{Re}Post! "My Five Top Tips for (Most) Clients"

Greetings from Los Angeles! I am down here briefly for The Makeup Show LA that happened last weekend for education/kit investment, for work (and hustling!), and two bridal consultations! I have consultations and meetings lined up when I return home and  I cannot wait to meet my potential brides of 2013 (& 2014!)!

This morning, I am feeling particularly grateful to have great clients & great potential clients!  To potential future clients & vendors alike, I urge you to read this blog by Preston Bailey: "My Five Top Tips for (Most) Clients"!

Just in case you did not click through to the link, I will highlight - in quotes the 3/5 that stood out to me (even though ALL 5 are important!)

"I. We are artists who have gone into business to make a profit. Please refrain from placing us in a position where we feel you are trying to get us to give away our services. It is disrespectful, and leads to resentment of both the client and the job itself.

II. Our main goal is to make you happy. We have the utmost respect for you and your budget, which is why we are willing to be honest about what you can and cannot afford. Please remain flexible with your budget, if you want “more” than what your budget allows.

V. Last but not least, know that we value and respect you. Without you, we do not have a chance to design, and we do not have a business. It is for this reason that we are always willing to go the extra mile, and further. Please be generous and responsive with your feedback, as it is the only way we can learn and grow."

These are great advice, and written so concisely and nicely! I couldn't have said it any better than Preston!  I have some thoughts that came to mind when I read them and here it goes:  Regarding #I, we are artists and service providers, but we are people too - we need to make a living doing what we do! #II. We would not be in this industry if we did not have any desire to make you happy - in fact, that is our main goal! But please understand that our rates are a reflection of our services and unique artistry, something that can't be interchanged with another artist based on pricing, and if you like what we offer and are interested in hiring us, then please don't forget to think about us when you are designating where to spend your budget!  #V. If you don't provide any feedback (positive or constructive), it would be difficult for us to meet your needs. We are artists with our own vision, tastes, and personalities.  We are eager to please you (the client!) and make you happy but we cannot do that if we don't know what you are looking for! 

To end this seemingly random blog post, here is a random photo from Monday's photo shoot! :P  You know backstage in fashion week where the photographers come in and snaps away of the makeup in progress? This was one of those images! I was in the middle of finishing up her makeup, lashes are not done, and obviously her lips are still missing! :) :) No worries, with the right products, you can reduce the appearance of dryness!  

It was an absolute pleasure to work with an amazing team - this gorgeous model (Sacha from Wilhelmina LA), photographer Alvin Nguyen, and celebrity hair stylist Daven Mayeda on this shoot.  I was definitely excited and inspired again with everyone's creative energies coursing around! Most importantly, I challenged myself with trying to do eyebrows a different way than what I'm used to (based on the class/demo taught by Sam Fine last Saturday at the Makeup Show LA)!  I'm just happy to be pushing myself harder to get to the next level!!! 

Until next time! Have a happy Thursday/Friday and Weekend ahead! v^o^v

Contemplating for an exciting 2013!

I hope everyone is having a great January so far! I thought long and hard about what to blog about as the first post of the year! I think blogging is like exercising; once you've stopped for a while, it is so much harder to get started again! I took an entire week off work over the Holidays, and that was really lovely! Last October, my husband and I FINALLY made it to our honeymoon (it only took us 3-4 years of marriage to finally go on vacation/honeymoon!).  I figured if I worked majority of the year, I should take Christmas and New Years off!  For a week, I felt like a normal person - going to the grocery store, cooking, spending a lot of time with friends and family, regular exercise, de-cluttering my home, spending time with my husband.  It sounds terribly mundane, but these moments are precious to me because strangely, it doesn't always happen, and definitely not in such a peaceful manner!  You could say because of work-aholicism (admittedly, my partner and I are both workaholics) or...a more neutral yet accurate way to say it is "I'm a small business owner." I prioritize my work over a lot of things and I've been gradually working towards having a more balanced lifestyle!  Reflecting back on 2012 and how it buzzed by, I am determined to work on that balanced lifestyle in 2013! 

I shared with my close friend outside of my industry that I have March-Dec 2012 weddings to catch-up on my blog, and he said: "Liz, you better get to it!! Do it now!!!" I'll be trying my best to put those up, but I'm not making any promises!  I thought about it over the holidays - my purpose of having a blog is to give the reader (or potential client) a glimpse to who I am/who I am as an artist (they are not mutually exclusive!), who I am as a business owner, and a sample of my personal aesthetic. I find that while I do want to showcase my work (Look what I've done!! yipee!!!), I think that it's more important for my future clients to know that my personal aesthetic is actually not as important as my clients' personal aesthetic! 

I really just want to make my client happy.

On occasion I would get into deep conversations about beauty with people I encounter, about the visceral impact it has on us.  People outside of the fashion/beauty industry and don't care much for it would be surprised to learn how up-close and personal a hair and makeup service can get.  It's visceral, emotional - it can trigger something that affects them in a way they never thought a simple makeup/hair service could!  It can be anything...I compliment the client's lips while doing lipstick, and she says: "they are just like my grandmother...I miss her..." I enjoy meeting different types of people, but what's even more enjoyable, is if I can help them reach their goal with their hair and makeup!

I sometimes ask myself: Who am I to decide what you "should" look like?  What gives me the right to be a "taste maker" with your makeup & hair? When I was little, art teachers would say: "You really have an artistic eye" and I knew it was meant to be a compliment and felt joy hearing it - thanked them politely, but I never felt like what I saw was necessarily unique or "better" than my classmate next to me - my vision and interpretation is divine, and sacred - to me! The same way my classmates' interpretation is sacred to them.  However, I understand when my clients come to me, they generally do want my input and opinion, which I do share, but I end up either following the clients' preference, or meeting in the middle!  Why? Because my goal is not  to impose my aesthetic; my goal is really that the client looks in the mirror and loves what s/he sees, feels beautiful, and their day is "uplifted" in some way! Sometimes my clients' preference follows my personal aesthetic to the dot!  When that happens, I feel like: "Wow! you really 'see' like me!!" and that's a lot of fun!  But not my primary objective!  When I see how fabulous they feel, I cannot help but "see" them as simply "Beautiful" - even if the up-do or the shade of lipstick is not one I would normally choose. I see beauty as being beyond a person's subjective interpretation of their reflection.

Earlier today, my client from last fall used g-chat to let me know that she had written a review on yelp for me! I immediately went to read it, and it really made my day! Immediately I was reminded of an inspirational book, "Life of a Daymaker" by David Wagner, owner of the Juut Aveda Salons.   I loaned that book to my mother-in-law who brought it with her to Seoul {who also is still holding onto my copy of "The Philisophy of Andy Warhol"! Hey Omeoni! I want my books back! ;P} but if I still had my copy, I would be opening up a passage randomly, and find a paragraph to inspire me. After reading Life of a Daymaker, I love my job even more! I want to be my client's Daymaker, and that's my goal - but when my clients tell me I made their day, they actually become MY daymaker! ♥ I highly recommend reading the story that changed his life, and the rest of the book! I loved the part where described how he got into his career, one that his family did not support, and that he started humbly as a valet car parker for the clients who went to the Aveda salon. He made sure he was the BEST car parker and worked his way up and was determined to become a hair dresser!  If my goal in life was to make a lot of money, I probably would have opted for a career in finance - but alas, that is not my goal for my life!  I love being of service to someone who needs my service, and I love making someone's day.  As makeup/hair artists, we don't have the easiest job nor the hardest job. There are parts of it that I am sure we all do not LOVE doing - just like any other job in the world. For us, we feel like we have the best job! I truly feel grateful to have worked another year in this industry, doing what I love - Hopefully many more years to come!! But as my friend says, cross the bridge when you get there! Take it one year at a time!  

If you managed to read all of this rambling...then...! In conclusion, I am very excited for 2013! I'm looking forward to all the new people I will be meeting, seeing their vision of beauty with the "inspiration" images they will be bringing me, and just doing lots of makeup/hair!!! Yay!!!

A blog always looks better looking with a photo! I'll have to do a full credit later, but for now, Makeup, hair, men's grooming by me in June 2011! Photo by Christine Le. Florals by Indelisa @ Royal Bloom Boutique, hair piece by Bonnie @ One World Design, Jewelry by Yael Designs, gown by David Tutera @ BoLee Bridal Boutique!

Inspirational Trip to The Makeup Show Los Angeles

A brief update! Not too long ago I just returned from The Makeup Show Los Angeles to pick-up some essential makeup and hair tools, take some inspirational classes by seasoned & famous makeup artists, receive priceless portfolio reviews and critiques from industry experts, and finally I got to work with film fashion photographer Matt Edge whom I've hoped to work with for a while now!  The whole trip was filled with lots of inspirations! From the classes, to reconnecting with familiar faces (it's like a mini-pro artist family reunion!!), meeting for the first time artist I've been in touch with for a while and recognizing/spotting them, and chasing them down to say hello!!!  :P And now I am getting ready for my lovely brides this weekend!

I started 2012 just hitting the ground and just work work work...and I was starting to feel a little burnt out already. And it's March! Even though my LA trip was a bit exhausting ("Only" 19 hours of driving in a 5 day span!), and not to mention driving in LA lol...  -  I do feel that my "creative" batteries have been recharged.  I also got to visit my family in LA - which was great. It was also cool to see that the building that burnt down across my old apartment in LA (Yes, the one where my sweet, beautiful bridal client Jeah was getting her makeup trial done, and suddenly we saw heavy smoke heading our way!!!) being rebuilt and re-inhabited, and that a new and DELICIOUS Korean BBQ place has opened around the corner where I used to live.  

I am just filled with gratitude that The Makeup Show and The Powder Group are around to continuously provide education, support, and also, building our community.  I can't even tell you how nice it feels to be with people who know and understand support you.  In the creative industries or any other industry actually, unfortunately there are always going to be unprofessional people who treat you badly.  Even if you think you are in the "right," there's no referee or anything like that, and there's no point to argue with unprofessional people.  It just gives you perspective on how to avoid working with them in the future, or how to handle it graciously, and move on from negativity.  Fortunately, we have positive energies - like our local makeup artist community to support each other, and events like The Makeup Show to meet true professionals, and of course - there are people who are not only professional, but inspirational!!! Those are going to be the people we should focus our energies on!!!

And I shall end this personal reflection post with some behind the scenes images with my shoot with Matt, and Ford Model Thais (from Brazil!), and Alison who styled the shoot! :) It was a great pleasure to work with everyone, and I'm really excited to continue my 2012 year!!!!  :D Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

Did you watch season 1 of Scouted on E?

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

Photo: Calvin Ma

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

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}

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

Website updates...major work in progress!

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!

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*

Underwater Photo shoot & Top Model Attributes!!

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!!

Gabriele for Lexus GS!

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! :) 

My journey continues...!

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!

*New* Makeup & Hair work!

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! 

Top Model Spotlight: Marcus Schenkenberg

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

My journey so far...

Tammy asked me how I got started in my profession...I tried to write a response in the comment area, but it started getting long and I guess I just thought that I would just put it in a post to just document it, and perhaps in a year or so it might be fun to look back and see how I narrated my journey so far!  Everybody's story is slightly different (with regards to how they became a makeup artist) and the path you can take to get going is very diverse.  You can start off working at a counter/company, and then move towards something else, or be involved in a related industry and just transition, or do youtube! However, I hope to distinguish "beauty guru" with "makeup artistry" because what you do most of your time in your profession is fairly different.  Except for the 'beauty guru' category, when I hear stories about how makeup artists began (the TRUE/BEHIND the scenes version, not the TV version!), I can immediately empathize with them in their process. Not that everybody needs to 'suffer,' but paying your dues is a large part of the artistic world for most people, and not just makeup artist.  Makeup Artist - I underlined Artist because perceptions of makeup artists somehow change because our medium is makeup! What I mean specifically is - insert all the stereotypes relating to the "starving artist" and "the struggling artist" and chances to succeed or so slim that the process is grueling (oh..it is still grueling for me! Believe me).  But this is how I began.....!  Click to read the long/text-heavy/personal blog....