Drawing Dior...

Okay so there are only two days left of the ‘Dior Illustrated’ exhibition at Somerset House, so if you are around that part of London (Strand/Covent Garden way) do pop down. It’s only £6 and you get to see the work of Rene Gruau, a key fashion illustrator for the Dior House.

Now, back in World War II, Dior made dresses for the Nazi officer's wives. This for me has always tainted my view on Dior products, and I know we are many years on from this event; it’s always hard to shift an association that immoral. Put this aside, the drawings of Rene Gruau are full of beauty and poise and you cannot but admire them. The exhibition mainly focuses on Dior’s famous perfume collection; there are even some vintage bottles on show too, which I wanted to take home for my dressing table!

My favourite picture was ‘Diorling’, 1963. Subtle, calm, euphoric and captures the era it was painted suitably. It was one of the first pieces in shifting Dior’s Haute Couture image to the more relaxed ready-to-wear idea. A few other stand out pieces were ‘Dior-Dior’, 1976 and a Gruau inspired painting, ‘Mademoiselle Shush’ by Erin Petson.

The only collection that didn’t match up to his other glamorous pieces were the illustrations of Eau Sauvage and Jules, the two men’s fragrances. I’ve included a pic I took from the exhibition programme, it says it caused controversy at the time it was realised, but it just looks like an A Level Art project to me?! This being said, I did leave the exhibition wanting to go home and draw. Doing an art based degree at uni, I have sorely missed the life drawing classes and the designing since graduating. So I decided to go home and illustrate my own ‘Christmas Thank You’ cards in honour of Mr Renu Gruau himself. (It’s of an eye with pink eyeshadow and false lashes!) Just need to get them printed and sent out now!

The exhibition is on till 9th Jan (this Sunday) so do pop along if you’re in the area.

Lip Liner Loving...

I am on a mission to save women from poorly applied lipstick. The simple solution is lip liner; it executes lips with a professional sleek finish, it stops lipstick from bleeding and you can create the illusion of larger lips without the pain of surgery. Listed below is my theory on the best way to apply lip liner...

1. Firstly make sure your lips are moist and smooth.
(Dr Feelgood Lipscription by Benefit is a lip exfoliator and balm duo, perfect for getting rid of dry skin and moisturising at the same time. Kiss Mix from Eve Lom is a more intense hydrating balm for those who need a little bit more care)

2. Dab a bit of concealer, only a little mind, onto your cupid’s bow. This will define the shape and make it stand out. To make it stand out even more so, try adding a highlighter over your concealer. (Highbeam/Moonbeam by Benefit is a gooden as it has a really nice iridescent finish)

3. Make sure your lip pencil is super sharp. I find it easier to quickly sketch the shape of your lips with small dashes, rather than to draw a constant thick line. It may look a bit messy with this technique but it allows you more room to amend the shape if needs be.

4. Using a brush or even small cotton bud soften the inner edge of your lip line. This creates a sharp edge to your lip shape, with the inside of the line being softer to blend in with your lipstick.

5. With a lip brush paint on your lipstick/gloss carefully making sure you keep within your lip liner. (Nothing is more frustrating when you’ve spent hours creating your shape with liner, and then spoil it by being too excitable with your lipstick! Although a good tip to know is that make-up removes make-up. Just dab and wipe bit of concealer over the trickled lip colour and it will lift immediately – this tip also works well if you ever dash mascara on your nose!) Take special care of applying the lip colour to the inside and corners of your lips as these are the more tricky areas.

The products I have used in my demonstration pictures are...
• Eve Lom Kiss Mix £12.50
• Mac Studio Finish SPF Concealer £12.50
• Illamasqua Medium Pencil in Titvate £12.50
• Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Petulant £12.50

By all means this is not the rule, it just works rather well for me – feel free to leave a comment on your own lip tips as I would love to hear them...