At GlamCandy, our tutors often have the incredible opportunities many makeup artists dream of – and Art Director Rachael Melrose is no exception. Recently the talented MUA returned to working alongside cult hairstyling brand Hot Tools for their latest campaign, Imagine The Style, in Leeds.
Hot Tools, founded in the US, have been cultivating award winning hairstyling appliances for over 25 years – entirely designed and developed by professional hairdressers. They are most well known for their multi-award winning 24k Gold collection and groundbreaking pulse technology.
Having previously worked for Hot Tools for their winter collection, Black Gold, Rachael was confident returning to work with the brand. She said, “When I worked for them in 2019, the look was to be quite glam and Christmassy – a lot of glitter and stars! However, this shoot was much more natural and for their everyday website and social media.”
The shoot was held over a two day period, the first with a glamorous vibe and the second being more casual. Rachael said, “The makeup was kept really natural to suit everyones needs on both days to keep the focus on the hair. They did some filming on the second day for a “how to” tutorial using their products for their website too, which was quite interesting to see.”
Due to Coronavirus restrictions, the shoot set-up was slightly different to what Rachael is used to on brand shoots. With the clients communicating through Zoom, it was more difficult to ensure every aspect of the models’ looks were exactly as they wanted. Rachael said, “The woman who was in charge of the shoot was in Switzerland and was on Zoom the entire day – everything had to be signed off by her before we could shoot.
“It was really interesting to see how they made it work. The photographer had linked her monitor to Zoom, so any images that were taken were sent to the client straight away and she would say yes or no – I’d like you to change that. So it was really cool because I’ve never actually been in a photoshoot environment like that – it was definitely different.”
Due to the clients inability to be present, the makeup artists and hairstylists had to work quickly to get approval for each look – which Rachael found quite challenging. She said, “It did have its difficulties, we would often have to wait maybe half an hour to get the go ahead for some of the looks. So it was quite a long process and took some time before we could start shooting.
“But it must have been quite difficult for the clients too because they couldn’t just see all the looks and options at once like they usually would, so everything was done one by one – changing outfits and tweaking the looks.
“With the hair there were specific explanations of what was wanted, because usually on these shoots they’d just do it themselves. It took longer, but they were really happy with the outcome.”
When it comes to Rachael’s job, she gives her all not only to her students and clients, but to her personal branding. Today, much of an MUA’s business is measured by their social media presence, and this is typically what drives the majority of their clientele and brand collaboration. She said, “It’s staying consistent, keeping up to date on current trends and brands – and if you miss something, then someone else is going to get there first.
“Research your brands, tag them in your photos when you use their products, so they can see your work. It only takes one person from a brand to look at your Instagram and say ‘she’s good, lets work with her’. To be a successful makeup artist, it’s social media – full stop.”