Spring it on!

So as promised here are few products that we at fat mu HQ have tried and tested and think really work for all budgets to achieve the bright Springy look that is so in at zee moment....the list could go on as we all know product selection and brands on the market these days are endless.. so to make life easier for you... we have done all zee hard work and sifted through the brands and picked 5 brands with some of our favourites products for this look for you...

Maybelline

NYX

MAC

Shisheido

YSL

Remember there are more variations of products than shown here in each brand.. for e.g- NYX do some lovely liquid liners and pencils for the eyes and lips and great glitter eye liners... MAC do a lovely powder bronzer and boast a fabulous collection of eye pencils and colours in their pigments and shadows.... below are a few tasters of what's out there and enough to get you started...

Eyes...

From lovely powders to creams that glide on...brightly coloured pigments to eye popping eyeliners.....these are a few good options...

Cheeks....

WHether it be a dolly or a more sculpted look you're after.... here are a few selected creams and mousses for easy on the go application... and bronzers to give you that lovely sun-kissed glow...

Lips....

Since lips are quite matte this season .. we have not picked any glosses (but who says we can't cheat a leetle sheen eh?). Here are a few fun colours... anything from bright red to orange and corals go.... take your pick my darlings.

Hope this helps you all... remember you can go quite dolly with your look or quite contrasting with the colours on your eyes and lips... just have fun... play with the colours.... and discover you alter ego .. who knows you might be very pleasently surprised!... and take inspiration from all these images... all products available at either Shoppers Stop or New Beauty Centre.

Enjoy... and hope you've got your Holi parties lined up! more colour- what fun!!!!

Trendspotting 2010

So fashions weeks as we all know my darlings are a great for telling us what's in vogue and what's not... they also predict what the looks for the coming season will be.... I personally think they're great as leads but its always nice to add your own twist on it and not be a fashion victim!.. So here's what the guru's from New York and London fashion week predict...

Spring / Summer 2010 - pastels eyes / lilacs and violets are big.... even on nails! Bright red / orange mouths-generally matte / clean bronzed skin and lashes!.... all very fresh and springy! just like the colours of the flowers in bloom! ... so pretty..... I loo-ve it all...!

Autumn/ Winter 2010 - completely different palette to spring... this look takes us back to the 'Nineties Minimalism' (zee buzz word apparently..)... with clean, polished skin... neutral palette of colours like greys, browns, taupe, mink and sand on eyes (and sockets) and cheeks and darker foundation or nude shading under cheekbones and temples to achieve that very sculpted look..... so working a lot with highlight and shade and really contouring the face and keeping the look generally nude... there have been the ocassional deep red / maroon/ plum mouths to pay tribute to the nineties goth and grunge... and I have to say I like it! (see top picture)

Personally I love the sculpted look... especially with the deep maroon mouth.... but am not sure about the completely nude look unless one has amazing bone structure and beautiful features to carry it off.... it's lovely on zee models but on real women I think this combined with just a leetle splash of colour somewhere would be beautiful.... Winter is grey enough so we need to add some life and colour to perk ourselves up non?

... but since we are entering into Spring and Holi is just around the corner.. let's focus on colour my darlings... tomorrow I will tell you about what products are good to achieve these looks and how... stay tuned.......!

Mx

........and the Bafta for Best Hair & Make-up......

.......goes to Jenny Shircore for ' The Young Victoria'!!!!!!!

We here at fat mu HQ are dee-lighted!!!! As Jenny is not only a close friend and mentor of the MU's but an incredible talent who works her magic in the most unimaginable way.... Sheer genius .... thinking out of the box and coming up with the most extraordinary designs that leave us thinking .. WOW.....How did she do that!!!.... is what we associate her with... So bravo Jenny and all her team for the lovely, lovely work... you continue to be an inspiration for us here at fat mu....Mx

P.S. - LOVE the hair decs!!!!

Step by Step: Freida Pinto's Red carpet look!

So hope you've all had a fantastic weekend.... Mulain had a lovely chilled Sunday and on Saturday he accompanied MU Natasha to see her working on the lovely Ms. Pinto for an award function at the Waves concert held in Mumbai.

See the picture above to see the look Natasha created for Freida to match her lovely Rohit Bal ensemble whilst taking care not to mask her natural beauty.

Once again... we have a breakdown of the products that Natasha used and the application steps broken down for you should you wish to have a go and replicate the look!

Products used:

Base - Estee Lauder Double wear foundation (we MU's just loo-ve this foundation... such a lovely flawless finish - like you've been airbrushed!)

Concealor - Bobbi Brown

Powder - MAC NC 20 (lovely on most Indian skins)

Brows - Brow fix by Ben Nye

Eyes - Uber soft glide-on eye pencil by Urban Decay in 'Stash', in ' Chocolate' by Waterproof and in 'Duck' by MAC.

-Neutral matt eye shadow palette by Screen Face

-Givenchy mascara

-Shu Uemura lash curlers

Cheeks - YSL cream blush in 'No1'

Contour - YSL cream blush in 'No 3' and powder blush by MAC in' Blunt'

Highlight - Highbeam by Benefit

Lips - Lip pencil by MAC in 'Plum' and a mixture of 2 lipsticks by Bobbi Brown in 'Blue Raspberry' and 'Plum'

Application - start by prepping skin... cleanse and moisturise... using the right products for your skin type. Once done apply the base evenly all over your face and neck.... this time we would recommend you dot the base over your eyelids as well to prep them for the colour to stay on longer. Conceal where necessary and then set with a light dusting of loose powder. Next groom brows and define with shadow if necessary and set with clear brow gel.

Onto the eyes...using the 'Stash' pencil (a lovely dull khaki gold), colour the entire lid neatly starting at the root and going right up to the socket line (like colouring-in really)....once done blend out edges with your finger to achieve a soft smoky look and then go over with pencil again for depth of colour... then taking the same pencil line the lower lash line with a zig-zag motion to really get the colour in there. Now you heavily contour the socket line... dip your MAC 217 brush or anything similar into a medium brown shadow and work it just above your socket line in a back and forth motion, following the shape of your eye leaving a small space for the highlights.... then you take the Waterproof 'Chocolate' pencil or any dark brown pencil and work into the roots of the lashes - top and bottom..... once this is done.... dip a brush into dark brown shadow and press it into where you've just lined with the pencil and blend in an upward motion on the lid and a downward motion on the lower lash line. This action sets the colour and also softens and blends out any hard egdes whilst creating depth at the lashes....now taking the eye pencil in 'Duck' or any soft brown line the inner rim of your eyes ... this frames them to complete the look beautifully......finally curl lashes and apply lashings of mascara, top and bottom....

Once the eyes are done apply the creme blusher on the cheekbones working out into the hairline... then contour under the cheekbone with the powder blush... and now add lots of sheen on top of the cheekbones with the highbeam... this gives the skin a beautiful radiance....to finish the highlighted look take a matt bone coloured shadow lighter than your skin tone and highlight just below your brow bone and outer corners of your eyes in an upward slant . This is just playing with light and shade and helps in bringing out the eyes even more.... lastly line lips with the 'Plum' lip pencil and fill in with the same, once done gently dab a mix of the 2 lipsticks on the lips... apply a small amount as we want the lips to be matt and have a contrast with the sheeny skin for a prettier different effect...et voila... you're done!

It is a good idea to contrast looks this season... if keeping skin matte go glossy on lips or vice versa like done on Freida.. creates a lovely look... oh and if you notice us MU's using a lot more browns... it's because brown is the new black this season my darlings!.... something different is always a welcome change non?! ..less harsh too if you ask me.....ok.. so have fun playing mes cheries and do let Mulain know how you got on...

Mmmmmuah x

Step by Step: Look like Freida Pinto!

Bonjour encore mes amis... as promised today I will reveal to you the make-up our MU Natasha did for our lovely Slumdog lolita Freida Pinto for a lovely charity shoot just the other day. The charity is run by Emma Thompson and some of the top actresses in the world have taken part in it... we are so proud that our lovely Freida is a part of it.... if you'd like to know more about it you can visit www.mysafeplace.co.uk.....and bravo Ms. Thompson for the good work....!..and we love your picture!! ooh la la......

Ok.... back to le maquillage........ so the brief for make-up was to keep Freida looking like a natural polished version of her lovely self.... so keeping that in mind... here's what Natasha used...

Base- Estee Lauder double wear foundation

Concealor- yellow toned Bobbi Brown cream concealor

Loose powder- NC 20 by MAC

Eyes- Eye pencil by MAC in Coffee

-Screen face matt neutral eye shadow palette

Mascara- L'Oreal Voluminous in black

Blusher- YSL creme blush in Velvety peach- see pic

Highlighter- Shisheido cream stick - champagne tone- see pic

Contour - MAC shadow in Blunt

Lips - Spice pencil by MAC and 8 hour cream by Elizabeth Arden

So as you can see there is a mix of a lot of different brands... something we MU's pride ourselves on - our product knowledge and picking out the best from the best... great colours and textures that just glide on and make the make up application easy and flawless...

Application......

- Prep the skin - tres important... cleanse and moisturise well for the make up to go on and stay smooth...

- next apply the base with a foundation brush all over the face and neck.

- conceal under the eyes and nose area - be careful not to rub but gently pat into your skin using you finger or a sponge.

- then set with a loose powder... just a small amount should do...

now you move on to doing the rest of the face...

Brows - brush out using a brow brush or mascara wand to take of any excess powder and to groom..then fill in using an angled brow brush dipped in eyeshadow just where needed.. the colour should match the brows.. lastly set in place with clear mascara..

Eyes -a bone shadow was applied all over the lid up to the brow bone area ... next sweep a brown all over the lid and slightly take it out to give the effect of elongation... then using a MAC 217 brush dip it into a deeper brown and sweep it into the socket line to create definition...now take the coffee pencil and really work it into the root of the lashes on the top and lower lash line and smudge and set with a deep brown shadow... the curl lashes and apply mascara top and bottom right from the very root to the tip...and lastly use a soft brown kohl pencil to rim the inside of the eyes...

Cheeks -apply creme blusher along the cheek bone into the temples ... and then slightly contour under the cheekbones using powder blusher in Blunt ...next add highights on the

brow bone..cheek bone and apples of the cheek with the lovely shisheido cream stick

Lips - line and fill with the Spice pencil and add a touch of 8 hour cream on top for a wee bit of shine and moisture....

Phew! hope this helps you peeps... any more questions let me know and I will be happy to answer... now go practice and soon we will give you another breakdown as MU Natasha will be getting the lovely mademoiselle ready again for an awards night... a leetle more oomph in the next one... until then....enjoy..... Mx

Estee Lauder in Mumbai!

Mulain is de-lighted to tell you all about Estee Lauder coming to India....Yes there is a store in Delhi, in Bangalore and our very own Mumbai (The Palladium Mall next to Phoenix Mills). It's a luxury brand for sure, but worth every single rupee in your purse my dears, they also have lovely, cosy seats to rest your tired-city feet ;). They have some great lip glosses, face powders, superb undereye concealors / brighteners...magic wands similar to YSL's Touche Eclait but for Indian skins! And we are not talking about being fairer and whiter we are talking the 'real' Indian skins. So pleased to find a brand which is not trying to make Indian women look pink and fair and rosy! Mulain and MUs Natasha and Virginia, happily tried out the double wear liquid foundations....so happy to see a good, healthy range of shades for all the ladies of the land. Has excellent coverage and stays put for a long time...great in our tropical climate! Gives a lovely finish and a lot goes a long way, so it's a worthwhile investment!

Will get MU Natasha to write and tell you about the make-up she used yesterday on her shoot with a certain Slumdog Lolita.....

Take care my darlings....

Mulain x

Faces!

Mulain and the gals had a fab time yesterday checking out make-up in the Palladium shopping mall, Phoenix Mills...to those of you outside of Bollywoodland, this is a mall right in the heart of Bombay where you can literally shop-til-you-drop! Zara and Topshop coming too which will be fantastique! We filed our way up the escalators til we reached Clinique, Estee Lauder and MAC back to back.....Wow! we thought....super easy shopping.

Have to say to enter the Clinique shop you need to have your sunglasses on...it's so bright! It's like being in Star Trek, or something totally futuristic....very 'clinic' like...guess that's the idea. If you 're a Clinique lover you'll lap this place up....it's a sure-fire, dependable brand with good quality make-up and skincare too. Do check it out. We moved onto the fabulous Estee Lauder store (want to write about this tomorrow so won't divulge too much detail)...essentially fun-***** - tastic...great liquid bases...for Indian skins!!! Hurrah! Not cheap, it is a luxury brand afterall....will let MU Natasha tell you all about it tomorrow as she used them on the lovely Freida Pinto today for a shoot. Then came MAC...always good...always inspiring...always hard to walk away without spending anything!

After the Palladium experience and MU Natasha went off into the puff and smoke of Bombay traffic to get home. I wandered around with MU Virginia checking out other stores in the Mills vicinity......one of our lovely blog followers told me to check out Faces (thank you Susie Q).....so MU V and me spent a good 45 mins trying out their products and buying a fair bit to try out. I was quite impressed with the colours, textures, price...it all seems too good to be true......they seem to be a great fashion high-street brand...can't afford MAC then Faces could be the answer...I am trialling all week so will keep you informed on how I get on with my liquid shimmers, pigments, eye shadow quads, lip glosses......all priced I mu-st say very well....cute nail polishes for 99Rs.....great colour range too.....Let's see my dears......this brand is in Canada, Honduras, Ireland, Kosovo, Mexico and now India.....rather random...but am definitely curious. And they seem to have a great range of liquid bases for Indian skins, and empty palettes so you can pick your own colour shadows......very impressive.

Off home now, another day, another rupee...

Mulain x

Luxury shopping in Mumbai

Mulain and the girls are off for a shop today at the Palladium Mall at Phoenix Mills....squeezing a bit of retail therapy in and a make-up reccie between meetings. Our lovely MAC is there but we want to check out the beauty scene in thorough detail...so looking forward to telling you all my darlings. Would love to hear where you all shop for make-up in India? Are you Shopper's Stop people, Lifestyle shoppers, MAC devotees....it's getting better and easier than ever before...the MUs are just waiting for Benefit and Bobbi Brown to come....don't stress am sure they will be coming to our shores soon...seems the whole world is! India has arrived....

Mulain x

Bourjois's foundation brush...

Mulain braved the crowds on a busy Saturday afternoon to head to Mumbai's shopping mecca Phoenix Mills. Always good to check out what's new on the beauty scene...only for you my darlings......It was so busy my god and jammed with so many products Mulain could n't believe his eyes. Bumper to bumper.....and got cornered by the perfume army who sprayed me to high heaven and left me for dead...they don't take no for an answer!!!!

Anyway...found myself in Lifestyles cosmetics and trawled the counters of Revlon, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Chambor, Lakme, Bourjois to see if there was anything that would make our life that little bit better....Have to say was a little bit disappointed with the sales staff.....far too aggressive....the Chambor girl was great and showed me all her pencils....love the eye-pencils with smudgers and the new waterproof ones....superb, good colour range and affordable at around 400 Rs. Revlon did n't really have anything new, the matt shades we had seen before. Lakme did n't rock my world, nor did L'Oreal offer anything new......Maybelline offered me the 'yellow' mascara that I had seen last month, great buy but I wanted something new!

Bourjois showed me new foundations which looked great but was so disappointed as for Indian skins they were simply too ashen....Bourjois's 10 hour Sleep Effect Foundation is anti-fatigue, aims to make your skin look like it's had 10 hours of good sleep.... seemed nice but has only 5 shades! ....There was a great all in one foundation with brush.....easy to use, with a pump action (like a pen)...but the shades were not for Indian skins unless you want to look like a dead body...ummmm what to do?...Mulain is going to write to these companies and tell them.

I don't think people want to look like a mime-artist...or do they?

What do you think my friends?

Mulain x

Celebrated even in death.....

Today Mulain is sad....yes we know Mumbai is full of 'MNIK' news and 'up-the-revolution' antics....but we lost one of our favourite designers.....Alexander McQueen passed away, very tragic....today we remember his designs and images and imagination....what a talent.....enjoy and remember. And yes...go see 'MNIK'....we know life goes on....Mulain x

Statement lips....

Cyber lips from MAC!

Morange lips from MAC...truly divine!

Mulain was with the MU girls this morning, working the MAC counters....what colours, what textures, what fun! Such a great make-up brand for professionals and non-pros. Well done MAC HQ. Mulain was so entranced by the two colours above that he bought them. 'Cyber' for my dark, dangerous, mysterious moods. 'Morange' for my stop-the-traffic, I want attention, 'are n't I fabulous?' mood.

So Mulain says go have a play yourself and see what colours jump out at you. We are all different my friends so other colours will appeal to you. That's the beauty of the world and we should embrace it. Love each other, love the planet, love lipsticks, love freedom of expression, of speech.......maybe someone should remind a certain political party in Bombay that India is all about that.....a lovely, wonderful, bright, colourful, talented masala....all rolled into one!

Mulain x

Are you sitting comfortably?

An artiste at work mu-st always make sure his actor / model / client is comfortable while being painted, pinned, poked, preened. Tres importante my friends. Plus....you yourself mu-st be relaxed and at ease while working. No point breaking your back and contorting yourself into 'cirque de soleil' positions while working only to find you can't walk the next day. Let's think long-term my friends and think sensibly. A make-up chair should be the right height for you to create your designs at leisure. It will free you up so much and let you concentrate on working. The MUs are finally investing in some lovely chairs found at the Kryolan shop in Bombay, Beauty Palace. They are worth every rupee my darlings...totally ergonomic (Mulain's buzz word of the day) and look pretty cool too.

We need to know how long our actor / model / client will be in the chair for...for a heavy-duty prosthetic job which can take hours....their comfort and your comfort are vital.

Lon Chaney nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema. He is best remembered for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and afflicted characters, and his groundbreaking artistry with film makeup. Mulain loo-ves him......His look below for 'The Phantom of the Opera' took 10.5 hours!!!!! Let's hope he had a nice pink, comfy chair and music to listen too.....a true cinema soldier for sure.....

So know Mulain is lecturing you ...but think comfort for all involved in your work......and a have a wonderful day my darlings...off to meet the MU's at the Dynamix Mall, Juhu...make-up shopping on...my favourite.

M x

academy on the mu-ve!

Mulain is super excited for the fat mu team...today we launched our 8 week pro make-up course....bookings are open!

fat mu’s 8 week professional make-up course

‘PUTTING THE ART INTO MAKE-UP'

april 20th – june 11th 2010 / 120 hours of teaching
monday – friday
2pm to 5pm
3 saturdays for photoshoots
15th may, 22nd may, 5th june
at
windchimes school, hill road, opposite st.andrews church, bandra west, mumbai 400 050

HIGHLIGHTS

what will YOU get out of this course?

* 3 photoshoots to start your portfolio / working in a professional, shooting environment
* intro to airbrushing
* excellent product knowledge with placements from mac / kryolan / ben nye / onyx
* development of design / business skills for an indian and international market
* you will learn to think for yourself and develop your own individual style

So my dears..call the MUs if you're interested!

fatmuadmin@gmail.com

9821174351 / 9820657194

Mulain x