I love getting creative with my work. Sadly it is not something I get to do very often on a broadcast set; straight female and male grooming is the norm. Don't get me wrong, I love doing this but when I have the chance to create something a little more avante guard or effects based I jump at the chance.
Some jobs require products that are a step away from the norm and on occasion clean versions of these products don't even exist, so I have to rely on the conventional. Having said that I always do my research and hunt out the most ethical option possible; be it locally produced or handmade. Which is where this comes in...
Metallic Leaf from JT Makeup
Metallic Leaf can be a beautiful addition to a make-up but is not generally something that you use every day. It is one of those products that most Make-up Artists (there are exceptions of course) don't carry in their kit as standard but is purchased for a specific job as and when you need it.
I purchased four 30ml pots of metallic leaf (gold, silver, copper and autumn rose) at a trade show a few months ago and been playing around with it in recent weeks; planning and designing some make-ups which I hope to share with you soon.
Created out of a labour of love by British Make-up Artist and Bodypainter Julia Townend, the JT Makeup collection is inspired by Julia's love of fantasy makeup and body art; she decided to create a range of glitters (as seen on this weeks XFactor!!) and metallic leafs as adornments to compliment a fantasy themed makeup design.
Available in 30ml, 150ml and 250ml pots, the leaf is sourced as basic gold, silver and copper sheets and then hand mixed (and where necessary coloured) and packaged by Julia herself. The collection consists of five metallic leaf blends: Gold Leaf; Silver Leaf; Copper Leaf; Autumn Rose (a blend of copper, gold and red leaf - bottom left in the photograph above); Peacock (a mixture of gold and blue) and Metropolis (a mix of gold and silver). The leaf looks beautiful on the skin and although not the easiest product to apply, it is well worth the faff.
According to Julia the best application method for her metallic leaf is to apply Gaf Qat (the brand name for Polyquaternium-11, a water-soluable copolymer used in many hair and special effect products) to the skin, then carefully place the metallic leaf on top using tweezers and use a flat dry brush to flatten the leaf. The metallic leafs can be used on skin, hair and nails.
Metallic leaf was been gracing the catwalks of the Autumn/Winter 2014 shows so get your Simone Rocha or Dries van Noten on and get gilding this season!
JTMakeup metallic leaf is available online and in store from Screenface
Julia Townend is a highly respected Make-up Artist and BodyPainter with over 22 years experience of working in fashion, media, film and television. An experience lecturer, Julia taught at the prestigious London College of Fashion for 7 years before spending 10 years teaching the HND Specialist Make-up course at West Thames College.
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