The 411: Georgie Eisdell
Among the few celebrities whose red carpet moves we have historically tracked closely for beauty inspiration, Carey Mulligan ranks fairly high. Besides being remarkably easy on the eyes, the actress has mastered the fine art of elegance with a twist, both in her dress and beauty choices, when she hits the red carpet. For the latter, Mulligan has Aussie-born makeup artist Georgie Eisdell to thank. Eisdell, who kicked off her makeup career in Sydney while still a teenager, quickly climbed the beauty ranks, becoming an editorial darling and favorite among a coterie of style-savvy celebrities including Mulligan, Dianna Agron (with Eisdell, left), Diane Kruger, Christina Hendricks, and Saoirse Ronan. With Gatsby just hitting theaters, the past two weeks have seen Mulligan pounding the red carpet circuit hard. “My favorite looks for Carey vary,” shares Eisdell. “Her skin is incredible so I always love to enhance that and give her an extra glow. She is quite a chameleon so it makes it very easy for me; everything suits her.” Eisdell’s go-to red carpet products for Mulligan? “Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels; I use them on all my clients because they cool, de-puff, and tone the skin,” she says. “I love my Dior Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen, too. I use it under the eyes to brighten the area and it’s so fine that it doesn’t cake. Lastly I can’t do without my La Mer The Powder; it sets makeup and is kind of my secret weapon to glowing skin.” Here, Eisdell shares some of the beauty bets she reserves for her own big nights out—and the daily grind in between.
The Balm Par Excellence: Lucas’ Papaw Ointment
“This is from Australia and is literally the best lip balm on the planet. There is nothing that heals chapped lips better. It is also amazing for bites, burns, and it’s great to put on dry elbows. The other thing I love to use this product for is when you are breaking in new shoes: Rub a little on the inside of the shoe where it rubs, and you find yourself blister free with perfectly broken in shoes from day one.”
Available at www.newlondonpharmacy.com.
The One and Only Moisturizer: Crème de la Mer Soft Cream
“I cannot live without this moisturizer. It is perfect for every season; I feel like it injects moisture into my skin instantly. It feels light, yet gives so much hydration. It’s the perfect base for makeup!”
Available at www.cremedelamer.com.
The Desert Island Beauty Product: Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Medium
“If there was only one product I could have, this would be it. This bronzer is so light on the face; it doesn’t have a powdery finish so it can be used over powder, or on clean skin. The color is perfect! It’s so natural and never makes people look over-tanned or orange. It adds the perfect amount of sun-kissed color to the face.”
Available at www.bobbibrown.com.
The Cleansing Necessity: Clarisonic
“This is the only way to wash your face fully. Other than it being a really chic looking appliance, it cleans the skin so well without being too harsh. It removes significantly more dirt, loosens impurities from your pores, and it leaves you so smooth and glowing.”
Available at www.clarisonic.com.
Face Time For Your Hair and Body
![Sans[ceuticals]](http://www.style.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/05/Sansceuticals.jpg)
There’s something up down under. The past few years have seen an uptick in the number of excellent green-leaning exports to come out of Australia and New Zealand, and we’re beginning to wonder if a “work” trip is in order to properly explore the local beauty bounty. Following introductions to brands such as Snowberry, Original Mineral, and Black Chicken, we are acutely aware of the embarrassment of natural-ingredient riches that exist in the region—and that much more impressed with Sans[ceuticals] because of it.
The brainchild of Auckland-based beauty expert Lucy Marr, Sans is a potent blend of nature and science, and the latest addition to Marr’s New Zealand mini empire, which includes hair salons with her husband, Stephen, Lucy & the Powder Room spas, and The Department Store, a boutique retail concept she co-owns with designer Karen Walker. Noticing that the new generation of technology emerging in facial care wasn’t as available for hair and body, the seeds for Sans were planted. “It surprised me, because skin is our largest organ and 70 percent of what is topically applied is absorbed into the bloodstream,” she says. It compelled Marr to consult Dr. Annette Lasham, a leading scientist in oncology and genetics, to develop an 17-piece range of chemical-free, highly active formulas. Baobab oil (a phytolipid rich in omegas 3, 6, and 9), bamboo grounds brimming with silica, blood-flow-stimulating ginseng, and cell-regenerating fennel and visnaga vera extracts feature heavily in products like Sans’ Activator 7 Body + Face + Hair Oil, Bio Active Body Exfoliator, and pH & Shine Corrector, which restores hair to its virgin state. “There’s a huge amount of women that want more than just nice-smelling, seminatural products,” says Marr, whose offerings are now being stocked at Woodley & Bunny stateside. As some of those women, we’re plenty excited to welcome the collection into our arsenal.
The Fab Five: Fade To White
White nail polish got a big boost at the Spring shows last September when it turned up on the runway at Rag & Bone and Moschino—and an even bigger boost when Rihanna rocked the stark opaque color to an L.A. Lakers game over Christmas with Chris Brown, which turned out to be the couple’s unofficial “we’re back together” announcement (they have since split. Again.) It’s an unexpected, albeit wonderful alternative to more predictable pastels as the warmer weather graces us with its presence and while it does come with its fair share of application challenges, they’re nothing a good base coat or ridge filler can’t fix, according to Jin Soon Choi. Once you’ve nailed down the perfect, streak-free application technique, the only task that remains is sifting through the myriad alabaster lacquers currently on the market. Here are five of our favorites to get you started.
Snow Day
Essie Nail Lacquer in Blanc, $8, www.essie.com
Billed as the perfect counterpart to a French manicure, this full-coverage, soft white is just as effective on its own, and can be topped with a matte or high-shine top coat.
Sheer Genius
Priti NYC Nail Lacquer in Bristol Fairy
To add to the “dream-like, ethereal” mood backstage at Thakoon’s Fall show, Priti NYC’s Kim D’Amato applied this sheer, shimmering white to models fingertips. It’s not as noticeable as an opaque white lacquer, but it makes a statement all its own.
Bling Ring
NYX Precious Pearls in White Pearls
A new take on Ciate’s uber popular “caviar manicure,” NYX’s Precious Pearl collection features a pure white varnish with a corresponding bottle of tiny opalescent baubles that blur the line between nail polish and jewelry.
Mallow Out
Zoya Nail Polish in Purity
A super versatile milky white, Zoya’s marshmallow-hued lacquer makes for a great contrasting tip, a gleaming full-coverage color—and can also be used to lighten up your favorite darker polishes for Spring. Never be afraid to do some at-home custom-color mixing.
Bright Future
Butter London Nail Lacquer in Cotton Buds, available July 2013 at www.butterlondon.com
One coat of this creamy, bright white will give you a very clean look while two coats serve up a finish of the 100-watt variety.
Stella Goes Solo; To Pre-Tox Or Not To Pre-Tox: That Is the Question; And More…
Stella McCartney is looking for a new beauty partner. Five years after L’Oréal acquired her skincare and fragrance brands, the two companies are parting ways. [WWD]
The rights to the most-watched Internet commercial of all time belong to Dove. The well-loved hair- and body-care brand’s “Real Beauty Sketches” has garnered more than 114 million views on YouTube and other digital-video platforms. [NYDN]
Despite opinions to the contrary, there are reportedly preventative advantages of “pre-toxing,” or getting Botox injections when you’re young—before wrinkles actually form. And the idea is gaining steam. Of the 6.1 million Botox injections that were performed last year, almost 100,000 were for patients in their twenties. [ABC News]
Botox or no Botox, Madonna is a study in how to maintain a youthful appearance, whatever your age. How does she do it? The likelihood is we’ll never know. But there is one product the queen of pop is willing to big up: “There’s this new line of products called Éminence, made with natural ingredients, and that’s what I’m using right now,” she recently revealed. Talk about some good free press. [Hollywood Life]
Rita Ora is feeling blue—literally. The R&B star has debuted a new cobalt dye job. [E!]
D.S. & Durga Head For The HYLNDS
The progressive perfuming pair behind D.S. & Durga have been known to pluck inspiration from unexpected sources for their exquisite hand-distilled creations. Take Siberian Snow, for example: The heady powdered-incense-and-jasmine fragrance is their riff on the scent worn by Countess Anna Vladoska at her infamous balls. Then there’s Freetrapper, an olfactive homage to renegade beaver trappers in cowboy-era America that’s spiked with dark cedar, synthetic beaver castor, and snakeroot. After poring over The Wanderings of Oisin, by W.B. Yeats, the duo has now set about trying to evoke the otherworldly and mythical feel of Northern European cultures past—Norse, Orcadian, and Celtic among them—with a brand-new upmarket range called HYLNDS. Launching with three scents, the collective feeling of the range is definitely otherworldly, although, to be perfectly honest, the world they evoked for this reporter upon first whiff was the one George R. R. Martin created for HBO’s Game of Thrones. Each one of the luxe flacons seemed to call to mind a specific character from the epic fantasy series: Isle Ryder, with its fir cones, honeyed mead, and jasmine, mirrors the at once sweet and mysterious ways of the smirky queen to the Iron Throne, Margaery Tyrell. The purslane, marsh violet, and lichen of Pale Grey Mountain, Small Black Lake seem a fitting match for the frosty, tenacious Ygritte, the paramour of the hunky Jon Snow. And finally, there’s something about Bitter Rose, Broken Spear—a blend of smelted iron, thistle, amber, and wild mountain thyme—that could make it the ultimate signature scent of the strong but warm Daenerys Targaryen, a.k.a Khaleesi, a.k.a the Mother of Dragons. Must-wear scents, must-see TV.
$180 each, available exclusively at Barneys New York.