This opportunity came as a surprise to me. My co-worker Kohl models on the side and asked me if I could help him out with a photo shoot he was doing. I was more than happy to be involved. I was also very nervous. I've been doing makeup for a little over a year now, but none of it has been very professional. It has been mostly on myself, family, and friends. I live in a small town in northern California, so there aren't many opportunities to work with photographers who are in need of a makeup artist, And there are even less who are willing to do it just to help out with a portfolio.
Kohl came into contact with this photographer through Model Mayhem, so I didn't have very high expectations. I got much more than what I did expect. The shoot was done in his apartment, but he had awesome lighting equipment and he was very professional and respectful. He wasn't expecting to have a makeup artist in set, but he was open to any new ideas. I really appreciated his willingness to work with me and his enthusiasm. Kohl did an awesome job. This photo shoot was his first one as well, and I was super impressed. He was also open to my ideas, and was very easy to work with. Kohl has an awesome personality, and makes any situation, that might be uncomfortable, a breeze.
As for the makeup itself, it went awesome. Since the shoot was primarily nudes, we used full coverage foundation to cover any imperfections. And when I say full coverage I mean full coverage. Kohl brought a foundation called Dermablend. That stuff is the thickest product I've ever worked with. I had to practically dig the product out of the container. But it worked wonders. Kohl had some dark spots and discoloration, and they disappeared under the foundation. I loved it. I contoured his eyes and his nose and filled in his eyebrows to give him a little definition. Later we switched it up and I did a very simple smokey eye on him with a tiny bit of lip gloss to give him a sensual sexy look. And.... that pretty much sums it up. Kohl did an awesome job, the photographer did an awesome job, and I will be brave enough to say I think I did a pretty awesome job too.
