Billy B - Makeup Artist Extraordinaire

Billy B is a hero of mine. I love hearing what he has to say about makeup, freelancing and in this case, even Lady Gaga. He owns my heart.

Type + Makeup = True Love

This was posted over on visual news and I can't get over how awesome it is. I love the stark white and the crisp black. And seeing font reminds me of my days in printmaking. So much <3 <3 <3.

Illamasqua S/S 2011

After ignoring my google reader for too long, I finally perused through only to discover Illamasqua's Spring/Summer Collection, Toxic Nature.

It is unlike anything I've seen before from the line. Though their promotional images are always impeccable, it can be difficult to connect with some of the imagery because it so unlike how people wear makeup. This collection is different and somehow the same as previous seasons.

Toxic Nature is immediately more accessible because of the colours. The pinks and peaches are approachable and easily worked into anyone's existing makeup bag. The eyebrows, lashes and liner are a nod to shapes from the 20's and the 60's.

The highlights and overdrawn features are the defining element of what I have come to expect and love from the brand.

Enjoy below! I'm over the moon knowing I'll be in London to check out Illamasqua at their new flagship store in less than two weeks!

Happy Valentines Day Little Bunnies.

Skip the reservations and don't go out to dinner. Forget the cheap heart shaped candy and ridiculously packaged chocolate. But do most definitely tell someone how much you love them.

A naked baby with wings has nothing to do with me being in love but I do so enjoy this song.

xoxo

For my sweet.

And that's how you do Valentine's Day.

brap brap.

30 Days Later...

I started this year looking forward to a break and the second week of January, that's what I got. Four beautiful, consecutive days at home. Time to sleep, work out, cook and breathe, breathe, breathe. But before exhaling, I was back at work, meetings with photographers and planning plans for bigger plans. I feel like this year is going to be a lot about work. I'm consistently busy. Since starting freelancing, this month, a February at that, will be my busiest month to date. I'm elated, overwhelmed and can't decided whether to make arrangements for the best or the worst. I'm finally learning and proving to myself that the amount of freelance work I receive is directly related to the work I go after. In the time following my last post I have been involved with Kizmi Tea's Valentine's Day video, an amazing Boudoir Shoot with Michelle Belksy (with another one on the way). I've begun (well, B has begun) redesigning my business cards. I'm participating in a wedding show. I have four wedding trials this month and so many more to come. There have been hair lessons and blow outs and burnt fingers and hand made extensions. Coffee with amazing photographers and lunch with the three makeup artists in Toronto I admire most. Life is good and busy and hard and slightly messy but still very very good. I regret not keeping better track of it because I think that this time next year, I will want something to look back on. So here's to renewed commitment. And to my coffin; to be made of hundred year old oak, from the tree which I shall plant tomorrow. Chin chin. 

Reasons to be grateful.

It's cold out but my jacket is warm. I have to work on a Sunday but I'm not unemployed. I'm tired but I can buy a coffee and go to bed early in my big comfy bed. The salt from the ground will not stop making my hallway dirty, the kitchen floor is always dirty and there is dog hair everywhere but at least I get to go home. I'm grateful for jobs and mess and weather and the bf that keeps me up too late.


I'm so glad I woke up to this post on Daniel Laporte's blog this morning. Perspective is everything.



Have a wonderful Sunday little chickadees. Even if it's cold, enjoy the sunshine.

The Sticky Situation that is Self Promotion

For ages I've toyed with the idea of being completely freelance. But time and again, I find myself working for other businesses part time because frankly, that shit is scary! The thought of being 100% responsible for all the work I get... well, that's the stuff horror films are made from. 

I spend a lot of time creating my six month/ 1 year/ 5 year I'm-going-to-freelance-only plan. I read about it incessantly, mentally taking notes on tricky clients, freelance finance but the thing that scares me most seems to be the least approached topic... how the eff am I suppose to talk about myself to potential clients?

Here's the deal, that whole 'if you build it' thing is fooey. They don't always show up! Many people before and many after me will build what no one will come to see. So, if you build it and don't talk about it to anyone, no one will come. Not even your mum. 

The answer and the thing I tell anyone starting out, is to talk about yourself at every opportunity. Which is hard and not that fun and pretty confusing when trying to decide what's an opportunity and what is you being a pain in the ass. It's hard to to decide what will lead to clients and what will lead to your friends blocking you on facebook. When does self promotion become shameless? 

Look, I don't know. I'm sorry because I bet it seemed like I started out this post with the intention of answering questions but I tricked you. But check out this wicked post on Jezebel because they put together some amazing tips that will lead you, and subsequently, me, in the right direction. I'm all over the books they recommend in it, because I'm still working on the six month/ one year/ five year freelance plan.

xoxo