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

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!

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!

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

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

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!