We've had a JOAN-over! She epitomises ageless glamour. So what happened when Joan Collins gave two FEMAIL readers the A-list beauty treatment?
- Dynasty's Joan Collins is known for her unmistakable and glamorous style
- She transforms two Femail readers using her new line of cosmetics
- She suggests over lining your eyes and never shying away from lipstick
A hush spread across the room; the same reverent silence you get when a member of the Royal Family is about to make an entrance and people are afraid they might have a coughing fit.
The door opened and in strode the most glamorous person I have ever met. Trademark coiffeured curls, expertly kohled eyes and slick of scarlet lipstick. Her style is unmistakable.
Joan Collins had come to our Claridge's suite, booked at her request, to give two lucky readers a makeover, picked from the hundreds who entered our competition to win one-to-one style advice.
Sylvia Gardner, left, and Gaynor Young, were given makeovers by actress Joan Collins,
Before Joan arrived, Sylvia Gardner, 60, had whispered: 'She probably won't want to sit down with us when she arrives.' But on the contrary, she immediately settled down beside Sylvia and fellow winner Gaynor Young, 47, putting them at ease.
So began their transformation from women-next-door to head-turning glamourpusses, complete with admonishments for overplucked eyebrows, instructions that nail polish and lipsticks must match, and tips Joan picked up from Marilyn Monroe.
Joan's make-up is flawless. There is not the hint of a line or wrinkle; her skin is completely smooth, something she puts down to having taken care of her complexion since the age of 14 and avoiding the sun..
She says looking great is the right of every woman, whatever her age. To that end, she launched her make-up range, Joan Collins Timeless Beauty, inspired by tricks gleaned from Hollywood and hit show Dynasty and her most famous role as Alexis.
Sylvia and Gaynor had been fans since Dynasty. Both favour a more natural look but Joan encouraged them to embrace glamour.
Within moments, she had worked out exactly how to transform them, taking charge as a treasured member of her 'Glam Squad', make-up artist Alyn Waterman, set to work.
Retired medical secretary Sylvia, above, had a Marilyn Monroe inspired look using warm chestnut browns
Retired medical secretary Sylvia was first. The mother-of-two from Lancaster admitted: 'I am not very adventurous with my make-up, Joan.'
'Well I AM!' declared Joan, scrutinising Sylvia's nail-polish-free hands and instructing Alyn to paint her nails a bright red to match her dress.
Next came an inspection of Sylvia's face, with Joan asking if she had ever overplucked her brows. When Sylvia admitted she'd had them tattooed, Joan joked: 'Well, they didn't do enough!'
Joan has a great wit and is razor sharp. She is very direct - saying that my lips were too thin - but she was also very charming
She instructed Alyn to create a thicker, more defined shape, using feathery light strokes to shape and soften.
Joan decided she would suit brown shades of eye shadow, based on a Monroe-inspired look using chestnut browns to complement her hair colour.
Alyn created a smokey eye - a look favoured by Joan - fading from dark to light browns, blending well. He used a brown contour eye pencil on her eyelids for more definition.
A highlighter was applied to the brow bone, on the inner lid and a medium brown in the sockets. Dark brown was used over the lids and the gold went on the eyelids' centres.
He used the brown under the lower lashes to soften the liner.
Full and long lashes are an essential part of Joan's look. She uses false lashes for special events and would always choose a strip lash, which Alyn used on both women. Sylvia's were more natural, Gaynor's slightly more dramatic.
After foundation was applied, Joan asked for concealer, calling her range's version her 'magic wand'.
Gaynor, from Essex, who works in a school part-time, love her new look - especially her volumous hair
Joan is a fan of blusher, calling it the 'fastest make-up rejuvenator', and uses it to shape and lift the face. Alyn used more than one shade on Sylvia; one to contour the face, the other pinker shade on the apples of the cheeks to create a luminous healthy glow.
Joan added that a good trick is to sweep a tiny bit of blusher over the eyelids after you have finished the eye make-up to blend the colours.
Sylvia was worried red lipstick would not suit her but Joan loves bright colours so there was no arguing. She asked Alyn to create a glamorous pout using a red contour pencil, filling in with bright red lipstick. This, she said, gives the illusion of a fuller top lip.
Joan then studied Sylvia's hair, saying it was very fine but there was a lot of it. She said: 'You need it fuller and with more height.'
Sophie Marks-Price cut Sylvia's hair, adding a few layers to make it easier to create the volume Joan wanted. She put in a few heated rollers for extra fullness. 'Joan was spot-on about my hair,' said Sylvia. 'Whenever I go to a salon I always ask the hairdresser for height and more volume!' What did she think of the look?
'I loved the eye make-up and the red lip. I was so impressed by Joan. She knew exactly which colours would suit us. Before she arrived I was nervous but she sat down, got hold of our hands and made us relax. It was a fantastic day. She is an absolute icon! On the way home on the train I kept asking myself: 'Did that really happen?' '
Next came Gaynor from Essex, who is married to David, has two children, Elliot, ten, and Scarlett, seven, and works part-time in a school.
Joan decided that she would suit smokey eyes and stronger, more arched eyebrows. She advised grey shades of shadow with a dash of silver for added glamour and decided on a fuller lip shape in bright pink.
Alyn used a warmer shade of foundation on Gaynor as her skin is lightly tanned after a recent holiday and also used two concealers, one in a fair shade as a base for eye make-up to highlight the cheekbones and a medium shade under the eyes and around the nose and lips, followed by a dusting of powder.
Gaynor's eyebrows were thickened and extended using a kit from Joan's range, containing an eyebrow wax and highlighter with two shades in light and dark brown.
Alyn applied a neutral brightener across the eyelids up to the brow line. He then applied dark misty greys and blacks on the eyelids, with silver on the crease and under the brows to lift and brighten.
He used medium grey in the sockets and black on the outer lids and corners blended outwards to give a feline look. The silver was used on the centre of the lid. Alyn also used the black under the lower lashes for a smokey effect.
Joan Collins launched her make-up range, Timeless Beauty, inspired by tricks gleaned from Hollywood
For more definition, he used a black eye-pencil on the lower lid and black liquid liner on the top lid. He applied a couple of coats of black mascara and then false lashes for extra drama.
Gaynor usually wears understated, natural lipstick, but Joan told Alyn to use bright shades.
'Your lips are too thin!' she said, suggesting ways for Alyn to create fuller lips. 'Everyone is afraid of lipstick. Don't be afraid!'
Alyn made Gaynor's lips look fuller using a pink contour pencil.
As with Sylvia, Joan felt that Gaynor's hair could do with more volume, so Sophie blow-dried it first to give it more body and then used straighteners to wave the hair, for pure Hollywood glamour.
So what did Gaynor think? 'It was wonderful! I wouldn't do it during the day but I would if I was going out in the evening.
'One tip I will be using from now on is about highlighting.
'Joan has a great wit and is razor sharp. She is very direct - saying that my lips were too thin - but she was also very charming.'
Additional reporting: Joanna Bridger..
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