Collaboration Shoot @ TRK Helicopters

I am speechless...so I type.


Every now and then I come up with the idea for a photo-shoot to show off my make-up abilities. These shoots started out small with some friends and sometimes a borrowed camera. I have been the creator, director, producer, photographer, stylist and make-up artist in many past shoots. Knowing that one person can't do everything, I decided it was best to start reaching out to others for help. I wanted people that were just as enthusiastic and excited about the shoot as I was. I needed people with talent but didn't mind doing something for the fun of it. These shoots are all un-paid. Every person involved has donated their time to make these a reality for me. For that, I am unbelievably thankful!


All of these individuals have as much passion for their line of work as I do mine.


This particular shoot was something I did not do a lot of pre-planning for. By that I mean, I did not have a dead set idea going into it. I just went with it. First being offered a location to use for the photos...


TRK Helicopters at the Langley airport reached out to me and offered the use of their facility for our upcoming photo-shoot. My reaction was more or less, "HECK YES!". Who turns down the opportunity to use a helicopter as a prop in a photo...no one. TRK was generous in allowing me to stop by before the scheduled shoot and scope out some places for the photos and have a better idea what I would be working with the day of. They were even kind enough to let my son sit inside one of the helicopters, he was a pretty happy camper. Not only did they open their hangar to us, they even had people onsite to move helicopters around to more ideal locations, inside and outside the hangar. One was pushed with man strength alone, or should I say two men and one woman strength. Pretty impressive if I do say so myself. TRK offers adventures such as city tours, helicopter fishing, mountain tours, helicopter golfing and special occasion tours to name a few. Their pilots are highly experienced. Their slogan and motto is "Raising standards...from the ground up", what a perfect sentence to sum up the experience we had with them this past weekend.


Since we were offered such an amazing location for the photos it then became real. I began my search for other businesses that would be interested in contributing to the shoot.


Of course, my first person to contact was, and probably always will be, Hayley Rae Photography. I can always count on Hayley to be "down" for anything. Watching her talent and career in photography take off has made me so proud, and always excited to see what photos she comes up with. An extremely passionate photographer and an even greater person, she always has my back. It just wouldn't be a collaboration shoot without her.


Next, I decided to contact another familiar face. Kelsey. She has modeled for me in the past and is the easiest person to work with. Very professional and such a sweetheart. Her natural beauty makes my job easy. She has great confidence in front of a camera and her photos never disappoint. I am so happy that Kelsey was willing to be apart of yet another one of my crazy ideas!


All I could think of at this point was, wow, we will be shooting at a helicopter hanger... this is a pretty big deal. Since it felt so big to me, I knew we would need a second photographer and model. I am so happy that I made this decision, because it added so much more variety to the shoot and covered a wider range of style.


I was contacted on facebook by a mutual friend and was recommended to Kassy Davis. She is currently attending BCIT for Graphic Design. Originally from Kelowna she didn't know any make-up artists in the area and thought this would be a great way to get to know one. I emailed Kassy and she was open to helping out with our shoot. Viewing her website I knew right away that I loved her style and could see she is very talented at what she does. Never actually meeting her until the day of the shoot, she fit in perfectly. Just like we've known her all this time. I appreciate that she took the time from her schooling to be apart of this shoot with us, it was really appreciated and I look forward to working together again in the future.


If you don't know what Model Mayhem is, it is a website that is specifically for models, photographers, make-up artists etc. to create accounts to show off their portfolios and collaborate together to make amazing works of art. I created a casting call for a second model to use in our shoot and was messaged by Jessica showing interest and availability. After viewing her portfolio I saw that she was very stunning and had a bit more of an edgy look that I knew would work perfectly for this type of photo-shoot. Being a new, up and coming model I was happy that these photos can help her expand her portfolio. In the end, this is my goal for every person and business involved.


Hayley has done some Look Books for Privilege Clothing Boutique in the past and mentioned I should contact them regarding outfits for the shoot. They sell designer clothing that is all beautiful and I was very excited when they were more then happy to lend us some outfits. We scheduled a fitting for the models and ended up choosing one casual outfit and one dressed up outfit for each model. Bailey, at Privilege Clothing was a pleasure to work with and made the process go so smoothly. I don't have a great knack for fashion so she was able to guide me in the right direction. All the outfits were stunning. They complimented the location, the models and the style perfectly.


What is an outfit, without your accessories?! I came across a local business that creates handmade jewelry out of wood called Moonshine Dreams. Taking a chance, I emailed them and got a quick response stating they were very interested in lending some pieces and just needed to know which ones I wanted. After choosing two necklaces, a few pairs of earrings and some rings I met up with the maker himself. Learning that from Monday to Friday he works doing demolition, and makes jewelry on the weekends and has a beard, I chalked this up as a very unique individual. I also think it is quite cool and really enjoy these types of stories. Not only did they lend out the jewelry, they kindly allowed us to keep every piece for ourselves. Each girl involved got to go home with their favorite piece. I got the wooden heart earrings and they are gorgeous, thank you for the gracious gifts!


Last, but definitely not least, I thank my good friend Candice. She came out to the shoot to be my third and fourth hands. Ready to hold umbrellas, which luckily we did not need as it turned out to be a beautiful day. Always so generous and willing to help. I appreciate it all!


Here they are, some of the most creative and eye catching photos I have ever seen. I am forever grateful for all the hard work everyone put into this shoot. The photos go to show that dreams really do come true :) Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for stopping by my blog and checking out the photos. This won't be the last shoot I plan, but it will sure be hard to top!

 

Sincerely,

 

Caitlin J Make-Up Artistry

 





Doing Make-Up & Having Kids

My full time job is being a mommy.

My part time job is administrative assistant.

My hobby is make-up.

My love lies with the first and third line. Not so much the middle one... many can agree that juggling a job (or two) and children isn't easy. I have found many stressed out evenings that I can only hope to find that my clock is wrong and I really do have an extra hour or two to complete my day...this is not usually the case. To keep my life in check I have to remain extremely organized. So much so, I annoy others. None the less, I still do it, because let's face it I am just an organization junkie at heart. No, I do not color code my clothing, or use a labeling machine until my fingers bleed. I do, however, make sure to keep everything written down. Not in one spot, but usually in three different spots. Phone. Calendar. Computer. These then become my life line.

I find my one big problem would have to be, when to stop! To find a happy medium where I can work, do make-up and be there for my kids at all times is far from realistic. I try to stay as positive as possible. My boys will grow up appreciating that I worked to ensure they were and are taken care of. They will not hold it against me that I spent some weekends doing make-up because they know how much I love it and how much I love them. They will be proud of me for trying and experiencing new things. They will support me through it all because I have already noticed how compassionate they are. My hope is that they will do the same in life, that they will live up to their own potential and try to be better people every day.

Since I was blessed with two boys. Two very energetic, bounce off the wall boys, I will have to be satisfied with only doing "cool" Halloween make-up for them once a year. I do have to admit, I cut and style their hair often and luckily I do not get any complaints. Yet.

Constantly wanting to create, change and plan things in life, I find little time to stop and smell the roses. If I sit and try to "relax" at home I always think of something I could be or should be doing instead. My days tend to start early and I am on the go until I crawl into bed at night. No one to blame but myself. It can be rewarding and stressful all at the same time.

I know I am not the only mommy out there that has decided or needs to work in order to live comfortably. I applaud other moms that work and also the ones that stay home with their children. Both extremely hard, no matter the circumstance.

As hard as it can be to work away from my children and not watch them grow, I do believe that missing them really helps us bond. The feeling I get when I walk in the door and see their smiling faces and hear the "MOMMY" calls, makes it all worth it.

I urge other mom's to do what they love and explore their dreams. Your kids will not hold it against you, I promise. You are a woman and an individual just as much as you are a mother. Having a hobby is a great way to express that individuality. We have to take care of ourselves to be able to take care of the little people in our lives.


It is hard to think that one day my babies will be grown and will no longer need me to take care of them. I hope that all the choices I made as they are young will guide them in the right direction in life. We are so critical of our own parenting skills that we need to sometimes take in the fact that maybe we aren't doing such a bad job after all.


Remind yourself of how hard life could be, and how great you have it. Never take for granted the times you have together, because these moments will get you through the times you are apart. Stay true to what you believe is good work ethic so you can pass it along to your children.


As hard as it can be to leave my little family to make over a Bride on her wedding day, I know that when I come home I will be a more loving mom then ever. I have fun while I work, I know my kids are in good hands, but I look forward to the hugs and kisses.


Pat yourself on the back, you are doing a great job being a mom. A provider in more ways then one. I will continue to work my jobs without guilt...ok maybe a little guilt...but I will remember why I do it and it will make me smile. My boys are my life. Make-up is my passion.


Do what you love...love what you do!

From Day to Night

My New Years resolution was to blog more. So here I go! Posting photos on my blog of step by step make-up has been something I keep meaning to do but sometimes it can be hard to find the time, but not today. My husband took my oldest son out to buy some new soccer gear and when my littlest man decided he was ready for a nap I had my chance...

Since I have never been the type to roll out of bed, brush my teeth and hair and be decent enough to walk out of the door, I have taken some photos of my morning process. Oh how I wish my skin tone was even and had a natural glow, but since it doesn't I have the wonderful use of make-up to help me out.

First things first. I showered, because let's face it, my hair only lasts a day before becoming so greasy it is either wash it, or wear a hat! So here I am, clean as a whistle. No comments please...

                                                                      (after shower)
 

Next I added a small amount of mousse to my hair before blow drying it and used a gel primer on my face. Gel primers work well for my combination skin type, but there are many choices out there and it is a bit of trial and error to find the one that works best for you. Once my hair was dry I began to apply my foundation. I use a few different colors blended into one, as it is very difficult to find your exact skin tone in one perfect little bottle. Mixing allows you to achieve a closer match, especially if you tend to tan in the summer and your skin tone changes throughout the year. After foundation comes concealer. I have those dreaded blue bags under my eyes so patting on a touch of cream concealer in a peach tone helps to make the darkness disappear. My biggest concern when doing make-up has, and will always be, foundation. If your foundation isn't right, then the rest of your make-up will be off. Foundation will cause your face to become one dimensional, so, to show off natural bone structure you must shade and highlight! For the best way to find out where to place contour shading on your cheeks simply suck in your cheeks like a fish, this will cause your cheekbones to pop out. The place to shade is just below the cheekbone in the natural hollow. I use a matte bronzer for contouring. Now that you have found the spot to shade, you will want to highlight directly above that area using a illuminating cream or powder. The result will give you amazing cheekbones and more dimension to your face. Unfortunately, I have the type of hair that doesn't know if it wants to be curly or should hang straight. So half my hair tends to curl and the rest lays perfectly flat.Very annoying. First world problems. I have found that the fastest and easiest way to do my hair in the morning is to use a large curler and add some soft curls to my entire head. This helps with making my fairly thin and lifeless hair look fuller. It also looks as if I tried harder then I actually did to make it look nice. Perfect! My trick is to do the curls in layers. Taking a section of hair about two inches thick and rolling the hair in the curler horizontally rather then vertically, upwards toward the root. Hold the curler there for about ten seconds and release. This creates a more natural wave then a precise curl. Being in my late twenties I try to avoid hair styles that are too "cute". I am aiming for more sophisticated styles these days. Once I have curled all of my hair, which does not take long because my hair is ridiculously thin, I then take a wide toothed comb and gently brush through the curls. It helps to blend the curls together and come across as full and thick. Again, perfect!
 

                                (horizontal curls)                                          (defined cheekbones)

For day make-up I do not like to use too much color on my eyes. The "less is more" rule normally applies to day wear. The Naked Basics palette from Urban Decay is great for giving you a polished day look without being too bold. First I used the color W.O.S. to cover my entire eyelid (please see photo below for reference of colors) from lash line to crease. In the crease for definition I used the color Naked 2. Defining the crease in your eye will make them appear larger and more dramatic without the use of false lashes or dark colors. Perfect for day time. The eyeliner I used was a mixture of a copper and black waterproof cream liner to make a brown. Applied with an eyeliner brush directly into the base of my lashes. I finished off my eyes by applying one of my favorite mascaras... the Maybelline Great Lash waterproof black mascara. See the photo below of my lashes with a coat of mascara and the one without. Huge difference! Mascara always puts the final touch on any make-up look.
 

            (without mascara)                                           (with mascara)                                       

 

                                                            (complete day make-up)

Now, not everyone has the time to completely redo their hair and make-up before heading out for the night. I have two baby boys, so unless my husband can entertain them while mommy locks herself in the bathroom, I am kind of out of luck for time. But I still try to get away with it sometimes anyways. There are simple ways to take your day make-up to night make-up easily. I did my own transition here to show you what you should apply and where to put it, to go from day to night in a short amount of time.

My hair has a tendency to not hold a curl for the entire day, so by the time I am home from work those nice voluminous curls from the morning have turned into a wavy mess. Instead of washing my hair all over again I pull my hair up. One of my favorite, only takes two minutes but looks great hairdo, is the classic bun. You can use a sock bun if you wish, I did not for this particular look but often do. To make the bun a little more spruced up try adding a bit of volume in the front and let your hair look a little messy and not too perfect. This gives a more edgy look rather then the pretty princess look we want to avoid. Having my hair up and out of my face is stress free and works well when the time comes to dance the night away. No sweaty bangs get stuck to my forehead, hurray!

(updo)

 

Once my hair has been pulled up and out of my face, I am ready to begin the transition to night make-up. My favorite! I love dramatic eyes and a colorful lip. Evening make-up allows me to try new looks and if for some reason it doesn't turn out the way I wanted it to, it is dark, so it becomes less noticeable. I do not normally apply any extra foundation, but I do powder my entire face and go over it with some bronzer as well. If any make-up from the day has faded I like to touch it up, such as the contouring in my cheeks. I also love to apply blush, hence the blog name, and I add a touch of color to the tops of my cheeks, taking care to not go too high toward my eyes or too close to the sides of my nose. Applying blush too close to these areas will make any contouring you have created disappear. For my eyes I took the same eyeshadow palette from Urban Decay, Naked Basics, and moved to the darker side of the shadows and chose the more dramatic tones. This palette is perfect for a sexy smokey eye. Using the darkest color Crave, I went over my pre existing eyeliner to create a thicker line, as well as added some darkness to the outer corner of my eye. In a sideways V-shape to best explain it. Once the darkest color has been applied you will want to blend it with the smokey color Faint, to avoid having any harsh lines. Blending is your best friend when it comes to a great smokey eye. Watch out for "falling", which is when the eyeshadow falls onto the area just below your eye. When you are using a dark color such as black it is very noticeable and will need to be brushed away gently to avoid making streaks of color on your skin. Tapping your brush prior to applying the shadow will stop it from making a big mess on your face. Do not blow on your brush, blowing sends saliva onto your brush which then gets put on your face...so don't spit on your face. Wise words to follow. Finish the eye off with a light color on the inner corners of your eye and a quick coat of liquid liner along your lash line to define. For more dramatic eyes, apply some black shadow on the bottom of your eye and run your mascara wand through your upper and lower lashes to spruce them up a bit. Now, onto the lips. One of my favorite parts of make-up has to be lipstick. It isn't always the most practical or easiest product to use, but it is definitely worth it in the end. Start off by making sure your lips aren't dry. If they are, apply some chapstick. Lips will look crusty and flakey if lipstick is applied over top of any dry spots, we don't want that. After your lips are smooth and prepped, grab a lip lining pencil that matches your lipstick color. Line your natural lip line, being careful not to get outside the lines. Just like back in kindergarten. Once lined, fill in your lips completely with the pencil. This trick will keep your lipstick from bleeding onto your skin and will help it last a lot longer throughout the night. Always apply your lipstick with a brush, it will help for keeping the lines straight and gives you a more polished look. If you want this lipstick to last even longer, apply a small amount of loose powder directly on top of it to set it and go over your lips once again with the same lipstick. Layers help with staying power and for great intensity (if that is the look you want), which works great for reds and deep colored lipsticks. I chose a fuchsia color today, one of my favorites. It is Covergirl Lipperfection in the color Embrace. It also has a stain built in, which makes my lips look great all night long! Less touch ups after drinking, eating or even kissing... I'm not judging. Here is my final photo, the complete night time make-up look. I would wear this to a nice dinner, a party or even a bar/club. If you find a classic look that works well for you, you have it in the bag. You can pair any outfit style or color with this types of make-up so all you need to do afterwards is narrow down what to wear. Which can sometimes take a lot longer then any make-up you do.
 

  (complete night make-up)

(Urban Decay, Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette)

Now go have fun with your own make-up. Try out a transition from day to night to make your life a whole lot easier and spend less time "getting ready" and more time having fun! Even though getting ready is pretty fun to me. Below you will find a photo of all the make-up products I used for my make-up above. Product list as follows: (from top left to right, then bottom left to right of photo)

• Make-Up Forever HD Foundation ($50, found at Sephora)
• Smashbox 15 Hour Wear Foundation ($45, found at Shoppers Beauty Bar or Sephora)
• Bodyography Gel Primer ($35, found at online stores only)
• MAC Lustre Drops, in Pink Rebel ($15, found at MAC Stores)
• MAC Cream Concealer ($22, found at MAC Stores)
• NARS Cream Stick ($45, found at Sephora and Holt Renfrew)
• Top Model Eyeliner, in Brown ($8)
• Annabelle Lipliner, in red ($5, found at drug stores)
• Maybelline Lash Stiletto liquid eyeliner, in blackest black ($10, found at drug stores)
• Mayebelline Great Lash Waterprood mascara, in very black ($5, found at drug stores)
• Covergirl Lipperfection Lipstick, in Embrace ($8, found at drug stores)
• MAC Liquid Glass Lipgloss, clear ($15, found at MAC stores)
• MAC Matte Bronzer ($40, found at MAC stores)
• MAC Mineralize Pressed Powder, in medium ($45, found at MAC stores)
• MAC Waterproof Cream Liner, in Copper and Black ($16, found at MAC stores)
• NARS Blush, in Deep Throat ($27, found at Sephora)
• Urban Decay, Naked Basics eyeshadow palette ($50, found at Sephora)



(the goods)

Thanks for reading my blog and viewing the photos in it. I apologize for the selfies, but they were somewhat necessary for this.

Every face is different and everyone has their own style so don't feel as if you need your make-up to look like mine. This blog post is to simply show you steps to help transition from day to night make-up in a time crunch. The more you do it, the easier it gets!

Cheers,

Caitlin J Make-Up Artistry

 

Local Wedding Vendor Colloboration Photo-Shoot

They`re ready! They`re ready! (Jumps up and down)

From the initial idea, to the planning, gathering of props, emailing and messaging other vendors, discussing dates and to the final product, it has been one heck of a ride.

For as long as I can remember, I have always enjoyed planning events and coming up with creative ideas. Being a make-up artist I love the chance to work on photo sets. Not only are they fun, but they are fast paced, energetic and very rewarding. To see all of your hard work portrayed in a photo is one of the most gratifying feelings.

Hayley Rae Photography, not only is she a highly talented photographer, she is also a good friend of mine and my husband. When the idea popped into my head to do a collaboration photo-shoot, she was the first person I asked to help with it. She said YES! Pardon the pun. Considering this idea came to me in the summer I knew it would have to wait a few months as both her and I are quite busy with weddings ourselves. It also gave me a great opportunity to brain storm a little more, extra time to gather props and time to get a hold of some other vendors that would be interested in contributing to the shoot. Hayley was able to help point me in the direction of some fabulous vendors. All local, all amazing. We decided on doing two themes, to cover a wider range of customers. Rustic bride and Glam bride. Both classic yet unique, just as any real Bride is. Here are some of my favorite photos from the shoot.

 

 For this particular photo-shoot we had a videography team capturing all of the behind the scenes footage to show just how much goes into a shoot like this. Lucky Ones Media is an up and coming local videography team specializing in weddings, but not limited to. They also dabble in promotional videos, and music videos as well. Make sure you contact them for your future wedding. Not only is your wedding photographer important for your big day but I do not know how many times I have heard women that have just been married say... `I wish I had my wedding on film`. Don`t be that person. I can not tell you enough how happy you will be to have those memories captured for a lifetime to enjoy. Lucky Ones Media can do just that for you! Many of their wedding videos I have seen have brought me to tears, and I do not even know the couple in the video...shows just how great they are. Very personable, with an artistic flair, can`t beat that!

Please view the video here. I am so happy with how it turned out, the hard work they put into filming and editing really paid off.

A Bride isn`t complete without her accessories! First off, we had a gorgeous bouquet donated to us from Carly of Blooming Aisle Floral Design. Her and I had discussed the theme and color palette and I just simply let her come up with something that showed off her own style. I was blown away with the outcome. Not only was this bouquet perfect for our shoot, it was at top notch quality, the flowers were fresh and smelt amazing, the intricate placement of each flower was immaculate and the overall bouquet was stunning. I would highly recommend anyone getting married to use Blooming Aisle as your florist. From bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces and floral décor, she does it all!
Here are a few photos that show off this amazing bouquet I speak of...




 See! I don`t lie. Just simply beautiful.

Next up for accessories we have Davie & Chiyo, who supplied a handmade earring and necklace set. As well as, a custom clutch. They were more then happy to help us out with the photo-shoot when I contacted them. I got a chance to meet them in person and check out their cute little studio in downtown Vancouver. They have become quite a popular business for handmade accessories. Just recently they have launched a Lifestyle Line of items. They can customize your order too. If you are in need of an idea for your Bridesmaids, they will make the clutches in the almost every color you can imagine, which would be a perfect accent to their dresses for the wedding. I wish I had of known about this for my wedding! You can shop for all of their items on the website or Etsy. Take a look at the items they leant out for our collaboration shoot below.

 

 For every wedding you need decor. No decor is like a cake without icing. A ring without a diamond. Chips without dip. Ok, I may be a tad hungry, but you get the idea. Spotlight Event Planning + Design was with us to help with details. Paige (owner and head planner and designer) helped bring the shoot to life. I had many ideas running through my head and Paige was able to make it a reality. She had so many great ideas herself. From small touches such as mason jar candle holders to a silver candelabra with hanging diamonds, she had all bases covered. The rustic portion of the shoot included items such as a vintage vanity and luggage (borrowed from my in laws, thanks guys), a burlap runner, DIY lamp with shade and matching seat cushion, wooden crate, a handmade fabric flower bouquet (which I spent endless hours making myself...endless hours), romance novels and of course the classic pearl necklace. The glam portion of the shoot included a handmade custom silk organza table linen, hurricane vases with crystals and candles, rhinestone encrusted champagne glasses, a candelabra, wooden letters to spell `LOVE` and two wooden ladders. Both painted white to fit the style better. The ladders were also borrowed from my father in law and he is happy to have gotten them back painted a nice white compared to what shape he gave them to me in. Our location for the shoot was Port Moody in the Ambleside area and also Buntzen Lake. While taking photos at Buntzen, there was a wedding going on. Many were confused as to why there were TWO brides... luckily ours wasn`t actually getting married or that may have been a disaster.










And last but definitely not least... our amazing model Kelsey! Not only is she gorgeous she is a dream to work with. Always up for anything. Never complains. Such a natural and a total sweetheart. Kelsey and I have worked together once in the past for a Fashion Island photo-shoot and I was so happy when she was able to help out with our collaboration shoot. She is a talented model with a lot of potential. I hope all the best for her career as a model. I also look forward to any future jobs we get to work together on.

Thanks for taking some time out of your day to read my blog and view the video and photos that came from our collaboration photo-shoot. I can`t thank the vendors who contributed enough. I am always thinking of the next thing, the next job, the next idea. If you or anyone you know is ever interested in taking part in something like this in the future please send me a message, I would love to hear what you have to offer or contribute. I appreciate all the support from everyone and I can`t wait to do this all again in the future!

One last shout out:
Hayley Rae Photography
Lucky Ones Media
Blooming Aisle Floral Design
Davie & Chiyo
Spotlight Event Planning + Design
Caitlin J Make-Up Artistry

Cheers,

Caitlin J