Mary Lambie on Makeup: PART TWO

Former broadcaster now businesswoman, Mary Lambie, before speaking at the Sebel Hotel, Trinity Wharf.

Background:  When I heard Mary Lambie was speaking at a local women's business event, I used the power of social networking site, LinkedIn, to contact her and request an interview. Having been in broadcasting for 20 years (including 'Good Morning'), but recently making the switch to operating a Subway franchise, I figured she'd have something to say about makeup, practicality and life.


Mary agreed to chat where she was staying at the Sebel Hotel and, in return, I applied her makeup for the event while we talked. Her three energetic children were in tow, having come down that day from Auckland for a weekend-long volunteer recognition event - Mary's husband Jim Mora (of TV's 'Mucking In') arriving later. 

This is part two of the interview.  Didn't see part one?  Subscribe for free to get the Beauty Bulletin the original article appeared in.

PART TWO - Makeup Mishaps and Challenges

Having set up my kit in her apartment, I ask Mary whether she has any favourite makeup techniques.

"Because I very rarely do my own I don't have any great tricks.  It pays to spend some time with your eye lashes - lengthen them, curl them, really mascara them well.  Good use of brushes.  I'm not really big on sponges, I tend to use a brush over a sponge and sometimes fingers, because fingers seem to warm up the foundation so it looks a bit more natural and blends in a bit quicker."

I open my makeup kit to start applying her makeup.  "That's a very tidy makeup box, compared to Paula's," she chuckles.  And I'm stoked.  All the various brands I use and their mismatching product make my kit look a bit 'mish-mash', but if it's tidier than that of a TV makeup artist's, I'm quietly pleased...

What technique has most changed the way Mary applies makeup?  "The foundation and how people put it on.  I remember, it started with fingers and then they moved to sponges and they used to disintegrate all over the place, then everyone went to brushes.  Another techniques that's changed is quite a few of the artists do eyes first, then foundation last.  I'm not sure if I like that, I'm not sold on it, but quite a few do that."

Any memorable makeup mishaps?  "One day for the TV I had a big purple [eye makeup] look going on and, blow me down, my eyes wouldn't stop watering.  They just ran and ran.  I think it was just the once as the girl wasn't my normal makeup artist.  But I just remember when I walked into the studio and the lights were really bright, my eyes were streaming and mascara was going everywhere.  There was a great big fuss of panic and we had about a minute until going to air.  My makeup artist said it would settle down but of course it didn't, it got progressively worse through the course of that morning, and the more I thought about it the more they seemed to water.  It was just dreadful.  Even thinking about it now makes my eyes water."

I ask whether she's ever experienced 'bad' makeup backstage:  "No-one wants to get out of the makeup chair looking worse than when they went in and when that happens it's soul-destroying because there's never any time to repair it.  Some makeup artists just don't have the knack.  I've certainly encountered that.  And you know professional hands.  You can tell very quickly whether they're onto it...or not."

Of what beauty asset is Mary most proud?  "I'm told I've got good hair.  It can do anything, it behaves itself."  

And current skin challenges?  "Wrinkles.  Fighting dryness.  I use less foundation now.  Foundation on an old skin looks hideous, It gets stuck in the crevices.  It looks so dreadful, but they still pile it on for the cameras."  But there's still a need for foundation:  "A good foundation evens you out, so you're not a blotchy face, you're even-toned, one colour.  And there are some beautiful foundations out there."

So how do you look so well-groomed?  "I don't," Mary says matter-of-factly.  "The key to being well-groomed is good shoes.  Good shoes, good jewels.  Good skin is good too, you've got to take care of the base layers."

In a world of changing trends, and complicated style do's and don'ts, this is sound advice.

Latest 'Before & After' Photo

Camella, a customer who often orders makeup through me, booked me to do professional makeup for her 13-year-old daughter's model portfolio photo shoot.  These are just the amature photos I took on my camera, so I can't wait for the professional images once they're ready!

Florence had her photos taken against a white backdrop in her home, then went with the photographer and her mother to La De Da Boutique in Tauranga's 1st Avenue.  Florence was fitted in various looks for her model photo shoot, with the help of owner Tania Greenwood.  

Florence - BEFORE

Florence - AFTER

Bookmark this blog (or make it a favourite) to see the professional photos here as soon as I post them up.  

Until then:  I was in La De Da just yesterday, and a sniffly and blocked up me (sinuses!) received lovely service from Susan, and a beautiful, feminine, flowing tunic that, if you're local, you'll surely see me out and about in.  Browsing or buying in La De Da is an indulgent way to brighten up any Winter's day.  And they've got a SALE on their Vigorella stock right now.  You can follow La De Da Boutique on their facebook page.

Black Mascara Is Not Always Best

Seen here, some of my fave mascaras, clockwise from left: Mary Kay Lash Love (NEW!) in I ♥ Brown ($31), Max factor Lash Extension Effect in Brown/Black (About $30), Covergirl Lash Blast Volume in Black ($23).

Have you ever considered using something other than black mascara?


Black mascara is NOT best option for everyone. It's great for those with naturally black or dark hair but for those with brown (like me) or blonde hair, brown mascara is more flattering.


Black can be 'overpowering' and look too stark or contrasting against paler features - and fake too. How could your lashes ever be naturally black when your hair is blonde (or red or auburn, for that matter)?? It has the potential to look 'tacky'. Swap to a brown or brown/black mascara. You'll still have depth and definition without the fakeness of a true black and it will harmonise better with your natural colourings.


See the difference in the photo above? A true brown like MK's Lash Love in 'I ♥ Brown' will also better suit natural redheads and those with naturally warm colourings (light those in the 'Spring' or 'Autumn' colour seasons) - plus it enhances green eyes.


One exception: On the occasion you wear very dark eyemakeup, go black - you'll need it for your lashes to stand out against a dark, bright or dramatic backdrop.

Honest Beauty Advice or Salespitch??

Last week this deal featured on GrabOne daily deal site and I thought to myself, "Wow, that's a great deal...but only IF you're happy to receive biased recommendations and have your makeup lesson in public..."
If you really want to know what suits you, in private and without the salespitch, visit my website for info on makeup lessons or seek out a mobile makeup artist who gives lessons but doesn't use just one brand and can offer unbiased recommendations.


You'll pay more for unbiased recommendations, rather than advice attached to a brand, but that's the trade off.  As consumers, it doesn't benefit us to get our product recommendations from those who exist solely to sell product, ie any retail counter or beauty department whose main business is retail.


It makes perfect sense from a business point of view to offer lessons based around a brand (and they'll make more money doing it this way than I will on product sales!) - but it's not totally beneficial for the customer: Women shouldn't put their appearance and image at the mercy of one-sided product advice. 


I avoid this by:
• Choosing to use various brands in my makeup kit, as no one brand is failproof and has the best of everything
• Making recommendations from multiple brands when the products perform the same
• Refusing to offer free lessons/makeovers in exchange for product purchase.


This issue of biased advice is why I started 'A Beautiful Education' and what I personally stand for.


If you did buy this deal, or are thinking of going to a beauty counter for a 'makeup consultation' anytime soon, check for the best and worst of Smashbox or the particular brand on offer at www.beautypedia.com.  Check how each product rates and get an honest opinion, so you can see through the salespitch and know what's worth buying - before you go in store.

NEXT Magazine Makeover...Gets a Makeover!

Tauranga business owner Chrissy Mochan (of Bliss Baskets) won a makeover with NEXT magazine in late 2010.  The photos in the magazine show her wearing WORLD, and styled by its designer, the iconic Denise L'Estrange Corbet.  

Margaret of Personal Style saw the photos and knew she could do better.  Yes - better than WORLD!  So after gifting Chrissy a Personal Style consultation (to discover her best colours and clothing styles), Margaret assembled her favourite Tauranga stylists for a makeover collaboration on Chrissy - to right the wrongs of the NEXT makeover.

Before Margaret sent me these magazine pages I was a little sceptical she could improve on designer styling.  I thought, she's either being *very* picky to critise this makeover, or there is something VERY WRONG.  I could not imagine a makeover going 'wrong' when styled by a well-respected designer.

So did Margaret do better?  Well, yes.  If better means more wearable in real life (this is Tauranga after all, not Auckland's High Street), suited to Chrissy's best colours and a little more in tune with her body shape.  Surely this should be the mark of a fab makeover?  A new look that can be sustained:  A makeover that takes into account the natural features of the person being made over.  Surely not too much to ask?

Below are the professionally styled 'after' photos, followed by the 'before' shot Chrissy sent into NEXT magazine to win the makeover.  

There is a improvement!  But it is so far below what I am used to seeing in good makeover stories.  I can see problems with the styling in every single photo below - the colours, the shapes, the styles...

This makeover highlights the gap between 'high fashion' and 'good styling'.  The principles of colour and proportion that are used internationally by stylists, artists, interior designers and colour consultants - that simply 'work' - were not used here.  There are rules and principles to looking good - a science behind what we humans find pleasing to look at.  If high fashion is about breaking rules, then there were too many rules broken here for success.

Here's how we 'made over' the NEXT makeover:

• Chrissy had her hair colour corrected to remove the warmth added in the initial makeover as she suits the cooler tones.  Chrissy also has redness on her cheeks and the warmth in her hair was only emphasising this.  Her hair was also styled in a more flattering shape (courtesy of Becky Urquart from B. Hair).

• Makeup was then applied using her best colours (by myself, Lillybeth: A Beautiful Education) - not the barely-there apricot tone seen in the casual photos, but a more visible, pastel pink, then a berry-hot pink for the dressy look, rather than the bold red seen in the magazine.   I avoided applying a true red simply because Chrissy's hair and skin is rather pale and a red lipstick is a bold look that could easily 'overpower' her and is best kept for more dramatic evening makeup with eye makeup that supports it.  Blush was kept to a cool pink and eye shadow to a natural beige and medium brown, to keep within her best cool, or 'blue-based' colours.

 • Chrissy brought her own clothes to be styled in her best colours and fashion 'lines' and styles (by Margaret of Personal Style).

• Then Chrissy posed for professional studio images (by Justine of Sassi Photography).

Applying the lip colour on Chrissy's natural but very polished makeup look.

Compare our finished result to the NEXT magazine makeover:

LEFT: Makeover results from collaboration of Tauranga stylists.   RIGHT: Makeover in NEXT.

I think it's fair to say Chrissy looks more attractive, healthy and shapely in the first image.  If you're not sure exactly why that is or where the NEXT makeover went wrong, I'll comment on each of Chrissy's makeover looks in the next blog post along with more of our photos.