Despite reading how we all want Cheryl's hair or to look like Megan Fox, recent research reveals that that when asked which celebrity women most wanted to look like, 84% said that they would actually rather look like a better version of themselves.

But it's not always that easy to create a flawless natural look without the help of digital airbrushing, in fact the natural look is one of hardest to create in the industry. How can we cover those dark circles which appear after a hard day's work and how do we create that flawless complexion without caking the foundation on? It appears that looking your best is perfectly simple and achievable once you are armed with the right knowledge and tools.

With fashion week well and truly behind us we are now looking to Spring for our next source of inspiration. This season sees a flawless finish to be high on the agenda in terms of beauty, so here to teach you how to make the most of your natural assets; we have Paul Herrington, head of artistry for Bobbi Brown and lifestyle guru, Karen Kay. With a practical and step by step approach, Paul will demonstrate how applying makeup correctly can empower women to be the best they can be.  

Ambassador for the 'real woman', Bobbi Brown launches Pretty Powerful - a campaign to celebrate the diverse beauty that every woman possesses.

Paul Herrington is a well known makeup artist who has worked at the top of the beauty industry for 20 years.
He has a host of celebrities he works with for all the A-list and red carpet events including The Brits, BAFTA's and film premieres. Fresh from New York Fashion week, he designs looks for a number of high profile runway shows, including London Fashion Week and The British Fashion Awards.

For more information visit www.bobbibrown.co.uk

H: Karen Kay, host
A: Paul Herrington, head of artistry, Bobbi Brown

H: Hello and welcome to the Lifestyle Show, I'm Karen Kay. Now despite reading how we all want Cheryl's hair or we want to look like Kate Moss, recent research by Bobbi Brown Cosmetics reveals that that when asked which celebrity women most want to look like, 84% said that they actually would rather look like an improved version of themselves. Surprised? Isn't that what we all really want at the end of the day? We just want to improve on what we've got, and I think the majority of women out there are pretty happy with the way they look but sometimes feel they could do with a few cheeky tips to give them that edge. But how can we create that flawless natural look without the help of digital airbrushing, or a team of make-up artists and stylists like the stars have? Well I'm joined today by make-up to the stars, make-up artist to the stars, sorry Paul, I get very excited when I'm in your company – Paul Herrington whose head of artistry at Bobbi Brown cosmetics, welcome to the show

A: Hi Karen

H: Now tell us, this research, why did you conduct this research? What's it all about?

A: To really find out what women really felt about their make-up, so rather than a launch of just products, this is about what women really get from make-up, and Pretty Powerful is the name that we use in this season in particular, and it's all about real women.

H: Now real women, super models, everyone has their flaws of course – we know because we're in the industry –

A: Yes

H: That super models are just as worried about certain parts of their body and their face as real women are, but make-up is a real tool isn't it to help women feel better about themselves

A: I think it's an incredible tool, I think it can really empower women, and you know just to use a couple of easy tips and techniques, a couple of make-up products can make the world of difference I think, it could really make women feel comfortable about themselves

H: There were some more interesting statistics – I mean 84% of women wanting to improve on what mother nature has blessed them with, that's a pretty staggering statistic. They don't want to look like Cheryl Cole necessarily, they don't necessarily want to emulate those celebrities we see in the media every day. But you have some other interesting findings as well

A: Yes I mean over half of women, 51% of women said that they would really like to improve on what they already have, so to really enhance – so they're not 100% happy with the way they look, so even if they don't want to look like somebody else, they want some tips and techniques on how to improve their own features

H: So give us some advice then, you do this day in, day out

A: Yes

H: You've worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, the biggest supermodels in the fashion industry – you've worked on some of the most beautiful faces, but I know that you also work with real women on a regular basis, so you're not just working with those flawless women are you?

A: No, absolutely not and I get a lot of pleasure with working with real women as well because I think you know to be able to show them what to do with just a couple of easy steps is very empowering, and it's all about looking at yourself in the mirror and seeing what you would like to enhance, so it's not about camouflaging anything. I think in – especially in the UK a lot of women tend to go to their faults first of all, and don't believe they are beautiful, don't believe they are pretty, and really all women are beautiful and it just takes a little bit to enhance sometimes

H: Ok. Hands up, I'm guilty of going to my faults first. So tell me how you go about finding the bits that you should play up, rather than highlighting the bits that you want to play down?

A: If you really look at yourself you can see whether you've got a full lip, which would look great if you enhance that with lipstick. If you've got a good bone structure, blusher looks fantastic. If you've got big eyes, if you've got long lashes – everybody has a little something that is special to them, and to enhance that and to really bring that out, really does improve everything. It makes you walk tall, it makes you feel confident. It really does make you feel great

H: So what you're doing really is not saying look these are the trends you've got to wear, what you're trying to point out is that you need to find something that suits you

A: Yes and I think you know that's really interesting you saying about trends, but it's actually – you know we really don't go for trends and colours, and it's not cookie cutter, it's very much about what suits the individual, and I think that's what's important is because every woman's so different

H: So Pretty Powerful, it's a new campaign, and it is as you say using real women

A: Yes

H: How – how did you go about finding these women, you know how do you actually sort of get those women into an advertising campaign, because in themselves there must have been quite a major selection process?

A: It was and actually the people that you see in the campaign are Bobbi's friends. People that have inspired Bobbi Brown along the way, and when Bobbi Brown started the company she actually started it with real women in mind, so she actually started off with a simple philosophy of women want to look and feel like themselves, only prettier and more confident, which is exactly what the statistics have shown us in the survey

H: So tell us a little bit about textures and colours , because for most women we're a bit intimidated by make-up sometimes. You know you tend to stick with what you know and with what you're familiar with, but that might not be right for you. You know I know for example the products I used as a teenager 20 years down the line certainly aren't right now, because my skin's changed

A: Yes, yes

H: And you know my colour's changed for example. So how do you go about finding the right colours for you? What would be your tips and advice?

A: Well I think definitely look for what colours you have in your skin. You know it's much easier with fashion because every season you get the new collections in-store, but you do tend to stick with make-up as what you know, because unless you're shown any different it's very difficult to know what to do. So I think look for the colours that you naturally have in your skin. If you have sort of pinks coming through your cheeks, pinks coming through your lips, those are colours that are going to look really fresh on you. You can also see what kind of colours come through on the eyelids. Some people have more of a mauvy undertone, some people have brown tones, and if you want to go natural, those are the sorts of colours that look the best. I would say get a little advice as well from a professional make-up artist, and they can sort of pick up for you, say for instance with a blusher, and a blusher can make the biggest difference to a woman's face. So here you can see there's a couple of completely contrasting shades. So you've got a very, very clean blue-based pink, and then a very warm coral, and these would look better – the warmer one would look better on a more olivey complexion

H: Right

A: Somebody that has a little bit more warmth in their skin. This looks absolutely gorgeous on like a porcelain skin, because they have more pinky undertones, so that naturally would be their natural colour

H: And there's different formulations of blush for example aren't there –

A: Oh yes, yes

H: You can get creams and powders and all different sorts of textures, are they suitable for different skin tones or skin types or is that just a case of preference?

A: A little bit of both actually, like if your skin is a little drier or you have a more mature skin, sometimes the creamy products, you can see this is very moist, it's got like a real sort of dewy finish to it, that would be better than using a powder, because the powder would look a little drier on the cheek. This would look very moisturised

H: Right

A: So if you have dryness, stick with more cream-based

H: Oh you're such an expert Paul. Now tell me I'm intrigued, you've got a very sort of sparkly and multi-coloured product here

A: I have

H: Now unless you know, that for example could be a bit intimidating. How do you go about applying something like that for example?

A: Right now this we call a shimmer brick, and basically you use all of the colours together, so when you put your brush into the product you swirl your brush around in it, and what – how it works is that each colour has a different tone of pink in it, so it will pick up the different marble colour, which means that you don't get one flat colour on the skin

H: Ok

A: This I use on so many of my celebrity clients for like red carpets, because it makes the skin look so beautiful. Bobbi describes this as a candlelight glow for the skin

H: Sounds good to me

A: I know

H: Now we had a little session in the studio earlier and you showed us how to take a fairly attractive young lady into someone who is empowered by simple cosmetic tricks

A: Yes

H: Tell us a little bit about what you did

A: Well do you know the make-up that I did was so simple, because I think it's important that people can learn to be their own make-up artist as well, so I just did some very, very simple steps on how to uplift the face, so to make the skin look a little bit fresher, to make the lips pop, to make the cheeks look more defined, and to really bring out the eye shape

H: Ok Paul well let's take a look now and see how you transformed Brigitte from pretty to Pretty Powerful

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"To get real stand-out eyes it's really important to create the perfect brow to frame the face and to actually make the eye look higher and tighter. I'm going to use a powder shadow today with an eyebrow brush, which is slightly harder bristles on it, so it actually catches the hair and the skin. First of all take the eye brow where the natural hair grows and brush upwards up to the arch of the brow, then bring the brush down to create the tail of the brow, and follow again the natural hair growth. You can see how that instantly lifts the face and creates the perfect shape. Women often say to me that their skin looks a little dull and lifeless when they look into the mirror, and often what's needed is a really beautiful pop of colour onto the cheek using a blusher. So today I'm going to use a beautiful pale pink. The best way to find your apple of the cheek is to smile. The roundest part that pops out of the face, this is what we call the apple of the cheek, and this is where most of the colour should sit. Always load your blush and either tap or just dust off the excess, and start in the centre of the apple, brushing up and out towards the hairline. Whatever you have left on your brush without dipping back into the product, then take it softly back and pull the product down as well, so the blush actually gives a beautiful fresh glow to the skin and doesn't look heavy. To create the perfect eye I'm going to show you a very, very easy eye make-up to do. And I'm actually going to use some long wear products, which when they're on and they dry they dry to a waterproof consistency, so actually stay looking very fresh on the eyes. We're going to use one colour first of all. All over the lid, and I'm using a colour called slate which is a great colour if you like to create a very soft, smoky eye but very natural. So we sweep the colour from last to crease of the eye, making sure that you take it all the way down to the root of the lashes, and all the way through the crease as well. And open. And one of the most important parts of make-up for any age or any skin tone is the eyeliner. Eyeliner will instantly make the eyes pop and stand out, and can instantly take somebody that looks a little tired around the eye to looking very awake and very open-eyed and fresh. Onto a very fine brush we just define the eye right down to the roots with the liner, making sure that no skin is exposed along the lash line. And always take this line from corner to corner, that way you will frame the eye and create a much more open popped eye. And the last step to any make-up is mascara, which will create a beautiful fan of lashes and make the eyes really stand out. When applying mascara, very important to remember is just to move the brush slightly backwards and forwards before you lift out. This way you take it right down to the root of the lash, and no hair is left uncovered, this is what really makes the lashes look longer and thicker. A little movement and just lift out so the lashes get fanned out individually. And there we have our perfect daytime look

H: Wow amazing results, hah? So Paul, we've seen the power of make-up – some of those colours to me looked quite intimidating. There was quite bright pink blush, quite a powerfully pink lipstick and lilac eye shadow – you know as a woman I would fear those colours but Brigitte looked amazing

A: It is about some key colours I think that can instantly lift, and actually you know pink on the lips and the cheeks is one of the most youth-enhancing colours that you can use

H: It feels like it should be a bit too frilly and feminine somehow, it's too Barbie-ish

A: Yes

H: But actually she looked very sophisticated and as you say very youthful, it really added a sort of glow to her

A: It does and you know it's all about the texture as well, like we were saying earlier about different textures on the skin, none of the textures I used were very heavily textured, so they're quite light, so actually you can get away with more colour when you use lighter textures

H: Tell me a little bit – because obviously make-up requires a good foundation, you know it's like a canvas for an artist isn't it?

A: Yes

H: If you've got an even base, it is the elusive thing for most women, I know I struggled for years to find something that suits my skin, doesn't look phoney and fake and like a mask - how does a woman find the right foundation?

A: Well I agree it is one of the hardest things to find, is the perfect foundation. What you're looking for is not just the right colour but the right formula for your skin, so it's about whether your skin is oily or dry or combination, so by having your skin analysed at one of the Bobbi Brown counters for instance, they can tell you what skin type you are, recommend the right foundation and then pick colour. And sometimes it's about trying maybe three colours on the skin in a stripe on the jaw here, and then you can see which one disappears into the skin, and that's your – that's the key, that's what you're looking for

H: So you want it to actually disappear, you don't want to add colour, that's not the –

A: No you add colour with a little bit of bronzing powder, or you add colour with blusher, but never with foundation. You want the foundation to match your skin tone exactly

H: So when we see those pictures in the magazines of celebrities with that sort of tide line, is that where they've gone wrong?

A: It is because it can actually drag the skin down actually, it can make the skin look quite muddy, and it can actually age the skin. So keep the skin the same colour as it is, but then add a beautiful glow with bronzer or a little shimmer brick or a little blusher. That instantly illuminates the skin without looking heavy

H: And I know there's all sorts of statistics out there with women wearing the wrong size bra and all that kind of thing. I mean would you say most women wear the wrong foundation? Is that something you see frequently?

A: Yes I definitely think it's one of the biggest problems, and they say actually that women tend to use - one of the things they try out more of before they get to the right one, and actually spend more money on finding the right foundation, so I do think that getting a little bit of advice and that's something to invest in, a very good foundation is definitely an investment piece for your make-up, because anything on top of it will look fabulous

H: Ok so we've covered make-up in terms of foundation. I know as part of the Pretty Powerful survey you talked to women about their must-have beauty products, and we all have them. I mean there are those desert island products

A: Absolutely

H: Tell us what you think are the sort of key top five pieces for a woman in her make-up bag?

A: I think really a good, a good foundation which is going to even the skin tone out. Now that doesn't mean it has to be a heavy coverage, it can be a tinted moisturiser if you wanted, just something that makes you feel really comfortable and polished. That's a key product. I would definitely say blusher would be my next, rather than anything else, because a blush can – if you're feeling tired and your skin looks a little lifeless, will instantly lift. A really good lip - a really good lip colour and something that's not going to overtake the make-up but something that is going to match your lip tone, and just look really creamy and beautiful. I definitely think that eyebrows are a key to make-up. Because it frames the eye and it actually makes the eye look a little higher and uplifted, and mascara. You know –

H: I was going to say when's he going to come to mascara, surely that's –

A: You know you speak to any woman and I don't think any women leave the house without mascara and maybe a bit of lip balm and lipstick on

H: Right

A: So if it was just cut down to two products I would say even when we conducted the survey, most women said that they would never even walk out of the house without lipstick and mascara on

H: I'm there! Well Paul thank you very much for your time today,

A: Pleasure

H: It's been really eye-opening in so many ways, eye-opening in terms of learning how to apply our make-up but also in terms of the information, so thank you for your expertise and experience

A: Thank you

H: It's really valuable

A: Thank you so much

H: And thank you for joining us today on the Lifestyle Show. If you want more information visit bobbibrown.co.uk/prettypowerful.