Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Miss Mika Newton

Believe it or not, this little lady is just 16. And isn't she lovely? Nothing immature about her. Very composed and self-possessed. Sweet and friendly. This was a few weeks ago, it was a fun shoot. My life has gotten busier and busier but I'm trying to post here whenever I can :)

Photobucket

We started Mika with a very neutral look to bring out her soft almond colored eyes and sweet smile.

Photobucket

Then a very beautiful classic red lip was drawn carefully and her eyes were darkened a bit to shine against the brilliant yellow dress..

Photobucket

Jumping is always welcome in the studio :)

Photobucket

A very elegant and classy young woman.

Photobucket

Monday, March 23, 2009

Makeup Artistry

Being a Makeup Artist is not as easy as it sounds, and I think that's true for anything in the fashion industry. Odd locations, long hours, the need for high levels of constant concentration for perfection, noticing what others sometimes miss are just a few aspects. The Makeup Artist has to be able to interpret the ideas of the stylist, and the photographer to create a whole, cohesive, beautiful, moving photograph. She has to be able to make the right decisions and choose the right layouts, designs and moods for the Makeup and Hair to bring the picture to life. She has to be concise in her application, work quickly, but also make the Model comfortable and relaxed so that the Model can do the best they can in the shoot. The Makeup Artist must have knowledge of all different types of skin, face structures, color palletes and bring all these into an amazing look. Whether it's a subtle fresh face glowing with beauty, or an avant garde look for high fashion - a Makeup Artist carries much weight on her shoulders.

I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my job.

Photobucket

Friday, March 20, 2009

Miss Emma

SUPER busy weekend ahead, :D but just wanted to post pictures from a shoot with the lovely Emma. Gorgeous gorgeous girl!!

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Other than that, I'm LOVING life :D Things couldn't be better :D ciao my lovees

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Designer: Janeane Marie

Had a shoot a few weeks ago with the lovely Miss Janeane Marie. Her work is just beautiful! She is a killer designer here in Portland, and has been prominently featured in several major runway shows. I was asked to style some of her models for a shoot to show off her new designs. Take a peek....

Photobucket

PhotobucketPhotobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

oooh Virginia

This is my second time working with Virginia, she is such a lovely lady. Just wanted to post a few shots we've gotten back so far from the shoot last weekend. Beautiful!

Photobucket

Make a wish...

Photobucket

Ahh, the Queen of the Nile...

Photobucket

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Mascara - an Eye Opener

It's funny, because there are so many mascaras out there that a lady can have a really daunting task trying to find one. Some people swear that the old pink tube still is the best, while others claim it's not the mascara but the brush style that counts, and finally those that pay $15 and up for a tube because "if it costs more, it must be better".

All I can give you here is my own personal opinion from working with countless kinds of mascara. Some may work well for some people and terrible for others, so I'm just telling you what my favorites are and how they worked for me!

Photobucket

Personally, my favorite mascara is the Professional Super Thick by Cover Girl. It's fantastic at delivering a great, lush, uplifting layer to the lashes to create a very full effect. It doesn't smudge under the eyes from the lower lashes, which is a big problem for me because I have lengthy lower lashes. The only fault I find with it is that I haven't been able to find it in a brown formula, only very black or brown black. Brown black isn't bad, but sometimes you want brown especially in the summer to create a great lighter look. Too much black gets boring.

Photobucket

My second fav is the new Colassal. It REALLY lifts open the eye, but I don't give it a ten because I noticed after a while of opening and closing the tube, the formula became rather sticky and made my eyelashes look more spikey than thicker. I don't want to look like I'm going to accidently poke my eye out. Also, another minus to it is that I've only ever seen it in VERY black. No black brown or anything. So it's great fun, but not the best.

Photobucket

My favorite ye-old-standby is Full n Soft, just the regular kind, not the waterproof. (I just prefer to be able to wash it off cleanly at the end of the day). It delivers exactly what it says. The lashes are lifted high, very full and unlike any other mascara, your lashes stay SOFT. Which is a nice feeling. You can brush your fingers across them or give sweet butterfly kisses with this on your lashes. :) It comes in an array of brown, black brown and black, so that's wonderful. And it's low on the smudge factor, and washes away easily.

A couple of mascaras that don't make any kind of cut whatsoever!

Photobucket

Terrible! Worst mascara I ever tried! The brush is weird with no outward bristles and the formula is like a slick goop. I have no idea how they keep selling these. I tried putting it on my lashes (after curling them of course!) and it just made this nasty goop on my eyelashes with no hope for lift. Into the trash!

Photobucket

This one looked promising, but I must have been sensitive to some chemical in it. The white layer that you are supposed to brush on your lashes first for volume and lift? It made my eyes burn and sting so that one went into the trash too. Didn't see a huge lift factor even when I tried to put the actual mascara layer on either.

Photobucket

I bought this brand new mascara (have you seen the commercials??) for $9 just last night to try it out. I was excited to see if it really works like the commercials claim. HA! I did my normal rountine, curled my lashes and pulled out the brush. Looked promising! Proceeded to brush it on...and watched....as my curled eyelashes began to droop...and droop. Hmm. I made sure I had put only a light coat. I went in for a second coat to really give it a chance it case it's a mascara that needs two coats (I only ever need one!) and no, they just drooped farther. What a sad failure. I wiped it off, and then applied my own Super Thick and it was lovely and lifted again. Guess I'll be taking that one back...

Hope you enjoyed that random useless post :)

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Inner Beauty Photography and Karabel

I've been so busy with shoots lately that I haven't had time to update with all the new work I've been doing. Lots to show you! I had a shoot with Inner Beauty Photography - Tom is the best! He's so into his work and so creative. He brought all sorts of accesories and things for Karabel to play with, it was alot of fun. Karabel was so lovely to work with, perfect flawless skin - no retouching needed! Plus she has a beautiful personality to match.

Just a few from our set...

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket