Some Recent Makeup Work/Publications

Thought I would share a few pretties here with you! The latter half of 2013 was quite quiet for me on the makeup front due to other commitments. but I’ve been very lucky that the shoots I have done have all been fabulous and I've come away with lovely memories and a few publications to boot!

 

Model: Abby Munro
Designer: BLACKMIRROR DESIGN
MUAH: Robyn Skinner
Photographerh: Richard Powazynski

 

Published in FJORDE Magazine. Click here to read for free.

 

 

(The model in black and white is our work, as is the blonde model in the bottom-left corner. They’re both Abby!)

 

Model: Abby Munro
Designer: BLACKMIRROR DESIGN
MUAH: Robyn Skinner
Photographerh: Richard Powazynski

Published in Kultur Mag.

 

Finally got some images back from a shoot with an amazing team this summer – everyone involved was so talented, so it's wonderful to see some publications come from everyone’s hard work. Please check everyone linked above out, their work is so beautiful! I was very honoured to work with the team.

Models: Kelly Knox and Labonya Siddiqui
Photographer: Gavin Kemp
MUAH: Robyn Skinner

A really interesting shoot, this one. Inspired by the iconic United Colors of Benetton shoots from the late 80’s and early 90’s, the photographer wanted to explore diversity. Kelly was born without her left forearm and Labonya is a burns survivor so each model brought a different perspective to the shot in terms of how we perceive people's beauty. It was really sobering to hear Labonya’s story and I hope the images go some way to showing that physical differences don’t make anyone less beautiful.  You may have seen Kelly on Britain's Missing Top Model and How To Look Good Naked.  

 

shoot name :: Wrath Reloaded … or the fifth Deadly Thing
photography & set design :: Marco Fazio at mjfstudio
filmmaker :: Patricia Vilani at Suspicious Behaviour
filmmaker :: Paul Sunich at Tracer7Films
art director :: Strawberry Love at mjfstudio
fashion designer :: Marianna Nardin at Blackmirror Design
make-up artist & hair stylist :: Robyn Skinner
art consultant :: Iggy Passenger
set design consultant :: Claudia Parker
construction coordinator :: Urim Mripa at DOT Bespoke
CGI designer :: Marco Vacca
key scenic :: Michal Mackiewicz
assistant photographer :: Debora Palazzo
assistant photographer :: Alfredo Ezquerra Sanchez
assistant photographer :: Laurent Azemi
assistant videographer :: Yhago Maia
model, arms & armour scholar :: Bella White
model :: Elena Miriam Tun
model :: Champ Imi
location and set construction :: courtesy of DOT Bespoke, London (UK)
oxidised finish for backdrop panel :: courtesy of Metropolis by IVAS, San Mauro Pascoli (Italy)

I absolutely loved everything about this shoot! Everyone worked so hard and really pulled it all together! The concept was 'Wrath,' with a baroque influence and references to Caravaggio and Italian art. I loved designing the hair and makeup for this shoot and making sure each character fit the bill and complimented each other and the concept nicely.

Well, that's all I have to show for now, but there's plenty more coming soon! Thank you for looking at my little artistic endeavours and please check out the work of all the lovely people linked here!

Anatomy of a Photoshoot

Most of you will know by now that I do some makeup work on the side - it's by no means a full time job for me (yet! Fingers crossed!) but it is something I work very hard at and put a lot of hours into. A friend of mine made a comment last week that made me realise that most people simply don’t know how much work goes into a photoshoot! I did a beauty shoot just over a week ago and this post documents everything that goes into it - from my point of view, anyway! Preparations for models, photographers and stylists are of course all different but take just as much if not more time. Not all shoots involve this much planning, some require more and some less. Each one is different.

My friend Yat Tang was the photographer for this shoot and it was his concept. I’ve worked with him a few times and his work is beautiful. In a more professional setting he would be the client, and everything would need to be approved by them. He sent me this inspiration board:

And then I set up my own Pinterest board to gather my thoughts and ideas as well:

 

Once I'd seen the models Yat had cast, I came up with a rough face chart for each and sent them to him for approval:

 

One of the looks involved making a hair piece which I knew would really help take the photos to a better level.  I spent a couple of hours in the shops searching for bits and bobs for it, and I also went foraging for leaves, twigs etc. I then spent an afternoon making the head piece which was very tricksy actually! I don't always make things for shoots, but if it's applicable I like to add that extra level of my creativity and it often impresses the team as well. Other things I might make include nails and other head pieces, like this and this.

Here I am sewing hair donuts together to get the size and height I want. Hair donuts can be very expensive in some places so I bought el cheapo ones from Primark and made with the scissors!

Halfway there…

And finished! Sewing real leaves together is a pain in the butt! It’s not the most fabulous thing in the world but trust me, it looked great in the photos.

The day before the shoot, I spend up to two hours cleaning my brushes and packing and re-cleaning my kit. It doesn’t always take that long, but if I’ve left it till the last minute and have no clean brushes left, which I do all too often, it can take a while! I’ll double check everything before I leave for the shoot at least twice as I have a huge, huge fear of leaving my brushed behind! I could substitute many things for something else in my kit but no brushes = disaster!

My first model, Donna, was at 9.30pm and we shot with her until 1pm. She had a pretty simple, soft look with oranges and pinks. Her hair and makeup took perhaps an hour and a half, maybe a little longer. This sounds like a long time considering the look but it's important to get it right. Her headdress was made on the day as we were using fresh flowers. Here's a timelapse video and some BTS shots of getting ready and starting to shoot:

 

 

Beauty Shoot with Donna Time Lapse from Yat Tang on Vimeo.

 

As you can see, Jade isn’t dressed up at all! If you’re only shooting headshots, quite often a model will just wear what they came in or something on the top half. Lots of beauty shoots are just shot in a strapless bra.

I hope this illustrates that behind the scenes things aren't always as glamorous as people image them to be! Lots of studios in London are in unromantic places such as business parks, hidden behind car parks, on industrial estates, etc. When I first started going to studios I wondered if what I’d gotten myself into was dodgy due to the locations!

Finally, here are some of the images:

It seems like a lot of work and it is, but seeing a beautiful image you helped create is so amazing. There's nothing like it! After a shoot, there’s not much work for me and the model – obviously I have to clean a lot of brushes and my kit, but you soon get used to doing this all the time and have a little routine so it doesn’t take too long. Small things like packing dirty brushes separately from ones that haven’t been used helps a lot.

Hope this was interesting to some of you - please check out Yat, Donna and Jade's pages, and if you're in the London area, Dock House Studio.

Bits and Bobs from Photoshoots!

I’ve not really updated you all on my photoshoots at all this year, so here is a few little peeks at what I’ve been up to, with lots lots more to come! There is a slightly NSFW shot a little further down, just so you know!

All makeup (and hair, unless otherwise stated) is by yours truly.

Photographer: Rich Newnham
Model: Nadia Elizabeth

A bit of a poor Alex Box rip off there, but I couldn’t help myself! This was actually my first shoot of the year and it was such fun – I’d been dying to work with the beautiful Nadia and we finally managed to do it just before she moved back Down Under! Lots and lots of Inglot used on this shoot on eyes and lips, with an Illamasqua shadow for the blush and good old MUA Shade 9 for the lovely, shimmer purple.

 

_____

Photographer: Richard Newnham
Model: Jasmina Lasota

 

Another shoot with my good friend Rich, this was such fun too! I was a little nervous because Jasmina is a makeup artist as well as a model, but she was awesome and wasn’t scared off, haha! This shoot was a totally new type of look for me and I think I did okay!

_____

Photographer: Monika Schaible
Models: L, Lisa Jane Ralph, R, Beth Chambers

Photographer: Nate Togg
Model: Miss Jenna Betts
Hair: Lucia Mameli

That’s Jenna again in the pasties, and I also did Ellen’s makeup in the red dress with Lucia on hair again.

Clothing and styling for all: Dead Lotus Couture
Location for both: LSS Studio, Brixton

I LOVE a bit of latex, it always looks so, so awesome in photos. Nange, who designs Dead Lotus Couture, is freaking awesome and I was really excited to work with her.

_____

Photographer: Yat Tang Tang
Assist: Nicholas Brown
Model: Mariana Chuleva at Bad Models Management
Styling, clothing and jewellery design: Timea Talian Designs
Location: Rivoli Ballroom, London

This is probably my favourite shoot from the year. The whole team was fab, the location and clothes were gorgeous and it all just came together beautifully.

______

Photographer: Darkhorse Photos
Model: Aaliyah Johnson
Headwrap: Karen Salandy MUA (who did the other model)
Location: Adrian Pini Studio

 

Again, this was a bit of a challenge for me! It took so SO LONG and I still wasn’t super happy with it, but I was so pleased to get to try something like that and to have the change to work on my precision (which still needs work, but I’m getting there!) And as always, the behind the scenes shots end up with me looking like the models mum! It was fun working with Aaliyah who doesn’t normally do mad stuff – she liked it and drove home like it!

_____

Photographer: Twitch Photos
Model: Amber Skyline
Wig: Geisha Wigs


I’d wanted to work with this photographer for a while, her stuff is so cool! This is part of her Runes series and the rune for this shoot was Raido, which means ‘ride,"’ or ‘journey.’ Amber is a bellydancer and her outfits were amazing! I wanted to do something “tribal” (annoying terminology but you know what I mean!) and flowing to fit in with the model.

Phew! If you read all that, thank you! More coming soon!

Makeup Transformation!

There’s been lots of posts flying around with people’s before makeup and after makeup photos this week. I always find before and after photos endlessly fascinating – I know the power of makeup and what it can do to change someone's appearance, so I’m more interested in it as the way people choose to express and present themselves.

I quite often do shoots where people are just meeting and getting together to try new things and network and these shoots sometimes won’t a theme. When I work on somebody else without having a specific brief, it’s up to me to interpret that person and make sure everyone involved is happy with the look. My model for this shoot was very young and fresh-faced, so I wanted to do something fun with a pop of colour but nothing too overwhelming or blocky.

Model, Becca Edwards. Photographer, Amir Dotan. MUA, Robyn Skinner.

This  is the lovely Becca who I’ve had the pleasure of working with a couple of times and she is an absolute doll. The first shot is a no-makeup makeup look– a little blush, a little lipstick mixed with balm, some light foundation and concealer and a little eyeshadow just to help define her lashes. I groomed her brows slightly and added mascara and she was done. The second look is more full on and I didn’t change her skin too much (I added a very light contour and some more base) and did a nude lip, just the eye makeup and false lashes alone really changes her look – I used the Sugarpill Heartbreaker palette to do a simple cut-crease cat eye.

 

1st Photo, Photography by Nicole. 2nd photo, photography by Darren Flynn. Model, Francesca Love. MUA, Robyn Skinner.

These two shots are both the same model as well, and there was a specific brief for each of these shoots. The first one is an older shot from a ‘Creepy Dolls’ themed shoot we did a long time ago now! The second is from a recent shoot we did where I made all the accessories out of paper. The lighting is very different, obviously, and the retouching is different too (different photographers for each shot) but you’d never guess it was the same person.

Obviously the power to transform someone’s look in a photograph doesn’t just come from the MUA – the models, photographers and stylists all play their part – but I always look straight at the makeup in any shot! ;)

I don’t really have a closing point to this post… I just love ‘before’ and ‘afters’ and different looks on the same person!

Behind The Scenes

Photos of me doing makeup and bits and bobs from shoots. This is why I should have a tumblr I guess! I don’t know why people love BTS stuff at shoots, but they’re really popular for some reason and I always love getting them back!

Me doing Exhayle’s makeup. From a shoot with Chris Stacey.

And this is me turning her boyfriend, Demon Daz into a dandy steampunk gent! Shot by David Long.

With Darkhorse Photos at Adrian Pini studio, as we so often are! These are both pretty old photos but I can’t remember if I’ve posted them before.

Me doing the lovely Gemma Renata’s makeup at Murder Mile Studio this weekend, and me and a whole bunch of models/stylists from the same shoot. L-R (ish) Whiplash,(redhead) Sarah Kawaii, (purple hair) Maja Stina, (mohawk) Gemma Renata, (redhead in black latex) Shelley D’Inferno, (designer, pulling a lovely face) Sophie Cash (floral wreath), Betty Havok (black hair) Poppy Thorn (red latex bra), Saara Inkeri Nissinen , Krystal Johns (hidiing), me (awkward).



This is Alice Bizarre, who is totally fit and amazing. She’s one of my favourite MUAs, if you’re into horror, gore or SFX, GO AND CHECK OUT HER SHIT. She’s the bomb. And she makes a badass cuppa.

 
.

Me making Carly Thornton, a fitness model, look even more gorgeous. Shot by the ever lovely Rich Newnham.

Some zombie makeup I did for a late-night zombie video shoot… we scared some children and then their mum came and gave us tiramisu?!




A really cute dolly shoot – the model, Ivory Flame, was stunning! She reminded me of Jayma Mays. Shot by Rhinoa’s Photography.



Old photo of me by PUMP photography – I don’t even remember what we were shooting that day, but there was a big old car chassis outside the studio, a spare photographer and a hat… I use this as my profile picture on portfolio sites, haha!



I taught a class on makeup to some City and Guilds photography students – this is me attaching some feather to my friend Dolly Donnahue.  Their tutor wanted them to learn about working with other creative people. They all got really involved and asked lots of questions, which was fab! And yes, I was shitting it!





The Pinupzania shoot we did at 5.00 in the morning on Westminster Bridge was featured in Vintage Life, Cats Meow, and a couple of local papers– noice. I did Dakota, the blonde, and Hannah in the black dress, as well as Dolly (black pencil skirt and beehive.)


PLEASE check out my awesome talented photographer and model friends, they allow me to play with them and create awesome images, which makes me a very happy and grateful bunny.