Mariska ... Is That You?

Mariska Hargitay by Lori Dorn/ Hair and Make-up by Susan Seyler

 

I've done Mariska Hargitay's make-up and hair about 3 times now. I always loved the photos from this shoot I did with photographer Lori Dorn. It's one of my "oldie but goodies", (pre- Law & Order: SVU), that I thought you might enjoy because it shows such a different side to her than how she's usually portrayed. She's definitely channeling her mom a bit here I think.

 

You can imagine how much I enjoyed making up her huge brown eyes, and in a bit of contrast to her character on the show, she was light and girly and fun. Also, unlike many actors, she never seemed to mind having photos done and was very open and collaborative to the process.

Workin' (Yay!)

A few weeks ago I started working full time on a "show" for the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) called My Own Time ... get it? I put the word "show" in quotes because it's only 4 minutes long and will appear as segments during the commercial breaks of another show, but it still takes about a 12 hour day to shoot two of them, so lots of hours per week.

I'm privileged to be working with Kristen Eykel again who is hosting the show and who I worked with for a couple of years in a similar set-up on Court TV called The Saturday Night Solution. So my job, if you can call it that, is to do her hair and make-up and keep her looking fab during a long shoot day, but considering she's gorgeous and modeled professionally for years, I can't say it's particularly challenging, and that's really ok with me (but getting up at 4:30 a.m. five days a week ... whoa boy!)

Anyway, because of my new gig I might not be posting as much here. We're scheduled to shoot until mid July. Here's the link to the promo video on the OWN page: http://www.oprah.com/home/My-OWN-Time-Wants-You

Watch This

ARTHROPODA from CLADE Man on Vimeo.

I did hair and make-up on this fashion video for the really beautifully made and designed menswear collection CLADE. It was a vision from the creative mind of designer Maya Reynolds, produced by Glenn Campbell, directed by Jason Matzner and shot by both Jason and Glenn.

Here's what designer Maya had to say;"The spring/summer collection, Arthropoda, was inspired by the exoskeletons of insects. I translated the shapes as well as the concept of armor into the seaming and construction of the clothing. This video depicts the evolutionary journey of an arthropod and parallel journey of man in his navigation of life, both through creation and destruction".

The video was a real collaboration and I'm glad I was asked to be a part of it. It was a totally fun day deep in a no man's land on the outskirts of downtown.

Check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/CladeMenswear/

Btw, the CLADE line is cut very lean and many of the pieces could be unisex if you ask me. The fabrications are rich and fabulous and I could totally see myself wearing many of them.

Aria Alpert

Photo by Kelly Kagen

Aria Alpert is a talented stage actress and lovely woman (in all senses of the word) whose make-up I've done several times over the years. I always thought that she naturally had the most amazing "retro" or "period" vibe with her ivory skin, big eyes, soft natural curls and perfect bowed lips, so one day we decided to play around a bit and really go for that look. She and her friend Kelly Kagen, who took these photos, both brought along some great vintage clothing and I think the shots came out pretty cool. I did tweak them a little after the fact to even further drive home the feeling of an old photo.

Aria also writes a gluten-free, dairy-free, mostly vegan, foodie cooking blog (whew!) called Organic Snob. Do check out her healthy yet deliciously yummy recipes. http://organicsnob.blogspot.com/

I'm a f***ing Moviestar!

photo by Lori Dorn

A few days ago I did hair and make-up on a shoot for up-and-coming actress Susannah Hart Jones ... you can see another photo of her with a very natural make-up look here. I wanted to post this shot as well because I think it's gorgeous, plus I thought it might be interesting to see 2 very different make-up looks from the same day.

Anyway, as we were getting ready to go out and shoot this, Susannah asked, "So what look is this exactly?", and my reply was, "This is your 'I'm a f***ing moviestar' look". I do think she was sucessful in conveying that, no? Btw, it was FREEZING cold (I was dressed in a sweater and jacket and shivering) and she was wearing nothing but this little slip of a dress, her hands were blue, yet she focused, relaxed, and nailed it. That's the kind of thing that separates the "just another pretty girl" from those that have a chance of actually making it.

Joely Fisher on Craig Ferguson

I did Joely Fisher's make-up for the Craig Ferguson show this past Wednesday. She was funny, sexy and a bit bawdy ... as always. That's why we love her! Oh, and Guy Romeo did her Rupunzelesque hair. Enjoy! Segment starts at 23:00

Tips for Choosing Foundation

The photo below is of beautiful ingenue actress Susannah Hart Jones and I did her hair and make-up. While you may be thinking "What make-up?", in reality the no make-up look is actually a full face of make-up and that lovely complexion was arrived at with tinted moisturizer, foundation, highlighter, concealer and powder. The secret here is getting a perfect color match, using a light hand and blending, blending, blending.


Photo by Lori Dorn

I was recently asked by a writer to provide some tips regarding foundations and that got me to thinking about what an important part it plays in the whole finished "look" of your make-up as it truly is the foundation to whatever other cosmetics you plan on using. It's probably one of the things my clients ask me about most often and it's also one of the things that I frequently notice women get wrong, and I swear as a general rule I don't go around checking out people's faces looking for make-up blunders, it's just that a really bad foundation job is hard to miss. So, as a service to all, herewith are some general helpful hints:

*Never choose a foundation color without first seeing it in the sunlight. Ask for a small sample or try it on at the store and walk outside with a mirror. Good sales people won't mind. They'd rather you get a color you're happy with than have to deal with a return. Finding the right color is probably the single most important thing. Don't rush it. Take your time. If you're wearing the wrong color, all the make-up tips in the world won't make it look good.

*Even if you've tried a color you think matches, don't purchase it immediately. Foundation colors can change slightly as they settle onto your skin, warm, and combine with your personal chemistry. Wait about 30 min. and then check to see if it looks darker or more orange.

*Blend the color on the side of your cheek, over your jawline and slightly down onto your neck. You should not see a streak of color. It should disappear.

* If you are a person who tans and your face and neck are a lot lighter than your chest and shoulders (because you wear sunscreen) and your chest and shoulders are going to be exposed ... which would probably be most of the summer months, try a sheer tinted moisturizer that's darker than the skin on your face and neck and closer to the color of your chest. Blend this all over your face and down onto your neck to even everything out so you don't get the dreaded "white face on brown shoulders" look. Then go back and spot cover where needed with a more covering foundation or lightweight concealer in a color that blends with your now more tan complexion. But don't put a darker foundation all over your face and down onto your neck. It's too heavy for this which is why it's best to stick with a tinted moisturizer.

*Other than tinted moisturizer, which can be blended over your whole face, you shouldn't think of most foundations as a mask. Once you've found a color that blends seamlessly with your skin and you're moisturized, dot small amounts in those areas that need a little coverage and evening out, and then blend outwards onto the rest of your skin. If you've chosen your color well, there's no need to coat your entire face. Not only will this look more natural, but then it's less likely to get cakey as the day wears on.

*Generally, the areas to concentrate coverage on are around the sides of the nose, the chin, tops of the cheek bones and between the eyebrows. Move from these areas fading outwards towards the rest of your skin. Step back and if something is still standing out, pat a little extra foundation on in those areas or dab a little matching concealer on them gently with a brush and then set with a dusting of the sheerest translucent powder you can find.

*When blending on your foundation, use light strokes and follow the direction of growth of the little micro hairs on your face. Generally that is horizontally across on your forehead, downward on your nose, upper lip and center of your chin, and then outwards at a diagonal towards your jawline on your cheeks and either side of your chin. Blending around in circles, or back and forth will make your foundation look cakey and not as smooth and will actually work it into your pores more, which can cause clogged pores and blemishes if your cleansing isn't super thorough. Which brings me to another point ...

*never, ever, go to bed with foundation on. That's the subject of a whole other post, but just quickly: your skin repairs and secretes and pushes dead skin cells out while you sleep and as gross as that sounds, what's even grosser is a layer of make-up preventing that from happening by sealing everything in.

Here's the link to the article by Jennifer Craig-Geisman where I'm quoted along with some other great L.A. make-up artists:
http://www.examiner.com/beauty-trends-in-los-angeles/put-your-best-face-forward-2

Kelly Rowan

I think this was the third time I'd done Kelly's hair and make-up. One of the stars of the show The O.C., she likes to keep it very "au naturale". Photo is by Lori Dorn.

Scout Taylor-Compton

Scout, best known for her role in the recent Halloweens I and II, is starring in the upcoming flick about the Runaways, called, uh, "The Runaways". She plays Lita Ford. Lisa Franchot did these shots, I did hair and make-up, and Scout charmed and looked beautiful. Mostly we were just playing around. Scout brought along some really great vintage wardrobe pieces. We ended up in Griffith Park with coyotes practically nipping at our heels ... no lie. They were numerous and wandering around in broad daylight, seemingly undisturbed by the goings on, and not afraid of being close to people. Kinda weird.

Christina Zilber/Jouer Cosmetics

Photo courtesy Christina Zilber 

Here I'm doing make-up for Christina Zilber, one of my very favorite clients (elegant, beautiful, intelligent, impeccable taste ... and a hell of a lot of fun. Can you tell I kinda idolize her?), for a Town and Country magazine layout. We were in that tiny narrow hall because that's where the best light was and as any make-up artist knows (well, picky ones like me) lighting is all.

Christina is the founder/owner of Jouer Cosmetics (pronounced zhoo-way, which is French for "to play") and I have been "playing with" her make-up line from the start. The colors are the kind of super wearable ones that I find I use on everyone again and again. Also, each color compact has a unique slide and click feature so that you can connect your faves together to create a chic, easy to travel with custom make-up kit. Big girl Legos!

All of the make-up has treatment ingredients in it as well, so you'll actually be improving your skin as you prettify yourself. Two must haves: Lip enhancer, a super emollient lip conditioner that plumps up your lip size with continued use ... it really works, and Luminizing Moisture Tint, an oil-free tinted moisturizer with SPF 20 that evens out skintone, camouflages imperfections, protects your skin, softens lines and imparts a glow. It can be worn alone, worn under your base, or mixed in with your base to "lighten" the finish. In a pinch, I've used it as a leg make-up/body bronzer and it worked great. Truly a multi-tasker!

Jouer Cosmetics can be found at Henri Bendel's in NY or online at http://www.jouercosmetics.com/
Check em out!

Photo Courtesy Town and Country Magazine