Feel like a model

I think it's great fun to feel like a model for a day, even if you're a plain Jane most of the time. Why not, right? Thanh Nga is no different. She knew about my beauty services through a friend of mine & she knew I could take some decent photographs. So, she came to me for a makeover and a photoshoot (twice actually). Her reason? Simple. Let's see... She got a good collection of nice dresses though she wore jeans most of the time. She knew she's in shape and looks great in her dresses; ... but, she had very few chances to show them off. Like all of us women, we know we don't look great in our dresses forever. So, she wanted to have her youthful appearance captured before she turns older. You'd be surprised how great she looks in a dress ...

Let's start by a before/after, and then some (un-edit) photos from our session. By the way, don't be fooled. She's not a "natural" in front of the camera. She was actually very shy within the first 30m or so, but once she felt comfortable & confident, she gave such beautiful and contagious smile :)

Our first session was great too. She got a different makeup look ... Actually it could be really interesting to compare... Next post then... ;)

Commercial shoot for Belleza

I did this shoot for Belleza fashion shop in Vietnam back in March. They wanted to advertise their new shoe collection. Honestly, I was a little bit nervous (direction wise) because the style & popular trend here of course would be different compared to California trend or the U.S in general. I looked through many beauty-related pages in Viet magazines & also observed the kind of makeup women wear on the streets.  Yes, it's totally different! To sum it up, majority of women in Vietnam (or Asia at large) tends to favor light pale skin and pink lipstick (bright, noticeable pink).

So, I came to the shoot with a "just natural look" in mind, according to the stylist/PR person. Natural makeup for a shoot isn't as easy as you think it would be. Everyone has a different version of "natural" in their mind.  And I'm sure the California version of "natural" isn't the same with the Vietnamese version. And to make things even more complicated, when I checked with the photographer as I arrived, he said just do whatever I want as long as I make Thanh Truc, the model, looks "nhẹ nhàng & mỹ miều" (in my interpretation) meaning soft & mesmerizing.  So, I had to decide on the spot how to keep things "natural looking" but still making her appear "mesmerizing" enough for the photographer. It was pretty darn hard. It would be so much easier if just going one way or another: natural or mesmerizing/glamorous. But, I totally pulled it off. I'm happy with the outcome. Below are some photos from the shoot... :)