.
3. Beautiful Skin
Beautiful, perfect skin is in. Think refined, luminous and minimal.
It's all about looking after your skin with prep and primers,
brightening serums and creams that reduce pigmentation.
4. Mascara
Big, sexy lashes are everywhere. Think doll-like, curl them up and
build upon them with layers of the blackest of black mascara.
Amber is nuts about M.A.C's Haute and Naughty Lash mascara.
Amber D: A few of her favourite things
Top five must-have M.A.C products:
1. Prep and prime powder: vital for achieving an immaculate finish.
2. Studio Sculpt foundation: this gel-based foundation gives a flawless finish to the skin.
3. New cream blushers: these are coming out soon and have the most gorgeous colours.
4. M.A.C lipstick: always a perennial favourite. Lipstick is back, so be confident enough to wear something strong such as Bright Red. Also, try the Pro-long wear lipstick which won't dry your lips out and has no need for re-touching.
5. Haute 'n' Naughty mascara: This double-ended mascara creates a sheer lash on one end and a thick, sexy rock and roll lash on the other. Genius!
A little make-up tip from Amber:
If you want a consistently bright, perky look, always line your eyes with M.A.C's Chromagraphic nude eyeliner pencil. Your eyes will look bigger and brighter and it will take away any redness.
Amber is inspired by:
-Other make-up artists at work as you never stop learning.
-Fashion and make-up blogs!
-Going to art galleries
-Just trying new things all the time
Amber's favourite make-up artists:
There are just too many! Standouts are Alex Box who creates the make-up for Gareth Pugh, where different things are always being brought to the table. Val Garland for constantly pushing the limits, and Tom Pecheaux whose work is sublimely beautiful.
A beauty look that Amber is crazy about:
The challenge of creating a seemingly nude face, disguising the use of products and working with the shape of the face.
Amber's 5 most favourite places in the world:
1. Tokyo
2. Paris
3. Shanghai
4. New York
5. Fiji
Amber's latest fabulous purchases for the new season:
Some beautiful and intelligent pieces from Cybele, Zambesi and Trelise Cooper and some amazing new shoes brought back from overseas.
We hope you're all as inspired as we are!
See you next week,
XOXO Style Blog
