Beauty Journal

Notes on the painted face

Part history, part method. Where beauty has been — Tudor ceruse, Victorian secrets, ’90s restraint — and the handful of techniques and tools that still earn their place in my kit.

Your Bridal Makeup Trial: What to Expect and How to Prepare

When to book your trial, how to prepare for it, and what should happen in the chair — a working makeup artist's honest guide to getting the wedding-day look right, long before the morning itself.

Makeup for Over 50: A London Artist's Guide to Mature Skin

Age-positive, technique-led advice on makeup for mature skin — from prep and luminous bases to cream products, softer definition and looks that let you feel like yourself.

Party Makeup in London: A Makeup Artist's Guide to Looking Your Best All Night

From milestone birthdays to black-tie galas and New Year's Eve — how I create party makeup that suits your outfit, survives a long night and photographs beautifully.

Bridesmaid Makeup: Creating a Cohesive Bridal Party in London

How I approach bridesmaid and bridal-party makeup so every face is flattered, the group looks cohesive, and nobody competes with the bride.

How Much Does Bridal Makeup Cost in London?

What really drives the cost of a London wedding makeup artist, from trials and party sizes to early starts, add-ons and deposits, so you can compare quotes with confidence.

Where to Get Your Makeup Done in London

Visiting or based in London and want your makeup done properly? Here's an honest look at your options — from department-store counters to a mobile artist at your hotel.

Evening Makeup: A London Night-Out Guide

How evening makeup differs from day, how to build a smoky or soft-glam look that lasts, and when it's worth booking a professional for the night.

Christmas Party Makeup: Festive Looks That Last

Glittering eyes, a classic red lip, soft champagne glam and berry lips — my guide to festive makeup that lasts the whole party season.

Graduation Makeup in London: A Look That Lasts From Ceremony to Celebration

How I build graduation makeup that survives a long ceremony, endless photos and a night out — natural glow, soft glam or a bolder lip, done to last.

Booking a Makeup Artist for Prom in London: A Guide to a Flawless Night

Everything you need to know about hiring a professional makeup artist for prom night in London, from choosing your look to getting ready with your friends.

Makeup for Headshots & Photoshoots: A London MUA's Guide to Looking Camera-Ready

Why makeup for the camera is a discipline of its own, and how I prepare clients for headshots, personal-branding shoots, portfolios and boudoir across London.

Famous Makeup Artists Who Shaped Modern Beauty

The makeup artists who invented the craft we practise today, from Hollywood pioneers to the British editorial legends shaping beauty right now.

2010s Beauty: The Instagram Era, Contouring and the Brow Boom

Sharp contour, big brows, matte liquid lips and full-coverage 'Instagram face': the 2010s turned makeup into a global, camera-first language.

2000s Beauty: Y2K Makeup, Lip Gloss and Frosted Everything

Frosted lids, glassy lip gloss, pencil-thin brows and all-over shimmer: the Y2K aesthetic is back, so here's the real story of 2000s beauty.

1990s Grunge and Minimalist Beauty: The Decade of Authentic Rebellion

From Seattle grunge to Calvin Klein minimalism, how the 1990s tore up the rulebook on glamour and made authentic, understated beauty the new ideal.

Wedding Guest Makeup: How to Get It Right — and Make It Last All Day

The unwritten rules, the long-wear technique, and the honest checklist — how to look wonderful in every wedding photograph without ever upstaging the bride.

Makeup in a Heatwave: How to Keep It On When London Hits 30°C

When the city hits thirty degrees, the usual routine slides off by lunchtime. Here's how I build a face that survives real heat — thin layers, the right textures, and a glow you keep instead of a mask that melts.

1980s Power Dressing and Bold Beauty: The Decade of Maximum Impact

Big hair, neon shadow and boardroom contouring — how 1980s 'more is more' beauty turned makeup into a statement of confidence, power and success.

Wedding Guest Makeup Ideas: Looks for Every Season and Dress Colour

Spring garden or winter candlelight, pastel silk or jewel-tone velvet — how to choose a guest look that flatters the season, the setting and the dress you've already bought.

1970s Beauty Revolution: From Hippie Natural to Disco Glamour

One decade, two opposite looks: barefaced hippie naturalism and dazzling disco glamour. Inside the 1970s beauty revolution and its lasting influence.

The Best Setting Sprays a London MUA Actually Reaches For (Bridal & 12-Hour Wear)

The setting spray is the one product that decides whether a face lasts the whole day. Here is the honest edit I carry to real London weddings, matte to dewy.

Best Foundations for Mature Skin, Chosen by a London Makeup Artist

The foundations I reach for on mother-of-the-bride faces most weekends: luminous, hydrating, second-skin formulas that sit on top of lines rather than settling into them.

The Makeup Brushes Worth Buying: A Working Artist's Kit Edit

After fifteen years in the chair I've stopped believing you need thirty brushes. Here are the few that actually earn their place, and the ones you can skip.

Best Mascaras for Every Eye: A London MUA's Tried-and-Tested Edit

Mascara is the one product a bride will cry in. Here are the formulas I keep re-buying, sorted by need — from tearproof tubing to a gentle pick for reactive eyes.

False Lashes for Beginners: How to Apply, Remove and Which to Buy

A working London artist's step-by-step for applying, removing and reusing false lashes, plus the exact beginner and hooded-eye styles I put in clients' hands.

The Best Makeup Primers for Every Skin Type, Explained by an Artist

Primer is the least glamorous step and the one that decides whether your makeup lasts. Here are the primers I prep clients with, matched to oily, dry and mature skin.

Gua Sha and Face Rollers: The Pre-Makeup Glow Tools I Prep Brides With

The sculpting and depuffing ritual behind editorial skin, and the gua sha tools, rollers and oils I actually reach for on a wedding morning.

How to Store Your Makeup Like a Pro: The Best Organisers and Vanity Kit

How I keep a professional kit in order, translated into home storage that actually works — acrylic drawers, rotating caddies and lit mirrors that earn their place.

Prom Makeup That Photographs Beautifully: Looks and the Products Behind Them

The soft-glam and glitter looks I create for younger clients' big nights, broken into shoppable, affordable products so a mum or teen can recreate them at home.

Luxury Beauty Gift Sets a Makeup Artist Would Actually Give

A curated gift guide for the beauty lover in your life, chosen by someone who knows which luxury sets are genuinely good versus prettily packaged filler.

The Best Beauty Blenders and Makeup Sponges, and How to Keep Them Spotless

The number-one reason home makeup goes patchy is dirty tools. Here is the hygiene routine I use behind the chair, plus the sponges and cleansers worth owning.

Festival Makeup: Glitter, Longwear and the Kit That Survives a Weekend

Editorial glitter looks translated into a sweat-proof, sunshine-proof shopping list — the glitter, setting spray and longwear kit I would actually pack for a weekend.

1960s Mod Beauty and Swinging London: The Revolution of Youth Culture

Graphic eyeliner, pale lips and razor-sharp bobs — how Swinging London and the mod movement made youth, androgyny and experimentation the new beauty ideal.

1930s Hollywood Glamour: Old Hollywood Makeup and the Silver Screen

The 1930s gave us Old Hollywood glamour: sculpted thin brows, satin lips and flawless screen skin engineered by Max Factor for the close-up.

1920s Flapper Makeup: The Roaring Twenties Beauty Revolution

Kohl-smudged eyes, a tiny cupid's-bow mouth and unapologetic powder: the flapper made wearing makeup in public a declaration of freedom.

1940s Makeup: Beauty, Duty and the Victory Red Lip

Rationing, red lipstick and remarkable resourcefulness. Inside the wartime beauty of the 1940s, when a made-up face became a small act of defiance.

Post-War Beauty and the New Look Era: 1940s-1950s Makeup and Hairstyles

From wartime victory rolls and Victory Red lips to Dior's New Look glamour — how the 1940s and 1950s built the foundations of modern beauty.

Pin Up Makeup: The 1950s Bombshell Look and How to Recreate It

Bettie Page, Marilyn and Rita built the 1950s pin-up bombshell: porcelain skin, a black cat-eye flick and a bold red lip. Here's the history and how to recreate it.

Eye Makeup Evolution: From Ancient Kohl to Modern Artistry

From sacred Egyptian kohl to cut-crease artistry, the story of how humans have decorated the eyes for protection, status and pure aesthetic allure.

Who Invented Mascara? A History of Darkened Lashes

The story of darkened lashes, from ancient Egyptian kohl to Rimmel, Maybelline and the grooved brush wand that changed everything.

The Art of Contouring Through the Ages: Sculpting Beauty Across Centuries

Contouring is far older than Instagram. From Greek amphitheatres to Hollywood's golden age, the story of using light and shadow to sculpt the face.

Edwardian Beauty and the Gibson Girl: Glamour at the Turn of the Century

The Edwardian years bridged Victorian modesty and Twenties rebellion: the Gibson Girl's soft pompadour, dewy skin and barely-there bloom defined the age.

Victorian Beauty Secrets: The Hidden World of 19th Century Makeup

Behind the Victorian ideal of effortless, God-given beauty lay a hidden world of secret cosmetics, elaborate skincare and dangerous beauty remedies.

Georgian and Rococo Beauty: Powder, Patches and the Marie Antoinette Era

Powdered skin, vivid round rouge, silk beauty patches and architectural hair — the 18th-century court made beauty pure theatre, for women and men alike.

Marie Antoinette Makeup: Beauty at Versailles

Inside the painted world of Versailles: the ceruse complexion, theatrical rouge, coded beauty patches and towering hair that made Marie Antoinette the face of an age of artifice.

The Evolution of Lipstick: From Ancient Rituals to Modern Statement

From crushed Sumerian gemstones to today's liquid formulas, trace how lip colour became a symbol of power, rebellion, and self-expression.

Tudor Makeup and Renaissance Beauty: The Dangerous Pursuit of Perfection

From Elizabeth I's white-lead mask to belladonna eye drops, discover how Renaissance beauty ideals were pursued at a deadly cost.

Elizabethan Makeup & the Mask of Youth

Inside the ghostly-pale, red-lipped beauty of Elizabethan England, and how a smallpox-scarred queen turned cosmetics into a mask of power.

Medieval Beauty: Pale Skin, Plucked Brows and the Church's War on Vanity

Medieval beauty lived in tension with the Church: pale skin, plucked hairlines and rosewater rituals pursued discreetly under the shadow of 'vanity'.

Mastering Basic Makeup Techniques: Essential Skills Every Beauty Enthusiast Should Know

From skin prep to setting spray, master the foundational techniques that turn everyday makeup into a flawless, professional-looking result.

Makeup Products Decoded: A Beginner's Guide to Foundation, Concealer, and Base Products

Primer, foundation, concealer, setting spray — understand what every base product does and how to choose the right formula for your skin type.

The Art of Geisha Makeup: Japan's Living Beauty Tradition

The geisha's white oshiroi face, crimson lips and bare nape are not costume but craft — a centuries-old, deeply coded tradition still practised today.

Understanding Colour Theory in Makeup: The Science Behind Beautiful Looks

Master the colour wheel, find your undertone, and learn which shades make your eyes pop — the science that turns makeup guesswork into artistry.

Makeup Brushes 101: The Complete Guide to Tools and Their Uses

Natural or synthetic? Which five brushes do you really need? A complete guide to choosing, using and caring for your makeup brush collection.

Beauty in Ancient Greece and Rome: Lead, Lustre and the Classical Ideal

The Greeks prized a 'natural' beauty they quietly engineered; Rome turned cosmetics into ritual and luxury. Together they set Western beauty ideals in motion.

Ancient Egyptian Makeup: Kohl, Cleopatra and the Birth of Cosmetics

Long before modern beauty, Egypt's kohl-rimmed eyes, green malachite shadow and red-ochre lips fused ritual, status and protection into the first cosmetics.

The Complete History of Makeup: From Ancient Egypt to Modern Beauty

From Egyptian kohl and Roman lead foundations to mod eyes and HD makeup, trace cosmetics across the millennia and the cultures that shaped them.