Vintage Mod - Makeup and Photography

So i have been doing a lot of shoots lately with different models where I am both the makeup artist and the photographer and i must say, i am loving it!!!!

Now my first passion is still makeup and I will continue to work freelance doing makeup and hair only, but I have found a lot of fun and satisfaction in photography!

Here is the shoot i did yesterday morning with a model...

I had so much fun creating this vintag-ie style shoot. The poncho I had picked up (for myself) from Old Navy a couple weeks ago for a mere 15 bucks! I just thought it looked warm and snugglie! Since the weather is getting colder, I told the model she could wear it. ANd since she has very straight and fine hair, i knew we might be somewhat limited to what it wanted to do is the cold dry weather outside, so teasing it up seemed a safe bet. Suddenly, i felt this very vintage mod mood overcome and and we just went with it! Her eye makeup is a little geometrical which is something that really started in the 1960's with twiggy (the most famous model from the time era.

When the 1960's came about, makeup started to really get FUN! Now don't get me wrong, i love the makeup styles of all the different decades for different reasons and it isnt that makeup wasnt beautiful prior to the 1960's, but in the 1960's, makeup got more playful. It was no longer just for adults and being glamourous, but more teenagers began wearing makeup thus bringing out the "trend" factor. The eyes were the main focus in the 60's. They were played up with false lashes, geometric shapes and sometimes bold colors. The crease was often shadowed heavily making the makeup very visible even from far away. Eyeliner was also used often with thick lines and eyelashes accentuated with either a LOT of mascara or the addition of false lashes. Lips were often muted out with pale colors.

For Kelsey's eye makeup, I used deep purples along her crease and brought them much further into her nose than the tradional crease makeup. Often in the 60's, the crease was shadowed in a very round shape, which is not something I did here. So i guess this is a bit of my modernized version. :D I did use a thick black liner straight across her lash line with nice long false lashes!

Here is a close up shot where you can see the makeup a little bit better, without the color story corrections.

You can see her mouth is very muted in a pale pink (I used Obsessive Compulsive's Lip Tar in Hush).

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Feel free to leave a comment with what you'd like to see!

I'm a photographer now?!

Hello everyone!

Well i have a fun announcement... i'm diving into the world of photography!

Don't worry, i would never forget my first love of makeup and beauty! But i do love all facets of the fashion and beauty industry which has lead me to take up the camera!

I know i still have a lot of learning to do, but for the last month and a half I have been studying and studying aperature, ISO, and all sorts of other fun terms i never paid much attention to before! I have a new camera, with new fun goodies to attach to it (lenses, flashes, etc).

Here are some shots from my first shoot (and yes, i did makeup and styling as well)

I got the idea from a magazine tear sheet of a Oscar De La Renta gown. Ok, so my final shots have absolutely not one thing in common with the tear sheet other than the fact that i'm looking down at the model! HAHAHAHA. But it sparked some ideas. And i knew i wanted a gown... um, but i had no access to a gown. That's when my brain went to tulle, and I decided to make a brown tulle ballet skirt. FYI - sewing a tulle ballet skirt is not as easy as it looks!

My dear and darling hubby.... we have no leaves in our yard (or didnt at the time). Especially in our back yard. I wanted bright colored and beautiful fall leaves... so i sent him on a mission to find some. THe best ones he found were at a another house in a neighborhood (mind you someone we did not know). He knocked on the door and asked if he could rake some of their leaves for his wife who asked for brightly colored fallen leaves. The man laughed a bit and said rake away. And so he did. Didnt he do a good job? I heart my art department. :D

Oh - i suppose i should talk a bit about the makeup, huh?

I started off using Dinair Olive Beige airbrush foundation for a smooth and flawless fresh face.

Next I added some of the bronze Stila Smudgepot around her eyes and then smoked that out a bit using MAC's sable shadow. Her eyes were then also lined with a thin line of black to intensify the black mascara i'd be adding on her.

Blush is GARB by mac and her lips are Boss Brown (my favorite mac shade of prolongwear lipgloss).

Next up, we switched up the shoot a little and changed wardrobe and makeup.

This "bamboo forest" is actually in the backyard edge of a house for sale very close to mine. We just borrowed it for a moment. :D I actually do like the house even though a bit smaller than ours, and would buy it for the large property lot if we could sell our house! haha.

Here is a close up shot so you can see the makeup a little better....

I used MAC pigments (golden lemon, electric coral and shadow in steam) to create the eye look.

Her lips i juse added a little bit of myth lipstick by mac to tone down the existing lipcolor.

Here's one more shot...

I'm very proud of myself! I know that i still have a bit to learn, but i'm getting there.

Stay tuned!

Morgan's Wedding

In late summer, I was fortunate to work with Morgan for her wedding. Let me tell you, this girl is so sweet, but very fun at the same time. And she is hip to the latest trends thats for sure! She wanted feathers in her hair (i have been gathering info for a post about feathers and should have that up later this week.... consider this my introduction!). Feathers in hair is a very popular concept right now! And with white or ivory feathers, it's just gorgeous on brides!

Here is a rundown of our get ready followed by some awesome pictures of Morgan and her hubby. All photography is by Jeff Hall Photography. His business is set up in Greenville South Carolina. He has an amazing eye and captures weddings in such a fantastic style! You really should check out his portfolio, whether or not your looking for a photographer in Greenville!

Here's us getting ready. I'm not sure what I was looking for. Morgan looks bored. Ah, well it was early and I dont think they had brought her STRONG coffee yet. ;)

I started by spiral curling Morgan's hair, which is pretty straight when left alone.

I teased the hair at her crown and since it was being pined in low curls, i didnt want the weight of all the hair to bring down the "bump" so i started pining the curls low and added on top.

The final layer of hair I used a criss cross pattern above. This is something i do often. I think i just love the way it looks and gives a little bit of a different vibe than being pulled straight into the hair design. Plus and added benefit is that the light cross over pattern allows minimal weight pulling down the height at the top, which is good for the style and also good that the teasing doesnt have to be so extreme that it's difficult for the bride to get out later.

Below is a final shot of the hairstyl after I added the feathers as well as some small flowers and stemens (pearls that were actually created to go in the center of fake flowers)

Next comes makeup! I LOVE when a photographer gets me some action shots of makeup application! Thanks so much Jeff!

We started with the airbrush... i love my airbrush system!!!! The airbrush i use is by Dinair and I actually use the Paramedical makeup. It has a 24 hour wear and is completely water proof so just in case there are tears (at a wedding??? never!) or a rainstorm, this makeup isnt going anywhere!

It's all about the EYES! Morgan is stylish and CLASSY! She wanted a lot of sparkle to her eyemakeup without it looking too overdone. After priming her lids with Urban Decay Primer Potion, I mostly used shadows by Stila Cosmetics. They pack a shimmer factor, without a lot of fall out (you know... all those random sparkles that fly off your makeup brush and land Lord knows where). They also arent glittery, just perfectly shimmery!

Here's another shot of the in process eye makeup. I used a lighter shadow over the whole lid (i THINK moonlight in the inner corner and brow bone with wheat over her whole lid) And then to intensify her look, i used Go Lightly along the lash line and in the outer view blending it into her crease. What you dont see in this shot is the later addition of false lashes and Expresso shadow more intensly along her lash line and just outer v corner.

Her cheeks we kept a lightly peachy pink (um... i THINK peaches by MAC, may have been a light application of Garb. Sorry, it's been too long!) And her lip color we kept night and light as well. Below are 2 final shots that you can see her makeup.

Doesnt she look smashing! Ok, so she's a pretty girl to begin with, but i love the final looks!

Here's alot shot of that hair! :D

This shot is precious... that tree is in Falls Park in downtown Greenville. I know you've seen it in wedding shots on my blog before... but isnt it gnarly cool!

Okie dokie - thats what i have for ya today!!!! Check back soon for that "feather post" and why every gal should have some feathers for her hair!

Wanna win a Mac $50 gift card?!

Hello Lovelies! Sorry my posting has been a little everywhere. I have been SO BUSY! Last weekend i had 3 weddings, today I have a bridal portrait, 2 weddings tomorrow and then a bridal portrait on sunday! To many, "wedding season" is in the summer. While i do stay very busy in the summer for weddings, since i live in the South, the busiest wedding season here is FALL! It's not so densly hot and sticky, but it's not very cold yet either. The leaves here are just starting to turn... it's gorgeous! Maybe i'm partial since I was married in November!

As soon as the photos start rolling in from these weddings, I will post them, i promise! And I just got a new and better video camera! So more video tutorials and such will be coming SOON! Keep posting for casting calls!

Ok, while I wanted to update everyone on whats going on with me... there is something that i'm sure will be far more exciting for you! A chance to win a $50 gift card from MAC!

You all know that i LOOOOOVE my MAC!

This contest is being sponsored by MakeupTalk.com

Makeup Talk is a super fun community online! They have recently revamped and redesigned their website as well so if you've been there before, but not for awhile, you should check it out again. At Makeup Talk, you can chat with other beauty lovers, read reviews about products, and swap out some products that didnt work you you with someone else who may have something you've been lemming after!

So check out their forum, and if you want to enter to win, here is some details on how to do it!

Now i'm off to prep for the bridal portrait today! Chat with you all soooooon!

McAuley's Fall Fashion

It's a beautiful fall day here... ok, not quite. It's been rainy and miserable! Luckily, it wasnt miserable last weekend when I worked on the fall fashion shoot for McAuley's Unique Boutique!

This shoot was SO much fun! Although we started a smidgen early, filled to my brim with coffee and with bright eyeshadows in hand, I had a lot of fun to say the least on the looks for the models!

We met up at the Vintage Hair Loft in Anderson, SC where Hannah was busy at work on the models hair. After the makeup was all done, i trekked it on over to a warehouse Missy (owner of McAuley's) owns in downtown Anderson where Jake Simpson was waiting to get started.

Now for the record... Jake is an phenom photog who has moved from South Carolina to New York City. I am often fortunate enough to work with him when he comes back into town, but if you are in NY, or traveling to NY... you want to book him!

Ok, so here are some of my favorite shots. I have more of them uploaded to my facebook page if you are interested. While you're there, become a fan why don't ya!

Tish

Chelsey

Taylor

Ashley

Katie

And just a couple behind the scenes... because i think they are so fun!

Such a fun fun day!!!!!!

Sarah's wedding!

As promised, i'm finally getting around to some much needed updating! These pictures are actually from a wedding i did makeup for about a month and a half ago (but i just got the photos so i'm not that much of a slacker!!!) If you'd like to see more of this photographer (a husband and wife duo that are just a joy to work with!) check out their website, www.lumosstudio.com

I had so much fun getting to know Sarah over the course of her engagement, bridal portraits, and consultations. She really is just such a pleasure to be around and can i say that i am beyond bummed that she's moved away to CALIFORNIA of all places. *sigh* I will miss her, and i only knew her a few months!

Here's a more black and white version of the previous photo. Sarah wanted a very classic look and while polished, she didnt want to look overdone or TOO glam.

this photo is precious, and since her eyes are closed it shows off the makeup well! haha!

While i never saw sarah not smiling, she looks so regal here! I love it!

A little harder to see the faces, but I also did the makeup on her bridesmaids. :D

Check back soon for some WAY fun pictures of fashion fun and bright makeup for McAuley's!

An Ice Princess for If Only Photos

Hello Makeup Friends! I PROMISE i'm going to have some tutorial updates and things very very soon! I've just been consumed with WORK (and my little guys, which they are just so cute i cant resist park playdates and whatnot while the weather is nice!)

I do have 5 weddings booked this month alone, however and some other fun shoots so yeah, i've been a busy (and happy) gal!

Here's a shot from a shoot i did this past week with a new photographer friend!

You should be seeing a lot of collaborations with him! His work is fabulous! His name is Alex Frazier and he shoots EVERYTHING! If you are a model in the greenville area, book him! He has a Hasselblad camera which translates to extreeeeeemly high def pictures (makes me very happy as a makeup artist!) But he also does weddings, portraits, family stuff, kiddos, etc. You will not be sorry. You can see his website at www.ifonlyphotos.com

Fun stuff huh? I don't get to do "extreme" makeup nearly as much as i once did. Now that the kiddos are a little older and I can at least leave them with a babysitter that i know i can hire again and she wont run away screaming (ok, she still might, i have a hyper 2 and 4 year old), I can take on more of these types of shoots that are more for fun than anything else.

For Becca's makeup, I used Dinair white glamour airbrush makeup. I focused the white along the outer edge of her face and worked inward leaving the center. I then used Alabaster to airbrush the center of her face giving it a "thawed ice princess" vibe. I didnt want her face to just be ghost white.

I used a number of different blue shadows on her eyes and brought the shadow down along her temple and cheek bone using a duo fiber (or soft stipple) brush.

Lips were colored by mixing MAC Pigment in cornflower with clear lip gloss. This gave the blue effect without being BLUE. Had the pigment been mixed with a thicker medium or with using a LOT of pigment, you could achieve denser coverage.

Her eyebrows where shaded in with a dark blue eyeshadow as well. Since Becca bleaches her hair (noooooo, really? hehe) her eyebrows were already a little bit darker than her haircolor. However, a lot of that color was taken out by the airbrush. I wanted her face to be striking and really bring out the blue tones, so i added the blue to her brow, but her brow bone was highlighted with a white silver first.

The "cracks" in her skin were a story of a lot of testing! Originally we were wanting to use silver leaf but it wouldnt stick to ANY of the adhesives i had on hand. grumble grumble. So i resolved to hand painting the "cracks" which were meant to resemble cracks in ice.

Becca's hair was teased to all High Heaven. Thankfully she was a very good sport! I actually added in pieces of cotton batting (yes, the same stuff that is in your pillows) under the bump to make sure that the teasing stayed put instead of falling flat.

Overall i was extremely pleased with this shoot! I had a lot of fun with the model and the photographer and can not wait to do the other half of this shoot which will be all fire oriented!

RayCroftArt Photography for a wedding i did

So as i mentioned a couple of days ago... this has been a very busy summer! And this is large in part to a lot of weddings! My wedding season is letting up until the middle of november (which i'm not complaining about!) but i still have so many weddings i never even posted pictures of! Its a shame really!

Ok, so here's a recent one i did and i am just really wow'ed by the photographer. RayCroftArt is a husband and wife team that specialize in weddings, senior and family portraits. I really love the personality they capture in their pictures as well as the vivid (or not so vivid) colors. They really know how to play up the artistic content! I would love to work with this outstanding photography couple again.

Here are a few shots they posted on their blog... i have some coming from the bride, but i simply couldnt wait to show these! Not all of them really show much by way of makeup but the photos are just too cool not to share!

I will mention a bit about the makeup since this is a good shot for it...

As with all my brides, I started with my Dinair Airbrush makeup kit and since it was going to be a long and hot day (it's august in aouth carolina people!) i opted for the Camouflage formulation which is a 24 hour wear and waterproof!

Ann wanted to be glamourous and really wanted to play up her eyes but still didnt want to look overdone. This is a common request from brides. No one wants to be recognized just for their makeup on their wedding day! We did a bit of a smokey eye without being done up too much and used a neutral blush... enough to accentuate her cheekbones but not so much that it stole focus. I did add a pair of 747xs lashes (my fav) and gave her a nice berry lipcolor.

I also did all the bridesmaids makeup. :D

Below are just some more fun photos to show off this awesome photog pair's work!

Thats all for now... I'm going to work on getting more photos from wedding this past summer and will keep updating as i can!

and i know, i know... i'll work on some more tutorials soon!

Fashion Shoot with Brett Marler and Emily!

This past weekend I had the priviledge of working with a photographer from Atlanta named Brett Marler. He is a great photographer and had some really fun ideas to do with our muse, Emily.

Now I have worked with Emily many times this summer as she really works on her modeling porfolio and she is just as sweet as can be! You wouldnt believe the legs on this girl and her devotion to learning about the modeling world!

Ok... i've gotten off track. Back to the shoot... the shoot is what I would label as a Portfolio Builder shoot. And i LOVE working on Portfolio building shoots! What happens in a shoot like this is that the model will be dressed in very different outfits. The overall goal is to get numerous different looks for her portfolio or look book or possibly even develop a new comp/zed card.

Where this is fun for me is that I get to help the model achieve those very different looks. I do not want the model to simply look like she changed her clothes. What fun is that? I like to really vary her styling from makeup to hair, but you cant wash it all off each time... so this type of shoot must be PLANNED to be successful.

First I talk with the stylist or photographer (and model if she is planning her own wardrobe) about the looks that will be shot. Then I help to plan their order and how i can adjust her makeup and hair with each look. Having it planned out also helps the shoot to speed along. You dont want to spend 30 minutes with every change. That is only going to cause the flow of the shoot to slow down.

With Brett we discussed the outfits right down to the accessories. It was great to have a photog know exactly what he was shooting. Often times, that only happens when there is a stylist involved. Then i planned the hair and makeup and sent it to him for approval. Things may change of course, and you need to go with the flow, but this greatly helped me make sure i had everything mapped out for the shoot.

Here is look 1...

Her makeup was kept clean and simple. For a shoot with lots of looks, this is the best thing to do first. If the model does any acting, this would be where you would do an actor's headshot. I did of course cover any blemishes, etc and do a bit of contour around the eyes to make sure they were seem. Liner was kept to a minimum, but i did use a bit of shadow to help inhance her eye shape. Blush used was just a sheer peach tone to make her naturally flushed.

Her hair was a bit more fun. I made 2 side ponies and then wrapped her hair inwards and secured with large bobbi pins. You dont want to use TOO much hairspray because remember, you will be changing the look shortly.

Look 2...

This look i think was my favorite of the 5 (actually, the next look which i dont have a photo of yet was very similar with only a hair change and lip color change).

Makeup I added a bronze smokey eye using the Too Faced Natural Eye palette. I dusted a light highlight powder on her cheeks. I wanted to leave the color, but give her higher cheekbones for a slightly edgier look. Lip color was changed to a very pale/blend into the skin tone (i used Myth from MAC).

Hair - super easy! Pulled back into a moderately high pony and fluffed a bit. Added a wooden headband. The focus was on her face. :D

Look 4

Now we started to play a little more with wardrobe and makeup. I actually used a very bright purple liner and a purple shadow to smoke out her eyes just a bit. We ended up playing with the glasses a bit more so you dont see the eyemakeup as much (totally fine, it happens!) There may be a shot or 2 in there that shows more of the makeup, but i havent seen them all yet. ;)

I changed the lip color again to a brighter cool pink (scandal by Too Faced) and added a touch of a pinker blush to her cheeks.

Hair again, pretty easy, just taken down and tousled.

Look 5

are you ready for this...

Ok, last look of the day is always going to be the most extreme. It doesnt always have to be THIS extreme, but it was the reason i was called to the shoot. :D

Now the above image isnt super sharp as it wasnt meant to be a close up but i cant explain the makeup very well in a shot too far away ;)

Since the outfit was um, bright, we went with a lot of bright colors! For her eyes, i used a Kryolan Cake Liner in purple (this was actually just left on from the previous look) and then i extended it for this look and also used a MAC shadow in leisuretime. I used MAC paintsticks in genuine orange and true chartreuse to extend beyond the eye and add a lot of popping color. A black liner (also a kryolan cake liner) was added on top to break up the color a bit and extend the lashes. False lashes (Creme 507) were added on top. her cheeks i used a brighter pink by Trish McEvoy (sorry i cant recall the color name). her lips were fun as well... i used the genuine orange paint stick on her lower lip and a bright pink lipstick on her upper lip.

Her hair... well as you might guess, i just tease the snot out of it. :D And used a lot of hairspray.

So thats what i call a Portfolio Builder shoot! If you are interested in booking me for a portfolio builder shoot, contact me for rates.