Corset Photoshoot Make-up and Hair

Life tends to get in the way of blogging! I went on a business trip to San Francisco and the jet lag was devastating for a whole week, whew. Can't wait to try out all the new lipsticks I brought from the trip!

In the meanwhile, here's more detailed pictures of the corset photoshoot look Anniina_E did. It's so wonderful to have friends who not only have the skills to do awesome make-up and hair, also have the creativity to come up with wonderful things and the time to work with me!

The hair-do is a high ponytail with the base wrapped and sections done with a crimping iron to give the hair more texture. In the back is a braided section. I kept the jewellery very small and unnoticeable, so the corset and make-up would be the things that really shine. The jewellery should not compete for attention in this shoot.

I really, really love the way Anniina did my brows! I've been going for a somewhat similar style in my everyday look since the shoot, but her take on the brows is just amazing <3

Here you can see the braid, lovely! I'm growing out my shaved side, so the hair on this side is shorter.
The braid is an excellent way to hide it.

The brows are just <3 I do also like the subtle contouring and the glittery eyeshadow!

Corset Photoshoot for Ihmemaassa

Yay, I did a photoshoot finally! It's been some time, I've been so busy with work and social life that I've neglected my dear hobby of getting pretty and being in front of a camera. Luckily Liisa from Ihmemaassa asked if I would be interested in doing a photoshoot in a made-to-measure corset. Yes. please!

She created an awesome underbust piece with lovely pink and grey rococo style pattern and black satin, and a matching skirt to go with it. I bought the fabric so that I could make some accessories with the left overs from the sewing project. I insisted that I want to add some rhinestones to the corset, simply because I like working with the hotfix tool and it gets my mind off everything.

This was quite a long project, as it took me some time to do cute little pasties and a little hat to match. We were in luck when I thought to ask my friend Anniina if she might be interested on doing make-up and hair for the shoot, and she did have the time to participate. I've only been to a couple of shoots where hair and make-up was provided and it feels like a luxury! I was proud to be the canvas to such talented people as Anniina and Liisa <3

So, the pictures! We did some with a basic top on, so they can be used in many places easily, and a couple with just the bejewelled pasties I had made. I bit more revealing, but I think the wonderful shape of the corset needed some base skin to really bring it out.

Model: Me
Corset and skirt: Ihmemaassa
MUA and hair: Anniina_E

Note the floating modesty panel! Those are the best, no more trying to keep a flap straight
while you tighten the corset.

Black Deer

Another set done with TiinaMoi! This outfit I created around the silk dress. It used to be a wedding dress that I dug up from a thrift store back room with only my phone to light my way. They had gotten a ton of wedding dresses, mostly very -ahem- interesting ones from the eighties, but I was hoping to find something that I could dye. In the darkest corner at the back of the room I found the dress and it fit me perfectly! I dyed it with purple and blue to get a nice, deep color. The dress is very well made, it has a built-in petticoat and is fully lined. It came with a weird lace bolero top thingie, which is still sitting in my closet waiting for any ideas on what to do with it.

The antlers are from ReStyle and jewellery is once again by Lumissa's Purple Octopus.

Model, styling and outfit: Me
Photographer: TiinaMoi
Assistant: Agony von Grim

Snow Crystals

Back when there was snow on the ground (black Christmas is quite goth) I did a quick shoot with TiinaMoi Photography. It was our first time working together, but she's simply awesome! We got very nice shots in a very short time, which is a blessing when it's cold and you have bear arms ;P

The tiara, necklace and earrings are by Lumissa's Purple Octopus, the earrings and necklace are actually part of a set she made me for my wedding <3 I just love crystals, the unique shapes and how they catch the light is very pretty!

Old and Scratched

Kari sent me a new edit of an old picture and I love it! Lovely dark atmosphere and a feeling of an actually old picture.

Photo by Kari Vuorio Photo

Steampunk in the Steam Engine Museum, part 1

I've had a great photoshoot weekend! First we had a little workshop type of event on Saturday at a local steam engine museum with three models and three photographers. Then on Sunday I went to shoot with TiinaMoi in a park.

The first pictures from the first shoot already arrived and I'm blown away, they are simply great!

Photographer: Lauri Majamaa (Studio Majamaa)

Outfit, make-up, model: Me

Hair: Anniina Eskelinen (Anniina_e)

Photographer: Mika Suvanto (MS Photo Art)

Outfit, make-up, model: Me

Hair: Anniina Eskelinen (Anniina_e)

I had two outfits, as you can see. The first one was my copper orange Victorian dress with a little hat, long gloves and lots of pearls, and the second one is supposed to be what a steampunk mechanic might look like (I like Kaylee in Firefly, so that's what I was going for). The museum even had wrenches available for anyone who wanted to take a photo with some as props ;D I love how different the outfits are and also how different the pictures taken by different photographers can be. I really love workshops, you get so much done in a short time! It was wonderful to have Anniina to assist me with dressing and she did my hair perfectly. A half-up do for the Victorian outfit and a messy curly up do for the mechanic.

If you are ever in Tampere and are interested in steam machines, stop by Werstas museum! They have Finland's largest steam engine in its original location and the whole museum is free of charge.

Thanks to everyone involved, I had lots of fun and the pictures are great! I'll post more when the rest are done!

Revenge of the Snow Queen

I had almost forgotten there were a couple more pictures of my Snow Queen outfit taken with Eliza Rask. I still remember how cold it was to shoot outside, but that's maybe because it's right now colder in Finland than it's been this time of year in over 70 years. Brrrr!

Photographer: Eliza Rask

Model, styling, make-up: Me

With these pictures I also want to celebrate that I was accepted in The Alternative Model Directory! It's an international community for alternative models. I'm most excited about workshops and collaborations they organize, so I'm very happy to have been accepted and look forward to many wonderful projects!

Photoshoot with Qumma

I have to say the problems with Finnish Alternative Models turned out to my benefit in the end, as I got a few collaboration requests for photoshoots as a result. Some shoots are still in the making, but one was done and I got the finished pictures!

Qumma is if not the best known Finnish fetish photographer, at least among the best known. He does many kinds of shoots, but I was especially interested in his skill of capturing latex as shiny and nice as it really is.  When he offered to do a shoo with me, I was ecstatic! And even more so when we got a talented make-up artist to join! I think our team was better than any I could have gotten for the prize photoshoot, so things went better than expected.

Here are the results!

Model and wardrobe: Me
Hair and make-up: Sini Silfvenius-Bart
Photographer: Qumma

The first outfit was my rococo underwear set with tons of plastic pearls. I should get a medal for getting my hair stay up when I only had two tiny alligator clips and one hair pin ;D

The second outfit is a chocolate brown latex dress made by Tiina Rikala for a gala I attended. I paired it with Jeffrey Campbell oil slick heels and an antler headdress. The headdress just wouldn't stay on my head, so in the end it was photoed separately. But you can't really tell from the photo, I think!

For the third outfit: glitter latex! You now how crazy I am for this stuff ;D The dress in also made by Tiina Rikala, the heels are Jeffrey Campbell and necklace by Artwithlatex. The thing on my head is actually three separate crystal tiaras, as I couldn't decide which one would look best, and then though the whole bunch goes nicely with a look that this ornamental. The tiaras are by Lumissa's Purple Octopus, she does the best crystal jewellery! She asked if I wanted to switch one tiara for a newer, improved model, as I had earlier purchased two and been very happy with them. Eventually I offered to just buy the new model too, as they all looked so nice and I didn't want to give up any ;P So now I own enough crystal tiaras to last me a while!

The fourth outfit was just a pair of heels, but those photos are only for me and my husband :>

Steamy And Punky

I felt super lucky to get in when Rogue by Tiina Ulkuniemi was looking for models for a steampunk themed photoshoot. I love Tiina's creations and got to wear a gorgeous dress and corset! We had a big group of models, more than I've previously worked with, but it was fun to see how other people work and get useful hints and tips, as well as just have a good time when waiting for your turn :)

Here are the photos, I hope you like them! For more pictures, take a look at the photo album on Rogue's Facebook page. All of the outfits are made by Tiina and absolutely gorgeous. The photographer and make up artist is Maano Meikkaa and the lovely Suvi was our assistant.

Glittery Latex Photoshoot!

I promised pictures of my awesome glitter latex dress, and here they are! The photos are by Kari Vuorio Photo and I think he captured the glittery latex and the look and feel of the dress perfectly. I had the dress custom made by Latex by Tiina Rikala who was an absolute dear and found me this material when I asked for something glittery and purple or petrol. The latex shifts from purple to petrol and is glittery on top of that. Perfect! I've fallen in love with latex, as it's surprisingly easy and comfy to wear. Plus it looks gorgeous!

The location for the shoot was the Lielahden kartano mansion. It's an old building, originally built for a wealthy factory owner, and it's only recently been opened to the public. The building is gorgeous, and there's lots of great spots for photos in the mansion park. It was a very hot day, and while usually direct sunlight is not good for photos, with this dress it brought out the glitter nicely!

This one is my personal favourite! The pair on old doors is the perfect backdrop.

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lips in Dr. M is the perfect match for the dress :)

Rogue Black and White Photoshoot

Tiina of Rogue asked me to participate in a photoshoot last weekend for shooting her geometrical designs. I just love the combination of black leather and matte black fabric! I got a new white background for my home "studio" and it was just perfect for the dark clothes. You can see the rest of the set on Rogue Clothing's page on Facebook!

Blue Haired Snow Queen

Eliza stopped by on her way to a LARP, so we got to shoot my snow queen outfit that's been in the closet for a year. I did so much work on the corset that it would have been a shame to use it only once so it was a great opportunity! I went for a petrol green and blue wig, which seems to work very well with the white outfit! It wasn't too cold, but my fingers were still chilled even after just a short shoot, so it was good that Eliza is so fast. So here it is, the blue-haired snow queen!

Photo: Eliza Rask
Outfit, styling, model: Me

I think this shot shows off the lace applique work quite nicely, and you can also see the little sleeves that match the tulle on the corset. They are actually made of a pair of Ikea curtains ;P

Autumnal Photoshoot

The snow just fell, so it was just the right time to get some finished pictures from the photoshoot I did in the autumn. These were taken at a friend's summer cottage. I was super lucky and it was a very warm day, despite the autumn weather, and there was almost no wind at all. I was expecting to be cold but was pleasantly surprised! I love the autumny, witchy feel the pictures have. I bought the wig from Gamescom last summer and this was the first time I wore it, and it seems just perfect for a neutral, long hair look. I predict you'll be seeing it a lot more in the future!

Photographer: Helena Pahaoja
Model, styling: Me

Bustle Dress Pictures

I suddenly realized I have not shared these pictures on the blog yet! Right now the first snow of the season is falling, but I'm dwelling on memories of summer. These were taken in June at the Hatanpää Arboretum. I had just finished the bustle outfit the night before and it seemed like the perfect match to the mansion and the park around it.

All photos by Sanni Saarenmaa Photography, and a special thanks goes to Agony von Grim for assisting! It was a very windy day and my hems were all over the place ;D

Dark Eyes

I found these two nice shots stashed away! I'm a sucker for dark, dramatic eye make-up with a splash of glitter, paired with dark lips and bling. The necklace is by Lumissa's Purple Octopus, earrings by me and bindi from Claire's.

Work Me!

I needed an official looking photo for a work, as some sites and magazines occasionally ask for a face shot to go with an interview or a story. I had been meaning to take one for ages, but only now got around to doing it. This was taken with my home studio setup (a whopping two lights with softboxes and an Ikea curtain as a backdrop) by my fiancé. I really appreciate that he's willing to help me with my picture projects often, as he takes great pictures and takes direction really well! I usually have a picture in my mind of what the final result should be, so working with a person close to me is optimal, as he understands me when I try to explain what we are going for.

I'm a trained graphic designer so I finished the photo myself with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. It didn't need much, just some adjustments to the lighting, tiny bit of colour correction, getting rid of the bags under my eyes (too little sleep and too much tea!) and toning down my hair colour so it wouldn't overwhelm everything else. I think the final picture is very nice, it looks like me but isn't too goth-looking to be scary and the make-up isn't too loud. And my Chirpy t-shirt shows, which is always a plus! He's the blue bird mascot of Cities: Skylines, the game I'm working on ;D