Ooooh!.....I just love, love, LOVE!! doing makeup. I normally only get to do very "clean" looks but this month I had a great opportunity to show off my love for color and creativity in 2 different projects. One project was an ad campaign for FJW. The other was a beauty spread for Image Chicago magazine.
For the beauty spread, I was the creative director and the one who did the makeup and hair. I wanted to give the models a strong burst of color, while keeping the looks sophisticated and wearable so I titled the spread "Color Splash"! To achieve my goal I didn't always use eye shadows on eyes. I applied what ever had the strongest impact of color, like jade gel eyeliner all over the lid, as eye color.
To create added drama I asked the photographer to create a lot of shadows with the lighting. I think Roman did an amazing job of capturing the look I wanted. If you want to see more, you have to pick up your own February copy of Image Chicago magazine.
For the ad campaign it was completely different! I was able to mix futuristic with Sci-Fi to come up with this look!
The premise was a sexy fem-bot that was created by the little robots. What was the client selling?......those white light boxes that you see in the back ground! Cool way to make a photography tool more interesting in an ad isn't it?!
To give her a robot yet girlie look, I attached tubes to her head to give the look of a crown. Girls like crowns and the tubes give it a industrial feeling....so I think it was the perfect choice. Then I added metal-like pieced to her face to her look more of a robot/human aspect.
One of the funniest things in this shoot was trying to get that latex suit on. The model brought her little sister to the shoot to help out....good thing because that suit was a monster to get on! If you've never worn a latex outfit, (which most of you probably haven't) then you probably have no clue what I'm talking about so I'm going to try to paint a picture for you. Picture this! You are trying to put on pantyhose made out of Hubba Bubba bubble gum on a hot sticky day! OH!....and....the gum is so thick it doesn't want to stretch for you to put it on. So you have....hard to stretch when you NEED it to stretch and sticky, when you don't want it to stick! Yea! Tricky wardrobe!
Needless to say, by the time we got her suit on we could barely zip it because we were laughing to hard. We made such an uproar, the photographer and the client had to come and see what the commossion was all about.
This shoot was a lot of work and detail but I loved how this turned out! It was a fun shoot!
Beauty Questions
Beauty question: "Does that blow dryer (ProSilk Far Infared) REALLY matter or make a difference. My hair is thinning as I age (44) and I want to prevent it from getting any thinner. I also color my hair with touch ups and highlights, can you use that treatment with that? "- from Susan in Illinois.
Answer: As you know through out the years technology has grown to help us in our day to day lives and the beauty industry is no different. We have seen the benefits of flat irons and curling irons by adding ceramic, and now they have added benefits with tourmaline to help lock in moisture in the cuticle of the hair, so it shouldn't be surprising that blow dryers, like the ProSilk, would also catch up to that technology with Far Infrared.
As Chi Activate states, "Infrared heat can be used for the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism, and muscle spasms. The heat treatment will widen blood vessels and increase circulation, allowing more oxygen to reach the injured areas." Now those same benefits have been added to consumer blow dryers for daily use.
The infrared helps bring moisture to the hair follicle and the scalp,. Since hair is dead, the best way to have better hair is to make the scalp and the follicle better, and far infrared targets that.
I don't know if you have health issues that is causing your hair to thin, or if you are having problems due to chemical damage, or even blow dryer baldness. All I can do is let you know about the products that are available and their benefits. You have to decide what will be helpful to you in your situation. So look up information about the benefits of Infrared so you can decide what is best for you accordingly.
For the beauty spread, I was the creative director and the one who did the makeup and hair. I wanted to give the models a strong burst of color, while keeping the looks sophisticated and wearable so I titled the spread "Color Splash"! To achieve my goal I didn't always use eye shadows on eyes. I applied what ever had the strongest impact of color, like jade gel eyeliner all over the lid, as eye color.To create added drama I asked the photographer to create a lot of shadows with the lighting. I think Roman did an amazing job of capturing the look I wanted. If you want to see more, you have to pick up your own February copy of Image Chicago magazine.
For the ad campaign it was completely different! I was able to mix futuristic with Sci-Fi to come up with this look!The premise was a sexy fem-bot that was created by the little robots. What was the client selling?......those white light boxes that you see in the back ground! Cool way to make a photography tool more interesting in an ad isn't it?!
To give her a robot yet girlie look, I attached tubes to her head to give the look of a crown. Girls like crowns and the tubes give it a industrial feeling....so I think it was the perfect choice. Then I added metal-like pieced to her face to her look more of a robot/human aspect.
One of the funniest things in this shoot was trying to get that latex suit on. The model brought her little sister to the shoot to help out....good thing because that suit was a monster to get on! If you've never worn a latex outfit, (which most of you probably haven't) then you probably have no clue what I'm talking about so I'm going to try to paint a picture for you. Picture this! You are trying to put on pantyhose made out of Hubba Bubba bubble gum on a hot sticky day! OH!....and....the gum is so thick it doesn't want to stretch for you to put it on. So you have....hard to stretch when you NEED it to stretch and sticky, when you don't want it to stick! Yea! Tricky wardrobe!
Needless to say, by the time we got her suit on we could barely zip it because we were laughing to hard. We made such an uproar, the photographer and the client had to come and see what the commossion was all about.
This shoot was a lot of work and detail but I loved how this turned out! It was a fun shoot!
Beauty Questions
Beauty question: "Does that blow dryer (ProSilk Far Infared) REALLY matter or make a difference. My hair is thinning as I age (44) and I want to prevent it from getting any thinner. I also color my hair with touch ups and highlights, can you use that treatment with that? "- from Susan in Illinois.
Answer: As you know through out the years technology has grown to help us in our day to day lives and the beauty industry is no different. We have seen the benefits of flat irons and curling irons by adding ceramic, and now they have added benefits with tourmaline to help lock in moisture in the cuticle of the hair, so it shouldn't be surprising that blow dryers, like the ProSilk, would also catch up to that technology with Far Infrared.As Chi Activate states, "Infrared heat can be used for the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism, and muscle spasms. The heat treatment will widen blood vessels and increase circulation, allowing more oxygen to reach the injured areas." Now those same benefits have been added to consumer blow dryers for daily use.
The infrared helps bring moisture to the hair follicle and the scalp,. Since hair is dead, the best way to have better hair is to make the scalp and the follicle better, and far infrared targets that.
I don't know if you have health issues that is causing your hair to thin, or if you are having problems due to chemical damage, or even blow dryer baldness. All I can do is let you know about the products that are available and their benefits. You have to decide what will be helpful to you in your situation. So look up information about the benefits of Infrared so you can decide what is best for you accordingly.
Beauty question: "I am a hairstylist and Makeup artist. What do you think is the best way for me to promote or market myself to get clients?"- from Kimberly in California.
Answer: Your question is a very good one, but it is not a beauty question it is a business question. My blog is not really designed to be a marketing class but I can tell you a few things to think about.
There are many parts of the industry. There is television, film, editorial, commercial, music videos, fashion shows, salons, etc......the list goes on so the first thing you need to do is to decide what part of the industry you want to be in so you can understand what types of clients you are trying to reach. Once you understand who you are targeting then you can send the proper promotional pieces to grab their attention and open doors.
If you need additional guidance on the business part of the industry, feel free to attend one of my workshops to help you fine tune your marketing skills.
Answer: Your question is a very good one, but it is not a beauty question it is a business question. My blog is not really designed to be a marketing class but I can tell you a few things to think about.
There are many parts of the industry. There is television, film, editorial, commercial, music videos, fashion shows, salons, etc......the list goes on so the first thing you need to do is to decide what part of the industry you want to be in so you can understand what types of clients you are trying to reach. Once you understand who you are targeting then you can send the proper promotional pieces to grab their attention and open doors.
If you need additional guidance on the business part of the industry, feel free to attend one of my workshops to help you fine tune your marketing skills.
Beauty question: "1. hair regrow for patchy alopecia for african american ladies 2: I am a gym rat: african american 6 days a week but my hair is getting shorter and dryer with a bit of alopecia. have been trying olive oil. Please advise."- from Rose in Illinois.
Answer: I'm limited with my knowledge about alopecia, but I do know that is a hair-loss condition due to the body's own immune system attacking the hair follicles and disrupts normal hair formation.
So far the only hair regrowth product that is FDA-approved is rogaine, but I don't know if it will regrow some one's hair if they have problems with alopecia. It is best to check with a trichologist. Just like a dermatologist's specialty is the skin, a trichologist specialty is the hair and scalp. You can also to stay informed with NAAF (National Alopecia Areata Foundation).If you are looking to moisturizing products try a hair treatment you can use weekly like Aveda Damage Remedy TM Intensive Restructuring Treatment to moisturize and strengthen hair with with plant oils and quinoa protein.
To give yourself an intense treatment, by doing a "piggy-back" conditioning treatment. Just follow the package's information to condition your hair, then rinse and redo the conditioning treatment again. You can even put a plastic cap on your head and sit under the dryer with the conditioner on as well. This piggy-back' treatment has been a salon secret for years.
Keep sending me those beauty questions and I'll keep you informed about products and techniques!
MY FAVORITE THINGS
My favorite thing this month is the L'Oreal HIP Color Truth Cream Eyeliners.
I love how smooth the color glides onto the skin. It's like butter...BUT!...it doesn't melt like it. It dries to a non-cracked look like some eyeliners. So I can create a thin line or a thick line and it looks great!
