Here at Viva, we're lucky enough to have a little black book of clever creatives and contributors who we keep on speed dial for our trusted beauty and fashion editorials.
Two such creatives are hairstylist Sky Cripps-Jackson and freelance makeup artist Kiekie Stanners, both of whom are long-time friends of Viva and continue to awe us with their respective hair and makeup prowess.
With the aim of fostering creativity and collaboration on every shoot, we called in these two experts to direct the hair and makeup look for our recent Edwardian-inspired fashion shoot that features inside our latest glossy magazine Viva Magazine – Volume Five.
Set amongst the picturesque Hamilton Gardens (well before lockdown), model Sophie Moffat showcased dreamy dresses and romantic separates, as styled by Viva’s own fashion director Dan Ahwa, and captured through the lens of photographer and friend, Guy Coombes.
Read on for our expert tips on how to recreate this nostalgic hark back to the good-time glamour of old.
HAIR by Sky Cripps-Jackson
“The beauty brief for this shoot was very classic and nostalgic to me it immediately took me to back to looking at pictures of my nan in her youth; where they elegantly set their hair in rags overnight in the days before electric styling tools,” Sky says.
Taking a page from the history books, Sky says she prepped Charlotte’s hair the night before and left it to set overnight (with Charlotte’s consent, of course).
An early call-time to catch the morning light meant the team were up bright and early, and while Sky was wrapping Charlotte's hair, Guy read personality excerpts from the book Your Hidden Symmetry, which Sky says were eerily accurate and helped to foster a real sense of connection amongst the team.
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“I posted a BTS [behind-the-scenes] of the wrapped hair on my social and my aunt replied saying it reminded her of when my nan used to wrap her hair to create ringlets,” Sky says.
“I love these threads of history that bind us, through something as simple as a hair. By using this technique, it felt like a nod of respect to our female ancestors that came before us.”
HOW TO: For Hair Type 1 and 2
TOOLS: A roll of paper towel, wide-toothed comb, 2-4 sectioning clips, straightening irons (optional), string to tie the ends, a hair net or silk scarf and a dressing out brush (I use Mason Pearson).
PRODUCTS (OPTIONAL): Evo Water Killer Dry Shampoo, Evo Haze Styling Powder, Botaniq Elixir Luxe Rescue Hair Oil.
PREP: Charlotte’s hair type is 2B: Fine-textured with good density and a softly defined natural wave. You want to start with freshly washed hair. There’s no prep product needed as you're looking for a light, fluffy quality to the hair.
STEPS:
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Advertise with NZME.- Section the hair in a classic hot cross bun sectioning pattern; centre of the temple to nape of the neck, top of crown to the top of the ear. Take 2-inch sections throughout the head. Keep your sections as clean as you can to avoid tangling down the track.
- Bend the tissue 'roller' to a horseshoe shape and weave all the way down to the ends. I found it easiest to think of the hand movements like a classic 3 strand braid, your hair being the third strand, keeping consistent tension all the way down.
- Wrap the remaining edge of the tissue around the ends of the hair to seal them off and avoid creasing. Secure with your tie.
- Flat iron each wrapped section to set the texture. Keep your hair safe by wrapping in hair net or scarf until cooled (for a minimum of one hour) or overnight.
- Remove wraps, starting at the bottom and working your way up. Brush out with Mason Pearson to achieve your desired texture.
- To finish, if you prefer a fluffy texture and you want more air in the hair, you can spritz Evo Water Killer Dry Shampoo or Evo Haze Styling Powder over roots or ends (use the latter sparingly). If you want a more defined, serrated wave, apply a couple drops of Botaniq Elixir Luxe Rescue Hair Oil to smooth.
For Hair Type 3 and 4
TOOLS: Fabric strips approximately 1-inch wide and 30cm long, wide-toothed comb, tail comb, 2-4 sectioning clips, straightening irons optional (on low heat setting if using in #4 type), string to tie the ends and a hair net or silk scarf.
PRODUCTS (OPTIONAL): Christophe Robin Moisturising Hair Cream, Evo Baby Got Bounce Curl Treatment, Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Styling Lotion, Briogeo B. Well Organic + Cold-Pressed 100% Castor Oil.
PREP: Apply to Evo Baby Got Bounce Curl Treatment and Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Styling Lotion to damp hair, wrap in fabric rags and leave to set in wrap overnight. Dress out with fingers and apply Briogeo B. Well Organic + Cold-Pressed 100% Castor Oil to finish for smoother wave. If setting with straightening irons on Hair Type 4, use sparingly and on a low heat setting.
For more information on the four different hair types and how best to care for them, pick up a copy of Viva Magazine – Volume Six, out on November 29.
MAKEUP by Kiekie Stanners
“This look almost had an Edwardian reference, so a great pinched cheek was the beauty feature,” Kiekie says of the healthy flush she created using her fingertips instead of a blush brush.
“I love to use my fingertips for a cream blush because you can press the edges in seamlessly so you don’t necessarily have to see where the product stops and starts. You can merge it into your natural skin base so you’re just getting this flush-from-within effect.”
PRODUCTS: M.A.C Pro Face Palette in Bright Blush, M.A.C Pro Face Palette in Illuminate, M.A.C Powderkiss Liquid Lip Colour in the shade Model Off Duty, Mehron Makeup Gold Pigment, M.A.C Eyeliner Mixing Medium and M.A.C #209 Eyeliner Brush.
STEPS:
- Using your fingertips, press the M.A.C Pro Face Palette in the shade Bright Blush into the skin. Concentrate the product a little higher to keep the look from looking too sporty while giving an obvious blush feature. "It's a really beautiful soft cream so the texture melts away really easily," Kiekie adds. "It's pretty wild in terms of the colour pay-off in the palette, but being a cream, it seamlessly blends into the skin. So, if you're a little heavy-handed, you can keep pressing it away and it's going to take back the colour a little."
- Using the M.A.C Pro Face Palette in the shade Illuminate, use your fingertips to press the cream texture into the top of the cheekbones and close to the temples only. "Highlight is very important to creating a perfect-looking skin," Kiekie says. "This is a palette of four different shades of illuminating creams. Fingertips are ideal because this product will just seamlessly blend into the skin no matter what base you've got on underneath." Kiekie says she's quite particular about where highlight goes, as the desired result is to make the skin appear illuminated and everything to be lifted. "Cheekbones are lifted, any high points of the face are illuminated and highlighted, but the skin isn't looking too shiny. It doesn't look like you've got a big old boomerang of highlighter all the way around the face which defeats the purpose of what we're trying to do," she says.
- Next, use a combination of your fingertips and a lip brush to apply the M.A.C Powderkiss Liquid Lip Colour in the shade Model Off Duty, which Kiekie says is the perfect dirty, dusky pink shade. "I apply it a little fuller through the centre of the lips so you're creating a more intense stain through the centre and it's just fading out to the outer edges of the lips really softly," she says. "The texture of this lip product is really nice at making your lips look naturally smoother. It makes your lips look like velvet which is why I love it so much."
- Mix the Mehron Makeup Gold Pigment (or what Kiekie calls the "greatest gold pigment") with the M.A.C Eyeliner Mixing Medium to create a gold liquid liner and using a really fine eyeliner brush (Kiekie loves the M.A.C #209 Eyeliner Brush) to paint it along the top lash line. "It's a really cool alternative to wearing a dark, defining black liner. The metallic opens the eyes up and makes lashes look fuller and more lifted and gives a nice metallic sparkle to the eye," Kiekie says. "I hope you have fun playing with some of those techniques at home and trying out some new products on yourself."
Photographer / Guy Coombes. Fashion director / Dan Ahwa. Model / Charlotte Moffat from Kirsty Bunny Management. Makeup / Kiekie Stanners. Hair / Sky Cripps-Jackson from Colleen. Photographer’s assistant / Tim Carter. With thanks to the team at Hamilton Gardens.
