Elle/Loreal New Talent Competition 2009

British Elle and Loreal Paris are giving you the opportunity to kick start your career working behind the scenes at an Elle shoot and backstage with James Kaliardos at London Fashion Week with their New Talent Competition 2009

This would be an invaluable experience for anyone looking to pursue a career in makeup not only picking up tips and tricks from a makeup master like James Kaliardos but getting to work on an Elle shoot is a dream come true for many artists even if it is assisting!

To enter you will need to design a look for London Fashion Week using Loreal Paris products. Designs should be submitted on a face chart including notes on which products and colours you use along with an A3 mood board illustrating your ideas and inspirations for the look. Include a brief description in under 200 words explaining what inspired you to create the look with a picture of yourself, name, address, email and telephone number to: Elle/Loreal Paris New Talent, 64 North Row, London, W1K 7LL

The closing date is 2nd April 2009 however you must read the competition brief as well as full terms and condition at lorealparis.co.uk before entering.

The face chart and full details of the competition appear not to have been released at http://www.lorealparis.co.uk/ just yet so keep checking the site for more info. I will post more links and information here when I get it so watch this space too!

To find out more about James Kaliardos check out this interview in the Independent.

Picture Source: Harpers Bazar

inmykit.com

Psst...KJB is giving In My Kit a facelift for 2009 so look out for new reviews and updated content coming soon!

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Put your Goals, Dreams and Resolutions in Writing

2009 is just around the corner so what better time to start thinking about where you want your career to take you in the New Year. Taking the time to put some goals in writing can really give you direction and help keep you focused.

These questions should help get you started….

1. Where do you see your makeup career in the long-term?

2. What creative goals do you want to achieve over the next year?

3. What financial goals do you want to achieve over the next year? (Yearly/ Monthly/Weekly)

4. What will you experiment with in the coming year?

If you think about the following points in relation to the goals you set above you can figure out what you need to work on over the coming year to achieve them.

• What technical steps do you need to take in order to achieve your goals? This could be improving on or learning a new skill.

• What steps do you need to take on the creative front to achieve your goals?
  
• What changes do you need to make in your daily life (e.g. interaction with friends, family, p/t job) to make your career work?
  
• What marketing steps do you need to achieve your goals?
  

Set some time aside to regularly review your plan and check your progress.

Leave a comment and share a goal you set for 2009!

Read Devon Ellington's piece on Business Plans here which helped me put together the questions and points for this post…. http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com/articles/business/writereality.htm

Further reading on writing informal business plans…
http://www.anti9to5guide.com/2007/01/08/happy-new-you-v20/
http://therenegadewriter.com/2006/11/26/business-plans-not-just-for-corporate-conglomerates-anymore/

Chapped lips be gone!

A long time essential in my makeup bag, the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant has reached cult status and for good reason too.

This intensive cream is the perfect antidote to chapped lips and dry skin as it sooths and restores rough, dry and irritated skin. If you apply to flaky lips or chapped hands before bed they should be as good as new by morning.

Now available in this cute new limited edition ,50's inspired pot what more reason do you need to treat yourself!

Airbrush Makeup

I just wanted to share these two videos from EnKore who belive it or not has reached 'Guru' status on YouTube for his makeup tutorials.

These films are really informative for anyone interested in getting an airbrush system as they help you understand all the features and give you a clear idea of what to look for when purchasing a compressor or gun.

Airbrush Gun 101


Airbrush Compressor 101


Some websites you should check out if you are building an airbrush kit are...
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
Temptu
Kett

Psst! Dont forget to claim your holiday gift from OCC

Happy Holidays!

I hope you have all been enjoying a Merry Christmas and that you found lots of makeup goodies under the tree.

I was pleasantly surprised to find Santa had been stocking up at Camera Ready Cosmetics when I received a La Femme blush palette in my stocking!

I have heard rave reviews from fellow artists who use this palette so I'm expecting great things. Apparently this is the only blush palette I will ever need and judging it by the excellent range of colours it could be true. I will post pics as soon as I get a chance to use them on set so watch this space....

Let me know what you received this year by leaving a comment below!

Picture Source: camerareadycosmetics.com

Pro Products For Your Kit

I thought I would share a site with you that has been invaluable to me whilst building my makeup kit.

The secret to building a kit that really works for you is making informed product choices which is where InMyKit comes in. Once I discovered the site run by Emmy Award winning makeup artist Kevin James Bennett it was the end of impulse buys at the makeup counter and a new streamlined, productive, organised kit.

InMyKit is a comprehensive list of products really used by top makeup artists working in Film, TV and Print. Its not about fancy packaging and expensive labels but about performance. All the products featured on the site are tried and tested under professional conditions and only get KJB's stamp of approval if they stand up to the demands of the job.

Top 5 Tips for....Portfolio Building

As I am in the process of reorganising my portfolio I thought now would be a good time to write some posts on the topic. It can be a real mine field so to get the ball rolling here are 5 simple rules I have learnt to follow when arranging my images...

1. Aim for quality not quantity. Edit ruthlessly! Don’t be tempted to pad out your book with mediocre shots as you book will look much stronger with several images that show you at your best and blow the client away.
2. Start and finish on a good note. You need to get the clients attention right from the start. Grab them with your best work on the first few pages but be sure to save a show stopper to end on so as to leave a good impression.
3. Position shots facing the gutter. If you have images where the models are looking left or right place them so they are looking toward the middle of the book.
4. Never ever make the client spin your book to see your work. If you have a landscape shot that you want to use either print with a boarder at the top and bottom or print so it fills 2 pages and cut down the middle which is called double-trucking.
5. Best shots to the right.Your eye is naturaly drawn to the right page first so if you can always try to feature your strongest work in the right hand pages of your book.

Feel free to jump in and tell me what rules you try to stick to when organising your portfolio and leave a comment below.

I would also love to hear from those of you that have recently shown your book to an agent, so join in and and share your experience with us all.

Happy Holidays from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

To celebrate the festive season OCC are including a free gift with all purchases made before December 31st. Enter code 'RJHOLIDAY' under the Special Instructions section at checkout to receive a complimentary Loose Colour Concentrate in 'Luster', an intense white gold shimmer, and a limited edition face and body Glitter in 'Icicle', a duo chromatic white/blue that's available only via this offer. Happy Shopping!

Tony and Guy Catwalk Creations

I'm not usually one to get side tracked by things that pop up on AOL when I log on in the morning but I stumbled upon some beautifully intricate hairstyles by the Toni and Guy session team in the AOL 'Sensational Party Hair Ideas' feature which caught my eye. Check them out here... http://rubyroom.aol.co.uk/2008/12/11/sensational-party-hair-ideas/

Billy B at The Makeup Show

Ok so its old news that Billy B was the key notes speaker at The Makeup Show NYC but for those of you that weren't there or haven't come across his talk on YouTube I had to revive it here on my blog and spread the word.

He is powerful, inspirational, humble and I personally find this video a real pick me up when I'm having a down day! The stand out message I took away from this is to "be the best you can be with what's available to you...."

He seriously made me want to take on the world with my brushes after watching this....

The Makeup Show will be back in New York 17th & 18th May 2009 so watch this space for more info in the new year.

pictures/sources: billybbeauty.com, themakeupshow.com, youtube.com

Johnny Lavoy

Morning All! I'm dashing off to the studio to do my last job before Christmas (yay!) with not much time to post so I thought I would leave you to enjoy this YouTube video featuring stylist Johnny Lavoy while I'm gone.

It one of my favorites from his series for Ford Models so let me know what you think...

The Snowmen Have Landed!

13 super size inflatable snowmen have descended on Carnaby Street! Paula Darf from James Glancy Design put the Christmas display together this year and I have to say its well worth a trip to marvel at the unique decorations. Paula says the inspiration came from "the childhood fantasy of a white Christmas and the delight in creating snowmen from the first fall of snow. By filling Carnaby with thousands of snowflakes I want to remind people of the magic and excitement of snow falling and demonstrate how dramatically snow can change our day to day experience of our surroundings."

While your taking in the sites on Carnaby Street drop into my favourite store, Liberty's for a more traditional Christmas fix and stock up on luxury makeup and beauty gifts from exclusive brands such as Shu Uemura, Nars and Diptyque.

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About What The Pros Do

Hi, I'm Alex and welcome to my blog What The Pros Do.

What The Pros Do is a compilation of useful tips, advice and reviews I have picked up on my journey to becoming a makeup artist. I have started WTPD to not only share with you the trials and tribulations of pursuing a career in makeup but to pay forward the advice and lessons I pick up on the way.

Without many of the online resources I have found over the years I probably wouldn’t be where I am today in my career. You would not believe how many bookmarks I have stored and the hours I have clocked up online researching the industry which is where What The Pros Do comes in. I hope that this will grow into a useful resource collating all types of information in one place for beauty junkies and other artists, in particular the newbie’s out there.

In the spring of 2007 I decided to follow my passion for makeup and left my job working in Operations at the Hugo Boss London office for a more creative role in the fashion industry and went back to school. A year and half on, where this blog starts, I am toting my portfolio round town and starting my career as a freelance makeup artist in London.

Just like every working artist my portfolio is a constant work in progress so you will hopefully watch me grow through this blog as an artist and see me take on bigger and better challenges as a freelancer. Below is a small selection of my work.

I don’t claim to be an authority on all things beauty so feel free to join in, post comments, share your opinions and ask questions on the blog.

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