Smart Barre Studios - Commercial Shoot

If you're a follower of Lip Service, then you know I do weddings...a LOT of weddings!  I adore working with brides and getting to be a part of their special day...it's very fulfilling to help someone feel truly beautiful on one of the most important days in their lives.  But...that's actually NOT how I got my start as a makeup artist! (Need a little backstory?  Click here....)  I started out as on-air talent filming commercials and video productions, and then starting doing makeup behind the camera. Over the years, I added wedding makeup, boudoir, business headshots and lessons to my list of services, but I also love doing tv/film, and print work for magazines.

When I get the chance to get back to my "commercial roots" I always enjoy the opportunity to work with the production team and see the client's project come to life.  It's challenging, but in a fun way that keeps me on my toes, so keep checking back as I start catching up and posting about other commercial projects I've done this year!

This particular shoot was for Smart Barre Studios, based right here in Fort Worth, TX, with 4 local locations and 1 in San Antonio.  If you're not familiar, Smart Barre is a unique combination of ballet/yoga/stretching that lengthens your muscles while toning your body.  Want that lean dancer's body look?  This is how you get it!  All of the instructors have a background in dance, but you don't need to be a dancer to take a class, they assured me. Founder Allison Poston (yep, former ballerina!) contacted me about doing a shoot a few months ago, because they needed updated images for their website.

Making up Kristi, co-owner of Cityview Location

Before/After of Erin, one of the instructors

The makeup had to be light and very natural, but skin needed to look good on film and of course, all of the instructors wanted to look pretty! The goal is for each woman to look naturally beautiful, while looking like they aren't really wearing makeup, like Kristi, Erin and Renn, shown here.  I got started on makeup while Renn Traylor (also a part-time Smart Barre instructor) got started on natural updo's and ponytails that were polished, but simple.  Check it...another fun fact about this shoot?  One of my already booked brides (we're both named Jen and both from Wisconsin too!) also happens to be a part-time Smart Barre instructor, so I got to meet her at this shoot, and then I did her wedding makeup just a few weeks later!  Major "what a small world" kinda day.. gotta love it.

Polished, yet natural looks were perfect for this shoot!

After all the girls were ready to go, it was lights, camera, ACTION! This shoot was a real workout for all the ladies, as they demonstrated move after move for the camera...sometimes holding each position for several minutes.  The end results?  Stunning!  I'm sure their muscles were a little sore, but the results were worth it...scroll down to see gorgeous images that show the Smart Barre workout in action.

Super talented commercial photographer Jason Kindig really captured the beauty and strength of the instructors, don't you think?  Check out some of the final images below and if you're inspired to take a class, contact Smart Barre!  No tutu required...promise.

Class of 2014 or Ad for Free People? You decide!

It was a lazy Sunday....nothing booked, so I had slept late and was hanging out with my boyfriend and the kids.   If you know me at all, you know how truly pleasantly weird that is...I'm usually getting up at 6am and going non-stop!  I was looking forward to a day of couch time and catching up on Scandal episodes when I got a call from a photographer I didn't know with a frantic.... "Can you help?  We need makeup for senior pics...stat!"  Me..."Um...when?".  "NOW!"  If I had a cape with MUA on it, I would've thrown that sucker on!   It'd be red with big ol' lips on it, naturally.  ANYWAY,  I packed up my case and headed to Fort Worth where I met the lovely Kelsey, her sweet momma and the amazingly talented photographer Heather Thorne.  Right away, I was super excited...Kelsey is gorgeous! She has incredibly long hair with a fun, hippie vibe..she's tall and has just a bit of an alternative vibe to offset her classic good looks.  Here she is without a stitch of makeup on as I got started:

And the before/after....

I'm telling you, gorgeous girl! She wanted to look natural, but also wanted to be sure her unexpected breakout was covered and that she looked pretty....these are senior pics, after all!  I created a look that both mom and daughter were happy with....fresh, glowing, but yet sophisticated in an age- appropriate way.  I used warm neutrals on her eyes, black and hunter green liner plus some flirty false lashes for pop.  Flawless skin and my signature flushed cheeks and rosy lip and she was ready to go.  You've gotta love it when you can make an 18 year old happy when it comes to makeup! I teased her roots a bit and then twisted sections of her hair around a curling iron for definition (but still loose and "undone" to fit her style) as Kelsey chose her outfits and Heather planned where to shoot around the Magnolia area of Fort Worth.  I could not WAIT to follow up with Heather and see how this shoot turned out...I just had a feeling, ya know?  Are you ready?  Check out these fabulous images...again, courtesy of Heather Thorne Photography...

I just love the boho chic vibe!!  The overall shoot wound up like a lookbook for a chic boutique or Free People, not your everyday senior pics, that's for sure. My senior pic involved floofy 80s hair and some kind of blue feathery thing around my shoulders...just one head shot in the school gym with a bunch of people in line behind me, boom...done.  Nothing special, but that's what everyone's senior pic looked like....yep, I'll say it...back in the day!   Wish I had a copy handy, I'd post it just for grins...and to show the contrast with how FAB these images are in comparison! Wow, things have really changed for the better in regard to senior pics...these show so much more personality. In the end, that lazy Sunday wasn't meant to be, but I'm so glad I picked up the phone and was available for this last minute session!  Can't wait to work with Heather again.  And.....happy graduation Kelsey! What a great way to celebrate......

I'll get to those Scandal episodes eventually....

You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman...

Sorry, had to go there!  Ok, now that that song is all in our heads...
I wanted to do a quick post before I embark upon a CRAZY weekend!  Three trial runs, a wedding and a photo shoot...so definitely, no time to post in the next couple of days.  Clients ask me a lot about natural makeup....they want to look like "themselves" and think that adding makeup won't look right.  Wrong, 100% wrong!  Often when "natural" people attempt their own makeup, or look around at other people wearing a lot, what they don't like is a lot of COLOR.  This is makeup that I did recently as part of a commercial photo shoot for Smart Barre, a local chain that offers a barre/yoga/strength training workout experience, mostly led by former dancers.  So cool!  I'm getting ready to take some classes there myself.  At any rate, the vibe of the shoot was polished, but natural....red lips or teal eyeshadow would've been totally out of place, so I kept it all soft and neutral, but still sophisticated.  On this instructor, I shaped her brows, corrected and evened out her skin (but notice...freckles still show a bit!), added peachy pink lips and blush.  For eyes, there's a bit of vanilla and camel shadow for definition, and then I used a black/brown shadow applied with a pencil brush...I buffed that into her upper and lower lashlines for a soft, but still defined look...love this trick!  I never, ever draw a pencil line on the lower lashline...too harsh.  This gives you the thick looking lashline in a much softer way.  So, here's the before and after....

She looks polished, pretty, but still NATURAL.  With a bunch of makeup on.  It's all in how it's applied and what colors are used!  This look is a popular one for brides who don't normally wear makeup, except for a bride, I'd add false lashes for a bit more impact and probably more blush...both are needed for wedding photography against a white or ivory dress.  So, are you convinced that makeup CAN look really natural?  Let me know what you think in the comments!  I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend, I'll be back next week to post pics from all the stuff I've been working on....I have THREE fun photo shoots to share!  See you soon!  JT