CODE Beautiful Blog / makeup artist

Our customers are the original inspiration behind our product development, we thought you may be a little excited to know that a lovely 'celeb ' has followed in your footsteps by wearing our products, she's chic and understated...The lovely Pippa Middleton has been spotted wearing CODE VLM during her shoot for Waitrose. 😱😱 

Yep, you heard it here first... even royals wear CODE Beautiful mascara! 😂 

Here is a sneak peek from the shoot...  

We have the super talented makeup artist, Eloise Parker to thank for introducing Pippa to our mascara, she did her makeup for the shoot and we think she looks naturally glowing!  

We always say CODE Beautiful is a bit like discovering the undiscovered... our inner circle of loyal customers were the first to discover us but it’s amazing to see the other celebs that have followed suit...

Giovanna Fletcher wearing CODE VLM (volumising, lengthening mascara). Makeup by Eloise Parker.

Mollie King wearing CODE SSL (soft smooth lip liner) on ITV This Morning. Makeup by Celena Hancock. 

Michelle Keegan wearing CODE VLM (volumising, lengthening mascara) at her Lipsy launch. Makeup by Emily Clarkson. 

Mel B wearing CODE VLM (volumising, lengthening mascara). Makeup by Celena Hancock. 

So again, a massive thank you to Eloise and all the other amazing and talented makeup artists who have introduced our products to celebs all over the world... we are forever grateful! 😍  

Alex Waring, (@makeupbyalex), makeup artist, true professional, mum of two and simply all round lovely lady was kind enough to answer some of our questions about how she juggles life as a working mum and also shares some of her top tricks of the trade. 

So Alex, tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into makeup.

I’ve always been into drawing and being creative but I didn’t believe I could make a career out of it until a friend, who worked in music video production, encouraged me to pursue makeup. I started a degree in specialist makeup and that same friend put me in touch with a makeup artist to get some assisting experience, which led to so many amazing opportunities over the years. 

We love seeing what you’re up to on Instagram and who you’ve been working with lately, but with such a busy job, how do you manage your work/life balance and juggle motherhood with a demanding career?

As stressful as it can be working freelance, it does mean that I get to spend so much time with my children, even though I may need to stay away for a shoot here and there. I think whatever job you do, if you have children you’re always going to be crazy busy! 

We couldn’t agree more!! Do you have any tips for us tired mums? 

My biggest tip would be that no matter how exhausted you are, always follow a good skincare routine, morning and night. Your skin will thank you for it! 

Mascara was my best friend when I was at my most sleep deprived as it immediately made me look more awake so definitely have that at the ready along with a good concealer, cream brush, long-wear eyeliner and a smudged lip liner; that way you always have the perfect, quick daytime ‘I’m awake!’ look. 

CODE VLM is great for helping really open up your eyes and faking that wide awake look. 

Has your beauty routine changed since having children? 

Majorly!! I no longer have the luxury of time so I’ve had to alter my daytime makeup quite significantly and get used to having an audience when applying it. 

It sounds like you’ve got some budding assistants in the making! Is there anyone that has inspired you throughout your career?

I’m inspired all the time by so many different artists for different reasons. I’ve always been a massive fan of Pat McGrath and more recently I’m obsessed with James Molloy’s Instagram posts with his insanely perfect eyeliner application. My first very makeup idol was Kevin Aucoin. 

There’s no doubt about it that the beauty industry is such a fun and crazy world to be a part of, what have been your best and worst times of your career to date? 

The best times in my career would be when I first started working on music videos, I had so much fun and got to work with such amazing people. I think the worst times in my career used to be whenever I was quiet and waiting for the next job to come in, I’m now kept super busy with a 4 year old and 10 month old so I wouldn’t even notice a quiet period!! 

We’ve got so much respect for you and you already know we’re big fans of your work, what can we expect to see from you in 2019? 

Hopefully lots of beautiful editorial collaborations and some fun commercial jobs and, if you follow my Instagram page, the odd family pic thrown in too these days! ;) 

Thank you so much for your time Alex! xx

You know how you look back at photos of yourself from a few years ago and you instantly recoil at your make-up? Those skinny brows! That under-eye concealer that was two shades too light! That fake-tan that veers slightly too close to orange? Nowadays we have Instagram filters to blur away what we don’t like, but that’s no excuse for a make-up faux pas that could be totally unavoidable. And in an era of contouring, highlighting, fake lashes and fake lips, there is a hell of a lot that can go wrong. We’ve all done it – this isn’t about feeling bad about your make-up mistakes – but here are a few tips to avoid repeating the most common ones of 2017, as we make our way in to the New Year….

The one that looks ok in photos.. but not so ok in real life…

Let’s face it – contouring has been around for a couple of years now, but shows no signs of going anywhere – so we need to tackle this one. Contouring works really well in theory – defining your features, giving bone structure a more angular appearance and ‘reducing’ the size of any features you aren’t happy with -but in reality, or at least away from Instagram, contouring doesn’t translate so well. Too much definition can highlight lines, too much shading can make the skin appear dirty, and not enough blending just leaves you looking ridiculous. If you’re going to stay on the contouring wagon – and let’s face it, there are plenty that are – just remember to stick to these golden rules: it’s worth investing in a contour palette that has a variety of shades, so you can keep as close to your natural skin colour as possible; play around with formulas until you find the one that works best for your skin type – whether that’s cream, powder or a mixture of the two; and finally, blend, blend, blend.

The one that ruins your lashes

False lashes – we have a love-hate relationship with the things. While we adore the fat fluttery lashes they give us, fiddling around with glue and the inevitable lash fall out (seriously, how do you pull them off WITHOUT ripping out your own lashes?) puts us off. Give lashes a break from falsies and allow them to grow back to full strength, without forgoing the lash envy they create. CODE FFL Forget Fake Lashes £18 gives enough of a pre-mascara boost – enhancing short sparse ones and coating lashes with volumising and thickening ingredients – that you will genuinely forget you aren’t wearing falsies.

The one that doesn’t make the most of what you have

Wearing the wrong mascara is a bit like wearing the wrong sized bra – you won’t realise how wrong it is until you discover the alternative and then you’ll never look back. There’s a good mascara out there for everyone – and it’s such a personal thing that what works on your best friend won’t necessarily work on you – so make 2018 the year you find your one. You need to first figure out what you want from your mascara – do you have thin delicate lashes that need to gain some weight? Are your lashes full of volume but short and stubby, in desperate need of length? Are your lashes long but straight and in need of a little curl to give a wide-eye look? All of the above?? CODE VLM Volumising Lengthening Mascara £19.95 can be built up gradually, and adds length, volume, separation and curl, while nourishing lashes with vitamins and waxes that encourage natural lash growth.

The one that looks dated (even if it is back on-trend)

The Moschino S/S’18 show was all about a return to the 90’s: so we can expect the Spice brown lip liner/pale concealer lips combo to be making a return too. While this may look cute on the catwalk, in reality it looks unflattering and dated, plus it won’t help you achieve that plumped effect pout that you’ve been lusting after. Stay away from dark brown lip liners and instead stick to CODE SSL Soft Smooth Lip Liner £18 - which is the perfect nude shade - and you’ll create the perfect amount of volume and natural definition, without any telltale dark lines.

The perfect nude lip has become a bit of a beauty phenomenon in its own right. In recent years the nude lip, like the red lip before it, has become a go-to look that, done right, has the power to transform your face, update your look and make you look can’t-put-my-finger-on-why better. Now the nude lip got a – sort of – royal seal of approval, as the signature look of Prince Harry’s gorgeous new fiancé, Meghan Markle.

Like its rouge predecessor, the perfect nude lipstick needs very little else to go with it and should make your teeth look whiter, your skintone brighter an your eyes pop.  With all that in mind it’s worth remembering this: just like with a red lippie– finding the perfect nude lip is a bit of holy grail of beauty. So, while Meghan has found the one (lippie we mean…) finding your own may take a bit of work. But we promise, the payoff (flattered complexion, brighter face…) is worth the graft.  So, what qualifies as a nude lip? Let’s face it, with our different skintones, naked means something different to each of us. It can be a real jungle out there in the world of flesh-toned lippies. So let us steer you in the right direction and help you find the perfect nude lip for you. We like many were searching for the perfect nude so searched high and low and came up with two products we think are the perfect shade for all skin tones...👏🏻

CODE SSL Soft Smooth Lip Liner £18

Never underestimate the power of a good lip liner, and this one is pretty unique... a lip liner and plumper all in one elegant, self-sharpening device.

CODE SSL is the perfect universal Soft Nude Blush shade which looks gorgeous on everyone. Non-feathering, CODE SSL prevents your lip gloss or lipstick from bleeding for an effortless look you can trust. Clever self-sharpening technology means you simply twist the lid till it clicks and you have the perfect tip to glide onto your lips. (We like to also create some vertical lines on the lips to give a stronger base - so you can use it as a lip liner and a lipstick... two in one!)

CODE LIP Lip Intense Plumper £20

CODE LIP is the lip plumping treatment you’ve been waiting for – full of the best lip-plumping ingredients – the more often you apply it, the better the results. Plus it gives you an instant boost in plumpness and moisture. Use CODE LIP on its own or let it dry and wear under your favourite lipstick or gloss.

The magic ingredient in CODE LIP is Hilurlip, containing a blend of lip treats such as Hyaluronic acid, Tripeptide-1, and Dimethicone. This exclusive combination helps to redefine the natural contours of the lips and create a more youthful, sculpted look.

CODE LIP comes in a beautiful soft nude rose colour to suit all skin tones.

Yes it's THAT time of the year again. So, whether you’re ahead of the game and don’t mind joining the crowds or planning on a spot of online shopping from the comfort of your sofa, we’ve taken away some of the legwork and hunted down a collection of the most unique, lust-worthy beauty gifts that money can buy right now.

Remember when Halloween was just for kids? Oh how we’ve moved on from the days when the 31st October was just a day when we’d go for a spot of after-school trick or treating, dressed in a bin liner and a mask we’d bought at the newsagents. Now, thanks to Hollywood’s love of Halloween, the end of October is one long party, an excuse to dress up, go crazy with our make-up and then Instagram the hell out of it. Figure out which Halloween tribe you fit into...

Fashion Week month is in full swing, and while we’ve only just got used to wearing our winter wardrobe again, we’re already lusting after the looks that are set to be everywhere by the time Spring/Summer 18 rolls around. So if you’re already looking ahead to next season and want to know which beauty trends will be spamming up your Insta in the new year (and which ones you’ll want to leave well alone) then keep reading, as we’ve done all the hard work for you. We’ve watched the shows, taken a peek backstage (it’s a tough job…) and taken note, creating a Fashion Week edit that will have you swooning – not to mention wishing away the winter.

It’s wedding season which is one of our favourite times of year! All the happy people, celebration and of course champagne really puts us in an amazing mood. As a beauty brand, it’s only natural that we are interested in wedding makeup, which we are aware can be a tricky thing to master. After all, if there is ever a time when you don’t want to get it wrong then it’s your wedding day!

 We wanted to source some top information on wedding day makeup for our CODERS and we decided to ask super talented makeup artist and friend of team CODE, Alex Jones. Not only is Alex a pro, she also got married herself this month so we really couldn’t think of a better person to chat to!

Who else is loving the new Wonder Woman movie? We celebrate female empowerment here at CODE so it’s super exciting to finally see a superhero film with a female lead. Leading Lady Gal Gadot is amazing in the film, she is definitely one to watch!

We were lucky enough to have a chat with the makeup artist behind Gadot’s stunning makeup in the film, the super talented Sarah Brock! Sarah is a hugely successful, award winning makeup artist who has collaborated with many a celebrity, you may have seen her artistry on the cover of OK, or Brides magazine. Head to http://www.sarahbmakeup.co.uk/ to check out her work!