BEHIND THE SCENES ~ LINGERIE EDITORIAL FOR GERMAN MAGAZINE, BLONDE

Life is tough in Africa. Lingerie shoots in the wilderness. Wild animals. 5 star luxury lodges & spas.

All in a days work, luv.

I had the pleasure of working with the team from Blonde magazine at Karkloof Spa just outside of PMB. Before I talk about the shoot, I just have to say that nothing would have been possible without the incredible staff at Karkloof Spa. The service is spectacular....I have many years experience in the Tourism industry and I've been privileged enough to travel to and stay in some of SA's most elite and luxurious lodges. Nothing comes close to Karkloof Spa. The lodge is incredible and the food is delicious. The prices are certainly not the faint-hearted but....well, you'd justify it too if you'd been there! The only downer is that it's not Big 5, but one day in the spa might just make that a moot point.

Turid and Anna from Blonde Magazine are so cool. They art directed and styled the shoot....I was drooling over some of the shoes and pretty lingerie!  The contrast between the styling and the environment is striking and I am so looking forward to seeing the final editorial....which is due out in November.

Ashleigh from Ice Models was the model and although she is still new to the industry, she rocked it out and made it through a long day with a smile on her face...even when we lost her chicken fillets (which were then found!), sprayed her hair pink and yellow and orange and teased her hair into a Marie Antoinette-inspired do!

Photographer: Vaughan Treyvellan

Makeup & Hair: Candice Mac Nicol

Model: Ashleigh from Ice Models

Freezing and very early start to the day!

I. Die.

Extras.

Blankies on the ride into the lodge.

I'll post a full how-to soon!

Loving my handy Japonesque palettes.

Bright orange lip.

Such a glamorous job!

MY WORK ~ COLD WATER SWIMWEAR EDITORIAL

Love this shoot! Water and makeup is not always the best combination but we made it work on this occasion. I'll post a full makeup how-to soon to show you how to create these looks and how to ensure that your makeup lasts as much as possible in water.

All the behind the scenes pics are here.

Photographer: Jono Nienaber
Makeup & Hair: Candice Mac Nicol
Stylist: Adele Schmidtz
Model: Sam from Ice Models

GET THE LOOK ~ LONG LASTING RED LIPS

I had the pleasure of working on Pippa & Bevan's wedding a couple weekends ago...it was a beautiful day with two very relaxed and effortlessly chic people. Pippa opted for a Hollywood glamour look with vibrant red lips....not an easy look to pull off and not an easy look to make last all day.

I was very pleased when the photographer Kathy from Cherish, mentioned that the red lip lasted all day.

So if you're interested, here's the products I used and the technique to making a red lip last and last and last!

[1] I started with a lip pencil from Mac called Redd. I carefully lined and shaped the lips and filled in the entire lip area.

[2] I then added a layer of L'Oreal Infallible Le Rouge lipstick in Refined Ruby. This lipstick is incredibly long-wearing and almost acts as a stain.

[3] The final layer was a Cream Lip Stain from Sephora called Always Red. This stain goes on like a gloss but dries matte in a thin layer that doesn't flake.

In between each layer, I added a cream highlight called Luna from Mac, just to the middle of the bottom lip and the bow of the top lip. This adds definition and creates the illusion of fullness and shine (without that crappy, sticky gloss that your hair always gets caught in).

Check out all the beautiful pics from the wedding here.

BEHIND THE SCENES ~ VOLCOM WINTER 2013

One of my favourite clients, Volcom knows how to put together a photoshoot. Rooftop? Check. Beautiful model? Check. Amazing photographer? Check. Pizza and drinks? Check and check!

It's great to work with a brand that allows some edge and grittiness. It's almost a devil-may-care vibe but at the same time, on trend and beautiful.

I can't wait to see the final product...it's only a 12 month wait! But I reckon it'll be totally worth it ;)

Skye from Ice Models is such a lovely person and knows how to work. Too easy to do makeup on such a beautiful face! Once I get a headshot from the shoot, I will do a full feature on the makeup look and how to achieve it.

There may have been a little wind....

The Volcom Winter 2013 range is incredible!

Photographer: Tyrone Bradley

Makeup & Hair: Candice Mac Nicol

Model: Skye from Ice Models

BEHIND THE SCENES ~ FOX WINTER 2013

Another great shoot with the Fox team!

Photographer: Tyrone Bradley
Makeup & hair: Candice Mac Nicol

LINK LOVE ~ HAVING A BUBBLE

Love this beauty editorial! Never seen anything like this before, it's just exquisite!

Have a look at the full story here and you'll even find a breakdown of the makeup used by extraordinary makeup artist Elias.

IN MY BAG ~ NEW BRUSHES

I was rather tame in the "brush shopping" department on my US trip...only 8 brushes! I've become very cautious with the brushes I buy because I would rather spend a little more money but get brushes of a higher quality, that'll last a little longer. It's also important to know what brushes you actually need and which you will use the most.

I've started replacing my older, cheaper brushes with higher end brushes....now that I've worked with them a lot, I know exactly what I need and what I expect from my brushes.

1. Real Techniques Blush brush - Soft and easy to handle, this brush is gentle and great for blush or powder application. I was pleasantly surprised, as this brand is considered a "cheaper" option but the quality is quite good. [I also bought a small powder or setting brush which is not pictured here.....and I absolutely love it! Great for powdering or cleaning up under the eyes etc.]

2. Japonesque HD Dual brushes [blush & eyeshadow] ~ the concept is simple....synthetic fibers to apply product to the face and natural fibres the blend. I find the blush brush quite dense and will probably end up using it for cream blushes.

3. Japonesque Pro angled foundation brush ~ Love this brush especially for contouring.

4. Japonesque Pro foundation brush ~ My absolute favourite brush at the moment, it really applies foundation beautifully and is even small enough for applying concealer. The finish is flawless, love love love!

5. Sephora #24 brush ~ This Pro Smokey liner brush is great for smudging out eyeliner and adding shadow underneath the eye.

6. Chanel contour shadow & blending brush ~ It's Chanel so you know it's going to be amazing. And these don't disappoint! The contour shadow brush is incredible for under eye use as well.

Let me know if you have any favourite brushes, I'm always on the search!

LAS VEGAS