Girls on the go...

Rush hour is a nightmare......getting ready in the morning has to be fast and furious yet the look must be polished and professional. Mulain and the fat mu team are always being asked about 'fast make-up' tips and tricks. The world moo-ves so fast non? It's a luxury if you have twenty minutes to spend doing your make-up for going out.....working girls and guys know that getting ready to work in the morning is rushed and on a tight time-line. So how to do your working/polished/professional face in 5 mins? There is a way and it involves 7 make-up products!

Important to visualize your look....think the 'Sex and the city' girls - polished and professional....nothing that jumps out from the face...just under-stated chic.....Go!

Tinted moisturizer - apply your favourite - we say Benefit's You Rebel.

Concealer - Mac do great little concealer pots.

Blush - gel or cream or powder - essential for a quick injection of colour.

Eyeliner - or Kajal -quick and easy definition on the eyes.

Mascara - your favourite mascara is good - Maybelline is fab.

Brow fix - fix your brows in order to complete this quick, polished professional face.

Lips - gloss or lipstick - quick easy way to pop your face with colour - you can have 5 different shades everyday to make you look different and up-to-date.

Et voila - ready to fly out the door - remember to carry your powder compact with you to blot that 'rushed' glow....and smile it will light up your face.

(Mulain says please check your morning lighting though - as much 'natural' light as possible.....in the wrong light your 5-min 'polished look' might become 5-min 'night of the living dead look'....beware....you have been warned.)

Mulain x

A woman to be admired...

Madame Kristin Scott Thomas is a woman close to Mulain's heart. Not only beautiful, she has a talent and charisma that is extraordinary. She also lives in Paris, speaks English and French impeccably and is, I think, a fantastic role-model for women all over the world. At 49, she is still getting fantastic roles as an actress...cleverly and probably intuitively working in French cinema not just on the Brit or American scene. She has said that French cinema has offered her great roles....'I've Loved You So Long' being one. Mulain loves the fact that she does not chase the Hollywood route but does it her own way....in Paris....dipping into roles that she likes and raising her family at the same time. Private, cool and chic.....hanging with Charlotte Rampling, Jane Birkin and Juliette Binoche.....she is truly a fat mu muse. She seems not to be vain but recently insisted in an interview with 'The New York Times' that she is, saying and I quote.......‘‘It’s because of my vanity and my pride that I don’t want to have my skin drawn tight across my face, I don’t want to have big lips. Isn’t perfection really about being able to wear your years in a way that is agreeable to look at?’’. Mulain is in total agreement with her.....

Mulain recommends her films 'The English Patient', 'Gosford Park', 'I've Loved You So Long', 'Four Weddings And A Funeral' to start with. A great woman to admire....

Bravo ...Mulain x

So here's to you Mrs.Robinson...

Mrs. Robinson from the 1967 movie 'The Graduate' is a legend! Every young man's fantasy. An experienced, mature, attractive woman seducing you and willing to show you the way dans la chambre.....am I right boys? Well Mulain watched 'The Graduate' recently and was blown away by how sexy and alluring Mrs. Robinson was. Great hair, lovely 60's make-up and an incredibly confident approach. As the character unfolds we see how actually she is afraid of her life and her age and the youth of her daughter....an equally sexy Miss. Robinson (also great hair, lashes and eye-lines to die for).

Mulain has observed that nothing has really changed from 1967 when the film was made to now 2009 when women are meant to be in control of their lives....women still hanker for youth or lost youth! So sad my friends.....and so self-destructive. I think Mrs. Robinson and Miss. Robinson are equally attractive but in different ways....there is the innocence and freshness in youth but confidence and feminine knowingness is fabulous as well. Lesson is don't worry about age - it's going to come. Face it, embrace it, run with it...or it will eat you alive. As Bette Davis said....'Old age ain't for sissies!'....How right she is.

Please watch and observe in the film the fabulous hair, great lashes and in the wedding scene please take note of the wonderful natural coral gloss on both femmes Robinson. Just stunning....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9eIXN6Sp40
So here's to you Mrs. Robinson,
Mulain loves you more than you will know,
Wow-wo-wo....oh-ho-ho....Mwah!

Mulain x

Mannequin make-up!

The finished job! Mannequin make-up and hair...

Today MU Virginia's make-up brief for a jean's campaign was to make the male model look like a Mannequin. The MU's love any make-up challenge and it's always fun to do different get-ups! The most important feature for this look is the skin.... it is essential that it should have that plastic, polished, shiny look - basically unreal. So working in co-ordination with the photographer and his lighting (a make-up artist's best friend my dears!) we played around with different products til we all reached a common conclusion of the best look. So using a small bowl some MAC face and body (cool tone) was placed with some Revlon Skinlights and a lovely dollop of body moisturizer was added to the mixture. After it was stirred up and mixed together it was placed, with a large foundation brush on any flesh that could might be seen - arms, feet, neck, ears.....thus giving the body a lovely sheeny, plastic looking base. Important to work closely with the stylist so that you don't ruin the clothes...otherwise you will become the most unpopular person on set!

For the face a Ben Nye base was put on to create a flat look. From this the sculpting of the face began.....lots of contouring, using a lovely Ben Nye shade.....and Highlighted with a Derma palette. We really played with the lights and darks...changing the face to look unreal and very structured but not feminine. Have to say the star of the day was Benefit's Highbeam which was placed on any protruding body features to really pop the look....the bridge of the nose, the cheekbones, the brow bones, the collar bones, the wrist bones, the finger joints, the toe joints! We went highbeam mad but it made the look complete and everyone was 'appy....

For the lips and eyes we played around with different looks - nude matt lips, then using model's natural lips, black eye line on top of the lid for definition, also a beige eye line on top, with a strong nude colour on the eyelide. Eyebrows were brushed up high and set with browfix, and transparent mascara used on the lashes.......it was great fun and all day was like sculpting or painting a lovely canvas.

Virginia could n't resist adding a little rouge in a couple of shots......just for a little Oh la la!

The hair we also made into a Mannequin look....like a wig, making it look unreal with different products - wax and gel, different directions, always covering the model's natural hairline.....fine balance between high fashion look and bad wig! Very challenging for all involved, especially the model who had such hard poses to maintain. Bravo Gaurav.....you are a superstar......so patient with us all day.

Mulain is off home for an early night - quite exhausted by it all and having the need to remove Bombay from his face....facepack is programme for the night and a good rest - it is quite 'ard the life an artiste!

Til tomorrow...Mulain x

MAC and the artist!

To quote MAC....."Art is in M∙A∙C's DNA".... so for this season they have taken three celebrated artists to create images for the Fall 09 Make-Up Art Cosmetics collection. See these artists as they work with M∙A∙C colour. First they show Richard Phillips with his trademark approach to hyper-glamour, digitally retouches an image with supersaturated M∙A∙C colour and finishes. Then there is Illustrator, Maira Kalman who is bold with shades and is playfully eccentric with her take on life. Lastly there is Marilyn Minter, whose creative juices go towards seduction and sexiness, using MAC's Pigments and Glitter.

As always, MAC are ahead of the make-up game my friends in celebrating the art of make-up not just a trend in cosmetics. So much soul and creative talent. J'aime. Bravo.

Mulain x

Keep calm and carry on!

Mulain has been watching the news over the last few days about the memories of World War II. The Second World War started 70 years ago yesterday 3rd September 1939 and finished 6 years later in 1945. I don't think any of us can imagine those dark days and the horrors that come with wars. I know my friends that conflicts and isolated violence/wars happen everyday all over the world.....but this war involved all of us in our little global village non? 2194 days of war! Families torn apart, countries torn apart, the world torn apart. It really must never 'appen again......we must all remain neutral, kind, compassionate as human beings. Not easy I know.

The above poster was used during the London Blitz....'Keep calm and carry on'....so British non? But London was not the only city affected......London, Paris, Athens, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Tokyo, Casablanca (loo-ve the movie), Moscow, Stalingrad, Warsaw, Rome, Stockholm, Brussels, Singapore, Rangoon......all these cities and hundreds more turned on their heads. We must all remember and take note of the suffering and huge sacrifice that people made......Russia alone lost 39 million during this time!!!

Mulain must add though, as disastrous and catastrophic as the war was, it allowed women on a mass scale to prove their worth in the workplace - in the UK for example, the men were away fighting so ladies had to fill the gap! This broke through gender barriers in a huge way and laid a path for post-war women to study, work, seek a career.....giving them a huge boost of self-esteem and confidence. Bravo!

And who can forget the lovely Betty Grable as the favourite war-time pin-up girl. All the troops loo-ved her....those legs, the hair, that smile. Mulain's grandfather in the navy used to bring Max Factor make-up back from New York, I think trying to re-invent my grandmother as the UK's version of La Grable.....lipstick and powder! Amazing, even in hard times people still want to look good and have fun. You can't keep the human spirit down I tell you.

So Mulain says thank you for those that sacrificed their lives so we can all live in liberty and peace. For those interested Mulain suggests the following flicks to see the 1940s style and feel the mood......'Downfall' ***** (5 stars - excellente), 'Inglourious Basterds' **** (4 stars - mad!), 'Casablanca' ***** (5 stars - classic cinema), 'The Sound of Music' ***** (5 stars - fantastique), 'South Pacific' ***** (5 stars - wonderful), 'Schindler's List' ***** (5 stars - heartbreaking), 'Sophie's Choice' ***** (5 stars - traumatic).....I could go on...but think that these movies will give you a roller-coaster of a weekend.

Keep calm, carry on .....Mulain x

Xavier D'Souza

Our MU Xavier D'Souza is such a super-star...completely versatile in his work, jumping from brides to monsters, from clowns to fashion...super talented and super lovely. This is some of his latest work in August GQ. Today he is with MU Natasha, assisting her on a Garnier TVC. It's a-buzzing at fat mu HQ...lots of exciting stuff in the pipeline. Virginia has been holed up in a studio for the last 5 days shooting for the latest 'Lifestyles - Autumn and Winter Collection' - she is in desperate need for some Benefit's tan-tastique facial bronze tint...she has not seen the sun for days! All work and no play makes fat mu super dull...that's why we make sure we have fun too...Oh la la...as if Mulain will tell you what the MUs get up to......Sssshhhhh! Mulain's the word.

Keep busy my friends and happy!

Mulain x

Talk to the tan!

Talk about a bronze facial tint with 'tan-i-tude' - that's what the Benefit website says...and so true. Today MU Virginia used this tube of tan-tastique facial tint to warm up one of the lovely male models on her shoot. Easily applied onto the face, with the right brush of course, Virginia used a foundation brush to get an even finish.....just gives a lovely colour/tint to the skin, after you've put on your fave moisturizer....and the best bit is you can keep applying til you get the right shade, then wash off at the end of the day. Great for warming your skin up for a slight sun-kissed look....if you're in an office all day and need some help in putting life back into your palour, do try this leetle gem....be warned...you may get addicted....

Mulain x

Scar-y stuff

Mulain loves this photo of a scar test, done by MU Natasha for friend Arjun Mathur....the two had great fun preparing the gruesome look and creating the scar.....special effects are just too much fun to do and the fat mu team love the change / chance of working with character looks as well as beauty and glam.

We love it all my friends!
Mulain x

P.S. Have to ask has anyone else seen QT's 'Inglourious Basterds'?....Some great special effects scenes to be watched, if you're a fan.....great scalping and cutting into flesh. Also check out Brad Pitt's throat scar....not bad methinks....

Give me RED.......!

The power of the red lipstick is often underestimated. A bold, confident and sexy style statement in itself that not many women think they can carry off. Mais that's where you're wrong mes cheries... from a classic movie star red to a scarlet blue red to deep wine or a brick red... there's a red for every girl of any colour... and any age...! My Grandma still has her bright red lipstick on everyday at the age of 81 and I have to say she looks just marvellous...! So if she can do it girls you definitely can... and I promise you won't be sorry... so pick your favourite red to suit your complexion and put it on the next time you go out and see how fabulous you look and feel...!... and the beauty of it is .... its always in fashion...!

Available at most beauty counters to suit every budget... follow the link below for tips on how to wear red lipstick and how to chose the right shade for you!

http://www.easylivingmagazine.com/TestedSelected/PracticalGuides/RedLipstick/default.aspx

Mx

Beetroot blush!

La Beetroot!

Recessionista blush is on! Mulain is introducing La Beetroot! Even Madame Shilpa Shetty has been known to say that she uses Beetroot as a blusher. Not that it's a new idee....Beetroot was also used as a hair dye in Victorian times as well as on the cheeks for that lovely English Rose look (you thought it was natural?). Mulain's grandmother was telling him only last week that his Great, Great Aunt Phoebe (who married a diamond-mine owner from Nigeria in the late 1880s!?!) always used the beetroot to keep herself looking flushed, blushed and rouged up, from Africa to Europe, wherever she travelled! An easy, healthy, cost-effective option - simply boil the beetroot and put on your cheeks on top of your moisturizer. Voila!

Be 'beetroot' beautiful and see people comment on your glow!

Mulain x

Spoilt for Choice!

Mulain is finding it hard to keep up with the speed of new make-up brands that are being launched all over the planet, what an explosion! Even in a recession people are still buying beauty products. There are so many, are we spoilt for choice? It's fantistique on one hand as we have so much choice but YOU, the people, mu-st find it hard to keep up to speed on what's new and good and worth the bucks. No need to stress you know you have moi. I do my best to wade through the world of maquillage to keep it simple and find out the true little treasures and tricks, tips and truths.


Am on the pulse my darlings, 24/7......Interestingly there are two pop-stars recently who have both turned out 'niched' cosmetic brands - red haired beauty Nicola Roberts from mega girl group Girls Aloud has designed her products to suit pale skins and red/light/strawberry blonde haired gals - 'Dainty Doll'. Obviously a gap was there in the market that needed to be filled. Another (coming to Selfridges in two weeks) is another songstress Beverly Knight's creation, offering her K' make-up range for darker skin tones and shades and again seeing a gap in the beauty market that perhaps was not being filled.



We at fat mu HQ are always open to new brands and trying them out....Mulain tries to not get cynical about the business side of make-up and the 'sell, sell, sell' culture........was a little sceptical when checking out the Primark new make-up range...I feel it's just too cheap! And I am never truly 'appy putting a product on my skin if I can't read the ingredients...not too keen on glitter gels and creams that burn the skin...not a good, feel or look....umm....but you never know...anyone out there tried them?


'Pure' is another new one, 'Jemma Kidd' is on the move up in popularity, mineral make-up brands too......'Soap and Glory', 'Illamasqua', 'Too Faced' and 'Urban Decay' still going strong....it's a tough, fickle and fast paced market.....do let me know if you know of any new 'brands' on the block my friends...always good to know...


Mulain x

Illamasqua

Mulain thinks any brand that takes its creativity from 1920s Berlin is worth being investigated. Already in London's Selfridges, which is famous for show-casing new and cool brands and about to launch stateside......Mulain thinks this is a brand worth checking out.

UK's Illamasqua is the product of a heady mix of influences. Its roots stem from the dark and illicit 1920s club scene and combines a rich heritage in the manufacture of make-up for film and theatre. It also takes inspiration from members of the ‘alternative scenes’ for whom self-expression is paramount. Alternative cultures have always dared to be dramatic. They have an emotional attachment to making up. It’s an expression of their darker side, a release for their alter ego.

Illamasqua is for the bolder person hiding inside all of us. It is an act and an attitude. A symbol of tolerance. A celebration of idiosyncracies. A confident statement of self-ownership.

I like the sound of that.....so another trip to Selfridges is required...oh it's a hard life!

Mulain x

Our MU Natasha!

Mulain gets all proud of his MU artists when he sees their work and loo-ves to celebrate their talent. MU Natasha is featured in this month's August GQ India, as well as designing Arjun Rampal's hair and make-up for the cover and fashion story. Bravo ma cherie. Keep up the good work and we look forward to more coming.

A proud Mulain x

Super cute and super mini!

As www.minibourjois.co.uk website states.....'Cute size, a rainbow of colours and tiny prices'. Mulain has found the perfect 'on-the-go' make-up. Bourjois who are a great, affordable highstreet cosmetic brand have given us mini make-ups. Pocket size nail polishes, eyeshadows, blushers and lipglosses....so easy to carry in your bag, great if you have to go from a day look to an evening look with little time to spare and does not break the bank. Tres affordable!

The new Mini Bourjois Volume Glamour Mascara promises Bette Davis eyes which makes me just want to go out and buy it.

Mulain is off to Space NK now to check out the new Jemma Kidd range....think JK has replaced my favourite Dr. Hauschka....off to investigate.

Mulain x

India's Got Talent.... Indeed!

This weekend saw the finale of 'India's Got Talent'... and Mulain is pleased to say that the winners were the wonderful 'Prince Dance Group' from Orrisa . I am in awe of these people....! One, because they are young labourers from Orrisa who have managed to train themselves to perform a world class act that is just lovely to watch and two, because they are a visual treat not only because of their choreography which they do to perfection but also because of the way they paint themselves up to perfection .

This last act saw them painted in a dazzling silver which made them look liquid in motion.... a beautiful gold...a demon painted in a stunning deep ebony black and the god like figure in a vibrant blue... flawlessly applied and so vibrant... it's really inspired me to create magic too.. just like they have.. and I hope it does the same for you...!

A truly mesmerising series of acts....Check them out on you tube or follow this link for their final act http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-iEBdktiaA

Enjoy and get inspired...!

Mx

Shake it up baby....

... with Benefits new scents. Have you tried them...? If not you must....coz they've done it again...! Not only do they smell great but they look uber cool too...! Packaged to look like mini cocktail shakers...they come in 3 fragrances and are the hot new thing to have in your purse.....!

My place or yours Gina (woody oriental... with notes of pink pepper, wild raspberry and patchouli)

Something about Sofia (oriental floral..with hints of oriental blossoms, mango and vanilla)....and...

Laugh with me Lee Lee (woody floral... a blend of citrus, jasmine and lily blossoms)

Make sure you get your hands on one... if not all three...! makes for a fancy gift too!

Mx

Hydration

Skin feeling dry and dehydrated.....? Small lines creeping up......? Not drinking enough water.....? Don't worry.... there is a quick short term fix in the form of the lovely Clarins hydrating mask. Put it on just before your big day or night out for lovely plumped up skin or just to ease the tight discomfort away. I've even left it on all night and slept with it on only to wake up to lovely looking smooth hydrated skin...! Try it... but remember.... this is only a short term solution mes cheries... you need to hydrate internally to keep those wrinkles at bay... and keep your skin looking good and feeling good for many years to come...! So start drinking...! water that is......Mx

Smoothies!

Mulain loo-ves the smoothie drinks that are so cool to have now and makes sure he has as many as needed to keep the skin and body looking and feeling va-va-vroom....So healthy and gives us all our vitamins A - Z that we need every day. Now listen closely.....make-up company Clinique have jumped on the Smoothie bandwagon and spoilt us with some yummy Smoothie Lip Glosses. They have squeezed in the best ingredients, like Vitamin C, and powered-up antioxidants so lips look and feel their healthy best. Gives a great colour colour, shine and moisture. Mulain loves the Nude and Grape ones...do check out my darlings.

Mwah - Mulain x

Hollywood smiles

Mulain was with a friend last night who he had not seen for a long, long time....something was different about 'im and I suddenly realised his teeth were WHITE! not just white my friend, but WHITE - almost blue! So I enquired about this and he confirmed that he had been to see a professional and had got them 'cleaned up and whitened'. Hollywood smiles my dears....love them or hate them, there are lots out there. I 'av to say, honestly speaking that I am not a big fan. Mama Mulain told him when he was leetle that healthy teeth were bone colour, that meant they were healthy and strong. I think a bit of cleaning and polishing is ok, but bleaching teeth to make them seem healthy? Is that not actually weakening the teeth? I think it is a slippery slope my friends. Indians have fabulous teeth, it's in the blood. Europeans, namely the Brits have 'character' teeth. Americans have whiter than white. It's a choice thing I suppose....if you are curious...check out your dentist / hygenist or your whitening product before you try. Be safe.

If you are on a tight budget my darlings, you can always break off a bit of bark from a Eucalyptus tree and rub it along your pearlies....swear it makes them sparkling...you just need a bit of elbow grease.

Mulain x