Skyla Arts: Makeup | Hair | Photography

Sneak Peak of Emily & Renee's Wedding {Monterey Wedding Makeup & Hair}

2012-01-30T12:16:00.000-08:00

Makeup & Hair: Skyla Arts {Elizabeth & Carolyn, assisted by Erika}

Photography: Larry Nordwick / Creative Images Photography

We are excited to see a sneak peak of Emily & Rene's beautiful wedding photos, courtesy of Creative Image Photography! We also did her bridal party, flower girl and ring bearer, and we can't wait to see the group photos as well! Carolyn also colored Emily's hair - I really loved her new hair color! I just went WOW when I saw her! Oh and now both Rene & Emily sees Carolyn on the regular basis! Congratulations again to Emily & Rene! :) From Liz, Carolyn & Erika!

Did you watch season 1 of Scouted on E?

2012-01-24T22:22:00.000-08:00

How did a month just slip away, just like that? *snaps finger* I think this may be the busiest January since I moved to the Bay - which is a good thing - but not so much for my little blog! Which is why this is like 3 posts in one post, blogging about *new* work for 2012 and previous work from 2011 that never made an appearance on my blog because I have a bad habit of not blogging chronologically. I guess that could be a goal for 2012? Ok! Onward!

Scouted season 1 had its finale last Monday on E! The show documents scouts from smaller markets and small towns, and submitting them to a scouting company in NYC where the experts put the model to the test on a photo/video test shoot, and then showing the images & presenting the model to Scott Lipps/Owner of One Management. Scott then announces his decision to sign the model. Each episode features 2 models, and their home town and their lives is also documented on the episode. We here in the San Francisco Bay Area were very excited for the show because one of the highlighted scouts is Kristen Kotik from Stars Model Management!! It also highlights San Francisco, and as Kristen said: "It puts us on the map!!!" I think it's really great~ considering the recent events of Ford SF closing their office. Many artists/photographers/models are moving to LA or NYC - it's a bit disheartening BUT I believe that sooner or later San Francisco will return to its former glorious position in the fashion/commercial industry! How can it not...We have silicon valley - we are the leaders of technology and such a high concentration of creative people! That's my opinion anyways~ =P

If you've been following my blog, then you might know that I love working with Stars & their models! The models have great hair, great skin, and a great attitude. Oh and they are punctual! :) I first had the pleasure to work with a Star model Mackenzie Drazan back in Jan of 2010 with photographer Laura Tillinghast, who told me all about Stars! But the next Star model would be Jan of 2011, exactly a year later, when I worked with Kris Jung! So Jan of 2012, I was invited by Calvin Ma to do a shoot with Amber Robertson from Utah, who was on the show and now part of the Stars roster! It was a cool morning, but surprisingly sunny upstairs! My classroom of 3 months, Cinta Aveda Institute, is one floor down from Stars, so I was very familiar with the building, but it was my first time on the roof top!!! I think Amber has that girl next door appeal/bombshell combo, and maybe she can go as far as a VS angel! She definitely has the looks for it!

Here is a behind the scenes shot of me fluffing up her hair! I'm into fluffy hair textures these days haha

Photo: Calvin Ma

The one below is my favorite shot of the day!! I really love the colors! And the two following were my picks! :) There's a few more but I thought I would just post my favorite ones!

Photo: Calvin Ma

OK! This is PART II - Lindsey was also featured on Scouted. The previews of that episode really did magnify her morality/ethical contract and portrayed her as a Christian but when you watch it, I think they are great guidelines for a model under 18 to follow - like, no negative influences such as drugs/alcohol, no sheer clothing. Watching her on Scouted, I was like...what was I like when I was 18? Thinking about it...Ya know..when I was 18 until my 20s, I was much more outspoken, sometimes a bit too outspoken for my own good because it got me in trouble, and actually didn't benefit me - so I went the complete opposite and became too quiet/reserved/withdrawn; over time, unsure of myself, losing confidence. My goal for 2012 is to really tap into my inner confidence again - find my inner-18 year old, who wasn't afraid to speak her mind! In regard to the confidence thing, I think I'm making giant strides and it's still only January 24th! I remember last year I'd feel hesitant about walking into a room full of strangers to network with them and feel the need to bring someone along - don't get me wrong, it HELPS when there are familiar faces, but I think I'm getting used to it, and as I find small successes, I will slowly regain the lost confidence back! :D

These are two shots from the 60s inspired fashion story, shot by Calvin Ma & styled by Cindy Tran

Photo: Calvin Ma

Last but not least, CONGRATULATIONS to Alwyn for being signed to One Management in the finale of Scouted! I had a lot of fun with my new Ben Nye color palette that day. Sometimes, you just feel like playing and doing something new! I was really pleased with the dewy skin, and dewy nose and cupid's bow here!

Photo: Rummy Makmur

OK! The end of a really long post!!! Happy year of the Dragon!! I hope you enjoyed some of the photos! I'll be sure to blog soon! ;)

Happy Holidays! ! ! {2011 in Review}

2011-12-25T12:35:00.001-08:00

Scrapbooking design generated with Smilebox

Happy Holidays everyone! ;)

I remembered a fun tool to make cards, and while I reviewing the smilebox (the only thing that's annoying is the ad, but it won't go away unless you pay their membership fee!!), a cute little tool to make online digital cards to send to friends/family/etc! Of course I couldn't fit every event in, but it's still fun to plug it in and take a moment to remember, and be grateful for all the opportunities I was given with wonderful clients, whether it be fashion editorials/video/film/news/catalogue/bridal/special events/makeup lessons!!

I saw that they had a scrapbook and I thought to myself...why not!!! I've never done it before, but then again, 2011 has been a year of a lot of firsts! Some notable ones for me..

- First time in NYC/NY Fashion Week!

- First time being published on StyleMePretty - California

- First time filming a 'real' makeup tutorial

- First time producing a bridal editorial (this one is not released yet!)

- First time published for makeup/hair/photography in the Siren's editorial!

- First time getting props for a shoot, and buying the wardrobe (the picnic kids shoot in the park!)

- First time having/training assistant(s)!

- First time doing 2 wedding gigs in a day (Even though I get multiple inquiries on the same date, usually the times end up conflicting and I am unable to accommodate 2 parties)
- First time winning the staff-voted RAW (un-photoshopped) Facebook photo contest! or any contest, really~ ;)

- First time having a public portfolio review (ohh nerve-racking! but worth it for the experience!)

- First time doing a full-on 80s makeup on my husband for his company's Xmas party!

And here's the iPhone photo again for laughs~ ;) I could barely contain my laughter~ my husband, however, was fully in character for every photo. He showed me an image of Rob Smith from The Cure, and demanded lipstick/powder and everything! He went through my jewelry box and found a random earring, and he asked me if I had any chunky necklaces to complete the outfit! Some of his colleagues barely recognized him but were 100% entertained and pleased with his look! It was a lot of fun! Bringing laughter/joy to people with makeup lol~! I made my hair as big as I could tolerate it - I'm usually not a big hair person but it was fun to tease it out and have frizzy hair with lots of hair spray!!!

I want to take an opportunity to thank everyone for their support for my blog and commenting! I really appreciate the interaction! Have a safe & wonderful Holiday season everyone!!!

May 2012 be even better than 2011!!! <3 <3 <3

Laurie & Aviv Wedding Video by Thomas Hughes Films

2011-12-19T10:52:00.000-08:00

Laurie & Aviv, Thomas Fogarty Winery from Thomas Hughes Films on Vimeo.

Special thanks to Alex at Thomas Hughes Films for sharing Laurie & Aviv's Wedding Video with us! You can catch a sneak peak of us in action in the very beginning!

They make really beautiful wedding videos and had celebrity clients like Courtney Cox & Alicia Silverstone!

Laurie & Aviv {Fogarty Winery Wedding, Woodside, CA}

2011-12-14T11:03:00.000-08:00

Makeup & Hair: Skyla Arts {Elizabeth & Carolyn, assisted by Erika}
Photography: Deborah Coleman Photography
Venue: Thomas Fogarty Winery, Woodside, CA
Caterer: Continental Caterers
Florist: Design with Flowers
Videographer: Thomas Hughes Films
DJ: Joel Nelson Productions

Time to share another beautiful bride! I wish I could share a few more gorgeous brides, but I need to track down their photographs! Special thanks to Debby at Deborah Coleman Photography for responding to me and sharing these photos of their big day with us!

Congratulations again to Laurie & Aviv! Carolyn had the pleasure to work on Judy's (Laurie's beautiful mom!) hair color before the big day, and I also got to shape Laurie's brows so they are ready to go!! The bridal party got ready at Palo Alto, and then headed up to the winery shortly after.

When Laurie first called me over the phone - we shared a 323 area code, and she asked me if I used to live in Los Angeles! We then had a meeting to discuss the package details and she had some questions for me, and then we scheduled a trial session. I always share with my clients that anyone can be sensitive to any ingredient, even if it's a "good" ingredient - it's good for a lot of people's skin, but not necessarily for everyone. The benefit of having a trial is almost like an insurance policy to make sure nothing will react with your skin. During our trial, we also tried out two different mascaras to see which one Laurie preferred! It's a perfect time to get to the nuts and bolts of things - you would not want to stress or think about these details on your big day!

I love the ambiance of Jewish weddings; After Judy was all dressed with hair and makeup all done, she told me she was ready to DANCE! As Debby's photos show you, everyone's dancing and having fun! I hope you enjoy the photos! Happy Wednesday! ;)

Gillian & Walter {San Francisco City Hall Wedding}

2011-12-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

Photography by Roffna Principe
Makeup: Liz

Hair: Carolyn

Introducing...the Webers! I blogged about Jill back in May and shared a little bit about them. It was our absolute pleasure to be a part of their big day. The two families joined as one, and they couldn't have been happier! It was a busy getting ready suite with the kids all excited after returning from breakfast, and everyone was excited! Lots of smiling and happiness in the room; it was contagious!

As mentioned previously, it was my first time meeting her on her wedding day. It was very touching to me that she trusted me enough to let me handle her look without having a trial. Jill had beautiful skin, and I loved how the soft coral-y pink color looks on her! Of course without the trial, there is less time to 'play around' with the look - and Carolyn and I were so happy that everyone loved their look!

I'm a bit embarrassed to post this many months after it had happened! I simply lost track of the order I should be blogging! This is why I still have less than 100 followers! =P oh well...! Anyways....! Please don't let my bad blogging habits stop you from sharing their joy! ! !

I hope you enjoy the photos of their intimate wedding celebration that Jill generously sent to me to share with you! :)

And now...some getting ready shots / Behind the Scenes! ;)

Published in Votive Issue 2: 12 page spread!

2011-12-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

You can preview the entire issue or order the print/digital copy here! I am very excited about my first publication where I did makeup/hair & photography as well. Of course I didn't do it all by myself - I had a great stylist Andrea, and my talented assistant Erika, and gorgeous model Annie! I really do like what Mathew Jordan Smith says TEAM stands for: Together Each Achieves More!

Sometimes...there are things you need to get out of your system and this project was one of them. I don't often get behind the lens because I was discouraged from doing everything, but occasionally when inspiration hits, sometimes you just gotta do it! I finished editing around the time we were filming our youtube tutorial, and I showed the images to Tim & Kris, and Tim the videographer told me about Votive Magazine. He said it had more of an Art focus and that my story would fit! Coincidentally, issue 2 was about "Artistic License" and we just had to follow that and it just fitted my story! Yay!

And one of my images is in the index too! ;) Well, I hope you enjoy the spread! ;)

60s Inspired Mod Makeup Tutorial & Photo Shoot!

2011-11-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

I...am afraid to be in front of the camera but somehow I managed to do it! Thanks to my friend and esteemed colleague Tim Prestoza from Low Tek Studios ! We worked together earlier this year (yes that secret video will be up, soon! woohoo!) on a big project, and this was another BIG project for us. It is our first time doing a "real" tutorial (please discount my first ever Tutorial which is more like a photo tutorial than a video one). I'm excited to share it!! :) Watch it in HD!

This is my 2nd time working with Kris - the first time was the beginning of 2011! it feels like so long ago - it was then that Kris told me I should totally do the makeup tutorials and we should do it together! 10 months later, it finally happened! We were definitely on the same plane of creativity as I already had this look in mind and when I discussed it with Kris she said she wanted to do a 60s mod look and that she loves this type of makeup! :) It all came together!

Tim has been really encouraging - and he even made my arms look thinner! :) During the filming, Kris/Tim and I were having great conversations, talking about this and that and everything~ we had loads of fun!

Here are the results of our shoot with Rummy Makmur:

Photography: Rummy Makmur (www.rummymakmur.com)
Makeup : Elizabeth Chang (Elizabeth Chang | Makeup & Hair)
Videography: Tim Prestoza (Lowtek)
Model: Kris Jung @ Stars Model Management

and last but not least, the behind the scenes video!

Voted as Staff Favorite from the Camera Ready Cosmetics' Raw Photo Contest!

2011-11-08T17:57:00.000-08:00

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang
Photography: Rummy Makmur

Model: Lauren Loveless @ Stars Model Management SF

If you follow my pages on Facebook, this is probably old news for ya! ;) Recently Camera Ready Cosmetics or CRC, one of my favorite online stores and also where I purchased my FIRST Yaby palette (oh memories...!) hosted a photo contest on facebook - the premise was to submit un-photoshopped photos (Raw Image) and ask people to vote for their favorite image as the first prize, and the 2nd prize is that the staff of CRC will vote for their favorite - and my submission above had the highest votes! I am really honored to receive this prize - it means a lot to me, to receive votes and support from the artist community! I was excited and delighted to receive the 2 Embroylisse products: Embroylisse 365 Body Firming Treatment Cream and Embroylisse Essential Dry Skin Balm!

I posted the edited photo during a blog post in August [Click here!] I am particularly proud of this image, not just because it won some great prizes, but I pushed through in some of the techniques I've been working on, and that it was on trend!

Honestly October and November has been a constant roller coaster - the good is really good, and the bad can be really bad! The constant change and unpredictability of what your day is like going into a job is exciting and appealing, but the flip side is it comes with these highs and lows. Which is why when I received the message from Mary (owner of CRC) that I had won, I was just really happy and excited! Brought me from a low to a high and I'm doing my best to stay at the highs - or at least a steady middle ground! ;D Lol I just re-read this paragraph and it looks like my job is some drug! I have to say though - that's just part of being a part of the creative/beauty industry and the cultural economy. It really helps just to see it like it is - and just go with the flow.

That being said, I am looking forward to my appointments this week, and a marathon of makeup & hair this Saturday for my clients! :)

Mountain View Engagement Makeup & Hair [Sue & Jeff]

2011-10-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to share these photos from Sue+Jeff's engagement session shot by Meg Perotti! They are getting married tomorrow!! ;) I met Meg at her wedding day last fall, by assisting my esteemed colleague & mentor, Lisa Strutz. Sue had called me telling me she was deciding her hair and makeup vendor, when Meg kindly mentioned my name and helped Sue make her decision! We did a trial in the spring time, and I did her makeup & hair during the summer time for their engagement session! During our trial session, Sue brought me...Chocolates! And got me hooked onto more chocolates when I did her makeup & hair for the e-session! It was the first time my client brought me sweets (How did she know I had a sweet tooth?!) It was incredibly sweet (pun intended!); I was really touched and I loved it all!!!

I loved how the photos captured their personality! I'm very excited for tomorrow~ ;) And I look forward hanging out with Sue after her big day is over! ;)

so...when I saw these on Meg's blog, she was saying how she fell behind on blogging...I can totally relate...I am so behind on my blogging, too! ;( I need to buckle down and blog come Nov/December time and catch up??! Ahh! For now, enjoy these photos! ;)

Published on TwentyTen Magazine: Issue 8, 12 page spread!

2011-10-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

Photography: Pam Sta Cruz
Styling & Design: Phuong My
Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang
Model: Lauren Fletcher & Christin Mills

Woohoo! Published in Dutch-based fashion magazine TwentyTen! To see the full size magazine web version, click here! It was published July 2011 (yeah I didn't find out until now!) but I'm still psyched! It's a 12 page spread with my name on it! *jumps up and down* On the day of the shoot last year, the hair stylist that was supposed to come could not make it. And...so I had a Tim Gunn "make it work" moment where I used the 1 hair spray, 1 brush, and a few bobby pins that were "backups" in my makeup kit and whip it out! I am really proud of my work in this set, and also proud to be a part of an amazing and inspiring team!

Today started off a little rough, but seeing this makes me feel all better! ^o^ And my hubby and I went to celebrate by eating Korean BBQ!!! Weeeeee!!! ;D

Maternity Session @ Holbrook-Palmer Park | Klodjanadervishi Photographer

2011-10-05T13:39:00.000-07:00

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang
Photography: Klodjana Dervishi Photographer

Congratulations to beautiful new Mommy & Daddy!!!! They recently welcomed a beautiful baby boy. It was an absolute pleasure working with my client, K! K found me on Yelp! and told me that she decided to go with me after seeing the maternity photos on my Skyla Arts page (under Photography&Portraits!). I was especially honored that she chose me to do her hair and makeup after she told me that she modeled for Benefit Cosmetics/Sephora before - since doing makeup for a cosmetic campaign is one of the things I hope to do in the near future!

I was delighted to learn that from where her father is from in Ethiopia, her darker rimmed lips (as if she was wearing lipliner) and gums would be the epitome of what a Beautiful Woman would look like! This is why she prefers lipgloss - to show off her beauty! I really enjoy learning about what is beautiful from different cultures - like big, round, watermelon, jiggly booty is viewed as beautiful in parts of Brazil. I loved the whole setting, and I love their dog!! Oh what a super model dog!

You can see a few more from this family session on Klo's blog~!

Published on Style Me Pretty - California 09/26/2011!

2011-09-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

I stopped whatever I was doing because the bridal inspiration shoot I did makeup & hair for just got published TODAY on Style Me Pretty California! Check it out!!

Special thanks to Karen from New Sunrise Events & Erica B from Erica B. Photography for thinking of me for this amazing project! I truly enjoyed working with all the STRONG women on-set! I say strong because we had to carry all the chairs & tables and everything you saw in the photos back onto Karen's and Erica's car in the end! Also - flowers are super heavy!!!! No wonder Jeeryn from Tanjeeryn Designs have super toned arms! ;) Jeeryn also did the lovely chalk-board art featured! I also loved eating all the pretty packaged Madeline cookies at the end of our shoot!

For the hair and makeup, Erica described the theme as whimsical, garden. I was REALLY happy with the results - I loved how Drew (our gorgeous model for the day) hair looked like cotton candy! Paired up with Bonnie's [from One World Designs] hair piece, we definitely got whimsy/romantic in there! Her skin was airbrushed to perfection, and I used individual false eyelashes to complete her makeup look! I reposted a few of the images here, but for the complete gallery, check out more photos on the actual Style Me Pretty blog! :) WOOHOO!!!

Website updates...major work in progress!

2011-09-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

Yay! new photo from Bridal Editorial we did!

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang | Skyla Arts
Makeup & Hair Asst.: Erika Taniguchi
Models: (above) Alana | Look & Natalya | Scout
Photography: Mark & Tammy | Memoire Studio
Venue: Kohl Mansion
Hair Accessory: Bonnie | One-World-Designs
Gowns: BoLee Bridal Couture

*Special thanks to Christine at Christine Marie Events for helping me pick up the hair accessories! I couldn't have done it without you!! <3

My Bridal site is in dire need of a facelift...! I wish I could write about my first NYC trip, but sometimes I don't know which blog should come first!!! I've been working at this on and off for 9 months now - separating my Bridal from my commercial/fashion page, and I'm going towards the finishing line, but not quite!!! Other than that, there's still tons of other stuff to do...Mark & Tammy just launched their new website: Memoire Studio - And I think I nearly died in envy~! I loved it and man someday I'll be able to afford hiring someone to make something like this for mee! :)

I've been reprinting my print book, kind of holing myself in my office, organizing photos, updating website, etc etc. I feel like I haven't been able to catch my breath since Spring time! Ao much updating to do! So many blogs to write! I just wish that there was a global gallery to update - like...all the photos would just Sync to each other!Can somebody please invent that? And all the resolutions will be exactly the same - I want my bridal site to sync to weddingwire+yelp+facebook, my commercial website to sync with my iPad Portfolio app+facebook.

Another major project I've been working on is separating my Bridal from my Fashion/Commercial work...And my photography page lol...That has yet to be created...I have to completely re-do my bridal page (and all I've done was the splash page so far! Oh dear. . . . )

Another necessary division is my facebook...! If you would be so kind to "like" both of my pages, that would mean a lot to me - considering I only have 22 likes on one, and 210 likes on the other! ;( I realize how unpopular and sad I am when I go to other people's Facebook pages with like 1000 likes!!!! I'll be posting more on my facebook if people respond to me lol!! I'm interested in offering tips & even great deals - Facebook only! Will the updating ever end??? is there a light at the end of this tunnel??!

Lol ok ok no more whining~~~! I'm super excited about the fact that FALL is here~ it's my favorite season!! The only thing about fall...is that the leaves around where I live really pile up - I feel like I can swim in it! But...it's so nice...seeing the leaves falling~

I turn 25!

2011-09-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

I've lived a quarter of a century! lol I wrote this blog post the day before the 'big' 25 ! Okay it's really not a significant number, but I find that it's actually more significant than 30 or something, which to me seems arbitrary, other than the biological/time to have kids significance!

I feel like this is the right opportunity to share one of these personal reflections that I don't know if anybody reads because it's so text heavy! But it's my blog - who cares - you can just skip it!! ;) I've shared part of the story before - but the major turning point I've omitted.

The death that inspired me to live
My big sister decided she wanted to be a physician at age 6, so when I was born, because my sister played 2 instruments, early on my sister discovered I have a "perfect pitch." This fueled my mom's aspiration for me to live life as a concert harpist and pianist - something desirable for a women because your students just come to you for class, you can take care of your kids, and you make $100 per hour. Oh and I believe if my mom could be in my shoes, she would have chosen that as her own dream. Growing up impoverished, even touching a piano key/banging on it was a rare privilege and my mom just can't imagine why I would not want to play my instruments. We were living in San Jose Costa Rica at the time, and I was tricked into going to Piano class (before turning 4 yrs old) - OK not tricked, but I didn't comprehend that the word "piano class" was an actual class! Then at 6, I too started Harp classes. The struggle continued...I would practice the bare minimum, but seem to still get decent results and applause, which made it even more difficult because my mom said I was lazy and ungrateful for the opportunity. "Look at so and so practicing for 1 hour. You should do it too." Even my teachers said so..."She reads music so fast and talented, but she is lazy."

*continue after the jump*

It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it completely, I just rather go to my room and draw and paint or even play something else. I was not motivated at all...I can understand from my parents' perspective - buying our instruments and paying for private class was like...wow we could buy 2 extra cars or save it up to buy a house or something - such an investment or waste of money. Then we moved from country to country and immediately upon arrival at the new country of residence, my mom found me a harp and piano teacher. I can also understand from a parents' perspective: "Oh they don't know what they really want - I as a parent need to show them the way." I am sure when I become a parent, I will also at times, have that attitude. I persisted on practicing the bare minimum - I would sometimes even skip all together, if my folks were not home. The only exception was when it's piece of music I liked and appreciated; somehow it would be completed very quickly. I was fairly stubborn about it too - protesting for 10 years is a long time! This is not to say that I don't appreciate what I did learn, it was just not how I expressed myself. I don't suddenly burst out with a tune I came up with that represented my emotions...In fact, I did try to write a song when I was 8, it sounded horrible....I tried again at 10 & 13 during my struggle with music, again, the tunes sounded horrible. I just couldn't express myself through playing classical music, and I have no talent in composition. It was all time that was taken away from me in a way - I liked narratives, I like poetry, I like to express myself visually through colors, I like book-making/book-binding, I love to play with color and composition. I couldn't have discovered all of this if I hadn't rebelled and allowed my mom to fill up my schedule completely with classical music. You can imagine how difficult I must have been as a rebellious child! lol...

Finally - I met my harp teacher Flory in Guatemala City - who happens to have the name as my favorite bunny rabbit stuffed animal at the time! I was 11, and the struggle to avoid practicing instruments continued. I'd quit piano, and then start again, and then quit. In the end I quit piano completely around 12...so it was just me and that giant, beautiful, Lyon Healy harp. Flory soon discovered my pattern - that for the pieces I don't enjoy, I just don't bother much with it. One day, she arrived as usual, and she brought me music options, and asked me which one I liked. I picked one, and she said: "OK we'll do this one then." At the end of our 1 hour session, she says: "It doesn't seem like your goals are to play professionally, and so if this is just for a hobby, we should only do music you like and enjoy. Life is too short to waste even one second on doing things you don't like" She told me about her life in Belgium, where she gave birth to her daughter on a beautiful snowy day, and other poetic little stories. Her students and I had a mini recital at our rental home in Guatemala City - it was a really nice event, and I enjoyed it (because I got to only perform the songs I liked! lol) We knew she was battling breast cancer, but we didn't know the full story of her illness. In 8th grade I had about 2 more performances at school (small small ones..!) and that was the most I performed since I first started in Costa Rica where we did the church tours. Anyway..I cannot recall exactly which month...but I received a phone call from Flory telling me she will be unable to make it to our class this week. Then she ended the phone call with "I love you" and so naturally I said it back to her, and hung up the phone.

A few months later we found out that she had passed away from breast cancer. It was the first time I experienced loss, and I cried a little but it didn't feel right to cry. I remembered during one of the Church Tours in Costa Rica, we were all in a school bus escorted by 1 parent (my mommy of course), it was pouring rain, and outside the bus I saw a big monarch butterfly on the ground, flapping its wings, trying to fly in the pouring rain. It flapped and flapped and eventually died. To me, that is Life. Transient. Beautiful. A struggle. Nobody escapes death - but if you didn't live your life to the fullest, then all is lost. That's when I decided that my online identity will be "reveriepapillon"

I decided to quit my instruments all together. Upon moving back to Taipei, I had a harp teacher briefly, but my heart was not in it at all and didn't even bother. I try to explain the above my mother to express how I felt but I couldn't articulate it very well; she responded by saying: "Well don't you think your former teacher would wish that you would continue?"

Honestly...I don't think she would. I think she would rather see me do something I love and not waste a second doing what I don't want. It was definitely a turning point in my life - where I became even more stubborn than before. People say it's a Generation X Y whatever thing, different from people born in the 1950-70s where you follow orders, go along with life as expected of your folks, and then technology came, egalitarianism of information blahdyblahhh and these 80s babies started dreaming, stopped holding real jobs because they dream too much!

The whole ordeal frustrated my parents a great deal - you can imagine, after a little over 10 years of private class investment, they got nothing. But hey...it's not like I withheld this information that I did not want to become a professional musician! I was discouraged from taking art classes as my electives, and even in college, they kept telling me art was a distraction in my life and I shouldn't major in it or even take classes- because it's a starving artist road, and no responsible parent will want their kid to be a starving artist! And every year in college, I'd change a career path. I wanted to do this, and that, but no I guess I wanted to do this... until my senior year when I decided my career goal...how to get to my final goal is not a linear path. Because my ultimate goal is unique, how I get there requires patience and creativity.

What I am grateful for these past 25 years
I don't think this story sounds that different from what a lot of artists (artists in general, not just makeup artist). Most people will tell you it's not practical, it's impossible, it's a fantasy. Give it up~ get a job! I know that when my mom say those things to me like "Go find a real job" it comes from a place of worry - they don't want me to suffer, don't want me to work long hours with very little pay, etc. When those moments and those words creep up, I try to remember what Flory said: "Life is too short to waste even one second on doing things you don't like" and I take that energy, and reify my dreams one little step at a time.

I have regrets - I usually hash it out for a little while before letting it go completely. There is one regret I had last year, where I didn't skip 1 day of class while attending the Aveda Institute to participate in a test shoot that could have really changed my career. That is going to take me a while to let go - but the other things...like I protested and protested in high school and college - it was at the cost of my own well-being and I got into a lot of trouble. I definitely could have belonged in Berkeley in the 60s! My parents sometimes couldn't understand why I can't let things go and just go along peacefully. If you let it go, they (whatever I was protesting against) will do it to other people. I won't go into too much details about my protesting days...But if I look back, I've always opted for the path less traveled. It's harder - but if I didn't try it, I WILL most definitely regret it. If I try and fail, well, then move on!

The biggest gift I can give myself is the understanding that I tried my best these last 25 years in everything I do. The very best. Even not practicing my instruments - seemingly 'not trying' - is me trying to fight for a chance at doing what I want to do! For that, I am proud of turning 25!

Underwater Photo shoot & Top Model Attributes!!

2011-08-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

Photography: Chad Riley (Chad Riley Photography) @ Look Artist
Makeup : Elizabeth Chang (Elizabeth Chang | Makeup & Hair)
Styling : Katie Quinn (Q the Stylist)
Model: Allie D. @ Look Models
Photography Assistant: Antonio Fernando

You may vaguely remember the Underwater Photoshoot Behind the Scenes blog nearly a year ago! It was a long wait for these images, but I'm really excited to share them with you!

As mentioned in previous post, it was my first under water shoot and also the first time I needed this degree of waterproofing (completely different from the typical sweating, humidity or longevity of makeup wear for bridal). From the sneak peaks I was very worried that the makeup wouldn't show up, but alas, I was just nervous over nothing. Allie and I were joking that it's called "Makeup Forever" because it stays on FOREVER. For this shoot, I had specifically purchased a few items from MUFE that I didn't own at the time, and that combined with the tricks Liz Yu from Yaby Cosmetics showed me, the makeup actually showed up under water!! woohoo!!! The star makeup brands for this shoot that saved the day are: Yaby Cosmetics, Makeup Forever, and Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics! Also very funny, was that after the first look, I adjusted her blush way stronger after receiving feedback from Chad so that it will show up under water and I showed Allie the mirror and we were like omg Clown! lol! But yeah, we did 3 makeup looks that day to go along with her outfits, and it was quiet an experience, doing the makeup changes while the model is still under the water!

For the green dress, I actually tried to apply false lashes to see what will happen- it's not the glue that's not waterproof, it's the force of the water when the model goes up and down for air - it makes the lashes flop and go crazy, like a clam shell!

Allie blew us away with her underwater posing skills. Katie and I were just gawking in amazement at how graceful and gorgeous she looked ABOVE water! We could only imagine what was going on under the water! :P

I know this is only my 3rd year working as a makeup artist (2 yrs and 3 months in!) but out of all the agency models I've personally had the pleasure to work with, there's only a handful (I can count with one hand!) of Fashion models who really just blew me away! Ahh please don't misinterpret~~! No offense to the other wonderful models I've worked with, but Fashion to me is a very specific category, attributes and skill set - some models belong in more than 1 category (ie: Fashion/Runway & Commercial, Fashion & Beauty, Fashion & Swimwear etc etc etc endless combinations) and of course you can also be a TOP Beauty model or Top Commercial model. What I am trying to express is, Fashion models are very rare to come by, which is why when they become the top models, they get paid the most money. I really got to understand this after watching Allie under the water. Before, I just didn't have what you call first hand experience. I never thought modeling was easy, but just in case anyone thought modeling was EASY as long as you are a certain height, weight, beautiful girl, you can be a model - that is sooo not true...!

Qualities of a Top Fashion Model (according to liz...from my experience...lol)
- Intelligent, educated, articulate & cogent
- TALL + extremely fit & physically healthy
- Beautiful body & limbs (you can be super tall, but not have proportional limbs or odd legs)
- Understand your body
- Unique facial features & strong bone structure
- GREAT skin, GREAT Hair
- Versatile/Chameleons
- Independent & Adventurous
- Super professional (shows up on time, completely prepared for the shoot, positive attitude)

Some of these you can learn & acquire with experience, but others you are born with. You need the perfect combination!

Allie - you are amazing!

Green dress look features OCC Lip Tar in Pageant!!

Linda & Richard, Villa Montalvo/Saratoga Wedding May 2011

2011-08-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

Photography: Junshien International Photographers | Junshien Lau + David Lok/Assistant Photographer
Makeup & Hair: Skyla Arts | Elizabeth Chang/Makeup & Lead Stylist
+ Carolyn Jean/Hair Stylist & Assistant Makeup Artist + Erika Taniguchi/Assistant
Coordinator: Just a Party Girl | Kathy Chen
Caterer: Cafe Primavera | Kathy Chen
Bakery: Satura Cakes, Pamplemousse Patisserie, and Linda (bride)!
Florist: Pico Soriano Designs | Pico Soriano

Ahhh I am skipping around for my blog posts and wedding chronology! But that's OK, I am just waiting for the photos - but my April bride is a nurse and she is busy saving lives and taking care of her beautiful family and I think that's way more important than my blog being in chronological order! ;P These photos were published yesterday on Junshien's blog and I didn't see it until this morning, which definitely made my morning! Normally (people who worked with me know this...) I like/need to crop my Portrait images so they are perfectly at the same width, but today I'm just happy to be able to post the photos! In the freelance world, you face a lot of rejection (ie: when the client doesn't hire you lol) and sometimes it eats me alive by filling me with self-doubt. I'm still learning how to not take rejection personally, but it's much harder when the service you provide is personal. What is more personal than somebody's hair and makeup on their wedding? We're touching you, pulling you, twirling you, we are there with you until the last minute where you need to go get married or take photos - and take the next step in your life!

I love looking at my client's wedding photos...even though I only know them very briefly during the trial and emailing back and forth, I can't help but feel happy and touched (and a little teary at times) that they feel and look beautiful on their wedding day - oh and of course, an International Photographer, to capture these moments, definitely adds to the estrogen stimulus lol.... These photos will stay with you forever! That's why your photographer and your hair and makeup vendor should be decided FIRST, right? right? :P When one of the pretty BMs Sirinya shared that she is getting married in Santa Monica in September and she hasn't found a makeup/hair vendor I was like @o@ OMG! Get one now! lol...She later emailed me for referrals and I believe one of my colleagues in LA will be taking good care of her! :)

That day, we did 7 additional services - 6 makeup apps (4 BMs and 2 lovely moms), and 1 blow-out (the beautiful BM with straight hair)! I loved that all the BMs left their hair down and that they were excited about their makeup and false lashes! Carolyn helped me prep and prime the skin, and we were a well-oiled machine! ;) It was Erika's first time coming with us to a bridal gig, and we were happy to have her help clean our brushes & monitor our schedule. We stayed on schedule on the DOT *high five girls!* We are a great team~! :)

What a beautiful wedding & beautiful couple! Congratulations again to Linda & Richard! I'm happy that you will have a room for all of Richard's computers! ;)

P.S. You can check out more photos on Junshien's blog and oh he made a beautiful slideshow! Watch in 720P HD! :)

LOVE this idea! So cute!!!

*tear* Linda's mommy is so cute!

I love this image...! It sounds like her BM is saying something really <3-ing!

I don't know which ones Linda baked but they all look DELICIOUS

cuteness overload!

aww mother and son dance!

Gabriele for Lexus GS!

2011-08-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

Watch in 1080P!!!

Remember the very handsome & talented model Gabriele I worked with earlier this year for a fall men's fashion story from City Model Management?

Photography: Laura Tillinghast, Wardrobe: Katie Quinn, Men's grooming: Elizabeth Chang

We LOVED Gabriele's look! He looked so good in that jacket with the orange zipper. Perhaps our fashionable photos helped him get the gig? :) lol no Gabriele had a fabulous portfolio already! Anyways, I am very excited to see him in the Lexus commercial! He looks fabulous and now I totally want to by that car - cannot afford it...! lol.. I drive a Certified Preowned Lexus IS250 2007 - I cannot believe how a car can change my life... previously I drove a Toyota Corolla 1999 and I was fearful of going on the freeways, living in LA. Going to places gave me significant anxiety and inhibited me from doing things because I was constantly worrying about getting hit or hitting someone due to reckless driving.

Onto some personal reflections... Today I cleared my schedule to focus on office work in preparation for my upcoming trip (will share more on that later!) and the reason being I needed to wait for Fedex & UPS. I ordered some MUST HAVES for my trip from the MakeupForever Pro Road Show and my peers already received their packages, which of course puts me into a panic. By 1pm, I decided to phone MUFE office and they informed me that from their end, they saw that someone had signed for it as it was delivered YESTERDAY at 11:45am!

I totally panicked, and cried thinking that someone had stolen my package! The thing is, my HOA sent out a newsletter a few months back saying that someone had stolen a package in our complex and the incident was reported. Then...it turns out they had sent it to my neighbor with a "1" instead of a "7" (me)...so they advised me to walk to my neighbors to retrieve it. Wiping my tears, I walked and there it was on my neighbor's front mailbox! It's a lot of stress...I don't have that money just lying around... in fact, I saved up for the Glamcor lights that I had wanted to invest in when I saw it at The Makeup Show LA in Feb 11'.. which brings me to....UPS not showing up until 7:30pm! That drove me crazy - the wait!

I kept checking the door like a mad-woman, any sound of any van or truck, I go to the kitchen and o-mi-o-my I slipped, twisted my right foot, which sprang my gluteus muscle! aiya~~~ Today is not a good day.

Finally finally UPS came and as he was bringing my package, I waited for him by the door~ he goes: "oh Hello there! Waiting for this?" I said: "Yesssss ALL DAY LONG!!!!" (in a super chipper voice lol) ~ What arrived was my glamcor lights~ superior design, and none-heat producing LED lights, which is the most important factor in addition to the design and portability for me. Lights make me very hot and uncomfortable and thank god for such an invention! OK OK Enough rambling for now! :)

New Beauty + Fall 2011-2012 Makeup Trend Report [trends I'm into, that is]

2011-08-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang
Photography: Rummy Makmur

Model: Lauren Loveless @ Stars Model Management SF

*pats myself on the back* For taking further steps at separating my Bridal from Commercial/Fashion work. I am also very proud of this image :) The makeup before and after post processing is barely noticeable! Big *high five* to Rummy Makmur - again, we pulled out ALL the stops! YAY! Special thanks to AJ for sending us Lauren. We absolutely love her....!

On the day of the shoot, I had a few makeup looks in mind, but after seeing her face, I decided to go with a look fresh off the runway, 2011-12 A/W Gucci show in Milan - I summarize the look as the following:

- Flawless, beautiful "Porcelain" skin

- Perfect vampy lip

- Perfectly Symmetrical Brows

- A lot of mascara - clumpy and sexy

- Classically lightly defined eyes

I definitely had a strong feeling about these lips.. I can't believe it I did this lip 3 times the last MONTH. I had to just get it out of my system, and I am happy to say I probably won't be doing this lip until...whenever it's "in" again! lol!!!!! That day we also did the D & G Fall look with a twist with the graduated faded lip, but I think that this image above is the strongest from the set. :)

And then funny funny thing is when I received my Bazaar Fall Fashion Issue, Coco Rocha rocked this makeup look in those Saks Fifth Avenue ads. It's funny to me because last fall, I had absolutely NO CLUE what is trendy for fall. I think my trend predicting antennas are growing a little stronger ;P This was just one of the looks that I loved loved off of A/W 2011-2012.

Also found in Bazaar this season - PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL BROWS!!!! oh yes, and FULL too.

Sorry for the caps, but I wanted to say that if you meet 10 makeup artist, 50% will say: "Brows are sisters, not twins", and the other 50% will say: "Brows SHOULD be twins" - and I say: "Brows should be twins in the perfect Grecian tradition" - Symmetry IS beauty I say!!

And guess what!?!?!? It's the RETURN OF THE PERFECT BROWS! My glory day has returned j/k j/k~ It's just that... I definitely belong to the 50% of the artist who cannot stand asymmetry in brows. Yes, naturally brows are most likely going to be sisters - Only very few people I've met had perfectly symmetrical brows, and when I see them I cannot stop staring at them and admire them with my mouth agape! No brow product or anything, just perfectly symmetrical. I like them longer and fuller - and tamed into perfection.

If your brows are not perfectly symmetrical, there are ways to shape it to "appear" perfectly symmetrical. For that, you really need to go to a TRUE brow artiste and not just any esthetician out there ;)

ALL my clients and models I've worked with know that I am into symmetrical brows...lol....If you come to me with brows, I will most likely inquire if you go see someone for your brows, and if not, why not? What can I say...I just love beautiful brows. Jordan @ Scout told me she loves how I do her brows~ :)

What can I say, at least for this season, I WIN! *does a victory dance*

There is no "I" in Team!

2011-08-21T23:05:00.000-07:00

Makeup, Hair & Manicure: Elizabeth Chang

Photography: Rummy Makmur
Models: (left) Morgan @ Stars, (right) Jordan @ Scout
Post-Processing: London Retouch

I know...I was planning to do a whole blog post on this and that, but I've been a little bit occupied with work! That's a good thing right??! Got bills to pay! :P I am uber proud about my recent projects. This one above in particular - The last shoots I worked with, Morgan on the left, and Jordan on the right, I was not 100% proud of the images, so I requested an opportunity for a re-shoot, and during the re-shoot, I planned everything myself, including coordinating the models, making the schedules/call sheet, and Oh yeah, doing Hair/Makeup/Manicure for both models - all by myself.

Sometimes you just have to make things happen for yourself. Every single person who participated at this shoot, we pulled out ALL the stops!!! ALL of it. The difficulty was HIGH, but despite the challenges, I am just thrilled we got 3 images out of that evening for our portfolio. It's not perfect, it's not the most exciting thing you've seen in the world, but to me, that day I really pushed myself harder and was able to say that I reached my goal and not just "oh man I wish I could have done this..." I am only as good as my team, and man - we were an AWESOME TEAM that evening! The models were prepared, and we were all excited to make some magic. While we stuck on schedule (to the clock!!! woohoo!!! Go team), I also had the pleasure to share some personal stories with Jordan, and we all enjoyed listening to Morgan's 2 month adventure in Milan! Her stories showed her courage and determination, living alone in Milan, was really inspiring to hear. Persistence and Perseverance - what better qualities can you have if you really want to succeed in something?

Special thanks to amazing Audre VanBroers, who introduced me to London Retouch, whom I hired to post-process the image for us! If you go onto the website, you can also see the other Beauty story I did with Audre VanBroers, another thing I am uber proud of!

Oh yes, did I mention - Tereza from London Retouch also decided to use our image as her banner image!!! SF represent!! Of course, thanks to Stars Model Management & Scout Model & Talent Agency to trusting me once more with their beautiful and talented SF Beauty models I've had the pleasure to work with!

Lastly...I'll probably be blogging a lot more once October rolls around... but for now, I've been working on my "new" website: http://elizabethchangmakeup.com [It's just a face lift from my former fashion/commercial portfolio website]

You can click there to check out some of my new work that...I just haven't been able to blog about!

My journey continues...!

2011-08-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Has it only been 8 months since this entry? Unbelievable...!

I have so many posts to write, but somehow this is the only one I want to write today. As you may or may not know, I just celebrated Skyla Arts' 2 year anniversary. If you look at the beginning of my blog, you will notice the first post is June 30th 2009 - that's when I first started building my portfolio - every photo you see on the blog was done between June 2009-today. I used to have a tag line on my website along the lines of "Providing 100% client satisfaction since 2009" and I was advised by a photographer to remove that line because the last thing you want is for your clients to think you are NEW or GREEN. I talked about this when I was taking private 1-1 classes with 2 amazing hair dressers earlier this year...and the one in Taipei said to me: "I hear you say they think you are like a little kitten, shinny and new? hahahaha" It was also super funny because I am born year of the Tiger - I prefer to be a Tiger over a Kitten any day! :P

I was throwing out images from my print book (11x14) - okay not throwing, but basically updating it and I felt like time really flied by...where did the time go? Did I really do this photo in Feb of 2010?! That's 1.5ish years from today - what the hell?!?! Never did I think that I would be training assistants this year - in March, Erika+Melissa approached me at the same time. I remembered what it was like for me when I first started, and I am forever grateful for the people who helped me along one step at a time. But...when I first started I never ever got to experience these shoots or assist like this. I certainly tried contacting artists, but they didn't write back, but every where I went, I brought my book with me, anyone who had years on me (photographer, hair and makeup artists, wardrobe stylists) I would ask for their feedback.

Anyways...to make a long story short, on Sunday, my assistant Erika Taniguchi flew solo on a job! I was so proud to see her bring her kit on set, pack it neatly and cleanly, show up right on time despite the marathon going on in San Francisco, be prepared to take over my post so I can rush home for gig#2. I made sure she had everything, and I took off knowing she will rock it!! I met Erika at the Tommy Hilfiger gig Fall 2010, where she was an assistant, she didn't assist me, but that was my first time ever having an assistant, and at the time... I had no idea what to do with an assistant because I never had one. It really wasn't that big of a deal but afterwards when they approached me, I thought about what I would have liked to do if I were an assistant (when I first started out), and I tried to do it with that mindset in mind! I still assist if someone gave me the opportunity and I was free that day...! I assisted artist Lena Chavez last fall, and she told me after 10 years, she still assists, and I find that incredibly inspiring and I completely agree with her, and I hope that I will have more opportunities to assist as well!

The clients on Sunday (where Erika took over, flew solo!!) had nothing but great things to say about her professionalism and skills, and I can't feel happier hearing this! ! ! *wipe tear* lol j/k~ lol definitely some happy tears. Because Erika does not have a makeup and hair portfolio *yet* as she has a graphic design background and her port is awesome there, we all took a risk of sorts - since it's her first time flying solo on a job (without a portfolio), client hiring her for the first time on a job, and me leaving her allll alone for the first time on a paid job~ I felt like I needed to push her a little bit to build her confidence. There are some things you need to figure out all by yourself and and I think it all worked out in the end!! One big happy story woohoo!!!! *HIGH FIVE* I can definitely relate though......... after leaving my brief assistance-ship or internship of 3 weeks July 2009... I felt really scared to be out there all by myself in Los Angeles, going to strange places, meeting strange people (also known as networking lol...) this is probably more entertaining for people who have been doing it for 10 years but...these past 2 years felt like an eternity. I can't believe it's only been 2 years!! what the hell! lol....!?!?!?!?!?

Okay okay...I blabbed enough for today...some new work to come next post, I promise!

Recent Hair & Makeup Works - online!

2011-07-17T21:56:00.000-07:00

I am way too behind on my blog...May through July is just one big blur of bridal, commercial, portfolio upgrades...! So...instead of a text heavy post, let's have an image heavy one! These are screen shots of recent online features or works! I am also very thrilled to see more of my hair and makeup work on Georgiou Studio's website! Lots of excitement, I guess..a lot of early mornings, packing/unpacking kit, and going to bed to fall asleep between 10-11pm due to exhaustion! Ok ok enough rabbling~! :) Will have a meatier blog soon! <3

Cover of July's InStore Magazine!

2011-07-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

Photography: Laura Tillinghast

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (me me me!)

Jewelry: Yael Designs

Model: Khrystyna @ Look SF

Woohooo!!! This is my 3rd magazine cover - but actually, it is the first time the magazine printed my name! The previous times, they did submit the info, but it was unfortunately omitted, and it felt really bad to be honest...a few tears later, I just thought that eventually it will happen - and it DID happen!!! 3rd times the charm I guess???

You can view the E-magazine here but also, the image is also seen on http://www.instoremag.com/ ! Liz=Happy! ! ! !

Yay! Finally name credit~~ *tear*

San Francisco Engagement Makeup [Vivian & Richard]

2011-07-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

Makeup Artist: Liz
Hair Stylist: Glam-up
Photographer: Junshien International Photographers

Congratulations to Vivian & Richard, who tied the knot June 18th, 2011! These are from their engagement photo shoot, which happened in May - rescheduled due to the rain! Thanks again to Junshien for the referral!

I also wanted to thank Vivian, for putting up with my runny nose on the engagement shoot makeup day! :( I had caught a cold from the traveling I did, and definitely wasn't at 100% that day...! And...I felt super embarrassed when I was doing her makeup and my nose would be running, and I had to RUN to the bathroom, wash my hands, and then continue! :( I felt really bad...but I was relieved that everything turned out OK in the end!!!

On their day-of, I arrived in SF, at the Glam-Up salon to get Vivian ready, and usually I ask where they are getting ready instead of where they are getting married/having reception...and it turned out...Vivian knew my cousin's bride, Jen, who happened to have their reception on the same day at the same venue, AND they knew each other because they went to the same graduate school!! What a small world!!!!!! Vivian told me they were going to take a photo together - I can't wait to see it - as well as the beautiful photos of Vivian & Richard's big day in Sharon Heights!!! ^o^ For now, please enjoy the beautiful photos of their engagement session, taken by Junshien International Photographers! I loved both of their outfits! These are some of my favs, but Junshien also made a slideshow of their photos from e-session in HD on their blog! Check it out!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is my busiest summer yet...! I am not complaining and grateful to be blessed with wonderful bridal/commercial clients! The sun has been waking me up EARLY and then work work work, collapse=sleep deprivation! Finally a day off this Sunday, I collapsed at 9:00pm last night and slept till 8:33am! Intense deep sleep and I think I am caught up because I feel great!! :) :) :) I really need to update my portfolios/blogs/facebook, etc...! <3 I need to charge up for my busy week ahead and 'destination wedding' in Monterey, CA! woohoo~ I am excited. Have a great 4th everyone...!

Picnic! [Kids Photography]

2011-06-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

Models: Casey & Kai @ JE Model Management SF

Makeup & Photography & Prop Styling: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)

Photography Assistant: Erik Leung
Hair: Erika Taniguchi

Wardrobe Styling: Andrea Schultz Igreja

Yayyyy! This photo shoot finally happened! We had to reschedule twice due to the rain during spring time, and finally finally it came together! While it's not my first time working with kids, it is my first time coming up with my own ideas, finding the locations, getting the props, shooting the photos, and putting together a team! I've done those tasks before, but not all at once. While there's still room for improvement (like always!! ^^), I am very happy with the results! We were blowing bubbles towards the end, and everyone was having fun!

I want to thank Shannon @ JE for being patient with us with the rescheduling..! And of course, my team members Andrea, Erika & Erik. Casey & Kai are adorable, and are such troopers! May-June 2011 has definitely been the craziest ... I need to organize my computer, and keep up with my blogging! I'm also super excited to share more photos from weddings/bridal clients when the photos come back! For now please enjoy super cuties Kai & Casey! :)

Behind the Scenes [Beauty shoot - Jordan Part I video]

2011-06-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang
Photography: Novi Angelomio
Model: Jordan @ Scout SF

Woohooo!!! A reel!!! This one I recorded myself with my little CanonS95 and used CS5 After Effects for the first time~~~ It was really intimidating opening that program, so I had to watch a few youtube tutorials and ask Erika for her advice! Anyhow...the indoor lighting during the shoot was very warm, so I applied a cooling filter to color adjust the video! Again it's my first time fiddling around with that stuff, so nothing fancy, not effects or anything.

We did a clean look before this, and I wanted to keep the look very 'classic.' Jordan's face looks a bit like Rachel McAdams/Kristen Bell/Rachel Evan Woods combined in some of the angles, but she is stunning! A lot of my work features really clean makeup, and I find that perhaps people might think that's the only look I know how to do...so I really wanted to do the classic smokey eye look and add some variety - I also want to do different colors smokey eyes later, but I wanted to start off with the "classic" one! I'm looking forward to see the images! :)

Because Jordan's skin was a little dry that day, the foundation had a bit of trouble adhering in the nose area...which is why I decided to pull out my airbrush. Now if I didn't tell you that, could you have known and noticed the difference? :) Like I say..the airbrush is just another brush, another tool in my tool box (Albeit a slightly more expensive one).

The whole shoot had a bit more of a New York vibe to me than the Bay Area...but I feel like it's good to change it up, keep it loose and interesting!

Outtakes & Behind the scenes

2011-06-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

My hands are perfecting Rachel's hair! ;) I'm happy only my hands were in the shot!

natural WIND in the hair - not from a fan!~

Model: Rachel @ Ford SF

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)

Photography & Styling: Audre Van Broers Photography

Some outtake shots courtesy of Audre! ;) It was windy!!!!

"Why are Professional Makeup/Hair Artists so expensive?"

2011-06-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

This morning, I woke up and saw a photographer posted this helpful post titled: "Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?" and after reading through it, I feel like if you just switch some words in the sentence around and replace it with words related to makeup/hair services over photography, the article totally works to answer the question "Why are Professional Makeup/Hair Artists so expensive?" Well...of course as the vendor providing the service, I honestly don't feel it is expensive. When I was a bride, I also expected my Hair/Makeup services to cost about this - anything less expensive I would start to wonder how they make a living! I guess this is a post that's a continuation of my previous blog post this year "What you should know before hiring a makeup artist"

I've seen so many threads on wedding forums talking about the 'sticker shock' and I bet a thought that crossed their minds are: "If it only takes 2 hours to complete my hair and makeup, WHY does it cost x?! This is robbery! They are extorting me just because it's my wedding! "

Similar to photographers, the time we spent on one client is not just the few hours we spend performing the makeup and hair service, but additionally, makeup artists need to:

Administrative (Respond to inquiries, emailing, phone conversations, setting up and confirming appointments, preparing contracts and invoices.)
Perform makeup & hair services at a trial or consultation appointment.
Clean & pack kit, double check kit, load it on the car.
Travel to the session
Setup, prepare to perform services.
Perform the services
Travel from the session/return
Unload kit from car, pack & clean kit
etc etc etc.

On average, I spend 6-10 hours min. per client. If I also take the photos for photography, then the list is the one above, plus the one in the photography article! Some clients only send you 5-10 emails, and others send 50-60+. So...while on average I spend 6-10 hours, some I spend double the time. It depends on the circumstance, and no client is exactly alike! Therefore, in a sense you are always receiving a customized service.

Then, there's experience/expertise. As wedding coordinator Christine told me during our first meeting about the importance of hiring a professional makeup artist something to think about is: Can the artist complete the service in the specific setting [Bridal]? Can they handle the time pressure, understand time management and also satisfy the demands of my demanding [insert friend/family name here]?

In the article, they talk about Wal-mart/chain store photo booths that gets the job done fast, with a standard push of a button, and if the child cries, then there is most likely not enough time to care what the outcome is, and "you get what you pay for." But a personalized service provider would take the time to take care of the child, make him/her laugh and deliver a great photo. On a similar note, if you want to, you can go to a Mall, or to a specific makeup counter, pay $50 in product purchases, and have the "makeup artist"/sales associate do the makeup for you for the occasion. What if they allocated 30 minutes, but did not completely finish, but there are other customers ready to pay for other products and the makeup artist/sales associate needs to stop the complimentary makeup application, and actually make more sales, as her salary/wage depends on actually making the cosmetic sales, and not how lovely of a makeup job she does for you? What a sales associate sells is the products, but the makeup artists sell only the service. On the same note, why not just buy the products, and do it yourself? The authors of the article puts it beautifully:

"A pair of scissors costs $1.50 at the drugstore. Still, most people will gladly pay a lot more to hire a professional hair dresser to cut their hair."

On that note...Do you remember the translucent powder fiasco? You might have seen it on the gossip news or something and the big thing was that it was Makeup Forever's HD powder that caused it but only visible with flash photography. In the end, if I recall, (feel free to correct me!) it was said that Nicole Kidman did the touch-ups herself in the car, and not the makeup artist. Makeup artists would have known that you would never use that much translucent powder, whichever the brand! My point is...is it really worth the risk on an important occasion like your wedding or your very special events to walk out like this by either doing the makeup yourself, or paying a "chain store" for the $50 worth of products and makeup application at the makeup counter?

The bottom line - it's an investment, and there are some things that are worth the investment!

New Makeup & Hair work!

2011-05-31T12:47:00.000-07:00

Model: Rachel @ Ford SF

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)

Photography & Styling: Audre Van Broers Photography

This is my first time working with Audre, and I was really looking forward to the shoot. She is really awesome at styling and photography! Audre is one of the few photographers I know that does both fashion and wedding photography. I really loved the synergy throughout the whole shoot, and we completed the shoot very efficiently. I really enjoyed trying out the strong eyebrow look - I thought it would look good with some of the outfits. The changes in the 2.5 makeup looks were subtle, and we did 4 slightly different hair looks. Can you tell that I had loads of fun?? :)

Sometimes I put a lot of pressure on myself because there are goals I want to achieve, or the client has very specific requirements, and I am racing with the clock - in those situations it's just like any other type of job out there - work. I'd say it happens about 50/50, but the other times, I can't believe how quickly time went by because work is very enjoyable! And I tend to prefer blogging about those times, too~! :) I love making people look & feel beautiful, whatever the occasion. When the client is happy, I get all giddy too! While I worked really hard last weekend, I was super happy through it all, and I need to remember that feeling and let it help me get through challenges I might face in the future...!

Anyways...! I am running out of my comp card (the 4x6 post cards we give out in our industry, mostly artists and photographers) and I think I am going to put one of these on my new comp card! I am excited to have new images on there! :) I think I might make one for my makeup/hair, and one for my photography now - before they were combined just for the ease of passing out one card, but I think because of how separate my target clients are for the 2 categories, it really makes sense to make 2!

Ok ok, enough of me babbling! I hope you enjoy the photos and that everyone had a great memorial weekend!

Beautiful Morgan + Hair accessory Rental!

2011-05-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

Model: Morgan @ Stars SF

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)

Photography: Rummy Makmur
Makeup & Hair Assistant: Erika Taniguchi

For Bridal makeup, it is trendy to enhance lashes (false lash application) or use an airbrush - but I love love the natural clean look. It's my style (and it's apparent) but that doesn't mean I cannot deliver smokey eyes for bridal as well! It all depends on what the client wants, and what would look good on them. I give a lot of options, but sometimes my clients prefer if I just do it on them! ;)

I am excited to announce that as part of my bridal and special occasion service, I will be providing accessory rentals! Instead of it being an extra expense, renting an accessory is a fraction of the cost. The only thing I require is a security deposit that I will return to you in its entirety once the accessory is returned safely. The one on the model is one of my favorites~ I didn't think of myself as a feather person, but as long as it's small and tasteful, I like it on an accessory.

Early rise tomorrow for a wedding gig tomorrow! I knew this was going to happen - spring/summer/early fall months are always the busiest in my industry, but the pace of life went from relatively balanced to woaahhh it's been over a week since my last 'day off'! Hope everyone is having a lovely memorial day weekend! :)

Behind the Scenes [Beauty & Hair Editorial Story]

2011-05-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Model: Morgan @ Stars SF

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)

Photography: Rummy Makmur
Wardrobe Stylist: Andrea Schultz Igreja
Makeup & Hair Assistant: Erika Taniguchi

Is it me, or is it getting HOT in here? :P Rummy approached me about submitting to an editorial and I thought...we need a stylist! Fortunately, Andrea whom I've worked with previously came to the rescue! The focus of the editorial is hair accessories, and the theme is the model needs to look hot/bothered/frustrated. & of course sweaty! This photo shoot took place at my humble abode, and I had to REALLY clean my kitchen hard core - it was my own idea to best utilize the cool colors of my kitchen to contrast the neon colors for the wardrobe and makeup. I have to say...my kitchen never looked so good...and it would never look so good again without gorgeous Morgan sitting on it! I loved Morgan's look and her energy. She goes for it, and has a positive aura around her and a pleasure to work with!

The challenge is to make Morgan look sweaty - but it was actually a cool evening. Not only did we crank up the heat, my special formula to create the "sweaty look" worked fairly well I must say! woohoo! Since it was an evening shoot, we were running short on time towards the end of the evening - The first look in the photo above (top left), was for my book - I had purchased some hair accessories for bridal and was eager to put it up in a photo, and special thanks to Rummy & Morgan for allowing me to put my vision into reality. With editorials, sometimes you really have to look at the concept, and the wardrobe, and decide on the spot what you wanted to do for the makeup & hair. Because of the bright colors, I decided to play with my OCC lip tars that I had purchased from The Makeup Show in LA, and went for a gorgeous orange shade. Morgan had long and voluminous hair, which is exciting to work with, but I decided on the spiral curls which was time consuming. We changed from up-do, to bohemian-chic curls, to sexy teased mane, to side pony, to side fish-tail braid. We really rocked it, team! :) *high five* Special shout out to Erika, my talented assistant for this shoot! Because I don't have curtains installed, I wondered if my neighbors could peer in, and I wondered what they would think: "Wow there's a GORGEOUS girl sitting on her counter top...not the usual Asian lady cooking in the kitchen today" lol.....! This story will be out in June! Stay tuned for more of beautiful Morgan!

Georgiou & more!

2011-05-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

Hair & Makeup for http://www.georgioustore.com/

I had the pleasure to work with model Jana (left) twice, and Nicole (right) last time for the catalogue shoot! I was half-way done with Jana's hair here in the little behind the scenes shot I took with my phone! It's nice to see the end product on the website all together. I've been suffering from a cold - it's hard not to get sick after traveling and having been in contact with a lot of people who had a cold! :( I've been doing everything I can to recover, because I've got a busy work weekend! Today is like my 'weekend'~ errands, etc! I gave my cat Skyla a surprise bath after clipping her nails! She did not appreciate it at all, but after a while, she was happy to dry up by lounging in front of the space heater!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Beautiful Bride Jill! [San Francisco Bridal Makeup & Hair]

2011-05-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

Makeup Artist: Liz
Hair Stylist: Carolyn

Congratulations to Jill & Walter! We feel honored to be a part of your big day!

Jill was referred to me by Manya K from Southern California who worked with Jill when Jill was a BM in a wedding down in SoCal! Because I was referred by Manya, Jill decided to forgo the trial - it was our first time meeting each other on her big day! :) The before & after was snapped while Carolyn was styling the hair for Jill's girls, and the photo of her girls was snapped before their hair was done! Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the 3 of them all done up, but we will receive photos from JM Productions, the photographer & videographer!

Jill was also so kind to write me a review on my Yelp page (copy & pasted below!):

"Thank you Liz and Carolyn so much for making us look so beautiful! Everything was perfect :) I got many compliments on my hair & makeup!! Best of all, it lasted ALL day and night. Most importantly, I let the tears run during our ceremony buy my face stayed intact thanks to Liz!

Thanks to Liz and Carolyn I achieved the look I wanted and they helped make our day picture perfect :)

Our 8 and 14 year old daughters' hair and makeup was done, too, and they looked beautiful! They made their hair and makeup look just right for their age and they both loved it!" -Jill

We look forward to seeing their beautiful wedding photos! ^.~

My Kit: as it is April 2011! [Image Heavy]

2011-04-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

I've always enjoyed seeing how other makeup artists pack their kit and recently there was a request on a forum to see specifically a ZUCA kit...so here is mine! ;) with captions! I bought the ZUCA Pro at the MAC PRO store my first year, and I decided to do that because it was the same price as the regular ZUC A, just that I had to pay shipping on top of the sales price and sales tax...so it's just annoying that there's a "MAC" logo on it, but I bought the ZUCA Pro backpack at LA IMATS in 2009, and there was a *small* discount and FREE shipping and I found out that they are based in Los Gatos, which is here in the BAY! I snapped these photos as I was unpacking my kit from a shoot~

Crammed in there is my hair kit, makeup brushes & hair brush, extension cords, and MISC. items like extension cords, body lotion/hand lotion/oil, extra ziplock bags! Hair dryer has a nook there to hang ~

My brush roll - from the sigma kit~ I keep face brushes here!

And..other brushes in my Jane Iredale (discontinued) hard brush case, and all my bobbypins/hair ties

Tissues/disposables, hair products, polish remover, brushes

Top left pocket: hair sprays, altoids (!?) and mirror

Lower left pocket: Mousse, dry shampoo, and...magnifying glass~ ^.~

Right pocket (with the heat protected pocket): Hair straghtener, 1inch curling iron, Heat protecting matt

and in the inner pocket, teasing brushes/rat tail combs

On to the outside of the rolling case..I use the outer pocket to put my "SOILED" ziplock, tape to tape up trash bags, and plastic bags for my trash if there is no trash bin~

Main inner pocket: makeup cape, disposable palettes, and palettes

Upper pocket: Transforming gel, loose pigments~ so if it spills, at least it would be in this pocket

lower pocket: alcohol sprays, brush cleaner etc.

4 of the clear cases, and the top one is the smaller one from the Zuca artist backpack!

Hiding on the mesh top is my Nail polish kit!

Nail polish!

All laid out~ my other curling iron was hiding on the side~ there's also room to put a brush roll if you wish~

Prep & Prime materials~ and yes, my favorite PCA Anti-redness serum! Also in here are highlighting cream/gels, and HD blush

Face - foundations, concealers, powder, blush~

Eyeliner, mascaras, brows, eyeshadows

my yaby pink foundations, lip gloss, lipstick palettes, lip liners, MUFE flash colors also live here

...and voila~ restored into their rightful places in my studio!

Another view!

I do need space to lay out the clear bags, but I don't need to remove every product out of them. I unzip them all the way, or half way, depending on the space, and I stack it on top of one another, and move it to the one I need~ and only grab the products I need - but I can place them right back in there when I'm done, so packing is literally unzipping everything, and stuffing it back to the case. The hair kit/backpack contains most of the materials I have to completely remove out of the cases, so there is a bit of 'tetris' involved in that one~ But I'm getting more and more used to my set up! I think the most work is involved replacing it back into my studio, or moving it from my studio to my kit for cleaning or having clients at my studio...unfortunately I don't have $$ to have 2 setups and never have to move it~!

I hope the photos were helpful and/or interesting!

Makeup, Hair & Photography for Amber! [Mountain View Portrait Photographer, Makeup Artist]

2011-04-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

Model: Amber

Makeup, Hair & Photography: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)

Meet my gorgeous client Amber! She wanted some portraits done for herself, just to look back and remember how great it was to be young and beautiful! ;) She also wanted some for work, and brought along a jacket! Amber selected the "Single Natural Headshots and Portraiture Package" that includes 30min of shooting time, and one fully edited photo (including skin editing). She selected the top left photo, which also was my favorite one!! Yay! We managed to fit in 3 outfits in 30min! While I was doing her makeup & hair, her friend was calling her for financial advice, and Amber patiently listened to her friends' concern, and found the answers meticulously - I can tell that she is a person who cares a lot, and definitely very trust-worthy! So when it came to the more 'work' type portraits, I wanted to capture her trustworthiness :) We had a fun and productive afternoon ~!

Top Model Spotlight: Marcus Schenkenberg

2011-04-08T23:08:00.000-07:00

Iconic image! My fav!

I was working on my airbrush post...but I got bored of it half way, and..it's been a bit crazy recently, so today I decided to blog about Marcus Schenkenberg instead! ^o^ The first male model to grace the cover of Harper Bazaar - these classic images of him are definitely my inspiration!

How I got to remembering the greatness of Marcus....(lol) If you ever read my reviews on Yelp.com about businesses I patron, one of my stress-relievers is mindless comic reading (mindless=image and fiction appreciation! not deep thoughts and thinking!), and my husband has been encouraging me because he wants me to stop working after dinner time and kind of "draw my boundaries" - one of the difficulties of being freelancers is to stop working! (or start working when you really don't want to! hehe) So...the only place that I can rent comic books is closing down FOREVER, and there are no other stores in the bay area that lends you photos. SO...I still had $25 dollar store credit and I can purchase comic books, and the series I wanted to purchase, my husband talked me out of it!! I'm like!?!?!? But either way, thinking about that Taiwanese comic artist, he based his male characters after models~ and in his recent work "獨領風騷" which is incidentally about modeling, there are some poses that were clearly inspired by Marcus Schenkenberg's photos! Especially the one above!

Calvin Klein Campaign!!

I saw Marcus by accident on TV in my tween years in the 90s. Yes yes...giggle giggle~ Dream Boat for a young teen. Most of the fashion information I paid attention to was from Japan at that time...mostly makeup - but with Marcus, I was just really intrigued by the IDEA of a male super model! It was so revolutionary to me, and sooo fascinating! He's been a model since 1989 and he is still doing it in 2011! He is currently represented by Ford Models in NYC. That's a 22 year career! Granted, the height of his career was in the 90s, but, it's a fact that he really set the stage for future male super models, and I think...taken some of the most beautiful photos, ever! :)

Marcus more recently~~~

I highly recommend reading this article written in 2003 "Marcus Schenkenberg: Fearless"! You will also see a lot of other classic Marcus photos there, too! In particular, as a 12 year old, I was also particularly in awe that he can rock ANY look - including heels and stockings, whatever makeup they put on him, whatever wardrobe, he just works it! At times I just need to remind myself that whatever resources I'm given, if I'm part of a team, and maybe my idea wasn't taken into consideration, sometimes you just have to go for it!

Some youtube clips I found - the 2nd one has some of the best photos! The Versace ones? I think? They are BW with a woman..unfortunately I cannot find the images on line! But anyways, check it out!!! :D

One more of Brittany!

2011-03-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

Models: Brittany Ward @ Look

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Makeup & Hair Assistant: Melissa Yue
Photography: Novi Angelomio

An encore! ;D a smiling Brittany / Lifestyle!

B/W Emotive Fashion featuring Brittany @ Look

2011-03-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

Models: Brittany Ward @ Look
Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)

Makeup & Hair Assistant: Melissa Yue

Photography: Novi Angelomio

One word: HOT! Novi & Brittany escaped the rain and storm that came to SF Bay Area last week! It's been raining all week...I had to reschedule a photo shoot that was scheduled for Today - so I don't feel so bad because it was actually raining! :D If it was sunny I'd be banging my head against the wall in frustration lol...You can't control the weather! These photos really captivate the weather~ kind of gloomy mood~! Brittany shared that she is really into Cereal - after the shoot...I was at Costco and I saw Chocolate Cheerios and I bought a whole box! nomnomnom! Since the weather is "sort of" warming up, I'm excited to stop eating oatmeal, and eat cereal for a change!

I did a soft smokey dropped-eye shadow on Brittany~ It was my pleasure to have Melissa assist me. She is very interested in shifting gears in her career~! Normally for 1 model I really don't have much assignments for my assistant, but it's good preparation to establish rapport for future larger gigs. I'm excited to have assistance for future gigs ;) I'm happy with how the hair and makeup turned out! Love her beautiful brows!

You can view a larger version on my Commercial Portfolio ! And if you haven't been there yet, you should check it out! ;D Stay tuned for my next post: "Demystifying Airbrush"

A Nose Job!?!? [Tips on enhancing your features with angles/lighting/contour - image heavy]

2011-03-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

This post was inspired by my hubby's comment last night! Part of it was also the current events about the Korean actress suicide notes and pressure to perform plastic surgery....but anyways...let's move on back to Namie ^^. I was watching a new Namie Amuro video (if you know me, then you know she is absolutely my favorite performer and of all time and a style icon!) and my hubby said that: "10 years later, she still looks exactly the same! How did she do that...suspicious!" My favorite Namie going under the knife?! no way...I thought! My conclusion is, NO she did not go under the knife! But I made a couple of observations!

photographed by Karl Lagerfeld in Paris 2009

I never actually thought about it, although in high school one of my friends told me that you gotta look at photos but cover up the rest of the face and concentrate on the suspicious areas. lol ~ I never really want to suspect MY dear Namie getting any work done! So I did a google search, and I found some images

And the caption said she did her eyes and her nose! lol to the eyes comment because the angle/make up is completely different...the same with the nose! The photograph in the left is around 1995-1996, I think some media appearances for her movie "That's Cunning" !

And then I found this on someone's live journal entry! The quality is not very great, but you can see that when the angle is the same, her nose looks the same. One thing she definitely fixed was her teeth! Getting braces can really change your face shape/lips as well! (Not that I'd recommend getting braces if you don't need them!) So I did a little bit of image juxta-composition myself to compare!

I fixed my teeth! :D

The image from the right is from album cover PastFuture 2010! It's actually tough to find a photo of Namie in this angle because it's not the most flattering for her; and well, she's been in the industry for over 2 decades...hundreds of magazine covers and 6-8 page spreads later, She knows how to work her angles! Also in 1996, it was not a trend to wear false lashes and contact lenses to alter your eye shape and make your eyes larger. Fuller brows also frames your face differently (in Namie's case, it slims the face as well) Photoshop can also enhance the features by defining them (dodging and burning), and sometimes over photo shopped images can make you look completely different! So we must pay attention before drawing conclusions (like she got a nose job lol)!

Above is another image I put together with the dates! As you can see in 1996, her eyes have always been HUGE...and that's partially because Namie is 1/4 Italian, from her mother's side. So her nose looks much flatter if photographed at that angle!

From the side, her nose looks much higher/taller instead of broad/flat. Angles of her jaw also similar, so no facial reconstruction either. If you really ask me...I do notice some collagen loss on her cheeks and that's due to aging ^^|| You can't get 10+ years older and not loose any collagen! She has great genes and probably takes great care of her skin and health (No smoking, little drinking, sunscreen!) The rest...well that's photo shop! ;) In her youth her lips looked really full because of the shade of lipstick she chose (to compliment the tanned skin "Amuraa" look she made so popular in the 90s!) - and lighter shade of lipsticks also make your lips fuller. Now she opts for more natural colors! Remember that UVA sun rays damage our DNA/Collagen on our skin, so remember to protect the collagen on your lips by using lip balm with SPF! Then you won't need any lip fillers in the future! :) Oh these images are so classic~ *Nostalgia*

Small Tips on enhancing your features in Photographs:

1) Flat light will make your nose flatter. Ask for harsher / higher contrast lighting

2) Contour & highlighting ! Using cooler toned powder or contour kit and a smaller fluffy brush, you can create the illusion of a higher nose by contouring the sides of the nose, and the face to bring out cheek bones, and your jaw line. If makeup enough is not enough, you can also continue to emphasize the shadows during post-processing/photoshop stage of the image production stage.

3) Find your angles! This will require you to practice in the mirror. If photographed up-front, Namie will look like she has a broader nose, but from below, it makes her nose thinner & taller! You can also tilt your face slightly to the side to get a quarter profile (tall nose!) No need to go under the knife!

4) Trial & error for the right brow shape to match and frame your face shape! This part takes patience, as the growing it out phase sometimes is not too pretty! But a big mistake is overly thin brows. It can make your face appear much wider than it is!

And lastly, find a great makeup, hair and photography team!! ^o^ Professionals use similar tricks you use at home (ie: false lashes to enhance the lights, or photographing under certain lighting to get the most flattering light!) to enhance your features and achieve the look & feel you are going for! Anyways~ I hope you enjoyed the post and the pretty photos! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

NEW Skyla-Arts.com

2011-03-11T22:13:00.000-08:00

A new and improved Skyla-Arts.com is up and running! I'm really helpless at CSS, so I'm really proud of myself for at least getting the hover effect to work! This process took over 2 months to organize the 2 new websites, and there's still some fine-tuning work to be done on the Bridal website (which will be a modified version of my former website), but the *new* commercial/fashion portfolio, is available at http://portfolio.skyla-arts.com or the middle link! Last but not least, to the right is my skin care business. Now everything is under one umbrella, but still separated so that the website is targeted towards your needs or interest. Still some work to do, but *PHEW* at least my menu is done!

Bridal website: http://skylaarts-bridal.com

Fashion/Commercial Portfolio: http://portfolio.skyla-arts.com

Harmony Skin Solutions (Skin care, advanced treatments): http://harmonyskinsolutions.com

Check it out! :) Have a great weekend everyone!

Website(s) is under renovation!

2011-03-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

If you stopped by my website today, you might have noticed there's a temporary message on the top instead of the usual website! I am in the middle of a DNS switch and reconfiguring of my website! Major face lift... In the mean time, please contact me at skyla.arts@gmail.com if you have any questions or if you need to inquire for makeup/hair/photography services! Thank you for your patience & understanding!

Kris - Beauty

2011-03-07T12:10:00.000-08:00

Models: Kris Jung @ Stars Model Management
Makeup, Hair & Manicure: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Photography: Rummy Makmur

I've been back from LA last week and finally returning to a full swing of things with photo shoots and bridal trials happening this past weekend. I was just really occupied with enjoying the show that I took absolutely 0 images! I even brought my camera with me, but the whole time I was just focused on either working the yaby booth, grabbing items for my kit (including the airbrush kit! woohoo!) and attending the classes that I signed up for - as well as networking and receiving VALUABLE constructive critique from different artists! Now I am convinced I need to get an iPad lol...! Let's see how I do by the end of this year. ^o^ Other news, I've been busy working on my new website and trying to get it to function! And the last step will be to re-configure my current website and then...Voila! Rebranding done! yay!

I am very happy to share these 4 images ~ There was one more but I found that these were the stronger ones that I like! Especially the black and white ones. I want to thank Rummy again for letting me take the reigns on the creative direction in this one! :) I wanted to do the darker kind of looks, and I had some magazine clippings/inspiration images that I saved ages ago. ^o^ Kris (the gorgeous model) and I might get together and film a makeup tutorial! *maybe* But hope you enjoy the photos! :) And keep stopping by! Don't forget about me!! hehe

Behind the scenes / January Beauty Shoot & Glossy Eye look experience

2011-02-21T16:51:00.000-08:00

First photo shoot 2011 in my humble abode! 01/22/11! It took a little over a month of planning to make it happen, and I am grateful that I was able to choose what type of artistic direction I wanted to do with Rummy as the photographer. Additionally, I had to clear my dining area - It's still not in the most ideal condition right now, but trust me, before you could not even see the floor! I had to clean clean and organize like a mad-woman this Christmas/New Years! The purple-ish room in the back is my makeup studio! And we used the hallway as the studio ^o^ I used the super sticky post-its to make the "x" marker! :)

Introducing Kris from Stars Model Management! Working Look 1! I was going for a darker/moodier feel to the first two looks and I have to say my favorite results came out of the first look! :) yay!

Look 2 (a) - I wanted to try something different with the lips, but it was competing with the eye makeup so I decided to....

<3 Dewy skin~

Use a nude lipstick instead! ^o^ Look 2 (b)

Look 3 (a) Before putting on the Glossy Lids~ It was really pretty on Kris


Look 3! Before putting on the Glossy Lids~ I don't have any behind the scenes of the glossy lids because it was so short-lived~ =P

After contemplating for days what to do with the 3rd look, I decided to go ahead and try the glossy eyelid look after watching Jordon Liberty's Glossy Eye Tutorial. It was my first time trying it out - and when I looked at the film, I was like whaat whaat~ Am I really bad at putting on mascara or something? Why were the lashes clumped so crazy - like spider legs? I apologized to Rummy profusely, but after stressing out about it for 2 days, I discussed this with my mentor, and she speculated that perhaps I put a bit too much gloss on the lid, causing it to slide onto the lashes and clump the lashes - I think that's exactly what happened~! I look at the eyelashes before the glossy lid was applied (2nd photo above) and while it was not as perfect as mascara ads, it definitely did not look like the mangled mess that happened after the gloss. *phew* I am not the type that lets things slide...while there's no need to beat myself up about it, I think makeup artistry is not unlike other forms - it's a process, where you research, trial/error, perform, and re-do/repeat until you get exactly what you want!

I will be off to LA for the Makeup Show this week - it'll be my first time driving from the Bay Area down by myself *Fingers Crossed!* and I'm excited about the trip! I hope everyone has a great week! Can you believe it - it's already the last week of February!!! I for one, cannot wait for February to end and March to be BETTER than February!

Men's fashion story Sneak Peak!

2011-02-18T23:12:00.000-08:00

Photography: Laura Tillinghast (Laura Tillinghast Photography)
Grooming: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Wardrobe Styling: Katie Quinn (Q the Stylist)
Model: Gabriele @ City Model Management

Super new sneak peak!! After months in the making, it's finally here! Can you tell I'm excited?! lol...I am thrilled to expand my men's fashion portfolio. At first it was tough to decide on a model with so many great options, but after taking a vote, we decided with Gabriele but before/during/after the shoot, it was a consensus that we definitely selected the perfect model for our concept~! *HIGH FIVE TEAM!!* Everything came together beautifully - I especially love the orange zipper detail! Katie said the designer made the jacket just for the shoot! Super neat zipper! Lol that is a lot of exclamation marks! Sorry but I'm excited! :) :) Have a great long weekend everyone!!!

Introducing...Harmony Skin Solutions!

2011-02-16T23:43:00.000-08:00

I am excited and proud to introduce Harmony Skin Solutions! I tried my best to blog more, but with the truth is, I've been busy going to advanced training courses and launching my new skin care business along with my friend and esteemed classmate Liliana Aranda whom I've met from Aveda - a spankin' new (mainly) on-location spa and chemical peel service. The product line we chose to use on our clients is the reputable PCA Skin - one of the few brands cited on medical/dermatology textbooks. We hope to help men and women obtain and maintain healthy skin by fitting skin care services into your busy schedules. So! If you are in the Bay Area, don't hesitate to book your appointment soon!!! :)

Just to share a little bit of the story of Liz & Liliana, we got along at the get-go on our first day attending Cinta Aveda Institute. As esthetic students, we would perform services on each other in the intro-phase of our studies (before doing it on clients at the clinical-phase). The thing is, we had 10 hours of class a day, and I had to wake up early to commute to San Francisco, so by the time we are exchanging service, it was like my nap time - I was OUT. So when Liliana was treating my skin, and doing the massages on me, it was then she saw a green color, a distinct Reiki experience! (For those unfamiliar with Reiki, please check out the Wikipedia link! ^o^). For further details of how it happened, you would need to ask Liliana since I was completely asleep! But during the course of intro phase, Liliana experienced the green color twice with me (while I was asleep!) The green color corresponds with the Heart Chakra - most commonly associated with harmony, creativity & nature. I know to many it might sound a bit mystic, and at first I was very intrigued because it was my first time learning about Reiki, but it made perfect sense that we would experience the harmony color, as it exemplifies our relationship. It was a mere coincidence that during our first official business meeting, I pulled out my netbook sleeve and it had the birds on a tree branch, and Liliana was wearing a necklace with a silhouette of a bird sitting on a branch!

The funny thing is...I decided that I wanted Maria to be on our website and brochure for advertisement, and now I REALIZE subconsciously, I also picked her because of her GREEN eyes and the color of her hair - very earthy. I did her makeup/hair and photography with my *new* lights. I am excited for all the potential growth in my business as an esthetician, and also as an artist.

Published cover & 6 page spread

2011-02-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

Model: Ryan Guzman @ Look
Makeup: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Photography/Hair/Wardrobe Styling: Ian Maxion

Last week was kind of a tough week...with a lot of not-so-positive things happening. Getting my second cover, and my first 6 page spread would have been something really exciting, but the magazine omitted my name in the credits, as well as the model's name. I asked around, and apparently it happens more often than I thought - the magazines don't really care about how important receiving name credit is for makeup artists...well anyways...Rant over..! The up-side is, the spread turned out really nice~! No matter what, I'm still very proud of my work, and our work together. If you want to view the online issue of the magazine, you can click here! The shot of Ryan jumping in the air is pretty amazing~ I didn't select it out for my portfolio previously because I thought you can barely see his face (for my makeup/grooming purposes of my portfolio) but now I'm thinking of sticking it back in there!

I've had to do a lot of thinking about my growing business. Because it will be encompassing 3 different facets (Bridal, Fashion/Commercial, Skincare), I'll most likely split it into 3 so that there's more focus. It's just a matter of.. there's only one of me, and so many things to do before I'm happy with the way Skyla Arts is organized! Ahh...! I'm currently working on 1/3~ anyhow - hope everyone had a nice weekend and enjoy the photos!

Fashion Story featuring Tate @ JE Models

2011-02-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

Models: Tate @ JE Models (right)
Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Photography: Novi Angelomio
Wardrobe Styling: Wendy Shiverdaker

Super excited to share these with you! Team, we rocked it~ ;D Can't wait to work with everyone again! Even though the focus is a fashion story, I'm glad we got a little bit of Beauty/Lifestyle in there too! :) Our work is also featured on JE Model's Blog yay! Although I hoped that they would list me & Wendy as part of the team, too! ^o^ It's also now used as Tate's profile photo on JE's website! yay! Please enjoy the photos!

Bride's Choice Awards '11 from WeddingWire

2011-01-31T09:26:00.000-08:00

Yay I received one of these too~ :D May 2011 top 2010! :D

Updates: I will be blogging some more after cleaning up my studio! ^o^

Little by little, a bird makes its nest!

2011-01-21T21:48:00.000-08:00

I am all set for tomorrow's photo shoot! woohoo! Since it will take place at my home studio, I've already prepared everything, including vacuuming and sweeping my entire 1st floor! I've been working reaaally hard the last month to get my downstairs in a good condition so that I won't have to ever feel embarrassed about having people or clients over at my home studio. Finally the satisfaction of being able to drill things into the wall and arrange furniture EXACTLY the way I like it is such a HUGE satisfying feeling! My studio is looking closer and closer to my dream studio~ oh I am going to get teary-eyed just looking at this photo!

Some of the things that are out on the counter top have a place in the closet, but since I'm getting ready to just RUN once the model arrives, I gotta be prepared! :) That's just...my personality and preference. If I can plan and organize EVERYTHING before the client gets here, I will. I'm a ... planner! While some of my friends and family can be "cross the bridge when you get there" - If I can foresee a need to have Plan B or even Plan C, I'd already thought of it, and prepared for it. Hey - better safe than sorry, right? ;)

The director's chair is what I travel with on location so I protect my back while doing makeup application. The black chair is for styling hair, and has a makeup cape resting on it~ I need a shorter chair as I would not be able to reach my clients if they are seated on the director's chair! (Unless I am 180cm+ or 6ft+!!!) To the left, I have my plastic container top that I've had FOREVER for storage, and to serve as a little portable table for hair products~ I've painted the top to customize it (recently). My latest addition to my hair kit is 20 1.5mm hot rollers from National (Japan), and now I can do a full set of hot rollers if I choose to! My hair pins in a clear box on the table, and then you see a white area - which is my brushes, covered in a clean pillow case until I'm ready to use them tomorrow, and the towel in the front is my sanitary maintenance area and covered inside is a beauty blender, puffs, disposables, implements (tweezers, etc)! Next to it is my disposable wax palette that I use to scoop out makeup stuff on to! Behind it is my makeup, and skin prep stuff, nails stuff! And I absolutely love my sneaky paper towel rank, installed to my table! :D

Now I just have to get enough sleep and get going tomorrow in the A.M! :D

Romantic! Photographed by Pat Ramos

2011-01-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

Models: Svetlana Maxim
Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Photography: Pat Ramos

Because I often don't blog chronologically, (which I should!! I should make a list or something!) when I go through my folders it's like discovering beautiful treasure and I feel~ ^o^ To create a softer look, I skipped eyeliner and did a very light drop shadow look which was requested by the beautiful model, Lana. In case you couldn't tell already, I really love this style, as it's closer to my aesthetic...but I also like darker, gloomier looks, and bright colors depending on my mood! This weekend I'm working on a dark/gloomy/edgy shot and I'm really excited! Anyways - back to this photo shoot! We decided to shoot at my new favorite location just 1 mile away from where I live~ ^o^ So far I've done 3 shoots there! (with Jason, Lana, and Tate! but at different spots) I really love her bangs~ and the pink dress she chose for these photos - although Lana said that's not her style - she likes short tight things instead! ;) The purple top has a lovely line that accentuates her back. The sunlight gave a very ethereal feel to the whole shoot. Uber-Romantic! I admit, I'm a huge fan of the pastel color palettes. Lilac, coral/peach, rose, apple green, baby blue, eggshell yellows! <3 I'm proud of these too even though this was the day I broke my Yaby Bronzer (I know...very tragic!! lol) but I hope you enjoy the photos! :)

Men's Grooming featuring Mayer Marx @ Ford Models

2011-01-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

Models: Mayer Marx @ Ford Models
Makeup & Hair/Men's Grooming: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Photography: Novi Angelomio
The Best Reflector Holder in the world: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts) (!! lol)

Oops! I forgot to blog about these! :) It was one of my favorite shoots to date! The top black and white photo is my absolute favorite from this set! It's just so emotive...! I was holding the reflector board for Novi, and after that she told me that I'm the BEST reflector holder ever! And I take great pride in being great at that! lol! Seriously though - it does make a huge difference in terms of contrast and I'm proud to have contributed to the shot in addition to doing the men's grooming. This is also the first photo shoot that took place in new Critterville (my humble abode!) and I was super excited that the color of the exterior to my building worked perfectly for the shoot!

Mayer is one of the most professional models I've worked with and I was really impressed by how he organized his wardrobe for the shoot. Everything was perfectly folded and organized accordingly in his bag. Because I was done with the men's grooming earlier than anticipated, we were waiting for Novi to arrived and in between I had more time to talk to him about proper skin care and sun block and Mayer asked me what he should buy and where he can buy the right products, and ended up buying them! :) That makes me super happy too because healthy skin is beautiful skin, and it will extend the model's career! It's funny that sometimes people think they will never get old in their 20s...and one day you wake up and...well... I don't need to elaborate on what happens! For me it's not really about what the industry might value, for me taking good care of your skin is part of taking care of your health!!! Healthy skin is beautiful skin!!! @o@ We were all chatting during lunch and talking about what's considered as "women" category (for models) and that apparently after 21 you are considered old! It really reminded me of the song by Ladytron...and Mayer said: "Seventeen!" (the song is called Seventeen, from Ladytron's album Light & Magic) where they sing "They only want you when you're 17, when your 21, you're no fun" ! @o@ But anyways...enjoy these photos! Such eye candy! ;)

Behind the Scenes featuring Tate @ JE Models

2011-01-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

Models: Tate @ JE Models (right)
Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Photography: Novi Angelomio
Wardrobe Styling: Wendy Shiverdaker

Another great photo shoot with an amazing team! :D It was freezing though - okay well I'm in the Bay Area so I should not complain because this is probably nothing compared to the East Coast but it's still challenging to be in a colder environment for the whole team, especially the model! Tate is a talented New Face a very sweet young girl to be around! Tate has naturally voluminous curls, and when I peaked at her portfolio, most of her hair was worn curly and voluminous in the photos. At that point, I decided I wanted to do something different and straighten her hair! And when I was done, I was super proud of how her hair turned out! :) I've been slowly gaining my confidence with regards to styling hair but...Makeup and Skincare will always be..."my thing";) Her natural hair color is beautiful!! It naturally has highlights and low lights, and a lot of natural volume! Super gorgeous!! Wendy did an amazing job with the wardrobe! I unfortunately missed the first outfit in my behind the scenes because I was occupied , but I think we ended shooting 5-6 outfits!? We were super productive and efficient! Go team! My favorite outfit was the first one (that I didn't take photos of!!!) with the coral shoes! And then the coats....the prints~ ! It was a joy to watch Tate work the clothes, even though Tate would occasionally get stuck in the muddy location and sink, you wouldn't even notice because you would be busy watching her movements and her facial expressions! I'm so happy to purchase my little CanonS95 for the behind the scenes and captured these images! Novi and I were both very happy with the results, and we look forward to Tate's amazing modeling career ahead of her!!! :)

Love how her hair looks here! ;) Wendy's coat is beautiful and works lovely with the monochrome skies!

Tate trying not to sink into the mud! ahhh

Amazing outfit #3! Real Coat! Novi shooting away!

Wendy! Helping Tate change out the accessories!

The light started to change into a nice orange/coral color! Wendy was saying: "THANK YOU MOTHER NATURE!" ;)

Photo courtesy of Tate's Mommy, Shana! :) Touching up her lips after a quick snack in between

The skies were AMAZING. I love my little camera! <3

I feel like I was having a mini photo shoot of my own~ I LOVE silhouettes!!!!

<3 <3 <3

My shot of the day!!!! :)

Our team! Photo courtesy of Tate's Mommy, Shana~ :) I love how we are all smiling! <3 <3 <3

Stay tuned for the final images from our photo shoot! :D yay! Emotion: Accomplished! ;D

Portraits by Skyla Arts [Makeup, hair & photography]

2011-01-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

Model: Y.L.
Makeup, Hair & Photography: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Photography Assistant: Bochan Kim

Meet my client Y.L.! She needed some portraits taken to use on her online presence, and she was interested in a more natural portrait. I had a lot of fun working with Y.L.! She was the first one to make a comment on the books on my book shelf!!! I was super excited!! :) This took place in July, and at the time I was offering a free masque treatment before makeup application as a promotion. It was really funny because she was my first client to receive a free masque treatment, but I'm used to applying it on the client when the client is lying down (on a facial bed), so I had said: "This is my first time applying a mask like this" and she was like: "Really!?!?" I'm like: "Nonono not my first time applying a mask on another person!" Sometimes when I'm concentrating on doing one thing - like makeup or applying a mask, I am so focused I don't finish my sentences. Oops! I explained and fortunately Y.L. didn't panic or lose faith in my abilities because I didn't finish my sentence. lol

Below is her testimonial for me on Yelp:

"I don't wear any makeup (I'm the kind of girl who often goes to work in the morning with my hair wet and lets it air-dry there), so when I needed to get a professional photo taken, I felt rather helpless. Liz of Skyla Arts came to the rescue.

I found her to be a consummate professional, from the initial appointment setup to how she was careful to listen to my preferences, while still proferring guidance on what she thought would work best. She has a delightful personality that set me right at ease at her home studio (she also has a friendly cat!).

She handled makeup, hair, and photography, which was wonderfully convenient for me. I went for a more natural look, and even so came out looking probably the best I've been. She also offers some light retouching, but frankly, if I hadn't managed to get lipstick on my teeth (I'm graceful like that), I don't think I would've needed any changes or enhancements at all because the shots came out great. I'm quite proud of the resulting photos and wouldn't hesitate to recommend Skyla Arts to anyone. I'd feel comfortable using her for other occasions as well; I definitely got the sense that she has quite a range, as you can see in her online portfolio, and it's really just a matter of what your needs/wants are."

Thank you again for writing such a wonderful review for me Y.L.!! Unfortunately...Yelp really sucks. What happened was, after she wrote my review, I added her as a 'friend' on yelp since we live close by and it would be nice to read each other's reviews on restaurants and such!! As SOON as I added her on yelp, the review got FILTERED because clearly it's BIASED. There's no way to reverse the filter, and when I talked to Yelp, I also found out they make it a pain in the ass to change the order and edit our profile ON PURPOSE unless you pay $4200 a year to advertise on Yelp! The thing is - Yelp is great for most things, but they are not the kindest to vendors, especially if you do not pay $4200 a year to advertise. This is just my personal opinion! On Weddingwire, when you are listed there for free, they don't impose such restrictions about editing your portfolio and the order of the images. If I wanted to delete, I'd have to do it ONE BY ONE.

Anyways~ Sorry about the rant about yelp. Yelp aside, I had a really great time working with Y.L. and also, thanks to my husband, for being a great photography assistant! <3

Exfoliation 101: Mechanical vs. Chemical

2011-01-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

A while ago, I was working on a list of blog ideas that I plan to write about – and after I reviewed the St. Ives apricot scrub, I think my first skin topic should be EXFOLIATION! Even though I didn’t share this publically because I wasn’t really sure what it would mean for my business (but now I do know! Stay posted!), I’ve been - or I am - a graduate of Cinta Aveda Institute for Esthiology and a licensed Esthetician. A makeup artist does not need a license to practice, but I feel…that right now, armed with expertise/knowledge (and a license!) of the skin, I definitely feel more confident touching someone’s skin, and I remember when I first started, I was reliant on the information the model/client told me about their skin and just glancing at it, but now that information is important reference but I can just touch and know! A wonderful feeling! I just wanted to put a disclaimer out there that I’m not trying to sell one product or another and specifically did not mention any specific product, but to help you choose your proper exfoliation! This is my professional recommendation – what I share here is what I would also tell my clients.

Exfoliation is interchangeable with refinement or desquamation, and basically the goal is to remove dead skin cells on the surface of your skin. How often you exfoliate depends on your skin type and condition, but as a general rule, 1-2 times a week is a safe frequency.

The Benefits of Exfoliation:

+ Improves skin texture (smoother & softer, helps maintain hydration level of the epidermis – definitely a huge help to makeup application!!)

+ Eases deep pore cleansing, extractions, product penetration, and more effective delivery of ingredients into the skin.

+ Increases cell turnover rate – and brings new cells to the surface faster.

+ Stimulates blood flow and circulation

+ Exfoliating the body can prevent ingrown hairs that happen during shaving or waxing

+Exfoliating the side of the arms can improve Keratosis Pilaris

Everyone can benefit from exfoliation! But conditions that can really be improved with regular exfoliations include: oily, congested skin (blackheads/whiteheads/minor acne breakouts), and dry, dehydrated skin with cell buildup, flaking, tight dry surface that often looks dull, grey, and lifeless. Exfoliation can also alleviate surface hyperpigmentation in a way that evens and brightens the skin. For acneic skin (like my skin!!!), taking care of dead skin cells is essential as they can trap sebum, dirt and bacteria and cause an infection/breakout. However, over exfoliation can deplete the acid mantle – the protective lipid barrier of our skin – and allow bacteria to flourish, and escort free radicals from environmental dangers into our skin - and hello, hyper pigmentation and DNA damage and collagen loss! lol...

Click "Read More" to read more about Mechanical vs. Chemical exfoliation...!

There are two types of exfoliation: Mechanical and Chemical. Mechanical involves physically sloughing off dead skin cells from the skin’s surface. Ingredients like jojoba beads, crushed nuts or plant material, or even plastic are added into skincare products to achieve the results (Yes…including the St. Ives apricot scrub I’ve marked as “hell-no!”). Using a wash cloth, or a rotary/pulsating brush like Clarisonic, is also considered mechanical exfoliation. One word of caution – mechanical is great for normal, combination to dry skin, but not ideal for congested skin, especially not for skin with active breakout or infection. The risk of the rougher material can open the infection, and then as you are scrubbing, you can spread the bacteria all over your face. If you have your heart set on using the clarisonic brush, choose the gentlest brush and lowest setting, but I wouldn’t recommend using it every day...Microdermabrasion also falls into the mechanical exfoliation category.

Chemical exfoliation, on the other hand, achieves the goal through chemical action by acids (alpha hydroxy/AHA and beta hydroxy/BHA acids) or enzymes, like papain (papaya extract) or bromelain (pineapple extract). Enzymes break down the lipids that act like glue/cement that holds the dead skin cells together, and thus help exfoliation. Other ingredients like resorcinol, retinol/Retin-A/Retinoic Acid etc. flakes and thins the skin, promoting cell turn-over and also the flaking of the dead skin cells on the outer most layer of your skin. Chemical peels - medical grade or the kinds I'm licensed & certified to perform, usually involves a blend of AHA/BHAs/TCAs (trichloroacetic acids).

Many exfoliating products on the market are also chemical and mechanical, meaning it contains chemical ingredients like acids or enzymes that will help loosen the bonds between dead skin cells, as well as granulated beads or even buffing pads! One word of caution though: if using a rotary brush like Clarisonic or the neutrogena/garnier pulse pads, you still gotta clean them afterwards with antibacterial soap, and then store in a cool, dry, sterile place (ie: Not in your bathroom!!!) or else it will get mold and mildew and bacteria and then you are rubbing it all over your face the next day! ewe! ;P

The key is to choose the RIGHT type of exfoliation for YOUR skin. These are just some examples: Salicylic Acid, a BHA is a great chemical exfoliant for acneic skin (unless you are allergic to aspirin and salicylates - but you would probably know if you are allergic to aspirin or not! ^^). A reason not to go with an AHA if you have acneic or sensitive skin is they are more sensitizing - and if the chemical is too active or strong for your skin, you can have an adverse reaction (like Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation)! Mechanical exfoliation is ideal for normal/dry skin types while chemical exfoliation - having a broad range of ingredients, can be customized to target ALL skin types and skin conditions. Please consult your esthetician or dermatologist to recommend the right exfoliation for your skin! It's easy to read reviews and recommendations from others or see an advertisement from skin care companies and become easily convinced that you need to run to the store to grab that one product you were thinking about or considering. I want to do the same thing too! It's just natural!! When I read it in beauty forums, I get sooo nervous about those threads! But without looking at your skin type, it's really hard to decide what's best for YOU - and isn't the most crucial part?

The Dangers of Exfoliation
There's a reason why an average consumer should not take home a microdermabrasion machine or professional-grade chemical peel products or try to buy them online...You can seriously hurt yourself. Did you know that you can actually injure your skin by just exfoliating too much/too roughly? If you use products too harsh for your skin type, or chemicals inappropriate for your skin color/Fitzpatrick scale, you can EASILY cause hyperpigmentation - which can a type of skin injury. Sorry for the bold face, but I can't emphasize this enough! Your dermatologist probably tells you how important is to wear sunscreen with UVA/UVB Protection (Look for "Broad Spectrum Protection" on the label, or SPF30+ AND PA+++)

After Exfoliation:
1) Replenish your lipids and nourishment that will help rebuild the acid mantle with toner+serum+moisturizer
2) Wear sun screen during the day time & replenish during noon-time if possible. For women, use makeup with SPF and when you touch-up you get some replenishment for your sunscreen.

Let's face it - we all have a budget!!! But when it comes to skin care, reaching for your favorite drugstore brand for the majority of the time is not a good idea BECAUSE they contain filler ingredients and fragrances that are just not good for your skin or your health. Doesn't mean all of them are bad! Before deciding that you cannot afford quality products and need to resort to...oil of oxxx products...., please check out your local Trader Joes and Wholefoods. At Whole foods, I discovered a LOCAL brand I LOVE called EO (Essential Oil!!) Love love..! Actually - I first used the hand sanitizer with lavender essential oil that Liz Yu brought at the Yaby IMATS 2010 booth - and when I saw it I became an instant fan! I'll be writing about Certified Organics during my next skincare topic so stay tuned~ ! So stay tuned!

Studio Renovations & Evolutions - Sneak Peak!

2011-01-05T22:38:00.000-08:00

Ta da ! ! ! ! ! Today the electrician came in to install the lights....I'm trying to forget the part where he tried to rip me off about sanding down my door for me (He didn't ask if I would like him to fix it - he just went and got a file and filed my door, and then asked me for extra money!?!?!?!?!?!?!) Anyways...When I first started my business in 2009, I was living in Los Angeles - in Koreatown, and I used my Dining Room as my studio. Remember this? And this?

Because of the book shelves, I couldn't install wall lighting BUT fortunately for night time I had a ceiling fan light that was really bright, and then I have the vanity light plus a desk lamp (albeit a very nice and chic looking desk lamp lol) My travel cases were enough to fit everything back then. My kit grew with different kinds of products/skin care..and I think the biggest 'growth' factor is really the hair stuff! My first set-up was a very humble set-up. I was assured by fellow makeup artists that my set up, while humble, is very normal and I should not feel embarrassed by it! :) Fast forward to 2010 when I relocated to Mountain View...Actually I took the photos but never bothered uploading them so here they are for the very first time!!!

Another rental unit, but I found some temporary lighting solutions from Ikea - You can see that it's not too attractive because the lights go into a plug - which made the lighting installation today totally epic!!! :D Anyhow....The paintings you see on the wall are painting by Me! :D And I also added some display to the work. I also invested in a Zuca bag as my kit~ and then ....hair products and more stuff. :D Nail products for backup~ And 2 small side tables. Oh and this is a town home rental so the entire bottom floor has a Kitchen, but the rest of the area is for my studio and office. My computer (not shown) was in the other corner which makes it convenient to show clients stuff if need be. And behind is a comfy leather couch for guests' significant other or friend. So...Right now in my room there's no couch, but I do have a nice chair for guests' friend to sit!

For a time being, I decided that I would select out brushes and JUST use those~ it's a pretty good idea for a bridal trial! :D A little display for my business card and my 2 vendors ~ ;D

And....Drum roll! This is a sneak peak of my current set up!!! :D :D :D Taken with my iphone~ sorry for the bad quality! Super excited!! I covered the brushes after I took the photo! I became a label freak but it's a GOOD thing to be neat and clean, I think! :P I'm in love with the long table set up~~~ and the drawers and the baskets~ <3 Now all I need is to do some makeup! :D

Mascara Advertisements - how do you feel about them?

2011-01-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

Keeping up with my new years resolution of trying to blog more, here is a topic I've been hoping to write about! I loooove x 100 Emily DiDonato's face - she is in this commercial and other Maybelline related ads, and she is also the face of Armani's Acqua Di Gioia fragrance. At first when I saw that ad, I thought it was Raina (runner-up from America's next top model whom I'm dying to work with!) They have some similarities - but I loooooooooooove their faces. That innocent but seductive, perfect face!

To get back on topic...I forgot and don't know who started this trend of advertising mascara by showing false lashes in the commercial and claiming it to be the results of the mascara...no matter what the model and the artist were told to say behind the scenes in this video ...(which I really enjoyed watching because I would love to work on a beauty campaign! Amazing model, amazing makeup artist!) But... Really?! "It looks like falsies but it's just mascara" but not only does it look like falsies, you can tell they are falsies...! How do you feel about mascara ads using falsies? I for one - really hope that one company would stop this trend and actually ...just use mascara. Hire a model with amazing long lashes!!!! They exist!!! They don't even need mascara so imagine what mascara can do to their lashes!!!

Nowadays it's so hard for me to decide which ones to purchase because all of them cease to convince me anymore...do you remember Sarah Michelle Gellar's Maybelline ad almost 10 years ago? Well since this was the days BEFORE HD TV, there's no way for me to go back in time and scrutinize the ad like I can with all of the current ones (which runs nicely on my 1080p screens!)

It looks like the close-up might have had some falsies in there, but again hard to tell - But the ad is much more believable to me! Maybelline is just an example...you open up a magazine, and you see a mascara ad and BAM it's false lashes.

Then along comes America's Next Top Model in 2003 with the cover girl ads and how it is incorporated into the show - it's genius how they use the products and show it behind the scenes! The thing about the Maybelline behind the scenes...if you pay close attention to the behind the scenes video at 0:51 seconds - 1:24min or try pausing the screen at 1min21 seconds. When she is applying the lipstick at 0:51 - what she is holding in her hand is a Japonesque empty lip palette (that I happen to own too! :D that is exactly what I do with my lipsticks..saves space and oh so light weight!) with lipsticks depotted inside and there is no evidence that the lipsticks are purely Maybelline products - but of course this ad is mascara but...you would ASSUME they only use Maybelline products, provided by the company right? Pause again at 1:24 and the opened palettes - again, other than the mascara she is holding on her hand/advertising, I see a whole bunch of other products that are non-Maybelline. My point here is not to pick on an amazing/accomplished makeup artist, but to point out that what you see advertised is not always what's used in the advertisements...it might be used sometimes in some companies...but it's a known fact that what you see in the ad is not what's being advertised...

Cosmetic companies spend Top Dollar to hire the Top Team to produce those ads to sell products to you; they can do it with a very sizable marketing budget and a team of marketing/advertising experts and hire the best models, wardrobe, makeup/hair & production team. High-end brands, or Drugstore brands - it doesn't make a difference! I'm all about promoting a good product and discovering gems in drugstore brands - especially mascara. It's a hard fact to accept - but drugstore vs. high-end mascara really makes very little difference. I'm leaning towards focusing on finding a few Great drugstore brands in my kit and keeping that ONLY since I gotta toss it every month and after experimenting, I've found comparable results in my experience. Mark-ups in cosmetics are 100% - so when you are purchasing a $30 mascara, the real price of it is $15 - and out of that $15, I don't know the exact breakdown, but I'm GUESSING (this is my professional speculation) that perhaps 20-30% goes towards producing the product, another 20-30% goes into packaging and the rest is going to advertising! So again thinking of that $30 dollar mascara, $15 is the company's profit but a bulk of that is money spent on packaging (including the design, and the unique 'brush' of the mascara) and advertising...so yes, you are paying for $1-3 dollars in just the material of the mascara itself (the stuff/goo inside you are putting on your eyes) even with a $30 dollar mascara.

As you might already know, I'm a strong advocate for being a responsible consumer. Does the company use recyclable materials (post-consumer recycled packaging? if so, what's the percentage?) Does the company do animal testing? Is it certified organic/ are the ingredients obtained ETHICALLY and are the ingredients SUSTAINABLE? Living in a Buy-Buy-Buy Capitalist society, we are constantly bombarded with messages to buy and buy - but the question remains: "Is this mascara worth my money???" So...I guess to conclude this post, I want to take the opportunity to thank the beauty bloggers and youtube gurus who took their time and money to review the products for us! Thanks to their reviews, you don't have to rely on these advertisements! I also really think that bloggers who have blog sales are doing the right thing!!! If you're not going to use it, sell it or give it away if it's sanitary (nono you cannot re-sell mascara..and lipgloss/lipstick is kind of on the iffy line for sanitation reasons - the buyer has to know how to sanitize the lipstick before using) and as long as the products are well-within the expiration date and not expired. I do appreciate reading the reviews, but it's become a real turn-off for me if I see someone buy EVERYTHING out there just to try it out...all the packaging...all that plastic...!! That's why I love P-chan's blog! Instead of sharing 'hauls', she is sharing the products she used up and loves! She gets 5 stars in my books! Seriously...! <3 Don't waste, and think about your carbon foot print and recycle! <3

What you should know before hiring a Makeup Artist

2011-01-01T11:31:00.000-08:00

Happy new year!! May 2011 top 2010 for everyone!!! I can't believe I'm blogging again today since I blogged yesterday! This is one of my goals...to blog more but...I'm realistic, I can only try my best! ^o^

This post is inspired by a recent conversation I had with my sister-in-law during her visit over Thanksgiving, and also my partner's fraternity brothers who were visiting town recently. The core of what led me to write this post is unsanitary practices I've witnessed in the past - and also, I become really surprised when models (who get makeup done all the time for their jobs) would compliment me for being super sanitary and when I pull out my disposable mascara wands, they say to me: "Oh it's so good you are careful (with mascara) and use disposables!" My reaction on my face is: "You mean...you've worked with OTHER ARTISTS WHO DON'T USE DISPOSABLES WITH MASCARA!??!?!" But most people don't get their makeup done everyday (unless you are a reality tv star! ;P) and so I'm wondering if clients who are searching for their makeup artists, or go to a trial session know how check these things. I've had my makeup done for my brother-in-law & sister-in-law's wedding (it was nice to receive makeup application for once!!!) but I was freaking out the whole time...I can't help but wonder how these artists get away with those things.....freaks me out.........so how do you separate a good professional makeup artist, and....not? These are 100% my personal opinions and sentiments~ although they are shared by many artists out there!!!

Before I get started, I highly recommend the following blog posts by makeup artist Jessica Jean Mayers:

Not-So-Glamorous Life of a Makeup Artist & Weddings - Makeup Artists rule to live by ! When I saw these posts I can't help but go: "Omg~ so true~ exactly how I feel~" ^^|| So I'm going to follow Jessica's footsteps and add a couple things in my own blog just in case you don't know these things already!

What you should know (or find out!) before hiring a Makeup Artist (abbreviated as 'MUA') / Indicators of professionalism

1. Does the artist practice proper sanitation?

...Basic, but can be overlooked. I've seen scary stuff in person, and especially on youtube...*shiver...* gives me the CREEPS.

Good sanitation practices to look for:

Does the artist use clean brushes and sanitize the brushes in between clients?
Does the artist wash hands or use hand sanitizer before touching your face? Does the artist wash/sanitize hands in between clients?
Does the artist use palette knifes or disposable spatulas to remove cream/liquid products from a jar onto a clean surface (clean hands or clean palette) and using a clean brush or clean fingers to apply it on your face?
Does the artist clean the implements in between dipping into products (aka: not double dipping and preventing cross-contamination?) Does the artist use disposable mascara wands?
Does the artist disinfect tweezers and scissors with proper disinfection solutions?
Does the artist bring clean implements (tweezers, lash curler) and disposables in a clean or separate container, free from exposure to moisture and bacteria?
Does the artist place soiled items in a designated bag (for reusable items) and throw disposables/trash away?

Bad, unsanitary practices to look out for:

Does the artist use products straight from the tub of product and on to your face? or straight out of a mascara tube?
Does the artist apply lash glue straight from the tube?
Does the artist uses a lip brush straight from the tube and then double dip on to the lipstick to apply more lipstick on your lips?
Does the artist BLOW on the lash glue or the eyeshadow brush OR the blush brush!?!??! Do you like spit on your face? or near your eyes on the false lashes?!?
Does the artist have a habit of touching his/her face and hair before touching your face?

Unfortunately you can only find out these things from either former clients, or meeting them for a trial session. If they don't practice good sanitation habits on you, they probably didn't on their other clients..and round and round the germs goes...! I can't stress how important it is...I'm probably considered very strict on even the little-st things, but I know artists who are as strict as I am - and I can tell you that if the artist doesn't practice sanitation practices, you can get:

Pink-eye (conjunctivitis) or Staph (MSRA) infections in the eye area
Herpes Simplex (cold sore) - can be spread from mouth, to the nose area or even eyes
Exposure to blood-borne pathogens: HIV virus, Hepatitis, etc.
Actually - there are many more communicable diseases you can catch...Tetanus/Diptheria, food poisoning, tuberculosis, strep throat, blood poisoning, pneomonia, typhoid fever

What!? HIV? from makeup application? lol Yes chances are lower than say a bacterial infection - but sometimes when you tweeze brows or if their skin have open sores/abscess where blood comes out (including acneic pustules or just injuries where there might be blood), and let's say they use a dirty/contaminated brush or implement, and then apply it onto YOUR face and you just happen to have open skin (think cuts, sores, or open skin from acne) then bam! You are exposed to blood-borne pathogens..Do I look like I'm joking around here? In Asia it's common to use a blade to groom brows - but if you are not careful, you can easily CUT - no matter how small the cut is - and if you don't dip that implement into approved disinfection solution for 10 minutes (immersed), and then cleansed before using it on the next client, you are exposing all of your clients to potential blood borne pathogens.

How do you know the MUA is doing all of this behind the scenes or even in front of me?

YOU as the consumer and the client are RESPONSIBLE for preventing unsanitary practices from happening to you. If during the trial session, the makeup artist comes at you with the mascara straight out of the tube, it is YOUR right to DEMAND a fresh tube of mascara and using disposables and PROTECT YOURSELF from getting pink-eye or staph infections! If at ANY TIME you are uncertain, it is your RIGHT to stop the artist from using contaminated materials on your face.

Of course, hiring a 'true professional' and not a hobbyist will make a difference, but how can you REALLY tell before meeting them? You still have to be vigilant and protect yourself!!! I went to a reputable spa one time to check it out as a potential work place (No I don't want to work there after my experience...) but at the end of the service, the esthetician FORGOT to put sunscreen on my face, and when I asked the front desk to ask for me, she confirmed this and then told me I can use the 'mineral makeup with SPF' with the kabuki brush on the counter - first of all, the brush is obviously exposed to germs and not covered, and second of all, IT WAS DIRTY. I demanded a brush cleaner and thankfully the receptionist brought it over quickly - this is my right - I ain't gonna expose myself to unnecessary germs and definitely not going to expose myself to UV rays after a facial!!!! I haven't really gone to another spa since~ but I'm sure other spas are not like this! Unacceptable in my books. I had this conversation with my friend who is a dentist - and we were both like "EWEEEE!!!!!! THAT'S DANGEROUS & GROSS" lol...but really, you don't have to be in the medical profession to spot bad sanitation practices and appreciate good sanitary makeup artists!!!

Please click to read the rest of this blog~ and see #2-4 and my conclusion to this post! :)

2. Does the artist charge too little, compared to other artist in the area?

As Jessica puts it - the rate should reflect the quality of the service ~ but it's comparable to YOUR area only. Jessica puts it beautifully - she compares with other artists in Toronto area- and not makeup artists in Kentucky, or Maine, Missouri, New York, or Florida! The "art" world (yes including makeup artistry!) is a free-for-all environment so you can charge WHATEVER YOU WANT - and whether or not it's fair or a good rate, or enough to make a living, that's really up to the 'market.' I often see threads on weddingbee (I go there sometimes! To see what brides are concerned about!) asking: "Is this too much to pay for a makeup artist and hair stylist?" And let me tell you - unless the person responding to you lives in YOUR city or in your area, that information is absolutely useless to you. In my opinion, artists should not only look at the other artists in the area they serve, but also match up portfolio-level. If my portfolio looks about the same as another artist in my area, then chances are we charge about the same! If you read Jessica's blog you might get some insight about the kind of things and labor the rate also include - like why there's travel fees, etc. If you see someone charge very little per face or very little for the bride, especially if the makeup artist next door charges 3 times as much - that should be a BIG RED FLAG. They might not have a proper kit (the tools of our trade), or are assistant-level... Recently I heard a sad story from a model I worked with...she said that she went to a gig, and the artist did not even have foundation for her and slapped some random stuff on her face from her inadequate kit - and the model shared: "I have never felt so ugly in my life..." That's serious stuff....and unfortunately it happens...in a free-for-all environment, anyone can claim to be a makeup artist! Oh yeah - also, be wary of people with AMAZING looking portfolios and extremely low rates...unfortunately some people steal other people's work. ..and again, it is up to you the smart consumer to carefully scrutinize these things.

3. Does the artist let you bargain? If so, how much?

This relates to #2 ~ I really sat down and did the math when I started setting my rates. And when I relocated from LA to Silicone Valley, I had to do the math over. In any case - I was taught by a wedding coordinator/vendor in LA that bargaining is very common, so be prepared for it. Learning from this vendor, I do 'discounts' very similarly; for example: if you booked more than one service (a series of makeup application, or makeup/hair and photography), then a small discount is appropriate! But if you ever notice that the artist lets you bargain more than 10% or more...I'd personally be suspicious because perhaps fall into these categories:

a) they didn't do their math; they do not know their bottom line...this is a business, this is our profession...

b) they are bad at setting their rates in the first place...an indicator that they don't know the industry very well...they don't know what their labor is actually worth, and thus, it tells me they don't know what they are actually giving away!

I am quoting Jessica's blog here: "have a little respect for yourself and your profession!" I would never want to insult someone's profession by asking for a discount, but that's just me....and if you think about it, when you go to your dentist, do you ask for a discount on your service? Here's a great story...my real estate agent and friend told me that one of her clients wanted to take HER commission. He told her that another agent promised him 50% of their commission - and my real estate agent responded oh so smartly: "At the end of the month when you get a paycheck, do you share 50% of that with your boss or coworker?" He says: "Um...no?" Then why do you think it's OK to take someone's paycheck!?

I decided to just price very fairly because of personal preference, but some vendors choose to mark up their prices and allow people to bargain (I'm not judging this practice! that's fine, too~ as long as you know your bottom line) Thinking back - my husband and I only asked for a better quotation if we booked more than one service from a vendor (more like 5 services with one vendor! ^^), but for other things like - florists, makeup/hair - there was no bargaining involved! I respected them and their profession, and I did compare prices too and thought it was a fair price for the quality of service. Materials cost money - and it takes Time and Effort to practice all those things I mentioned in #1....If they charge too little or let you bargain, I'm wondering WHAT kinds of things the artist doesn't do to cut corners (ie: what they do to save time and money...like unsanitary practices, and perhaps under-paying their assistants..)....and if this isn't enough to convince you, please read #1 again!

4. Professionalism in correspondence & mannerisms

I feel this is really important - you can really 'read' a person from what they say to you, and of course what you say to them matters as they can 'read' you from that side as well. I too, have experienced times where vendors don't respond to you for one reason or another (not just artists here), and I've also heard this: one of my clients told me they paid a deposit, and counted on the artist after the trial - and suddenly 1-2 months before the event or even closer to the date, the artist says s/he cannot make it and returned my client's deposit. @o@ I guess at least they gave you some advanced notice...unless it's a family emergency or some sorts, that's just really unprofessional. I actually don't know the names of the artists who did it or anything, but as a fellow MUA, I'd be thinking those MUAs booked another gig that paid better and decided to forget about the first client! I'm not saying that that is what happened because obviously I was not there! But that's what I would think...and that's what clients might think too! The trial is also an interview for artist and client alike - as artist we want to know if we will have good synergy with the clients!

Here are some other simple things to look for:

Does the artist reply email and return phone calls in a timely manner?
Does the artist treat you and speak to you with respect via email/phone/in person?
Does the artist require a deposit and contract?
Does the artist show up on the agreed upon time, or earlier?
Does the artist take time to answer all your questions in detail, no matter what the question is?
If they cannot serve you for whatever reason, can you ask them for a referral?

In conclusion...

I wanted to share some things about the make up artist industry because it occurred to me after the feedbacks from models I've worked with that unless you are in the industry or a related field, chances are you might not know some of these things - and heck, some people in the industry don't know these things either...!!!

If I'm being completely honest, I'm also motivated to write this because I'm really tired of unprofessional behaviors, and also, I want to give myself and artists I respect a pat on the back for doing all these things... actually I am very proud of myself for having my standards and practice them always...even though I've been completely in the industry for 1.5 years - and I don't conceal that fact! I don't pretend I've worked for 5-10 years~ but having high standards is really important to me - my clients deserve the best. I have a standard as a vendor, and even when I was a client, I also had a standards to evaluate the vendors, too! It's only fair that I share my standards with you - whoever you might be reading this post ~ and to end this LONG@$$ post, I hope that it was helpful to at least one person! And if it was at all helpful, then I am happy~ ^o^ Have a great weekend everyone!

Candace & Jason, Nestldown/Los Gatos Wedding August 2010

2010-12-31T15:26:00.000-08:00

Candace & Jason, August 9th 2010

Makeup for Bride & Bride's mother: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)

Hair for Bride & Bridal Party: Caroyln (Swirls N' Curls)

Photography: FC Wong Photography *All photos on this blog is courtesy of FC Wong Photography!

Venue: Nestldown

I had the pleasure to work with Candace! It seems like forever but it's only been a few months! ^^" I did makeup for Candace & her beautiful Mommy (they look so alike! ^^) and Candace also hired me to stay 4 extra hours for touch-ups. It was so nice of Candace to invite me to the ceremony since there were some extra seats in the back, and it was really sweet to watch the beautiful ceremony.

At the beginning of the day, I did something uber embarrassing! I always leave home and get there earlier than expected and sometimes earlier than the bride or even the staff member that was supposed to put a block to prevent guests and unsuspecting vendors (like ME!!!) from going down the wrong path! Even though I followed the instructions given to me by Brooke the coordinator, without any other cars parked, I thought I had to go further down the winding tree path, and turned out to be just GRASS so I had to back up in a curve and scratched my car against some trees! :( poor car.. Anyways - it was pretty embarrassing! I believe they were Candace's baby cousins watching me get stuck there! ^^|| Oops! The good news is I arrived earlier and budgeted enough time because they were fixing the high way and so there was only 1 lane! Phew~ but everything went smoothly and on-time! :D

It's a really beautiful venue - kind of a hidden piece of eden in Los Gatos! The Bridal Cottage is where I set up to do the makeup! Candace has very sensitive skin but very very beautiful skin! As Carolyn (hair stylist) said: "Aren't we lucky? She has perfect hair and perfect skin!" ;) After the trial, Candace & I actually had a meeting in San Francisco to discuss some feedback Candace had on the makeup, and she wanted more 'glow' on her skin, so she opened up her laptop, and showed me some photos she found...and I was like: "I KNOW THESE PEOPLE" and she was like: "Whaaat? Really??" It turns out, she found some photos of my teacher Kelly's work~ I knew the models on the photos during my internship at Ra Beauty Core learning from my teacher Kelly. I had GOOSEBUMPS, and suddenly felt emotional because I missed my teacher, and that Candace had unknowingly connected us just by our makeup style. I think it was pretty amazing...and touching at the same time! The "glow"/dewy look is very popular in Korean makeup and so I guess it was very logical to google Korean salons! What a small world! :)

I was waiting for Candace to send me some photos, but right after their wedding, Candace & Jason went on an extended honeymoon trip to Asia, and decided to relocate from San Francisco to Singapore!!! Yay!! I haven't heard from Candace recently, but they must be busy settling in, and exploring the exciting world of SE Asia!! :D So for now, I will have to share the facebook photo gallery sized photos that Candace generously shared with me, and also some that I grabbed from the photographer's blog! Enjoy the photos, and read a side-story on the bottom! :)

I wanted to share that Candace's mommy is not used to wearing makeup, but she also had beautiful gorgeous skin like Candace (it's genetics!!! ^^) and was peacefully enjoying her application here, until she realized the photo was being taken!!! At that point (her reaction was priceless and adorable!!!) she told the photographer: "No no no please don't take a photo of me!!!!!!!!" and Candance was on the side getting her hair done: "It's OK mom! Don't worry!" After she saw herself, she thought it was really dramatic, like the Chinese Opera makeup! And I assured her she looked great~ My favorite photo is the b/w above - it looked like a really heart felt moment~~~ and those are usually my favorite photos from weddings!

Behind the Scenes Editorial Photo shoot

2010-12-26T13:54:00.000-08:00

Photography: Pam Sta Cruz

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Designer & Wardrobe Stylist: Phuong My
Models: Lauren Fletcher @ City & Chrissy

Last time I tried to work with Pam & designer Mymy, it happened during the freakin' GIANTS parade...I'm sorry - while I'm happy that they won the world series, I don't appreciate the parade making me miss the photo shoot completely!!! I was moving 2 blocks per hour, and at that rate, I would have never made it to the shoot since I had to take a 10+ block detour (at 2 blocks per hour!! the sun would have set and it was an outdoors shoot!!!) so I had to just get out of San Francisco...Pam & Mymy were so nice about it~ I was really touched...and I am just so happy that finally I got to work with them this time and two amazing models, Lauren & Chrissy. Phuong My is a super talented, confident & young designer - even though I'm not knowledgeable in clothing and couture and won't pretend to be, watching her work and make these clothes and the hats (Yes! she made them herself!) is really really remarkable & inspiring!!! My favorite one was a purple hat that I unfortunately didn't snap a photo of!! But I was like @o@!!!! AWESOME! WOW! lol~ literally.

I was scheduled to do hair, but unfortunately the hair stylist could not make it - and due to time constraints, it was very stressful and Mymy and I had to brain storm really quickly to come up with a solution that works with the outfits and the time constraints. Mymy described that Lauren will have the softer smokey look with red lips, and Chrissy will have the darker smoldering look for the "bad sister" whereas Lauren is the "good sister" (never done anything bad in her life). I just tried my very best, had fun with it, and I am happy with the results! Armed with more experience between the last editorial I worked on, I am just keeping my fingers crossed about this fashion story getting published!!! :D I was sharing that sentiment on set, and Mymy said: "What are you talking about; OF COURSE it will get published!!!" ;) *fingers crossed* Since we are still waiting to hear, the final images won't be shared until ...after we know! :)

These images on the blog are taken with my brand new canon s95! I love it!! It was very dim/dark at the hotel in SF so I'm so happy to have the Canon S95!!

Lauren is smiling at me, the photo stalker! ;) I LOVED the lines on the back of her dress

Chissy working it on top of the fire place! Loved the jacket!!

Pam taking the photos~ Mymy watching on the side!

@ The lobby~ Lauren looked really stunning

This was before Christmas and Mymy found a X'mas ornament that inspired her; although...I don't think it worked out! Lauren is thinking: "omg I have a x'mas ornament on my head!"

Behind the scenes! This shot was REALLY AMAZING! One of my fav!!!

LOVED this outfit too! The skirt part of the dress looked amazing. Mymy adjusting her outfit~ The vintage phone was super awesome!

Last scene before the big wrap for the evening! Chrissy had a small change in lip color, and their cheek colors were intensified a little! :D

Super proud of our team work!!!! Yay! Until next time, everyone have a great holiday and new years! :)

Breast Cancer Awareness "Hope is in the Love of Self": My bravest, most beautiful client M.P.!

2010-12-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

Client: M.P.
Makeup, Hair, Photography: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Second Photographer: Liliana Aranda

I've been waiting for an opportunity to blog about this! In October I was contacted by my client M.P. sharing with me her interest in shooting boudoir. If you didn't know already, October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month! I have done boudoir photo shoots in the past as Makeup/Hair, but it was my first time wearing all 3 hats as Makeup/Hair/Photography for boudoir with my client. This is definitely one of the most meaningful projects ~ when things get hard, like yesterday, when I discovered some of my photos were posted outside my blog/website illegally without my consent with my watermarks cropped out (that's a violation of copyright - very disrespectful), all I have to do is remember my client M.P. and the courage she displayed to me and Liliana during this photo shoot, the world is immediately a better place! M.P. was diagnosed with breast cancer in recent months, she told me she would love to remember her body, the way she loves it, the way she appreciates it. This is certainly where my deepest PASSION for the industry lies - loving yourself, and loving your body.

My mother and my mother-in-law are both breast cancer survivors - there is nothing more powerful than the courage people have to overcome adversities and have a positive outlook on life - and that's the only way to beat and conquer anything in life!!! M.P. said she would love to inspire other women with the photos we took, and so I am so proud, and so thrilled, to share these photos with you! :) The pink ribbon was M.P.'s idea! Liliana and I loved working with M.P.~ she is so beautiful! Inside and out!!! It was truly truly inspiring!

M.P. also has a special gift for you - she made a slideshow of her Journey or how she experienced our photo session into a Narrative! These are the un-edited previews I sent to her for client viewing~ She titled it Hope is in the Love of Self.

Hope is in the Love of Self

My first magazine cover! Jewellery Business December 2010 Issue

2010-12-15T23:15:00.000-08:00

Today was a very emotional day for me. This afternoon I discovered my makeup/hair work was published!!!!! What a great way to end 2010...my very first publication and it's a magazine cover! You might have read my blog post about this photo shoot here here and here! (Behind the scenes, reels, and final photos). Literally, I cried from tears of JOY and AHH~! Finally printed work!!! *TEAR*

In my final blog post sharing the final photos, I was saying how much I appreciated Laura Tillinghast Photography & Yael Designs for hiring me, and believing in me and pushing my abilities as an artist...especially with the Hair Styling portion of the job. The only thing I could do is try my very best, and hope that I will not disappoint anyone, and that hopefully it will also be published at a magazine somewhere, and then...6 months later, and BAM!!!! Here it is! And of course, I also want to thank Khrystyna @ Look Models for her amazing performance/top modeling talents and ALWAYS bringing it!

You can check out the online version of the magazine here: Jewellery Business Dec 2010 !

Men, Men, Men! Ian Maxion x Skyla Arts

2010-12-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

Models: Ryan Guzman @ Look (left), Thad @ City Models (right)
Makeup: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Photography/Hair/Wardrobe Styling: Ian Maxion

I hope you are thinking finally some hot men for a change from hot women?? :) Oh...I am still so backed up with my blog posts...You are probably tired of hearing me say this, but I feel a bit stressed out when I see other photographers or makeup artists keeping their blogs very up to date and current! I don't know how the bloggers do it (especially the beauty bloggers! That's a lot of images to organize!! I guess you need to be uber-organized on your computer, and right now my desktop is just CHAOS! My husband saw it and his jaw dropped because if his desktop looked like that, he would freak!) Anyways!

This photo shoot happened middle of September, and to my pleasant surprise I saw Ryan at the Tommy Hilfiger event! Did you spot him? It was nice to see familiar faces like Ryan and Allie and meet many new people as well. Thad is shooting a Hyundai commercial today and I'm excited for him!!! He is going to sell lots of cars for Hyundai!!!! This is my first time working with the talented Ian Maxion upon referral by Janet Mariscal. Ian has a great eye for creative direction, and I was so impressed at how organized Ian was with the clothes! Compared to the state of my closet, um...let's not talk about how messy my closet is right now~! lol. Ian was going for the "Mad Men" look for Ryan, and the "Risky Business" for Thad, but since I was told my my 3 of my mentors that I need to EDIT EDIT EDIT for my portfolio, I selected my absolute absolute favorite photos to post for my portfolio and blog. They say to me: "Take that out. You don't need that." or "Perhaps one image from the shoot...since you don't want to post repeated looks!" Since this is my BLOG, I can post a few more photos! ;)

It was my first time working with everyone, and I am happy that I was a part of this great photo shoot. The part that made me most nervous was the roof top shoots because I had to climb up there! The ladder that I was climbing was So Scary and I was wearing sandals! @o@ I was like @o@ How am I gonna get down?? But I was fine..just like "PHEW" when I got back down! hahaha. The versatility of Ryan and Thad's performance blew me away! I've seen their portfolios, but it's nothing like watching them perform and do what they are really really good at. It's really easy to think that all models have to do is get their body to look great/work out and maybe study some poses from magazines and just stand there. To be at Ryan and Thad's level, you really got to bring it each time. Ian is really great at giving directions, but when Ian puts the clothes and accessories on Ryan and Thad, they know what to do with it. I hope I'm making sense ! But it takes a lot of practice and perseverance, and not being afraid to try different things and communicate with the photographer to get these shots, and to help the shoot run so smoothly. So! Enjoy the photos! I really loved the results and was really happy to be a part of the shoot with such a talented team!!!!

Skyla Arts: Makeup | Hair | Photography

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Did you watch season 1 of Scouted on E?

Happy Holidays! ! ! {2011 in Review}

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Gillian & Walter {San Francisco City Hall Wedding}

Published in Votive Issue 2: 12 page spread!

60s Inspired Mod Makeup Tutorial & Photo Shoot!

Voted as Staff Favorite from the Camera Ready Cosmetics' Raw Photo Contest!

Mountain View Engagement Makeup & Hair [Sue & Jeff]

Published on TwentyTen Magazine: Issue 8, 12 page spread!

Maternity Session @ Holbrook-Palmer Park | Klodjanadervishi Photographer

Published on Style Me Pretty - California 09/26/2011!

Website updates...major work in progress!

I turn 25!

Underwater Photo shoot & Top Model Attributes!!

Linda & Richard, Villa Montalvo/Saratoga Wedding May 2011

Gabriele for Lexus GS!

New Beauty + Fall 2011-2012 Makeup Trend Report [trends I'm into, that is]

There is no "I" in Team!

My journey continues...!

Recent Hair & Makeup Works - online!

Cover of July's InStore Magazine!

San Francisco Engagement Makeup [Vivian & Richard]

Picnic! [Kids Photography]

Behind the Scenes [Beauty shoot - Jordan Part I video]

Outtakes & Behind the scenes

"Why are Professional Makeup/Hair Artists so expensive?"

*New* Makeup & Hair work!

Beautiful Morgan + Hair accessory Rental!

Behind the Scenes [Beauty & Hair Editorial Story]

Georgiou & more!

Beautiful Bride Jill! [San Francisco Bridal Makeup & Hair]

My Kit: as it is April 2011! [Image Heavy]

Makeup, Hair & Photography for Amber! [Mountain View Portrait Photographer, Makeup Artist]

Top Model Spotlight: Marcus Schenkenberg

One more of Brittany!

B/W Emotive Fashion featuring Brittany @ Look

A Nose Job!?!? [Tips on enhancing your features with angles/lighting/contour - image heavy]

*NEW* Skyla-Arts.com

Website(s) is under renovation!

Kris - Beauty

Behind the scenes / January Beauty Shoot & Glossy Eye look experience

Men's fashion story Sneak Peak!

Introducing...Harmony Skin Solutions!

Published cover & 6 page spread

Fashion Story featuring Tate @ JE Models

Bride's Choice Awards '11 from WeddingWire

Little by little, a bird makes its nest!

Romantic! Photographed by Pat Ramos

Men's Grooming featuring Mayer Marx @ Ford Models

Behind the Scenes featuring Tate @ JE Models

Portraits by Skyla Arts [Makeup, hair & photography]

Exfoliation 101: Mechanical vs. Chemical

Studio Renovations & Evolutions - Sneak Peak!

Mascara Advertisements - how do you feel about them?

What you should know before hiring a Makeup Artist

Candace & Jason, Nestldown/Los Gatos Wedding August 2010

Behind the Scenes Editorial Photo shoot

Breast Cancer Awareness "Hope is in the Love of Self": My bravest, most beautiful client M.P.!

My first magazine cover! Jewellery Business December 2010 Issue

Men, Men, Men! Ian Maxion x Skyla Arts

New Makeup & Hair work!

NEW Skyla-Arts.com