Gemma has worked in the film industry as a hair and make-up artist for the last 20 years, she’s a mum of two boys and now she’s sharing her expertise with us. Yay! If your other half needs a firm nudge towards some decent Christmas presents, she’s created this handy letter and list for you to share on his timeline. Remember, there’s no point in dropping a subtle hint…
To My Dearest Husband,
When I was woken this morning at 4.30 am by our screaming bundle of joy, I looked over at you, sleeping peacefully in the shadowy light, and I thought ‘ah, look at him. He’s so handsome, sleeping so soundly. I’ll go check the baby, let him sleep soundly. He’s so handsome.’ When you caught that tiny little spider the other evening, the one you said was looking at you funny when you were having a shower, I thought, ‘ah my husband, my hero, he’s so brave. So handsome and brave.’ When you calculated that we could save ourselves £4.38 a week, if I were to buy ‘Sainsbury’s Basics’ moisturiser, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, nappies, wet wipes and baby bath, I thought, ‘he’s so clever. I would never have thought of that. My clever husband.’ When you put up that shelf in the kitchen last weekend, I thought ‘I’m so lucky to have such a handy husband. So lucky and I totally agree, the fact that it’s at a slight angle adds to the character of the room. I didn’t want to put anything heavy on it anyway, just a packet of tissues maybe. You’re so handy.’
What a lucky lady I am. You know what else? You’re so generous too. I don’t tell you that I love you enough. I love you my handsome, brave, clever, handy, and so very, very generous husband.
My darling husband, yesterday I was just browsing the internet, you know, like us ladies do and I came across this article. Some really lovely things. You should take a peek!
I’m so excited about Christmas this year. I can’t wait to give you your present, I think you’re going to love it!
I love you, my very generous husband x
TOM FORD ULTRA SHINE LIP GLOSS
If lipstick is your secret weapon, arm yourselves with this beauty. Tom Ford is a relative new-comer in the beauty world, but has burst onto the scene with some right corkers and this range of high shine, colour saturated lip glosses are quality. The right kind of sticky – not hair-stuck-to-your-face kind of sticky, more ‘have you seen my fabulous lips?’ sort of sticky. Some of them have glitter in them, although it doesn’t look like your 5-year-old daughter’s ‘Girls World’ sort of glitter, but rather adds a dramatic sheen. It’s relatively long lasting, (don’t believe the hype about lipsticks that last for days – unless you don’t eat or drink or talk or move and add a top coat of fence varnish). It comes in eight elegant tones and the brush applicator is compact and easy to use without going off-piste. Defiantly one for the Christmas party handbag.
CRÈME DE LA MER MOISTURISING CREAM – LA MER.
In liegeman terms, this pot of wonder is a day moisturiser, but a bloody nice one, and it wants to be at £110.00 for a 30ml tub!
It feeds your skin the good stuff, with ingredients including algae extracts, which absorb UV light, meaning it acts as a sunscreen, mineral oil which has a very high emolliency, meaning it makes the skin super-soft and springy and beta–carotene which is a substance that the body converts to Vitamin A. Vitamin A does lots of good things to the skin, including increasing collagen production (the stuff you had a lot of at 16 and not so much of now!), so in theory leading to less wrinkled and more plump skin. It also prevents water loss through the skin – without blinding you with science, it traps the water in the outer-most layer of the skin and doesn’t let it escape, preventing your face from becoming dehydrated.
I might add that there are lots of other less pricey moisturising options out there, with some of these key ingredients, but if you feel like splurging on a staple, this cream is definitely for you, even the tub has an encouraging weight to it.
LA PRAIRIE WHITE CAVIAR ILLUMINATING HAND CREAM
Our hands are often neglected in our daily beautifying rituals, but they are also probably the part of us that take the biggest daily battering. The skin on our hands tends to age faster than other parts of our body, so it’s important to look after them. This ultra-light, anti-ageing hand cream by la prairie should do the trick – with bells on! It is not too rich (although retailing at around the £100.00 mark, that’s open for debate) and it is delightfully grease-free, meaning faster absorption into the skin. Licorice root extracts work as a brightener on age spots and discolouration, while Shea butter moisturises and caviar extracts firm the skin – although I’m happy to report it smells nothing like the later. It also has an SPF of 15, which should see you covered on this tropical run up to Christmas.
CHANTECAILLE FUTURE SKIN FOUNDATION
If I were minted, this would be my foundation of choice. Sadly I’m not, but the film companies whom I’ve had the pleasure of working for are, so thank you minted film companies for allowing me to fill up my kit with this lovely stuff. This hybrid foundation is a potted liquid that comes in 14 shades, from very pale (Porcelain) to Medium dark (Carob) and everything in between. It’s a medium-coverage base, so you wont feel caked, but it still manages to hide redness and imperfections. It has a hint of transparency allowing your skin texture to show through, making it appear more natural. Its remarkably light to wear and you’ll get a standard 8 hours out of it before it starts to fade. My one and only negative, I just finished my last pot!
EVE LOM AGE DEFYING SMOOTHING TREATMENT
You get 90 tiny golden balls of liquid luxury with this product. Designed as a sort of night cream (or every other night cream when you look at the price tag), each capsule contains a generous amount of rich serum containing a cocktail of vitamin E, palm oil, anti-oxidants and silicone. Yes silicone, so they are basically Botox balls. It safely smooths, plumps and tightens the skin almost as soon as you put it on. Although recommended for night time use, they work beautifully under make-up as a primer, as they don’t leave any residue on the skin, just a slippy-slidey base, onto which foundation glides perfectly. While the initial outlay is a bit pricey, these little balls of loveliness will last you around 3 months.
Buy Eve Lom Smoothing Treatment
So Gents, it’s not everyday (or in fact any day) that your lovely lady gets to spoil herself these days. Push the boat out this Christmas and treat her to a bit of luxury.
You wouldn’t want to be outdone on the present front, would you?
Like this? Then you’ll love Gemma’s last beauty recommendations, Five Beauty Products to Help You Look Less Knackered
About Gemma Waugh
I’m a Film Industry make-up artist and hairdresser who qualified with BA Hons from London College of Fashion in 1999. I’ve been working internationally since I was 18 years old. I’m also the mother of two young boys.
Gemma’s IMDB profile: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1143044/
Twitter: @Gem78
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