The Power of Clean and Natural Make-Up w/The Beauty Patrol and Louisville Photographer Gary Barragan

     Ever since I cut my teeth on beauty and fashion, I’ve had an excellent grasp on what is considered clean and natural make-up by a qualified professional. With that knowledge, comes an in depth understanding of the value associated with an experienced artist. Now before I go deeper, I am not here to debate the types of make-up styles such as “Instaglam” vs editorial, that’s always going to be a subjective debate. What I am here to do is to talk about the results of using a beauty professional. Over the years I’ve developed a great relationship with one particular artist and her team, Pam Butler and the Beauty Patrol. We were recently discussing how to best educate our audience on said value and we felt the best way to do so was simply showing our un-retouched work. She and her team felt confident in the pieces I selected from the portfolio we have created over the years, ranging from lifestyle and fashion, to headshots and bridal portraits. In the style of photography I do, I always try to retain as much organic texture and features of the person as possible, and with Pam and her team I am easily able to do that. Through a combination of their artistry and my lighting, we are ultimately able to deliver a feeling of genuine beauty to the client. At the most, I am retouching natural skin imperfections and preforming dodge and burn techniques to bring a bit of depth to the image. The less time I’m working on the retouching, the more time I can spend on creative decisions such as color grading and treatments. As you can see below in the the image sliders, there is not much retouching done to the actual make-up itself, thus we’ve retained the organic beauty! Albeit some may look more involved but that is due to whether I was going for a high fashion treatment or simply a refined lifestyle aesthetic. Pam speaks highly of the photographers she works with and explains that she feels it’s her and her team’s job to make the photographer’s job easier… to which I reply if only she could see me doing a happy dance at my desk when I’m done retouching!

     Now that we’ve covered all this, let’s travel a bit further down the rabbit hole, or should I say deeper in the skin. Pam has always been a gracious educator when it comes to her industry and there are a few things we’d like to touch on that you can do to further help prepare for your shoot! First up, Vitamins! Not only do they assist in maintaining a healthy body, but there are some in specific that can help with a natural glow to your skin as well such as commonly known vitamins E, D and C. However, the human body also has its own natural substances such as hyaluronic acids which replenishes and secures moisture in your skin. This natural acid assists with having a youthful appearance but can also be boosted with additional supplemental hyaluronic acid vitamins and creams along with having a good skin care routine of cleansing. Sleeping in make-up is never good under any circumstances, as it can block your pores leading to issues such as acne, dry or irritated skin and in some cases inflammation of your eyes and surrounding areas. By sleeping with your make-up on you are essentially introducing counterproductive effects to what your body’s hyaluronic acids are designed to do. If you have specific areas on your skin or face that you need to concentrate on then you may look at masks, scrubs and serums. There are several options out there on the market but Pam prefers Limelight by Alcone for her clients as it is an organic and chemical free brand with products for skincare as well as make-up. Pam also advises that make-up is subjective for most of our clients. What works for one person may not work for the next so her applications are customized to show the world the best true to life version of you while correcting any slight imperfections.

     Lastly, we’d like to touch on a few additional simple tips that will not only help you prepare your skin for a photoshoot, but will also help with maintaining a healthy appearance on a daily basis! For instance, staying hydrated and getting plenty of rest can go a long way in keeping a refreshed look. This also helps with energy levels, so not only will you look refreshed but you will feel refreshed as well, which in return will naturally create an attractive energy. With summer around the corner, I know we all like to get a bit of sun but try not to overdo it, as skin can get permanently damaged through time. It’s recommended to use a minimum of SPF 15 when tanning BUT when it comes to photoshoots avoid any makeup with SPF (remember SPF blocks sun light, it will also have an effect on my studio light). It’s highly recommended to refrain from tanning (spray or sun) at least 3 to 4 days before your session. During the healing process of your tan, your skin may become discolored beyond a realistic correction with either make-up or retouching and could hinder our team from capturing our best work with you. Following even these last few simple steps will help you go miles in keeping your skin refreshed while exuding a radiant glow which in return will have you looking quite stunning on our set and that is what we all want!

Hair and Make-Up – Pam Butler

Hair and Make-Up – Alexis Mattingly, Talent – Alexis Gibson

Make-Up – Pam Butler

Make-Up – Pam Butler, Hair – Brooke Meadows, Talent – Heather Rous Weeks

Hair and Make-up – Louisa Kleinert

Make-Up – Pam Butler, Hair – Louisa Kleinert, Talent – Tiffany Cline

Make-up – Pam Jean Butler, Hair – Brooke Meadows, Designer – Tiffany Hutaburat, Talent – Kaylynn Paulin

From left to right, The Beauty Patrol is Louisa Kleinert, Brooke Meadows, Isidro Valencia, Pam Butler and Michaela Reeves. Not pictured is Alexis Mattingly.

If you have further questions for me on the photography side you can contact me at the button below!