Why I am happy to be a hippy…

 

What does the word ‘hippy’ mean to you? Dreadlocks? A penchant for tie dye? Free love?? The English Oxford Dictionary describes a hippy as ‘typically having long hair, wearing beads, one associated with a subcultural rejection of conventional values and the taking of hallucinatory drugs.’ But I say look beneath the surface you will find that what makes someone a hippy is so much more than that.

Indeed, the original hippy movement was born in North America and Western Europe as a counter existence to the more conventional and accepted modes of living which placed money and personal power at its core. Hair was worn long and loose and clothes became colourful and flowing in defiant juxtaposition to the clipped and uniform post war haircuts and solemn and formulaic garb of corporate and conventional living in the late 50s/early 60s. And obviously there were the drugs. New age mavericks such as Timothy Leary and Aldous Huxley were experimenting and challenging conventional modes of thinking and being through the use of drugs such as LSD – finding ways of opening the mind and heart beyond the normal ways of thinking and being. Much of this came as a backlash to the two European world wars in the first half of the century and also the American war in Vietnam. It encouraged qualities such as peace, love and acceptance to flourish following a climate of violence, oppression and atrocity.

Which takes me to now. 2016. A time where one of the most powerful and supposedly developed countries has an staunchly right wing and scarily applauded presidential candidate, where in the UK (another leading global player and supposed role model) the present government is making continual cuts to welfare further marginalising those on the poverty line whilst simultaneously lining the pockets of the already super rich. Where lost souls are finding a warped sense of meaning in the form of group based terrorism inflicting their angry and misguided messages on innocent bystanders. I wonder what those brave, pioneering hippies of the 60s and 70s would have thought if they could have glimpsed sixty odd years into the future….

I often find myself being described as ‘a bit of a hippy’ and will happily refer to myself as one from time to time. My hair isn’t that long, I loathe tie dye and other than smoking a few joints in my formative years, have never taken a hallucinatory drug. And yet, I feel akin to those free loving spirits of several decades ago. For at it core, being a hippy means following your own heart and path. Digging deeper than merely what it expected of you from both society and your peers and finding a way to a life that truly makes your heart and soul sing. More than that, it means giving a monkeys beyond your own wants and desires. Caring about those around you and the world at large. When researching this article, I stumbled across this insightful quote summing up the frequent  backlash so often felt towards hippies that made me feel proud (and rather relieved) to be a hippy – someone that hasn’t buried their dreams for the sake of fitting in, to follow the crowd.

“We hated them, for their flowers, for their love, for their unmistakable rejection of every hideous mistaken compromise that we had made throughout our hollow, money bitten, frightened adult lives.” June Jordan.

I found another description of the word hippy at the online Urban Dictionary which described one as ‘having a bright take on life and who cares about the world instead of ruining it.’ This resonated deeply with me as I and my fellow modern hippies strive to cultivate positive attitudes and actions at a time when the energy of fear holds so many in its smothering palm and the planet threatens to implode on itself after years of abuse. As I write this, news of yet another devastating earthquake comes through on the news. Might this be the earths way of saying she’s had enough?? More than ever, the world needs hippies. It’s not about how you look or what drugs you take – it’s about how much you love. Yourself. Enough to honour your dreams and your passions and to open up your mind and heart to new possibilities and in turn inspire those around you to do the same. How much you love your fellow human beings, to make a positive difference to the folk around you especially the ones in pain, frightened by the events in the media and the words and images in their minds. And finally the planet – this beautiful, perfectly designed and delicate orb which we inhabit, the land and the surrounding oceans which continually gives to us and which we rape and pillage in return.

The world really needs hippies. A.k.a people who give a shit. And it doesn’t take much. Just choosing to rise above the judgement, the fear and the smallness and to step into more meaningful lives beyond the ‘perfect’ pictures we paint on Facebook and that next best iPhone when your previous one was absolutely fine. Choosing to buy environmentally friendly products over chemically based ones which will most probably pollute the waters and potentially cause you great harm (see my last post!) even if they cost a few pennies more. By being vulnerable and acknowledging and allowing others theirs too. By knowing and standing by your truth even if it means sticking your neck out a little and being seen. You are worth it, my loves and future generations and the state of this planet literally depends on it.

How to Avoid The Curse of Contouring

If I had a pound for every time I have been asked how to do contouring makeup look in recent months, I’d be one very rich Becca! The majority of people asking me how to do this look are young girls, teens and women in their early twenties which I have to say makes me a little sad. Several of the young women I know including daughters of friends and the teenage girls I often make up in my wedding and prom work are fixated by this face shaping makeup craze which has been sweeping the internet of late with the prime source being one Kim Kardashian. Kim has become a viral sensation through the continual tinkering and adaption of her appearance from that extraordinary bottom and inflatable bosom through to her elaborate makeup which transforms the planes of her face with the clever use of light and shading. And it is undeniably clever. You only have to see photos of her without makeup (in which I personally think she looks very lovely) to see that the couple of hours she spends in the hands of her makeup artist can create very high end looks that have teenage girls across the globe scrabbling for their makeup bags.

But I want to flag up a couple of points about this trend. Firstly, you have to wear a LOT of makeup to really transform your face a la Kimmie. This in itself takes time and money to a) watch the countless ‘how to’ videos and b) keep you replenished with the required makeup. Mrs West clearly has both of those in spades. The average teenager, probably not so. And if they are spending so much time wired up YouTube to try and replicate these looks, what things are falling by the wayside? School work, socialising, getting outside into the fresh air, sleep???

And while these contouring tricks can produce the ‘perfect’ selfie to impress your peers on Facebook, Snapchat and the like – in the flesh you can run the risk of looking a little on the drag queen side. For it is the wonderful drag queens of the world who truly started this craze using makeup to soften their masculine features to create a more feminine face. I’m not sure about you but looking like a male to female impersonator is rarely my ‘go to’ look of a morning/night out….

Another point is colouring. The Kardashian clan are are naturally very olive skinned and that particular skin tone can take quite a bit more makeup then say your classic fair skinned Brit. I recently did a bridal makeup job which involved making up the bridesmaid team. The youngest of the tribe was a twenty year old sweetie who when I asked she how she liked her makeup, up piped her sister with ‘do you know who Kylie Jenner is…..?’. My little heart sank. She proceeded to show me some photos of her sister out on the town and the makeup artist in me found itself recoiling from the harsh use of bronzer which had created two alarming, brown stripes across both cheeks and across the top of her forehead. Silently cursing Kylie Jenner, I set to trying to give this very pretty, very fair and very freckly maiden a ‘contoured’ look that I wouldn’t later hang my head in shame in admitting too. The end result was definitely a compromise as no part of my role as a professional makeup artist was going to faithfully replicate her own forays into contouring, bless her. I used a lovely English Mineral Makeup bronzer in Soft Bronze to gently enhance her cheekbones and some fantastic concealer sticks by Susan Posnick to add some subtle highlighting to the tops of the cheeks/browbone/under-eye area and bridge of the nose. Everyone said how lovely she looked with less heavy makeup.  Later on, I caught her looking at herself with a little smile so I hope maybe she will be less inspired to reach for the pan-stick next time and let some of her own natural beauty shine through.

For this is my finally gripe with contouring – it’s ability to swamp any inner glow which for me is where true beauty lies. I am the first to attest to the empowering, uplifting qualities of makeup which can enhance features and bring colour and definition to the face. But at what point does makeup start to become a mask? A way to hide yourself beneath a veneer of cosmetic illusion that ultimately leads you to reject what lies beneath? Your own lovely face. I am sure that overuse of makeup can feed a sense of facial dysmorphia in more vulnerable cases and this is where makeup is no longer empowering. Or fun. When you have become a slave to the slap, it might be time to dig a little deeper than just your outward appearance and go within. To find and build on what makes you truly beautiful and to start to see yourself as the  goddess that you are – lovable and worthy of the best, with (and more importantly) without makeup.

 

Could your makeup be doing you more harm than good?

One of the things I am very passionate about as a makeup artist is a move towards more holistic products which are safe for the skin and body in general, kind to the environment and which really work. And I am delighted to say that there are some fabulous ranges on the market these days. Over the years, I have worked alongside some wonderful mineral based brands including Bare Minerals and the English Mineral Company and fellow makeup artists and make up fans are often mentioning new holistic product lines to me which shows it is a growing market.

I will talk more about the aforementioned brands and some of their counterparts a little later and introduce some of my favourite or ‘hero’ products as they are called in the beauty industry but firstly I want to explain why I am so passionate about raising awareness of the importance of safer, more sustainable beauty and why the time is now for making changes both from a health standpoint and for the future of this beautiful planet.

Most of the products you will find on sale in department stores, beauty boutiques, online and in larger pharmacies contain a high level of chemicals. Chemicals such as benzophenone found in lip balms and nail polish, ‘carbon black‘ which is a component in many mascaras and eyeliners and formaldehyde, a commonly used preservative in beauty products are all being linked to a number of health issues including premature aging, endocrine imbalances and even cancer. Parabens known to be hormonal disruptors linked by some to breast cancer are in the vast majority of makeup products (see this link to an article in the Telegraph which names and shames some of the worst offenders – lovers of the very popular Diorshow mascara, please read up!). And it is not just makeup putting us at risk. Homosalte, a widely used chemical in sun lotion has been shown to disrupt hormone levels in the body as well enhancing the absorption of pesticides. And we have a real baddie in the form of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate also known as SLS, a foaming agent found in many shampoos, soaps and am alarming amount of baby products which is a known skin irritant, has corrosive properties (also a main ingredient in car wash soaps and garage floor cleaners for that very ability), has been known to pollute ground water and proved to contain potentially carcinogenic nitrates. It is in so many beauty products – you only have to look at your current soap/shampoo/conditioners and you will see just how prevalent it is. While mercifully, we are far more aware of chemicals such as pesticides in our food these days with a shift towards more organic ways of producing what we eat, with even the likes of fast food chain MacDonald’s now advertising the use of organic milk and introducing it’s first 100% organic burger, the potential hazards involved in most modern woman’s beauty regimes still lie very much unspoken.

Without delving too deeply into the food side of things (that is a whole article in itself), studies are rapidly starting to appear linking the use of pesticides and preservatives to certain cancers, behavioural issues particularly in children, skin irritation and endocrine disruption. But I don’t eat my skincare and makeup so why should I worry, I hear some of you say? Oh but you do, lovely ones. Did you know, for example that when you apply a product to your face or body, it will enter the bloodstream in about 12 seconds? And that recent studies are suggesting that 60% of what we place on our skin will end up in our stomachs? The skin is a live, active organ that lets waste out mainly through the sweat glands but can also absorb substances into the body. Recent studies claim that women who use conventional make-up on a daily basis are absorbing almost 5lb of chemicals a year into their bodies.

With an increasing evidence to suggest that our bodies are becoming more sensitive not only to what we eat but also to what we apply to them, I truly believe it is time to start demanding more ‘healthy’ products which do not compromise/jeopardise our health and which in turn honour the earth through a use of more holistic ingredients and sustainable packaging. Which takes me straight onto my next point. Waste and the shocking amount of it in the beauty industry. Think about that mascara you last purchased. Most mascara lasts around six months before they starts to dry up. And when it does, what do you do? You throw it in the bin and buy another one, of course you do. As do I because what else can you do? Mascara packaging is not currently a very easy thing to recycle, rarely appearing on those stickers on your recycling bins! But have you ever thought about what happens to that little plastic tube? Made from non-recyclable plastic containers, they will most probably sit for centuries and leach toxins into a landfill. That is a depressing fact, is it not? I did an Internet search to see how many mascaras are sold globally each week. It was tricky to get an overall figure but the mascara market is worth an incredible £130 million and women spend an average £20 a time. Max Factor claims to sell three of its best-selling False Lash Effect Mascara every minute across Britain – that’s 12,960 per day in the UK alone. Two Lancome mascaras are sold every second worldwide making an epic total of 86,400 a day. All those little tubes eventually have to go somewhere….

So what is the way forward? I’m not suggesting we all stop buying mascara and their beauty counterparts, good lord no! Thank god for mascara etc and I say that both as a makeup artist but also as a regular and empowered makeup wearer. What I do want to see however is the use of more recyclable materials the beauty industry especially the materials used in the production of beauty packaging. Something to think/speak/petition about. Watch this space on that last point….

Something else I want to mention is that most chemical based makeup should really be thrown away after a year of use. Even if it still works. I know that can be a painful process as makeup can be costly but what could a lot more painful is the effect these older products are potentially having on your body. The preservatives in most chemical based makeup last about a year before becoming ineffective, rendering the product unstable. Yup, the chemicals literally destabilise and you are therefore applying hazardous substances to your face and body. Plus you wouldn’t eat food months beyond its sell by date so why continue to use beauty products? I realise that skincare and particularly makeup often still looks the ticket even beyond their use by dates couple and may even smell just as good as when you purchased them (there go those powerful chemicals again!) but they are the proverbial wolf in sheeps clothing!  Chances are they are doing more harm than good so please, please be kind to yourselves and release them from your makeup bags and bathroom cupboards and treat yourself to a new, safer version. And for that, please read on….

Back to those wonderful ranges I mentioned at the start of this post which have good, sound ethnics behind them beyond pure profit (the beauty industry is worth mega bucks, currently standing at £17 billion in the UK and a whopping £62 billion in the States) and contain good, clean stuff in them.  I was first introduced to Bare Minerals about ten years ago and have used them ever since both for my own makeup routine and for my professional use. Started in the States by Leslie Blodgett , the brand offers a wide range of products to suit all skin tones and lifestyles. Very fashion forward colour and texture wise and favoured by actresses such as Cameron Diaz, Natalie Portman and Kate Hudson to name but a few, you can look really great using these products without compromising your health. I am a particular fan of their Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream foundation – a light, tinted foundation base that really brings a gorgeous dewy and youthful glow to the complexion and is super easy to apply. Their Pure Brightening Serum Foundation (see below) is great for those who like a little more coverage from their base. I also love their Lash Domination 10-in-1 Volumizing Mascara (see above) which thickens and enhances my reasonably fair lashes and doesn’t irritate my eyes in the process like most other brands do. The recently launched English Mineral Company, started by delightful mother and daughter team Jeanette and Grace Burrows is a fabulous and ethically sound range with a huge range of foundation powder wise to suit all skin tones (I should know, I am the lucky owner of the full foundation line – thank you, Jeanette and Grace!) and a divine ‘hero’ product called ‘Fairy Godmother‘ which acts as a makeup primer and also a makeup veil (sets the makeup and gives a lovely soft focus finish to your look). It can also be used as a nourishing overnight skin treatment. Three in one – what’s not to love?? Added to which the entire range is cruelty free, vegan and British made which gets a massive thumbs up from me.

Other fab ranges worth a mention are Sheer Cover,another US brand available online in the UK, Inika, German brand Dr Hauschka and mineral range Tropics which was recently introduced to me by another makeup artist. I would love to hear of any more holistic ranges so please do leave any suggestions/recommendations in the comment box below and thank you in advance x

I hope this article hasn’t scared the living daylights out of anyone!! This will never be my intention at Here To Shine. My reason for starting this blog was to raise a little awareness about the subjects of which I have some experience and of which I am truly passionate about and holistic beauty is one of them. Knowledge is power and the more informed we are about the product choices available to us, the more likely we are to make decisions that are empowered, authentic and healthy not to mention kind and considerate to this very special planet we call home.

 

To Thine Face, Be Kind….

“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” Eleanor Roosevelt

In my fifteen years of being a makeup artist, I have met some truly beautiful women. And when I say beautiful, I’m not just talking about the ​sundry models who have sat in my makeup chair – I’m talking about ​​the mothers, the grandmothers, the nurses, the teachers to name but a few who have shown me what it really means to be beautiful. Large sections of today’s media and sections of beauty industry place huge emphasis on external beauty and more crucially on youthful beauty, infiltrating our lives and psyches through television screens and the magazines we read. Who hasn’t reached for a face ​cream promising anti-ageing qualities or a serum claiming to reduce lines and wrinkles after seeing a very powerfully persuasive advertising campaign?

It is normal and healthy to want to look after your skin and there are a number of effective products that can keep skin more supple or help combat oiliness but a cream that is going to actually work against the effect of gravity? I don’t think so. Let us not be enslaved to the advertisers! The fact we so often judge and deny the ageing process in western culture with such a vehemency  makes me sad. In more traditional societies, older age is celebrated for the associated qualities of wisdom and empowerment. Many native cultures teach that a woman doesn’t truly step into her power and glory until she reaches and surpasses the menopause.

Such is the power of imagery that today’s advertising industry is ​subliminally creating pressures​ and unrealistic expectations which are starting to undermine who we are as women. Most of the images you will see in photoshoots and advertising spreads will have been heavily doctored to the point that we are gazing upon illusions. And yet we subconsciously and consciously compare our own faces and bodies, which will never live up to these images for in the real world they simply don’t exist!

I am sad to say it is rare for me to meet a women who feels happy with the way she look. And yet I have always found ​something beautiful in everyone I made up. Why is it that we focus on the negatives and cannot see ​the positives in ourselves the way that others so often do? And what makes us properly ‘​beautiful’ anyway? It is so much deeper than that which appears on the surface.​ We have all met that person who whilst not being necessarily beautiful in the more ​conventional sense, lights up each ​the room they ​enter. Whose warmth and inner glow makes them truly gorgeous, who​ you want to be around because their combination of healthy self​-​ confidence, kindness and sense of ​fun makes them one god damn, sexy chick!

So next time you look in the mirror, try and see the lovely bits because you will undoubtedly have them. From your eyes, which have allowed you​ to see so many fabulous sights from that stunning sunset to your child’s first steps. That lovely smile of yours that has made someone somewhere feel at ease ​in difficult times​. Your face (and those lines!) which will ​express some of ​your ​greatest adventures – the times you’ve laughed with friends until your stomach ached, those moments when you raised your eyes in surprise when told a nugget of exciting news​ and even a little of the pain and suffering which is all part of the journey and from which we often learn our greatest lessons and garner that amazing inner strength that gets us through all the ups and downs​. When you next catch sight of your reflection, try to really see yourself for all you are not just how you look. It will take awareness and effort to see yourself in a deeper way, with a sense of heart which accepts and embraces and by not giving all your attention and power to the little voice that tells you aren’t good enough/thin enough/youthful enough. But golly, folks -your life will be sweeter, kinder and easier for it. We are gifted with one life and it’s really quite short ride so dear ladies​ -​ to thine faces, please be kind x

 

Shine On, Baby!

Hello and welcome welcome welcome to my blog! For some time, I have nurtured a dream of putting the technological version of pen to paper and sharing some of the things that make me passionate, in the hope that they can serve to inspire, uplift and maybe tickle the old funny bone from time to time of anyone who comes across this site.

I realise that the internet and the world in general is swapped with other people’s views and opinions and that it can all seem rather overwhelming for our poor brains to decipher which article/book/blog post to read and that is before we have ascertained whether they are even applicable to our own lives.  But I also know that when something resonates/ hits the spot/provides a bit of a eureka moment – you have to grasp that nugget in whatever form it comes. Working as a makeup up artist for the past fifteen years in the UK fashion, magazine and television industries in addition my time spent as a hatha yoga teacher and energy healer, I have seen and experienced the many ways in which we can feel good from the inside out. As Marianne Williamson, the spiritual teacher and inspiration for this blog’s name once wrote, “We were all mean to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” So let yourself shine, folks – the world is going to be a much better place for it!