Natural Look For Photoshoots

Hey Beauties.....

Today I want to share with you, how important is to know how to create a natural look for a photoshoot. If you are a Make Up Artist (or a model that doesn't have a make up artist on set), very often you'll be asked to create a natural look for the portfolio. It is one of the most important beauty pictures in the model's portfolio, because when the models are being selected from their pictures, the natural look has to absolutely correspond with the actual look. With all that, it doesn't mean the model doesn't wear any make up. The main thing is to accentuate the model's natural features and beauty.

Makeup for photography is generally heavier and more exaggerated than daily makeup. Before you begin applying your makeup you should always start with a good moisturized base for your eye area, face, and neck. (Also a big tip for models,  using a deep cleansing or deep moisturising facial mask two days before you have a professional photo shoot as it so important to have really healthy looking skin.  This will make your skin look more refreshed, it saves time for MUAs to make your skin look  better and for photographers with postproduction).

So the second step is a good makeup primer to prepare your skin for the foundation (apply on the face, eyes and never forget the neck). Now that your skin is ready we can apply the foundation ( in photography, always match your foundation color to the rest of your skin). After applying your high definition foundation, don’t forget to use the concealer to cover spots, small blemishes, and to help camouflage dark circles. 

Make sure you apply everything correctly so that you don't notice your foundation.  Try to blend everything very well (a beauty blender can be a big help), so after that fix everything with light powder, such as a high definition loose powder or a mineral makeup (mineral veil product).

Once the foundation is finished, it’s time to add more natural contours to the face. The heavy foundation plus bright lights will wash out the shadows on the face if you forget this step. 

Also, remember the blush:  the first time it should be applied and spread in a wide circle, and the second and third in progressively smaller areas, it is very important to use a small amount at a time.

Blend the edges into the skin to make it look more natural.

Fill in your brows: even if usually you don't fill in your eyebrows, fill them in for your photoshoot.  Your eyes and face will look much more complete if your eyebrows are looking polished (especially for blondes. Blonde eyebrows will disappear in photographs).

After the face, it's time to start with the eyes. Make sure to choose a colour that suits your style and eye colour, and it is very important to keep it quite natural & simple (so NO bright colours & thick eyeliner, as it will detract from your face and will concentrate all the attention on your eyes).

When you apply eyeshadow, always do the crease of your eye. Many people love wearing only one color of eyeshadow, but in pictures a single eyeshadow color usually doesn’t show up, especially if you’re using neutral tones. Make sure you create a crease of your eyes with a darker color . 

Absolutely apply mascara as it will create the deeper look for your eyes, (but don't overdo it, to not look like doll's eyes). Darker colour works better for mascara, so black is usually the best choice, even if you normally use brown.

So now it's time for the lips. Choose the medium colour (don't go too bold and obviously not too colourful), but also it has to follow the entire make up of your face. Probably the best choice would be the shade of lipstick in a pink or plum shade, it dependes on your skin tones and your hair.  You can choose between the lip gloss or lipstick (or even both), as it will give you the effect of a fresh look (lip gloss is often effective in making the lips fuller.).

 I'm sure this article was useful for you, and will help you to create a more natural look for your photoshoots.

(These are all natural looks from my photoshoots with amazing photographers: Heidi Hannele Photography, Ladyphoto, Beautography - Beauty & Photography & Simon Everiss).

Review - "TheBodyNeeds" - Eyeshadows

Today I want to talk about these wonderful products that I had the pleasure of trying. TheBodyNeeds is a really lovely website where you can buy good quality TBN cosmetics, such as  pressed and loose eyeshadows, glitters, lipsticks, blushes, concealers, etc, and also some samples of MAC products, in case you've never tried them before (sometimes to buy the whole product is really expensive). Again,  one of the most important thing for me, they are Cruelty Free!!

But let's talk about their eyeshadows first. All of the colours I've tried are really nice, and are very sparkly (as you can see in the pictures).

•  "Cherry Blossom" - Soft, Muted Baby Pink Frost
•  "All That Jazz" - Deep Dusty Rose with a Copper Shimmer
•  "Iced Teal" - Frosty white with an explosion of TEAL! (Duo-Chrome)

• "Lemon Drop" - Bright Yellow Pearl 
•  "Sparkles Copper" - High Frosted Copper Flecks 
•  "Blackened  Bronze" - Deep Black with a Bronze Shimmer 

• "Supernova" - Medium Teal Blue with High Shimmer Gold 
• "Juniper" - Ocean Blue with a Golden Duochrome 

•  "Blackened Emerald" - Deep Black with a Emerald Shimmer 
•  "Midnight Aura" - Dark Metallic Black  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• "Green Apple" - Muted Green Pearl 
•  "Blackened Turquoise" - Deep Black with a Turquoise Shimmer

So what can I say about these eyeshadows?

They are made from mineral pigments & other natural ingredients that give us the long  lasting coverage while allowing your skin to breathe. So they are really perfect for all types of skin.

They are really very soft & easy to apply & you don't need to use lot's of product to have a strong & intense colour. 

You can choose between 5 grams (for only $ 1.99) or 10grams (for $3.79). So as you can see the price is really very low for the quality you'll get.

They also ship internationally (I received them in Australia in only 12 days).

Thank you for reading & next time I'll talk about their lipsticks & blushes, so keep watching.....

Zodiac Project - "Capricorn" - How it all started!!!

Today I want to continue to talk about my Zodiac Project in collaboration with the amazing photographer Ladyphoto. This is how it all started. It was our first collaboration together (and seriously I didn't plan to do a Zodiac project), even if in the end up looking like one.

I usually create all the decorations for my creative looks (the work of a Make Up Artist is not only "to draw on the face"). I always start with drawing it on any paper, as I wait for my inspiration to come and have to get it down on paper straight away: hair, makeup, decorations. So then I have the complete idea of what should be done, and after that I draw on my face chart, including the details.

It is also very important to choose the right model for your project. The photomodel should be in part an actress as well (I mean she has to know how to enter into the part), to know how to comunicate with her eyes, her movements, etc. The expressions is very important!

We had the pleasure of working on this project with the beautiful model Andjela Timani. She's absolutely amazing inside & out and she was able to trasmit our look how we've imagined it & how we wanted it.

So in the end Nataly Ladyphoto just gave it a name "Capricorn" & sent it to a magazine, where we were published in November 2013.

I always draw and plan my looks before any photoshoot, this time I didn't plan the Capricorn, but it was the right start, to think that we should definitely do ALL ZODIAC SIGNS.... and this is how this idea was born.

After that we started to work seriously on our Zodiac project. I'm responsible for the Complete Look: make up, hair, decoration & style, Nataly Ladyphoto is responsible for the photography: the right lighting, colours, special effects & post production. We work in perfect synergy & sometimes we don't need to speak to understand what exactly we need to do. We select the model that best suits a certain look, and then I start to draw my look, based on the face of the model.

At the moment we've done most of the signs, and we still have only 3 left. So soon you'll see them all. So just keep watching ;)

Glamour Doll Eyes Eyeshadows - Review

I had the pleasure of receiving these amazing products from Glamour Doll Eyes. I've never tried this brand before but I was absolutely surprised by the quality of these products.
First of all I really love the attention to the details: the design is really cool & I love that every single eyeshadow was sealed. The colours are absolutely amazing & super pigmented & they have a really big choice of colours on their website.

One of the most important things for me, is that they are animal friendly ( "vegan").

 Let's start with the very bright & vibrant "Glam Girl" & "Lexington". Glam Girl is a super bright purple & Lexington is a satin white with green sparkles !!  I really didn't expect them to be so pigmented & sparkly. You really don't need a lot of product to have a very good colour. You can see on the picture what these two eyeshadows looks like with & without flash.(To create my eyelook I used "Glam Girl" , "Lexington", "Electric Lemonade" & "Mackinac")

The next two colours are "Fiji Mermaid" & "Mackinac". The Fiji Mermaid is one of the most beautiful "greens" I've ever seen & Mackinac is mint green with red sparkle. I absolutely love the combinations of these two colours & because they are pigments you can easily use them for your eyes, face, lips & nails for more unique & striking looks. (To create this eyelook I used "Fiji Mermaid", "Mackinac", "Lexington" & "Electric Lemonade")

And the last two are "Electric Lemonade" & "Jailhouse Jumpsuit" . Electric Lemonade is a vivid yellow with medium sheen & Jailhouse Jumpsuit is a very bright & sparkle orange. Again they go perfectly togheter & could be great for summer or autumn looks. (To create this eyelook I used "Glam Girl" , "Lexington", "Electric Lemonade" & "Mackinac")

I also share my video where you can see how actually these beautiful products look like & how they sparkle. I really advice to all of you (especially if you like beautiful colours & don't afraid to do interesting experiments with your look) to try Glamour Doll Eyes products. And even if you don't like "extreem" colours & you prefer "normal" everyday looks you can still find many beautiful colours for you there.

Skincare - Elements Bioactive Review (Part I)

Today I want to talk to you about this amazing skincare brand that I discovered not so long ago. I had a big pleasure & honour to become the cover girl for Elements Bioactive & obviously I tried their products first.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality I found & the sensation the products leave on your skin. Their philosophy is "age less, feel good... naturally”. They do their own research, development, testing and manufacturing, which means they have complete control over all the products.

 So the most importat thing I can tell about them, they are 100% Australian, designed for the Australian climate & Made with Australian herbs, fruits and oils. 

For many years I have only chosen natural products because if you don't read the labels you will never know what you are actually putting on your skin and how many 'poisons' and toxic chemicals we can expose ourselves to without knowing it.  Elements Bioactive are free from harsh and toxic chemicals & they all have pure aromatherapy scents (if you smell at least one of them you'll understand what I mean, all the products smell sooooo good).

So after treating your face/hands/body to these products you'll definitely notice visible skin improvements as they have clinically proven results (and one of the most important things for me that I ALWAYS check is that THEY ARE NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS).

To take care of your face & to keep it youthful for as long as you can, any girl (woman) should have a good cleanser, toner, scrub, mask and face cream (ideally you would be using both day & night cream). This is probably the most essential "elements" in your facial skin care. So let's start with the products:

SERENE - ultra mild luxuriant creamy cleanser.
It's a really good cleanser for sensitive and fragile skin that is prone to irritation and less resistant to daily stresses. You should just apply a small amount of it and gently massage your face in a circular motion.  After that just remove all traces of cleanser with purifying toner or rinse with tepid water.

 PRISTINE - phyto-gentle herbal purifying toner
It's a really gentle toner that doen't contain any alcohol or harsh astringents that may dry your skin. It's all based on beneficial fruit and plant extracts and pure aromatherapy oils. Ideally you should use it twice for day, morning & evening as it will prepare your skin for moisturiser.

CHI - aromatherapy revitalising tonic
I really love this toner as it hydrates, refreshes and revitalises your skin anytime anywhere. It's ideal for preparing your skin for make up & give a boost of moisture during hot summer days or long haul flights. You can spray it on your skin at any time and it will give it an immediate boost of moisture & freshness, essential if you wear make up every day.

PARASOL - multi-active daily shield moisturiser
It's perfect for Normal, dehydrated and combination skin, protects the skin from five types of daily stress: UV-light, urban toxins, heat, cold and oxidation. Apply in the morning to cleanse face and neck but let it absorb before applying make-up.

BUFF - daily gentle skin polishing scrub
I'm absolutely in love with this scrub as it always leaves my skin soft, smooth and radiant (I really love how my face feels after it). It eliminates skin impurities, traces of make-up, dirt and dead skin cells. Use Buff twice a week or more frequently if your skin is oily.

SPLENDID - bio repair and ultra hydrating mask
This amazing anti-ageing mask provides intense and long-lasting hydration, improves skin smoothness, firmness and suppleness. Use it weekly and it will stimulate collagen regeneration and wrinkle repair, so your skin will stay younger for longer.

These are the products I tried and I would reccomend to all of you.  As I said before, I was really surprised by the quality I found, and as a Make Up Artist it's such an important job to keep your skin clean & healthy after using make up quite often (but of course remember that beauty always starts from the inside, so drink plenty of water & eat healthy natural foods, more fruits and vegetables so your skin will stayvibrant, fresh and supple.

Next time I'm going to write about more Elements Bioactive products so watch this space...