My images are heavily edited. This is not a secret. My aim is not for realism. Not a simple documentation of a likeness. It's fun and creative. That said, I want my subjects to feel comfortable, so I always advise they come with their everyday face. If they trust me enough I can convince them to come with just mascara and lipstick.
Even the best professional makeup artists or self experts I've worked with in the past, have a hard time visualizing what that makeup will look like on camera. It often gets washed out in lighting and if they tried to compensate for that it's usually a thick cake of goop (that's what I'm calling it!). It honestly just makes everything harder, for my images at least. Heavy makeup will seem like it's a good thing in a moving picture or your own mirror, but as soon as it's a still any blemishes or texture is actually accentuated. Those blemishes cast a shadow that no color correcting makeup can mask. You can watch below as I take an admittedly lovely bare face to couture Edwardian. What I do is the exact same thing you'd do in front of your mirror for the exact same reasons. Foundation for evening skin tone and reducing texture. Eye brow pencil to define. Blush to add glow. Falls lashes because who doesn't feel glamorous with them? Lip liner and lipstick for va va voom and to define lip line. It's really all the same...how it's accomplished is just a tad different.
There is an voice over on this video...so mute if needed.
More on the gown later. It's handmade by me and inspired by Worth gowns. Charles Worth the "father of haute couture.