Model Makeup help

[speedracer 36]

Hey everyone its been awhile since I have been online here but I have a question for you guys, I am planning a shoot for mid Febuary and the model I have is a good friend of mine and I want to have her wear makeup, But I dont want to be rude and say can you wear makeup? Since my first reaction to saying that is that it is implying that she needs makeup. How can I word this so that it doesnt sound offensive?

[gryphonslair99]

I don't bother with that issue at all from models/subjects themselves. To skirt the issue and not have to worry about hurting their feelings I use a hair/makeup artist. To be exact, a hair/makeup artist in training.

In my 9-5 job I give lot's of presentations to all kinds of business, organizations etc. One of them happens to be a hair and makeup academy. I find that there are willing, talented students that like having the opportunity to work and practice other than the day to day salon work that they do. I discuss the look with the subject that either they or I am attempting to achieve and then let the hair/makeup person go to work. It never involves cutting/coloring hair.

This has worked wonderfully for me and has even changed the way some of the subjects I shoot see themselves and how they present themselves once they have seen the end results.

Don't know if this helps or not but it works well for me and when doing shoots for others the subject seem to enjoy the unexpected attention that goes into bringing out their best.

[speedracer 36]

This does help. I will post results after the shoot. Thank you.

[Asylum Steve]

But I dont want to be rude and say can you wear makeup? Since...that is that it is implying that she needs makeup. How can I word this so that it doesnt sound offensive?

SPEED, YOU'RE MUCH TOO YOUNG TO BE A RACE DRIVER!!! Sorry, had to get that out of the way...

Ok, first things first: can I assume you're using the term "model" generically? IOW, I assume she's not a fashion model, as the whole makeup thing would never be an issue. So, by model your mean "subject", right?

What I would do is try to get used to using two very common fashion terms, because you can apply these to virtually any shoot involving people, fashion or portrait. And when you use them with confidence, your subject will understand what you mean, and rarely, if ever, take offense...

One is "styling". To "style" a shoot or a subject. That's an industry way of indicating you want to implement a specific element that affects the way the image will look. That can be hair, makeup, wardrobe, props, even location. When you tell a subject your intent to style a shot a certain way, it simply means you want to take a very hands-on approach to insure you get the shot you want. Folks can relate to that.

The other term is "look", and this goes hand-in-hand with "styling". A "look" refers to the result of styling; the basic way the model or subject appears. So, if you want a dramatic look, you would style your subject with (perhaps) a lot of dark makeup, heavily done hair, and very edgy clothing to make an emotional impact.

If you want a clean look, you might use very simple, light makeup, lightly-styled hair, and sporty or casual wardrobe. You see the connection.

Anyway, if you make it clear you're making the effort to style the shot a certain way, and would like her to have a specific look to help make the photo more successful, not only does it sound like you know what you're talking about but it should make it easier to bring up the subject of makeup in a non-rude way.

Hope that helps. Lemme know if you have any more questions...