Givenchy Make Over

 

#BBBGivenchy

I can count the number of counter makeovers I’ve had over the years on one hand, I think. It just doesn’t occur to me to have them done really. And yet, most beauty counters offer them and generally, they’re done to a very high standard.

As a little pre-cursor to something I’ve got coming up really soon (look out for #BBBGivenchy), I went to Givenchy at House of Fraser in Oxford Street to put it to the test. Literally, as soon as I saw the makeup artist, Shadia, I asked for her makeup exactly. It was kind of a fusion of smoky nudes that really looked flawless, but the twist was using a very pale eye Ombre Couture shadow that I would never have thought to pick up. It was such a nice shake-up of a traditional smoky nude that I’m genuinely going to repeat the look.

Shadia took a lot of care to prep my skin first with serums and moisturisers – something I am very lax about doing at home so it was a good reminder at least that slacking off initial prep doesn’t pay! She took so much time and care over it, focussing first on the base and then doing a trick with bronzer that turned my January face into a much healthier looking version with the lightest of sweeps.

She then used Ombre Couture in a very light cream shade (new), smoking it up at the crease with Prisme Quatuor in Confidence and adding a liquid liner (I can’t do this at home, I know.. I just have to make do with a pencil liner which will be fine).

 

It was also my opportunity to try the updated Givenchy Phenomen’Eyes Mascara (before I had my lash extensions put back in) which, as I’ve said in a previous post, is incredible. Plus, Shadia made me do it myself on one eye which is much more useful than leaving without knowing the very best way to apply.

For lips, she picked out the perfect, perfect shade – I don’t know how she knew that it would be exactly what I would have chosen myself! It’s Gelee D’Inderdit Lip in Neon Orange which looks a vivid orange in the tube but translates to a much lighter, transluscent version in reality. It’s not a ‘nothing’ shade – there is enough that you get a wash of colour with plenty of gloss. I loved it.

I know that Givenchy offer a menu of make-over options – they’re all free – and I was genuinely impressed at the care that was taken. I forgot I was in a beauty hall, actually.

Menu

The best way to take advantage of beauty hall make-overs is when you know you need a new beauty item. There’s always the awkward bit where you worry that you might not want to buy anything (and I will guarantee that is not expected of you but I know some people find it awkward), but if you know you’re in the market for something new, take the make-over, too! It’s a chance for the counter staff to show you what their products can really do in a more relaxed way than rushing in over your lunch hour and it helps you to get to know a brand, such as Givenchy, better. If you don’t feel confident about re-creating the look at home, take some notes to help you and ask the makeup artist to tell you exactly what she or he is doing. Shadia gave me good guidance on how to recreate at home – and I’m pretty sure that the new pale cream eye base is the new future of smoky eyes.

I am bursting to tell you more about #BBBGivenchy – if you follow me on Twitter, please keep your eyes peeled on my time line this coming Thursday, 29th January.