The Ultimate Love-In

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Elbie - Hair and Make-Up Artist

You know when life gets a bit overwhelming, and then suddenly you get that feeling that ‘everything’s going to be alright’? See this as my most recent epiphany.

I am so blessed to be surrounded by like-minded mega-talented people. Case in point: the Feather Love workshop hosted by Noa Azoulay-Sclater, the beautifully-minded artist/photographer behind Feather Love. With the help of Rock n Roll Bride and darling ‘I-hug-everyone-at-hello’ Emma Case who was a guest speaker, talking about her own journey and inspiration, this was a match made in wedding HEAVEN!!! Oh, and it didn’t hurt that we had an amazing couple to shoot (Kat’s new intern, Roo, and her fiancé Lamb) and that it was held HERE

So I was responsible for the hair and make-up on the lovely Roo (who’s got amazing taste, I might add) and we also got to play a bit with Paperself Eyelashes and shimmery gleamy bronzy eyeshadows. The idea was cult 70′s, I know Noa had a better ‘spirited’ description, and for the life of my I can’t remember it! There were loads of taxidermy, fur, wild flowers… (again, my idea of heaven!) all supplied by the smart lady Amy of Little ‘a’. Roo got to wear a dreamy vintage gown by Charlotte Casadejus (see more of her wedding dress shopping trip HERE).

A seriously felt so much at home, and everything Noa and Emma said resonated well with where I am at this very moment with my creative life, and how I should take it to the next level. This included stopping and appreciating little things around you, and letting them inspire you. ’Inspired by’ should not be ’copying’, and learning how to use something subtle that has spoken to you, and be guided by that, the core, instead of doing the obvious.

Before I blabber on too much, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone involved, it was great to see old friends, and also to meet new ones.

Oh, and I’ll never look at hip hop in the same way.

Big, big news.

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Elbie - Hair and Make-Up Artist

Today I have given my four weeks’ notice. Today, in four weeks, I will be my own boss.

This has been my dream for the last thirteen years – since the age of 14, I knew I wanted to do hair and make-up for shows, shoots, and anything else avant garde (little did I know that this will include weddings!)

My parents have been supporting me in thisever since I told them about my dreams. Even when people had a word with the pastor when I went home with a canary yellow mohawk!

I studied hairdressing at one of Johannesburg’s finest hair schools, and they offered me a job at the the salon, Terenzo Hairdressing, I got to do product launches, hair shows, and hair for the South African Idols, and although I loved it, I wanted to do more.

Fast forward a couple years, and I’ve moved to London. After a year of ‘settling in’, and numerous emails to my parents, wanting to go back to SA because I haven’t ‘made it’ yet, I’ve decided to actually work at it rather than expect to be discovered.

I met Ruan through Facebook. A fellow South African, he was a photographer looking for a hair/make-up artist, and I was a hairstylist looking for photos. Having never done any formal make-up training before, I did countless tests with him, getting a bigger and better kit, and gaining more experience.

A week after I met Ruan, I met Derek – the guy I knew I’d marry after 2 days. I guess you could say I then knew I won’t go back to South Africa any time soon! He is my wingman, my rock, and although he knows me better than anyone, he still sticks around.

I have worked with numerous other photographers, but the one person who helped me trust in my instincts, and shaped me as an artist, is Kirsty Mitchell. We met through a networking site, and had a big shoot planned. It ended up being a huge series (Wonderland – have a look at site for the back story!) which we’re still working on. Wonderland is getting bigger and bigger, and has touched so many people’s lives, I’m truly humbled by the response, and honoured to be a part of it.

Then, there’s Kat from Rock ‘n Roll Bride. She found me through Kirsty. This girl has guts. She is single-handedly changing the wedding world with her ideas, views, and general awesomeness. So happy to be a part of this movement.

These are just a few people responsible for today’s outcome. Thank you all for shaping me, and believing in me enough that I could do this. I have made lifelong friends in all of you, and I consider myself lucky to have so much support!

Kudos to you if you managed to read all of this.

What I’ve been up to recently, and a request…

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Elbie - Hair and Make-Up Artist

So it’s been a while since my last post (sorry!) but I just thought that rather than posting something that has been said before in other beauty blogs, I had to work on what people actually WANT to see. (Feel free to rant, babble, spill your dreams in the comments!)

Ok, so there are BIG THINGS happening in the near future, all will be revealed soon! In the meantime, why don’t you check out the sneak preview of the Rock n Riot shoot I did with Rock ‘n Roll Bride? A full list of suppliers and more about the day of awesomeness will be released soon, but here is a iPhone pic I took:

In similarly exciting news, I’ve been asked to do the make-up for Jasmine Star‘s UK workshop in July!!! For those of you who don’t know, this amazing photographer has taken the world by storm with her workshops on branding, and for the first time, she will be in London for an inspiring day, sharing her experiences and helping other photographers improve their brands.

This has been published in the July issue of Photo Pro Magazine.

Some of the people who will be involved:

Kat from Rock ‘n Roll Bride, who organised the event,

Wedding Magazine, who will be styling the photoshoot, as well as featuring it in an upcoming issue,

Severin of the Hepburn Collection,

I’m so excited to be a part of this amazing project, and can’t wait to share my experience!

Ok, so here’s what I need from you…

I have already asked on twitter earlier what people would like to read on a wedding hair and make-up blog (things that haven’t been repeated over and over again!) Now is your chance to help build the blog into something useful for future brides… so…. GO!!!

Welcome to my little blog.

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Elbie - Hair and Make-Up Artist

I’ve decided to start this blog mainly for brides-to-be, as I’ve had a fashion portfolio for quite a while. but had brides asking to see my bridal work too.

First of all I’ll post some of the weddings that I’ve done in the last couple of months (not in chronological order)

I will add links to the original blog posts if there were any, so you could view the full gallery as well as getting more detailed information about their day.

Comments and suggestions welcome!

Elbie