Feeling quite Painterly

Here's a fashion story I shot with photographer Brandon Witzel.
I kept the hair and makeup looser and freer to go with the character we were creating.
photos - Brandon Witzel, www.brandonwitzel.com
styling - Rebecca Westby, www.rebeccawestby.com
hair and makeup - Amy Gillespie, www.amygillespiemakeup.com
model - Stacy, Mode International, www.modemodels.com









Amy Gillespie, makeup artist, Portland, Seattle, fashion, editorial, makeup, hair, model, photography, photo shoot, Pacific Northwest

Commercial Beauty

Lately, I have been trying to amp up the commercial side to my portfolio in addition to adding more beauty shots so what better way to do that than create some commercial beauty images?

I teamed up with one of my favorite photographers in Portland,
Quavondo Nguyen , and Maddi (Option Model Management) and Alexandra (Q6).

Here are some great picks from the shoot. All makeup, hair, and styling by Amy Gillespie.







Amy Gillespie, makeup artist, Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, commercial, fashion, beauty, editorial, spring makeup

This last weekend presented a bit of an impromptu photo shoot but it proved that with the right team, it always comes together and goes smoothly.

Matthew Brush and his designer wife, Nicki, approached me and asked if I would be interested in working with them on a shoot for some of the designs Nicki had created for Adidas. Matthew is great to work with and Nicki is as sweet as she is lovely so I was excited to be a part of this project.

They wanted natural makeup for the guys and some brighter colors for the girls. Men's grooming is pretty basic and straight forward although I think one of the models, Chris, got a little more than he bargained for. Not only did the hairdresser give him a hair cut on the spot but I took one look at his eyebrows (YIKES!) and pulled out the big guns on the tweezers and set to work. Poor guy, I don't think he knew he was getting a makeover that day! For the girls, I kept the skin a bit more natural with light foundation, a little highlight, and lots of bronzer. I played with some bold colors and graphic shapes on their eyes. I did one makeup change on Kate, transitioning her eyes into a smokey look. I'm pleased with how blended it turned out as I was given just a few minutes to change it and it was literally done in the dark!

Photos - Matthew Brush
Wardrobe - Nicki Brush
Makeup & Grooming - Amy Gillespie
Hair - Nicola Corl
Models - Alex, Kate, and Diana from Q6 and Chris from Sports Unlimited


















Amy Gillespie, makeup artist, hair, makeup, photography, fashion, beauty, editorial, advertising, Adidas, fitness, shape, sports

A few more from Scott James and Claire La Faye

Just a few more edits from my shoot with photographer Scott James and designer Claire La Faye.

Claire La Faye

I've been anxiously waiting on these images for a few months now. Scott, the photographer, finally got my edits to me tonight and they do not disappoint! These were shot for Claire La Faye's Spring 2010 collection. Claire has a gorgeous selection of clothes and accessories available at Etsy if you want to go check them out.

I drew up several looks based on the sample designs Claire sent me. I kept things simple but tried to add pops of interest here and there with a nice lip color, a little metallic on the eye, interesting hair. On the hair note--I'm usually most comfortable when I work with a hairstylist since hair is by far not my strength. However, for this shoot, Claire didn't want to book a hairstylist so I had to do some extra planning and try to figure out how to make it look like I knew what the heck I was doing! I was actually pleased with how the styling turned out and feel I can now proudly advertise myself as being hair competent (watch THAT one come back to bite me in the future...) I do have to give a shout out to the amazing Kira Pinksi; she is one of my most favorite people ever and I always feel better having her hair expertise with me on a shoot. She has taught me so much in the way of hair and I wouldn't have been able to do this shoot without all the advice she has given me along the way. Kira, I love you! Your bun trick saved my hide on this one :)


Photographer - Scott James
Models - Hailey R., Q6, Andres C., Option Models
Wardrobe, styling, and set design - Claire La Faye
Makeup & Hair - Amy Gillespie














Many thanks to all involved! It was an honor to work with you!

Amy Gillespie, makeup artist, hair, makeup, photography, fashion, beauty, editorial, Claire La Faye, Scott James, model, collection

Kate Towers collection

I can't believe I never posted these here! I guess when you get out of the habit of blogging you forget epic photo shoots altogether!

We did these in Manzanita, OR right as a storm was rolling in. It was a mad dash to try and get everything shot before we were completely rained out. I don't think I have ever been so wet other than bathing. Plus, it was freezing to boot! Hailey was such a trooper standing out there in the freezing wind and rain; you can see her hair getting progressively wetter through these shots. In the end though, pictures like these always make the stress and craziness worthwile.

Photographer - Peter Van Beever
Model - Hailey R., Q6
Wardrobe - Kate Towers
Makeup & Hair - Amy Gillespie










Thankfully, Olivia, the other model we were working with, had a beach house that her parents were gracious enough to loan to us. It ended up being a valuable base camp where we could dry our clothes and try to warm up. After the debacle on the beach, we shot some images for Peter's personal portfolio. Models Hailey and Olivia.










Amy Gillespie, professional makeup artist,beauty, fashion, editorial, Portland, Oregon, Pacific Northwest