Kass is one of the best swimsuit photographers in our pretty city, so I wanted to make the most of this little test shoot we did for Claudi. I picked gold as my theme and accent, working with various hues and levels of reflection in the make-up. First I smoothed her skin with MAC’s Studio Finish Foundation. Then I contoured her face with a combination of Mac’s Sculpt and Shape powders, MAC’s loose Golden Bronze shimmer powder and Mineralise Skinfinish in Shimpagne and Shooting Star. I started on Claudi’s eyes by applying a thin layer of Guerlain Ombre Eclat Eye Shadow Primer - (which happens to be the BEST eye-primer I have ever laid my hands on) and then I shaded a traditional beauty eye using pigments for shimmer and MAC’s eye-shadows in “beauty marked”, “bronze” and “espresso“. I lined her eyes with” smoulder” eye kohl, smudged them with MAC’s #219 pencil brush and then applied MAC’s #36 lash. I lined her lips with “subculture” lip pencil and then filled them with MAC’s “gold shimmer” lipstick and topped them off with “wet wild and wonderful” lip-gloss which I customized by blending with a white gold pigment.

I let her hair do its own thing, simply enhancing the shine a little with OSIS “magic” serum.

Photographer: Kass Photography

Model: Claudi

Hair and Make-up Artist: Samantha Laura Kaye

Location: Cape Town

Shot on the roof of the Grand Daddy Hotel, this is one of my favorite of the fashion series Nena and Sean and I created one unsuspecting Spring Sunday.  I love seeing Cape Town city behind her, that tiny patch of blue in the corner, and how everything except for Nena is slightly out of focus.

Make-Up: MAC: Skin: Studio Fix Fluid, studio finish concealer, Prep ‘n Prime transparent finishing powder. Cheeks: “Buff” - matte blush for under the cheekbone and “Pretty Indulgent” - silvery shimmer for a cheek highlight. Eyes: “Blackground” Paint Pot, topped with “Cinderfella” Mineralize eye-shadow (limited edition – similar to “black tied” eye-shadow) and “carbon” (matt) eye-shadow. Lashes were coated with “Zoomblack” mascara and then MAC’s #47 lash for an extreme effect. Finally I lined her water-line with “Fascinating” eye-kohl. Lips were coated with “Explicit” lipgass.

Hair: Hair was sprayed with water, combed back and the Loreal’s “Crystal Wax” was applied to the roots and again combed back.

Photographer: Sean Laurenz

Photographer’s Assistant: Nick Raper

Model: Nena Hugo from Trigger

Stylist: Nena Hugo

Hair and Make-Up: Samantha Laura Kaye

Shot in Cape Town, at the Grand Daddy Hotel in 2009

Cape Town’s “Southern Ink Xposure” tattoo convention brought an assortment of alternative inked models to the mother city, and we all know that there’s nothing quite so inspiring to photographers as a uniquely beautiful girl. Southern Ink Xposure was painfully timed to compete with the birthday weekend of yours truly, so alas there was not much model grabbing and photo taking on my behalf, but luckily one or two of the beauties stayed behind, and I was given the opportunity to work with a suicide girl and official suicide girl photographer. Lumo Suicide (the name of this particular Suicide Girl) asked me to curl her hair and make her look a mix of classically beautiful and interesting. The pink heart is obviously not present on the purchased set.

Photographer: TaLamia Photography

Model: Lumo Suicide

Hair and Make-up Artist: Samantha Laura Kaye

Pro Tip: To get the structure behind these curls I lightly finger-combed “Grip” Mousse  (from the OSIS range by Schwarzkopf ) through her hair, then slowly, section by section made tight GHD curls. While the curls were hot, as soon as I released them from the iron, I rolled them neatly into a tight curl and pinned them with a grip clip and some tissue (to prevent tension marks where the clips grip). I then added hairspray, left the curls for around 45 min, and then took them down and combed away any stray hairs. Finally I used the Loreal “Play Ball” shine serum (which is a spray!) to bring out the texture and colour.

Pro Tip: What makes this photograph for me is Chantelle’s skin. There are a variety of tricks I used to make Chantelle’s skin glow this way,  read on and I will share them with you.

1) Hydrate. Luba is a photographer who chooses models who do not smoke, drink coffee 24 hours before the shoot and who drink a lot of water. However this is not always enough. Make sure you use a good moisturiser prior to you make-up application, and whenever the skin looks or feel thirsty spray it with a fine water mist – I like to use the body shop’s “vitamin C spray” or MAC’s Fix+ spray – both have a lovely smell and have no negative effects on the make-up.

2) Use a primer or illuminator under the foundation. Personally I am not a fan of spreading primer all over the face as I feel it adds an unnecessary layer and with make-up, unless it’s for stage, I prefer thick over thin. So instead of using a primer I strategically blend MAC’s “strobe cream” along the cheekbones, cupid’s bow and between the eyes – if you can afford it, Chanel’s illuminating primer is even better!

3) Use a sheer glossy foundation and powder only when necessary. I love MAC’s “face and body” foundation. It is water based, looks and feels like skin, and is powder free. If you want the skin to look really glowy or plastic you can use MAC’s “studio sculpt” (gel based) foundation. As always, apply with a foundation brush, and then buff into the skin, in circular movements, with a duo fiber brush such as MAC’s #188 brush. Powder with a sheer powder such as MAC’s prep and prime finishing powder or PMU’s finishing powder, using a small compact brush. Powder only the areas that are creating hotspots with the lights and go light with the powder.

4) Contour with a light bronzer, around the edges of the face and under the chin. No one’s face is naturally one flat colour, your model’s should not be either.

5) Create shadow’s with neutral eye-shadows to give depth to the eye.

6)Use a lip liner to really define the lips. Definition and definite shapes are what ground shiny glossy skin taking them into the land of sophistication.

Photographer: Luba V Nel

Model: Chantelle Kruger

Make-Up: Samantha Laura Kaye

Location: Cape Town

Date: 2009

“A Moment in Time” is the brainchild of Boss Models and Artist Management along with Bell-Roberts Gallery. It is an exhibition of photographic works by some of South Africa’s most talented fashion photographers, stylists and hair and make-up artists, all of which are 1/1 and signed by the artist. The exhibition opened on the 22nd of October, and patrons are invited to bid for the works online up until the 30th of October 2009.  All proceeds go to “Missing Children SA Charity.”

I worked with Bevan Davis for some of the images in his part of the exhibition. Bevan asked for make-up that was simple and clean, but still sexy rather than nude. Bevan is not only a fantastic photographer, but also a master of post production, all of which he does himself. For me, Bevan’s series is timeless, and I gaze upon the images the way I do a painting, rather than a fashion photograph.

Make-up:  Salome is naturally beautiful, and I wanted to keep her look clean and timeless, accentuating her features rather than the make-up. I used MAC make-up, starting with Face and Body Foundation (for hydration and glow) thinly spread over her entire face. I used MAC’s mineralise skinshimmer “Lightful” (unfortunately a limited ed product from their “Corps De Ballet” range)  to accentuate her collar bones, cheek bones, shoulders etc. Witha #187 brush I then buffed in some Studio Fix Fluid, lightly over her nose, cheeks and forehead where needed. This allowed me to matte certain parts of her skin, and further even out her skin tone. Using the #224 brush I buffed  Select Moisturecover into the skin under and around the eyes. Select Moisturecover is ideal for around the eyes as it is moisturizing, blend-able and satin/glossy finished (in other words not matt) which allows it to “bounce” light up from under and around the eye. I used a NC (yellow toned) select moisturecover in a shade lighter than her natural skin tone on the inner corners of her eyes to make them “pop”. Finally I dusted her skin with Mineralize Skinfinsh Natural.

On her eyes I used “whistle” (limited edition pale pink shadow from “Barbie Loves Mac” range), highlighting the lash/lid border and eye-brow arch with “Vanilla” and “Shroom” shadow. In the crease I blended “cork” eyeshadow using the #217 shader brush. I finished her eyes off with prolonglash mascara which is great for individual lash definition. To define her brows I used clear brow gel (to hold the hairs in the desired position) and then further shaped the brows with “Lingering” eye-brow pencil.

For her lips I used “subculture” lip pencil and a mix of “honeylove” and “kinda sexy” lipstick over lips well moisturized with MAC’s lip conditioner.

Photographer: Bevan Davis

Model: Salome from Boss Models

Make-up: Samantha Laura Kaye

Shot in Studio in 2009

If you would like to see the rest of the exhibition click here