Alice Dickson: Salon Bae Photoshoot

Influencer, pro MUA and GlamCandy tutor Alice Dickson recently modelled on set with luxury salon furniture brand Salon Bae for their latest promotional photoshoot. Usually working on the other side of the camera, this was one of Alice’s first times being the subject of a shoot – something that is predictably nerve-wracking. However, with her vast experience as a makeup artist on set and her regular interactions with models – she soon found her feet and was a natural in front of the camera.

Salon Bae approached Alice to model for the shoot after stumbling upon her social media whilst creating their mood board. Alice’s glamorous 90s makeup style of brown lips, dramatic liner, matte skin and highlighted cheekbones fit perfectly with the type of look they were going for. However, this was new territory for her and for her to feel fully comfortable, there was only one way she was going to do the shoot. She said, “I’ve done a few shoots before that were more career-based, but this scared me a bit. The only way I said I would do it is if I could do my own makeup because I’m so particular about it. If someone else had done my makeup and it didn’t feel right – I knew I wouldn’t have as much confidence.”

Having seen one of Salon Bae’s previous shoots on social media with Arianna Ajtar and how stunning the images were, Alice knew how brilliant this opportunity was, however she admits she found it a little daunting. She said, “Despite feeling a bit intimidated, the style of makeup and glam that I love so much, the fact everything was pink and how gorgeous their furniture is was all very appealing to me and made me want to work with them.

“Their previous work really spoke for itself and the whole idea of the shoot literally couldn’t have been more perfect for me – it was a no brainer to be honest.”

Alice was put up in a Birmingham hotel the night before where she ensured she was presentable and camera-ready, despite the nerves. She said, “Because I’d been on so many shoots before and done quite a lot for Instagram, I knew how to pose for my own images – so I just tried to think of it as an opportunity to meet people and have fun.

“I tried to not put too much pressure on myself, I also knew I was going to be doing my own makeup which really put me at ease. So I just thought of it as ‘I’m doing my own makeup for my Instagram’, but I did practice a lot of my poses in the hotel mirror before I left!”

Well-known influencer photographer Talia White held the shoot in her home studio and Alice, who had been a fan of her work for a while, was immediately put at ease by the calm and supportive atmosphere Talia created whilst on set. She said, “I had been feeling quite nervous on my way down to the shoot, and obviously the other models were professional models which made me really anxious.

“But I got on really well with the other girls on the shoot, one of the models Ellie went before me and I just kind of observed what she was doing so I knew what to do when it was my turn. We did a lot of shots together as well so we could really bounce off one another. Everyone was just so supportive on set, we had music playing, we were feeling good and it was just such a lovely atmosphere.”

The shoot was mainly inspired by the cult 90s, hot pink “dolly glam” with a hint of 60s influence – a style Alice is no stranger to. When observing their mood board, she noticed much of the makeup inspiration was actually her own looks – this made her feel more comfortable knowing that the makeup she did so well was exactly what they had envisioned. She said, “I did a nude-brown lip, brown eyeliner and I had a under-lash on for one of the 60s looks at one point. So it was basically just my makeup style as it is already – super heavy, Bratz doll glam which is totally up my alley.

“I think if it had been a different type of shoot where the makeup was more natural, I would have felt a bit silly but because I was able to do my usual glam it was totally fine. I loved it.”

Salon Bae’s furniture is every girly girls dream – luxurious, aesthetically pleasing and featuring every shade of pink imaginable. Alice was obsessed, not only was the furniture everything she ever dreamed of, but the outfits and accessories were to die for. She said, “The outfits were my favourite part of the shoot! See when they rolled in the rack of outfits and I saw all that pink, the pink fluffy shoes and the gold phone – I was like oh my god, I’m so excited!”

Photoshoots like these are often great for both experience and networking within the industry, finding valuable contacts for future collaborations and commissions can be vital for growing a business. Alice said, “Meeting everyone at the shoot was great, the industry that I’m in it’s really all about making connections. In Scotland I feel like everybody knows each other, so it was nice to branch out to that area and meet some new people.

“HLD Management who the shoot was with do a lot of work down in England, so I met a few makeup artists and hairstylists too – it was just really nice to network.”