The theme for this photo shoot was Moulin Rouge meets Burlesque, set in the countryside. The set was in fact an abandoned car, which was probably left by its owners over 30 years ago. The doors sat next to the car, the seats were covered in moss, and the car was full of holes and rust. It was also growing its own eco system, so the models could only stand near or very gently perch on top. One false move could result in visiting the engine through the rusty bonnet.

I had two models, one male and one female. My idea for the female was to create an eye mask from sequins and mirrored jewels. This took hours to create. I used Mastik glue to stick the sequins and firstly created the outline of the mask before I infilled with sequins. The sequins kept slipping on one side which was really frustrating, but I think this is because my model was laughing alot, so she kept moving her face too much before the glue dried. So, my advice would be to ask your model to not talk or move much for at least 5-10 minutes so that the glue has a chance to dry! I went for red lips, it has to be for a Burlesque theme.

The male model was easy, I darkened the area around his eyes, and paled down his lips to create a darker, strong look.

(Photo copyright: Charlotte Bibby)