Photo Shoot With Male Model- Brandon Lundby

Hey Glamouristas & Fexies! I've been meaning to share these pictures from a photo shoot I did a few months back. This was a fun shoot because it was my first male model. Believe it or not, Brandon is only 16 and has amazing presence in front of the camera. 

The photographer, David Eckert, is extremely talented and patient. This particular shoot was booked to try out new lighting techniques on-set.

The first set was more of an editorial-style shoot. I concealed his blemishes and evened out his skin tone using the Graftobian Super Creme Palette. To make his features and bone structure more prominent, I also contoured around his nose, cheeks, and jawline. With the same shade used for facial contouring, I added a little shape and depth to his eyes. I groomed his brows and added a single, light coating of mascara just to thicken his lash base and "open" up his eyes. His lips were kept natural with a bit of Aquaphor and a flesh-toned lippie.
 

The second shoot was more high-fashion/creative. David and the other photographer had a vision, they gave me a rough sketch of what they wanted, and asked me to create a look based upon their sketch.


The checkered print was created using everyone's favorite... NYX Jumbo Pencils in "Milk" and "Black Bean"! :) I added MAC's 3D Gold Glitter on lips and also used it to fade out the black strip across Brandon's eyes.

The shoot lasted approximately seven-hours, with two models and four sets altogether. We had a quick pizza break in between, though I didn't get to eat until after the pizza went cold... guess that's the life of a MUA on-set (who's lucky enough to even get to eat)! LOL

Luckily I had Ashleye there with me to keep me company and also assist with make-up and brush-cleaning between models. I've posted more photos of the shoot below. Feel free to ask questions if you have any... I always love hearing from my subbies! :)

Star Costume & Theatrical Supply, Las Vegas- & Info On Upcoming Giveaway!

This past weekend, I took a trip down to Star Costume & Theatrical Supply located at 3230 S. Valley View, Las Vegas, to purchase another Parian Spirit Brush Cleanser specifically for my kit. As most of you know, I attended IMATS last month and one of my haul items happened to be Parian Spirit.

I loved my Parian Spirit cleanser so much that I couldn't say enough about it and many of you have requested a review on my blog and /or YouTube channel. I am in the process of working on this request and hope to have a sponsored giveaway featuring Parian Spirit very soon!

I will post a haul video sometime this week detailing my purchases, in the meantime, I wanted to do a quick post regarding my recent visit to Star Costume.

Upon entering, you can't miss a large sign with store policies prohibiting customers from taking photos, or trying on costumes for the sole purpose of taking photos, to name a few. I made sure I received permission from the Store Manager (I forgot his name!) before breaking out the Canon.

The bulk of my time was spent at the make-up counter, of course, LOL! It was there that I met Jennifer Rice at Kryolan, also owner of MadDaffodil.com, an online apparel and wig site focusing on none other than Tokyo Street Fashion! Please check out her website by clicking on the link above.

Jennifer was nice enough to show me some fun Kryolan products, including their amazingly bold "Shimmering Vision" Palette, an 18-color array of sparkling treasures with shades from every color grouping you would ever need. The consistency of the product was smooth and easily blend-able. We also played with the "Viva" palette, which blew me away! The Viva palette is water-activated and will return to its original state once dry, meaning you can mist water directly onto the shadow itself and not have to worry about ruining the whole shadow! The color intensity of both palettes were extremely satisfying, especially for the color-junkie in me.

Although the Viva & Shimmering Vision palettes were a bit on the pricey end, the sticker price really doesn't seem that bad once you realize how much product you're receiving, not to mention the quality of the make-up. I am definitely putting these two items on my shopping list! :)

Jennifer awesome, she also gave me a goody-bag with four Kryolan products to review.The organza bag included a tinted moisturizer, face primer, lip primer, and amazing matte gray eyeshadow. I've already used most of the products since receiving them, with the exception of the face primer, and have loved the results thus far!

The tinted moisturizer worked great this weekend while shopping & going to the gym, when I needed some moisture to battle the desert heat, but would rather skip an entire face-full or product.

The lip primer is excellent, very moist and blends superbly, unlike most other lip primers that are too dry, resulting in tugging of delicate lip surfaces and/or patchy lips.

I absolutely loved the gray matte eyeshadow, it's a wearable, easily blend-able, silky-feeling shadow. I pressed it onto my lashline this weekend to enhance eyes, yet keeping the appearance very natural.

I will publish a post sometime in the upcoming week or two, focusing specifically on the Kryolan products.

The majority of the costume shop was dedicated to, well, just that- costumes! Aside from make-up, you can expect to find tutus *LOL*, leotards, dresses, dance-wear, traditional costumes, as well as props, acessories, wigs, and shoes. Here are some photos below... enjoy! :)

Soft Summer Bridal

With wedding season in full-swing, I decided to do a bridal tutorial using soft-pink tones. Always a fan of color, I find myself instinctively wanting to throw some tasteful teals or pretty purples on my own lids... but I resisted! LOL A lot of bridal make-up is kept very simple, most brides request a "natural" or more "beautiful" version of themselves. Often times their request is due to a comment made by the Groom, as we all know that most men claim to not like a lot of make-up on women, but here's a secret between you and I... most men can not differentiate between what is make-up and what isn't!

With that being said, here is a bridal look that I put together using the Harajuku Hunnies "Babydoll Bride" Menage-a-5 Palette. I kept the application fairly light and focused on more neutral tones so that the make-up would still be pretty, yet not overpowering to the point where it would compete with your natural beauty or the glam of your wedding gown.

Product List

Face:
Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse "Sandy Beige"

MUFE HD Powder

Brows:
Harajuku Hunnies Brow Quad "Brunette"

Blush:
MAC "Plum Foolery"

MAC "Harmony" (contouring)

Eyes:
Harajuku Hunnies Eye & Lip Primer
Harajuku Hunnies Menage-a-5 Palette "Babydoll Bride"
MAC "Haux"
MAC "Shroom" 

Harajuku Hunnies Pick-Up Lines Gel Liner "Black Out"

Lips:
MAC Lip Liner "Dervish"

Harajuku Hunnies Lip Slick "Strip Search"

MAC "Deliciously Rich" (layered over "Strip Search")

Smokey Purple & Plum Tutorial

Hey Glamouristas & Fexies! :) So, some of you know that back in February, Rod purchased a new Canon SX20 IS camera for me as an anniversary gift. I couldn't do any videos or tuts with it because whack-@ss Windows Movie Maker doesn't work with "mov" files... grrrr! LOL So, after months of procrastination, I finally found a video editing program and was able to "produce" my first HD tutorial for my YouTube channel! :)

The look I did was a dark purpley/plum, I actually get a lot of compliments on this look when wearing it out and since I get a lot of requests for purple looks... here it is! :)

Product List

Face:
Temptu Airbrush SB foundation (004- Sand, 006- Toffee)
MUFE HD Powder

Brows:
Temptu Airbrush SB formula (062- Deep Taupe, 063- Light Putty)

Blush:
Temptu Airbrush SB formula (047- Raspberry)

Contouring:
Temptu Airbrush SB formula (009- Natural Mocha)

Eyes:
MAC Greasepaint Stick (black)
"Nocturnelle" e/s
"Very Violet" e/s
"Beautiful Iris" e/s
"Dovefeather" e/s
"Shroom" e/s
(Harajuku Hunnies) "Black Velvet" Quickie e/s
(MAC) "Blacktrack" Fluidline

Lips:
(MUFE) Rouge Artist Intense "15"
(OCC) "Hoochie" Lip Tar

April Photoshoots

Hey Glamouristas & Fexies! Hope you are all having a fab summer so far. I haven't been doing much in the way of photoshoots lately due to my intense work schedule and keeping up with the business. However I did want to share a few pics with you from a photoshoot in mid-April.

I had the pleasure of working with a very skilled photographer by the name of David Eckert. He along with another photographer, Charles, booked two models. This was the second time working with one of the models, "Twiggy Bladez", from Model Mayhem. Twiggy was one of the models for the fashion show Ashleye and I did in early April, Ashleye also accompanied me on this photoshoot as well... I love having her company and help, she's great!

Twiggy has a very unique look about her that's both unusual and captivating at the same time. Her eyes are piercing and she's the type of model who takes the lead while in front of the camera. I've worked with models before that needed coaching during the shoot; not Twiggy, this girl's got it.

Here's some of the photos I recently got back from the shoot... the first showcases what else, but her amazing eyes! The photographer requested a smokey, dramatic eye and super glossy lips. There's no telling how many coats of lipglass I applied that day! LOL

Twiggy is also sent clothing by designers, this is one of the animal-print jackets she was asked to model in exchange for the clothing. This look was tamed down a bit to flow with the more neutral tones in the fabric.

There was also a male model at this particular photoshoot. I will post his pictures soon... his shoot was fun, so stay tuned!! ;)

Mally Waterproof Evercolor Starlight Eyeliners

A few months ago I purchased two sets of Mally's Waterproof Evercolor Starlight Eyeliners from QVC. The first of the two sets included: "Midnight": deep black, "Lucky Penny": bronze/copper shimmer, and "Caribbean Sea": the site describes this as a 'teal blue' but in my opinion, it's closer to green than blue. The second set consisted of: "Royal Plum": beautiful, shimmery purple, "Milk Chocolate": smooth medium-shade brown, and "Ice Blue": silvery-blue shimmer, great for applying on the waterline to 'open-up' the eyes.

QVC offers the set of three liners for $25 + $3.97 s&h. It breaks down to about $10 each... still beats paying $18 for one Urban Decay 24/7 liner.

The consistency of the Mally liners seem to be smoother, creamier, and thicker. The liners are listed as waterproof yet they are creamy enough to blend (as long as you blend and smudge within 30-seconds of application).

I've been using "Midnight" eyeliner on a daily basis and have found it to have slightly better staying-power than Urban Decay's 24/7 liners on the waterline. I also tested the "Milk Chocolate" pencil for brow filling, and it's worked wonderfully, especially if you stroke a light dusting of brow powder over the pencil to help set it.

My favorite colors would have to be "Midnight" and "Royal Plum". I use those most frequently and love the "Royal Plum" liner when I want an alternative to black, but still desire a dark shade. I also like "Caribbean Sea" for a pop of color when using neutral shadows. Overall, I would recommend the Mally liners if you're looking for a long-wearing liner at a reasonable price (for brand-name cosmetics).
Below you'll find pics of the liners themselves as well as swatches... enjoy! :)

Fashion Show

Hey Glamouristas and Fexies! ;) It's been a while since my last post. April was a very busy month for us. It began with a fashion show at the Aruba Hotel here in Vegas. This gig came off of Model Mayhem (MM), from designer Alainah Marie for the Steven Paul Collection. It was a collaboration of many different and talented local designers as well as design students in the Vegas fashion scene.

I was set to do 5 girls, but it ended up being 6, all had to be done within 2 1/2 hours (designer was running 30-minutes late), talk about stress and high pressure! Luckily I had the help of Ashleye, an aspiring MUA, to assist me with brush cleaning, priming, etc. When it came down to crunch time, it was sink or swim, so I threw Ashleye a brush and prayed that she'd "swim"! LOL She was great and I couldn't have gotten everyone done in time without all of her help, she's awesome!

The designer was featuring a denim collection with bright tees, along with a dark fashion collection. The desired look was brightly colored eyes for some, with dark smokey eyes and dark lips for others. Here are some of the photos taken from that night, courtesy of Undone Photography...