Wayne Goss – YouTube Makeup Guru – reviews our products

Wayne Goss - Makeup artist, YouTube Guru and all round lovely bloke

We’ve been speaking to the lovely Wayne Goss who is a make up artist and also a YouTube Guru with over 12000 followers. He does reviews and demonstrations of makeup for men and women and he’s just done a quick review of some of our astonmitchell products. He’s on the front page of our website with the video now. www.astonmitchell.co.uk.

Check out Wayne’s youtube channel (search for gossmakeupartist). A lot of the videos are about women’s makeup but he does some really good demonstrations about how to tackle things like eye bags, how to use concealer properly, and loads more. Definitely worth watching and trying out the techniques for yourself.

We won an award!

astonmitchell was awarded Best New Business in the Teesdale and Wear Valley business awards this week. We’re really proud and dead chuffed as its our local Enterprise Agency awards. We were up against some pretty stiff competition and the panel of judges was packed full of impressive people – which made winning all that much better! Hurray for astonmitchell!

Finally! A brown guyliner for our customers

Taxi Precision Eye Pen

We’ve waited a long time but Taxi Cosmetics, inventors of the original manscara and guyliner, have producted their Precision Eye Pen which is available in Brown.

Brown eyeliner is much better for anyone with a fair complexion, blondes, redheads or anyone who just want to go for a softer, more natural option than black.

The Precision Eye Pen is a fibre tip which means that it never needs sharpening and gives continuous colour. It also allows very precise application, and the ability to create a very natural look with a tiny fine line or a very dramatic look with a heavier line.

Give it a try – it’s fabulous! www.astonmitchell.co.uk

Face Skincare Like A Man

OK guys…no more excuses. Men are embracing grooming in record numbers. Your face and body need serious attention. Here are some simple guidelines and “must have” tricks to get celebrity skin. Remember look good=feel good=confidence=success.

Hottest New Men’s Trends For Skin

Anti-Age and reclaim your youth by maintaining a healthy look and uncover the best looking you. Here are some easy, necessary, intelligent suggestions to wow everyone that looks your way. It is your skin so take it seriously.

* Eyebrows: The most important feature to improve on a handsome face. Get rid of the mono brow or the “Einstein” look. That is scary! Get shaped and waxed at your local barber or day spa.

* Dark Circles: Pack those bags away! Use an all natural E or Aloe based gel to turn around any darkness or puffiness.

* Exercise: Cleanse and hydrate your skin before you workout. You don’t want to build up any bacteria or pollutants while you are sweating, this may clog your pores and cause breakouts.

* Vitamins: Not only are they good for you internally, they are great to maintain a healthy condition for your skin. Try and maintain anti-oxidants in your diet. Vitamins E, C, B, and A are nutritious for your skin.

* Smile: Please don’t show stained or yellow teeth. Teeth whitening is the way to go. It can take years off your appearance. If you can’t afford professional bleaching, the drug store has countless product options.

* Hand and Feet: Monthly manicures and pedicures are totally acceptable and respected all over the world. No one wants to shake a calloused hand or see chewed up feet in open toe shoes….disgusting!

* Wax that back: Professional laser and waxing treatments are now the norm. Even over excessive chest hair has to go. We want to see smooth, youthful skin.

* Botox: Men are running to their dermatologists to erase away the years. It is quick and painless with remarkable and immediate results.

* Internal Cleansing: Colonic hydrotherapy is the latest and greatest. Not only does it detox all the poisons and waste internally, it enriches the appearance and quality of your skin. Also great to shed that beer belly!

* Massage: This feel good treatment helps both with mental and internal clarity. Touch is an amazing positive, physical therapy. The healing touch is a powerful force.

* Block: Even in the winter months, it is imperative to use a sunblock of at least 15-30. UV Rays are more dangerous than UB Rays. Avoid skin cancer (Melanoma)…it can be deadly.

Basic Skincare Tips

* Keep it clean: Men have approximately 15-20% oilier skin and significantly larger pores than women. Deep cleansing is key all year long. Keep pores clear with a chemical free product that does not irritate or dry out the skin. Don’t forget the eye area which is the most sensitive part of the face that also reveals aging. It is important to apply an Aloe and or Vitamin E based treatment. As always, you want to promote healthy looking skin.

* Keep it toned: For the outdoorsmen, the harsh winter and summer environmental debris and pollutants factor heavily into the condition of one’s skin. Toning helps keep skin clean, firm and tightened. Remember to look for products that are not photosensitive (sensitive to light).

* Treat your skin: It is important all seasons to know your skin’s needs. Exfoliate with products that have no alcohol or heavy fragrance. Winter skin is extremely sensitive, so protect and hydrate to prevent dryness and cracking.

* Protect your skin: There are preventative techniques that can promote good looking skin and help keep a healthy glow lasting longer. Your skin is a mirror of your overall body health. Excessive exposure to the sun leads to hyperpigmentation which can develop to serious skin conditions. An SPF of 15 or higher is essential. Make sure your indoor environment is also protected. A humidifier is a great way to keep moisture in the air and help prevent dry, aging skin.

Michele Probst Celebrity Make-up Artist and Beauty Expert

Michele is an internationally known celebrity make-up artist and beauty editor with over 15 years experience in the cosmetic and skincare world. She is the CEO and spokesperson of the all natural skincare system…Menaji. Her approach to beauty and lifestyle is keep it simple and natural. Staying healthy and fit is the most important element to achieving a great look. She currently travels doing make up, television interviews and appearances all over the world, promoting her line and other health oriented products. Her editorial and television work has been seen on everything from CNNFN, Larry King, VH1, Esquire Japan, Rolling Stone and Playboy magazine. Some of her celebrity clients that work with Michele and her products are: Antonio Banderas, Al Gore, Jr., Johnny Depp, Diddy, Eddie George, Enrique Iglesias, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, Ivana Trump, Jay Leno, Tim McGraw, Shania Twain. For more information on the Menaji skincare line visit www.astonmitchell.com.

We would like to credit www.beststuff.com for the article

THE HISTORY OF MËNAJI SKINCARE

Menaji Skincare - We LOVE it!

The metrosexual revolution moved men’s vanity from being a dirty little secret to a booming industry. In the United States alone it is projected that men will spend $38 billion on their appearance this year, making them the fastest growing target market in the fashion and grooming industries. Because the face is the first thing that people look at, skincare is the fastest growing segment of the male grooming industry.

Menaji Skincare is the pioneer of the men’s skincare market. The line was developed to address the specific needs of men’s skin. Today,
Menaji Skincare is known for its superior products and has a loyal customer base of both high-profile celebrities and average Joes, including Nobel Peace Prize winners, Grammy winners, Presidential candidates, Olympic athletes, actors, construction workers, firefighters and a Brigadier General.

The company founder’s industry experience puts Menaji Skincare in a unique position to understand men’s skincare needs. This allows the company to develop top-of-the-line products. In addition, the founder’s reputation as a skincare expert and celebrity makeup artist generates numerous publicity opportunities for the company. Since it was founded, Menaji Skincare has been featured in over 10,000 articles and television segments. The men’s skincare market didn’t even exist when the company’s products were first introduced. The fact that
Menaji Skincare has succeeded thus far is a testament to the product’s superiority and the founder’s vision. Menaji Skincare is the pioneer of the men’s skincare market, which today is a multi-billion dollar industry. It was the first line of undetectable skincare and cosmetic products designed specifically for men.

Michele Probst - CEO and founder of Menaji

A few years ago, international makeup artist Michele Probst saw a void in the skincare market. Many of her celebrity male clients asked for products they could use at home to keep their skin looking healthy or to cover up a blemish or scratch. However, no such products existed for men.

After three years of extensive research and development under the watchful eyes of chemists, dermatologists and doctors, Menaji Skincare was launched. The line offers 10 products that are natural, organic and designed to enhance the natural healing properties of men’s skin, which is 20% thicker and oilier than women’s. To date, the company has concentrated its efforts on developing superior products, cultivating its celebrity clientele and providing outstanding customer service to both distributors and end users.

Michele Probst is an international celebrity makeup artist with 25 year’s experience. She has worked on fashion photo shoots, television, film and video. Her list of celebrity clients includes politicians, actors, musicians and business moguls. As a Beauty Editor for various online and print publications, Michele writes numerous industry-related articles each year. She is recognized as an industry expert and considered the pioneer of the men’s skincare market.

How to apply Fontana Contarini Men’s Foundation

Application instructions

This relates to Fontana Contarini men’s foundation, which is much more of a tinted moisturiser than a full blown foundation.

Fontana Contarini Men's Liquid Foundation

1. Exfoliate and moisturise your face

2. Pump a small amount of foundation either onto your fingertip or a sponge wedge. It may appear darker than expected when you squeeze it from the tube, you will find that it goes on really naturally and gives the merest hint of colour which will have people telling you how healthy you look!

3. Lightly rub it into the face, ensuring that you are applying it evenly. Make sure that you take extra care around creases, and around the edges of your face. You don’t want a line where the foundation stops – better to blend it out smoothly. It is only very light foundation, much closer to a tinted moisturiser really, so this should be quite easy to achieve.

4. If you want to achieve an even lighter finish then blend the foundation with moisturiser before applying

5. The idea is that you don’t look like you’re wearing makeup – rather that you have really nice skin and look healthy.

astonmitchell men’s makeup & skincare – all about us

www.astonmitchell.com was set up in October 2008 and was born out of a desire to work in the burgeoning male cosmetics market, which was getting lots of media attention following the launch of Manscara and Guyliner. We felt that we could offer a service to men which was both discreet and helpful, and which offered a wide selection of products from the best suppliers across the globe.

Prior to astonmitchell there were several sites offering men’s make up but they either sold it as an addition to their large skincare ranges, or alternatively they only stocked their own range. Men would need to shop around comparing products on different sites – quite a daunting prospect if you’re a guy who is just trying to find out what it’s all about.  We have several hundred customers, many of whom are now coming back to place second or third orders.

We have two very different types of product to suit two very different types of customer. 1. Discreet, natural looking products which help to conceal, disguise and perfect without anyone knowing 2. Very obvious makeup for guys who want to look gorgeous and don’t care who knows! The discreet products would include concealer, antishine, bronzer, lip balm and maybe foundation. The second category includes eyeliner, mascara, tinted lip balm and even blusher and eyeshadow but the market in the UK is not quite ready for that yet.

Michele Probst, founder of Menaji

The website stocks several brands. We have Menaji from the United States, which is our biggest seller and is designed by Michele Probst, who is one of the US President’s makeup artists. She uses the Menaji range on him and he loves it – quite a recommendation.

The Menaji range offers very discreet makeup – in fact they call it skincare as they don’t want to frighten guys off. They produce an antishine powder which doubles up as foundation. They don’t advertise this fact, but we do! Michele talked me through how she developed the range and mentioned the fact that she used the powder as a wet foundation on many of her clients – what a great idea. So we jumped on it and we tell all our customers that they can use it either as an antishine dry, or as a wet foundation, which they can mix with water or with a little moisturiser to give a light, natural-looking coverage. We can’t get enough of it, it sells like hot cakes and we have never had a return.

Menaji Antishine Powder doubles as Foundation

Menaji also produces their Camo Concealer – a traditional stick concealer for use on blemishes and under eye circles, but designed with men in mind. As with all Menaji products it comes in black packaging with clear instructions for use. Menaji makeup was designed around the fact that men have 20% oilier skin than women and therefore cosmetics for men have to deal with this. In addition to these two ‘cosmetic’ products, Menaji also produces the fantastic 911 eye gel which is used by loads of celebs, including Sharon Stone! It’s great for under eye bags and again, is very popular. The Menaji skincare range also includes a facial bronzer, a lip moisturiser, a face scrub, an aftershave tonic, a toner, face masque and anti ageing serum – it’s powerful stuff!

Fontana Contarini Earthglow Bronzing and Antishine Powder

Another range we stock is the Fontana Contarini (FC) range from Italy.We are sole UK distributors for this range and it’s extremely popular. The FC range is much more about makeup and less about skincare, although they do produce an eye gel. FC has a fantastic men’s foundation which is akin to a tinted moisturiser, but gives guys a wonderful healthy glow without looking as though they are wearing makeup. It worked wonders on DJ Scott Mills when we made him over. The packaging is again black and funky and very masculine. Their Earthglow bronzing and antishine powder is brilliant for giving a temporary sunkissed bronze effect while helping to give a matt finish too. The FC range also includes mascara which comes in black and clear. The black is perfect for guys who want to add definition to their eyes and suits those with medium to dark complexions. The clear mascara is perfect for giving a gloss and for separating and defining the lashes, and can also be used as an eyebrow grooming gel. FC do 4 different shades of lip balm, an eyeliner, concealer and a selection of application brushes.

We also stock some UK ranges – Taxi, makers of the original Manscara and Guyliner, MYEGO who produce a wonderful kohl eyepencil and a highlighter/concealer a la Touche Eclat and we’ve got also got the Max Skincare range which is shaving and skincare focused but fits really well with the other products. Finally we’re just doing deal to become UK stockist of Made For Boys, a fantastic skin and bath range from Canada which is going to suit any guy who loves pampering themselves. In terms of where we’re going with the business, we have ambitious plans. We are already planning on producing our own astonmitchell makeup range which will have much more choice in terms of products and shades available.

Taxi Manscara

We have a real mixture of customers – all age groups, gay and straight, all skin colours – men’s makeup appeals to anyone and everyone. Some customers have specific skincare problems which they are trying to deal with, such as acne scars, blemishes, eye bags or similar. Some just want to look more polished and professional. Some want to really show off and, to be honest, look miles better than we do when we’re fully made up! We get fantastic feedback from our customers. In many cases our products can give guys confidence when they learn how to use them to look better.

We try to make the website a real font of knowledge. We know that men often have no-one they can ask when they need to know how to use mascara, how to apply foundation or even how to choose what shade of concealer they need. The website gives lots of information about how to apply the products and we always reply personally to emails giving specific information if guys get in touch. We’re just working with a makeup artist who does demonstrations on YouTube – he’s reviewing our products and we’ll post the films on our site to show guys how to apply them. We think that this will really help. In addition we have our own in-house Beauty and Skincare expert, the lovely Angela Bartlett. Our ‘Ask Angela’ section attracts lots of questions from guys who want help with makeup or skincare.

We’ll be posting articles, news and useful snippets on here so just watch this space! We’re also on Twitter and Facebook – just search for astonmitchell.

Phew it’s hot hot hot

We love the sun at astonmitchell. It puts everyone in a cheery mood, we get to sit outside with our laptops and we drink lots of orange squash – something we only do when it’s sunny.

We’ve seen lots of sunburn around though and it makes us wince! It makes me want to don a backpack full of sunblock, like they do on the beaches in Australia, and squirt anyone turning pink. We’re fans of fake tan – much safer, better for your skin, doesn’t age you…. Anyway, that’s our soapbox rant over.

Lots going on at astonmitchell HQ – we’re doing a deal with a great Canadian skincare company who have some really good quality products which aren’t available anywhere in the UK yet. We’re also still looking at producing our own astonmitchell makeup range and we’re generally just very busy.

We never know when there will be something on TV which will get you all desperate for concealer or guyliner – but we know it’s happened because we get swamped, like we did last week! Not that we’re complaining, we’re just glad that you all want to look your best!

Right, just a short one today, we’ve just finished our  July newsletter so you’ll get that shortly. Let us know what you think!

latest newsletter just gone out

Just finished writing our June newsletter and sent it out – Phew! Lots to cover this month, hopefully you all find it useful. If you’ve not seen it then sign up at www.astonmitchell.co.uk. Still waiting to hear if Claire won the entrepreneur’s competition – the suspense is giving us indigestion!

astonmitchell in entrepreneurs’ awards – please vote!

Claire Mitchell, a co-founder of astonmitchell is in the final two of a regional entrepreneurs competition. The judges were impressed by our company’s use of marketing, our impressive supplier list and our customer service – as well as our vision for the future. You can vote for Claire here