So at M@GA we have customers come into the store looking just for lessons and not for products. I enjoy these lessons because its about the woman, or guy in some cases, really it is just about the individual and their needs. I hear so many times “this is what I was told to do” and you should not just stop there. PLAY!!  Have fun and experiment with your look. Just because one makeup artist said your a coral doesn’t mean that you should never ever look at purples. Perhaps coral cheeks look best on you but lets say you have blue eyes, then take a look at a thin purple liner to make that blue POP. There are no rules when it comes to makeup (well I say always begin your look with your eyes and then foundation) but really its all comes down to taste and what you feel best in. Confidence is the best lip color on anyone.

Just to prove my point….. I was flipping through my pictures the other day and came across this photo shoot. It was really my first photo shoot ever! What a time I had but i got through it well I think. Back then I thought the only way to go was mate. POOF! The old me would kick the new me for ever loving shimmers and dewy looks. But that is just it we evolve and change and so does fashion. Any hoo… So for this photo shoot Scott challenged us to pick our four signature shadows and create a day and night look with them. To top that all off the four of us had to create our looks using only one model and that model had to be used between the four of us. Our lovely model Marlowe was picked for this project.  When we got the images we all laughed because we don’t even place blush in the same way. So here is to having fun…Cheers!

 photos by Dan Wickham   have fun and play! xoxo -Zack

I thought I would share this photo shoot that I got suckered into modeling for… but despite that this photo shoot was “FANG”TASTIC! (sorry had to teehee). The shoot is entitled “The Lady is a Vamp” and was for Sophie Magazine’s October fashion spread. The spread was shot by Dan Wickham, Serenity Eyre was lead makeup artist, hair by Danielle Travers of Westone Salson, and fashion by Sarahbeth Larrimore of Unabashed Apparel, and art director E. Scott Thompson.

photograph asst. Julie McMillan
silverbirchstudio.com
Models:
Jackie Franquez
Morgan Purdy
Jonathan Charles Ganong
Zack Russell
Scott Thompson

 

The miss beautiful Brooke Priddy from Ship to Shore asked me if I would lend my talents to what would be one of the funnest fashion shows this year. This fashion show was different from the rest here in Asheville because it was a benefit for LEAF (Lake Eden Arts Festival), a non profit connecting cultures and creating communities through music and arts.  The benefit raised over 11,000 dollars for LEAF in schools and streets.

“Guatemala and Mexico will receive new instruments, costumes for Rwanda, and Fredy, a teaching artist in Tanzania will be able to conduct a residency at another Roots & Shoots group in Arusha.” -leaf.org

For more information on how you can help LEAF international please click on their name and the link will take you to their webiste.

Other artists that helped on this project were the ladies and gents at Wink hair salon, miss Amber Hatchett of amber hatchett designes, and mister Parker J Pfister of parkerj photos.

Here are just a few pics of the evening.

 

Sophie Magazine has given the makeup artists here in Asheville and at M@GA a great way to express our artistry, in fashion shoots, wedding shoots, the covers, and much more. This month in Sophie M@GA ruled! Our own Serenity Eyre got a wonderful fashion spread shot by local photographer, and wonderful woman, Julie McMillan of Silver Birch Studio and Hair by, my bestie, Danielle Travers of  Westone Salon. Also stay up to date with beauty trends featured in Sophie by makeup artist E. Scott Thompson. Oh and I almost forgot to say I also got a little something this month in Sophie …an interview. 😀

I have had the lovely pleasure of doing this musicians makeup twice! A self published musician Meedon fuses a wide range of music styles and sounds to form her own unique style. The photographs were taken by of my favorite people and photographers Parker J Pfister. Check out both these cats by clicking on the names to go to their websites.

The shoot that I was on before I went to Alabama was actually was not for makeup. I was asked by world renowned photographer Parker J Pfister (parkerjphoto.com) to actually model and help find models for his latest task. It was a documentary on wedding photography for a photo education company by Photovision (photovisionvideo.com).  There was talent EVERY WHERE!! Well who got asked to do the makeup you ask well.. my boss E. Scott Thompson. He ROCKED IT OUT! I was so floored by the talent that surrounded me, there at Deer Creek run where photographers from around the nation. It was amazing to see everyone at work creating art with his or her mediums, from models, to hair (Tyler Creek), to the crew creating the film. Its was truly a fun fun job. Here are some photos from the day. Please Check out Parker J Pfister’s blog not only for his wonderful art but to check out the other magical photographers from that day. Also the images below are from the “love mama”, as Parker J like to call her, Julia Woods. (jeffreyandjuliawoods.com)

p.s. YOU GO SCOTT!

So as a makeup artist Halloween is one of the best times of the year. We are challenged time and time again by clients who wish to do something daring and different. What a blast this year! Thought I would share some of the photos from this year’s Halloween at M@GA.

One of my most recent projects as a makeup artist was being apart of a documentary entitled “White man walks into a barber shop” directed by Kyle Schickner of Fence Sitter Films  ( fencesitterfilms.com).  This was a tour through Alabama and Mississippi walking into black barber shops at random and questioning people on racism post Obama election. The director, Kyle Schickner president of FSF, felt that the discussion of race had become taboo and wish to open the dialogue up again. During this job I was tasked with applying makeup for the director every morning as well as formal interviews, such as co-owner Randall Williams of The NEWSOUTH, Inc. book store in Montgomery, Alabama. This job helped me to grow as a makeup artist but also as a person and there is no better job in my opinion.

I am now going to join the world at large…. with a blog! My Goal with this blog is to show the world what it is like to be behind the camera and the glam. I hope that you can enjoy the back stage look from the makeup artist view and see what adventures I can get into. There is never a dull job when it comes to the world of MAKEUP!! I am going to try to post a blog a week to catch us all up on what I have been up to with Makeup at the Grove Arcade or as I like to say M@GA.   The team at M@GA have become my mentors and my second family.  I will try to keep you up to date with all the stores activities and the artists there. However I must say that is hard to keep up with all the shoots that the national award-winning makeup artist E. Scott Thompson (or as I call him… boss) is on, but I will do my best. 😉

Here it goes…  XoXo -Zack