Skyla Arts x Shasha

Client (and Model): Shasha

Makeup, Hair and Photography: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
The Wardrobe was provided by the Model.

I have to say...When I picked up my camera to shoot Shasha, honestly I was a bit nervous, because it's been a while since I was behind the camera.  In the past, I've received inquiries about opportunities to "model for me" for my portfolio in exchange for some "free head shots" but while I am not a top photographer or anything to not 'test' at all, I am open to provide 'testing rates.' instead of going through the motions, since I am passionate about what I do. I haven't done makeup/hair/photography all in one since August or so, so while rusty, I got more energized as the shoot progressed! I am very happy with what we were able to achieve in an afternoon - I like more emotive portraits instead of straight off 'glamorous' looks.  I am happy that Shasha was super excited about the results as well! Enjoy the photos! :)

Black Story - Final photos!

Photography: Laura Tillinghast.
Makeup: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Hair Styling & Wardrobe styling: Michelle Tan (MicheStyle)
Model: Mackenzie Drazan with Stars Model Management.

Hurrah! The final photos from this shoot is here! I am super proud of the work we produced as a team! I can't wait to work with them again! I'm a little backed up with my posts...! life is a bit crazy....but I hope I don't lose my visitors! *fingers crossed*

For more photos, please visit my website, Skyla-Arts.com and click Makeup>Fashion/Editorial or Beauty! :) Enjoy!

Acne-prone skin [Part I: Skincare]

I've expressed before that once my website is up, my Skyla Arts blog will also include posts/articles about skincare products and makeup product reviews (and my personal blog will have more entries about my boring life!) I have been occasionally commenting on bride-oriented beauty forums recently and one of the most frequently recurring threads have been focused on products that help heal acne (many questions about ProActive) and whether or not bare minerals/bare escentuals is a good choice for wedding makeup - oftentimes the two themes occur together!  I divided this topic into two parts: Part I will focus on skincare products and Part II will discuss makeup products (and more bare minerals!) While I am not a dermatologist, I've been "battling" acne skin for 11 years or so and have tried an array of products. None of the products I mention are sponsored or provided; I have no commercial relationships with these companies! As a makeup artist, I am also concerned with this because it is my responsibility to select the best product for each skin type. Even if you don't have adult acne regularly, perhaps stressful situations (like Wedding Planning!)  or a women's menstrual cycle can also cause breakouts!  If you are interested in reading short reviews on the products that I have tried, some tips to take care of your skin, and also what I think about mineral makeup or ProActive for acne-prone skin, please click to continue reading!

Laura Tillinghast x MicheStyle x Skyla Arts featuring Mackenzie

Photography: Laura Tillinghast.
Makeup: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Hair Styling & Wardrobe styling: Michelle Tan (MicheStyle)
Model: Mackenzie Drazan with Stars Model Management.

This is my first time working with the amazing Laura but I worked with Michelle on the shoot with Yifei Gu and I am happy to be able to work with her again! Michelle had the outfits planned and told me she was going for a teen vogue girly punk look. I thought the clothes looked great and the accessories were very cool! Mackenzie is 5'10, and with the shoes, she was 6'4! It was awesome! To think that Mackenzie could keep growing taller was cool too! I love to admire tall people! lol~ i'm weird huh?

The first photo is Mackenzie getting her hair and makeup done. The second is when she was studying some poses on Laura's computer. We did 4 outfits, 2 hairstyles, and 2 makeup looks! :) Mackenzie was awesome, and with Laura's professional posing pointers, I was thrilled and inspired on set! I am so happy for the 2nd "Beauty" look with the red lips, inspired by Alexis Bledel. When I saw Mackenzie's blue eyes, I was so excited to put some bold lips on her! I can't wait to see the photos, and special thanks to Laura, for being a great leader on set. I can't wait until the next time I work with either Laura or Michelle. :)

By the way, I added a Cbox on the right hand side of my blog, so if you get a chance or have any questions, please leave a comment or a shout out! :)

For more photos, please visit the Behind the Scenes gallery! :) Enjoy!

Jeah & Jay's Wedding Photos

You might remember Jeah from here and here. The images posted here are a courtesy from dK Weddings! I apologize for the delayed posting of the images! I was just caught up launching my website, and with a few things here and there that I'm a bit backed up with my postings! On the last photo of this post, you can also see Jeah's mother-in-law and her step-mom, whom I also did makeup on but didn't get to capture the before & after. I really love the photo of Jeah and her father; Actually there are many photos that I loved but I didn't want to bug Jeah to send me so many! Can't be too greedy! I'm very happy to be a part of Jeah's special day. Enjoy the images, and you can see a few more at theBridal gallery! :) Enjoy!

Bride's Choice Award 2010!

Some more great news! Yesterday I received the announcement from WeddingWire about receiving this award, and below is my edited press-release for this! I look so matronly in the photo above! hehe~ I'll be receiving the custom badge in February and I'll wear it with pride! :)

Mountain View – 01/19/2010 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Skyla Arts has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Beauty and Health! The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds. Skyla Arts is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

I am happy to announce that Skyla Arts is among the very best Beauty & Health vendor within the WeddingWire Network,. I would like to thank my past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™!!!!

Fabulous News + New Testimonial

Very exciting news! My former client Simi, after posting the photos I took (with the hair and makeup I did as well) on her online portfolio, she has been landing tests with prestigious photographers! Here is a new testimonial from Simi that reflects her latest success.

"What started off as a simple makeup and portraits session, based on a whim, led me to sit in the apartment of Matthew Jordan Smith—the photographer who kick-started Tyra Banks’ career in the 90’s and appears on America's Next Top Model—five months later. Matthew was amazed with my pictures and that I had only modeled for a few months; he usually shoots agency represented models with years of experience. Many of the photographers I have worked with since—including Howard Rosenberg who has shot everyone from Justin Timberlake to the Dalai Lama—saw Liz's picture online in passing before asking me to model. Liz is extremely talented with beauty shots and she accidentally launched my modeling career; I now place her photos in the beginning of my expanding portfolio." - Simi Dhillon

:) Congratulations to Simi! My first reaction was: "Can I please meet Mathew Jordon Smith???" I love his work. Hopefully in the near future we'll see Simi in a magazine! Hurrah!