Makeup Tips – Prepping Gracie For The Big Interview

Prepping Gracie For The Big Interview

Today I introduce you to Zoe Della Rocca who has styled me for the London Collections: Men event. Here she talks about her experiences getting me ready for an interview with Ricki Hall.

My Name is Zoe, before meeting Gracie I decided to hand in the towel. My styling days are over. Well I thought. Then I met Maria Scard, her partner in crime, her photographer and closest friend. What have I got myself into? Brace yourself because Gracie, thanks to Maria has thrown me into deep unknown fashion waters.

Recently I had the privilege of styling Gracie Opulanza for LC:M another way of saying it, is MenStyleFashion week. I had only a short few hours to work with her. I instantly knew in observation that this women could master the art of ending up having make up all over her face. How does one style the amazing Gracie Opulanza?… Well, having spoken with Gracie briefly before our first meeting, it became apparent that she is fuelled with passion and energy for her cause and I wanted to reflect this in her style. That describes why lipstick now ends up every where but not on her lips.

Ricki Hall Meets Gracie Opulanza

Gracie is interviewing the beautifully bearded tattooed model Ricki Hall tonight at a secret location. Gracie is anxious she is up against one of the most influential male style icons for 2014. Luckily, I had the luxury of spending a bit of time with Gracie before getting her ready… I loved this process as it allowed for me to absorb her unique personality and study the form and shape of her features.

This lady is no ‘shrinking violet’! She is as bubbly and bouncy in real life as her online mag would imply!… anything I was going to use on Gracie had to be smudge proof/run proof/ pinned in and tied on securely!!

This is how it happened… Brace Yourself This is Going To Get Pretty

Firstly, I prepped Gracie’s skin with M.A.C PREP+PRIME moisture infusion and allowed it to absorb for a few minutes. I then topped it with MALIN+GOETZ vitamin e face moisturizer, these products worked wonderfully together on her skin and gave a great fresh plumped base for the make up.

I then applied a small bead of Smashbox Photo Finish hydrating under eye primer and worked in a small amount of CHANEL vitalumiere Aqua (30 Beige) over her skin using my fabulous M.A.C  187 brush.

Gracie has wonderful strong eyebrows and I accentuated these with a matching shade from my REVLON colorstay palette (500) using a slanted brush.

Next, I primed the eyes with REVLON photoready eyeprimer + brightener…this was a great base for ensuring her shadow stayed put throughout the evening!

I ‘tight-lined’ Gracies upper waterline with Soap&Glory’s ‘Smoulder Kohl’ waterproof eyeliner (cocoa bean) to add a fuller lash feel.

What She Wore

Gracie wore a beautiful dress with amazing shades of teal and greens throughout, this became the inspiration for the green flash of eyeshadow I applied from my Beauty Factory palette. After curling her lashes, I applied stacks of my current favourite mascara Soap&Glory Thick & Fast (Film Noir). M.A.C ‘Fabulush’ cream colourbase complemented Gracies highly defined cheekbones giving them a soft glow. To ensure her look remained pristine I lightly dusted her face with M.A.C prep+prime Transparent Finishing Powder.

Hair Volume Counts With Ricki

Ricki Hall sports a well groomed style and (without looking too ‘teamed’) I thought it would be fun to reflect this with Gracie’s hair. I sectioned the hair into three, creating an asymmetrical parting on one side, which was neatly ‘over-braided’ around to the nape where it joined an ‘under-braid’ from the other side parting. The front section was sprinkled at the roots with FUDGE ‘Big Hair’ powder to give volume and I pinned a hair piece in the centre to give extra height.

I then smoothed control cream through the loose hair in the front section and combed it up over the hairpiece forming a ‘quiff’. Once all remaining pieces had been smoothed up and secured with kirby grips I applied REDKEN pureforce 20 hairspray all over in layers to ‘fix’.

Paired with her Doc Martins and signature glasses she looked every bit the ‘groomed Gracie’.