#muablog

Probably everyone has seen that lady Gaga is realising a makeup line that is already up for pre order. If you haven't, well lady Gaga is realising a makeup brand with Haus Labatories which will be sold on Amazon from what I know as well as its own website.

But I've seen people give off about the fact that it's only pre order at the minute but will ship in September which in my own opinion is a long time to wait for pre order but each to their own.

I love lady Gaga and can't wait to try her makeup brand it looks so sleek and professional while the colour choses are limited they seem to be wearable colours while also staying true to Gaga's wacky side. The brand is also vegan and cruelty free which at this point ya know is a win in my opinion.

The products are definitely not drug store and are a bit in the pricier side ranging from $26-$49 which is about £27-£39.50 which gives me the impression that they are more of a high end brand, not drugstore but not designer brand prices either.

As the products haven't been tested online with reviews yet I can't say whether they are worth the money or not, so I'll give an updated review when they are officially released but until then tell me what you think in the comments. Do you think the pre order time is too long? Will it be worth the wait? What about the price? Should they be cheaper/dearer? Or should the prices stay this way? What are your opinions about the packaging and the colour range? Xx

My heart will go on...

...and on for this wonderful brush!

If the ship were going down, we at The Makeup Mill would be hard pressed what beloved makeup items to take with us to shore but we can safely say this Titanic FX brush would be taken to dry land with us.

Part of their new ‘Beauty Pro Range’ the  #206 ‘Small Duo Fiber Slanted Brush’ has become our new favourite brush for mottling and stippling AA based makeup or creating a wash of colour over the skin. The lovely soft bristles feel great on the skin and the unusual shape gives lovely organic patterns on the skin, great for dirtying down too! 

Jump on board the Titanic FX express and grab your #206 today, before that ship has sailed! 

We loved watching...

...Lion (2016).

Not only is this an incredible true life story with fantastic acting from child star Sunny Pawar but it is packed with sensational Makeup & Hair from the team lead by Makeup Supervisor Zelijka Stanin. We loved the raw reality of the makeup, every single character felt real and true to life in 1980′s India and Australia. From Nicole Kidmans fiery red wig through to the aging Makeup on ‘Saroos’ (the young boy) mother at the end of the film, to the outstanding breaking down makeup on Sunny after his time out on the streets, we at the Mill were blown away by the quality of the hair and makeup on show. 

A heartwarming story and a feast for the eyes for Makeup, Hair & Prosthetics.

Makeup & Hair team as per IMDB: 

Kate Birch ... makeup & hair artist

Luize Joyce Margaret ... key hair: India (as Joyce Luize Margaret)

Ellie McEvoy ... makeup & hair assistant

Ankush More ... hair assistant

Natasha Nischol ... prosthetics artist (as Natasha Nishchol)

Paul Pattison ... makeup & hair artist / personal hairstylist nichol kidman

Kamlesh U. Shinde ... key makeup: India

Zeljka Stanin ... makeup supervisor

Larry Van Duynhoven ... prosthetics artist (as Laurence Van Duynhoven)

Tops Towels * 

Actors love a hot towel at the end of a day, it's that little pick me up that makes them feel fresher than a baby's bottom as they step off your trailer plus it also keeps their skin in tip top shape for filming! 

Now, as many Make-up artists know from the time the flannel pings out of the microwave to when you run with it like a hot potato in your hand to the other side of the makeup bus that as it touches your actors skin it is either scalding hot or freezing cold. Using a microwave to heat towels is also not that hygienic after heating up your microwave curry and towels often linger getting damp and dirty. 

We at the Mill think we have found the perfect little towel heater that will remove your towel woes and a days worth of makeup too! So cheap and compact is the ‘Warmies Wipes Warmer’  that every makeup station on your makeup bus can house one neatly, without taking up too much room and is always full of the perfect temperature towels all day long, so for a midday derig or end of the day cleanse they are always at your finger tips.

As this is designed for babies it is super hygienic and the towels are kept at the right temperature, so no scalded hands or frozen faces.

You asked us...

...What is your favourite sealer?

This week at The Mill is all about us answering your questions! Our post box has been stuffed with letter asking us our top tips and asking for advice, so we thought we’d start this week by answering a long over due question about sealers, sent in from a lovely Make-up student at the Iver Academy. 

Sealers come in all shapes, colours and sizes and promise a multitude of things. We at The Mill always advocate the idea that there is not one product that can do it all so here we have picked our top 4 and we are about to tell you how they keep your make-ups under lock and key!

As a student is it easy to be bamboozled by how many sealers are out there and as they all promise the earth it can take ages and lots of money for you to figure out which ones work and which ones don't. 

As this is a student related post we will show you all rounders that do everything in one package, keeping costs down for your starter kits. 

1) Urban Decay ‘All Nighter’ £24- We at The Mill are not about gimmicks, when we read that this sealer has an ‘in built cooling system’ we thought we had accidently started reading about a new air conditioned car, not a make-up sealer. However, it isn’t a gimmick, when sprayed on the skin this water based sealer offers a lovely cooling sensation, great for hot sets. We found that its brilliant for beauty or period make-up as it does not change the finish or the make-up, or clog up the skin, so over weeks of filming your actors skin is not clogged or breaking out, but on set their make-up does not budge. Unlike some of the sealers designed with Pro Make-up in mind it is not full of parabens or nasty industrial strength ingredients. The lovely mister spray gives a light even spray and does not clog up, perfect for your leading lady. Although this may be on the pricier side if you are a student looking to get more into fashion, glamour or commercial work this is the sealer for you! 

2) Jordane Aqua Bamboo Sealer £16.95 - Working in a hot climate? Working with tattoos or sfx makeup? Then this is the sealer for you. Having worked in several hot climates we at The Mill know how to keep ours and the actors cool when it comes to this sealer. Although it does have a matte finish, the Jordane Aqua Bamboo really is 100% waterproof and keeps tattoos, tattoo cover and fx make-up in place all day. What we also LOVE is that it can be sprayed on top of a rash or freshly sealed wound to neatly seal up the skin after which make up can still be applied, perfect for if an actor has an injury that needs covering in a hygienic way. It really is an all rounder and for the price is definitely a staple in any Make-up Mill workers kit! It is great for when you are starting out and need one sealer in your kit that does it all. 

3) Ben Nye Final Seal (Starting at) £8.95-  Like the Jordane sealer this is a perfect all round sealer, although alcohol based it does have a lovely minty scent that gives a nice cooling effect on the skin. It gives a smudge resistant finish, so not entirely waterproof but great for every day sealing. You may need a powder or mattifier on top if you are sealing tattoos for example, but we think when you are starting out this is a great sealer to get you going and to keep things in place with minimal checks. Coming in a lovely set bag sized spray bottle it is great for students on limited budgets and great for your first days on set. 

4) Bluebird Gloss Sealer £33.40- A bit of a curve ball but our Iver Student did want to know our top 4 sealers and this is definitely one. We love the ‘Gloss sealer’ as it can be used to seal any blood effects that you wish to keep shiny all day long, without reapplying fresh blood after every take. It is also great for making sfx boils and sores look weeping and sore and even works under the eye for a teary effect or on the forehead for a sweat effect that doesn't budge. It may be a pricier one but it definitely has multiple uses. 

Dream Cream* 

We at The Mill are all about quick fixes on set but not at the detriment of the quality or result. Covering tattoos, scars and bruising is so common in the world of Make-up. Your actor could have filmed for weeks with not a bump or scrape and then one little knock means they have a big old bruise on their face that would give the script supervisor a continuity conundrum.

There are so many camouflage make-ups out there, one of our favourites still being the Jordane Palettes mainly for their convenience and speed but they can sometimes look cakey and flakey on camera. To achieve a more skin like effect for those extreme close ups we at The Mill have been on the hunt for something with a soft focus finish with all the staying power of Jordane...and we think we have found it. 

MAQ Pro’s ‘Creamy Coverage’ is a totally waterproof and rub resistant camouflage make-up, it has the consistency of a tinted moisturiser and a little goes a very very long way.  We loved that it is buildable but not heavy and it moves with the skin, not cracking or crumbling. We stippled it on lightly with a fluffy brush and were very impressed with the results. It is a little on the pricey side but for your leading lady or man it would be absolutely worth the money as it holds up under extreme close ups so could be used on the face and be virtually un detectable. 

You will have to mix and match to find the perfect shade but it will be worth it for those underwater scenes, hot conditions or for just any camouflage make-up you need. We even thought it would be good to cover up a stubble shadow! 

Master of the Dark Arts* 

 We can see it now, the wizards at The Dark Arts company, those Masters of Make-up Art trawling through their ancient book of spells to come up with creative concoctions of congealing bloods and mixing lotions and potions to create what we think are simply spellbinding SFX products. 

Chanting “Double, double, blood and trouble; Fire burn, and wound gel bubble“ over their cauldrons of blood (no eye of newts were harmed in the making) and guts, those SFX sorcerers have come up with a brilliant range of bloods in three great colours, that are pigment perfect across the range. So from a Slow Flow blood to a Slash and Stay blood you know you are getting colour consistency throughout, perfect for continuity.

 The Dark Arts Company were so kind as to send out a range for us at The Mill to try. We had imagined the delivery man may turn up on a broomstick but sadly it was just DPD at the door, although it was truly magical to receive such an array of bloods for us to review.  See below for our in depth delve into the dark underworld of The Dark Arts new blood range : 

Spray Gel Blood :- This is a marvel of make-up magic if we have ever seen one! A blood that has a thick gel consistency, that you can spray and it stays...it sounds like witchcraft to us. This gel blood is a totally new texture in the world of bloods and is great for creating very large areas of gore quickly. We love it for brain matter spatter! 

Contour Gel Blood:- A lovely wound filler that has a great pliable texture for filling wounds and adding depth. We also really like it to create smears of blood across the skin, for example from an old nose bleed and scuffs on the knuckles as the gel it bends with the skin without cracking. 

Form Gel Blood:- This is a great alternative to directly applied 2 part silicones for creating super quick 3d blood effects. It is malleable enough to mould into shape, but firm enough to stay put. Great for very quick out of the kit wounds. We love putting a little of the Contour Gel Blood on top to really flesh out the wounds. 

Fast Flow Blood:- Want the perfect nose bleed? Want the perfect bleed out all over the kitchen floor? Want blood to gush from the wound? Look no further than fast flow blood. Quicker than the speed of light this blood and Usain Bolt put together this blood flows like Niagara falls, for those nose bleed effects that come out of no where! It dries slowly which is wonderful for real time continuity and the blood stays looking fresh for longer. It smears brilliantly in hair as-well and keeps looking wet, great for reset times. 

Mid Flow Blood:- Take it easy, sit back and relax as you unwind...hold on this isn't a spa day we are talking about. The mid flow blood is a great blood that gives a little grab and resists, where you want a trickle of blood rather than a torrent. It dries in minutes so its perfect for those wounds that are a little less than fresh. 

Slow Flow- This has a more gel like texture but still has some movement to it, it is lovely in larger wounds and sits great on silicone too. It dries like congealing blood and stays well. What we love about all the flows is you can now control the speed of the blood, something that was all guess work or required a blood rig! 

Spray and Stay :- This more for those arty farty art department folks but we at The Mill couldn't leave it out of our review, we love spray bloods but often find it hard to get a good spray blood that doesn't clog up in the nozzle after one use. Or when you make your own and thin it down with water you loose a lot of the texture and colour of the blood itself. Not with Spray and Stay, the colour is true to what it says on the tin and there is a strong colour pay off. It becomes rub proof on contact but will wipe away too.

Slash and Spray :- Another liquid blood but its truly like no other. You will never have to worry again when it comes to blood rigs clogging mid take as this blood does not contain any sugar syrup and does not have to be thinned down to get through tricky tubing. It comes in three great colours for all types of rigs or you can leave it in the handy spray pump bottle provided! 

You asked...

.... which is your favourite wig glue?

Thanks again for writing in to us here at The Mill, it makes us a little warm and fuzzy inside when we see those emails popping up from you guys asking us all manner of question about all things make-up. 

Today we thought we’d start with an anonymous message that came to us about wig glue, now there are hundreds out there on the market but we in the office have whittled them down to our top four.  Each offering something different, for different scenarios...because we Make-up Artists (unlike Golemn) know there is sadly not one glue to rule them all...

1) All rounder :- KD151 Extra Strength Matte Lace Adhesive - This is a good all round glue, sticks really well, holds and has a lovely matte finish. It is easy to clean out of lace and also works well on darker skin tones. 

2) Delicate and subtle:- PPI Spirits - This is a thinner spirit gum, it takes a little longer to tack up but it is wonderfully light in its consistency and does not show up on camera, as it is so fine. It goes brilliantly matte on skin and on silicone too, we especially love it when laying on hair. It is not as strong as KD151 but great for delicate HD lace or fine hair work. The handy pen version is also great for set bags. 

3) Hold on tight :- Naimies Very Flat Matte - This is SUPER strong and the extra matting agent really does have no shine at all. We like this for really securing wigs, for example on stunts, Theatre or background artists. Not our favourite for HD shots but really good for keeping a big wig in place! 

4)  Spirit in the sky:- Maekeup Spirit On - This has handy written all over it, perfect size for your set bag and the handy roller ball applicator means no glue drips on costume during quick touchups. It takes a little moment to tack up but it is SUPER strong and does not budge, it holds up really well in the heat too. 

As we said, there are so many more glues out there but these are just our top four! We hope this info may get you out of some sticky situations and if you have any top tips for making wigs stick please do send them to us at the Mill and we make sure to share the glue love around.