Photoshoot at Hilton Hall

A team of makeup artists who qualified at the Arman Milind Academy in January 2014 decided to get together and organise a photoshoot. As I had previously done a shoot only in March, I decided to take the reins and actively help to organise it. 

It was on a bigger scale this time with 4 MUAs, 3 photographers and 12 models in total!

We held the shoot at the Hilton Hall in Wolverhampton which I found very picturesque. Having already done a traditional bridal shoot, I wanted to combat the occasional hair and makeup and english bridal looks as those tend to be more in demand, I chose 4 looks which I thought best described my flair for makeup and hair.

My first model was Simone, I opted for vibrant colours to enhance her natural beauty and compliment the outfit she was wearing. I used MAC eyeshadows mostly on her to bring out the deep purple and bright pinks mixed with an Urban Decay eyeshadow named half baked from the naked palette number two.

Make-up used on Simone:


Eyes:

- MAC Eyeshadow in Vibrant Grape.

- MAC Eyeshadow in Carbon.

- MAC Eyeshadow in Sushi Flower.

- Urban Decay Eyeshadow Half Baked from their Naked Palette - Number 2.

- Illamasqua Gel Eyeliner in Black

Lips:

- MAC Lipstick in Girl about town.

Face:

- MAC Studio Fix Foundation NC20.

- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Light Plus.

- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle.

- MAC Powder Blush in Style.

Hair:
Here I created a low bouffant style and used a long hair piece to sweep the hair to the side. This hairstyle is particularly popular for parties this season.

Kavita was my second model and I felt she had the face for a classic vintage style which was really suited to her. The soft colour used on her eyelids complimented the sharp red on her lips. The face was very softly contoured around the jawline and cheek area. I wanted the hair to be the main focus for this look, therefore I opted for a bold and fabulous hairstyle.

Make-up used on Kavita:

Eyes:
- MAC Eyeshadow in Electric eel.
- MAC Eyeshadow in Cranberry.
- Illamasqua Gel Eyeliner in Black.
- Lancome Mascara in Hypnose.

Lips:
- MAC Lipstick in Russian red.

Face:
- MAC Powder Blush in Prism. 
- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium Plus.
- MAC Studio Fix Foundation in NC45.







Hair:

I created a vintage low bun with a high bouffant. This look was created using heated rollers and hair pieces as Kavita's hair was only above shoulder length - this proves it doesn't matter what length your natural hair is as a hair piece can be styled to mimic natural hair. 

TOP TIP: If you're thinking of investing in a hair piece, I advise you purchase natural hair rather than synthetic as it is easier to style and it will keep for years - so basically it's an investment! Keep the hair piece in good condition by washing after each use and storing in something like an airtight container to keep away from dust (no don't vacuum pack it - and yes people have tried it.)

When I looked at Kezia, I immediately thought of an English rose theme combined with the 50s inspired Audrey Hepburn look. The eye socket area was softly contoured to enhance her natural eye shape and the cheeks and lips had natural hues to emphasise the English rose inspired look.

Make-up used on Kezia:

Eyes:
- Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Beige.
- Urban Decay Basics Palette Venus, Faint and Walk of Shame. I used Venus in the inner corner of the eye to open the eyes, Walk of Shame was used all over the life and Faint to contour the eye socket.
- MAC Gel Liner in Dip-Down.
- MAC Eye-pencil in Smoulder against her lash line and then blended it.

Lips:
- MAC Lipstick in Please Me.

Face:
- MAC Powder Blusher in Peach.
- MAC Studio Fix Foundation in NC20.
- MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in Light Plus.

Hair:

This style was a Audrey Hepburn vintage inspired look, this combined with the subtle makeup proved to be very popular amongst clients. This was evident as when I uploaded the pictures to my Facebook, it had over 3,000 viewings which speaks volumes itself.

I used a hair-piece to create this and placed it underneath to create the volume and laid her natural hair on top to hide the hair piece which resulted in natural looking hair.

My final model Gurpreet had sultry eyes, therefore I wanted to emphasise the bold smokey eye look with gold glitter as this was on trend at the time of the shoot and has been requested by many clients since seeing these images. I got the inspiration for the hairstyle from the popular Bollywood film Om Shaanti Om, which saw Deepika Padukone styled with inspiration taken from the 50s/60s.

Make-up used on Gurpreet:

Eyes:
- MAC Eyeshadow in Carbon.
- MAC 3D Gold Sparkly Chunky Gold Glitter.
- Benefit Eyebrow Kit in Dark.
- MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack.

Lips:
- MAC Lipstick in Twig.
- MAC Lipstick in Russian Red.

TOP TIP: When creating a look which involves a precise eyeliner flick I would recommend you use a MAC 210 Precise Liner Brush. This is because the brush allows you to get as close to the lash line as possible, also the product doesn't clump on the brush when being applied because of it's shape. Therefore there is no fallout of product on the face and you also end up with a more precise line meaning a cleaner finish.

Face:
- MAC Studio Fix Foundation in NC42.
- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium plus.
- MAC Powder Blush in Springsheen.

Hair:

This style was created using the models own hair.

I did however use a little padding underneath the bouffant, this was primarily used to hold the jewelled hair piece in place securely.

I opted for a low bouffant style with flat curls, this incorporated a vintage theme which was the look I wanted to achieve as it complimented the outfit. 

TOP TIP: I recommend using padding underneath updo's if you are intending to wear any jewelled hair accessories. The padding means your hairstylist has something to secure the accessories to, meaning it will stay in all night no matter how much you dance. It's also fantastic for adding much needed volume for bouffant hairstyles. 

I would just like to say thank you to Armani Boutique and Bangle Box who supplied all the outfits and jewellery. Also, a huge thanks to the photographers - Gregory Mason, Nisha Chohan and Dharma Images who worked hard with me to capture the look I had in mind. Last but not least to my four stunning models, in order of appearance: Simone, Kavita, Kezia and Gurpreet, who allowed me to create my desired looks on them to showcase my work.