MAKE UP IS ART Second edition

The Second edition published by Carlton Books

Finally the second edition of the book has been completed and will be out very soon. It has taking a lot of work and effort from all the team involved and was my biggest challenge to date. I am very proud to know that someone out there on the other side of the world could be learning from our experience as working artists in the industry here in London. It is full of extra tips and images with more details and in-dept information about products, techniques and how to achieve various looks. I am very proud to have seen my baby project come to life and it has been amazing journey thanks to the support of AOFM and my friends and colleagues in the industry.

There is a special feature with Britians Got Talent ESCALA whom I've worked with on tour and had an amazing time changing the girls looks for their performances each night on their uk tour supporting Catherine Jenkins. I loved their image and how they made choices together working as a brand.

One of my most enjoyable shoots was for the adornment section and working with crystals and eyelashes and the amazing stylist Rebekah Roy brought lots of luxury accessories to the shoot. It was all about embellishment but influenced with an editorial feel. Shot by Catherine Harbour here is a sneak preview of the image to appear in the book.

Launching in September during LFW watch this space to see how it went.

MAKE UP IS ART

Gain a true insight into the creative world of makeup artistry with sound advice on all the tools, knowledge and techniques you need

Makeup is art. Every face is a blank canvas and every brush stroke creates something magical. Makeup enhances natural beauty but also builds confidence for everyday life. Jana Ririnui, makeup artist and founder of AOFM, and Lan Nguyen, makeup artist and creative director, have come together with a team of other top industry professionals to create a book dedicated to inspire other makeup artists, those wishing to enter this exciting career and anyone who wants to experiment with, and develop, their makeup looks.

It is a glossy, gorgeous makeup manual written by London’s Academy of Freelance Makeup, one of the world’s best training institutes. AOFM tutors work with prestigious clients such as Versace, Armani, Dior and Vogue. It includes basic makeup advice along with step-by-step instructions for a range of truly inventive looks using specialist techniques – from Lady Gaga-inspired creations and retro looks to underwater makeup and body painting. 

We created this book to fill the gap of providing a visual book to inspire. Its more practical with less text and more images to show what you can achieve and being creative but beautiful too. All the images were shot from scratch especially for this project and thanks to our friends and sponsors who helped make it possible. The first edition launched back in 2009 during London Fashion Week with a great party and copies were sold in RD Franks, Soho Book Stores, Charles Fox and a number of other boutique shops. The second edition is out towards the end of the year and will be available worldwide.

Other reviews here from my the fabulous stylist Rebekah Roy whom I have the pleasure to work with quite often during London Fashion Week and various editorials.

Book launch by Rebekah Roy

It is also available to buy AOFM

Beauty Make up Before and After

So here you can see a before and after shot of my make up before retouching. Looking at any image people can forget about the work that goes into creating that perfect image. Especially with beauty. The one fundamental thing now is retouching. I remember when I first started makeup I had always tried to create the perfect make up look in every way down to the last hair as I didn't understand the retouching side. Only from working with magazines and editorials have I learnt this skill and understanding how a finished image should look before going to print. Looking at my make up portfolio a friend of mine once said ' why can I see hairs on her face? Do you not get your work retouched?' And me being proud of what I created and my work I said firmly 'what good would that be as a make up artist that you have to get it retouched?' So I checked out retouching websites and had very mixed feelings as I realised how much people used these tools to hide the imperfections. I was shocked that a make up artist could get away with creating not so perfect looks especially bad skin, wonky lip line and bad eyeliner and blending. I'm not saying it is intentional but if you can't do that properly how can you call yourself a make up artist, is this not the whole point of doing this job? Not to mention retouching hours spent for the photographer. Big spots and lumps are still visible even if you try to cover up with concealer but luckily retouching solves it in a second. I suppose if I was to rely on retouching then I would not push myself to perfection, so in a good way it has kept my skills in shape and always a healthy challenge. With this knowledge I can now manipulate my images to the best they can be.

You can spot instantly the differences between the two images here. The skin being flatter and polished like it's been airbrushed. Lips and eyes are brighter. No matter how perfect I would do it by having that bit more of retouching it actually does looks a lot better. However if you had never seen it retouched then you would accept the first image at face value and with nothing to compare it to, it would be acceptable as a nice image. Which brings me to the point of perfection in beauty. The magazines we see on the shelves are packed with beautiful images that we forget have been airbrushed and it is amazing how many women and men still believe that the model or celebrity looks like that everyday. When really the secret is the team of professionals behind the scenes creating it.