Get your autumn glow
Sharleen Collins is one of Ireland’s foremost make-up artists and here she brings you her tips for AW17
If you’re wondering what the top beauty trends are for AW17, who better to ask than one of Ireland’s most successful make-up artists? Sharleen Collins launched the Makeup Academy on Dublin’s Leeson Street earlier this year and has become the go-to artist for some of Ireland’s top celebrities. Summer may be just a distant memory but Sharleen insists some of the season’s trends are going to hang on into autumn/ winter. ‘From Vogue to Coachella, the bold and brushed-up brow is everywhere,’ she says. ‘ There’s nothing too heavy or overdefined happening in the brow department – it’s all about letting them grow out a little and working with what you’ve got. This trend is set to continue as AW approaches. We won’t be returning to ultra-thin eyebrows any time soon.’
If you’re stuck for handbag space and trying to cut back on what make-up you’re carrying around every day, Sharleen has one go-to product that she highly recommends.
‘I haven’t been without my Laura Mercier tinted foundation,’ she reveals. ‘As it’s still quite warm, despite the rain, we should strive to look our best without the appearance of wearing too much make-up.
‘You want beautiful, radiant skin during the colder months of the year when we need an extra pep in our step.’
There’s also a budget option to achieve this look. ‘I’m a huge lover of the Primark PS Range. The strobing moisturisers are incredible on the skin and will give you the most beautiful, iridescent, sunkissed look. They have light, medium and more bronzed tones – it’s the most affordable way to get your glow and it’s really effective too. As autumn approaches, try mixing a little of this moisturiser in with your preferred foundation.’
For those of us who gravitate towards the barely there look year-round, Sharleen recommends MAC’s Prep and Prime range, worn with their face & body foundation. ‘ The key to maintaining your barely there look, however, lies in the right fixing spray,’ she advises. ‘You don’t want it to disappear entirely.’
Sharleen – who has done make-up for magazine covers at Vogue – used TV presenter Glenda Gilson and influencer Lena Lena as the models for her 2017 Academy Photoshoot to show her tips put into action. Surely with her long career in the industry – Sharleen got her first role aged 17 – she has a number of beauty hacks, so is there any she’d like to share? ‘My best trick would be to mix baby oil with a shimmering or glittering pigment for an ultra glow,’ she says. ‘For this I use the 187 stippling brush from MAC, I buff it into the high points of the face and body – particularly the decollete – for the most beautiful glow. ‘It’s more concentrated, so this is definitely a look that will take you effortlessly into night-time.’ Another trick she recommends for transitioning your make-up from day to night, is the Wet and Wild black kohl pencil to smoke out the eye. ‘I am also a huge lover of So Sue Me lashes, so a little smudging of kohl liner with these lashes on top and you’re good to go for a more glamorous look.’ As for the one thing you’ll always find in this make-up virtuoso’s handbag? ‘One thing I will never leave the house without is my Charlotte Tilbury primer. It is made with a silicone base so your make-up will not budge once you’ve applied it properly. I’m also never without my Ample lip gloss from MAC and, when I’m travelling, I can’t get enough of the Creme De La Mer range. Everything from their hydrating spray to the lip balm is excellent.’