080 barcelona fashion

After last season vowing to never ever do another backstage portrait series again, this year I was back where I was last year and shooting portraits of the girls backstage at 080 in between their shows, fittings and castings. 

After spending 48 hours in Paris shooting an all male editorial series for essentiel homme with male models Yannick Abrath and Gerhard Friedl and another 48h in a car heading to and back to my beach birth town in Spain, I arrived quite relaxed for the backstage portrait session. Mr, Sebastian Sabal Bruce was the maestro behind the camera for this series and models like Clara Alonso, Iris Egbers and Laura McCone all posed for his lens (rocking my makeup). 

Sebastian and me decided before shooting I was going to test drive my newly purchased Tom Ford eyeshadow quads. Not only are they super easy to work with, they photograph beautifully. 

As soon as all the material has been processed I will upload them to my website. In the meantime check out some of the backstage action.

Después de la temporada pasada prometi nunca hacer otra serie de retratos durante la 080 pero este año estaba de nuevo haciendo otros retratos a las niñas en el backstage de 080.
Después de pasar 48 horas en París haciendo una editorial para essentiel homme con los modelos masculinos Yannick Abrath y Gerhard Friedl y otro 48 horas en un coche ida y vuelta a mi pueblo natal en España, llegué bastante relajado a la sesión . Sr. Sebastian Sabal Bruce fue el maestro detrás de la cámara para esta serie y modelos como Clara Alonso, Iris Egbers y Laura McCone posaron para su objetivo (rocking mi makeup).
Sebastian y yo decidimos antes de disparar de probar las nuevas paletas de sombras de Tom Ford. No sólo son super fáciles de trabajar, tambien fotografían de maravilla
En cuanto las fotos esten procesadas las subiré a mi pagina web, mientras tanto echa un vistazo a unas fotos del making off.

The skinny of it

It has been a while since I last blogged. I have been going back and forth about what I need to blog about. I really didn´t want to do another post about what was in my kit or what product I was coveting at this moment, so I decided to do a small series of posts about how one becomes a makeup artist. First and foremost these posts aren´t going to be very rosy colored. It is not my intention to be mean or to burst any ones bubble, but to give anybody who wants to work as a makeup artist a small insight into how it all works.

Not so long ago I heard that being a makeup artist meant that I was loaded and I quote: "You guys make so much money in a day" and I have found out that this is the idea that the general public has about not just makeup artists but models, photographers and anybody fashion related alike. Let me start out by saying that if you plan on becoming rich, find yourself another profession. It takes a very long time before you can support yourself only on makeup jobs. So patience is a virtue. The really lucky ones can supprt themselves after about 3 years but for the majority of us it takes a bit longer.

The first thing you need if you want to start attracting clients, is a book. This is a portfolio that you use to showcase your work. It holds all the pictures of your work. In order to fill your book with pictures you will need to test shoot. Start out with natural looking makeup. Make sure that everything (hair, styling, retouching) works together and unless you are Peter Philips or Kevyn Aucoin stay clear of using anything like glitter, feathers or rhinestones.
Unfortunately your work will be judged by the models that you have worked with, the photographers that have shot your work, the magazines that you have published in and last the type of make up that you have done. I know it is not fair but that is the way how it works. For this reason when you do a test shoot make sure that every member of the team involved is a professional. Only if this is the case can you use the pictures for your portfolio.
However when you are just starting out the best way to gain experience is to just start doing makeup. Just make sure that the photographer is good. The better models will follow soon enough. Be very critical. This will help you when you do get to work with the Giselles and Naomis of the world that you already know what not to do.
Now a good book is filled with tearsheets from all the glossy magazines but I will explain how that works in another post.

Luxury products for events

I was recently asked about my favorite luxury products by my dear friend Nadine and I thought I would do a post about my most coveted and upscale products. For a shoot, for example, I really am not looking for a moisturizer that will combat the signs of aging but one that will provide me with good moisturizing qualities. That is why taking care of your skin outside from the set is so important. Some product I list I do use for prepping the skin for events and celebrities but the majority of them are just for personal indulgence.
Thread with caution, some of the products come with a hefty price tag.

Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Cleansing Oil

I am a huge fan of all the cleansing oils from Shu Uemura but this last one is, like its name, sublime.
It contains 8 botanical oils for 8 skincare benefits and contrary to what people may think it, it doesn´t leave your skin greasy.

Rodial Dragons Blood Hyaloric Moisturizer

The first in a series of Rodial products that are phenomenal. This day moisturizer will rehydrate your skin and plump it up while protecting your skin.

Rodial Glamtox SPF15

My second Rodial product. Every single time I use this moisturizer people ask me what I have done to my skin and how I get it to look so good. It won`t happen overnight but after a few weeks this little jewel will have your skin looking oh so fine.

RéVive Moisturizing Renewal Cream Suprême Ultra Retexturizing Hydrator

Not only does it provide lasting hydration, it also gives you the most healthy looking skin imaginable. Considering it is a little bit heavier and more anti-aging I would apply this one at night.

Rodial Glam Balm

Last Rodial product on this list. Flying doesn´t only dehydrate your skin, you will also lose your tan. That´s why it´s perfect for flying. It will create a protective hydrating barrier around your skin. Added benefit: you don´t lose your tan on the way home.It is also great if you have very dry areas that need a moisture boost.

Dr Sebagh Serum Repair

Applying this serum feels like you aren´t applying anything at all but nothing could be further from the truth. It boosts the hydration level in your skin, gets rid of fine lines and makes puffy eyes disappear like snow on a sunny day. This is amazing to use as an eye serum at events or all over if your skin needs a boost.

SK II Facial Treatment Mask

If you need anything on this list, forget every product on this list and just get this one. It is 8 hours of sleep when you have partied for 3 days and have just come home and need to go to work. It just leaves your skin looking amazing. For events this is my favorite product to prep the skin with.

A Woman A Man

Working with friends is always the best. At this months CYL Moda Intima shoot I just got to do that. My good friend model Lindsey Opso was booked for this shoot. The whole concept of the shoot was paying homage to Helmut Newton.
I ended up working with the male model Alexander Pire for the campaign for Punto Blanco a couple of weeks later. Unfortunately I won´t be able to post anything from that shoot until the campaign runs which will be next winter but until then have a look at this series.

 

Judit Mascó

I was a little bit nervous about doing Judit her makeup. I was told prior to the event that she was a perfectionist and it would be next to impossible to leave her happy. I have made a note to self that I am not gonna listen to anything negative from hearsay again. Nothing could´ve been further from the truth. Not only was she extremely polite, classy and cool. She was the most nicest person ever.

Judit gave me a lot of freedom with her makeup. She basically told me to keep her skin looking natural and we both decided on making her eyes stand out.

Below you can see a picture of the final result, gorgeous radiant skin, with a softly defined eye.

 

Judit her skin was already flawless to begin with so I decided to make the most of it and really make it as radiant, healthy and glowy as possible. I started off again with prepping her skin with the caudalie enzymatic peel mask (if you have the SK-II facial treatment mask apply this instead. I didn´t have any left so I used the caudalie one) followed by a radiance primer.

After some lipbalm and eye prep I started on her skin. I had to mix 2 shades of Becca luminous skin colour to get just the right shade which I applied to the center of the face and blended outwards. Becca stick foundation was used to conceal areas that needed a little bit more coverage.
Shimmering skin perfector in pearl to highlight the cheekbones was applied on top of the cheeks and carefully blended into the foundation.
On the apples of her cheeks Becca turkish rose créme blush was used to give her a healthy flush, again blending it into the foundation and highlighter.

For the eyes I started off with a very light dusting of a mix of Becca satin and venise eyeshadow all over the lid up to the crease. Next I applied a brownish purple eyeliner between her lashes and under the eyes.
A metallic copper cream eyeshadow was used to define the crease and outer corner of the lid.
To really define the eyes I used a shimmering black cream eyeshadow as a liner blended well and I finished off with applying Becca shimmering skin perfector in pearl in the inner corners of the eyes.

 

I light dusting of loose powder in the center of the face, some bronzer on the cheeks and side of the neck and a little bit of a soft pink lipbalm finished off the look.

Malena Costa

I got booked on a celebrity event a few days ago and I had the opportunity to do the makeup on Spanish models Malena Costa and Judit Mascó.
The event was the opening of a new japenese brazilian fusion restaurant Ikibana en Barcelona.
I will give you guys a small break down of what I did to both models.

On the picture below you can see the final result of the makeup on Malena. She asked for something very natural with a little bit of a gold highlight on the inner corners of her eyes.

As usual I started out with prepping her skin. I really wanted her skin to radiate. Because I was planning on using a primer I decided not to apply any type of moisturizer. This meant that after cleaning and applying the caudalie enzymatic peel face mask, which will gently exfoliate the skin and promote luminosity. I applied a radiance foundation primer.

I used Becca Luminous skin colour all over the face and Becca stick foundation to gently even out the skin. Before applying concealer I highlighted cheekbones with Becca shimmering skin perfector in pearl, making sure that all the edges where blended very well. Unfortunately I ran out of Becca beach tint so I used a mix of Becca Créme blush in dahlia and amaryllis on the apple of the cheeks blending it into the foundation and highlighter so that everything flowed into each other.

To keep the eyes looking as fresh and natural as possible I used a brown eye pencil to line the top lashes and blended it onto the lid. Becca Bronze gold créme eye colour was washed just above the crease. Because this is a cream based product it will give the eyes definition but mimics the same texture as the skin. Keep the creme eyeshadow above the crease of the eye. If you apply it to low onto the lid it will crease and not last as long as it should.
A very fine line of black liner was applied to the upper lash line and blended with a black eyeshadow. A soft dusting of a shimmering cool chocolate brown eyeshadow just around the lower lash line defined the eyes without overpowering it. And to finish of the eyes a soft shimmering golden eyeshadow was applied on the inner corners of the eyes.

I finished off with a light dusting of loose powder and a little bit of bronzer applied on the highpoints of the face.

Bloggers vs Designers by Absolut Mode Society

A couple of months ago I did a job for Absolut Mode Society that featured some of Barcelona´s designers being interviewed by differant bloggers. Although it was a lot of work, it was a lot fun to see and work with them. 

I will leave you with a selection of pictures and a link to Absolut mode society page where you can check out the interviews and more pictures shot during that day.

http://www.absolutmodesociety.com/

 Claudia Albons and Montse Liarte

 Pol Valero and El Colmillo de Morsa

 Aida Domenech and Martin Lamothe

Angie of Angie y Lucúos and Krizia Robustella

Lucúos of Angie y Lucúos and Karlota Laspalas