Got acting talent? We have a position for you…

Zette Media is working with OneRiver Media to produce a short film and we are looking for talented people.

I was invited to play along with in this secret venture to produce a fun and entertaining piece using a very special camera. (Of which will be revealed after the NDA time frame allows.) Come join us if you have acting skills or crew experience.

We are a proud supporter of the MMTB- Making Movies Throughout the Bay Area. If you aren’t familiar with MMTB check out my profile here and be a part of the experience.

http://moviemakingbay.com/mmtb/suzettemariel/

MMTB is also in need of funding. If you like independent film and appreciate our local talent of cast and crew donate what you can for a great cause. Here is the link: MMTB  Funding Campaign

 

What I’m looking for:

1 Male actor needed for 6PM call tonight. Age 25-65 to play German Police Officer. A few spoken lines. Location: Walnut Creek, CA

1 Makeup Assistant- preferably with makeup kit and experience doing light hair.

1 Wardrobe Stylist- preferably with kit and some experience.

Compensation: lo/pay, meal provided, single screen credit, press release, behind the scenes photos, footage for your demo reel, blog post article with link to your personal website.

Contact: Suzette Mariel  suzette@onerivermedia.com or call 415-608-9713

 

photocredit: Filmstrip by pixbox77

Behind The Scenes-Victorian Print Shoot

Today was the second day of a two day shoot. Quite an amazing day of events. We had two models and 2 hairstylists and myself as the makeup artist for both. It was really hectic trying to complete two sets of makeup looks without hindering the shoot. Luckily I worked with one of the models yesterday, which made it easier to create her look since I knew her face. The hair team did a great job creating the braided looks for each model. I wish that I had taken images of both hairstyles but it was busy enough just getting my looks created for each person. Kris, the hairstylist flew in from Utah and Brenda the other hairstylist is a local in the San Francisco Bay area. Below is a picture of Kris and myself.

Suzette and Kris

The clothing was amazing. I wish I could show you full images of both but alas, somethings must be kept private. But I can show you a few behind the scenes images to give you a little glimpse of how inventive, creative and fun this shoot was to be a part of.

Both models

I did get  a few amazing shots of the wardrobe and accessories. There were so many accessories and changes involved in this shoot. All the small details really made the whole project come together and tell a great story. The feathered hair piece, ball gown, equestrian boots and many other pieces of apparel were gorgeous. Such a fun time!

Boots!

Amazing Gown!

I love this gown. The front of this dress has an uplifted front hem that really showcases a pair of lace up Victorian boots that I wish I had photographed. Nevertheless the image gives you a really good impression of how interesting and fun this shoot was.

Wardrobe

To create the looks for both I used so many brushes in m kit to prevent cross contamination. Carrying that many brushes in my kit seems to be a bit overkill until you realize that you are running out and waiting for brushes to dry is cutting into your creative time.

The working makeup kit.

This shoot has me inspired to do some other Victorian themed shoots. I’m a big fan of Steampunked so I’m thinking hard about how I want to manage this project and what locations would be best to use. Thanks for visiting my blog and sharing my journey of the days events.

I will leave you with a quote that I learned from my new friend Ann, “Live life widely along its length.” I learned so much from this amazing, courageous, genuine, smart and beautiful woman. So glad to have met her. The other great moment of today was an idea exchange between Lillian and I. We both agreed that no one should ever be made to feel ashamed of who they are, what they love or where they came from. Thanks Lillian for the great conversation as well as your insightful and thoughtful words.

Freelancing  really is a great way to  meet an connect with  lots of people and learn so many new things. I am truly blessed to see the greatness in life as well as the greatness in each person I encounter.

Behind the Scenes-Huawei

Today was a double shoot day with two different groups. This post is about the company Huawei that I worked with in the afternoon.  Great people on the team at Huawei. Everyone was so nice and friendly, such a treat to work with a great group of people. It was so busy I didn’t get a chance to take many photos of the people I worked with but here are the two ladies that were scheduled at the end of the day. I enjoyed meeting them and talking about all different kinds of facial products. One that I must mention is a new nail polish that apparently changes color in the sunlight. Pretty interesting. I will definitely have to do some research on that and see what it’s like.

Nice lighting set up for my makeup area, compliments of the photographer, Patrick. He is a super great guy, very easy to work with. He made all of the ladies at Huawei look great in their photographs and really put them at ease.

I have to mention too, that he had on this great shirt. Before I tell you what the design is, I will post the pic and you can scroll down for the answer if it isn’t already obvious.  Here is a little more information about this shirt. The company Threadless, www.threadless.com creates t-shirts based from designs that you submit and vote on. Pretty cool concept if you are a t-shirt lover. Check it out. This was definitely one of the cool things I discovered today.

Today was a really long day. Two shoots in one day is something that I rarely do and will not do for quite sometime again. But it was worth it. I’m  glad to have met a bunch of new people and  I always enjoy learning new things from everyone I meet. Tomorrow I am going to post about my first photoshoot from the morning, since I am working with that group again tomorrow.

 

Cheers! And thanks for checking out today’s short but fun post! By the way the t-shirt is called “Duck Tape” in case you didn’t figure it out. I thought it was quite clever.

5 Ways to Prevent Summer Makeup Meltdown

5 Ways to Prevent Makeup Meltdown for Summer

Summer is here and nothing can frustrate a makeup wearer more than the summer heat. Ever notice that some women have makeup that appears flawless and others look as though they went through a car wash? Well here are 5 ways to prevent summer makeup meltdown.

1. Wear minimal makeup that is WATERPROOF or WATER RESISTANT. The ingredients in waterproof and water resistant makeup can wear better and longer through heat, sweat and tears.
2. Use blotting papers to keep your face refreshed. The blotting papers absorb moisture on the face leaving a matte finish. Blotting papers come in a variety of different finishes such as regular, powder in various colors, oil absorbing, blemish and oil control. Choose one that best fits your skin needs.
3. Use an oil free sunscreen that blocks the UVA/UVB rays. Choosing an oil free sunscreen gives your skin an initial start at controlling the oil produced by your skin and keeps the shine to a minimum.
4. Wear a lip stain. Lip stains do exactly what they imply; they stain your lips in the color of your choice. Lip stains will stay in place and wear longer than a lipstick or lip gloss and are one of the best options for fighting the summer heat.
5. If you choose to wear more than the minimal amount of makeup than choose lighter colors. Lighter colors are more difficult to notice when they wear off during the day. Dark colors have a tendency to crease and wear during the day, which can result in a less noticeable summer makeup meltdown. If you must wear a dark color then remember to wear waterproof or water resistant.

Keep your cool and remember these tips for a fresh polished look in the summer. Let me know what you did to keep your beauty cool factor this summer and leave a comment.

Photocredit: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2125

Behind the Scenes- ESPN Baseball Tonight/Sunday Night Baseball

Behind the Scenes at ESPN Baseball Tonight and Sunday Night Baseball

On Sunday, before, during and after the Cincinnati Reds versus San Francisco Giants game, I worked for two different shows simultaneously with ESPN, Baseball Tonight and Sunday Night Baseball. I love working live television.

Suzette and Karl Ravech

There is no room for error and there are no do over’s. (Yes that’s correct, NO mulligan’s!) You have to know what you are doing, where you should be, and do your job well in live television. Our ESPN hosts Sunday’s game were, Karl Ravech, Buster Olney, John Kruk, Barry Larkin, Wendy Nix, Orel Hershiser, Bobby Valentine and Dan Schulman. Eight people, two shows, three locations and one makeup artist for both, I definitely got my workout at the ballpark! I think Adidas should sponsor me! Although Jimmy Choo would be a good choice too!

Buster Olney and Suzette

With all that running around I ran into and old acquaintance on my way to the studio, Chris Singleton a former center fielder in the MLB, who is currently with ESPN radio. Working in the sports industry you realize that it is a small world and you see a lot of the same people. From a the crew aspect, many of us work baseball, football, hockey, golf, MotoGP and a ton of other mainstream sports and not so mainstream sports such as drift-racing and have a chance to meet alot of people and work in some interesting locations.

Our location was in front of the stadium, which was interesting, although difficult to navigate through when going back and forth between sets because of the crowd. But despite the people, this show was particularly fun, since I got a chance to talk with the hosts during the down moments between the air hits. Karl and John are super guys. I really got a chance to talk with them and listen to their insight about baseball and life outside the game. I met Karl and John before through ESPN and saw them when I worked the World Series, but it was my first time meeting Barry Larkin. Barry is a very nice guy and I enjoyed working with him. Wendy Nix was also a new person to work with, and she is splendid. Wendy is a genuinely nice person. I’m glad I had the pleasure to work with her and I look forward to working with her in the future as well.

Suzette and Barry Larkin

Bobby Valentine, Dan Schulman, Orel Hershiser

The guys in the booth, Bobby, Orel and Dan were tucked away upstairs in the stadium so I rarely was able to access them except during scheduled breaks. I worked with Bobby during the World Series and I worked with Orel in the previous season when he was hosting with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. Dan Schulman is new and pleasant to work with. I’m looking forward to getting a chance to know him in a professional capacity.

Makeup Area at ESPN booth

Upstairs in the booth is my normal makeup studio area. Our booth is compact and fits everything needed for broadcast but can sometimes feel small when we have tons of visitors passing by trying to get a glimpse of the hosts while they are in town. The show comes back to SF in a couple of weeks and I will get a chance to catch up with more baseball info when they return. We do have longs hours at ESPN, which is typical of most networks but we have a great crew and a good time while working.

Monday Makeup Review – Makeup Remover Wipe

Product –

Make-up Cleansing Tissues by Absolute! Vitamin C Extract and 

Make-up Cleansing Tissues by Absolute! Green Tea Extract

If you wear makeup, then of course you need to take it off, at sometime or another. Always on the search, for an easy way to remove makeup for my clients as well as myself, I found a new company called Absolute! They sell two different options, of the make up cleansing wipe, Vitamin C Extract or Green Tea Extract. The Vitamin C Extract has an orange – lemon scent and the Green Tea Extract smells like subtle green tea with a hint of jasmine.

The product claims to thoroughly remove eyeliner, eye shadow, lipstick, blush and waterproof mascara without causing irritation. The company didn’t mention anything about removing foundation, and I’m not sure why they hadn’t thought to include foundation removal. The wipe is about 5×7 in size, which is large enough to remove a full face of makeup. The wipe itself is actually really soft and both scents are wonderful. So far the product seems good.

The first wipe I tried was the Vitamin C Extract and it removed foundation, lipstick and blush really well. It did not however remove my eyeliner or waterproof mascara without a serious struggle. I tried circular motion, back and forth in a straight line and came away with a big mess around my eye. It removed only about 40 percent of my eye makeup, which mainly included the eye shadow and still left a lot of dark residual liner and mascara. Needless to say I was not happy. What I thought was to be a quick makeup removal process turned into an ordeal involving eye makeup remover AND a separate makeup cleanser to get a clean face.

The Vitamin C Extract makeup remover wipe I believe is only good for people who are light makeup wearers and those who don’t wear makeup but want to refresh their face throughout the day. This is not a product that I will carry in my kit for professional use. But I do think it is suitable for refreshing throughout the day. My suggestion for this one is keep it in the beach bag or the gym bag for days you don’t have much makeup to remove.

Still on the quest for a good makeup remover wipe a few days later I tried the Green Tea Extract cleaning wipe. You might wonder why I tried the Green Tea Extract makeup cleansing tissue, after knowing the Vitamin C Extract tissue didn’t meet my requirements for removal. Well, let me shed some light on the reason for you. Every product is not made the same. More often than not it isn’t just the scent that makes the formulation of a product change. Manufacturers also change the ingredients and the ratio of products.

Strangely enough, that is exactly what happened with this product. The Green Tea Extract works wonders for removing all face makeup, including waterproof mascara without a struggle and without irritation and the scent is heavenly! It’s a keeper and made up for the double face cleaning duty I had to perform a few days ago. One piece of advice I want to share, is after using the makeup wipe rinse your face with water to remove any cleansing residue from wipe. Your face will feel clean and prepared for the remainder of your beauty regimen.

This is a keeper for both my professional kit as well as for personal use when I travel. (Just to be clear about this, I have not accepted any type of compensation for this review.)

Verdict: It’s a no go on the Vitamin C Extract wipe except for the beach and the gym.

 Keep, love, buying more of the Green Tea Extract, so those of you I work with, you have a choice of the unscented makeup remover wipe of the Green Tea Extract.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Ways to Deal With the Difficult Client in Your Chair

In daily life, difficult people can be everywhere, whether driving or in the checkout stand at the grocery store. Most people in the service industry have dealt with difficult clients. But, it becomes particularly interesting to work with clients in the hair or makeup chair who believe, they are paying you for a service, and feel that they are entitled to treat you as a servant for the duration of the service.

As an industry veteran, I have worked with all kind of negative clients, the difficult, the bossy, the naïve, the passive aggressive, and the constantly angry personality. Five ways to deal with a negative client, and still maintain professionalism, is to create an outline of the service, establish boundaries, maintain focus, don’t internalize their behavior, and as a last option, discontinue future services.

 

1. Create and state, the outline of the service you intend to perform with the client. Make it clear, that they chose you, because of your expertise in your field. Do not argue, or raise your voice with the client, but clearly state the services you are rendering for them.
2. Establish boundaries with the client, and let them know up front, that you are rendering a service, but you understand that they may be having a bad day, but it is NOT acceptable for them to take it out on you. If you don’t know what your boundaries are before the client gets in your chair, then they are directing the behavior of the session. Know yourself and what does and doesn’t work for you.
3. During the service, if the client is still occasionally rude or difficult, maintain your focus while working, but continue to be clear, and let them know they are crossing the established boundary. Be firm, but polite when letting them know they are close to the line.
4. Often, clients step in to your chair with all of their problems, and immediately want to talk about what is going on in their lives. They use the beauty session as their personal therapy outlet. More often, than not, we are first to hear about the latest gossip about relationships, financial disasters or family loss. Because of the willingness client’s have with sharing personal information, it’s important to remember, not to internalize the client’s problems and behavior. Don’t take it personal. Realize that it isn’t you that the client is frustrated or angry with, unless you did something that directly caused such behavior. Know that everyone has good days and bad days. Try to give the benefit of the doubt before taking step number 5.
5. Dismissing a client should be your last option. However, if a client continues to cross the line and is verbally abusive, he or she MUST leave. Do not acknowledge that this behavior is acceptable.  I have been in this situation on set where I clearly let the person know that I work for myself and that such behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. I further informed them that they had two choices, they could continue with the service with a new revised attitude, or could leave and find someone else to take care of their services.

 

If you need to use option five make sure you have exhausted your resources and patience with the situation. If you are working on set, make sure that you involve the Director or Production Manager. Do not try to handle the situation alone. If however you are in your salon and renting space and this is a client that was referred to you, you must take matters into your own hands and clearly state the reasons why you are dismissing them. It is also important to let the person who referred them to you know that such a client is not appropriate for your clientele base. There is no need to give details, but do make the referring source aware of the situation.

Although there are many more ways to handle difficult clients, this should give you a good base to start with. Good luck and maintain your professionalism!

 

Behind the Scenes- 24hour Fitness Video Promotion

Last Friday and this past Monday I worked on the 24 hour Fitness promotion video.  Yes it’s true, our whole crew worked on Memorial day. I didn’t even realize that it was Memorial day, when I booked it, since I had been working so much the days sort or ran together.  In the TV/Film/Video industry sometimes working weekends, early mornings and 10-14 hour days isn’t unusual. So forgetting it’s a holiday wasn’t out of the range of normal for me and so I worked and all was well.

Our spokesmodel Monique V. has been the person of choice for the past few years for 24hour Fitness. She is not only the spokesmodel, but also a fitness and figure champion as well as a fitness trainer with an extensive clientele in the San Francisco Bay Area.  It’s always great working with people who are professionals in their industry. It makes the day go smoothly because they take care of the preparation work on their end and come ready to work and get the job done.

Monique had 17 scripts over two days to prepare for and most of the time she captured what was needed in one take. Yes…she’s that good.

Their has only been one shoot where I wasn’t able to work with her on a 24 hour fitness shoot because I was booked somewhere else so it was great to catch up and try out some new looks on her for this shoot.

Primarily this video is to promote the 24hour fitness clubs and their amenities so the focus had to be on both Monique as well as the spoken content. Making sure that she has a look that is both captivating and healthy but not too overly made up is what we aimed for an achieved.

I’ve included a few pictures in this post of what we used on Monique to get her look.

And once again since it was shot over 2 days we had to maintain continuity. (I wrote about this in another post titled “How makeup continuity helps your beauty workflow”.

Another tip regarding continuity that I may not have included in that post that I want to share with you is about lipstick. Because the shirt for 24hour Fitness was red we needed a lipstick in the same tone.  I mixed a few different reds together with a hint of brown to get the color we needed and then obviously saved it in a lip container for use on the next shoot. Keeping the color is an instant time saver, since I didn’t have to remix what I used nor try to remember to get the right ratio of color mixtures.

So when you know you are shooting over a few days mix enough for several applications as well as touch ups for all the days. The other option is to use 1 color from the tube and use that tube for all the shooting days. But remember unless you were a part of the preproduction meeting you may not have the time to get a lipstick dedicated to this shoot. Which was my reason for mixing a color.

Here is a link to one of our video’s from last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ePhMX-ofc&feature=relmfu

 

Thanks for following the recap of my workday with 24hour fitness.

Monday Makeup Review-“Chanel Exceptionel Mascara”

Chanel Exceptionel Mascara performs it’s magic!

Lately I have been on a quest to find my favorite mascara and I have gone through half a dozen in the past week alone. My other mascara makeup review yielded a good product but I need something that works with disposable brushes, which led me to purchase another product to see if it would get the job done.

Exceptionnel de Chanel Mascara is the latest review worthy product of the week.   I’ve tried Chanel products before and love the quality, colors, and performance which makes this mascara particularly special to review.  This products claims to lengthen, separate, volumize, curl, is water resistant and flake free. Whenever a product claims to do so many things I am immediately skeptical and feel compelled to check out the facts. So here is my latest fact checking post…

Lengthen- Yes it lengthens and has buildable coverage that makes your lassh long and your eyes sparkle. I like what it does so far but let’s keep checking…

Volumize- Yes! The product creates a plumping effect on the lashes individually without clumping or causing the lashes to stick together. Overall the lashes look lush and full and this is with one application initially and then I tried it again with two applications of mascara. So glad there is no clumping, Chanel is staying in line with producing a quality product.

Curl- The masacara does give a slight curling uplift to my lashes without having to use a lash curler.

Water resistant- it does resist water from both a casual occurrence such as rain and a deliberate action such as splashing the face. (I wouldn’t swim in this makeup. It won’t stay on. I tried rinsing one eye with water and it smeared which it should since it is not claiming to be waterproof, it is only claiming to be water resistant. I will cover the debate between waterproof and water resistant and regular mascara and their purpose in a different post.)

Flake free- The formula hasn’t flaked, smudged, or left residual product on my eyelids from blinking or rubbing.

Removing the product takes only a minimal amount of effort which is nice because the less tugging and pushing on the eye the better it is in the long run to keep the skin taut, firm and line free. This is definitely a great product for a professional makeup kit since there is minimal amount of work required for removing the product at the end of a shoot if necessary.

The color I tried is a deep black, but it is available in three colors, Smoky Noir 10, Smoky Brun 20 or Smoky Marine 30. (There used to be a fourth color the Smoky Plum but they discontinued it, which is really sad because it was a really pretty color and would make brown eyes lighten and stand out.)  The mascara has a smooth creamy consistency that yields a nice soft but dramatic look to the eye. The product applies the same with the brush provided in the tube as well as the disposable brushes which is a plus. I am using the really fat disposable brushes, not the square head brushes, and this makes a difference with application. I just wanted to point that out.

There have been numerous claims that the mascara dries quickly and dries out quickly. You absolutely must close the tube tightly to keep the product creamy. If you purchased a tube that is clumpy before using it once or if it seems dry before using it, you have a defective product and should return it. Yes the product does dry quickly on the eyes which is a good thing because this is how you create buildable coverage. Letting your mascara dry in between coats helps volumize and thicken the lashes, but be careful when adding layers so you don’t create clumps. It takes a skillful hand to add layers without clumps. Thus one of the reasons so many people complain that their mascara is clumpy. Two coats of this can go on with no clumping if you take the time to apply it carefully.

The price is high for this product but it delivers what it says it will deliver. After all it is Chanel and they are known straight away for a high price tag.  So if you have the cash then by all means get this mascara, it’s a great one.

VERDICT: Purchasing one for the kit and keeping one for myself.

Quick Tip-Sunscreen

If you aren’t wearing a broad brim hat then apply sunscreen every two hours for it to be continually effective.

Apply sunscreen under makeup if using a liquid product. Or apply sunscreen over makeup if using an SPF powder product.

Quick reminder choose a product that protects against UVA/UVB rays.