Merry Christmas

ByHester blog is having a little Christmas break, I'll be back in the new year.

Have a merry Christmas everybody!!!

Edelweiss and goat herds

One thing you can be sure of with Christmas is that the Sound of music will be shown on tv.
Everybody knows about the raindrops on roses and crisp apple strudels but did you know that the von Trapp family runs a ski lodge in America?
The von Trapp family arrived in the USA in the early 1940s, bought a farm in Vermont where they first run a music camp. The Trapp family lodge opened in 1950 and its still owned by the family today.
They boil their own maple syrup, brew their own beer and Sam von Trapp (grandson of Georg and Maria) is your ski instructor.
Have a look at their website www.trappfamily.com
Merry Christmas!!

Wild child picture book

My good friend Lorna Freytag has her first picture book out! How exciting!
You might have seen pictures of Lornas work on my blog before, she is a very talented photographer. Lorna builds her fairy tale like pictures in the computer, shooting the backgrounds separate from the models and putting them together to create an unique image.
(have a look at this old post about some of Lorna Freytags work)
For this new picture book Lorna took care of the illustrations, the story is written by Jeanne Willis.
The book is about the wild child, she’s spirited and curious. She’s fearless and free. She lives alone in a mystical, prehistoric world – the last child in a dramatic landscape, where anything could happen. Follow her through her day as she explores her world from the foot of the mountain to the heart of the wood; while she runs with the rabbits and swims with the fish – but beware of the grown-ups and sensible shoes! Join the magic and unleash the wild child in you.
Need a last minute present? You can order Wild child on Amazon.

Lisa Kohno

Isn't this bottle beautiful?

Its illustrated by up and coming Japanese artist Lisa Kohno for Shu Uemura.

Every year following Mr. Shu Uemura's philosophy, the brand continues to build on the connection between art and beauty. The Shu Uemura Art Award establishes a commitment to discover and support young talented artists. The winner will be given an opportunity to collaborate with Shu Uemura and exhibit their art to an international audience. Lisa Kohno illustrated this bottle of cleansing oil and the palettes for Shu's winter collection.

Homemade Christmas part 2

You thinking of making a small gift for your friends yourself?
Why not make personalised gingerbread man!
My icing skills are in need of some (well a lot) refining but the cookies turned out very cute.
Bake your gingerbread man. I used my favourite cookie recipe and added ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Once cooled ice characteristics on your gingerbread man. For example my friend J got glasses and a striped shirt. Friend M big eyelashes and earrings. Boyfriend got some very long legs, friend K a cat on his lap etc etc. Wrap them nicely and hey presto a lovely gift!
But maybe I should ask Santa for some icing lessons....

I also made some Twilight vampires, and yes they sparkle!

Twist your bob

Lovely quirky shorts story for Viva magazine shot around Brick lane.

Photographer  Elmar Krop, styling Renske van der Ploeg, model Kimberly at Nevs,

hair and makeup me.

For this shoot I wanted Kimberly's bob to look different, so why not make a top knot?

Apply plenty of mouse in slightly damp hair, give it a quick blow dry and scrape all your hair to the top of your head. Wrap a hairband around and twist your hair around this small ponytail, I like it when the end bits of your hair look a bit fluffy. Shape the way you like and set with a few kirby grips. Spray with hairspray to set.

I heart, I heart

Are you looking forward to some time off this holiday season to snuggle up on the sofa with a hot choco and a good read?
Then look no further then the I heart series, I've been slightly obsessed with these books ever since the first part came free with a magazine. After finishing the pocket I immediately went on Amazon to order the other books and been forcing them up on my friends ever since ;)
I heart author Lindsey Kelk gives the chick lit genre a whole different spin as she is truly funny. So funny that my friend M got some weird looks on a recent beach holiday as she couldn't stop laughing reading Lindsey Kelks other book, A single girls to do list.

The I heart books are about Angela Clark, an English girl who finds herself fleeing to New York after a humiliating break up, with little more than a crumpled bridesmaid dress, a pair of Louboutins and her passport. I'm not going to give away anymore but let me tell you that after reading I heart New York I wanted to pack my bags and move to the Big Apple.
In part two, I heart Hollywood, Angela finds herself on an assignment in LaLaLand, in part three, I heart Paris, Angela travels to you guess it, Paris. And now the latest book, I heart Vegas, in which Angela goes on a girly weekend to Las Vegas as it seems a perfect way to forget her trouble. From the moment the plane touches down Angela is swept up in a whirl of cocktails, crazy outfits, no sleep and the chapel of love. As the book is set in the weeks leading up to Christmas now would be a perfect time to read I heart Vegas.

Angela Clark would be a girls best friend, obsessed with makeup and designer shoes, falling from one drama into an other, there's no dull moment when Angela and her friends are about.
And this all is written in a very relatable, no nonsense, funny kind of way, Lindsey Kelk you rock!

Go to www.iheartvegas.co.uk for more info on the books and your chance to win a Las Vegas shopping trip!

Ellis Faas

I have blogged before about the Elis Faas lipsticks, she does the most amazing red tones. And thought time was right to show you some other products in the collection, as Ellis Faas is one of my favourite cosmetics brands at the moment.
Ellis Faas is Hollands most amazing makeup artist, working with the likes of Patrick Demarchelier, Karl Lagerfeld, Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin, Peter Lindbergh, Terry Richardson, Paolo Roversi, Mario Testino, Ellen von Unwerth etc. A few years ago she started her own makeup line, based  on the colours that by nature exist in every human body. From all tones of foundation to every lipstick and eyeshadow, the shades are inspired by the human body’s owns colours.
Her Human Colours collection is all about going back to nature without having to appear natural. This is because the colours can be used to achieve a subdued natural look in an extravagant theatrical way – and any style in between.

The skin veil foundation is great, it illuminates the skin without feeling or appearing like a mask.
Apply a little bit on your T-zone and spread it out, this gives enough cover for day time makeup.
The foundations are moisturizing, dont feel heavy on the skin at all and have a SPF 15.

I'm a little bit in love with the concealer. Packaged in Ellis her iconic bullet shaped holders, this formulation offers high coverage to reduce the appearance of blemishes, pigmentation spots and dark circles. The concealer is packed with vitamins E and C to hydrate and they have anti-ageing and regenerating properties.Great!  If you don't feel like foundation just apply the concealer underneath your eyes, and work down. Apply a bit on your blemishes, and Tadaa very natural and gorgeous looking skin!

And then over to the eye shadows, they are S-U-P-E-R. I know I seem to love absolutely everything in this line.. sorry!
The eye shadows are, like the concealers, packed in the bullet shaped pens. Very easy to carry around and applying couldn't be easier. Use the tip of the pen to apply the colour as an eyeliner, or use the pen flat to give colour to your whole eye. This product is made for layering, a little bit for a soft look or a couple of layers for a full blown look. The Creamy Eyes shadows have a velvety texture and are quick drying. I like to apply it as a liner and smuch it with my fingers.
The Milky eyes shadows have a more translucent texture than Creamy Eyes, and a deeper, more vivid palette, they can be used as a colour stain or a subtle wash.  I've been wearing the warm brown milky eyes  E206 every day since I got it!

Click here to have a look at the Ellis Faas products on line, and maybe even buy yourself a Christmas present :)
On the Ellis Faas website are some videos on how to apply your makeup, have a look click here.

Love Luna

Have a look at these images I shot with photographer Tamy Donnerstag for Luna magazine.

The pictures are based on paintings from the old masters but with a modern twist.

I had a chance to get really creative with the hair.

Pepernoten

Get ready for sweeties and presents cause the 5th of December is Sinterklaas!
If you are not familiar with this winter holiday figure of the Low Lands have a look this wiki entry
 Sint link

Sinterklaas is an elderly, stately and serious man with white hair and a long, full beard. He carries a big book that tells whether each individual child has been good or naughty in the past year. He traditionally rides a white horse. Zwarte Piet is Sinterklaas's servant and the Piets help keeping an eye out who has been naughty and who has been nice.
On the evening of 5 December,the presents will somehow arrive, or a note will be "found" that explains where in house the presents were hidden by Zwarte Piet who left a burlap sack with them. When the presents arrive the living room is decked out with them, much as on Christmas Day in English-speaking countries. Sinterklaas is the basis for the North American figure of Santa Claus. It is often claimed that during the American War of Independence the inhabitants of New York City, a former Dutch colonial town reinvented their Sinterklaas tradition, as Saint Nicholas was a symbol of the city's non-English past.

There are many Sinterklaas sweeties but the best of them all is the humble pepernoot.
This mini biscuit is spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and is super yummy.
Of course I had to bake some, what else can you eat while singing your Sinterklaas songs and waiting impatiently by the chimney, hoping Sinterklaas will drop you a present.
If you want to celebrate Sinterklaas in through style follow my recipe for the ultimate pepernoot.

You need:
300 grams of flour
140 grams of (brown) sugar
1/2 tea spoon of salt
3 table spoons of koek kruiden (this is a Dutch thing you can make your own my mixing equal measures of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger and a little bit of pepper)
150 grams of butter
5 table spoons of milk
2 table spoons of golden syrup

Let the dough rest for half an hour at room temperature before baking.
Bake in a preheated oven on 175 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, the pepernoten are slightly soft when you take them out of the oven but they will harden when cool.
I like them even better the day after baking.
Happy Sinterklaas!!

Hester's Hall of Fame

For those off you that read the blog regularly you know I love Shu Uemura's cleansing oils.
(if not read the post here)
But that's not the only product Shu Uemura excels in, they make the best eye shadows and blushers.
I don't know what they do to the pigments but all their powders are true to colour, last longer and are super easy to apply.
Have a look at my pallet to see my favourite Shu colours, the small ones are eyshadows and the bigger once are blushers.

As a makeup artist I have to drag a lot of beauty products with me when I go to work, and therefore I like to have all my equipment as compact as possible. When my old palettes gave up the will to life I was looking for a replacement. I had my hart set on finding the big black palette/box Shu Uemura used to make but unfortunately couldn't find one anywhere. I almost set out to design my own box when I found this cigar box in my dad's study, it makes for a great palette! Just use double sided sticky tape to stick the eyeshadows in.

I picked up eyeshadow G gold yesterday, a great colour for all your December parties!

As you can see its a refill so it goes straight into my palette!

I had a look at Shu Uemura's spring 2012 collection and there are lots of exciting new products coming out! Have a little sneak peak at one of their eyeshadow trio's from the Celestial garden collection. Its a refillable palette, once you use these colours you can use it as a palette for 2 regular eyeshadows or 1 blusher.
This is the light palette; 'Gentle reflections of warm sunlight on trembling leaves of twinkling lime green, delicate yellow and light bronze brown.' Apparently Shu Uemura artistic director got the colour inspiration while flying, he noticed the beautiful  hazy tones you see when looking out of a aeroplane window. Cant wait for the rest of the collection!