My photoshoot - sneak peek!

I finally had myself talked into modeling for photos... I had loads of fun!

More pictures and make-up breakdown coming soon!

July Photoshoot: Summer Dusk

Model: Rubina

Products

FACE
OCC Skin Primer
MAC Face&Body in N1+C3
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NC15
MAC Cream Color Base in Luna
Ben Nye Neutral Set Powder
Estee Lauder Soft Matte Bronzer
MAC Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul

EYES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
KIKO Eyeshadow Stick n.20 (black base)
Stars Makeup Haven e/s in Chic (purple, on lid)
Urban Decay e/s in Buck (crease)
MAC e/s in Blanc Type (browbone)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
Make Up For Ever e/s 04 (matte black, smoked out along the lashline)
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara
Screenface False Eyelashes n.600
MAC Eye Brows in Fling (brows)

LIPS
MAC Subculture lip liner
MAC Hue l/s

This smokey eye work wonders for green eyes. The colour on the lid was actually a dark purple, but it looks almost black in the pictures. I will try to recreate this look on myself so that you can see how gorgeous a purple/brown/black smokey eye can be!

May Photoshoot #6: Amanda

PRODUCT BREAKDOWN

FACE
OCC Skin Primer
MAC Face&Body foundation in C3
Ben Nye Total Cover-All Wheel Sk-100
KIKO Natural Concealer n. 03 mixed with MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NC15
NYX Powder Blush in Taupe
MAC Blush in Melba
Sue Moxley Shimmerbrick in Light
Ben Nye Neutral Set Powder

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
Make Up For Ever Diamond e/s 311
KIKO e/s 121
KIKO Eyeshadow Stick n. 20
NYX black e/s
MAC e/s Scene, Copperplate, Blanc Type
MAC Blacktrack Fluidline
Avon Supershock Gel Liner in black
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme mascara
Alcone Paramount lashes n.335

LIPS
NYX Slim Lip Liner in Mauve
NYX lip palette mauve purple lipstick

Photographer: Luca Cadamuro

May Photoshoot #4: retro Clizia

For this photoshoot I was asked to do a pin-up inspired make-up, which the model then interpreted with a range of different outfits. 


I researched the classic 50s look, which basically features: 
- full, defined, and rounded eyebrows
- strong winged black liner
- porcelain skin
- velvety red lips
- a beauty spot (if necessary, a fake one)
read: Dita von Teese!

Model: Clizia

Products I used: 


FACE:
MAC F&B foundation in C3+C5 (mixed)
Kiko Natural Concealer n. 03
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer
NYX Powder Blush in Raisin

EYES:
MAC Blacktrack Fluidline (to line and create the wing)
Urban decay 24/7 Liner in Zero (waterline)
MAC Blanc Type e/s (lid and browbone)
KIKO e/s 120 + Urban Decay Buck e/s (crease)
NYX Black/Brown e/s from the I Dream of St. John palette (to define brows and to line the lower lashline)
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara
KIKO Elegant False Lashes n. 02

LIPS:
NYX Lipliner in Hot Red
Clinique Long Last Lipstick in 100% red
NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss in Plush Red

Photographer: Luca Cadamuro

May Photoshoot #3: Biba Fever Inspired

For this photoshoot I took inspiration from the beautiful work of legendary make-up artist Lisa Eldridge. She filmed a video where she uses Biba vintage make-up items to recreate a 70s inspired look on this doll-face model. In this demo she goes freestyle with loads of pastels and brights and an artsy approach to colour application and blending. Definitely not something you would wear on the street! 

Model: Erica

You can watch the full video here, and if you can, do take a look at her other tutorials, especially the ones featuring model Lindsey Wixson, they really are masterpieces!


Please note: I tried to recreate this eclectic 70s mood on the model's face, however my work by no means claims to be an exact copy of Lisa's. She is the artist, I'm just someone who loves playing with make-up on people's faces. 

I'm not going to explain the technique step by step, which you can find in Lisa's video. Instead, here is a full list of products I used: 

FACE
OCC Skin Primer
Make Up For Ever HD Foundation 117 mixed with Mac Face&Body in C3
MAC Pro Longwear concealer NC15
Ben Nye Neutral Set Powder 
La Femme Blush in Flamingo

EYES
MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot
Laura Mercier Silk Road Palette (lavender shade)
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yogurt
Stars Make Up Haven e/s in Evergreen, Opal, 1492
MAC e/s Plumage
KIKO e/s 78, 162
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara
Ardell False Eyelashes n.120


LIPS
NYX Lipliner in Hot Red
Christian Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Flash 982


Photographer: Luca Cadamuro 

May photo shoot #1: Michela

This series of close-ups is part of the first photoshoot I did with photographer Luca Cadamuro.

Model: Michela

We worked a classic yet intense smokey eye to leave more space to the model's bright hair and colourful accessorizes. Her necklace speaks for itself!


I prepped her skin with my usual MUFE HD Microperfecting Primer n.5. Although this is specifically designed to brighten and correct fair skin with redness issues like rosacea, over time I saw it working amazingly well on a variety of complexions. It does have a light blue undertone to it, but that doesn't show up at all if you use it sparingly (I believe that piling up primer isn't a good idea anyway).

Foundation was MAC Face&Body in C3, which turns out to be my most used shade! I toned down the redness on her nose with a green corrector (KIKO Natural Concealer n. 04) and evened out other minor imperfections with a blend of Natural Concealer n. 03 and MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NC15.

On her eyes I created a flawless canvas to work on with a primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance) and layered a dark grey creamy base, namely Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Skinny Jeans. This shade could be described as a blend of grey, taupe and green hues with a metallic finish. It truly enhances any eye colour!

I applied a duochrome eyeshadow on top of the base (MAC Club) so as to achieve a multi-dimensionality to the eye, which plain black does not give. Instead, I used a black eyeshadow (NYX Caribbean Palette I Dream of St. John) to smoke out Club in the outer corners and above the crease. I added a touch of gold eyeshadow (Urban Decay Half Baked) on the centre of the lid to make it pop even more. Eyeliner was MAC Blacktrack and mascara Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme. I filled in her eyebrows with MAC Eye Brows in Fling, an ashy blonde colour.

A soft but sexy contouring was achieved by applying MAC Cream Colour Base in Luna on the cheekbones as a highlighter, Estee Lauder bronzer on the hollows of the cheeks and MAC Blush in Blushbaby on the apples of the cheeks. I powdered everything out with my usual E.L.F. HD Powder. 

I wanted to keep lips as neutral as possible, so I lined them with a flesh-toned pencil (Subculture by MAC), and applied Clinique lipstick in Blushing Nude on top.


Love it or leave it? Say it in the comments!

May Photo Shoot #1 Preview!

Hello everyone!

I have recently started a collaboration with a talented photographer in my hometown and this is the first job we did. More pictures and details to follow soon!

April Photo Shoot #2

This is the second job I've done this month with my friend Rob, who was in charge of taking the pictures. He is a pretty damn good photographer! You can check out more of his works here. 

Model: Viola

On a technical level, the make-up was a bit of a challenge given the fiery colours of this red-headed beauty. 

I wanted to keep face make-up at a minimum to let the natural pigmentation given by the freckles glow on its own. Therefore I used a camera-friendly primer (MUFE HD Primer n.5) and MAC Face&Body Foundation in N1, which turned out perfect thanks to its sheerness and "real skin" finish. 

Then I added a touch of Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer to lightly contour her face and give a subtle sunkissed glow, and dabbed the tiniest bit of MAC Cream Colour Base in Luna along her cheekbones. At that point her face make-up really looked like it didn't need any more colour, so I skipped the blush, which I usually never do! The powder I used is E.L.F. HD Powder. 

I thought it would be fun to create a contrasting pop of colour on her eyes. After priming her eyelids with Too Faced Shadow Insurance and applying a white base (Topshop Khol), I chose Boots N.7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow in Peacock as a main lid colour. To give it more dimension, I added Urban Decay Half Baked on the centre of the lid and used MAC Steamy as a transition shade. The eyeshadow was completed with a frosty cream shade from the NYX Caribbean Palette in I Dream of St. John on the browbone. 

I tightlined her waterline with MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, added Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara and Ardell Accent False Lashes n. 308 for a flirty edge.  
Here's a detail of the eyes:

On the eyebrows: Urban Decay Buck and KIKO Brow Designer to keep them in place. Her lips only needed a bit of definition and glossiness, which I achieved with MAC Lip Liner in Subculture and Bourjois 3D Effect Lip Gloss n.42 layered over it. 

I hope you enjoyed it. I must admit it wasn't the easiest job ever, so I would be really happy to hear your opinions on this make-up and I'm definitely open to criticism! 

There will also be more photo shoot posts to come!

April Photo Shoot #1

Last week I was asked by my friend Rob to assist him during a photo shoot he had scheduled with a couple of lovely girls, Lana and Marta. I did their make-up, which took 3 hours and was pretty exhausting, but we all had good fun! 

We decided to play up with the girls' features a bit and create some sort of asymmetry by making Lana's lips and Marta's eyes stand out, while still maintaining a diffused, naturally sunlit look. 

Here's what I used on Lana:

 

(face)

MAC Face and Body Foundation in C3

KIKO Natural Concealer n. 02

E.L.F. HD Powder

MAC Blush in Melba

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer

MAC Cream Color Base in Luna (highlight)

(eyes)

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre

KIKO Eyeshadow n. 120 (brows)

KIKO Brow Designer

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Virgin (lid)

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Buck (socket)

MAC Eyeshadow in Blanc Type (highlight)

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara

(lips)

A Natural Difference lipbalm

MAC Lip Liner in Subculture

MAC Lipstick in Lickable

Cargo Reverse Lipliner in Light/Medium

On Marta I used:

(face) 

MAC Face and Body Foundation in N1 and Make-up For Ever HD Foundation n. 117 mixed

Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer

Make-up For Ever Full Cover Concealer n. 3

E.L.F. HD Powder

MAC Blush in Melba

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer

MAC Cream Colour Base in Luna (highlight)

(eyes) 

MAC Eye Brows in Fling 

KIKO Brow Designer

Too Faced Shadow Insurance 

MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque 

MAC Eyeshadow in Patina (lid)

Make-up For Ever Diamond Shadow n. 311 (socket)

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack 

NYX Caribbean Palette in I Dream of St. John

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara

(lips) 

A Natural Difference lipbalm

MAC Lip Liner in Subculture

MAC Lipstick in Patisserie 

I prepped both girls with Caudalie toner, Embryolisse moisturizer and Make-up For Ever HD Primer n. 5. 

Here's two more haunting takes:

 You can view more pics from the photo shoot, as well as Rob's portfolio, here!

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