Watch our Hourglass tutorial to create the perfect party-ready look, with a femme fatale red lip
and classic Hollywood lined eyes. To perfect this vintage style the expert team used a range of must-have beauty products including the renowned Veil Primer, secret weapon Film Noir lash lacquer for dramatic eyes and classic Femme Rouge red lipstick in Icon, all available exclusively at Liberty.
On Saturday we were delighted to welcome Hourglass‘ Artistic Director Gina Brooke to the store. Those of you lucky enough to secure a consultation with the renowned make-up artist were treated to her expert advice and a complimentary make-over. For the rest of you we thought we’d ask Gina a few questions…
How did you break into the beauty industry?
I’ve always been obsessed with anything beauty-related, but I also loved art and chose to go to art school. While I was at school, my fit model asked me to do her makeup for a photo shoot – the pictures were published in a magazine and I was asked to do another job. I then began to work so many shoots that I dropped out of art school and began working full time in the beauty business…it was the best decision I ever made.
What makes Hourglass stand out?
Hourglass is a very special brand. The products are innovative, elegant and have the highest quality ingredients. Each and every product either contains anti-aging properties and/or leaves out harmful ingredients, such as parabens, sulfates, etc.
Which beauty products help you to get through a long day?
I always carry a red lipstick by Hourglass called Femme Rouge in Raven – it’s loaded with rich pigments and it’s the perfect pick me up. Like my credit card, I never leave home without it.
Do you have any secrets for long lasting make-up?
Primers are an excellent way to ensure long wearing makeup. I recommend Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer which is sweat proof, waterproof and protects the skin from UVA and UVB rays. It also eliminates redness, softens fine lines and creates a seamless canvas for makeup.
What is a hot trend for Fall?
I’m not one to follow trends but I do love a modern cat-eye. I’m obsessed with Script Precision Liner by Hourglass because it has a super-fine tip to create beautifully defined eyes. The trick is to wing out the top line first and then connect with the bottom from the corner of the eye. Finish with Film Noir Lash Lacquer by Hourglass. It’s a shiny black topcoat that goes on over your mascara to instantly create sexy, dark, and glossy looking lashes.
What’s your beauty philosophy?
There are no rules when it comes to make-up: the possibilities are endless.
Gina Brooke, Artistic Director of Hourglass, will be in store this Saturday offering special make-up consultation appointments. Having made up some of the most famous faces in the world including Madonna, Anne Hathaway and Gwen Stefani, this is a unique opportunity to have Gina create a new look specially for you. She’ll be in store this Saturday 22nd October from 3-6pm. To book your consultation please call 020 7734 1234 ext 2632
Gina is famed for her miraculous feats of lash architecture, and we certainly can’t get enough of the Hourglass Film Noir Lash Laquer – which paints on over your mascara for a dramatic false lash effect. Gina also recommends the Femme Rouge Lipsticks,
“These are my all time favorite lipsticks which I cannot live without, both professionally and personally. The pigments are so beautiful and the texture exudes luxury…try Fable, Fever, Grace and Raven.”
Hourglass cosmetics are available exclusively at Liberty
REN have released a fantastic special edition Liberty Print version of their fantastic Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil. Perfect for an ultra indulgent soak after a long day at work, just a few drops in your tub will nourish your skin and leave it lightly fragranced with the smell of fresh roses. The somewhat sensual scent is also known to relieve stress and soothe both mind and body.
Revolutionary fragrance brand Blood Concept is new to the Liberty Beauty Hall. Their unisex range explores the identity behind the four main blood groups: O, A, B and AB. From this, four fragrances have been created. We caught up with creators Antonio & Giovanni to find out more about their unique collection…
Tell us about the idea behind Blood Concept
“BLOOD CONCEPT was born to suggest a different approach towards scent selection. We wanted people to feel personally involved in the scents and to choose them based on a personal affinity.
This is why we chose blood as inspiration; with its four different main types blood helped us in creating four different identities, four different behaviours for men and women.
Our aim is that before trying our scents people will ask themselves, ‘Who am I? Who do I want to be today?”
Is there any relation to your own blood type and the fragrance you are compatible with? If I am blood type A, am I most likely to be compatible with the A fragrance?
“Even though our scents all take inspiration from the history and peculiarity of each blood type if your blood type is O and you like AB scent better…we don’t mind.
Perfume may be a second skin but sometimes it’s also a dress, and in some occasions, a disguise! Do you both have a background in Perfumery?
Antonio: I’m a copywriter and a photographer [he took all the product pictures]
Giovanni: I’m a former fashion designer who chose to enter niche perfumery in 2002. I’m the owner and co-creator of Acqua di Stresa, a niche concept based on rare flowers of the Italian Lake Maggiore.
Do the fragrances smell like blood?
Not at all! But each does have a lingering metallic end note; something that makes them recognizable and binds them together: a sort of trademark.
If we were shopping in the Liberty Fragrance Hall, how would you persuade us to try Blood Concept?
We would probably hide under the table. We are so very very shy…
If we were a little bolder we would probably invite you to discover your real identity, but we would never ask anybody to declare their own blood type – we are scent makers not clinic staff!
What fragrance are you wearing at the moment?
Giovanni: Antonio keeps on bathing in AB, he’s the younger so he wants to underline that he’s the contemporary man.
I’m wearing our next scent so I can judge people’s impressions.
Is there a famous nose you admire?
My father could recognize a hundred of spices and herbs with a sniff. I was so impressed by this when I was a kid!
Antonio is a genius so he will never admit to admiring anyone but himself.
If you could go on a supermarket sweep around Liberty, which departments or products would you head for first?
Depending on who’s paying…well, a whole day would not be long enough. Liberty is classic and stylish at once; we love the mix of tradition and innovation, and of course the building itself.
Giovanni: Personally I would go for scarves. Antonio says he’d want to scope out the traffic around the BLOOD CONCEPT table…and take a sneaky peek at our competitors!
