Change Concept

Change Shoot Attempt #2

So in my previous blog I discussed how I completed my first 'Change' photoshoot, but wasn't content with the result (click here to view previous blog). So I decided to do this shoot again and change what I didn't like about the first one. 

Outfit:

So one of the things which didn't go too well in the first shoot is that the clothing wasn't right for the theme. I took control of this for the second try, and bought an outfit which I thought reflected drag and the modern teen. 

As per the image on the right (Reference 1) drag queens very often wear over the top sequin dresses to give an overly feminised look. 

Sequin dresses are also a huge current trend with teenage girls, with the hashtag #sequindress having been used over 90,000 times on instagram according to it's discover page. For this reason I used a sequin dress for this second take of the photoshoot.

Make-Up

This time I decided I wanted to include even more of a drag element to the make-up than I had done previously. To do this I decided that I wanted to block the eyebrows, and redraw them on higher up and more defined. This is a very common trick used in the drag world, as having higher and more arched brows is a very feminine look. As men typically have lower down and thicker shaped brows, a lot of queens opt for blocking their brows and re-drawing them, to avoid shaving them off.

This is a tutorial which helped me a lot when I first started brow blocking, and is done by the Faux Queen Lucy Garland who I mentioned in my initial blog posts as a source of my inspiration (Reference 2).

New Face Chart

I created a new face chart as I wanted to slightly tweak some of the elements of my original design. As my last model had a really deep skin tone I loved the idea of using vivid pink with a really high colour intensity as it would really pop with her skin tone.

For the second shoot I used a fair skinned model, and so wanted to change up the colour palette slightly. I went for a mixture of berry and brown tones, with a pop of bright glitter on the lid.

See product list below, click on items to be taken to the online store.

Step by Step & Product List

- Pritt stick to block the brows. I did 3 layers of glue, leaving each one to dry before adding the next.

- Illamasqua Hydra Veil  all over the skin to prep it and soak in whilst doing the brows.

- Kryolan TV Paint Stick  to cover the eyebrows, and as foundation all over the face.

- Ben Nye Neutral Set Powder all over the face, and pressed into the now covered brows with a sponge.

- MAC 'Spiked' Brow Pencil to draw on new brows in a higher up and more arched position. 

- MAC Select Cover Up concealer to perfect the shape of the brow, and as an eyeshadow base over the entire eyelid. I packed this on with a small flat concealer brush, and patted it until it dried. This is to give a better colour pay off for the eyeshadow.

- MAC 'Vanilla' Pigment under the brow bone to highlight.

- MAC 'Raizin' Blusher as the transition shade in the new 'crease'. I did this using an Illamasqua fluffy blending brush, using a clean one to drag the product out and wing it slightly.

- MAC 'Film Noir' Blusher in the very inner crease, blended out with Raizin.

- Stargazer Glitter in 'Pink Nebula' on the lid, stuck using Duo Lash Glue. 

- Maybelline Gel Liner in Black on the upper lash line using a Zoeva Winged Liner Brush.

- Red Cherry 'Chakra' lashes on top, stuck with Duo.

- NYX White Gel Liner in the waterline, and buffed into the inner corner of the eye.

- Red Cherry 'WSP' lashes on the lower lash.

- Illamasqua Masquara on the upper lashes, to blend into the falsies.

- Illamasqua concealer shade 'Deep 2' as contour.

- Illamasqua Highlighter 'OMG' on the cheekbones.

- Illamasqua Blusher 'Naked Rose' on the cheeks, and buffed down into the contour to blend.

- Illamasqua Slick Stick in 'Dream' to line the lips

- Illamasqua Lipstick in 'Minx'

Shoot Day

Before....

I used a glue stick on the brows, building up the product and then smoothing down the brow. I waited for each layer to dry before doing the next, and did about 3 layers in total. I then powdered the brows to set, and drew on a new brow shape higher up, and more arched.

After...

Final Images 

I decided to go with the second picture as I felt that you can see the make-up more clearly, and is more of a 'headshot' style picture which you would find on a girls' instagram.

Evaluation

I was much happier with the outcome of this second shoot, as I felt that overall it looked a lot more professional - the outfit, make-up and poses. 

Again I had asked the model to take some pictures of herself during the shoot, to fit with the theme of Instagram. Unfortunately the photographer was not willing to send these as she didn't like them, meaning the end images were not completely the vision I had in mind - meaning I needed to find another way to incorporate the Instagram element into the images. I also directed the shoot so that there were a lot of shots where you could see the models' full make-up. Again the photographer did not like these images and so would not send me them. This is really frustrating because I had spent a lot of time doing glitter detailing on the lid which you can see in the BTS pictures, but not in the final images.
There are some niggly things which I'm not overly happy with about the make-up - for example the lower lashes are wonky, and the white waterline had begun to rub off.
But I am SO proud with my efforts of brow blocking - considering it is something I've never felt confident in doing, I feel that I really pulled it off and it turned out well in the images.

References:

1. Bird, V. (n.d.). Faces. [online] Pinterest. Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/163888873912513344/ [Accessed 9 May 2017].

2. Garland, L. (2015). HOW TO: COVER EYEBROWS + FOUNDATION TUTORIAL. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSujd4x3zZQ&t=21s [Accessed 9 May 2017].