Beauty experts you need to know

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Meet the makeup and hair gurus who set the beauty trends

You go-to your make-up and you select... I don't know, a blue eyeliner pencil, but in fact it's a royal blue eyeliner and you've chosen it specifically because it's made its way down from the beauty experts at fashion week, through the Marie Claire issue you read on the weekend and into your hot little hand.

If you've ever wondered why burgundy eyeshadow comes into fashion or why everyone on the street seems to be sporting a twisted ponytail in summer, wonder no more and meet the make-up and hair gurus who set the beauty trends.

Beauty experts you need to know

From business moguls with their own haircare and cosmetics lines to creative directors working behind the scenes on films, these hairstylists and make-up artists inspire everything you see when it comes to the big, wide world of beauty. Which is why we've pulled together the ones you need to know about and exactly why.

Charlotte Tilbury

Expertise: Make-up

What you need to know: Not only do A-list celebrities swear by her artistry (in particular Penelope Cruz and Kate Moss), she's also a business mogul with a multi-million pound self named line of cosmetics and is the port of call for some of the biggest designers in the industry during fashion week.

Eugene Souleiman

Expertise: Hair

What you need to know: He's worked with fashion's best photographers and some of Hollywood's biggest names, has been the co- director of Bumble and Bumble, editorial Director of Tecni.Art/L'Oreal Professional and Global Creative Director of Care and Styling at Wella Professionals.

Gucci Westman

Expertise: Make-up

What you need to know: She's BFFs with the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz, is the Revlon Global Artistic director and rocks it out on the cinematic side of things, doing make-up for films such as Buffalo 66 and French Exit.

Guido Palau

Expertise: Hair

What you need to know: He's Redken's Creative Consultant and one of the busiest runway hair stylists out there. He became a sensation when he styled Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz and Cindy Crawford for George Michael's Freedom! music video in the 90s and has, ever since, been among the gods of hair.

James Kaliardos

Expertise: Make-up

What you need to know: He's the creative director of L'Oreal Paris International and co-founded the art and fashion publication Visionaire in 1991 and the culture and fashion magazines V Man and V magazine, which makes him a pretty big deal in the industry.

Madeline Poole

Expertise: Nails

What you need to know: She was a miniature painter before becoming the Sally Hansen Global Colour Ambassador and creates mini Picassos on nail beds, making her the go-to nail artist for Stella McCartney and Cushnie et Ochs.

Orlando Pita

Expertise: Hair

What you need to know: He's renowned for his self-named haircare line, Orlando Pita, and the hot Hollywood hair stylist to the stars. His clientele include Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Lopez and the Queen B herself, Beyoncé.

Pat McGrath

Expertise: Makeup

What you need to know: Pat needs no introduction (especially if you were part of the crew madly clicking buy now on her latest Gold001 collection), but we'll give you a bit of background anyway. She was named an MBE in 2013 before becoming Max Factor's global and creative design director and has worked with Prada, Miu Miu and Dolce and Gabbana.

Sam McKnight

Expertise: Hair

What you need to know: He has the most suitable surname, because he's somewhat a knight in shining armour when it comes to hair. Not only is he one of the most accomplished and well-respected hair stylists of his generation, he's also the reason behind some of the most amazing Chanel runway creations ever.

Val Garland

Expertise: Makeup

What you need to know: She has worked with everyone from Kate Moss to Georgia May Jagger and is just as good at creating amazing hairstyles as she is at creating a make-up masterpiece. You'll catch her backstage at fashion week working her MAC magic to create statements at Dion Lee and Monique Lhullier.

Sharon Dowsett

Expertise: Make-up

What you need to know: She is the director of Maybelline UK Makeup and works with the likes of Kate Hudson and Dita von Teese. She also worked with Lily Allen on her music video, Hard Out Here.

Sophy Robson

Expertise: Manicurist

What you need to know: Kate Moss, Rita Ora and Victoria Beckham are her BFFs. She launched flag nails at the 2012 Olympics in London alongside her stick-on nails (designed to help the right-handed people who struggled drawing fancy motifs on their left hands) and is a kick-ass graffiti artist.