Elle
Female
Highend Teen
Highend Teen
Love,
A
Friday, 28 September 2012
Makeup Through the Decades
I was very blessed to be given the opportunity to have my take on how I see make up through the years. This was done for Fashion TV magazine Indonesia, the pearl edition. Thanks to the super talented stylist that further realised the vision. The shots turned out amazing!
1 model
7 looks
here we go..
Love,
A
Sunday, 23 September 2012
My First Make Up Guru
Dear Blushers,
Today I wanna tell you guys about my first ever Make Up guru. He's the first person to really inspire me about make up, even brought out the curiosity and passion to know and learn more about it. I can honestly say that if I didn't know about him, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing right now. Seriously. He is that influential on me. And till this very day, would you believe that I still flip through his books like my beauty bible?
So, who is he? He is none other than ... Kevyn Aucoin!
"Kevyn became interested in make-up at a very young age. As a young, obviously gay, flamboyant boy with a passion for make-up, growing up in Louisiana in the 60’s and 70’s was extremely difficult but despite being relentlessly teased and bullied he stuck to his dream of becoming a make-up artist.
In 1982 he moved to New York where he ambitiously perused his career. Initially working for free with up-and-coming models and photographers, he was discovered by Vogue and championed by their then beauty editor Andrea Quinn Robinson. For the next year and half, he worked closely with legendary photographers Steven Meisel and Irving Penn before shooting his first Vogue cover in 1986 with Cindy Crawford – over the next three years, he did the make-up for 18 more!
Kevyn had a legion of celebrity fans from Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Sharon Stone even the late Audrey Hepburn.
He was a real style leader and truly innovative. His talent was quickly recognised by Revlon, who hired him in 1993 (aged just 21!) to be the Creative Director of their new prestige make-up line Ultima II. With them, he developed a make-up line called The New Nakeds (later renamed The Nakeds), which broke all of the trends for cosmetic brands at the time as it incorporated make-up for women of all skin tones. He also used a variety of neutral, matte, tones in his face, eye and lip products that went against the best-selling vivid colours of the time but that followed his belief that make-up should be a tool in helping people to discover their natural beauty. Kevin led the way for brands like Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier, which were also built on this aesthetic.
In a way his most enduring legacy to the world of make up was creating the original ‘Nude’ Look, and particularly his take on a look that I like to call ‘Heavy Natural’. Using neutral tones of mainly matte texture he would sculpt, define, highlight, shape and tone a face, minimizing and maximizing features like no one before him (or since!). It was a look, which has become synonymous with the late 80’s early 90’s and although he moved on from this style later in the 1990’s I think most of us will always remember and admire him for that particular vision of beauty.
Tragically, Kevyn passed away in 2002, not long after he finished working on his own brand, Kevyn Aucoin Beauty, but his legacy definitely lives on."
Such a loss for the world, to lose someone with an exceptional talent in beauty. Whether you are an aspiring Make Up Artist, an Established Make Up Artist, or just someone who likes make up, I really urge you to get his books and be truly inspired.
Love,
A
Read More
Today I wanna tell you guys about my first ever Make Up guru. He's the first person to really inspire me about make up, even brought out the curiosity and passion to know and learn more about it. I can honestly say that if I didn't know about him, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing right now. Seriously. He is that influential on me. And till this very day, would you believe that I still flip through his books like my beauty bible?
So, who is he? He is none other than ... Kevyn Aucoin!
A LOT can be said about Kevyn, and it would take me forever (and hundreds of blog pages) to just gush how awesome his works are. I believe he was and is the first Celebrity Make Up Artist, a celebrity by his own right. I realise I'm not very good in summarising his life, so I took this lovely excerpt of Kevyn from Lisa Eldridge website (http://www.lisaeldridge.com):
In 1982 he moved to New York where he ambitiously perused his career. Initially working for free with up-and-coming models and photographers, he was discovered by Vogue and championed by their then beauty editor Andrea Quinn Robinson. For the next year and half, he worked closely with legendary photographers Steven Meisel and Irving Penn before shooting his first Vogue cover in 1986 with Cindy Crawford – over the next three years, he did the make-up for 18 more!
Kevyn had a legion of celebrity fans from Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Sharon Stone even the late Audrey Hepburn.
He was a real style leader and truly innovative. His talent was quickly recognised by Revlon, who hired him in 1993 (aged just 21!) to be the Creative Director of their new prestige make-up line Ultima II. With them, he developed a make-up line called The New Nakeds (later renamed The Nakeds), which broke all of the trends for cosmetic brands at the time as it incorporated make-up for women of all skin tones. He also used a variety of neutral, matte, tones in his face, eye and lip products that went against the best-selling vivid colours of the time but that followed his belief that make-up should be a tool in helping people to discover their natural beauty. Kevin led the way for brands like Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier, which were also built on this aesthetic.
In a way his most enduring legacy to the world of make up was creating the original ‘Nude’ Look, and particularly his take on a look that I like to call ‘Heavy Natural’. Using neutral tones of mainly matte texture he would sculpt, define, highlight, shape and tone a face, minimizing and maximizing features like no one before him (or since!). It was a look, which has become synonymous with the late 80’s early 90’s and although he moved on from this style later in the 1990’s I think most of us will always remember and admire him for that particular vision of beauty.
Tragically, Kevyn passed away in 2002, not long after he finished working on his own brand, Kevyn Aucoin Beauty, but his legacy definitely lives on."
Such a loss for the world, to lose someone with an exceptional talent in beauty. Whether you are an aspiring Make Up Artist, an Established Make Up Artist, or just someone who likes make up, I really urge you to get his books and be truly inspired.
This is his first ground breaking book, that holds a very special place in my heart.
followed by his next inspiring follow up books
now do you believe me when I said I've learned my contouring techniques from a young age too? :D
Kevyn, you are indeed deseved to be called a Guru.Love,
A
Monday, 2 July 2012
Photoshoot
Having your first photoshoot assignment can be very daunting. The intimidating studio. The stereotypical bitchy models. The pressure to have your make up just perfect. The demanding stylist. The super sharp-eyes photographer that's ready to pinpoint your every mistake. A lot can go wrong.. or can it?
- I believe good preparation is the key. Have them send you their reference looks and concept, and openly discuss with the stylist before, during even after the make up is done. You're bound to have changes on the spot, and you just have to be ready for it. The good news is, sometimes changes can be good, especially when they like what you do to improve their concept.
- Have a professional attitude always, come on time or earlier even.
- Have a good set of makeup remover wipes. When you're rushing, this can be your lifesaver to save time..!
- Always bring a clean set of tools, whether that is your brush or sponges. I just think dirty messy tools scream lazy and unhygienic. You'll win points with the model and the stylist.
- Bring extra.. of everything. Extra brush, extra cotton buds, extra lashes, extra glue, extra whatever.
- Don't be surprised if your makeup look so different behind the lens. As we all know, lighting will affect how your makeup will turn out to be like. So don't panic, take it easy, just have your touch up tools ready at all times.
- Last but not least, be confident and just relax and have fun... It's not as daunting as you think :)
What? Hairstylist didn't show up? No worries, let's just do some simple hair styling updo..
Me with Cata that was having a major tummy ache that day, so instead of forcing her to sit through the gruelling hours, why not offer my lap and let her catch some sleep?
All done with Cata looking fierce and fabulous after her nap :)
A
Sunday, 1 July 2012
Indonesian style VS 'Bule' style
Whoa! This is an all different thing to talk about here. We can even dissect the topic into a more focused discussion, and in the end we can talk about this for days, weeks, months, years.. who's counting?
With no offense to my western friends, I use the term 'bule' because I think it's easier for us to generalise the Western style, even though it may originate from different countries. So 'bule' here is a term we use to speak on behalf of American, French, Australian, Italian, English etc etc. Oh, btw, bule means Westerners in Indonesian. :)
Read More
With no offense to my western friends, I use the term 'bule' because I think it's easier for us to generalise the Western style, even though it may originate from different countries. So 'bule' here is a term we use to speak on behalf of American, French, Australian, Italian, English etc etc. Oh, btw, bule means Westerners in Indonesian. :)
In terms of make up, I believe without a doubt there's a HUGE difference of styles between these two. Let's just take a couple of random examples. We'll start this interesting analysis by showing a couple of famous bule icons:
And now, let's bring out a couple of well known Indonesian celebrities:
Okay then, where shall we begin? I'm sure all of you can see the 'subtle' difference of make up styles between the two?
I'm an Indonesian, and I live here, and quite honestly, seeing this thick make up, applied super generously on the faces of the women here doesn't even make me raise my eyebrow anymore. How do you say it? It's just their cup of tea, and slowly I've come to accept it too. Not to me, personally, but I understand it's what they mostly look for when they go to a make up artist to get their make up done.
Here's a quick recipe on how to get the Indonesian celebrity make up look. You need:
- Thick foundation (even better in cream), 1 to even 2 tones lighter than your skin.
- Even thicker powder. Acne scars? Zits? Moles? Gone!
- Really sharp, defined eyebrows. Not a hair out of place, if there is, pluck it!
- SHADING. I have this joke with my students. You're not a true Indonesian if you haven't shade your cheekbones AND the most important thing of all; NOSE. Your nose have to look super straight, super sharp and super curiously will make people ask themselves whether it's cosmetically enhanced.
- Fake Eyelashes. This is it. The secret. The motherload of all makeup ship. Without fake eyelashes, I doubt anyone of the Indonesian celebrities would dare walk out their door. I'm not talking just a pair. We're being modest with 2 pairs. Yes my dear obssesionistas, we're in a different league here. We're talking 3 pairs and above. Rumour has it that Syahrini wore 5 pairs of fake eyelashes every single time. Hence, the famous 'bulu mata anti badai' (anti storm lashes).
Here I'm demonstrating what I meant on how the same style of makeup, but with different intensities can look like (have your finger close one side when comparing to appreciate the full change):
left: typican Indonesian makeup (here I only used 3 fake lashes)
right: same style, but softer look (i use 1 fake lashes)
Okay, I'm not being critical on this. Like I said, living here and seeing this type of makeup on a daily basis, I've come to accept it that this is what the public wants. I'm not saying it's horrible, but it sure is different. Anyone who would like to step out in a different style is welcome to try this look. I guarantee, it will make heads turn. Finish it off with the famous blowdried bouncy hair wave, and I'm sure no one would question whether you are truly an Indonesian :)
Until our next analysis,
Love,
A
Saturday, 30 June 2012
my REAL life :)
Hi there bloggers and make up addicts in the blogsphere...!
Forgive me for not writing for so so long.. omg, it"s been almost 2 years since I last posted! That IS long..
BUT
within that 2 years, a lot of things have happened, so let me quickly give you an update;
. i'm a proud mom to the most gorgeous, most talkative baby I've ever met, Chloe Daniella Joewono.
She came into the world after a giving me a 32 hour struggle, and one look into her face, I just knew I would go another 32 hours for her.
Okay. That's a lie. 32 hours okayy!! Who do you think I am? Wonderwoman? I aint gonna go through that again yo! I'm not equipped for that I think.. but really people, for all the pain and discomfort, she IS definitely worth the fight :) and I thank God every time I looked at her smile, for she is truly my living, breathing miracle..
. i'm now teaching make up. Oh Em Gee. Can life get any better than this? Well I guess it can, coz I'm teaching in one of the make up academies that are famous for its make up, and that's Make Up For Ever (MUFE). *scream* I love teaching. I love make up. and I love MUFE products! It's just the perfect combination. Give me a talented, easy-to-teach, eager-to-learn student, and I'll definitely know its a dream. It's just too perfect.. Hahahaha.. But I literally wake up super early, got ready for work (while humming along to a song) with a smile on my face. It's weird (and annoying), I know, but that's how much I love my job.
. Never in my head or imagination would I imagine saying this; I have done quite a number of fashion shows (Alberta Ferreti, Jean Paul Gaultier, several Indonesian designers etc), Photoshoots for famous magazines and even weddings. It started slow, but I'm making my mark in the make up world, one foundation at a time.
So my dear friends, with that, let me give you my word that from this moment on, I'm gonna dedicate myself to writing and updating this blog of mine with everything and anything that is in my brain.. It can be things related to make up, or even simple tips and tricks that I've discovered along the way that would help you in your make up routine.. Either way, I do hope that it would turn all of you into my 'beautiful blushers'..
Write to you tomorrow..!
Love,
A
Read More
Forgive me for not writing for so so long.. omg, it"s been almost 2 years since I last posted! That IS long..
BUT
within that 2 years, a lot of things have happened, so let me quickly give you an update;
. i'm a proud mom to the most gorgeous, most talkative baby I've ever met, Chloe Daniella Joewono.
She came into the world after a giving me a 32 hour struggle, and one look into her face, I just knew I would go another 32 hours for her.
Okay. That's a lie. 32 hours okayy!! Who do you think I am? Wonderwoman? I aint gonna go through that again yo! I'm not equipped for that I think.. but really people, for all the pain and discomfort, she IS definitely worth the fight :) and I thank God every time I looked at her smile, for she is truly my living, breathing miracle..
Our first family Picture - 26 Dec 2010
That's me re-arranging the model's headpiece, with my student finishing her work
Write to you tomorrow..!
Love,
A
Thursday, 27 May 2010
the long and winding road
Personally, to finally admit to myself that I like doing make up is quite difficult. I was raised in a traditional Chinese family, with a strong business background. So it was quite fitting for all of my siblings (including myself) to choose a business degree in college. Don't get me wrong, I love doing business, analysing the strategies and the marketing tools that companies use to win the competition. Without sounding too obnoxious, I can say that I have a good understanding on it, and I'm pretty good at it. So it was a natural choice to submerge myself in the business world after I graduate.
But I guess God has His own funny way to direct my life path. My first serious job was actually in one of the biggest cosmetics company in the world, L'Oréal. I fell in love with it from the first interview. I desperately wanted to work there, not knowing that the real reason why I wanted to be there was because of the nature of the industry itself. I remembered going home from the first interview and said to my parents, 'this is my company, this is where I wanna work!'. I foolishly declined all other offers and waited for the call. After 2 months of waiting, I was lucky, I was hired to become the Training Development person there. I didn't care what position I was offered. I just wanted to be there.
It was my first job, but let me tell you it was my first love. One of my responsibilities was to train and gave people the necessary knowledge of the company and their line of work. Basically, I was teaching (and learning at the same time) about the importance of cosmetics in our lives. I loved what I was doing and so I guess that was the real reason why I was good at it.
Did I tell you that I met my future husband there? No? Oh well, now you know why I loved my job even more.. :))
Anyway, something came up and I had to leave the company and move to Australia. It was a difficult decision, because I felt that I had to leave so many things that I love behind. But my boyfriend gave me a good advice and motivation. He said to use the opportunity to discover and explore new things that I've wanted to know and do, but never had the time. So I knew I've always been an artistic person, from colouring, drawing, painting, origami, quilling, you name it, I've done all that as a mere hobby. So based on that, I decided on trying out design, specifically Interior.
And my new life began. Studying Art is NOTHING like business. Nothing is definite. Nothing is fixed. It's so abstract. I'm someone who likes things in order and art is quite the opposite. I felt miserable. I felt that I made the wrong choice. I wanted to drop out after just 2 weeks, but somehow I managed to hold on and in the end, graduated with top achievement award. During that time, I sort of rediscovered my love for drawing and colours. I found that I was actually good in picking and mixing different colours together to create this harmony of colours.
So with that, I started my new journey in Interior in a property firm. It was okay, it was a good job, good position, good pay, so why couldn't I have that happy feeling like I did in L'Oréal?
But, a personal health problem shifted my whole perspective in life. Suddenly, it all became clear. I wasn't happy with my work. I wasn't happy with my life. I was lost. I didn't know what I wanted to do next. And then my ex-boyfriend-now-hubby asked me why don't I just pursue make up? I looked at him and wondered why I married an obviously insane person. And then he said this, "A successful business usually comes from what you like to do best. And I can see how much you like to do make up. So why not?"
It was so simple. Too simple. Could it be that simple?
I was 30 and he's giving me advise to throw away everything I have and start from the very beginning. It didn't make sense. It sounded so crazy. But somehow, it crazily started to make sense. Huh?
So I did just that. I resigned, became unemployed and became a student again.
And it felt so great. Like a release of this great big energy that you've been keeping inside you for so long. From the day I walked to my first make up class, I just knew I belonged there.
I know it took me quite some time (and places) to get to where I'm supposed to be in life. But I have no regrets. With all that have happened in my life, it just made me appreciate what I've almost lost but found in the end.
So, make up anyone?
Love,
A
Read More
But I guess God has His own funny way to direct my life path. My first serious job was actually in one of the biggest cosmetics company in the world, L'Oréal. I fell in love with it from the first interview. I desperately wanted to work there, not knowing that the real reason why I wanted to be there was because of the nature of the industry itself. I remembered going home from the first interview and said to my parents, 'this is my company, this is where I wanna work!'. I foolishly declined all other offers and waited for the call. After 2 months of waiting, I was lucky, I was hired to become the Training Development person there. I didn't care what position I was offered. I just wanted to be there.
It was my first job, but let me tell you it was my first love. One of my responsibilities was to train and gave people the necessary knowledge of the company and their line of work. Basically, I was teaching (and learning at the same time) about the importance of cosmetics in our lives. I loved what I was doing and so I guess that was the real reason why I was good at it.
Did I tell you that I met my future husband there? No? Oh well, now you know why I loved my job even more.. :))
Anyway, something came up and I had to leave the company and move to Australia. It was a difficult decision, because I felt that I had to leave so many things that I love behind. But my boyfriend gave me a good advice and motivation. He said to use the opportunity to discover and explore new things that I've wanted to know and do, but never had the time. So I knew I've always been an artistic person, from colouring, drawing, painting, origami, quilling, you name it, I've done all that as a mere hobby. So based on that, I decided on trying out design, specifically Interior.
And my new life began. Studying Art is NOTHING like business. Nothing is definite. Nothing is fixed. It's so abstract. I'm someone who likes things in order and art is quite the opposite. I felt miserable. I felt that I made the wrong choice. I wanted to drop out after just 2 weeks, but somehow I managed to hold on and in the end, graduated with top achievement award. During that time, I sort of rediscovered my love for drawing and colours. I found that I was actually good in picking and mixing different colours together to create this harmony of colours.
So with that, I started my new journey in Interior in a property firm. It was okay, it was a good job, good position, good pay, so why couldn't I have that happy feeling like I did in L'Oréal?
But, a personal health problem shifted my whole perspective in life. Suddenly, it all became clear. I wasn't happy with my work. I wasn't happy with my life. I was lost. I didn't know what I wanted to do next. And then my ex-boyfriend-now-hubby asked me why don't I just pursue make up? I looked at him and wondered why I married an obviously insane person. And then he said this, "A successful business usually comes from what you like to do best. And I can see how much you like to do make up. So why not?"
It was so simple. Too simple. Could it be that simple?
I was 30 and he's giving me advise to throw away everything I have and start from the very beginning. It didn't make sense. It sounded so crazy. But somehow, it crazily started to make sense. Huh?
So I did just that. I resigned, became unemployed and became a student again.
And it felt so great. Like a release of this great big energy that you've been keeping inside you for so long. From the day I walked to my first make up class, I just knew I belonged there.
I know it took me quite some time (and places) to get to where I'm supposed to be in life. But I have no regrets. With all that have happened in my life, it just made me appreciate what I've almost lost but found in the end.
So, make up anyone?
Love,
A
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