Stunning Campaign Shots Released for ghd eclipse Styler

The world-renowned British hair stylist, who regularly styles hair for Kate Moss, has teamed up with the revolutionary hair giant as global creative director. McKnight makes his debut for ghd as Global Creative Director in a campaign shot by Rankin that will officially launch its most innovative product in over a decade – ghd eclipse.

McKnight created the hair for the campaign – featuring an evolution of texture through five absolutely stunning images of one model and a short creative film – as his debut for ghd in his new role of Global Creative Director.

The five hair looks were all created using ghd eclipse, demonstrating how it can take on any styling challenge on any hair type. The first phase of the campaign features Dutch-born model Milou Sluis, who effortlessly encapsulates the ghd brand mantra of ‘a good hair day, every day’.

ghd eclipse™ is available from approved ghd salons. RRP $350

Beautiful Skin on The Great Gatsby

It’s been spawning beauty trends across the globe, but the stylized hair and make-up looks aren’t the only thing that has people talking about the soon-to-be-released The Great Gatsby.

The glowing soft, dewy skin is simply incredible, with the film’s make-up artists crediting Dermalogica as the secret behind the spotless complexions.

“Dermalogica was on my on-set essential for The Great Gatsby,” says make-up artist Diane Dusting. “Dermalogica helped me achieve the perfect afterglow for the actors filming the grand party scene in The Great Gatsby.”

Products used include used Demalogica’s Total Eye Care, UltraCalming Serum Concentrate, UltraCalming Mist and SkinPerfect Primer to create the glowing complexions.


I've recently started using Dermalogica in my own kit (Multivitamin Toner, ActiveMoist and SkinPerfect Primer) and I've noticed a huge difference in the final product. In any makeup the skin is usually my favourite feature as it can make or break the entire look. If you can create a perfect base, anything else you do will look so much better as well.

School Ball Season

from Christian Louboutin Cinderella Collection

It’s nearing the end of May which means school ball season is upon us! If you haven’t already booked your makeup and hair appointments, now’s the time to do it. However, there’s also a few steps you should take care of before the big day.

Skin: Prep your skin by drinking lots of water, eating fresh foods and getting a good amount of exercise every day. Stay away from sugar as much as possible and start the day with a cup of hot water and lemon to cleanse your body.

Tan: If you plan to have a fake tan for your ball, it’s a good idea to test it out beforehand. A tan is relatively inexpensive and well worth it to prevent looking like a patchy orange in your photos (trust me, they last forever).

Hair: Book in a cut (and colour if you regularly get it coloured) 1-2 weeks before the ball to ensure it’s fresh but a little worn in. Also, keep up the conditioning! A great inexpensive product to use is coconut oil. Apply at night and focus on the lengths and the ends to keep them in great condition.

Now that you’re all prepped, let’s look at what you’ll need to have with you on the night to stay looking fresh:

• Gloss - it’s the easiest way to touch up your lips
• Hair Pins - just in case
• Powder - or blotting papers to remove shine
• Cotton Buds - great for touch ups

Have a great time at your school ball guys!

A NEW ERA IN HAIR STYLING

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the launch of the ghd eclipse, hosted by Showroom 22 at the Hilton's Bellini Bar.

A product more than three years in the making, the new stylers claim to be able to cope with any hair type in one stroke and achieve longer-lasting results all by themselves. No blowdrying, no product (save for a heat protectant), no fuss. 

The crux of the innovation is the patented tri-zone technology - a new generation of styling technology that uses six sensors (three in each plate) to ensure no heat loss during styling and an even distribution of heat when and where its required. This also ensures you get the optimum heat of 185 degrees at all times, which has been proven as the ideal temperature for best results.

Louise Sangster - Creme/Girlfriend and myself at the launch

So what do these innovations mean? You can take larger (and less precise sections) at a time, plus you only need to go through each section once. So you’re able to style faster with an improved finish and longer-lasting results. Sounds good so far. But the best news comes for people with completely unruly hair. 

Because the body of the stylers remains cool to the touch, it’s safer and easier to get right to the root of the hair to tame those annoying curly baby hairs without the risk of burning yourself. Plus the hair cools down faster, which helps to set the style how you want it to stay - great news for curl enthusiasts.

half the models hair was tamed using ghd eclipse

So is it worth the upgrade? For hair stylists or those with difficult hair types I would say this is worth looking into. It copes far better with a wider range of hair types and the styles last much longer. Fine hair, for example, which is notoriously prone to dropping curl quickly, holds the style (seriously, I tried this on my friend who has super fine hair and the curl held, no product). However, perhaps even more amazing is its use on thick frizzy african-american type hair, which ordinarily would need blow drying before running the ghds through. The eclipse can tackle this in one stroke, no problem. 

If you have a difficult hair type (fine, frizzy, thick, super curly) or you find your style just doesn’t last, then this is the styler for you. If you are blessed with easy hair then there’s great news for you too, as the ghd IV and ghd gold stylers are here to stay. So there’s a styler to suit all needs (and budgets).

ghd eclipse is available from April and retails for $350.

Jaime Ridge's Make Up

I was Jaime Ridge's make up artist during her reality show The Ridges which has just finished it's first (smash hit) season. I've had a tonne of requests asking how I did her make up and it managed to last during her boxing fight! Read on...

Jaime and Sally Ridge before Jaime's big fight!

SKIN
1. I always start off with a great primer (Smashbox Luminizing Primer) which keeps make up in place and prevents it settling into smile lines or open pores.
2. Next I apply a small amount of a full coverage foundation (Smashbox Studio Skin) and concealer where required.
3. I finish off by setting her base with mineral powder (Smashbox Halo Powder) which again extends the wear of the make up and provides a matte yet still glowing finish
4. I'm big on brows so I always fill in and define Jaime's brows using 'Brow Tech'

EYES
1. I start with a cream shadow base (Smashbox Cream Shadow in 'Quartz') and apply this all over the eyelid up to the crease of the eye. Over that I press Smashbox 'Cinnamon Toast' and blend it out just above the crease
2. I darken the outer corners of the eyes using a dark brown Smashbox 'Roast' and use this to line the bottom lashline to half way
3. I line the top lashline with black liner (Smashbox Jet Set Black) and the bottom inner rim with white pencil (Smashbox Eye Beam) to open up the eyes
4. Lastly I apply a set of false lashes and mascara

CHEEKS/LIPS
1. Jaime has great cheekbones as it is but I enhance them using Smashbox Contour Palette and a bit of Blush (Smashbox 'Paradise')
2. To create a natural nude lip but still with a hint of colour I use Smashbox 'Honey' lipstick with 'Afterglow' gloss over the top.

Jaime with a smokier look at the press conference
(Image from Jaime's twitter)

ghd reveals a new-look Katy Perry

Global brand ambassador Katy Perry reveals a series of stunning new hair looks for ghd

Shot by renowned fashion photographer Ellen von Unwerth in Los Angeles at the end of Katy’s world tour, the campaign shows Katy in a series of striking scenarios "It was fun to go a more natural route after playing characters in my last ghd campaign,” said Katy. 

The classic yet fashion forward images see Katy with an array of covetable, wearable hair looks and exuding confidence – a positive message to inspire millions of women to have a good hair day, every day. This message ‘good hair day, every day’ is the brand’s core client promise and will launch as part of the new campaign.

ghd air

The new ghd airTM – the brand’s first salon-strength professional hairdryer - was used to create all of Katy’s looks, in addition to the iconic ghd stylers, the range of brushes (which I personally love) and a capsule collection of ghd styling products.