Our HerCanberra Makeover Shoot Revealed!

Written by Yours Truly for Hercanberra.com.au

How many of you, whilst flicking through your favourite glossy, have thought: “I wonder what it would be like to be a model?”

The size zero prerequisite aside, the images can be pretty captivating. The fashion, the makeup, the hair…oh my!

How many of us have photos of ourselves reflecting a time when we felt truly glamorous?
I style fashion shoots frequently and watch the confidence of the models soar as they transform through clothing, hair and makeup and take away beautiful images of themselves as a reminder. Yet this same experience is rarely offered to those amongst us who aren’t experienced models. This is where the impetus for our ‘Be a Model for a Day’ competition and shoot came from – to give four women the chance to dress up, be pampered, and feel beautiful.

 

Our winners

Angie

 

Emily

Flynn

Sophia

Over 60 women submitted entries and every one of them had a story to tell – we wanted to choose all 60, but had the very tough task of selecting just four. I felt very privileged to read every entry: from drastic weight loss, to losing confidence through relationship break-ups and job losses, to balancing motherhood and careers; the reasons for the entries were varied and honest. But one message came through loud and clear – each and every woman wanted the chance to feel gorgeous, to be primped, and to take some much-needed time out.

Behind the scenes

 

On the day of the shoot, these four gorgeous (and perhaps slightly trepidatious!) women met us for hair and makeup bright and early and the girly chat began (even photographer, Geoff Jones, and hairstylist, Eddy Iljin Hwang, seemed to be enjoying themselves amidst swooning over shoes and discussing make-up tips!)

Each of our girls had full hair and make-up from by Mary Li, a clothing and accessories fitting with yours truly, and the dreaded ‘before’ photo (in which they all look stunning anyway!)

Once the prep was done and after a big sushi lunch (fitting for a fashion shoot, non?) we headed off to the newly re-launched Parlour Wine Room in New Acton for the glamorous part of the day.
Our models posed like pros, pouting and contorting while Mary touched up makeup and Eddy and Jenny fixed fly-away wisps of hair, with me squawking about in the background making sure no-one scuffed the $600 shoes!

The quest to get the perfect shot was, of course in the atmosphere, but in amongst the fashion, the flashing lights and the glam location was just the desire to create a fun and memorable day for our four winners. And I think we achieved just that. The last thing Flynn said to me before she left was: ‘I haven’t felt this beautiful or pampered since my wedding day.’

And that, really, was the point.

The results

 

The team

Annie Brown: Fashion Stylist, Concept and Styling
Geoff Jones: Photographer
Mary Li: Make-up
Eddy Iljin Hwang and Jenny Chan: Hair

Thank you

Bodhi Leaf, Manuka (clothing); Department of the Exterior, Manuka (clothing and accessories); Escala, Manuka (shoes and headpiece – Cynthia Jones- Bryson); Parlour Wine Room for providing us with such a beautiful location, and for supplying us with caffeine!

If you would like your very own makeover, email me at anniebrownstylist@gmail.com