INTERVIEW and WORDS | Moeima Dukuly
I live for sharp beauty editorials. Such spreads require a certain alchemy: all elements equally valuable to the finished project. The right model, makeup artist, hairstylist and photographer all blended together, bringing forth magical up close and personal images. We go behind the scenes with a couple of the magicians from our technicolor beauty spread ‘Teenage Dream’, makeup artist Tabby Casto and photographer John Cubillan.
Moeima: When shooting a beauty editorial – are there specific tools/lenses or a camera you use to get the shots you need?
John: When shooting beauty I tend to use my Canon prime lens EF 50mm f/1.4 because the sharpness is excellent, picking up the texture of the skin very well. Prime lenses provide vivid image accuracy and less distortion and vignette – perfect for beauty shots.
Moeima: What lighting best supports beauty shots? Does this change according to the model’s skin tone? Can you get the same effect in the outdoors?
John: For beauty shots I tend to use a beauty dish as my key light source and I sometimes use a silver reflector in front of the model to fill the deep shadows under the nose and chin. Depending on the look I am going for I sometimes light the background just to add depth and dimension. I prefer to use harsh lights as it creates a stronger contrast-adding dimension to the model’s face. Harsh lighting looks better than soft lighting especially when the image goes through a lot of postproduction, as it picks up a lot of skin texture giving the skin a natural finish after retouching. This lighting set up is very simple and versatile and works with all skin tones.
Moeima: Obviously makeup plays a large role in the images you produce – how do you handle a situation where the makeup is just not strong or shows up blotchy?
John: The right makeup plays a big role when it comes to beauty shoots. The makeup artist needs to understand my lighting setup for the shoot and the kind of look we are going for so she/he can enhance the model’s natural beauty. There have been instances in the past where I’ve worked with makeup artists who didn’t make the makeup strong enough or they made the skin show up blotchy or the lips were not perfectly lined. A good makeup artist will always perfect the work as much as possible and not rely on retouching. Before shooting I always double check the makeup closely to check everything is even and lined up. If I see any imperfections I ask the artist to touch up the flaws straight away on set to save myself a few minutes in post production. Normally imperfections unnoticed on set would be fixed later through postproduction.
Moeima: What lighting best highlights lighter skin, olive skin and dark skin?
John: For lighter skin I would use a soft lighting such as a soft box to preserve the detail and stop the skin looking washed out and flat. For darker and olive skin I would slightly use harsher lighting such as a beauty dish its picks up the highlights on the skin really well adding dimension and drama to the photography. For really dark skin I add a fill light just to pick up those extra details and create a more even lighting, as its absorbs. To be honest, if you achieve truly precise lighting ratios it should work on any skin complexion!
UK makeup artist Tabby Casto talks through the makeup process of ‘Teenage Dream’, and offers up a yummy set of products and a few alternatives for making these color blasted looks your own.
For me working with bright colours is always a real treat. I particularly enjoy breaking the conventional “norms” of what is considered beautiful and the team and I really wanted to achieve a “fun” beauty story which wasn’t too serious. Lydia of Models 1 is such a beautiful girl naturally but she also has this quirky personality and I really wanted to bring that through the makeup.
Despite each of the looks being different in shape and colour, the process was fairly similar for each. To start, I wanted to create clean-looking fresh skin which allowed Lydia’s natural beauty to shine through – keeping her freckles as a feature and making the skin look as healthy and glossy as possible. One of my favorite “glowey” foundations is MAC Face & Body which gives afresh “no-makeup makeup” look.After applying this only where needed, I corrected blemishes and any discoloration the skin with a little concealer, then set the makeup with translucent powder. For most of the shots I kept to a neutral peach blusher (MAC Peaches) to give a fresh summery look. A strong alternative for a darker skin tone would be MAC Desert Rose – a matte reddish burgundy that looks beautiful in the sun!
I mainly used the MAC Pro line of Chromalines, Chromagraphic Pencils and Acrylic Paints to play with texture and colour on the eyes and lips. In terms of working with glossy eyelids I would suggest sticking to one colour if you want the makeup to last. Perhaps these looks are a little too editorial for everyday wear but you could go for a shot of yellow or blue eyeliner with the MAC Pro line for a fun summery look.The Chromalines are richly pigmented and work well for longevity – I use them like a gel liner and eyeshadow base regularly.For most of the glossy eye looks I just used a flat firm brush to apply the appropriate coloured Chromaline then packed on MAC Pro Clear Gloss over the top with a slick of mascara.
For the lips I played with various products – if you haven’t already, check out the MAC Pro Lipmix line which is as fantastic as the name suggests,you can mix various shades together to create new colour combos.
My advice? Just have FUN with makeup!!Try brighter shades, play with new colours and textures. Don’t just stick to a classic black liner!
WANT MORE?? Check out ALL the products used in ‘Teenage Dream’.
Fuchsia Look
Key Products :
MAC Face & Body Foundation $35
MAC Peaches Powder Blush $21
MAC Pro Chromaline Process Magenta$19.50
MAC Pro Chromagraphic Pencil Process Magenta $16
MAC Pro Clear Gloss $21
MAC Pro Lash Mixing Medium $13
MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash $21
MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick Zen Rose$17
Green Look
Key Products :
MAC Face & Body Foundation $35
MAC Peaches Powder Blush $21
MAC Pro Acrylic Paint Landscape Green $21
MAC Pro Clear Gloss $21
MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash $21
Sweet Pea & Fay Liquid Lipstick Scuba Gear $7.99
MAC Pro Lip Mix Yellow $15
MAC Pro Lip Mix Blue $15
Yellow Look
Key Products :
MAC Face & Body Foundation $35
MAC Peaches Powder Blush $21
MAC Pro Chromaline Primary Yellow $19.50
MAC Pro Gloss $21
MAC Spiked Brow Pencil $16
MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash $21
MAC Lipstick Peach Blossom $16
Orange Look
Key Products :
MAC Face & Body Foundation $35
MAC Peaches Powder Blush $21
MAC Pro Genuine Orange Chromaline $19.50 MAC Pro Clear Gloss $21
MAC Pro Lash Mixing Medium $13 MAC Neo Orange PIgment $21
MAC Pro Lipmix Orange $15
MAC Pro Lipmix Red $15
Red Eyes Look
Key Products :
MAC Face & Body Foundation $35
MAC Peaches Powder Blush $21
MAC Pro Clear Gloss $21 on lips
MAC Pro Chormaline Basic Red $19.50
MAC Pro Matte Mixing Medium $21
MAC Pro Pigment Basic Red $21
MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash $21
Sleek Eyelashes in SpHynx (i got mine in the UK from Paks for £2.99 but they should be available online soon!)
Red Lips+ Lashes Look
Key Products :
MAC Face & Body Foundation $35
MAC Peaches Powder Blush $21
MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash $21
Sleek Eyelashes in SpHynx (i got mine in the UK from Paks for £2.99 but they should be available to buy online soon!)
MAC Pro Clear Gloss $21
Topshop Lip Pencil in Blaze (a limited edition) a good duplicate: MAC Kiss Me Quick Pro Longwear Lip Pencil $19.50
Sweet Pea & Fay Campus Vamp Liquid Lipstick $7.99 (also limited edition) but a good duplicate would be OCC LIp Tar in Radiate $18
XO MAGAZINE 