Joanna McGarry
Today’s desk on our table top tour is fit-to-bursting with beauty booty. Joanna McGarry, Beauty Director of Stylist Magazine has every eventuality covered with her well-stocked workspace. If you missed it catch up here, and read on to discover the products she can’t live without and the bad habits this beauty buff just can’t kick.
My big break… I interned in the fashion team at Sunday Times Style then due to a reshuffle in the department was asked if I could then help out on the beauty desk. After three months, I was stony broke but started to get paid for the odd single page that I put together. I stuck at it and worked harder than I ever thought I was capable of and six months later, I was given the role of Commissioning Editor (Beauty). Two and a half years passed and I then took on the Beauty Director role at Stylist magazine.
My beauty icon… 90’s Madonna
My formative beauty moment… Probably peeking into the drawers of my mother’s dressing table, aged five, to find the fifteen different coral lipsticks that she kept for decades, refusing to ever throw them away no matter how stubby and old. That’s probably where I get my obsession with bold lipstick from.
Eavesdropped from an MUA… Taking time to massage in your serum or moisturiser can completely transform the way your foundation looks. Skincare and make-up go hand in hand. Oh, and to not be afraid to use your fingers to apply make-up.
Balm, lipstick or gloss… Lipstick, always. My Irish heritage means that my skin is a pretty flat white – a swipe of bright lipstick makes me look and feel alive.
My default face… Either Lancôme Photogenic Lumessence (now sadly discontinued in my shade), or Diorskin Nude foundation, stippled on with MAC 187 Duo Fibre Brush. A dusting of pressed powder (any really, I go through them so quickly) over my T-zone and a slick of MAC Brow Set in Beguile – a non-negotiable in my make-up bag, to darken, define and groom my brows. Then a touch of Stila Convertible Colour in Lilium on the apples of my cheeks and whichever red lipstick I have to hand. I use Chanel Le Crayon Khôl in Clair on the lower waterline of my eyes to brighten them and finish with Kevyn Aucoin mascara. It’s actually quite a lot when I think about it.
Always in my bathroom… Eve Lom Cleanser, Aromatherapy Associates Bath & Shower Oil in Deep Relax, Kérastase Bain de Force shampoo.
My beauty shame… Tonnes. Taking virtually no care of my nails and cutting them way to short. Leaving too much time between hair colour appointments which means I’m usually sporting the rooty look. Not taking off my mascara at night. Applying my make-up on the 38 bus.
My fantasy trolley dash… Celine for clothes and accessories. Colette in Paris for clothes, accessories and a really brilliant beauty edit.
