BEAUTY CONFESSIONS: ELIZABETH BARNETT LAWTON Co-Founder of Styleoncall.co.uk

Elizabeth has worked in the fashion department of Elle, and beauty departments of British Vogue, Harper’s, InStyle, Happy and Good Housekeeping magazines as a stylist, journalist and beauty director. She drew heavily from her fashion degree to style celebrities and models for her glamorous beauty shoots. The co-founder of Style On Call, a creative brand and style consultancy; Elizabeth’s specialty is finding the ultimate combination of dress, jewelry and hair & makeup for events and weddings. She is much in demand for her beauty expertise and the contents of her little black book, which is filled with the top hair cutters, colorists, beauty therapists and makeup artists in the UK.

Jane de Teliga and Elizabeth Barnett Lawton, 
co-founders of Style On Call

WHAT’S YOUR BEAUTY ADDICTION?
Lipsticks! Chanel colors! I love to do the whole Chanel look each season and then I'll mix it up with other brands. The one beauty item I can't live without is MAC Eye Brows liner in Fling, a taupe which is perfect for blondes or I'll wear Lingering (an ash brown) for a more dramatic evening look. Once I'd mastered a great brow I discovered its way more effective than Botox, which I’ve tried and it freaked me out, or even a brow lift, which I’m told will sag in time anyhow. Plus I'm saving myself loads of money and trauma to my face!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT LIVING IN LONDON?
The best thing about London is the best possible combination of historic grand architecture, lush green parks, tree-lined roads, cultural events and shopping. London has more parks and visible sky than New York and there’s more fun to be had than in Paris. Now if you were to force me to say the single best thing about my home city? Mmm. A walk in Hyde Park on sunny days (and perhaps a quick snoop in nearby Harvey Nichols) or on rainy days I indulge myself and a friend with tea and scones, jam and cream at Claridges hotel on Brook Street, which transports me back to a bygone era especially if I stay on for the jazz band at 5 o'clock. It’s the only place that a girl can enjoy a full fat English cream tea and feel as glamorous as Princess Margaret or the Queen Mother (sadly no longer with us) who used to come here for tea and their black and white portraits are on the wall to prove it. I love the idea of being dressed in white fur and diamonds and being driven around in a Bentley to have tea when I’m old!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?
Expensively classic with a hefty dose of rock chick! If you look in my wardrobe it's very black with a lot of little jackets – Viktor & Rolf, Helmut Lang, Willow, McQueen, vintage etc - that I mainly wear with tight grey or black jeans and myriad interpretations of the little black dress. I rarely wear color unless it's as a jewel-like accent which means I stick to deep green, gold, bronze silk shirts, gold accessories or perhaps a splash of red or aubergine - only one color at a time though. I'm of the Carolyn Bessette Kennedy school of thought that lots of fussy small pieces of jewelry or accessories takes away beauty. I will do a bit of antique art deco diamond jewelry or Saint Laurent accessories. I just asked ask my husband to describe my style and he says Alexander McQueen meets Stevie Nicks. That's scarily accurate but it could just as easily be Azzedeine Alaia meets Kate Bush!

YOU FEEL MOST BEAUTIFUL WHEN?
I feel most beautiful when I'm sitting in the salon chair having my hair colored! Sibi Bolan at Daniel Hersheson has been coloring my hair for seven years. No one has ever beaten her balayage technique! Even Christophe Robin (L'Oreal Paris Color Director and colorist to Kylie, Catherine Deneuve and just about every L'Oreal spokesmodel) said I was the only editor whose color was perfect on a press trip to his Paris salon. I didn't need him to tell me that though!

BEST BEAUTY TIP YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
Mmm I have a few of those. After 15 years working for magazines I've been lucky enough to work with most of the greats. Terry Barber, Director of Make-up Artistry for MAC Europe showed me how to do the best feline eyeliner - he's done it for Dita Von Teese, Pamela Anderson and Mary J Blige so he knows what he's talking about. The trick is all in the flick. The flick should follow the angle of the outer bottom water line of the eye. He made me draw it as two lines one on the top lid and then the flick separately, in an outwards and upwards motion, and finally to pull the flick backwards joining it to the top of the lid line. Terry taught me with a pencil until but he used a brush to blend the line into the lashes afterwards. It looks so much better blended and a softer effect than a hard liquid liner, though the technique is the same.

WHAT’S THE MOST PRIZED POSSESSION IN YOUR CLOSET?
I have quite a few McQueen pieces including a red, floor-length dress with a matching red belt, which shows in the front but is concealed in the back so the cape back flows in one sheath of heavy silk straight down into a small train at the rear. I also have a large collection of Chanel shoes. My most loved are grey velvet with blue-ish charcoal toe tips and heels with lots of little ankle straps and pearl buttons to do them up. The chicest nod to Victoriana.