An Evening with Daniel Sandler.

On Thursday, I was invited to a Beauty evening hosted by Look Fantastic, Daniel Sandler and Four, a salon in Conduit Street, off Regent Street. The evening kicked off with copious amounts of champagne (ooh la-la!) and getting to know various other bloggers and make-up artists who were in attendance.

We were then led upstairs where Mr Sandler was waiting with a model. He jumped straight in with an easy smokey eye using a grey eye liner which was then blended up and out with an angle brush. To keep the look modern, he used only a little at first to build the winged effect rather than go in with a heavy layer of the pencil which would give an "80's rounded look". He then built up the colour, blending in the same way to achieve a dramatic effect which would not look out of

place during the day. He chose grey over black because it was simple, effective and looks great for a day time look on women of all ages and especially so on mature women.

To make the lashes look fuller, he took the eye liner to the upper waterline and shade in under the lashes there. Now, this is a bit scary to do for the first time and you may blink an awful lot when applying but it's not as scary as it sounds. Just look down and draw the line in. He also added a blue liner, and a black liner for a more evening look and to add drama.

Smokey eyes can be achieved with any colour; I've done it with turquoise and navy shadows, and Illamasqua has a video that features Alex Box demonstrating how to get the look using pink shades.

So, to get Daniel's look - start off with a grey eye pencil, draw a line as close to the lashes as possible and blend upwards and out to get a slight wing and the beginnings of a haze above the socket line. Keep lightly applying the pencil and blending in the same manner until you get the intensity that you desire. If you wish, add black or blue, or both, or indeed any shade you prefer.

Apply the same grey pencil to the lower waterline and under the lashes. Smudge the line in and apply lots of mascara to the upper and lower lashes. Use a nude lipstick to keep the focus on your eyes.

Mr Sandler then moved on to choosing the perfect red lipstick for your skintone. For years, the only colour of lipstick you could get was red, from the Egyptians using crushed seaweed and bromine, to Elizabeth I using beeswax and beetroot to Flapper girls in the 20's using carmine or cochineal and to our "grandmothers wearing nothing but red lipstick during the war". In wartime, lipstick was rationed at first but the Government removed it from the Ration because it helped with morale and colours were even created to match with red flashes in women's Forces uniforms.

Daniel said that every woman can wear red lipstick so long as the shade is matched with the skintone and that the outfit you are wearing is not red. Too much red is overkill so if you plan to wear red, then go for a neutral lip. If you have a very dark to latino skin, a deep orangey red will enhance your skin. If you are very pale, a blue - pink red will work wonders. People with red/ginger hair can wear red so long as a blue toned red is used.

To wear a red lip, first pick your shade. Make sure the skin is well prepped by concealing all red spots and patches. If you have a ruddy tone, then use a colour correcting foundation such as Clinique Redness Solutions. Red lips will make every red patch on your face more prominent. Apply a tiny amount of concealer to the lips to help grip the colour and enhance the upper lip.

For a simple everyday lip, if you are a bit scared to try red, use your middle finger to dab and blend the colour into the lips to create a stained look.

If you are more adventurous, use a lip brush to apply the colour, making sure you get right into the corners of the lips. Blot, and apply more lipstick either using the brush, or for a more dramatic look, from the bullet.

If you find that the lipstick bleeds into the fine lines, use a lip pencil to go around the edges after you've applied the colour, or use Daniel Sandler's Magic Wand, a transparent liner that will fill in the lines and seal the edges.

After Mr Sandler had finished his lesson, he then took questions from people. I chatted to him for a few minutes, mostly picking up tips on combatting nerves when working on clients faces. I feel his most important tip was to look confident and not to drink coffee before a job in case I get the shakes.

Mr Sandler applying his magic to a lady in the Q&A section.

All in all, it was a valuable evening for me and everyone who attended. Thank you to Four for hosting the evening; Look Fantastic, Daniel Sandler and Shirley for inviting me.

Links.

Daniel Sandler

Look Fantastic