Wednesday 1 May 2013

Take 1 Girl…



Take 1 Girl…

Photographer:Oliver Schneider

I was introduced to Jenny Overend when I was in need of a model for a magazine photoshoot and  agreed it would be mutually beneficial to work together again. Jenny had only did a few shoots before so was relatively a novice, however the camera loved her and she took direction very well.  As a consequence, I gave myself a project: I arranged for 3  photoshoots on 3 consecutive days all with a different hair/makeup clothes, location and photographer. As Jenny is under 16 , her lovely mother Annie was attendant at each session. I'm not sure why I didn't arrange hair and makeup assistants for either shoot-probably because I wanted to really push myself I suppose...



As well as creating the hair and makeup for the shoots I also styled them with my own outfits and accessories as I hang onto clothes from way back (excluding look 1). There wasn’t a great deal of time to plan my looks but I was very pleased with how they evolved and ultimately turned out and I think that all 3 photographers did a great job and I couldn't possibly choose a favourite:they are all unique in their own way.

Photographer:Oliver Schneider


Shoot 1 took place at Contrast Studios  in Glasgow with fantastic photographer  Oliver Schneider. I wanted to create a natural beauty look with minimal makeup with hair left flowing with plaiting round front of head on some and pulled back into a ponytail in others.I used MAC Mineralized liquid foundation and Strobe cream and other illuminating products to enhance Jenny's great skin.

Lighting was  mainly natural light  and in some shots artificial lighting . The shoot was pulled off beautifully by Oliver who I have had the pleasure of working with for the past few years now (our collaborative work has been published on a couple of occasions). Oliver is primarily a fashion and wedding photographer and very creative.Jenny brought her own outfits apart from one that I brought along.

Photographer:Ronny Cathro


I asked photographer Ronny Cathro to shoot Look 2 which originally was to be an outdoors shoot but due to bad weather was  hastily done indoors at the Queens Hotel, Dundee. Ronny has years of experience as a journalistic photographer with DC Thomsons and has also photographed many celebrities and is a great wedding and family portraiture photographer.



I have had a  love for Biba and photographer Sarah Moon since a small girl and was given a Biba poster from a relative: the poster is long gone but I was able to find the exact same one to replace it on ebay.

In the gallery on this site is the first  homage to Biba I did and I had been wanting to create another for a while but just didn't have the time. The look is not a true copy of the Biba looks but my interpretation as I would have found it pretty boring to replicate exactly.


I created a look for Jenny using Kryolan and MAC cosmetics and curled her straight hair so it was almost frizzy. The hair was finished by using a scarf that matched one of the colours used in her eye makeup. I ‘erased’ her eyebrows with Glue and  makeup and created new thin brows. The dress had wing-like sleeves and with the addition of a pair of my vintage black suede platform clogs Jenny was my walking Biba creation.

The lighting was atmospheric and complemented my makeup well. I particularly love the shot taken of Jenny reflected in my makeup mirror as she looks almost Pierrot-like.

Photographer:Ronny Cathro


For the final session I wanted to create 2 Lana del Ray style looks in one session. I was initially just going to do the one with the backcombed hair but as  I don’t like to make life easy on myself I decided to throw in  another look with a floral hairpiece that she has been frequently photographed with. Small problem – I had no available head piece so I pulled apart the rose and spider bracelet I created for a Sugar Skull shoot I had done last year with Oliver and model SulaPowell. I attached the roses to a frame and pinned to the hair in about 10 mins before photographer Julie Christie arrived. Julie is primarily a wonderful family portraiture and boudoir photographer but I actually met her at a wedding- click here to view Julie’s work.

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The session took place in my home and, making an appearance, my oft-used Chesterfield couch.
Photographer:Julie Christie




I lied when I said there was 3 looks there is actually 2 others to come- one for ‘Invite’ magazine S/S 13 that is published in May (I am the hair/makeup artist and feature writer since the first edition) and one look to happen soon that will be a nod to the looks of  the forthcoming  ‘ Great Gatsby’ film.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them and as for Jenny I predict great things in the future…


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