Latest Projects

This page is dedicated to my recent photoshoots and projects, including my work in the film and television industry.

In July 2021, I worked on the Dorset Opera Festival as a part of the Hair and Makeup Department. The Festival consisted of three different shows: Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte and Acis and Galatea. An important part of the Festival was the styling and application of wigs and hair pieces, some of which had to be applied in quick-changes mid-performance. As well as wigs, I also had to apply different accessories, such as the hair comb and veil in the picture to the right, which required quick and careful pinning to ensure the lace wig was protected and the style maintained.

The Gibson Girl was a popular style of the Edwardian era. After setting my model’s hair in rollers, it was important to backcomb the hair at the roots in order to create the hairstyle’s signature lift and volume. The ends, however, were left untouched so that I could assemble the soft mass of curls at the crown.

Victory Rolls were an iconic look of the 1940s. For this shoot, the model’s hair was set in rollers before the roots were backcombed to create a continuous roll around the head. While many of the time used padding to create the shape and structure of the hairstyle, my model’s hair was long enough to do without. The look was then completed with the signature red lip of the ’40s.

In May 2021, I was hired as Hair and Makeup Designer for the biographical short film, DC & Nicole. Set in the 90s, the film follows the story of Dark Cloud’s life. As a result, I was presented with the challenge of de-aging DC through the use of makeup and light prosthetics.

For this shoot, I collaborated with a local photography group, having been given the brief of punk/graffiti. Knowing that the shoot would take place in an abandoned factory, I wanted the makeup to be both colourful as well as ‘messy’ in order to reflect the dilapidated setting. Despite this, the makeup still called for precise line-work to carry out the graffiti body art. I further echoed the graffiti in my costume, carefully hand-painting my jeans to ensure both the look and the setting tied together.

In May, 2021, I was hired as Lead Hair and Makeup Artist for Bath Theatre Academy’s production of Nora: A Doll’s House at The Egg in Bath. For this project, I worked on multiple actors where I had to recreate historically accurate looks that corresponded with the play’s various timelines. In order to adhere to the strict pre-performance time schedule, I directed the actors on how to apply their makeup while I primarily worked on the different hairstyles. It was essential to stay organised as well as carefully monitor the actors’ makeup application and leave time for check-ups.

In November 2020, I was hired as the Hair and Makeup Designer for the short film, Ash of the Cacodemon. As well as working on the lead actress, I designed and created extensive prosthetics for the demon character, including flat-moulds, horns and pointed ears. During filming, I had to strictly organise my time between prosthetic application and my on-set duties, which often required me to create ad hoc special effects, such as burns and wound FX.

Makeup in Lockdown

Despite the challenges of life in lockdown, there has been an undeniable surge in innovation across the world that has encouraged unity and creativity. After my training at BAMM was understandably paused, I took to designing different looks and working on myself throughout the months of lockdown in order to continue my practice and exercise my imagination. While I remained in contact with BAMM and took part in various creative assignments, I further challenged myself to design and execute my own makeup looks from different sources of interest and inspiration.

With more time on my hands, I was able to indulge my passion for sculpture and create some of my own flat moulds. I was eager to use some of my creations and experiment with prosthetics again. I utilised a split nose and torn lip to transform myself into a decaying zombie while painting an emaciated effect on my chest to complete the look.

One of the assignments set by BAMM was to recreate a painting using makeup. I chose to replicate one of Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous paintings, ‘Sunflowers‘. I was interested in the challenge of translating the 2-dimensional detail of the original painting onto the 3-dimensional canvas of my face. Unconventionally, I used a palette knife to apply the makeup in order to emulate the texture of Van Gogh’s work.

Another task set by BAMM was to experiment with skin texture. I decided to have fun with this brief and transform myself into a scaly creature. I began designing the look after researching different reptiles for inspiration on scale pattern and colour; for example, the plating down my nose was influenced by the belly-scales of snakes.

Expanding on the assignment set by BAMM, I further experimented with skin texture to create this wooden puppet look. Not only did I endeavour to replicate the grain of the wood but also create the illusion of the mechanical carved features of a puppet.

One of my favourite tasks set by BAMM was the gender transformation. Here, it was important to first determine what identified my own features as feminine and how makeup could be used to change them. This involved squaring my jawline and thickening my eyebrows, as well as using contour to create a more prominent browbone. Once I’d created the ‘base’ of my male counterpart, I then enjoyed experimenting with various stages of facial hair, including the use of my facial postiche pieces.

Here, I was interested in practicing fashion and glamour makeup and designed this look around the concept of ‘water’, naturally favouring blues and greens. I slicked my hair with gel to create a wet, sleek look that I then highlighted with gold to emulate water ripples. I applied gold leaf throughout my hair as well as on my face to emphasise the notion of light sparkling on water.

From water to fire, I was keen to further my exploration of fashion makeup and experiment with incorporating diverse materials into my designs. This look was influenced by the mythical phoenix where I applied feathers to my neck as well as along my browbone, emulating the sweep of wings that arch up into my hair. The hairstyle was inspired by the wild nature of fire where I created a voluminous tangle of curls that I then misted with red hairspray.

For this look, I was commissioned to work with a local photography group, where my brief was ‘woodland fae’. I utilised some of the prosthetic pieces I’d made during lockdown, such as the pointed ear and delicate vine, to produce a more mystical effect. I then created an asymmetric hairstyle by tightly plaiting down one side of my head and crimping the loose hair to complete the wild woodland character.

One of the most interesting aspects of being a makeup artist is the ability to completely transform a person’s appearance. For this look, I challenged myself to use precision line-work and shading to create the illusion of ‘the human within the machine’. I was also excited to utilise bright and bold colours to give the impression of a synthetic character, which was further enhanced by the use of a single contact lens.

Working again with a local photography group, I designed this look based on one of my favourite characters, the gorgon Medusa. It was essential to create one of her most iconic features: her head of snakes. I decided to sculpt a crown of interweaving snakes in an effort to portray Medusa as a queen of monsters. Echoing the colours of my headdress in the makeup, I used an airbrush to create delicate scales of gold and green to further emphasise her terrifying beauty by creating an almost gilded effect.

Here, I recreated the infamous Night King from Game of Thrones. My use of Scar Wax and Sculpt Gel was essential in creating the different textures of the makeup. I pre-sculpted the brow-piece by applying Sculpt Gel to a life-cast of my face in order to create greater detail; however, around my cheeks, I applied it directly to the skin and sculpted the desired effect before it cured. Naturally, I used cold colours, such as blues and whites, in conjunction with the Night King’s icy power and to signify that winter is indeed coming.

Bath Academy of Media Makeup

After my success with Creative Media Skills, I was eager to further my knowledge and skill in pursuit of my career as a professional makeup artist. I began my training at the Bath Academy of Media Makeup in January 2020 on the world-renown Peter Swords King Media Makeup Course.

One of the most challenging and technical skills I learnt at BAMM was the art of knotting, both for facial postiche and wig-making. For the photoshoot, I wanted to create a devilish character and thus made two postiches- the iconic pointed moustache and goatee! Once these were made, I drew on the skills I’d learnt at CMS to additionally sculpt and mould a set of demonic horns, to complete the character.

In collaboration with Bellisa X Clothing, I worked with my fellow course-mates to create a cohesive hair and makeup look to launch their Re-Werk iT line. Working within a ‘pastel-punk’ brief, I echoed the blue and purple elements of the outfit in the eye-makeup while creating three small buns from my model’s hair to reflect the outfit’s asymmetry.

During the Global Beauty module, we worked in collaboration with TWOK London. The brief was to create beautiful skin as well as experiment with TWOK‘s new line of eye shadow pigments. I love using the colour gold in makeup and felt that it was the perfect colour to compliment and accentuate my model’s stunning features.

Throughout the Historical Hair module, I studied different hair and makeup trends from various periods throughout history, from as early as Ancient Egyptian times up to the Edwardian era. Fascinated by the Victorian period, I chose to emulate the romantic gothic style of the late 19th century. To do this, I prepared and applied several different wefts to achieve the large volume of ringlets that was so popular.

From Marcel Waves to Beehives, I studied different looks of the 20th century during the Vintage module. For the photoshoot, I chose to recreate the glamourous look of 1930s Hollywood, taking inspiration from stars such as Katharine Hepburn and Jean Harlow. I particularly enjoyed the challenge of styling my model’s incredibly long hair into the short, soft curls that was so popular at the time.

For the Vintage Editorial module, I studied various styles of the late 20th century, from the glitz of the 70s to the grunge of the 90s. For the photoshoot, I designed a look that was influenced by the 80s glam punk era, taking particular inspiration from David Bowie and Danielle Dax. While incorporating the stylised lines and colours of traditional punk, I fashioned a ‘faux-hawk’ using heated rollers to complete the look.

As a part of the SFX module, I had to analyse a given script and create a 3-stage character breakdown. My script was ‘The Dallas Buyers Club’, a film that depicts the HIV/AIDS pandemic in 1980s America and follows the biographical story of Ron Woodroof. I created 3 stages of the disease, from early diagnosis to late-stage symptoms. With each stage, I increased the severity of emaciation, later using a prosthetic collarbone piece that I sculpted and cast.

Theatrical was my last module at BAMM, where I explored different genres, such as circus and drag, throughout the week. For the photoshoot, I had an open brief and decided to explore the concept of masquerade, wanting to produce the illusion of a Venetian Mask using makeup. As a further challenge, I fashioned a headdress, echoing the colour scheme of the makeup, to bring the look together.

SFX at Pinewood Studios

My first experience with hair and makeup was on a 4 Week FX Makeup and Prosthetics Course with Creative Media Skills at Pinewood Studios. Learning different skills and techniques from industry professionals, it was here that my passion for media makeup began!

During the week learning about bleeding and tubing prosthetics, I was tasked with sculpting and moulding a prosthetic wound with a fully functioning blood tubing attachment. I took inspiration from the television show Outlander and recreated a whipped back effect that required a complicated criss-crossing blood rig applied to the underside that was made of latex.

One of my favourite things about SFX is Creature Creation. After life-casting my model, I sculpted several prosthetic pieces to create this mystical woodland nymph. My initial interest was only in creating a third-eye prosthetic; however, due to my past experience with clay sculpture, I was able to go on and create additional pieces, such as the cheekbones, eyebrows and intricate neck vines.

This was my first experience with flat mould application. Here, I used two cheek moulds and a large neck piece to dramatically age my younger model. I used sculpt gel to create additional texture on the chin and forehead to give the appearance of wrinkles.

One of the most interesting and technical skills I learned was the art of laying on facial hair. After mixing and colour-matching the yak hair samples to the model’s as well as laying on the hair in a way to replicate natural hair growth, I enjoyed experimenting with different styles and looks as the process progressed.