Thursday, May 2, 2013

Five minutes with...Dean Nixon from Master Makeup (and a Giveaway)!

Hello lovelies,

Happy Thursday! The weekend is just one short day away, woot! To kick things off, I have a great interview with Dean Nixon from Master Makeup to share with you today (and a chance to win one of his brushes, valued at $40, but more on that later)!

Dean Nixon from Master Makeup.

In case you haven't heard of him, he's a wonderful makeup artist with extensive experience in the industry (having worked all over the world, including the US, London, Europe, and Asia), with his recent role being appointed as the Dr Lewinns Skin Perfect Brand Ambassador. Dean has also had a long history of working with fashion superstore David Jones, having directed the makeup for the store's seasonal shows for the past fifteen seasons! He writes a 'how-to' column for the Herald Sun and has his own line of personally designed makeup brushes, called Master Makeup. I own his entire set of brushes (review to follow shortly) and let me assure you, lovelies, they are like a cloud on a handle! Perfect for applying makeup with, and oh-so-soft!

1) Hi Dean, welcome to The Made Up Maiden Blog. Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with us. You have an amazing history in the makeup and fashion world. When did you first realise your passion for makeup, and what started it?
It was pure accident getting into makeup. I had just moved home to Melbourne from Sydney, and wanted a career change after working in retail fashion. I was lucky enough that someone decided to take a chance on me. I had never done makeup before but always loved the idea of being a makeup artist. With 4 days of intense training, I was unleashed onto the world! The rest, I guess, is history.

2) Have you got any 'signature' Dean Nixon makeup tips to share with us?
The one thing I'm becoming known for is the one-shadow smoky eye. All you need is a good blending brush, a mid-tone eyeshadow, and concealer! Start with the concealer to even out the pigment of the eyelid. The trick is, this application of concealer becomes your light shadow shade. Then, blend the mid-tone eyeshadow, starting at the darkest point and blending to the lightest. Repeat the application process until you have the right amount of depth. You can then blend your eyeliner in to give more depth and open the eye up.

3) What's the one product that you think all women should have in their makeup collections, and why?
If I had to choose just one, it would have to be a bronzing powder. Bronzers are a great multi-purpose product as they can be used to give definition to the cheekbones, add a little colour to the face when you're feeling a little flat, and also help even out the skin tone a little. It's also been known to washed across the eyelid as a quick alternative to eye shadow and patted onto the lip.

4) What are some of the makeup brands you think deserve more attention?
There are so many makeup brands entering the market nowadays. I have always been guilty of favouring the more prestigious ones, however, what I'm finding now is that the budget brands are getting better and better! There is even a $2 range at Big W, called Boe, that has some great products. Don't get me wrong, I still love the luxury of the high-end brands, but I'm finding that nearly every brand has at least one great product.

5) What are three products that you ALWAYS have in your professional makeup kit?
This one is easy; Dr Lewinn's Skin Perfect Anti-Aging Primer, MAC Face and Body Foundation and my Master Makeup By Dean Nixon Brushes.

6) I love the name of your brush line, Master Makeup! How did you come up with the name and inspiration for your line?
Master Makeup was born as a masterclass business where women come to learn how to better apply their makeup in a simple, 3 hour, hands-on class. The name was a result of weeks of playing around with different name combinations until I finally settled on simply - Master Makeup. After holding a few classes and realising that woman really struggled with their applications due to a lack of good "tools", I set about creating a range of "must have", multi-purpose brushes that were all a woman needed to apply professional-looking makeup. Master Makeup By Dean Nixon was launched after two and a half years of development. 

7) You have three face brushes (Kabuki, Foundation and Concealer) and three eye brushes (Eyeshadow, Blending and Eyeliner) currently in your line. What made you choose these six to start off with?
When I was developing them, I looked to what I used most in my day-to-day makeup application, and started there. I then set about creating my own shapes and bristles, what I considered to be my perfect brushes. My plan was to keep it simple. 6 brushes is really all you need. I set myself the challenge of designing a range of brushes that I could do my entire job with. The idea behind this was that if I could do it, then it would be definitely all a woman would need to apply all her makeup.

8) For a bit of a stickybeak, what other brushes are you working on and how soon will they be available? I, for one, can't wait to see a blush brush!
Although I have made the Kabuki brush so it could be used for all powders, bronzers and blush application, I am definitely looking at adding a blush brush into the range, together with a brow brush. I believe this would finish off the range, and is expected to be ready early next year. My next product launch will be the brush cleaners I have been working on, and I'm looking at a May/June launch. I've developed a hygiene spray, and my favourite, a brush shampoo. 

I hoped you enjoyed getting to know Dean Nixon, lovelies!

I'd like to thank Dean for sparing some time to sit down with me and answer my questions. Don't forget to check out his website, where you can also buy his brush collection (hint, it would make a lovely Mother's Day gift)! He has also kindly provided my readers with a chance to win one of his amazing kabuki brushes. 


To enter, all you have to do is follow the prompts on the Rafflecopter widget below. This giveaway is only open to Australian residents (sorry, international readers, I promise that another exciting giveaway will be available soon)! Remember, you must be a GFC follower of my blog, and you must leave a comment on why you'd like to win this brush! I will be checking, lovelies, and I'd hate to disqualify anyone because they hadn't followed the rules! Please also include your GFC name and email address with your comment. You can also tweet once a day to increase your chances of winning!

Good luck!!


Much love,
MM.
x


Note: This giveaway was generously sponsored by Dean Nixon from Master Makeup and is only open to Australian residents. Please note that the winner will be notified by email within 48 hours of the giveaway ending. If the winner does not respond within 24 hours, a new winner will be selected. The winner's details will be provided to Master Makeup, who will be responsible for mailing out the prize. Please refer to the terms and conditions of this giveaway for more details.

35 comments:

  1. Wow great and thorough interview! I was first introduced to Dean Nixon's range through Her Fashion Box and had so much fun checking out the other brushes at Salon Melbourne! Have been itching to try out more!

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  2. I would love to win this brush not for myself but for my middle daughter. The one thing that she is always compalining about is her lack of true quality brushes and shes been on the search for a quality kabuki brush for quite some time. Im sure she would be thrilled.

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    1. This would certainly meet that description! Good luck, hun!

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  3. YAYYY so cool! I need this kabuki brush as I do not have a powder brush. From Dean's interview, this sounds like a versatile all in one brush that I can use. I am alllll about all in one. I can't keep using sponges. Help a sista out here.

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  4. How fantastic of Dean to do an interview for you :D he's so lovely. I would love to try this because I have one of his blushes and LOVE it :) it'd be nice to try some more of the range.

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  5. I would love to win this to try out a different brand. I have real techniques brushes because they are the most accessible for me to purchase, but this would open my eyes to other brands and how they work on my skin. Also, it looks super soft even in the photos!

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    1. Oh, love the RT brushes also! Indeedy, these are super soft! Good luck!

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  6. Great interview with Dean! I would love to win because I've never tried out any of the brushes from Dean's range and it looks amazing!!

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  7. I really liked this interview and would love to see some more of this kind of content :)
    GFC thepinkshoe
    thepinkshoe@hotmail.com

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    1. You're in luck, as I plan for this to be a regular feature. :)

      Good luck!

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  8. I would love to win this brush as I've never tried a Kubuki brush!

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  9. Some great tips he's given here. I like hearing unique tips and recommendations - not just your typical run of the mill comments.

    I'd love to win this brush because 1) I've never tried his brushes and 2) I have too many blushes, powders and bronzers and just not enough brushes!

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  10. Wow, thats so cool that you got to interview him!
    I would love to try the kabuki brush, as I loved the brush I received in HFB, and would love a good kabuki to add to my collection! Right now the only kabuki brush I have is from LHI :P

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  11. I'd love to win this brush because my current kabuki is getting old and over used, I could really do with a new one! Great giveaway and good luck to everyone else! x

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  12. I recently received a Master Makeup eyeshadow brush and have fallen in love with - these brushes are amazing and I'd love to add a really good quality Kabuki Brush to my collection as the one I have now is slowly dying.
    Awesome interview and giveaway

    Kayte @ imminentbeauty.blogspot.com.au

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  13. Oh my goodness what a cool post! Such an amazing opportunity! I would love to win because trying out new makeup brands and products is just the coolest thing. Brushes are one of those things that can make a HUGE difference to your makeup and it would be amazing to try such a good quality brush out.
    xx

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  14. What a great insightful interview for off useful tips!!
    Id love to win the kabuki brush so that I can try a different brand and experience just what a master make up brush is like!!

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  15. This was such an interesting giveaway! I would love to win as I only own three face brushes, and I would love to expand my collection.

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  16. This is an awesome giveaway! I have a 'stumpy' little Kabuki brush, you know with no handle? Urgh... nightmare to use most of the time! Would love something that I can rearrange in my hand to be sure it's comfortable. Thanks for the chance :)

    GFC - Loz
    Email - steiger2002{at}yahoo{dot}com{dot}au

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  17. I would love to win because i have a few kabuki brushes, but non like this! it looks interesting and i would love to try it out! great post xx

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  18. I actually was going to ask Ben for his brush set for mothers day, but he sneakily bought me something else. I love the look of the blending brush and the kabuki brush. I would love to win it because I love a professional make up brush that's made by a MUA! They really know what makes or breaks a brush.

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  19. Great interview! I haven't tried any of Dean's Master Makeup brush and I would really love to try it. I would love to win the kabuki brush because this brush looks amazing, is made my a professional MUA and it's a multi-tasker brush. I love to have a powder, bronzer and blush brush in one. It would be really good to take for travelling.

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  20. Absolutely love Dean's brushes, and it was lovely to read your interview! He told us about his smokey eye at Salon Melbourne, that all you need is a good blending brush! Love it!
    I'd love to win this because I'm totally addicted to brushes haha :)
    xx

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  21. Not entering because I've already got his Kabuki brush and LOVE it! His brushes are so soft! And great interview too! Love this guy! Genuinely real and funny IRL too!

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  22. because I've never had a kabuki brush! and i need a great one!

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  23. This would be great for my brides!

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  24. Thanks for sharing Dean's story - it was a really interesting read! I have got a truckload of brushes so won't enter this comp but will certainly check out the line in the future. (I'm in a situation where I have to sit down and take a serious inventory of my brushes - i.e. what do I need, what can I get rid of/give away etc, and is anything missing?!)

    Best of luck to all entrants! x

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  25. What a great post and generous giveaway! I found this blog because I was looking for more information on these brushes.

    I would like to win the brush because I am a blush and powder fiend! Anything to make my face 'glow' :)

    GFC: xo betsy
    email: xo.betsy[at]gmail[dot]com

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  26. This was such a great interview! I LOVE Master Makeup brushes and the kabuki brush is one I don't yet own. Thank you so much for the chance! :D

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  27. Congrats Ling!!!

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