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Tuesday, 22 September 2009

Getting the Benefit - tips from creative directors Rachel Wood and Lan Nguyen

john cena

Rachel Wood, the effervescent Benefit celebrity Make-up Artist has created looks for a number of designers this week including Harriet's Muse and Alice Palmer. She confided that the new trends emerging from the shows are metallic eyes, in particular copper and bronze shades. The contouring of the cheeks has also become a key look, she recommended the Hoola Bronzing Powder (Benefit £22.50 ) to really pull this look off to the max, "its like spanx (TM) for the face". It has no shimmer in it so works really well to shape the cheek.



Fellow creative director Lan Nguyen, the London-based self-taught makeup artist is celebrated for her edgy make-up looks on the runways. She was in the midst of working on the Romeo Pires show where she had created a show stopping Biba influenced strong eye look. She used a dark eye shadow to create a half circle on the eye lid (try Benefits Smokin' eyes £26.50, a handbag friendly kit with, amongst others, sexy dark shadow colours as well as brow shaping wax and mini tweezers ) finished off with wildly thick false lashes to add shape.


Tips of the trade…


  • For an alluring shine on the shoulder Rachel suggests trying Benefit’s great “Hot Minute” face powder (£23.50).

  • Rachel likes to use light products very heavily, and heavy products lightly - use Benefits Play Stick (£25.00) with a blusher brush for a very light and flawless finish. Then use Benefit’s “High Beam” (£16.50) very liberally as a great highlighter.

  • Lan predicts a geometric trend emerging from this week, strong brows, no powder with lots of rose gold and peach colours predominating.

Gia Mills
Image: Eddie Blagbrough