Project Evaluation

Project Evaluation
This project is beauty based and involved us focusing on a makeup brand of our choice and shooting our own series of looks based on this brand. I was so excited to start this unit as the majority of projects we have done since the start of the course have been theatrical so I was looking forward to the change. 

Surprisingly the part I really enjoyed was collecting my research about my chosen brand NARS. Of course I have heard of the brand before and used some of their products but I had no idea of the history behind it. It was really interesting to find out how it all began and Francois Nars as a person is really exciting to read about. I especially liked reading about how and why he came up with the creative names for some of his products, it makes a change from some of the makeup brands I see on a more regular basis. 

I learned a lot of new techniques in terms of catwalk makeup, it’s not something I’ve done myself before so I’m pleased that I was shown different products you can apply to the skin to change the texture and appearance. It sounds like basic makeup to some but sometime those are the things I find most challenging. 

I would definitely like to try doing more of this style of makeup and further my skills within the “no makeup” makeup technique. It can be really difficult to put makeup on a face and make it look like there’s almost nothing there. 

My main sources of information were from finding interviews from magazines or newspapers that Francois had done. This was where I would find the most honest and interesting responses about the brand and his products. I also found models.com useful as it lists all previous campaigns by year/client and I discovered other creatives that he works with regularly. 

I think the most successful part of my project are my more natural photoshoots, this is probably due to the fact that it was a new kind of makeup technique and I just started to appreciate a really healthy, nicely applied base that glows. Some of these pictures are my favourites that I have ever done! 

There’s always going to problems within any project, my main problem is that I leave lots of things to the last minute. I feel that sometimes I work better under pressure so I don’t regret anything I’ve done during this unit but maybe it’s something I can learn from in future projects. I definitely should have done more experimentation on myself and test shoots, though I’m pleased with the outcome of my images they could be a whole lot stronger if I put more time into trials etc., that’s what I would have done differently. 

Overall I couldn’t have picked a better brand and I’m really pleased. I have gained a lot of confidence with doing photoshoots since this unit began as I was put under pressure to do them and collaborate with other creatives around Solent. I

I’m excited to take everything I’ve learned into my 3^rd year of this course and hopefully learn from the mistake I have made so far so I can make my work in the future even better.

NARS Catwalk

What I have noticed with Catwalk looks that Nars designs is that he will usually focus on bold eyes or lips. He goes for very minimalistic looks and in 2014 for Marc Jacobs Spring 2015 show models went completely bare faced with not a single piece of makeup, he did this in order to make a statement.

“With Marc, we’re always very extreme. We either love the very crazy, wild look, or we like something very extreme. It makes more of a statement to send the girls completely bare,” said Nars. “I love seeing a girl with no makeup.”

Source: http://www.today.com/style/marc-jacobs-models-wore-no-makeup-new-york-fashion-week-1D80144069

"This goes back to one of the looks that I’ve always loved — bare skin, nothing on the face, lips or eye, just beautiful skin," Nars said in a statement. "I love makeup but I also love seeing women without makeup. To me, it’s a great way to show fashion ... I like the idea that what you see is what you get.”

I took inspiration from this and went for a "no makeup" makeup look. I picked Violette as my model as I wanted to use a dark skinned woman and I love the edgyness of her short hair. I think it fits in perfectly with the NARS style.

All I used was Mac Face & Body on the skin and dabbed on a satin primer to the cheeks to give it a naturally dewy finish. Everything else was really minimal so I wanted to add a pop of colour to the lips which contrasts beautifully with Violette's dark skin.

References:

Raphael, R. (2014). Marc Jacobs models wore no makeup at Fashion Week. Available: http://www.today.com/style/marc-jacobs-models-wore-no-makeup-new-york-fashion-week-1D80144069. Last accessed 12th March 2015

NARS Spring/Summer

As with all my looks I wanted a flawless and healthy looking base as it's a NARS signature. I decided to have a subtle pop of colour over the lid for something a little different so I just applied a purple with gold shimmer over the whole eye and blended it right up to the brow. Everything else was kept really simple as you can see with just a small amount of eyeliner on the upper lash line to define and a layer of mascara.                                                                                            

NARS Daytime

Francois often states that makeup is something to enhance natural beauty, not mask it. I stuck with this idea for my daytime look and focused on a flawless, dewy skin. I was loosley inspired by the NARS spring 2014 color collection, it's a variety of nude pinks and peaches which I think are perfect for a daytime look.

 Source: http://makeupforlife.net/color-stories

I used a few different shades on the eye just in the outer corner and crease to define them and also a few layers of mascara. I used a nude shade on the lips to give them a little more colour and shape but still keep it natural.


Much like all my NARS looks, I kept the hair really simple and off the face. I went for a ponytail to keep it casual but sleek.

NARS Evening

My evening look was inspired by the Nars and Guy Bourdin Holiday collection 2013. I loved the combination of a heavy eye paired with a bold lip and it's interesting to see such a different look in comparison to his usual bare faced catwalk faces.

NARS hold more shimmery eyeshadow finishes than matte and it's deep purples and blues that come to mind when I think of the brand. I chose a selection of dark blues for my look and made it pop by adding a spotlight effect with a light shimmery eyeshadow in the centre of the eyelids.

I chose a sharp clean shape to make it more dramatic and give it some edge. With NARS I find it's either one way or the other, really subtle or quite bold and heavy.

I tried this eyeshadow look with both a nude lip and a red but decided the red really pulled it all together and finished off the look.

As for the hair, I wanted to pull it off the face but make it a little more glamorous so I curled it all and pinned it to the side to give it a little more movement without hiding the face in lots of hair.

NARS High Summer/Beach

The Tahiti bronze collection is the latest to arrive on the counters for NARS. As well as including Body Glow and Monoi Body Glow II Francois has also unveiled a limited edition bronzing palette in the iconic shade Laguna and temporary tattoos.

Source: http://beautypointofview.com/nars-tahiti-bronze-collection-2015/

NARS summer collections for the last 6 years have all been very different and featured a variety of models to suit each look. This is one reason why I love NARS as a brand, it's extremley varied and versatile. 

I wanted to take inspiration from Tahiti bronze so of course I focused my look on the bronzed, glowing skin with a strong contour. I kept it neutral on the eyes using only 2 different shades of brown to define and a layer of mascara. I used a slightly brighter colour on the lip as opposed to a nude to give it more of a summer feel.

From my research I have noticed that the hair for NARS campaigns is always very simple so I kept i combed some mousse through my models hair to pull it back off the face and keep it relaxed and care free.

NARS Nails

The campaigns featuring Tilda Sinton highly inspired the feel of this shoot. As this is to show off nails I kept the makeup simple and soft with lighting to match. I defined the crease with a light brown eyeshadow and added a thin line of eyeliner with a slight wing to elongate the eyes.

NARS - Behind the scenes

Behind the scenes Francois Nars has worked with a variety of people and is actually a photographer himself. He has shot many of his own campagains and books himself and continues to do so to this day.

One person his works closely with is Marc Jacob who is the designer that kick started his career after meeting at a photoshoot. One of the more recent things they colaborated on was Marcs spring/summer 2015 shows where only moisturiser and lip balm were applied to the models faces. Though Marc has a makeup line himself the only product from his range that was used was a burgandy nail polish on the toes.

As Francois often photographs campagins himself he has other makeup artist on set. Diane Kendal is someone I noticed that has done quite a few from her first in 09' and her latest in 2013. Patti Wilson has styled a few of them, she was discovered in an in an underground jazz club in the 90s where she worked as a hostess and began assistanting before her big break with David LaChapelle.

As for models Nars tends to go for more unusual and even older women, like actresses such as Charlotte Rampling, Tilda Swinton and Isabella Rossellini.

Francois said about his current campaign featuring Tilda Swinton 'I like edgy fashion and strong features. I cannot photograph models that are very weak or too pretty; there always needs to be some strength, so the choice of the model is very important to me. If I don’t like the model I cannot take the picture, and I do not choose "boring" beauty models — I prefer beauty with character. With Tilda, she is a living legend. I love her bold style and really admire her work. As an actress, she brings such strong personality to the camera. And as a woman, she lives the experience of transformation and expression.'

He states he doesn't put an age limit on his customer but knows the "Nars Woman" is strong, determined and sophisticated.


References:

Niven, L. (2014). No Make-Up At Marc. Available: http://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/2014/09/12/marc-jacobs-spring-summer-2015-no-make-up. Last accessed 23rd April 2015
Glaviano, A. (2010). Patti Wilson. Available: www.vogue.it/en/magazine/people-in-vogue/2010/05/patti-wilson. Last accessed 23rd April 2015

Unknown. (2012). How I started. Available: http://www.thegroundmag.com/how-i-started-12-patti-wilson/. Last accessed 23rd April 2015

 Hou, K . (2014). 68-Year-Old Charlotte Rampling Smolders in New NARS Ad. Available: http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/08/68-year-old-charlotte-rampling-stars-in-nars-ad.html. Last accessed 23rd April 2015

Ginsberg, M. (2014). Francois Nars Prefers Tilda Swinton Over "Boring" Models. Available: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/francois-nars-new-nars-face-746023. Last accessed 23rd April 2015

Natural Contour and Highlight

You will need:

• Bronzer
• Highlighter
• Blusher
• Makeup brushes

Step One:

Start with a flawless base using your preferred foundation, you will also need to decide if you prefer working with a powder or cream based bronzer.

Step Two:

There’s many different brush types you can use to achieve a natural contour it just depends on what you prefer, some even like to use there fingers when working with cream products. Start by using little product, it’s easier to add than take away particularly when it comes to bronzer.

Step Three:

Find the hollows of the face; this is where the bronzer will go. You can lightly push in with your fingers if you need to but it will generally start by the earlobe and go diagonal towards the corner of the mouth. Focus most of the colour at the side of the face and blend in closer to the mouth.

Step Four:

Highlighter will go on the high points of the face such as the top of the cheeks, brow bone, down the nose and on the cupids bow. Again you can use a brush or your fingers to apply this depending on your preference.

Step Five:

Finish off with a blush of your choice, depending on the look you want will depend on how you apply it but it’s usually across the apples of the cheeks.

Clean Catwalk Face

Getting a flawless base is incredibly important in the makeup industry, particularly for fashion shows as the lights and cameras will show up every single imperfection and you won't have Photoshop to help you out!

You will need:

• Foundation - a selection of different finishes depending on the look you want to create i.e. matte/dewy
• Primer - you can get different ones again depending on the finish you want
• Moisturiser - This is good to mix in with a foundation to make it lighter and to give the skin a dewy glow
• Powder - To make the skin even more matte
• Highlighters - To add a glow to areas where the sun would naturally hit the face
• Makeup brushes

Step One:

Start with a clean face by doing a cleanse, tone and moisturize on your model. You want to have a fresh base to work on.

Step Two:

Prime. This will help to keep the foundation in place for a long period of time though you can skip this step if you find it will affect the finish of the base. 

Step Three:

Chose your foundation. Depending on the finish you want you might want to mix in other products such as a moisturiser to give the skin a more dewy look. 

Step Four:

You want to get a light, natural looking base. Spend the time to really blend so that it doesn't lay heavy on the skin. Less is more, you can always add more but it's harder to take away!

Step Five:

If going for a dewy look you would skip powder but maybe add some highlighter to the highest points of the models face i.e cheekbones, brow bone, down the nose and the cupids bow. If the skin is going to be matte you may want to add a little powder to the shiny parts of the face which is usually the t zone. 

Dewy Finish:

You can see a slight glow on the cheekbones and down the nose but I think I need to explore different products and see what else works best to achieve this look.

Matte Finish:

I found this look easier as powder can be used to make any base matte, I do think I need to work on my application and making it more natural looking.

Evening Experimentation

Daytime Look - Test Shoot

When researching previous Nars campagins I found a lot of them focused on a flawless base with minimal blush and contour. Nars is all about enhancing natural beauty so going for a light taupe colour on the eyes gave definition without masking the face. I applied a nude shade on the lips to pull the look together and a slick of mascara.

Looking back at my test shoots I can see I have gone too light on the eye as it hasn't come out well on camera. I also need to go slightly heavier on my contour to give the face a bit more dimension. My base has come out well and has a light dewy finish that I was hoping for.