Alyson Hearts Faces

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!) 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:

This was a super-cool collaboration! School of the Art Institute fashion student Mario Calhoun made this shoot happen. He designed and constructed the dress our model Alexanna wore (the dress is made out of a Marshall Field’s men’s suit jacket from the 40′s no less!). Mario also hand picked our photographer Inna K. who shot on film! I did the super-sexy purple eye and chiseled cheek look. These pics are from my camera phone. I can’t wait to see what Inna’s look like!

I had the honor of doing Emily’s makeup for her wedding day in Chicago. What a beautiful bride! We did a brown smokey eye and a nude lip with dewey skin…a gorgeous contemporary makeup look. Emily’s got a great personality and she had me laughing from start to finish.

Lisa Winn did the photography. I absolutely love this candid shot of the sassy bride and super-cool groom taking to the streets. I wish them all the best!

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!

This shoot was all about the Rococo look with a modern twist. I did the makeup for both Andrew and Jansen and it was all captured by the amazing Elisabeth Moore. Elisabeth has such a fabulous way of working with models; she gives easy direction and then is able to capture them in just the right moment. It was such a fun shoot and everyone worked famously together.

We shot in a spacious photographer’s studio close to Pilsen. Once again, I was reminded of the decadent space this city has and the incredible talent that lies within.

Click on the pics!