The No Makeup Makeup Tutorial
Makeup Artist, Diane Catorc, Shows Us How To Create The Perfect "No Makeup Makeup" Look.
Sought-after hair and makeup artist, Diane Catorc, has been in the business for twenty years. Naturally, she has picked up numerous tips along the way. We asked her how she creates the “no makeup makeup” look – which is a model’s go-to for castings and digitals. Check out the tutorial video above to watch Diane give step-by-step instructions while demonstrating on model, Julia Locatelli. We’ve been practicing it ever since, and now all of us at FMD are sporting our effortless glows!
The Model Mani
Unless a client asks you to get a manicure with bright red nail polish, or any other color, you should maintain clean buffed nails at all times. You will appear well groomed, and have the "clean canvas" look that enables clients to visualize you in their projects. However, for informals and trunks show bookings, female models are required to wear a nude or clear polish.
If you want to skip the nail salon, here’s how you can do a thorough manicure yourself:
Give your nails a clean and wipe off any polish with nail polish remover
File your nails either in a round or almond shape. Keep the length between short and medium.
Rub in a few drops of cuticle remover cream/oil into each cuticle.
Soak nails in warm soapy water for a few minutes to soften the cuticles.
Gently push the cuticles back with a cuticle pusher tool. If you do not have one, Q-Tips are a great substitute.
Buff and smooth nail edges. We recommend purchasing a 4 way buffer and shiner – it has file, buffer shiner and polish all in one.
If you want to add nail polish, we suggest clear, nudes, or pale pinks. Add a clear base and top coat for nude and pale pinks.
Complete your manicure with some hand moisturizer (make sure the polish is dry first).
If you are doing your nails around bedtime, rub some fresh lavender or lavender oil on your hands for a relaxing scent!
Why Dance Helps Modeling
Clients expect models to be able to move well in front of the camera. They hire models because they not only want to create their conceptualized images to a T, but they also want to capture them in the least amount of time, potentially reducing costs of production. Clients do not want further delays, motivating and directing their models into poses. This is why it is helpful for models to have a dance background.
Models should move with fluidity, poise, and coordination. Whether it is an edgy editorial or a smiley e-commerce shoot, it’s important to adjust your poses and expressions with ease. Even the way you hold your hands or position your feet can make or break a shot. Get used to pointing your toes, and connecting your ankles while keeping your feet out or straight ahead. Turning your feet inwards will give you a pigeon toe look. Unless you are asked to create awkward angles, it can project the wrong body language. Hands should look graceful, by keeping the fingers relaxed and close together. If they are too wide apart or stiff, it can make the pose look clumsy. However, some shoots may require the hands to create sharp lines, particularly for editorials.
Valeska @valeska_miller by Oliver Endahl @balletzaida Music by Joshua Piper @heavypiano
Although we suggest adding dance to your extra-curricular activities to help with your posing, there are bookings that require models to physically dance during the shoot. Karlie Kloss and Liu Wen were photographed for Vogue while showing their dance skills, and Joan Smalls was paired up with professional dancer and choreographer, Lil Buck for the Wall Street Journal. Additionally, more and more athletic wear brands cater to dancers; such as Nike and Reebok. These clients often request models who are, at the very least, amateur or semi-professional dancers for their campaigns.
But, it’s not only your print jobs that will benefit from dance. Runway too! Walking in high heels, making turns on the catwalk, and having the correct posture is all about movement and balance – which are the basics of dance. For instance, to do a full or half-turn without stumbling; you need to find a focal point in the direction of the audience. Staring at this point throughout the turn will force your head to whip around. This is called ‘spotting’, a technique used by dancers to maintain balance.
Applying dance to your modeling will broaden your job opportunities, keep you in shape, and help with your posture, poses, and stamina.