Amy Keller’s Classic Glamour

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You saw the images from yesterday…is Miss Amy K not to die for? I always say she reminds me of Grace Kelly, so I knew going into this shoot 2 important things – 1. Amy K was about to get some glamorous Hollywood hair treatment, and 2. Amy K was about to rock a serious lip.

But after seeing how gorgeous she was (and that’s even before a gown moment), I knew we couldn’t keep these beauty secrets to ourselves. So here’s a step-by-step for you…

first, the old Hollywood hair…

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Put Hold Miracle Ultra Strong Cream Mousse in dry hair and give it a rough blow-dry.

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Soft Romantic Beauty with Butter London

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It was a full studio of artists for this romantic shoot! From our tintype specialist Giles Clement to the excellent hairstyling of Joseph DiMaggio and our beautiful redheaded makeup artist Morgan Gates, with her kit full of Butter London, it was clear that beauty was going to be made. Here we offer you a sneak peek at some behind the scenes images, plus the how-to on our muse’s soft & dewy look and naturally nude nails…

Butter London is a company with something for everyone, their motto is no rules – inspired by Great Britain’s rock and rollers (check out the British slang names and cheeky definitions of each product!) they’re all about having fun with your look! Their fall collection launched with bold, bright colors, while their spring collection is more toned down and neutral.

One thing I love is how many of Butter London’s products are multi-use: blushes can also be used as lipsticks, cream eyeshadows can be highlighters – because they know the Butter London girl is on the go…and aren’t we all?

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Soft and dreamy makeup…

Morgan suggests prepping the skin with Burt’s Bees Rosewater Toner, as a way to freshen and wake up your skin.

Moisturize the skin all over with Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre – it used to only be available overseas, but it’s now sold in the US! Morgan says it’s among her top products because it hydrates so well and makeup wears really nicely on top of it. Gently smooth on Lucas’s Papaw Ointment on any dry spots around the nose or on the lips. Finally, use Butter London Hydrating Balm to get extra moisture.

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Smooth Makeup For Ever HD Foundation all over the face to perfect and smooth the skin. Anywhere you need extra coverage – under eyes, to cover any redness or dark spots – use Tarte’s Maracuja Creaseless Concealer. This creates a really smooth, natural feel instead of one color all over!

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Blend a little bit of Naughty Biscuit Cheeky Cream Blush to define the cheekbones without getting excessively colorful.

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On the lid, use Twigged Wink Eye Pencil, drawing close to the lash line and then using a small smudging brush to blend quickly (be careful, it dries fast!) blending quickly up to the lid. This creates a gradient up into the crease – and Morgan recommends Twigged because it brings out wonderful tones in everyone’s eyes!

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Bombshell Beauty

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We had the privilege of working with some incredible artists on this shoot – not only Maggie herself, a talented and beautiful actress, but also Justin Woods, our hairstylist, and Ashlee Glazer, our makeup artist. They were kind enough to share their techniques so that you and I can get this bombshell beauty look…

How to get that “mack on me” makeup…

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Ashlee took two eyeliners – MAC Teddy and MAC Coffee – and rubbed them all around the inner upper and lower water line and on the lid in a cat eye shape.

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Ashlee blended the pencils together, creating a smooth, sexy shape that follows natural bone structure. Next, she used the Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage palette, brushing the dark brown on first and closest to the lash line. She buffed up with the medium brown all the way into the crease, fanning out by the brow bone.

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Taking the bronze color from the same palette and using the NARS #14 brush – “it’s like a pencil smudge brush” – Ashlee rubbed underneath the eye along the lower lash line, following the shape of the eye and eventually angling upward to meet the “V” of the cats-eye.

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A spread of tools for making beauty!

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Film vs. Digital

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I‘m often asked in interviews the difference between film vs. digital, if film is dead, and how I choose which medium I want to shoot with. Film photography will always be a part of my life. It was how I was raised to take pictures; it is my roots in photography. It feels different to take a photograph on film than on digital even though so much of what they accomplish is the same.

When I shoot on film I am looking for a depth to the final image…quite simply, I find film images to have a soul. Maybe that has something to do with how you take the picture. We go through thousands of digital photographs weekly which feels like the next image diminishes the value of the one before. With film, even when I feel like I’m shooting a lot, it is only in the hundreds and when I push that shutter release each time, that shot is thought-out, composed, and one where I waited for that perfect moment. My friend Adam who had a show this past fall at the Sasha Wolf Gallery said if he ever had to teach a class in digital he’d make his students shoot on camera cards that only hold 36 frames to train them to think about each shot.

However, digital has this beautiful clarity, this “reach out and touch it” ability that I find so beautiful. The velvety texture of flower petal, the saturation of color in a blushing rose. Digital puts you there, in the moment, feeling the light, and seeing even what the human eye can’t. The speed with which we can capture, document and share with digital photography is so astonishing. Recently I tweeted, “Every two minutes, we take more pictures than the whole of humanity in the 1800s.” I alway say, photography is a right, not a privilege, and thanks to digital that has never been more true.

On a day where I just don’t want to sit at a computer editing or writing emails, or I need a break to get in the zone creatively, I find my favorite thing to do is photograph flowersFlowers represent so much about life to me: the beauty, the aging, the individuality and sexuality. I wanted to illustrate the difference between film and digital, so on my last flower study I took (as close as possible!) the same photograph on a digital Leica M with macro lens and then again on a 4×5 Toyo View Camera on Ilford Delta 100 ISO black and white film. I used natural light and did a variety of shots using different F-stops for a varying depth of field.

You tell me what you prefer: Film or Digital?

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Simple natural light setup in our studio, white textured cardboard background. Above, using the shutter cable release to avoid my hand shaking on the shutter release, which  causes motion blur. Most of the 4×5 exposures were between 30 secs and one minute. Below, focusing view on the 4×5 ground glass. 

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The outcome. 

at f/45

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All about Lips

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I’ve been very inspired recently with old masters paintings: Vermeer, The Frick, and simplifying my beauty routine. When Chelsa & I discussed this we loved the idea of forgoing the dramatic eye and focusing only on a strong lip. No mascara!  How fresh it looks to me; now her eyes remind me of all those souls in the beautiful paintings I’ve been lost in recently…

Here’s a step by step tutorial using MAKE cosmetics to get the look!

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Step 1: Brush Alabaster all over the lid, but not quite to the eyebrow.

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Berry Romantic

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Every time I’m out and about in the city these days I’m looking for colors of spring, anything to erase the grey memories of winter. My beautiful friend Chelsa (who was also running in the marathon in Boston that day and was receiving her medal when the bombs went off) came by the studio to be my springtime muse. A palette of pinks, something soft and pretty, a reminder of how delicate we are like the flowers that bloom.

Here’s a step by step tutorial using MAKE cosmetics to get the look!

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Step 1: Sweep Santa Fe all the way over the eyelid, but not quite to the brow.

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A Little Bit Messy…

Have y’all seen the fun hair tutorials on Cup of Jo? Here is yet another the creative beauty duo Joanna & Caroline put together I was so lucky to shoot– it’s a little bit of a tease.. a little bit messy… and a great friday-night-date-night-look…

The Messy Side Ponytail for Cup of Jo~

Caroline’s Step by Step:

1. Start with day-old hair…meaning it’s been a day since you’ve washed it. (If you must wash your hair, then use a volumizing spray to add oomf; and if your hair is oily, use a French dry shampoo to build body and texture.) Now make a deep side part on one side of your hair. You can use a rat-tail comb to get an extra straight part.

2. Backcomb the top quarter of your hair. Basically, brush the hair downwards toward your scalp so it’s sort of frizzy and can stand on its own.

3. Gently brush the very top layer of your hair to make it smooth on the top. That way, all the backcombing will be hidden under the layer that you brushed. Still, don’t brush too much, you want it a little messy.

4. Take the entire backcombed section and pin it behind your head. To make it secure, place the bobby pins in an “X.”

5. Now take all your hair and put it in a low ponytail at the nape of your neck. Tighten the rubber band as tight as you can. This will help “push” your hair up, creating more volume at the top.

5. You can either leave the rubber band exposed, or hide it by taking a small half-inch section of hair from the ponytail and wrapping it around the rubber band. Take a small bobby pin and pin the hair to the rubber band.

6. Rough up the ponytail with your fingers to match the texture at the top of your hair. Use the same motion as you did to back comb, but use your fingers instead, since this will create a messy texture but will be softer and gentler than using a comb. Remember, this look isn’t about perfection; it looks best slightly messy.

Photos by FromMeToYou for Cup of Jo / Hair tutorial & modeling by the lovely Caroline Ventura