As a makeup artist, I believe in continuing education in order to grow and excel in your craft. The minute you stop absorbing information and new techniques, is the minute your career stops. By closing your mind, you are literally putting up your own road block to success.

For photo shoots, I am a makeup artist first, “light” hairstylist second. I have been styling hair for a few years, mainly on-set and for small events. When I heard Daven Mayeda, hairstylist to Mariah Carey, would be making himself available at a workshop for on-set and editorial hairstyling through Elevate Artists in Washington D.C., I jumped on the chance to absorb information from this master stylist!

Unfortunately I cannot go into detail on his techniques because they were exclusive to our class, but I can tell you the two day hands-on workshop was worth every penny, and more! What made all the difference in the world was the fact this wasn’t just a seminar, it was hands-on. We each had a mannequin head and access to products and tools that we may not have already had in our kit. Stand-out key items used at the workshop were from the T3 line of tools and Oribe Hair Care Products.

Because I did not want to “lose” any of the information I learned, the first thing I did was set up a test shoot so I could put my new techniques in action. My good friend and editorial portrait photographer, Nicholas LaClair, made some time out of his incredibly hectic schedule to help me out with my personal project. DeShae Mayrand, makeup artist, hair stylist, and fellow workshop attendee, assisted me during the shoot (thank you!!!). Her husband swung by, as well, and assisted Nick with setting up lights, backdrop, and props. And my husband stopped by with a six pack of beer!

Here’s our end result with model Chelsea Taylore….

Photographer: Nicholas LaClair
Hair and Makeup: Victoria Stiles
Hair and Makeup Assistant: DeShae Mayrand
Helping Hands and Beer Drinkers: Marc Mayrand and Dan Stiles
Location: Leiper Stiles Studio
Special Thank you to Daven Mayeda and Elevate Artists