The Beauty Scoop: Trish McEvoy

Today, I speak to one of the most influential make-up artists and brand founders in the beauty industry today, Trish McEvoy.

Trish revolutionised make-up application in the 1970s with the advent of make-up brushes shaped to simplify and enhance application. With her husband, renowned dermatologist Dr. Ronald Sherman, she opened the doors of the Dr. Ronald Sherman/Trish McEvoy Skin Care Center in New York in 1978 and pioneered the partnership of beauty and science that is now an industry standard.

Trish is committed to the creation of the highest quality products while putting professional make-up application skills in every woman's hands through her unique teaching programme. The invention of her iconic Makeup Planner in the early 1990s established her place as the founder of make-up organisation and functionality.

Trish has a one-woman-at-a-time approach to teaching make-up applications that work and stripping away the inessential clutter from our make-up bags, beauty routines and lives. She has absolutely enhanced women's lives with her work and her guiding philosophy is that women should be able to maintain a standard of beauty to live their best lives each day and not be obligated to sacrifice their beauty because of the constraints of time, space and the natural changes that occur with age.

Let's meet her.

Can’t live without beauty item(s)?
I can't live without my serum, base essential shadow primer and eye brightener, eye liner, my curling mascara, even skin foundation, correct and brighten for my underdarkness, bronzer and instant pick me up gloss.

Describe a day in your life.
A day in my life is up at 5, coffee, walk the dogs, calls with team members from 6.45am to 8.30am, go to my skincare center and stores, lunch, work at the lab, go out with friends, go home and prepare for next day.

What are your thoughts on the beauty industry at the moment (trends, financial climate, organic, natural products, Dr brands etc)?
The beauty market is going through a time of change... in these difficult financial times women are looking for products they know will make a difference... results oriented skincare products, long wear colour and fragrance that lift one's spirits is what women want today. Education is key - women want to know how to use a product and why.

What are your brand’s philosophies, and how do you put them into practice on a daily basis?
Our philosophy is to make the best product with the finest ingredients and educate our clients to understand the power of make-up, skincare and fragrance.

Name some hero products in the range.
Our fragrances, base essential, foundations, luminizer, correct and brighten, mascara, liquid face colour, instant pick me up lips.

Greatest achievement to date?
A great marriage, good friends and a brilliant team.

Name some celebrities you have worked with or who use your range.
I have worked with Dame Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Angelina jolie, to name but a few.

What more do you want to achieve?
I want to continue to empower women.

www.trishmcevoy.com

BEAUTY TRENDS 2010

It's almost time to say farewell to 2009 - it's been a super year for beauty in terms of strength, vision and innovation - but it's now time to say hello to what 2010 might bring us in terms of trends.

Nica Lewis, director of Mintel Beauty Innovation says: "While 2009 brought its challenges for the industry, beauty brands and suppliers have continued to seek creative new ways to merge science, nature and sustainability for better results and more eco-friendly formulas and packaging. In 2010, we will see more consolidation in the beauty industry and the evolution of old trends, as well as new ones, as consumer confidence returns."

According to Mintel research, the trends below are just some of the things we'll be seeing in the coming 12 months:

1. MOOD BEAUTY
Make-up has always been about making the wearer feel better (and look better, I suppose), but in 2010 you will be able to enhance your mood through make-up and skincare in a way you never thought possible. By creating products that offer psychological benefits and "act on people's neurotransmitters", manufacturers will use texture, temperature and sound to affect your mood, as well as make-up that literally switches on and off.

The process and benefit of sleep (previously written about in Vogue) will also be the focus of night creams - will this mean we will sleep better? Who knows.

2. NU NATURAL
Slightly moving away from the certification side and concentrating more on "results, efficiency and safety". Apparently we will move forward from organic and instead take a closer look at things like authenticity and local production.

"Mintel Beauty Innovation expects claims like "free from" and "sustainable" to appear in products that simultaneously contain synthetic actives like peptides, hyaluronic acid, ceramides or collagen."

I'll be very interested to see how this works - it's a really exciting development.

3. PRO-TECH’T
This is building on the 'protection' foundation that is already in place for hair, skincare and colour cosmetics. Moving forward from UV and environmental protectants, wording will be more extreme - think "firewall" and the like. Packaging-wise, we'll also see things like concrete used alongside traditional glass and plastic.

Furthermore, Mintel expects "immume-boosting and skin-defending claims" to be highlighted, as well as new ingredients from extreme environments like Artic, Desert and Alpine.

4. TURBO BEAUTY 4G
A stronger advancement towards higher-tech beauty products (I imagine due to such high consumer demand) - think "mix-it-yourself" solutions and at-home kits and cures as alternatives to surgical procedures (at a higher level than at-home microdermabrasion kits possibly?)

Clinical testing to "substantiate claims and results" as we've previously seen in the luxury market will move to the "mastige" section of the market (about time too), meaning that it's affordable for everybody, but positioned as a luxury item.

I don't know about you, but if all this comes to pass then 2010 is going to be a very exciting year in the beauty world.

The Beauty Spot: Olivia & Alex Chantecaille

I am honoured to introduce today's Beauty Spot interviewees, Olivia and Alex Chantecaille, two of the driving forces behind one of the most luxurious and hard-working beauty ranges on the market today, Chantecaille.

The high-end range of skincare and make-up (and spa treatments) from the US, housed in exquisite lilac packaging, is created with women very much in mind. Combining modern technology and traditional knowledge of the healing properties of plants and herbs this range treats, balances and protects - the products also look fabulous in your bathroom cabinet or in your cosmetic case.

We're now firmly into the winter season here in the UK (dipping temperatures and central heating), what tips can you bring us from New York about how to keep your skin healthy and glowing during these cold months?
The winter months can be very harsh on skin, I recommend staying hydrated by using a richer moisturiser, such as Biodynamic Lifting cream which contains hydrating desert plants and anti-aging Hexapeptide to fight wrinkles. Then, I would spray the face regularly throughout the day with Chantecaille Rosewater which weightlessly adds moisture and vitamin C, perfect under or over makeup. Finally, adding a hydrating mask once or twice a week can be a real skin saver. I love our Jasmine and Lily Healing mask.

Describe the Chantecaille make-up look this season. What products do we need to achieve it?
Our look for the season is very chic and sophisticated with warm plum/brown eyes and a soft berry lip. The new Sylvie Palette is the ideal eye palette for this look and our new Lip Chic in heirloom gives the polish of a lipstick with the shine of a gloss.

Where do you draw inspiration from for your collections?
We get design inspiration from nature, especially the ocean and colour ideas from fashion trends.

What exciting plans does the brand have on the horizon?
What's next for us is a strong expansion globally and we are relaunching our fragrance category with a completely new look and additional scents.

www.SpaceNK.co.uk/chantecaille
www.chantecaille.com
www.fenwick.co.uk - for more details on the Chantecaille spa services

DKNY For Men

The flatiron building in NYC is one of the most iconic landmarks in the world - as well as being one of my favourite buildings in Manhattan (the Woolworth building comes a close second).

It is, therefore, pretty obvious that I completely fell for the DKNY For Men fragrance which is encased in a glass chamber that clearly draws influence from the Daniel Burnham designed triangular tower.

Inside the stunning packaging lies a liquid that, once dabbed onto your lover's skin, has you instantly hooked. Think spicy notes of white pepper and cardomom, a dash of lavender and topped off with an addictive blend of sandalwood and vetyver.

Divine.

DKNY For Men £47.93
Stockist: 0870 034 2566

Ojon Hair Essentials for Christmas

I'm a huge Ojon fan, simply because it is without doubt one of the best haircare ranges on the market. I am still not convinced about the smell, but I can overlook it for the results it provides me with.

This Christmas they've come up with a cute little Essentials kit, containing all you need to ensure your hair is looking its best. What I also like about kits like these is that they are affordable (£24.50) and the mini sizes allow you to be introduced to the brand without having to commit to full-size products. You'll soon to be moving to the regular size bottles though, trust me.

The kit includes:
Ultra Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner
Restorative Hair Treatment (a must have)
Rub-Out Dry Cleanser (a must have)
Revitalizing Mist

Ojon Essentials 5 Piece Ritual Kit, £24.50
Available from: Selected John Lewis stores www.johnlewis.com, Liberty, Regent St, London www.liberty.co.uk and on QVC www.qvcuk.com.

Forever blowing bubbles

This is like going back to my childhood - yet it's far more glamorous and luxurious.

As part of London's Very Important Pedestrian shopping event tomorrow (Saturday 5th December) around Regent Street and Oxford Street French perfumer Francis Kurkdjian (and creator of Maison Francis Kurkdjian) has partnered with Liberty of London to bring one of his scented bubble installations to the city. The picture above showcases a similar installation he created at the former royal palace of Versaille. Pretty spectacular, I think you'll agree.

If you're unfamiliar with Kurkdjian, I can tell you that he is one of the world’s most famous perfumers and has created scents for Jean Paul Gaultier, Giorgio Armani, Aqua di Parma and Narciso Rogriguez.

The bubble installation, which will be fragranced with Kurkdijan's Aqua Universalis (think fresh and clean ingredients including bergamot, lemon, lily of the valley and musky wood), will run ever hour from 1pm until 8pm on Great Marlborough Street.

It's certainly something different.

It's all about MEMEME... again

Don't be alarmed by the eye shot above - it's kind of scary, but study it closely and you'll be impressed with the mascara that's coating those lashes (for the record - that's my eye).

I opened a parcel from a PR company when I got home tonight and decided to try the product there and then. Trust me, Estee Lauder's MagnaScopic is my 'never part from' mascara of choice so to even contemplate an alternative it's got to be pretty good from the outset.

MEMEME Drama Queen mascara (waterproof and non-waterproof) comes with a tiny wand - this normally puts me off because I like a bushy wand - somehow I have convinced myself that this will make my lashes longer and more luscious (false). However, I persevered, carefully applied the inky formula and to my delight it made my lashes look long, full and really rather elegant. There's no clumping, no spider's legs, just silky-looking, come-to-bed eyes.

Can you really ask for anything else?

£7.82
Available from Superdrug stores nationwide