LOTD: Modeling is work

Last night I covered a shift for my friend and boy do I now understand why she hated what she had to wear for it! Unfortunately I was given my attire for the night upon arriving at the venue so I don't have photos of it, which is a shame since it was a relatively nice gold dress. Although if you are wearing a gold dress (with a sash that says 'REWARDS') and walking around a casino...well you get a lot of comments along the lines of "ho ho ho, whoring out tonight" or "hooker" or "I'm getting rewarded tonight for sure!" and other obscenities. Luckily I was working with a very nice guy so needless to say I stayed by his side towards the latter part of the night.

Anyway, the look I decided to do was a purple look with no hint of black (other than my eye color, hair and heels, d'oh) - I wanted to be different as I keep doing a black liner, eyeshadow look every time I model or a neutral look so I thought color would be good to go with the gold. Plus it had to be OTT - ah, casinos, they are such interesting places.

Modeling Life: Professional dignity

Recently on Facebook a photographer I worked with last year posted up an album of photos from the shoot we did. Ordinarily I have taken little notice of the impact this has on both the photographer and model but in this instance the response to this album was so massive that it pretty much took me by surprise.

That is where the appeal ends however, soon enough I started getting plagued with random friend requests and steadily became more ill-tempered as self-proclaimed critics made comments such as 'wish the dress wasn't blue' or 'wish the water was blue' - sorry, what? If everything was perfect then it would not be what it is, it would be fake if everything was matched and perfectly organized.

Even worse was 98% of comments praised the photographer - which is all good, every model is generally used to the photographer getting all the praise for the shot because we know in the end we know it is 50/50: the photographer's talent plus the model's - but when comments praised the photographer for the model as though I was a mannequin he positioned and from how I took it probably gave birth to...that was when my temper flared.

Models get direction from photographers, TRUE, but most of the time we have to do it ourselves. We have to constantly move, we have to constantly pose, we have to make sure our feet are pointed, that our faces are "set" and every part of us is pose-worthy. The photographer, no matter how good, can ever make a model look good unless they are good themselves.

The point is, I got so unnecessarily upset over this whole Facebook fiasco that I think maybe photographers, models, creatives in general should refrain from posting their work on Facebook where it literally is a site that invades privacy, makes a general mockery of real life and is hardly a good place for creative appreciation. This is going to become a firm rule of mine in the future when I do photographic shoots: they are not allowed to post photos on their personal Facebooks and tag me in them. If it is their business Facebook then fine, I have no choice in the matter as they use that to promote themselves but in all other cases I will draw the line.

Modeling Life: Getting into the life of a promo girl

Everyone thinks it must be glamorous and certainly you need to have certain qualities in order to be a promo model however there is no glamor to the industry. There are definitely perks of being a model - no matter which arena you dominate, photographic, promotional or commercial (if you are curious, I do all three) - but unless you are a supermodel and able to be a diva because your reputation allows for it you are one in a million in an industry that does not care.
I can hardly complain: getting photographic work on a regular basis just does not happen. Seeing as I need the money I have no choice but to do promotional work. It is not at all bad, just sometimes it can be tedious and the stereotyping of promo girls is more often similar to that of a prostitute.

True, we use our feminine charms and looks to sell a product that ordinarily gets little attention but it does not mean we will go to extremes (i.e., give blow jobs, sleep with customers, etc.), so a little respect would be nice. We have families, we may even have a boyfriend to whom we are committed to and we may actually be amazing kind girls...all right, maybe not since you require a no-nonsense attitude to be a promo girl plus some balls but still. If you are me, you will know I am a feeble excuse for a promo girl: I just cannot be all sass, I still thank people for their time whenever I approach them even if they rudely reject what I am promoting.

Maybe this is a bit of a rant, maybe some people will think if I am going to act like such a princess then maybe I should go crawl under a rock and stay there instead of bothering but what can I say? It just hurts when you get comments like 'slut' or snide looks and mocking giggles. 

Enough said. Here is the look I did on Friday night, not knowing what color top I was wearing. It ended up being pink and I am so glad I decided to do a neutral eye. After these photos and the photos from throughout the night, I am more than convinced my foundation is too light for me after having tanned quite a bit recently but I am still hesitant about purchasing a darker foundation...what do you all think? Too tacky to pull off?

Hello pimple (that you cannot see in this photo, gr), how nice of you to pop up!

How does a girl comfort herself after a bad night on the job? Why, with food of course.

Suki's Modeling Tip #1: Being a self-reliant model

I am by no means a super model but I can say that I have had enough experience (four years worth) to be able to give a few nuggets of advice that I have come to treasure and live by. Some are tips I have learned from the masters (America's Next Top model counts, right?) but most is what I have learned before/on/during/after the job.

This first piece of advice is something I have come to realize I should not have slipped up on this week and that is to be self-reliant, do not depend on others to help you throughout your career. In my case I am talking about relying on others to help you out with getting equipment to and from a job or to get you to and from a job. Much as I appreciate the help I have gotten, I have realized I slipped up massively when I could have returned equipment from a previous job to my agency last week only to have it delayed and a job coming up tomorrow with details I have yet to learn about as I would have gotten them last week upon returning the equipment.

And with a massive phone bill to be careful of I can hardly afford to make even a thirty-second call and so far my email has yet to be replied to. So the moral of the story? Be in charge of yourself and do not depend on others no matter how good of a person they are because they have their own lives to prioritize and this only leads to your downfall as you are the one who has to sacrifice.

Apply it to all aspects of yourself and your career, may it be make up (seriously, never use any other model's make up, always make sure you have your own for jobs - I will go into this more with another tip) or finding out details for yourself instead of relying on what she said, he said.

Modeling Life: Fox Models, first job and...bad foundation?

Recently I was lucky enough to be able to sign on with Fox Models Australia. I go as a commercial, promotional and photographic model which is exciting for me as I have done promotional work before but retired from it a few years back and I have never really liked commercial work but think it is time I expand into that arena.

Anyway, I just thought I would share with you my first promotional job of the year! I went solo with this which was a little tedious seeing as I do not have a car to transport the poster, bowl, tablecloth, table and cups provided (luckily my BFF/Boss Derek was very generous enough to help me out) but it was still fun to do. I had to give samples of the Skyy Blue vodka premixes and get opinions on the flavors, etc.

My "uniform" was a white t-shirt with Skyy Vodka on it and I chose to wear skinny jeans with it and some kick ass heels! For my makeup, I kept it simple: I swiped on black eyeshadow, mascara (by the way, my eyelashes must be on drugs because they are so long and seemed to just lengthen overnight! Maybe my Sri Lankan genes are finally kicking in with age? Refer to my tan which I'm about to discuss...), blush, straight hair and some earrings of mine that I thought matched perfectly...and yes I actually did use foundation.

Now I do not have an inkling as to how to do proper foundation and I do not even use concealer or a base or primer - whatever the heck you do to your face prior to slapping on foundation! I talked about Revlon's PhotoReady foundation in Natural Beige in this post for a previous photo shoot and am still using the same foundation...because I honestly have not used this foundation since that photo shoot. Anyway, my question is: does it seem like it is now too light for my complexion? I am aware I have tanned significantly recently - purposely I might add, I have frequented the beach since returning to Adelaide and am proud I finally look mixed! - and so now Natural Beige looks a little like pale beige instead does it not?

If it is not at all noticeable and you think I can carry it off without looking like a ghost then I am most definitely sticking with this foundation instead of going a notch darker. Even then, I doubt I would be keen to invest money on a darker foundation...it really does not seem too obvious, right?

I know, I can be a pitiful excuse of a model. But really, models are not as glamorous as you may think...

L.A Girl Products and Update

Whew! My life has been hectic and it is only the second day of 2011. I am due to leave Sri Lanka tomorrow and head back to Adelaide and I have never been more stressed or - surprisingly - reluctant to leave home. Family time has been amazing and I am really sad I will not be able to return back home for another year and even then I am unsure of whether or not I will be able to visit at the end of the year. Enough dwelling on that though, come what may I say!


So what have I been doing these past couple of days?

I got a hair cut - FINALLY - on the 28th of December as I had a photo shoot on the 29th. I really wanted to cut my hair short (please don't kill me for this Dominique!) but unfortunately as I have a few photo shoots lined up this year and concepts have already been finalized to work with long hair I cannot change them all last minute and also long hair in the industry is typically more practical.

Not to be discouraged, I still got rid of a good four inches! The reason why I waited until now to post up photos of my new hair was because my hair is straightened in these photos so you cannot see the true difference until I got shots of my natural hair. Before I washed out the straightness though I enjoyed a bit of camera whoring with Prince!

Also, my look of the day had my usual hair dresser (but not the one who did my hair this time) fluttering (literally, he flutters) about how I resembled a butterfly.

This shot made me realize how askew my bangs are though...not very happy with them but it has been a while since I have had properly cut bangs although this makes me even more convinced that home-cut bangs are best!

So what does a model eat the day before a photo shoot? In my case, curry udon! How could I resist my dads cooking? Plus, my Uncle from Japan sent me these noodles. At any rate, a healthy model makes for a better model! Or maybe I am just in denial...

Unfortunately I still do not have the official photos from the shoot and dare not post up the few photos I got sent so until then, above is where the shoot took place - Beruwela beach!

And what does a model eat after a photo shoot? Well, she is hungry and cranky so she indulges in rice and deviled fish.

To be good though, I have been eating fruit. And coffee.

Although, good food like hoppers is hard to resist.

So I had to indulge, after all I will not be able to get these things in Australia.

Enough about food though. these days have been full of running around with Mummy getting errands and such done. It has been frustrating and very tiring overall but it was still nice to get time with Mummy instead of having to share her with the rest of the family! I am selfish like that, but hey, I can be!

We also tracked down a new poster of mine that recently went up in a store I modeled for a few years ago. I am a little irked I do not have this photo and the photographer has decided to use photos he obviously has stored up but I suppose that is their right? Still, it is a little unfair that I had to make do with a phone snap...

Anyway, today has been busy as I finish up the last of my packing but I still managed to pick up some new items which will surely make my luggage over the weight limit for sure! I know the quality of this brand - L.A Girl - is really not that great but I got the following - a 3 in 1 color stick and two polishes - for when I need a quick color fix and it isn't to impress.

Diamond powder and white tea extract you say? Does not tickle my fancy at all because really I do not notice any of it in the formula but whatever tickles your fancy, L.A Girls...

I like the black polish with purple sparkles. Although this took three coats before it became opaque enough I quite like how fast it dried and how it has yet to chip despite me running around packing! What better way to test out a polish I say.

The purple is more sheer and I was kind of disappointed with the color result but it is still a nice enough color for two coats worth. It is a purple and purples work for me no matter what!

The color looks amazingly dark right? Well when you wear it, it is more of a pearly neutral color. I was pretty disappointed with the colors they had to offer - for a "three in one" stick that you can wear as eyeshadow, lipstick and blush the only colors they had were a variety of browns and a purple. Not exactly blush worthy colors. Eye shadow and lipstick wise, maybe. Mummy tried her one (she got a light brown) as a lipstick and said it tasted awful so needless to say I wasn't quick to try mine out as a lipstick.

I tested it out in the inner corner of my look for today but unfortunately it blends in completely with Fyrinnae's Darling Misfit and Herbivore! How unfortunate but oh well. The little I have on is now creasing and melting a little because of the heat and sweat so it's not the greatest product out there but for a bit of color when you have no time? Why ever not.

Would I invest on them again? The nail polishes, definitely, I love that they dry up so quickly! But other products? Most likely not.

Also, here is a random shot of sparklers at Christmas - I sat on my doorstep and watched Mummy light them up and refused to hold one but still got burned by a wild spark! Definitely deepened my dislike for sparklers!

When I next blog it will be when I am back in Adelaide so talk to you then dear readers!

In Between: September Update

Just a little filler, just whiling away my days

It has certainly been quite a while since I've written and that's because I've been on mid-semester break! Or rather, two weeks off from university but more or less two weeks to finish off assignments due in the first week back. Nevertheless, I had some time to enjoy life a little and of course what better way than spending it with Scott and friends?


Scott and I went to a Moon Lantern Festival at the beginning of our break which was rather interesting. Being Asian it was quite an experience going to something I had gone to all my life in a foreign country where these things are pretty alien to locals. It was great seeing as many Australians as Asians enjoying themselves though, it's amazing how things can bring people together despite the vast differences. I think Scott enjoyed it, I know for sure he enjoyed these...

Potato on a stick! They were sooo good! But enough about that, here's a peek at what we actually went to the festival for.

There were some extraordinary lanterns and the parade was truly beautiful. My personal favorite was the Japanese traditional fan, I'm due to get one of my own from my Grandmother soon so I guess that's why it was my favorite of the lot (:

Anyway, other than that what have I been up to? I did a photo shoot with a photographer I've been dying to work with: Tony. He's such a sweetheart and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to do a shoot with him. Here's one of my favorite "motion" shots (even though I look distracted!):

Scott was nice enough to take me back to his hometown, Millicent, for the holidays. I went with him earlier in the year so it was great being able to go back and see his parents and enjoy the quietness of Millicent. Being a city girl (that is, not that I prefer cities but just that I've grown up in cities), I love the country and South Australia has the best country side in my opinion.

We returned to Adelaide only to set off again to another town called Laura which was where Scott's best friend, Max, had his 21st birthday party. It was a good night and we all definitely had a blast. Admittedly though, I was quite exhausted by then and all I wanted to do (and still do!) was get a proper night's sleep.

Alex, or Lexi, and I (: She's one of the most amazing people you'll ever meet.

And that sums it up really. I will hopefully be able to post in the upcoming weeks even though I have an assignment due every single week this month and two exams next month to prepare for. But I return home to Sri Lanka on the 20th of November for the summer break so there won't be a shortage of posts then, promise!