Last week Tabby, makeup artist and manicurist extraordinaire, shared her top tips for creating playful nail art inspired by our AW16 Play the Part collection. Now she’s back to give you an insight into the inspiration behind the Ballerina and Swan Lake looks on the shoot.

Get your makeup brushes at the ready! Over to you, Tabby...

PRIMA BALLERINA I was really inspired by the simple pale pink and black design on the necklaces, so thought a chic French manicure would look fantastic in the same colours. I just painted the nails with a nude pink polish, allowed it to dry, then used a black polish striper pen to create a cool black french tip.

For the eyes black liquid liner was used to create statement flicks, with a subtle matte brown in the crease of the eye. I highlighted the inner corner of the eyes and brow bone to give subtle brightness. Skin was kept clean while cheeks were accentuated with a rosy glow - to achieve this look you could skip your powder and bronzer and just use a cream blush to give a super fresh look. Freckles are also one of my favourite things, so I went over the models’ skin with a blending sponge after completing the makeup to make sure all freckles were on show! Lips were kept quite soft with a nude rose colour to emulate a doll effect.

To keep the Ballerina look en pointe, the hair was straightened and slicked back with a small amount of serum and wax. The alice bands were just the finishing touch to paint the picture of ballet dancers at the barre.

To recreate the look you need: Black liquid liner, nude rose lipstick, rosy blush, hair straighteners, paddle brush, nude nail polish, black nail polish striper pen

SWANNING AROUND The Swan Lake Necklace is such a statement piece! Like a magpie, I was instantly drawn to the sparkly details which gave me the inspiration for the nails. I knew I could recreate the acrylic glossiness of the necklace with nail polish and add little sparkly details to compliment the look. I’m a glitter freak and have a stockpile of gems and crystals just for occasions like this! I painted the nails white, added a glossy topcoat and then used dots of nail glue to adhere the gems to one side of the nail.

For the makeup, Harriet expressed she’d love to take inspiration from Bjork, and as I’m a huge fan I already had some ideas in mind. Eyes were accentuated with black liquid liner, with the addition of white liner above to create a bold, theatrical look. False lashes were used on the outer corners of the eyes to give a more “fluttery” and wide eyed effect, and helped create a dramatic effect without going too far. For the brows, these were filled in very lightly with shadow and brushed up. As the make up for the eyes was so strong, we kept the rest of the look simple; using a lightweight foundation on the skin, along with a subtle peachy rose blush and a nude matte lip.

Hair was kept simple with low ponytail, slicked out of the way to allow the necklace to take centre stage.

To recreate the look you need: Black liquid liner, white liquid liner, nude lipstick, peachy blush, hair straighteners, paddle brush, white nail polish, nail polish glue, glittery nail gems

I tried to keep the looks as close to the inspiration that Tatty Devine gave me. It wasn’t hard to do seeing as the founders have an amazing vision and know exactly what they want! I focused on complimenting the makeup, hair and nails to the jewellery - little details were key!

Shop the Play the Part collection online and in store now.

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