I have a very lovely friend named Anna Barez-Brown, and along with her business partner, Cal Whaley, they have created a concept which is called Shine for Women. This week Anna and Cal, invited me to speak at a reunion lunch for some of the women who have attended a Shine course since its inception. Here is my talk, which explains how I felt whilst doing it, and what I came away with. ( no, not a party bag! )
On my quest for epidermal exquisiteness, I pester everyone that may afford me an insight. No one and certainly no make up artist is off limits. Anyway, on my shoot last week and for all our sakes really, I pursued my objective. Insider knowledge, and having been nicely placated with great advice, I have extracted this week’s must have, turn your life around, gem. I give you Mac’s Strobe Cream. You can mix a little with your moisturiser and you will look radiant, glowy ( new model edit word, but you know what I mean ),and fresh faced. Or if you’re wearing foundation, mix in a little splodge and this will subtly highlight your face from within your make up. It’s an uplifting, treat of a product.
I did say that I would procure this, ever so fab item. I get the feeling that this little friend is going to witness all my foibles this summer. We’re going places, little iconic white jacket and I! Sometimes we’ll be sporting ripped jeans and moisturiser and other times we’ll be swathed in flowery frocks and Mac Strobe Creme.
For every fab shot that appears in a magazine, there are a few that don’t, but which helped you get that Magazine or Advertising job. These shots are called ‘Tests’ which are pretty much the Washing Up of modelling. Quite a chore, but necessary. This shot is one of my many Tests. Here I was fortunate to borrow some clothes by Jasper Conran. ‘S quite hard being a Model…
I think that it won’t have escaped your notice that I have naturally, quite a mop on my head. But part of being a working model is accepting other people’s view of you particularly a client, and that everyone on set has a job to do, or be seen to be doing, so the tonging and consequent brushing of the tonged hair, at my job last week, were pretty much how I’ve spent most of my career…..
La Voila! Gorgeous, kind and visionary, Christian Lacroix and his posse, of which I’m one. This was taken the day after his Haute Couture show when his clients were quite literally queuing at his door to order their frocks. As his business director said, they were selling like bread rolls ( may have sounded cuter in french ).
During my career, as an international Fashion model, I have clocked up a few miles on the world’s catwalks, sat in the make up artist’s chair for hundreds of hours, and been teased, backcombed and groomed by hairdressers for the same number of hours. I’ve been lucky enough to work as a model, for magazines, designers and directors in both beautiful, and mad places, shooting covers, and commercials. I am a style spy!