For a long time I’ve said no. If you’re competent at applying your own and you know what suits you then do that. And I will probably still say that. However, if you’re like me and the only time you break out the blusher is for the odd party then maybe booking a professional isn’t a bad idea.
I thought I’d put my money where my mouth is. There’s no point in me recommending something if I won’t do it too. So I asked Christine Thompson from artistry by Christine, who I often recommend to my clients to create a light business look for me. I love that Christine just knows what a woman of a certain age wants and needs. She knows we don’t want heavy contouring and she knows that we don’t want insta brows. She’s gentle and professional and helps you relax.
Well… when she was finished the effect was night and day to what I would do.
Where my foundation looks patchy and blotchy, her application on me looks smooth and dewy. Where my eyeshadow is normally a simple line of eyeliner and a splodge of mascara, Christine created a lovely neutral brown subtly blended effect that really enhanced the blueness of my eyes. I was totally blown away.
Look
Did I still look like me? Oh yes! But, I looked more polished. I looked like I cared. I looked like someone you would trust to take your photographs. I didn’t look too made up. It was a look I could easily recreate. This is good news because I plan to do more networking this year-because I want to help other women in business create images that will help propel their business in the direction they need it to go. Being able to create a simple polished look for these events will help my confidence when talking to people I don’t know. Especially the 9.30 SWIB coffee morning in Glasgow.
Learn
I learned something too. The foundation that we buy often has an SPF. Great idea to combine the two. However the titanium dioxide flakes cause an effect called flashback when the studio lights reflect off them. This creates hot spots of light which need retouching. Not a problem but it’s an extra step your photographer needs to take before your images are ready.
Feel
How did I feel afterwards? I felt ready to have my picture taken. If you know me then you’ll know I hate having my photograph taken. Sounds terrible for a portrait photographer to say that but I am quite uncomfortable about my appearance. I bet there’s some of you who can relate. I did take a few selfies but although the lighting is lovely, my arms will never be long enough to take an image of me that matches what I can do with my proper camera and lenses. I’ll put the pictures up to show the awesome job that Christine did because lord knows I owe it to her for putting up with me and my mad cap ideas. But please don’t judge my awful phone selfies of me ( it’s an antique iPhone, I’m sure that’s the problem) on my photography skill with a proper camera and lens.