Some nice shots from a photoshoot that I did recently in D Studios just off Camden Street in Dublin. Was a great team to work with and I hope to have a video of the shoot soon.
Model: Adrienne Murphy
Photographer: Richie Stokes
Stylist: Triona McCarthy
Make-Up: Emma Farrell Make-Up
I regularly share my knowledge and techniques with budding make-up artists. Here are a few shots from my “Fantasy Make-Up Class”
I did the makeup for a photoshoot a couple of months ago for a really good friend of mine Alice Collins. She is a talented and creative textile artist based in Dublin. She also handmakes a range of unique jewellery and accessories.
These images are of dresses that she made as part of a work of art. It is an attempt to address the emotional and physical trauma suffered by Irish women under the lawless ‘care’ of Dr. Michael Neary in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda during the 1980s and 90s.
Just incase you don’t know who he is, here is a link to an RTE Article and a brief synopsis from Wikipedia below:
“Michael Neary is a retired Irish consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist. He gained notoriety when it was discovered that he had performed what was considered an inordinate number of cesarean hysterectomies during his time at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, County Louth. He was suspended by the Irish Medical Council in 1999 pending their investigations, and then struck off the Register of Medical Practitioners in 2003.”
Artist: Alice Collins
Photographer: Edel Kelly @ The Secret Boudoir
Models: Aisling Danahar, Bernadette McLoughlin and Sarah Tapes
Make-up Artist: Emma Farrell @ Makeup
I had a great night at the Filmbase Special FX Make-up Night which took place on the 28th April, there was blood, guts, burns, bruises and zombies galore 
It was a very funny night and there were demonstrations by Tom McInerney, Terri Pinnell an Conor McMahon. I particularly liked Conor’s hilarious demonstration for home made blood and brain recipes which left the poor victim with a sticky syrupy mess all over her head! Just as well its not summer or she would have been attacked by wasps & flies on the way home!
I was a burns victim for the night…it was weird being in the Make-Up Chair for once, but I found it strangely relaxing!
Before
After
I also got a chance to catch up with some old Model Making people who were displaying their armour and props at the event. (Note: I used to be a modelmaker myself in a former life)
I particularly liked the fact that I could see Tom McInerney (Fairycatcher, The Formorian) create a green, ghoulish character from start to finish, he made it look so easy!
At the end of the night we all had to do a Zombie Dance which was filmed…so watch this space…I will update you when I have the video
I am really looking forward to doing the Make-Up for the show: “The Story of Motown” in the Olympia tonight. I am sure that it is going to be a fantastic night out and if you haven’t got your tickets already get them now for the bargain price of €25!
I have been doing some research and absolutely love the glamour and flair of the Motown Musicians. Diana Ross, the Supremes, Gladys Knight, Teena Marie, The Marvelettes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas all make up this fantastic music genre.
Last week I was asked to do some Bodypainting for a Doritos Advert Competition Entry. This involved bodypainting three actors in the colours of Doritos Cheese, Cool Ranch and Chilli Heatwave. As luck would have it I was able to get the exact colour match from Make-Up Forever on Clarendon Street. I used their Color Creams in Orange, Pearly Blue and Cold Red.
I love it when I don’t have to custom blend a colour, because this makes for a much quicker process and bodypaint.
Bodypainting for film is alot more complicated than for still photography. I came up against a number of challenges. I wanted to paint them with a product that would be easy enough to remove, but would last under the lights and for the duration of the shoot. I opted for the color cream because it is really easy to apply, non toxic, easy to remove and gives good coverage.
I had to be on hand to repair any spots that had faded from sweat or friction against the clothes.
All in all I was really pleased with the finished make up and I gave the director exactly what was in the brief.
I wrote an article for Beauty Bag recently on Make-Up Secrets that the Pros don’t want you to know. I just thought would share it here in case you haven’t seen it:
1.) Always start with a good base. It is imperative if you want your Make-Up to last. Primers are great. If you have oily skin make sure that you use a mattifying primer.
2.) Brushes are the key to a great make-up application. If you can’t afford to buy a whole set of brushes, just ensure that you pick up at least a good quality eyeshadow brush. That is the only way that you can achieve the dramatic smokey eye.
3.) White eyeliner on the inner rim of the eye helps to make the eyes look larger and is great if you haven’t had a good night’s sleep.
4.) If you want to get a nice defined eye, but can’t get the hang of tricky liquid eye liner, try and use a pencil eyeliner instead. Roughly draw a line on the eyelid as close to the upper lashline as you can manage. Afterwards you can smudge the line with a brush or finger. Then set this in a matching eyeshadow colour so it lasts all day.
5.) The face isn’t the only thing that needs to be primed before you begin applying your make-up. You can now get primers for your eyeshadow which makes it last and last. Also you can get lip primers, which are especially great for older skin as it helps to prevent lipstick bleeding.
6.) If you find that you are getting oily by the end of the day, get a tissue and pat it on the face to absorb any excess oil. Afterwards use some blotting powder to refresh and mattify your look without making you feel caked in make-up. If you don’t remove the excess oil first you can end up looking very ashen faced.
7.) Contouring is your best friend, you can give your face a beautifully defined look and create bone structure even if you don’t have any.
8.) Always curl your eyelashes, it helps to widen the eyes and make them appear larger. There are great heated eyelash curlers on the market if you can’t figure out the manual ones.
9.) To make your lipstick last all day, you line your lips with your lip liner. Then you fill in the whole lip with the same pencil. After this you apply the first coat of lipstick. Then you use translucent powder to set the colour. Then apply a top coat of lipstick.
10.) Although not technically a make-up product, eyedrops really enhance your make-up look, this makes them bright and clear.
For more advice and professional make-up visit www.emmafarrellmakeup.com
I attended a MAC Trends Masterclass which was hosted in the Brown Thomas headquarters. The masterclass was run by Lesley Keane and Nikki Gillick.
The day started off with a snappy video of all the backstage action in London, Paris, Milan and New York. I love seeing the mayhem and discord before a big show. Leslie fresh from behind the scenes herself was able to regale us with tales and anecdotes. The biggest trend (which I was talking about in a previous post) is definitely bleached eyebrows.
This can be done using the good ‘ol Jolene, usually a staple for the lady bleaching her top lip, you can now use it to stay on trend and brighten up those brows. If you don’t want to commit fully to this look, you can always cheat it by using MAC full coverage foundation and working it into the brows with a mascara wand. Make sure you brush them in all directions ensuring that every side of each hair follicle is covered.
There were a few mentions of this season being a real throwback to the 70s with strong colours and a more rounded eyeshape, following the natural curve of the eyesocket.
I went away from the event inspired.
Here are the finished looks:
Here are some of the MAC Trend Facecharts for Spring Summer:
American Nomad Trend
Dye a Tribe Trend
Pale n Dandy Trend
Underground Society Trend
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