"Maude..I love you!" - "Oh, Harold... That's *wonderful*. Now: Go and love some more."

"Maude..I love you!" - "Oh, Harold... That's *wonderful*. Now: Go and love some more."

"As long as there's no price on Love, I'll stay. And you wouldn't want me any other way."

Photo of Martina by Ignazio Nano - all rights reserved

Sunday, 28 February 2010

* Milan AW10-11: Les Copains, Just Cavalli and Emilio Pucci.

My Milanese season has started well with a great lip-look by Charlotte Tilbury @ Just Cavalli... perfect and expensive luminous skin and a rockabilly red lip with tons of bright red glitter pressed into it and in some cases a twist with a touch of purple glitters mixed on the red...it was love at first sight and i'm very happy to see glitters back in action, they've been used at John Richmond, Roksanda Ilincic and more shows i can't think of right now as i'm practically falling asleep on my own two feet. I feel like Mr. Bean in his latest film, with matches to keep his eyes open...
but here it is...my make up for Charlotte's uber glamourous look:

 
and the make up demo:
 

Then one of those good days that hit us once in a while...this morning Les Copains with Lloyd Simmons which i love endlessly and to conclude the day the right way the cool Lisa Butler for Emilio Pucci.
 Lloyd is in my top 5 of favourite make up artists ever which includes Topolino, Val Garland, Ida Montanari and Pat McGrath... and today @ Les Copaines he showed us all again the wizard he is when it comes to beauty: His approach to make up is extremely technical, nothing is left to chance, not even mistakes.
His precise application is à la certosina, his hands move around the face as if they were going through water... Basically one of those artists that make everything they do, look easy.
Then of course there is the personality factor...which to me is as important as the art itself: how many of us have come to hate a marvellous make-up look because of the stress it created backstage? The list is long.
Lloyd has created the digital version of the 60's this morning: his steady hand made me wonder if he had his caffeine dose for the day already, given that we were all an army of zombies with brushes and black pencils in our hands.
My first model unfortunately has not stopped moving AT ALL, not for one second, which made this very enjoyable look a total nightmare for me..It was taking me longer to fix the mistakes caused by her sudden movements than it would to have done three of those looks.
Oh well...it could have been worse i guess: always look at the bright side: I could have NOT be there, for instance, and not have experienced once more the old school tricks that Lloyd pulled: blending a base of eye pencil into the socket and intensifying in all the right places with the same colour but in  powder texture.
Here is Lloyd at work (j'adore...) and my make up for him: not bad considering the two hours sleep and the "ballerina" in my chair, huh? ;)
 
 

Then...Lisa Butler finished off my day in total beauty and cool make up:
Despite the fact that 15 of the most important models at our show were going to be delayed by Gucci's clash in schedules and that we had less than an hour to get them all ready in hair and in a tiny backstage area...the show was still a great success: the clothes were to die for, as sexy as it gets.
Lisa wanted the girls to be made up the DIY way: a mineralised skin allowed opacity without heavy textures, the blusher was as close as it gets to a sudden compliment thrown the models way and lips of the same colour granted a "twist", as Lisa sarcastically pointed out.
tons of black mascara on super curled lashes and a greeny-musky eye pencil on the waterline finished off the look. True to the diy effect that's also always slightly worn in, we then added more green on the inner and outer orners of the waterline...basically what happens to non make-uppy people trying to do make up.
Of course, when the models casting looks like a massive tribute to the campaigns of the last few years it become easy-ier to be slightly messy and play with artistic licence.
Total highlight of my day: doing Freja's make up, which i believe is one of the most beautiful women walking this earth. Freja seems to wear this look as a black velvet glove. Certainly even a pie on her face would manage to look glamorous and feline on her...but that's another story.



Tomorrow my last show of Milan Salvatore Ferragamo with beloved Tom Pecheux. Stay tuned.




Thursday, 18 February 2010

* Richard Sorger look book preview

I'm sitting in Richard's beautiful flat and outside is "grey as a dead pigeon" - my friend Michel would say.
It's been raining all day, our hopes to take some photos for Richard's look book outside are slimmer by the hour.
But lovely Bella Howard is definitely determined to make this day work and she goes around the house finding cool spots to give justice to Richard's amazing outfits. And what better place than this beautiful home that Richard and his partner have done up to designer's standards. The wallpaper in the lounge is just to die for...And the Marylin-red kitchen is no second best.
As I enter the room where the clothes are kept I feel like i'm entering a little hidden heaven in Angel. Richard tells me abut the hand made work, the embroidery, the Damien Hirst-esque skulls he made on vests and dresses of which i'm already a massive fan. I've been promised one and that made my day so much so that i have a smile turned into a cramp while i touch them with my own two hands.
Bella is a multi tasking talented girl, as well as one of the loveliest first impressions i had on someone: I talk to her about her life and what she would like people to know about her.
Without hesitation Bella tells me about her fanzine called Bellazine: she hand makes it and hands it around at gigs, it features her thoughts about music, fashion, art and interviews to bands. As she said to TimeOut she makes 100 copies which makes them collectible items already, really, and i'm so curious to get my claws on one :)
Bella also writes a few blogs/websites:  http://thefashionisto.com/blog/category/photographers/bella-howard-photographers/ and http://bellahoward.blogspot.com/ aaaand http://bybellazine.blogspot.com/.
If it wasn't enough she is also a Dj and a film maker: one of her favourite things is to go through a film frame by frame and take the frame that's in the exact moment in space and time. Which is a very documentaristic approach of someone trying to catch the perfect moment, the one that tells a story more than any other.
It comes as no surprise as she LOOOVES travelling and her ideal life would be to have enough money to travel and take pictures, she gets restless if stuck in one place for too long...typical of a soul that's always searching and needs visual stimulation to feed her inspiration. Bella is from Yorkshire and she loves going back home to see her family and friends, going to punk gigs, admiring diversity and coolness all around her. She started off in Paris where she took her photography course and then knocked at I-D's doors where she started interning for them...next up for her is...modelling for Matt Irwin! As i look at her attention to details and curiosity towards everything that surrounds her I have a feeling that this girl will always have amazing stories to tell... :)
While we chat, our model Frankie has changed into another great outfit and stylist of the year 2009 Grace Woodward is ready to see Bella's magic happen.
Grace has got something in store for us... She will be part of the judging panel for Britain's next top model! Grace IS the fashion expert and it's only due that after years of practical fashion (hands on every amazing outfit in the fashion world) she would move to the next level of the Intellectual side of fashion. Grace has got a lot to share with the world, a lot of knowledge to entertain us all with so i'm really looking forward to seeing her on the telly. Let's not forget she was head of press for Agent Provocateur! Ok, now i'm officially jealous...and even more so when i hear of a possible collaboration with Stephen Jones for a summer fashion story on theme of "english eccentric"... Stephen Jones has approached her for this and i reeeally hope it happens because that'll be something to look forward to, big time.
On the collaboration with Richard she says she's extremely happy: she considers him an artist of "cutting egde, for cool connosseurs and people who have an interest in fashion rather than following the mainstream".
Oh. And she's lip-sincing all of The Smiths songs: definitely a cool chick. ;)
here is a link to Grace's website: http://www.gracewoodward.com/
As if it wasn't enough...the beautiful american singer Wafah Dufour walks through Richard's door to make a special appearance on the look book. She did her own make-up and it was flawless, all i had to do was add a red lip and with those lips wow didn't she look amazing. She's a pro, you should have seen her posing for Bella, i can't wait to see the pics.
I will be at the show this sunday and after all this talent in one room i must say...I can't wait.
Thanks for sharing all this with me folks!



 This is going to be mine!!! but in Black and the grey skull...can't wait!!
our lovely model was Frankie@Profile

Richard at work
http://www.richardsorger.com/gallery/

You should see this in real life...just STUNNING piece of work.

Grace's attentive eye at work

Bella at work with Frankie

Beautiful Bella with Wafah Dufour: Wafah is Richard's special guest for the Look Book.
http://www.myspace.com/wafahdufourmusic

:((( This was one of the flags from the first look book i shot for Alexander McQueen: I couldn't afford the one i wanted at the time and i had put it on my short list of things that would have held a place in a wall in my living room. I guess that's never going to happen now... When Grace walked in with THIS i gasped. Bless your soul Lee McQueen. Another masterpiece.

* Everything with wings is restless.

Dedicated to Drew and Whitney Jasmine

Tuesday, 16 February 2010

* The world of Ellen Rogers

Photography is my real passion. I do make-up for a living and i love doing it but photography is my total love. So much so, in fact, that i chose to leave it as such and not make a job out of it.
This is the one area where i decided to stay free to "be", to take my time, to be inspired, to have a break from it if needs being. It is also the area where magic happens and on certain days it just flows from my heart...More than that: "photography is shooting your eyes, your mind, your heart on the same line of fire." like one of my idols once said: the supreme Henry Cartier Bresson...Henri was once laughed at for forgetting to put a film into his camera before starting to shoot: "You are becoming a conceptual photographer now huh!" ...Well, HELL YES.
A very few people have been SO able to capture the moment, to trust their instinct, to ignore the technique in favour of a great scene to document right there and then, as much as he did. One fraction of a second later to regulate the focus and that gaze is lost forever. Henry knew that. Some of his pictures are technically a bit of a mess...nonetheless: masterpieces of the truth behind the most beautiful imperfection of going with the flow.
A conceptual photographer, therefore...It definitely sounds like it...and if i can guess He probably laughed back at the person who said those words, knowing that those images were in his head without the aid of a camera and that the camera is the way for him to share them...like Isadora Duncan once said: "If i knew how to say 'IT' - I wouldn't need to dance 'IT'."
So we dance with Henri, we dance with Isadora, we learn to love our mistakes and to ignore the technique at times in favour of the beauty of the moment, we learn to let our art go from our bodies and we see it embrace the universe...sometimes chosing to not care for the effect it provoques because for some people like Isadora and Henri it was a matter of catching that beauty and let it out of their system for god knows which amazing reason.
Along these lines i feel i can introduce to you Ellen Rogers: I asked her how did she feel about her art and she said she sometimes wouldn't even recognize her works once they were "out" of her system - like this - "oh? did i take that picture?!" i thought this was really cute...mainly because it's part of that need to let go of our art, to let it out of our body...some people instead have a tendency to keep it inside, doodling with their own visions, this is their need. But Ellen lets it out instead...and as she calls herself  "a tormented soul" she says it with a smile and i don't see her dark alleys: i see a ray of light standing in front of me, a refreshing approach to being one's self, having the courage of one's feelings. Which of course MUST be a tormented place, i know that too well, but also one that's always worth visiting. As dear Lee McQueen said once "beauty can come from everywhere, even disgusting places".
And i deeply respect people that are not scared to feel and to go deeper than what's technically needed.
So here is Ellen Rogers, a link to her website, which you must visit, love it or hate it (you crazy people) because it's art whatever you think. Ultimately art IS free expression.
http://www.ellenrogers.co.uk/
The pictures below are some that i took while she was working at Charlotte Olympia's look book while she was shooting the real deal. That day was one of those days of mine where i have been able to let ..the river flow with my own camera, thanks to the Sets she'd make, the poses she'd choose for the models, the atmosphere she created on set, the freedom she allowed to Morweena and Sophie to "be".
Thanks to Ellen i could not leave my camera alone...and i had to force my self to take only a few pictures in order not to look annoying! In all fairness i made them sepia-tone so that you lovely people couldn't see the clothes too well, mainly because i have to wait for Charlotte's look book to hit the fashion world before i can reveal too much ;) but that's gonna happen next week, so Ellen's beautiful pictures will be up here soon.
Ellen only shoots on film and then works on the printed pictures. Her world seems a tribute to "pic-nic at hanging rock" with a feeling from the 20's and 30's and Fellini-esque earthy creatures that end up in woods or dark cabaret clubs... Imagine this in the style of the silent movies and let those faces tell you a story and just...Listen.

Moi, J'adore.

 
 

 

 

And this is Ellen. You can't see her. But what did you expect?



MODELS: Morwenna Lytton Cobbold and Sophie Nielander @ Premier agency
Styling: ValentineFillol Cordier, Make-up: Martina Luisetti, Hair: Paul Donovan. All shoes by Charlotte Olympia.




Friday, 12 February 2010

* This is a promise with a catch.



("i will never love you more than Daniel Johnston himself: to me he's more than god so I will never love you more.")

Thursday, 11 February 2010

* The day Lee Alexander McQueen died.

with all my love and respect.



Lee McQueen on the latest issue of LOVE, before he died: "I'm 40 now, but I want this to be a company that lives way beyond me, and i believe that customers are more important to making that happen than press. When i'm dead, hopefully this house will still be going. On a spaceship. Hopping up and down above earth." ♥

* DANSK magazine - issue 23. Photos by Malcolm Pate

Malcolm's approach to beauty is unique and contagious: here he is, photographing as well as being photographed <3
Kimi O'Neill was happily styling the whole thing with a pink Katy Eary mummy, brought to life by model Oliver Welton. He could barely move in it but he loved it! And we were all jealous of it, actually. 
Then we have the duo, possibly my favourite photo of 2010 so far... Miss Marshall and Miss Martin look like they have superheroes telepathy powers here...and judging by their friendship behind the camera i'm pretty sure they do... like in the Edward Monkton's friendship cartoon.


Photos: Malcolm Pate, Fashion Editor Kimi O'Neill, Make up Martina Luisetti, Hair Koji Ichikawa, Model Oliver Welton @ FM, Fashion assistant Coquito Cassibba, Make up assistant Love Ticklemouse, Photo assistant Jenna McIvor.
(here is the Ed Monkton friendship cartoon!)


Sunday, 24 January 2010

* Nick cave and PJ Harvey

it's comforting to know that these two superior beings have found each other at some point in their lives.

* martina's haaard work.

Ok...back to freelancing with make-up now so doing some honest self promotion. This is what I've been up to for...well...a little while now ;)

hope you like it :*






www.martinaluisetti.com

Love,

- Me -

Friday, 22 January 2010

* Soko: "I Will Never Love You More".

This song by french singer Soko was brought to my attention by my friend Nicola. If I remember well his reaction to my "...Who? Soko? Nah, I don't know her.."
was:
"......................what? ...WHAT??? you don't know SOKO??? .........YOU don't know this song?!?!?!"
...and to cut a long story short he showed me the following link on YouTube and after listening to the words I was just as surprised as he was: that - I - didn't know this song. Better late than never, they say. And for my views on relationships...definitely Better now than Later. Or Never!
 I took the liberty of writing the lovely lyrics below (for people like me: non-english) and if you're lucky enough you may already be listening to the song AS we speak, since it is on shuffle on my playlist of this blog ;) also here is a link to gorgeous Soko singing live: Soko: "I will never love you more" - Live


I will never love you more than the drummer of flaming lips
I will never love you more than Woody Allen movies
I will never love you more than the White album of the Beatles
I will never love you more than God only knows

I will never love you more than DVD's night with my girlfriends
And we talk about stupid things like feelings and men
I will never love you more than my boyfriend when I was 14
Even if he's now an asshole, I will never love you more

And you say, you love me more than everything
And compared to me everything is nothing...

I will never love you more than meeting Paul McCartney
And we asked him to play a song on my Ukulele
I will never love you more than my Scandinavian Tour
Which was more than paradise, I wish you remembered it too

I will never love you more than dancing to Phil Spektor
I will never love you more than my Casiotone keyboard.
I will never love you more than Daniel Johnston himself
For me he's more than God, I will never love you more

And you say, you love me more than everything
And compared to me everything is nothing

Ohh this is sweet, I just wonder what it means

You say you love me more, than all the girls you have had before
Even more than music, even more than yourself
Even more than everything, but it's just a lie
So I will never love you more, than anything

I will never love you more than singing in the shower
I will never love you more than my Mac computer
I will never love you more than having a daughter
I will never love you more than peanut butter

I will never love you more than kisses all day
I will never love you more than cuddles all night
I will never love you more than kissing girls lips when they're really pretty!














Thursday, 21 January 2010

* Skyping with Bianca at 6am.


Weird things happen when we chat.

 

She is part of DA PEOPLE now.

* Mina: The one and only.





Last year i did a make up master class for MAC cosmetics and i was asked to chose a topic. I sat down with make up genius Terry Barber and i told him about my love for this unusual woman and how surprised i was that not many people knew of her in England. I grew up in Italy and Mina was there since i was born...one of those constant presences that are with you your whole life. A bit like Michael Jackson or dirty dancing did, for people of my generation though i'm not comparing Mina to him as it'd be like comparing ice to fire.
I don't remember a day when i switched the radio on and i didn't catch one of her songs. The woman has been around from 1959! (even though she didn't make any public appearance since 1978, the year i was born.) Also, I could always remember how "weird" she was...her look was unique and her make up....OH HER MAKE UP!!! i think Mina was the first person, other than my mum, that made me realise just HOW powerful make up can be. So, i decided to do my class on Mina...and the world of the 70's "underground" make up.
I started researching and..........my love for this amazing woman grew and grew ...and grew some more.
Louis Armstrong was quoted calling her "the best white female singer of all times" and there's an interview on youtube where Liza Minnelli names Mina "her number one". Frank Sinatra was supposed to duet with her in America but Mina had a nervous breakdown that year so, that, unfortunately is a gem that we're all going to miss out on...
She recorded over 110 albums, sold over 76 million records and scored over 70 singles. She was the first italian female rocker, hehe, the first to "dance" in front of a camera (at the time singers used to sing with a hand on their heart and Domenico Modugno -the popular author of "volare" got in trouble for even raising his hands on tv!), the first to shave her eyebrows off completely in Italy which started a major fashion trend. I love that throughout my research, which lasted for a couple of months, my mum FORGOT to mention that she was with her on the day she first shaved her eyebrows!!! Mum said that she arrived in the make up room to go to her then-make up artist and said "so...what do we do today??" and he said to her "Mina! what else can i do on you!!! i've done every possible make up...the last thing left to do is to shave your eyebrows off!" and laughed at that thought. She said "OH. Ok. Let's do it." I love this about her: She wasn't pretty but she had the courage to use her un-pretty features and instead of hiding them, enhancing them to an extreme. I mean....Imagine doing a corrective make up on Greta Garbo.........pretty...but you'd KILL her glamour!!!!
I know for a fact that make up artists used to try and give Mina the fashion's liquid liner which was "à la Marilyn" and she hated it, it just wouldn't suit her. My godmother was one of the first make up artists to start drawing her eyes "downwards", something that genius make up artist Stefano Anselmo completely made into a statement for her later on.
Mina and Stefano found each other, artistically speaking. He became her loyal make up artist till the last time she appeared on stage. And Mauro Balletti her photographer of choice. There is a book i have: "Mina nelle fotografie di mauro balletti" who should NOT be missing from make up artists book case...it's expensive but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do!
In 1963 mina was banned from singing in public (???!!) because she refused to hide her pregnancy and relationship with a married actor (yes those where the times where one would have to face a trial in court if found adulterating on his/her partner...but i'm not surprised, given that one would get in trouble for dancing on telly!)
Record sales though were unaffected and the audience forced to lift the ban.
To the "bad girl image" Mina responded with her new image on live tv: dyed platinum hair, shaved eyebrows and the first cigarette to appear on screen.
Mina decided to "retire" from public appearances in 1978, never appeared again, up to date,and never commented on as to why she withdrew from public life.
In 2001 she appeared briefly on line with her new album and the website had to shut down the same night because of internet traffic...Millions had log on to see their idol and crushed the site!

I don't only love Mina for her unsurpassed voice. I love her for being true to herself, for being the emancipated woman she always has been - the tiger of Cremona -  for changing italian laws and attitude towards women and marriage, for sending back a blank check to that super-dubious italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who gave it to her hoping she would sing for one of his parties (lol!), or...for some of the best make up i have ever seen and will ever see in my career: the intensity of the 1920's, the downwards lines of the 30's, the glam-rock of the 70's...all combined to make her as powerful-looking as it gets. Her eyes were leaning towards her cheekbones, not her temples, her cheeks were drawn to a straight strong cut on the face, her lips -the erotic element- annulled or darkened in an impertinent shape. All of this on a nearly white pancaked foundationed skin.
Mina IS the reference of champions, full stop.
The first photo is of her without the make up that made her a beauty icon.





 





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cx_dhPGlSM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXj1cg-OR58

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO-sZDlZEJI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jPl22_7UTM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzzg6LyOIZs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFR3SxnvTs4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3ayOIHnLBs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNhDBURIf8I







"With Mina a word became.....THE word, a note became...........THE note."


Wednesday, 20 January 2010

* the PostSecret project

This is very cool.
Nearly as cool as "the 1001 journals project"...but that's for the next post.
Frank Warren has handed out blank postcards to strangers, asking them to reveal their deepest secrets anonymously and to send them back to him... obviously, knowing what human nature is like, it comes as no surprise that the experiment worked extremely well and he published the secrets online as well as a book where even darker secrets have come to life.
I don't have many secrets, in fact i can't think of any right now but i know i must have some. Some words that i never said or some thoughts that i push at the back of my mind... nevertheless i completely surrender to the fascination towards secrets and all that they represent. Whether it is about getting something off your chest or about the truth granted by anonymous writing...this site is still pretty interesting. Enjoy xx

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/
http://www.postsecretcommunity.com/






all images are copyright of Postsecret

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

* Siobhan Fahey for Ponystep.com

Very happy to have worked for Ponystep :)





Photography: Jermaine Francis.
Styling: Richard Mortimer.
Hair: Lok Lau at CLM for Taylor Taylor London.
Make-Up: Martina Luisetti using Laura Mercier.
Photo Assistant: Ben Etridge.
Digital and Retouching: Full Metal Jacket Digital.
Lighting & Studio: ProVision and ProLighting.


http://ponystep.com/music/article/Sequinsorlam_416.aspx

* I just started a journal.

Soooo......
This blog thing.
I have no idea what to do with it...I guess it'll be just pictures and thoughts and links to things i want to share.
My new journal is one of them so i'm just posting these for now.
I have a fetish with journals: it's like Mel Gibson in that film...Conspiracy theories i think it was called. The government sets his brain to be compelled to buy Catcher in the rye every time he sees one around. Something has set my brain to buy journals and most of the times they just lay there in my book shelf, beautiful ad untouched, smelling of "new" and the pages are always smooth. Sometimes i start one, then leave it. In the past i used to finish writing them, now i don't, it seems, anymore.
Pen are another thing my brain is set to buy.
Oh, and brushes........in fact one job i would definitely do if i wasn't doing make up is to work in a cartoleria, i don't know how you say that in english. And a record shop, a small one, possibly working with John Cusaack, Jack Black and Todd Louiso.
But that's moving away from the Journal thing...