Alyson Hearts Faces

I made the papers!

Here’s a pic from the Chicago Tribune of the back of my head as I work on the lovely face of veejay (and actor AND Chicago Fringe Festival producer) Vinnie Lacey for a segment on Akoo TV. I do the hair/makeup every week for the various veejays that Akoo employs and always have a blast doing it. The programming features music videos and celeb gossip and is shown nation-wide in colleges and malls. It’s funny and hip and I recommend checking it out the next time you hit the food court!

Chicago comedian Kristin Clifford, Chicago photographer Johnny Knight and I rocked this two-part shoot. Shot in the Cabaret space at Stage 773, the first shoot was a 40s novel cover featuring Kristin as a comedian involved in a murder mystery and the second shoot featured Kristin as herself bookworming it up at a party, reading the very novel that features her on the cover. I did the hair and makeup for both shoots and especially loved doing the 40s hair on the novel cover. Such a fun concept and unique way to show Kristin’s personality (she’s super funny and loves mysteries). Johnny Knight really went to town on the novel cover; I’m constantly impressed with his skill level and creativity.

This shoot was easily one of the most innovative I’ve been privy to do hair and makeup on. The construction of the dress alone requires its own website: www.muller2.com/dress.html Architectural firm Muller+Muller (specifically: young, creative superstars Mindy, Nick and Kaitlin of said firm) teamed up with Intelligentsia Coffee to create this incredible dress. All the material is dyed coffee filters, the shoes and wings are beaded with coffee beans and the wings themselves are constructed out of coffee bags! Shot by Intelligentsia’s own Timothy Breen in Intelligentsia’s coffee facility and modeled by Mindy of Mulller +Muller ( I dubbed her The Coffee Angel), it was a truly magical collaboration.

The photos are in! And boy do they beat the ones I took on my camera phone. These shots turned out amazing. Thanks to the photo genuis that is Inna K., these pics really pop! And once again, Art Institute Fashion student Mario Calhoun’s dress design (he sewed this out of a Marshall Fields men’s jacket from the 40s amongst other things!) is edgy and super-chic. I got into the purple shadow and had a blast creating this look for Alex who killed it with her smoldering glances. Thanks again to everyone for a fabulous shoot!

I loved doing this shoot! I had the opportunity to do 4 different  hair/makeup looks on the lovely model Jackie. Aaron Gang did the photography and really captured something amazing. He never ceases to bring awesome energy to his work and it always shows. Once again, a super-fun, creative shoot brimming with talent.

Take a look!

If you love comedy and don’t know Chicago’s Kelsie Huff, you absolutely need to! Kelsie is a power-house of a comedian and will have you laughing like nobody’s business. This was a  shoot for her website and I did Kelsie’s hair and makeup. It was awesome and quite simply, hilarious. Chicago photographer Johnny Knight did an unbelievable job capturing Kelsie doing her thing: he was game for anything and it was so cool to watch Kelsie and Johnny work together to get the fabulous results you see below.

Make sure to click on the pics to see them bigger:

Here in Chicago, there’s been a huge surge on the performance lit scene. Storytelling. It’s ancient, but it’s reemerged in a big, public way. Scott Whitehair, performer and writer, runs a fabulous monthly storytelling show called “Story Lab Chicago”at the Black Rock Pub. The show features storytellers from Chicago sharing all sorts of true personal tales. It was shot this past Monday by the amazing Umbrella Group Arts. I had the pleasure of doing the makeup on the shoot. Check out Umbrella Group Arts facebook page for more: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Umbrella-Group-Arts/139352296142805

And if you want more on the storytelling front, the show I co-produce, “Essay Fiesta,” will be celebrating its 2nd Anniversary on Nov 21, 7pm at the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square. It’s a show that includes 7 readers from various disciplines reading true stories (some poignant, many funny) from their lives. It’s free and there’s a raffle that benefits 826 Chicago! There’s not much makeup involved in Essay Fiesta, but it’s a great show nonetheless.

September has come and gone. Sigh. I did a slew of shoots in September that I’ll be posting at a later date. In the meantime, here’s a pic from a romantic October wedding.

Pictured here is Chicago writer/storyteller/force of nature Dana Norris and her fabulous husband Ian Hookway. I did Dana’s makeup for the wedding. Dana wanted “radiance” and so we collaborated on a natural look… washes of brown and peach on the eyes and cheeks and a brighter pinky-peach lip stain.

We went to town on the lashes and used some individual false lashes on the ends, giving Dana the gorgeous, fresh-faced look she was after.

When I look at the picture of Dana and Ian, I see two people very much in love.  Thus, Dana’s radiant bridal look came naturally. I just added the finishing touches.

Best of luck to the happy couple!

This was an awesome collaboration. I teamed up with Chicago actress Geraldine Dulex and Chicago photographer Jim Newberry for this Ophelia-centric shoot. I did the hair and makeup (the hair is extensions). We shot in Douglas Park in Little Village, Chicago on a balmy evening.

The wistful, other-worldly vibe that Geraldine exudes and the beauty of Jim’s camera-work made this shoot work on every level. Ophelia lives!

This has been a busy month! Lucky for me, there seems to be no shortage of awesome people with whom to collaborate. For this shoot, I got to do hair and makeup for the very talented model/actress Holly Bittinger. Aaron Gang, a mainstay Chicago photographer, did the killer camera work. We shot in a slew of locations in the Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood. It was one of those insanely hot Chicago summer days, but I’m pleased to see how cool the shoot turned out!