Last week my work brought me to the Germany. I flew into Düsseldorf airport to then take a two hour train journey up North to the city of Munster. It was my second trip the area, however this time I had the opportunity to stay for three days so I could see the area a bit better. It’s currently known as the bicycle capital of Germany, which I can confirm because I was nearly knocked down three times by cyclists!haha. Overall it really is a beautiful, clean and extremely safe place.
I stayed in the Ibis hotel on Engelstrabe, which was really central and close to the studio where we were shooting. The rooms were perfect with great air conditioning, their WiFi facilities weren’t the greatest but they did have Soya milk for my lactose intolerant self so all was good again in the world Lou. The shoot itself was for the 2014 Summer campaign for the German plus size brand, Chalou. It was a hectic few days of shooting but really enjoyable working with a great team. I had the pleasure of working with L.A based model Hannah Mavestrand who was so sweet and fun to shoot with. The temperature in Germany this week was between 32 and 38 degrees, so as you can see above the studio fan was my best friend throughout the shoots.
The dressing area was a haven for accessory addicts thanks to the Stylist and Makeup Artist , Carina Musitowski . There must have been close to 150 pairs of high heels and shoes, with a huge selection of jewellery and statement pieces which I fell in love with. No surprise there! I really loved her taste in accessories although now I’m hunting on-line for half of the shoes I came across so that can’t be great for my bank account balance! 😉 .
Carina and her assistant Britta opted for a variation of hair styles, the first day it was mainly straight with various alterations. The next day gave way to big waves created with a crimping iron similar to one here. It was really fast and effective as opposed to other ones that I have used on my hair in the past- they look similar to hair straighteners like here. I would definitely recommend a proper crimping iron for anyone looking to create volume quickly for either a shoot or for every day use. My hair was then rolled to one side into thick rolled dreadlocks. It was quite bohemian chic which worked for the style of the clothing. Above is also a photo of Hannah and myself in hair and makeup getting our nails touched up.
The foundation on the shoot was flawless and weightless which was perfect for working in the heat. Even after working long days my skin didn’t feel like it was heavy or irritated. I’m going to have a look for it this week to test it out on a daily basis as it was such a lovely texture on my face. According to Britta who did my makeup, she finds that one bottle this size will last her around three months. Very little is needed as it spreads extremely well. I’ll keep you all posted on this.
Above are the brilliant team that made everything run so smoothly – (From left to right) Jess from the production team, Carina the stylist/Makeup artist, Patricia the photographer and the talented fashion designer Anja. Lou.x xxoxo
