Not a snotty family

I did male grooming for a Huisgenoot cover shoot with Snotkop (Francois Henning - formerly known as kwaito singer Lekgoa, made his first kwaito CD in 2000 and then went back to afrikaans music where he signed his first label in 2004 with Next Music and from there he has not looked back *thanks Google*), we shot at his parents home and I am so pleased I got to meet them. His parents are the cutest things! His mom flitted around us and wanted to be sure we were comfortable and thoroughly nourished the entire time. She set out a platter with cupcakes for us, and even laid them out in a pretty pattern, I just had to take a pic:

Mom: "ooh no wait my darling, I'm not finished yet"
Of course not, she wouldn't serve us sweet things without some savoury options too. Bless her
One of the shots was of Francois and his father sitting at a garden table, chatting, laughing, enjoying the sunshine. The photographer asked for some props "some flowers, something to drink?", Mom was on it! She was back in a flash with props in hand.SK: "No Mom, we can't drink brandy in the photos, no, Mom, it's a family magazine!"

Bless her!

The price of shoe addiction

I found the cutest pair of peep toes and just had to have them to show off my hot toe nails... flame hot... yes when it comes to my nails I'm a total dutchman, West Rand all the way baybee!! *lifts her arms in a gangsta pose and holds 3 fingers up on each hand in a W*

I showed off the shoes and nails at a photoshoot open day - a bunch of photographers got together at a new studio to shoot some models.

Once I was done with makeup I trotted up and down making sure my pretties were seen. I even sat at a glass table so I could admire them inbetween sips. Obsessed.

I had worn the shoes earlier in the day and they were a bit too big, but that wasn't going to stop me, I just slipped some gel heel liners in them and was good to go. So apparently vanity is a sin and was punishable by locusts or something in the old days. I was at the shoot and had no clue a locust storm was heading my way. Someone spotted something on the floor....(bottom right)

Someone: "What is that?"
*GASP!*

Twitter update:
StavMUA
My stupid gel heel liner keeps falling out my shoe. Its lying on the floor. Someone thought it was a used condom #mortified

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Bring the lamb to the slaughter

I have arrived! Again.

My friend Janine posted this on my facebook wall:

Just so you know Miss Stavvie with the always amusing status updates, that when its time for bring a girl child to work (for job shadowing) that you have no choice, you will have Jordan with you - my child is determined to be just like you when she leaves school, lip gloss whore and all! You have a lot to answer for Stavroula! (that last part was said in my best grown up tone!)



Erm Janine... YOU have a lot to answer for!!! Tee hee!

Why my guy friends want to be my makeup assistant

All my guy friends want to assist me on shoots. They say they'll carry my bags. They say they'll help me powder noses. I try talk them down, I try explain how this job isn't all glitz and glam, I try tell them that I often work on extremely boring shoots, I try explain how I don't always work on gorgeous leggy supermodels who prance around naked all day. *SIGH* and then a photographer tags me in pictures like this:

*UPDATE: the pic was removed because the model works for a shitty company that gave her all sorts of threats when they saw it. I say fuck them. But we love her so I took it down. It was a very tastefully done implied nude, you couldn't see her bits because they were covered with sparkly gems. She looked phenomenal!!! Fuck them.*


And then my guy friends pester me. They want to know how I managed to get the gems to stick. I should learn to just shut up but stupid little me thinks they are asking out of pure professional curiosity:

Me: "Well first I gave the model a speech - 'I know this is awkward for you, it's just as awkward for me, but we are going to spend the next half an hour or so getting to know each other really really well, and it's going to be weird but let's just deal with it and act like it's normal, so I'll start with your nipples so they are done first and you feel less naked - "
Boys: "YOU TOUCHED HER NIPPLES??? LET ME CARRY YOUR BAGS!!"
Me: "Oh for Pete's sake, I didn't touch her nipples, my glue did. Anyway, I made a pattern of glue dots and pressed a gem onto each one. And once the top was done we both took a minute to compose ourselves then she lifted up her dress and I started working on the bottom - "
Boys: "SHE WAS NAKED ON THE BOTTOM AND YOU TOUCHED HER??? LET ME CARRY YOUR BAGS!!"
Me: "Oh for fucks sake, I didnt TOUCH her THERE! I poured a generous amount of glue, cut a small hole in the bag of gems and literally poured them over her, that's it, no touching. Wait I'll show you a pic"
Boys: "LET ME CARRY YOUR BAGS!!"

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Every village has one

I did makeup for a family shoot. A big family. A whole bunch of adult kids, and their spouses, and their respective in-laws. A big family. We did a series of shots and were running out of ideas when someone suggested they each wear something red.

Me: "ooh ooh ooh PLEEEEASSEEE let me give all the girls red lips!"

I have this persuasive/nagging talent, so I got to give all the girls red lips. But what to do with the guys? There was a box of props for them to dig through - a red tie, a red hat, a red scarf, a lot of options really.....

Undercover at a cover shoot

I was on the way to a shoot for Aim's Living Well magazine, the May/June 2011 cover, when I got a call from the tog:

Matt: "You are going to kill me"
Me: "WHAT DID YOU DO?!?"
Matt: "I forgot my camera at home"

To put the problem in perspective it was rush hour traffic time, and 'home' is in Hartebeespoort. We were in Roodepoort. Oops.

So Matt sweet talked his wife and convinced her to bring the camera, and along with that came their 3 kids. 3 kids who decided that being at daddy's office was the perfect chance for prank calling, each other. Each kid ran to a desk and started dialling a sibling's extension number.

"Hello Mrs Smith, you need to come fetch your child from school, he is being terribly naughty"
"Hello is that Mr Jones? This is the police and we are coming to arrest you"
"Hello Mrs Evans you have won a million Rand"

These weren't the actual conversations, I can't remember them all but they went along these lines.

One of the conversations I do remember clearly was made by the boss to his employee: "You stupid woman, you're fired!!"

At this point dad stepped in. "That's enough! You don't talk like that to anyone! You kids are being a nuisance and this stops right now". He had his angry face and stern voice which I'm sure works in most reprimanding situations but the kids just blinked a few times and carried on dialling each other. Why? Mom. She joined in on the fun. Good cop, bad cop.

But sometimes even the toughest cops can be lured to the dark side:
Dad with scary voice: "I know where you are and I'm coming to get you"
Youngest daughter in the next door office: *SHRIEK*
*Scary dad dials the next number* "I know where you are and I'm coming to get you"..... "It's my son, I'm getting burps. He doesn't scare as easily"

Believe it or not we did eventually get around to shooting the cover

The day I became a coffee snob

I have never been a coffee connoisseur, to me coffee is coffee. I lie. Ricoffy is my favourite - don't judge me. I went to a Patrick Holford seminar (not willingly - I got roped into going with my health freak of an uncle), he spoke about caffeine and how bad it is for you, I made a mental note. I had a shoot a few days later and was offered a coffee, I said no thanks (see Patrick? I did listen). The photographer insisted he had good coffee, but I was being 'healthy' and coffee is coffee. Then he mentioned that his wife won the coffee machine. People who win things fascinate me, why can't I ever win stuff? She didn't just win a coffee machine, she won a Nespresso coffee machine! If it's good enough for George it's good enough for me. Okay I'll have a coffee.

What flavour would I like? What? I can choose my flavour? Now I definitely want that coffee you offered!

There is a little booklet that tells you about each flavour, it's intensity level and whether it's best drunk as a cappucino, espresso or latte.

Level 10?? Death by caffeine. I won't be having one of those!

I settled for Dulsao do Brasil - a safe 5. The Thrill of Brazil is one of my favourite nail polishes so I figured I couldn't go wrong with this one.


And just when I thought this couldn't get any more fun he pulled out a container full of flavour refills, and let me fill the box!

Yes colourful things distract me, don't let me get started on shiny things! So you choose your flavour, pop the coffee capsule thing in the machine and it gets to work (I forgot to take a pic while the coffee was brewing so I let the machine make a play play one with water for an action shot)

And ta daaaa a seriously good cup of coffee. Now I know that all coffees are not created equal.

All that was missing was some chocolate sprinkles. And Marvellous George.

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