Photoshoot Prep

Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert on this subject, I am simply sharing my own personal preparation steps for upcoming photoshoots. I am not a professional model, I do not work full time as such. I am simply giving you an insight into the groundwork required to make me camera ready (cue an hour long montage of exhausted beauticians and stylists á la Miss Congeniality)

So lets get down to it.

Photographer - One More Photo 

Four Days Prior:

Four or so days before a shoot I will have my nails done. By this I mean gel extension infills and polish...but if you have good natural nails then just a manicure or polish will work for you. A highly overlooked factor in preparations, poorly cared for nails can ruin a perfectly good photograph. Needless to say, if you bite or chew your nails, consider extensions or even stick on nails for the shoot. This is not to say that nails should be long, this is simply personal choice, but whatever the length they should be well maintained and freshly polished. On this note, do chat with your photographer prior to your shoot to get an idea of the theme...a french manicure or nude polish will work for most things but brighter colours or black, may look out of place in a bridal editorial...you get the idea. 

PS: Don't forget your toe nails! 

This is also the time to consider eyebrow waxing and a hair cut if required.

Three Days Prior:

Ok, so three days before a shoot I will dye my hair. I personally dye my hair at home as my regrowth is so quick that it would cost me a small fortune to get my roots done at a salon every time. I use Clairol Nice and Easy home dye kits and I have never had a problem with them. 

The reason I dye my hair 3-4 days in advance is threefold. Firstly, dying your hair ahead of time gives you plenty of room for error. Should you cock up horrendously, there is time to rectify and perfect your barnet prior to shoot day. Secondly, when dye is first applied it will most likely result in a blanket colour and deeper shade than the final colour result. Giving yourself a couple of days of hair washing means that your hair will have settled and softened into a more natural looking tone. Thirdly and most importantly, residue! 

As the rest of you home-dye guys and gals out there will know, hair dye leaves a lovely stain on your scalp and hairline. Before the 'professionals' among you get keyboard happy, yes i'm well aware of the fact you can coat your face with Vaseline to avoid staining. However, having used this technique when my hair was pink (which was nigh on impossible to remove from skin) I am here to tell you that it's simply more hassle than it is worth! I'd rather spend 10 minutes scrubbing my hair line than half an hour trying to clean my face and hair of Vaseline residue. 

As I was saying, staining does occur with home dye although Clairol is one of the best brands I've come across for minimal scrubbing to remove. Giving yourself a good few days will ensure plenty of time for scrubbage and fading. Jobs a goodun! 

Additionally, from about 3 days prior to a shoot I will cut down my calorie intake to about 500 per day. I generally eat very healthily but obviously I become rather more body conscious when a shoot is up and coming. I tend to stick to a zero carbs policy from about 3-4 days prior to minimise bloating and to ensure my body is looking lean and toned. Ensure you drink lots of water and if you are finding that you're lacking energy due to lower or zero carb consumption, consider adding lemon and honey to hot water and letting this cool before drinking. The lemon is great for digestion and the honey will give you a natural sugar energy boost. 

Two Days Prior:

In the morning, two days prior, I will exfoliate my body from head to toe. For this I use exfoliating gloves and my regular soap, but if an exfoliating gel works best for you then you go ahead. As I said, this is just what works for me and is not to say that it will be the best option for all of you out there. 

You can pick up exfoliating gloves from pretty much anywhere; Primark, Boots, Wilko, Superdrug, Poundland, The Body Shop....the list goes on. 

In the evening I will bathe again and remove all traces of makeup, deodorant and moisturiser from my skin, as well as giving it a light once over with the exfoliating gloves again. Once done I will have a spray tan applied in their lightest shade to give me a light golden glow without turning tangerine toned. Lets face it, we all feel better with a tan, but trust me, your photographer does not want you turning up looking like an extra from TOWIE! Subtlety is the way forward with tanning in this industry. 

The Day Before:

As you fake-tan girls out there will know, this is the day you wake up with the muddy tan residue and blackened pores. Do not panic if you are a faker-first-timer...this is completely normal. Day one of a tan generally sucks and you WILL smell strongly of biscuits, especially once you sweat. This is exactly the reason I always ensure my tan is applied two days prior to any important event, be it a shoot, wedding, date..whatever.  

Have a bath or shower and thoroughly wash off any remaining tan. I then shave my legs and under arms so as to avoid having to do it the day of the shoot and risk a shaving rash or cut. I wash and condition my hair. Depending on the condition, I may also apply a hair mask or liberally applied coconut oil.   

Next I will ensure I have no stray eyebrow hairs and curl my lashes. This saves a lot of time the next morning. Then I will liberally moisturise from head to toe (a light moisturiser for my body and my trusty Estee Lauder day cream for my face and neck). 

Pack the night before a shoot to avoid any last minute rushing the next day. Your photographer will have most likely notified you of what shoes, clothing or accessories you may need to bring with you, but do not forget the essentials: Hair products such as spray, gel, pins, bands, straighteners and curlers are a must. Makeup products and wipes. Energy boosting snacks (you WILL need them if the shoot is a long one, trust me, its harder work than it looks). And lastly, underwear! Whether your clothes are being provided or not, you'll need undies for any outfit so I always pack nude thongs, a nude strapless bra and possibly a black and a white underwear set. You may also want to consider nipple stickers for outfits where a bra is a no go. 

PS: Do not worry about over-packing for a shoot. A photographer would always rather you brought too much than too little. 

The Day Of The Shoot:

I always set my alarm with plenty of time to spare so as to avoid any panicked rushing should something go wrong. I bathe and wash, blowdry and style my hair. I apply top up whitening strips to my teeth and then brush them once these have worked their magic. I apply a facial moisturiser and primer before applying a basic makeup, complete with individual lashes (much better for a shoot than the fake-looking strip lashes). I ensure that I am completely moisturised from head to toe and then dress in loose comfortable clothing without a bra- this is to avoid strap marks on my shoulders and back, the editing of which costs photographers both time and money. I recommend leggings, shirt and hoody for travelling to a shoot so as to avoid marks from tight clothing such as jeans, and removal of meticulously applied makeup by pulling clothing items over the head. I will have my morning protein shake and ensure my bags, food and water for the day are all in the car, program my sat nav and set off well ahead of time in case of delays. 

And there you have it. My complete pre-shoot program. Obviously this does not factor in day to day life, gym sessions etc...but you get the general idea. I hope this has been of some help to a few of you and please do not hesitate to pop me a message or leave a comment with any questions you may have. 

Emma-Louise

Arbonne - Protein Shake and Energy Fizz Sticks

So, a couple of weeks ago, I met up for lunch (mainly pancakes smothered in whipped cream... but that totally counts as a healthy lunch owing to the accompanying strawberries....right?) with the fabulous Dee Fisher who is a local area manager for Arbonne.
Arbonne's founding principle - pure, safe, beneficial - is carried, uncompromisingly, across their extensive range of skin care, cosmetics, hair products, sun screens, bath and body products and of course their range of nutrition products.

Dee was kind enough to leave me with not only some reading material for my perusal (a guide to the brand and the products they offer), but also a vast array of samples to try out. Those of you who follow my Instagram account will have seen the lovely products I was able to test, and I'm hoping to be able to share my views on most of these with you lovely readers. Today I will cover the two nutrition products, but check back soon for my thoughts on the skin care and cosmetic products I've been giving a try.

The first product which caught my eye was the protein shake. I personally drink a daily shake anyway as part of (or to supplement) my breakfast, or as part of my workout routine, so this is not a new concept for me. At the moment I am using Thermo Whey by Kinetica in Wild Raspberry flavour which I am pretty fond of and have been using for some time now. Arbonne offers two flavours of protein shake - Chocolate and Vanilla - as well as ready mixed options for when you are on the go. I sampled the Vanilla flavour option and followed the mix guide exactly for optimum results. The powder mixed easily and to a smooth finish with very little shaking of my Dolphin Fitness shaker, this was a good start as some shakes can take a bit of work to smooth out. The result was fairly thick compared to my usual shake but I tend to thin mine down anyway as a personal preference.
Smell and taste wise I have to be honest here and say that unfortunately this shake wasn't for me. This is no reflection on the brand or product in the slightest...simply my personal tastes, and unfortunately the flavour of this shake was just far too sweet for me, with a smell to match. This would perfectly suit someone who may find many other shakes bland or savoury, and have sweeter tastes....but for me it was not a winner.

Next up was the Energy Fizz Sticks in Pomegranate flavour, which came highly recommended by Dee herself and was certainly a product I was intrigued by. 

Advertised by Arbonne as 'a replacement to your morning coffee, or when you start to feel the afternoon slump', Fizz Sticks are a blend of vitamin B, antioxidants, chromium and a botanical blend of green tea, guarana and ginseng. A natural Red Bull alternative, if you will. 

Mixing this product is fairly idiot proof, however the product took a fair amount of stirring to mix well without leaving a skin like layer on the surface. Once mixed the drink is somewhere around the colour of an apple presse and with an enticing scent. 

Taste wise I was actually pleasantly surprised...pomegranate is just about recognisable, but alongside a fairly 'sherberty' taste...this is by no means a negative, and I actually found it very tasty. Results wise, I certainly noticed a difference in my levels of fatigue and concentration so I would vouch for its effectiveness. Overall this is a product I would consider purchasing for more regular use and I thoroughly recommend.

For more information on Arbonne's range of Nutrition products, head over to www.arbonne.com or alternatively contact Dee Fisher at www.facebook.com/deefisher.arbonne

Emma-Louise

The hunt for the elusive 'Holy Grail' Foundation - Part 3 - MAC Studio Fix Fluid

Carrying on from my previous post, my hunt for the elusive 'Holy Grail' Foundation continues. Here we pause to asses the possibilities of this title being handed to MAC's Studio Fix Fluid Foundation.

I discussed my skin type in my previous post so do take a look at that for reference as, what works/doesn't work for me, may have completely different results for someone with a different skin type.

Firstly, let me point out that MAC will confuse the hell out of any first timer owing to their ludicrous shade guides. Whilst the average makeup company would guide their products as WARM for yellow/golden undertones to the skin.....and COOL for a pink undertone... MAC sticks a finger up at logic and gives us NW (Neutral WARM - Pink Undertone) and NC (Neutral COOL - Yellow Undertone). According to what I've read online, I gather MAC's reasoning is something along the lines of colour correcting, meaning they would recommend you use the opposite of what you skin undertone is so as to counteract the underlying colour. HOWEVER, having used MAC's foundations, I can assure you that the yellow/pink tones in the foundation are FAR to intense for this to be viable. I am very yellow based and even I find that the NC range CAN look a little liver-failure-chic...especially in the lighter shades.
If you are what we would refer to in Britain as, an 'English Rose' - pale skinned (for those of you to whom this is lost upon) - then this post may not be for you as MAC products are primarily targeted to an audience who's skin tone is somewhere between 'Tangerine' and 'Rich Mahogany'. That being said, a couple of their foundation lines do go relatively light, but by no means anywhere near Alabaster or even Ivory.
As a final note on MAC shades, DO go in and check with a makeup artist in store, or better yet, take home a sample of the product you wish to try. The shades do NOT translate across their full  makeup range, for example, the NC15 in Studio Fix is nothing close to the NC15 in Studio Sculpt....so do check before parting with your hard earned cash.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid - £22

Right, so I wear somewhere between an NC15 and NC20 (depending on my tan). I wear a shade a little lighter than my skin tone as a rule as these foundations seriously oxidise! This is a medium cover foundation and is buildable. It has an SPF of 15 and is a matte finish.

Application wise, these foundations go on beautifully and the coverage is pretty damn good (MAC do a concealer in the same range for those pesky blemishes, which I highly recommend). I would say that application with a flat foundation brush can end up with it pasted on a little thick... but then this is usually the look the majority of MAC's clientele are after. Personally I would recommend application with a stipple brush or a rounded foundation brush (Real Techniques Expert Face Brush), and buff it into the skin for an airbrushed finish. As I previously mentioned, this foundation really does oxidise so don't forget to take this into account.
Longevity with this foundation is a hard one to comment on as my skin is oily and even the most stubborn of foundations would have a hard time clinging to my face for anything longer than 5 hours. I would say, in comparison to other foundations, the staying power is fairly good - it does need powdering and a fixing spray will also help if your skin is prone to oiliness. I did also find some issues with patchiness and creasing but nothing overly catastrophic. If you're looking for a foundation which will last you a day of active wear...then this is probably not the foundation for you; it doesn't deal well with perspiration, it transfers extremely easily, and it's certainly not waterproof. However, if you're simply looking for something to last you a day at work or cocktail night with the girls then this may be just the ticket.
Comfort wise, this is where I find this foundation falls down. As a fairly heavy foundation, it is a given that it will feel a little heavy on the skin, but with this foundation I find that as the day goes on, this goes from 'heavy' to 'mask-like' with little to no exertion. Personally I find that my face feels very clogged whilst wearing this makeup and as such it needs a fair amount of extra attention to keep it in good condition. This, again, may just be my oily skin coming into play and for a drier skin this may not be an issue at all.

Overall I would say that this is a good, medium to full coverage foundation which wears well for basic day-to-day wear. It photographs nicely with some flashback in extremes but nothing too offensive. I like the fact that you can purchase a concealer to match which blends seamlessly with this foundation. Touch ups are easy peasy with very little issue with layering or muddiness (unless you layer over a bronzer - BIG no no).
Negatives are its transfer issues, slight creasing and patching as it wears off, oxidising, colour matching, heavy 'mask like' feel whilst wearing, and of course, it is fairly unsuitable for sports or swimming.

Are you a MAC Studio Fix wearer, share your comments on this foundation below, I'd love to hear from you.

Check back in with me soon for another step forward in my hunt for the perfect foundation. Next up, Double Wear by Estee Lauder.

Emma-Louise