This behind the scenes photo I took with my HTC is of the gorgeous Rachel Z. who is with Wilhelmina Models and represented by Mannequin in Singapore.

We were shooting an editorial spread for Sands Style (summer 2013 issue) - stay tuned here for that.

In the meantime I can share with you some of the beauty products I used:

If you follow my work than you know everyone gets a little Dermalogica skincare first thing - that's a given.

My latest fave added to my kit recently:

Oh Alison! You have a lovely formula!!! First let me address the 'gluten-free' mention on the package. Sharing the opinion of a few artists 'um - we ain't eatin' it' - I had to ask her: What the heck is up with the gluten-free beauty products popping up these days?

Of course I can't find her verbatim answer BUT she did express that many people she knows who are gluten-free due to illnesses express how anything with gluten, topical or ingested, causes flair ups so she felt that this was important enough to keep her products gluten-free. [also talc and paraben-free]

Alison Raffaele Cosmetics (ARC) has beautiful finishes for the skin - and you may know how I am a die hard fan of FACE atelier Ultra Foundation which will stay in my kit but ARC has a different finish - an even truer second skin than my beloved FA. Neither matte nor dewy, ARC is buildable with a medium, lightweight coverage. She has the best setting powder too, suitable for ALL skin tones - which I have and tested... and love. Spolier alert! This foundation will be in my May Lust Haves!

On Rachel's lips I used black| Up Cosmetics 2 in 1 lip pencil in JUM07. This lip colour I rarely touched up and she had it on all afternoon - in fact it didn't really need touching up but since it was a photo shoot I touched it up to earn my keep on set. It remained looking lush and never dried out for roughly 6 hours and it was still going strong when Rachel left for the day.

She is wearing Ardell Lashes in Wispies. LOVE those lashes. There's some NARS, Tom Ford Beauty, Chanel and a few more beauty tidbits in there.

A lovely model with fabulous skin, hair and attitude - I say 'Book her Danno!'  (Hawaii Five-O reference) Actually if someone could book her again while she is still in Singapore on one of my jobs that would be FAB! ;)
*Click on Rachel's agency links above for contacts.

She's pretty and strong! Just kidding!!! She doesn't have man arms - those are the arms of a male model - this I snapped on my iPad cuz my HTC died at this point.

source fyi - click that because Faz has great treatment tips - err - read this first:

I know a lot of you have been coveting Faz's hair as seen on xoVain and yes, as her hairstylist BFF I am a little jealous of her hair as well. Even while I am doing her hair I tell her how much I want her hair - and I really like my hair.

Hair by Andrea Claire for L'Oreal Paris Canada

Did you know that the best shine in hair comes from hair that is slightly wavy to straight because the cuticle lays flat? That being said you can get shine on curly hair. The key is in the products and the at-home maintenance. Curly/kinky hair is naturally dry with an opened cuticle so you need to add in the moisture - less porous = more shine.

Hair tips:

*Keep colour to a minimum - overdoing the chemical processes damage the hair inside the hair shaft and out, it roughs up the cuticle (outer layer of the hair) making hair look dull and lifeless. - You can cheat the shine with ceramic tools which work with moist heat helping to smooth the cuticle without damaging the hair further. (I'm a huge fan of the CHI tools)
 
*Washing your hair with the right shampoo and conditioners for your hair type and combing through your conditioner with a wide too comb prior to rinsing promotes healthy shiny hair! So your hairstylist is not trying to make a fast buck selling you product in their salon - they truly care for your hair - ok, sure, maybe making a little commission as they do...

*Don't roughly towel dry your hair as the cuticles get roughed up and tangle - instead wrap your hair with a towel or an over-sized white t-shirt to let the excess moisture absorb.

image source and to purchase

*Never brush wet hair - use a comb to get through tangles - I'll make an exception with the Tangle Teaser everything else just rips through knots.

10 Miracle by Marc Anthony (not the singer)

*Use product. I've met some women who are hair product adverse (the horror) but expect their hair to do so much. (I am pointing at YOU Mom!) Even a simple hair primer to even out the porosity and prep the hair will suffice and help with shine and light hold. Try 10 Miracle (shown) or O&M's Style Guru

*When you blow-dry your hair aim the nozzle / air flow down the hair shaft - blowing into or up the shaft encourages the cuticle to lift up- the key is have your cuticle lay flat - blast your hair with a cool air flow after you dry your hair which promotes shine and gives strength to your blow-out.

*if you get razor cuts you need to make sure your stylist uses a sharp blade. Stylists have bad habits of not replacing razor blades and a dull blade will create a lot of split and damaged ends - then you need a haircut - right away.

*Old wives' tales like vinegar or beer rinses will add shine but do you want to smell like the pub?

Aveda 'brilliant' Spray-On Shine $25.00 usd by Aveda at Nordstrom

When all else fails - spray shine! Curly hair can handle more as it tends to soak up the moisture as it's needed. Fine hair can look greasy so you need to be careful in how much you apply.

*Tip for fine hair: spray the spray shine into the air and walk through the shine mist. And just like shine products on your face - you want the shine to catch light - using too much makes you look greasy. 

hair & makeup: Andrea Claire

Darker hair generally looks shinier because it absorbs light and creates depth and shadows.

hair & makeup Andrea Claire for GLOW, Canada

Lighter hair generally looks less shiny in photos because it reflects light and looks flatter but you can get highlights / lowlights to create depth or even a semi-colour gloss that washes out in up to 6 weeks.

Andrea Claire is a hair & makeup artist who has worked on Seal - oh wait - he has no hair - Verne Troyer - wait, he has no hair either - Rachael Yamagata, Sarah Slean, Lady Antebellum, The Bond Quartet, The Veronicas, Alanis Morrisette, Miranda Richardson and more.

Andrea recently appeared on Asia's Next Top Model (ep 6) giving the models hair tips for the TRESemme hair challenge.

For frequent updates like her on Facebook.

I have been a hair & makeup artist now for 23 years and I have mastered washing my makeup brushes 23 years ago.

When it comes to cleanliness in my kit I am a freak.

I had a Russian model sit down in my chair in Singapore who said 'Oh! You are famous one with clean brushes!' LOL. I'll take that.

My brushes get washed thoroughly after every shoot day and on set in-between each colour used and/or new model in front of me. I am a wee bit of a germaphobe.

So when new gimmicky cleaning and shaping products come out I think 'money waster'.

But - I like to buy the newest tech gadgets that launch and this is cheaper than the latest not-so-smart-phone so if you have some money to waste and brushes to clean you may want to buy this Sigma Dry and Shape - they ship worldwide according to their website or you can find a retailer near you here.

My brushes dry in 4-6 hours and into their natural shape anyway so this isn't the best selling feature in my mind.

And if you are like Barbie and have not one smidge of texture to your own hands for cleaning brushes you may want this Sigma Brush Cleaning Glove.

Have I tried these Sigma items? No. So this is literally my Virtual opinion. Will I buy them? Nope. My guess is that if any makeup artist endorses it they either invented it or they got it for free.

Do you know Wayne Goss, makeup artist? Well - he put it on his hot little hand (actually his hands look normal size - it's just a saying) watch him here.

BTW:

and No! You can NOT wash your brushes with baby oil. I saw this going around and even consulted my friends at MAC Cosmetics who were equally horrified at the thought. You wouldn't put baby oil in your hair so same thought with the hairs on your makeup brushes.

I did consider maybe this baby oil method was to breakdown any grease paint or creams in synthetic bristles so I tried on one of my synthetic bristle brushes. It took out all of the colour but then it was left with a baby oil oil slick that I needed to remove using dish soap for five consecutive washes.

This is how I wash my brushes. Good old fashioned human hands, a towel and a countertop.

Just given the fact that the FAA thinks we can take over an airplane with a pair of tweezers should tell you that you need to proceed with caution when tweezing.

My best brow tip to you: Draw them out before you tweeze.

In these pics are the Point Tweezers which are my fave! I've used these for years.

General rule of the brow tweeze

1. as per the top right photo - imagine a line from the side of your nose straight up through your brow. This is where your brows begin - I've marked it off with a brown eyeliner but white liner works especially if you have dark brows. Tweeze the hairs in what is fondly known as 'the uni-brow' area
2. as per the middle photo - stare directly into a mirror and imagine a line diagonal from the side of your nose cutting through the outer ring of your iris (your eye colour) through your eyebrow. That would be your eyebrow arch.
   
3. as per the bottom right photo - imagine a line from the side of your nose angled diagonally through the outer corner of your eye towards your temple - this would be the tail end of your eyebrow

I have drawn a thin line under my brows which I will tweeze along for a more defined shape,  but there is nothing wrong with keeping some hairs underneath if you prefer a more natural brow. At the ripe age of 42 I am clinging onto definition where I can get it.

Tweeze in the direction that the hair grows. If you like thin brows just remember that over-tweezing can leave your eyes looking heavy and tired not to mention that plucking hairs over and over can damage the root causing them to just not grow.

Always tweeze in even light hitting you from the front. Overhead light creates shadows and can mess with a clean tweeze.

You can bring the light to you with the Tweezermate 10x Lighted Mirror. LOVE this. Such a godsend for applying liner on myself since I am a little anal retentive.

These Tweezerman On the Go Mini Slants are great to tuck in your handbag. Honestly - back of the taxi window light is great for tweezing - just do it at a red light or like me standing in the middle of the sidewalk in Singapore with the Arab St Mosque in the BG - ok - I wasn't tweezing in the middle of the street. I was trying to make a fun picture with Mosque in the background but it wasn't as brilliant as I thought it would be.

Locate Tweezerman near you

And boys... these tips are not for you - I'll give you the uni-brow to tweeze and THAT IS ALL!

Reconsider the excessive manscaping.

*I am part of the Tweezerman VIP Pro program
*Find Tweezerman products in Singapore

As seen in Nylon (Singapore)

photography: Brendan Zhang
styling: Amanda Tan
makeup: Andrea Claire using FACE LACE, Maybelline and Urban Decay [Face Lace is wicked awesome - BTS here.]
model: Dasha V / AVE

Get Dasha's colourful eyes:

Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo Eyeshadow       $6.99 USD at Ulta (LOVE these)
 

Urban Decay Eyeshadow  $18.00 USD at Sephora

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil  $19.00 at Sephora

and little me on the Nylon contributors' page

One itty-bitty thing: I did a guest appearance on Asia's Next Top Model for TRESemme as a hairstylist not a makeup artist. Not sure why they edited my bio to read makeup artist for Asia's NTM.

Say it with me: Lust haves because I love them and you must have them!

Original Mineral Detox Shampoo and Conditioner set.
This combo is amazing for oily scalp, swimmers and anyone else who feels that their hair has build up - which should be D) all of the above. I bought this after conferring with my friends at O&M due to Stuff Zoie Says developing an unintentional shade of swimmer's mint blonde. Since I like to test everything on my hair I found that it gave my hair new life. I've been using it on my clients who have sinced raved that their hair feels 'like it did years ago' - tea tree is one the ingredients working magic here. If you don't have an oily scalp nor swim a lot, still consider this as an at home detox treatment once a week and trust me - you fine hair girls are going the love the new found body it gives you. Live in Singapore? Buy it here.

Let's kill two birds with one stone.

My HB [husband] went on a business trip and took with him some important steps to my skincare regimen - he's jealous and trying to sabotage me. I had some Skin Inc from an event swag bag that I forgot I had and the Kate Somerville eye cream I bought after sampling some of her other luxe creams.

Skin Inc - Skin Supplement Bar I had originally heard rave reviews from Mmerci Encore who at the time reigned the beauty dept at Harper's Bazaar Singapore. I was given their 'Daily Dose' then and loved it, but we shortly relocated to Austin Texas (2009) where Skin Inc was out of sight and therefore out of mind. I must have been out of my mind to let that happen. As per the pic, I have been using the Skin Inc Vitamin A and Placenta - not to worry Vegans! It's plant placenta! ...unless you're opposed to screaming carrots - I kid! I don't think it's carrots - maybe screaming aloe.
*Skin Inc ships worldwide! [and ps - we relocated back to Singapore in 2010 - I love Singapore but I miss Austin, especially my house.]

Kate Somerville Line Release Under Eye Repair since my HB walked off with my Dermalogica I seized the opportunity to go shopping. I have been ageing fairly gracefully (minus the trucker mouth) so I am lucky in the lineage department but that doesn't mean to leave it up to nature. I love the velvety texture Kate's Line Release gives under my eyes and just like my coveted fave, concealer doesn't crease over this eye cream and your fine lines will diminish. Win/Win!

Kate's dual purpose tip: Try putting a dab on the lip line to help soften lines, hydrate the area, and make lips look fuller and keep lipstick or gloss from bleeding into the lines.

In one of my recent BellaBox monthly beauty deliveries was this little gem: Macadamia Natural Oil Healing Treatment. I love that it has a natural UV protector which is important in any climate for all hair types - chemically processed or not. Suitable whether your hair is fine or thick BUT fine hair proceed with caution and use sparingly. Put a few drops in your hands first, rub together and then apply on towel-dried hair to the mid-lengths, ends and then roots without adding more to your hands or hair.

*NOTE: 'Towel-dried' does not mean attack your hair like a crazy person with a towel. Best to gently wrap your hair to absorb excess water - roughly towel-drying causes friction lifting the cuticle causing breakage and flyaways - especially a bad method for curly or damaged hair.

Another beauty subscription gem from the The Black Box Team in Singapore - Dr Jart's V7 VitaLaser (available in full sizes at Luxola) Again, it's about texture for me when it comes to skincare. This V7 VitaLaser is packed with vitamins to nourish the skin healing the after affects of acne and pigmentation while fighting the signs of ageing and protect against the elements including the evil UV rays. Fire the V7 [Vita]Lasers! It absorbs quickly and yes I can still feel it but it leaves my skin velvety smooth. Velvet skin textures + makeup = love. 

*you got the Austin Powers reference - right? Yes? No? Moving on...

Read all my Lust Haves up to date here.

Andrea Claire is a beauty-pro with a career as a hair & makeup artist for 20+ years. Connect with her on Facebook here.

Cosmo Singapore April issue on the stands now! [yes, you see the return of the other page because it's a scan. sigh]

photography: Micky Wong
styling: Janice Pidduck
hair & makeup: Andrea Claire

image source: my behind the scenes Instagramming.

model: Yana K / UpFront Models Singapore

Products I used:

On her skin: Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream, FACEatelier Ultra Foundation
On her gorgeous wolf eyes: Tom Ford
Cheeks: MAC
Lips: NARS Chelsea Girls - love this so much you have no idea.

Update: oh yeah... I did hair too. duh - I've been using Original & Mineral a lot lately. I LOVE them. Original Queenie to humidity proof hairspray and it doesn't smell like Grandma's comb-out!