Hair stylist Dylan Bradshaw and MUA Kat Thomas share their tips and tricks with us
We couldn’t have been prouder of our Irish film talent last night at the BAFTA’s ceremony.
Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan won Best Supporting Actress and Actor, respectively, London-Irish filmmaker Martin McDonagh was honoured with Best Original Screenplay and the Banshees of Inisherin was named Best British Film (it was made by Film4). Plus, Irishman Richard Baneham and his Avatar: The Way of Water colleagues won the BAFTA for Special Visual Effects, while The Northern Irish film An Irish Goodbye won Best British Short Film.
A stand-out moment was Kerry’s very endearing, very Irish speech, in which she declared, “thanks a million” and thanked her horses and dogs. The Thurles actress is most certainly a woman after our own hearts. Dressed in a customised Giorgio Armani Privé gown from the designer’s AW 2019 couture collection, she looked utterly exquisite on the red carpet.
We also enjoyed her stripped-back, simplistic makeup and hair, so we reached out to skin expert Ada Ooi, makeup artist Kat Thomas and hair stylist Dylan Bradshaw for all the details from the glitzy event at the Royal Festival Hall in London last night.
The skin
Ada Ooi, one of the most sought after Red Carpet Facialists and Chinese Medicine Practitioners, looked after Kerry’s skin in the lead up to the big event. She shared her awards treatment plan with Irish Country Magazine:
Step 1 – Cleansing ritual
“To open the skin and the mind, I cleansed with Alpha Paradise Cleansing Dew. Its tantalising scent is adorned with jasmine and neroli to open the senses whilst plant oils of Ylang Ylang, Jojoba, Apricot Kernel and Sweet Almond unclog pores and lift away makeup, even waterproof mascara, whilst nourishing the lashes.”
“Following cleansing with Pure Active Peel, a gentle physical exfoliant and delicious scrub containing muscovado sugar encapsulated with fruit enzymes, anti inflammatory oils and marine algae to lift off dead skin in the most natural way that doesn’t irritate the skin. Followed by an extraction with the DERMAFLASH DERMAPORE device.”
“One spritz used at every interval to pacify mood, keep the skin hydrated and soothed. It contains hundreds of baby roses picked before sunset, making it very delicate and calming for post-flight skin.”
Step 2 – Chinese Medicine modalities
Bespoke microSculpt® Signature Facial
“I used my signature microSculpt® method to gua sha, liftz and define contours, as well as a deep tui-na acupressure method to relax tensed muscles in the jaw, head, neck and shoulders. It’s very important to destress these areas away from the face to open and elongate, creating a slender neckline as they are all connected with one large area of skin.”
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“An abdomen massage combining acupressure and lymphatic drainage is essential to boost circulation and facilitate drainage of any fluid and toxin stagnation. This was followed by acupuncture across yin channels along the legs to further facilitate waste management for detox, which is essential for glowing skin and for Kerry to feel light after a long flight, also to release tension accumulated and re-nurture internal organ systems. These channels strengthen digestion for blood and nutrient transportation, good digestion provides fuel for the body and mind, which is very important during busy periods – especially the hectic awards show season – to ensure immunity will not be compromised. “
Step 3 – Hydrating layers
“At the end of the treatment I drenched her skin with a juicy sandwich of water and oil layers. Layering is very important for creating an authentic glow from within because we have 20 layers of dead skin and we want them all to be nurtured with our epidermis so that when the light hits the skin, they all reflect and show a translucent luminosity. The skin will also be supported with a bouncy water-oil mattress, so that it looks plumped with volume.
- First, I went in with a water based serum, the Alpha Glow Flash Facial, to create water pathways with lots of essential actives to keep skin supple
- Next was an oil serum, the VA Repair & Reglow TCM Warming Concentrate, which is very light but enough to envelope all the water content so they don’t evaporate
- This was followed with a light gel, Sebum & Redness Neutralising Water Shield to inject and compress hydration, while calming the skin with different types of mint and antioxidants
- The skin was sealed under a light but very nourishing AOX B-Complex Collagen cream.
The makeup
“Kerry is one of my favourite clients to work with,” Kat Thomas says. “She’s a real natural beauty with the most amazing blue eyes .
“Our BAFTA look for Kerry was largely focused on her looking effortlessly beautiful with a nod to old Hollywood glamour with soft smoky eyes and a slightly darker lip. Eyes were kept to a soft smoky purple ‘granite’ polish, which is super easy to apply, and cheeks just dusted with a light flush.”
She added: “The look was completed with a slightly darker lip tone in a soft aubergine tone. This gave a touch of glamour to an otherwise soft beauty look. I created the look using Giorgio Armani makeup; if anyone is looking for the exact list of products, they are as follows:”
- Luminous Silk Hydrating Primer
- Luminous Silk Perfect Flow Foundation in shade 5.2
- Luminous Silk Concealer in shade 5
- Fluid Sheer Glow Enhancer in shade 7
- Silk Glow Fusion Face Powder in shade 4
- Neo Nude Melting Colour Balm in shades 51 and 20
- Eye Tint in Smoke Granite
- Smooth Silk eye pencil in shade 8
- Lip Power in shade 504 ‘Flirt’
The hair
Renowned Irish hairdresser Dylan Bradshaw was thrilled to be on Kerry’s glam team for the awards. “Kerry’s naturally quite a bohemian girl; she’s very earthy, loves the outdoors and her horseriding…so we wanted to give her a different feel for the night. We wanted to go for old school Hollywood glam to celebrate such a glamorous evening and dress. We wanted her hair to have shine and gloss.
He added: “Kerry wasn’t very comfortable with the thought of it when we first talked, because she’s not really like that and she’ll be the first to tell you! But she trusted me and went with it, and she loved it once the whole ensemble was together.”
Dylan works with Dyson, and he used the Corrale hair straightener to create Kerry’s tumbling, soft waves. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the straighter has been used by hair stylists to create these kind of curls for years; and a cordless option like this one makes it even easier. First up, according to Dyson, make sure to prep with a generous amount of volumizing spray or mousse to damp or towel dried hair before blow-drying using a hair dryer with a gentle air attachment.
Adjust the temperature to suit your hair; if you have thick, course hair, a temperature of 210ËšC works best, while a lower temperature of 185ËšC is better for fine, flat hair. Work in sections, whether that’s smaller sections for thicker hair or larger sections for fine hair. For a soft curl like Kerry’s, Dyson suggests starting at the top of a strand of hair and rotate the Corrale 360 degrees, then slowly gliding the tool through the hair, before twisting it with your finger when released. Brush out with a wide toothed comb or paddle brush, and finish the look with a spritz of shine spray and hairspray…et voilà .
