A part of my brand is the makeover experience. My clients come in with clean dry hair and a clean moisturized face, then I or one of my make-up artists style them to the look that they desire. Often my clients aren’t sure what look they would like and we talk them through some ideas that flatter their natural features. The most common look we do is a really soft glam; neutral tones contouring the eye, additional lashes, a natural-looking brow, a natural pink lip, a little airbrush, and soft waves with a little extra volume. Hair and make-up are included in my session fee.
Do you need it to look good? No. Every woman I’ve photographed to date, I would have been happy to photograph them bare-faced. No one needs makeup, makeup is supposed to be fun. Another thing about makeup though, it makes us feel ready. We could get into where this started, the history of makeup, and the way it’s been used throughout time, but I’m more interested in how my clients feel about it. Makeup has been described as war paint, something used to prepare for a battle, to intimidate our enemies. My clients aren’t using it to go into battle though. Most may skip it on days when they are focused on “getting things done”. Which is great, they don’t need it, it’s for fun, sometimes we simply can’t be bothered.
Makeup is also a bit ceremonious. It’s this process we do to feel confident. This is something I’ve thought a lot about on my journey of self-love and acceptance. I wear makeup less now than I ever have, but I still really enjoy it. I probably enjoy it more now that I’m using it as a tool to make myself feel better than in the past when I treated it as something that I needed. I want my clients to feel empowered by makeup, and to feel playful.
The studio makeover is all about pampering time. Think of it as a meditation. It’s the process of switching gears from being a mom, daughter, student, etc into I’m a rock star.
That’s not all, this ritual automatically becomes a group activity when other women are around. It’s like magic, even among strangers in a public restroom women gather together and boost each other up. It’s like there is a getting-ready sisterhood. Men have been befuddled by the group bathroom behavior forever because they don’t participate in this activity so they don’t understand it. For big events, this getting ready time is scheduled. It’s common for this to be a part of the wedding day and some of my favorite wedding images are actually of the bride and the women closest to her getting ready together. We know what it’s like to not feel attractive, and how that affects the feelings of our own value and we are the best at supporting each other.
As someone who has struggled with social anxiety, I find the process of putting my makeup on to be soothing. I’m sure it has more to do with taking time to prepare myself than what I actually do in that time. Most people feel anxious about having their photo taken. The makeover is a great time to relax, listen to some music, maybe even have a glass of wine, be pampered, and boost your confidence about creating some beautiful images.
