Clinique have been running a promotion in the last couple of days for a “free” make-up consultation at their concession in Harvey Nichols. They also suggest you can have a consultation with Amanda Grossman, make-up artist to the stars and lead make-up artist on Britain’s Next Top Model, though what they don’t tell you that there is a £10 “booking fee” which is then redeemable against, naturally, Clinique products. (Note that a couple of weeks ago the same promotion was running at Harrods only the “booking fee” in that case was £15. I presume also redeemable against products.)

Both Caro and I decided it would be a nice way to spend the end of a Saturday before heading out for dinner. I must say that I wouldn’t have trusted the Clinique sales staff or technicians at all to handle my make-up. They seemed a little crazed and a little harried and unconcerning and actually a little fake. Amanda Grossman, on the other hand, seemed very genuine and down to earth. Considering she had probably had some very similar conversations for the last two days at least 30-40 times she was quite chatty during our make-up consultation.

Amanda’s clients have apparently included Cat Deeley, Kylie and Denis Van Outen. Though I didn’t know that until I came home and googled her. During my consultation I did want to ask what it was like working with celebrities but I didn’t really know that much about her so didn’t want to feel ignorant when I was talking with her. I did find out, however, that is a London girl through and through and that she visited Oz for about a year when she was younger and that she was quite a traveller and hippie.

As I don’t really wear much make-up I asked that she do me something simple and low maintenance. Oh, before this our faces were cleansed by the Clinque technicians. This seemed a rather excessive exercise when at least three products were used to cleanse my face and another two to moisturise. Overkill much! But back to the make-up. Amanda started with a tinted moisturiser (that she suggests should be coupled with your normal moisturiser as on its own is not actually sufficient to moisturise on its own.) Then started layering on what felt like heaps of foundation. Next it was some liquid eye liner, then mascara, blush on the “apple” of my cheeks and finally painted on lip gloss and that was it. Surprisingly she didn’t try to do any eye-shadow. She says for her less is more which is a theory I ascribe to if not necessarily in relation to food and toys at least to my make-up!

No before and afters but here we are as the finished products:

Clinique do a little make-up face for you (on paper) so you know all the products that Amanda uses during the consultation. All the better to convince you to buy their products I guess. They also gave us a few samples of their product to play around with at home.

I was quite pleased with my make-up except perhaps for my mascara, which seemed a little overdone and later when it dried quite spidery, and maybe my foundation was a bit thicker than I would have preferred. Everything else worked fairly well I thought and I’m especially looking forward to experimenting with my liquid eye liner. I also ended up walking away with the blush though sometimes I think putting that much blush on my cheeks makes me feel like Pikachu with his rosy cheeks!