THE GRAPHICS METROPOLIS BLOG

Conversations with Make-up Artist Khanh Nguyen

Having her name misspelled most of the time will never stop this girl from achieving her dreams.

Everyone, meet Khanh! it’s K-H-A-N. Remember that spelling. I learned my lesson when I misspelled her name once. She’s one energetic, fun, quirky and talented make-up artist that I have worked with  several times.

Check out this quick interview that I did with her with portraits taken by me.

GM: Hello Khanh! How are you? Thank you very much for always gracing us with your talent and lively presence during our shoots. So to kick off this interview, tell us something about yourself (aside from people usually misspelling or mispronouncing your name). 

KN: Make-up artistry has been on my mind since I was a young teen. I grew up with a passion for art. I do painting, charcoal drawing and all the fun stuffs! Makeup is a type of art which i get to play with the beautiful humans’ faces.

GM: Where do you get your inspirations from? Any specific idol or inspiration in the field?

KN: My inspirations are actually every little thing I see everyday. Every little thing is interesting in its own way. However, I got fascinated with bold, strong style of makeup. My idol is Bobbi Brown, Gia Deo and Michelle Phan

GM: In your opinion, what are the three most essential items/things that a make-up artist should always have?

KN: The three most essential items that a makeup artist should always have: Foundations, Eyeliners and Bronzers.

GM: Tell us something crazy about you, about your job, about your shoots.

KN: Something crazy about me? Ask people who works with me, I am a very funny and chill person. I like to crack people up, do random silly things. Many times when I go to shoots, there are some banned areas where we re not suppose to shoots. My team would be careless and we shooted until the end. And another time, on the way to Fashion District to meetup with Irvin Photographer, I got caught in traffic. Knowing myself would be late, I just illegally switched to carpool land and flew straight to his shoot. Now you know that how much I love my job. OUTLAW!

GM: LOL. I ever knew you did that on your way to our shoot. Any Khanh Nguyen tips that you can share with your fans out there? 

KN: Khanh Nguyen wants to tell you: discovering and learning, and another cliché advice: follow your dreams. I know there are many unfortunate people out there wish to be where you are right now, treasure what you have. Finally don’t take good things for granted.

GM: Thank you so much. Any words for people who want to pursue Make-up Artistry like you?

KN: Future coworkers, I know this is a tough job. This is not a regular 9 to 5 job where you get paid every week. People will keep wondering why are you doing this? Prepare to give them the answers, prepare to fight for your dreams. You will make it someday.

GM: If anyone needs your services, how and where can they reach you? 

KN: If you need my services, please call my Cell numbers: 714 788 9225, or contact me through facebook: facebook.com/nnguyen0327. I located in Orange County but willing to travel and come see you :)

Conversations with Hair Stylist Shannon Mason

Shannon appeared at the last minute when I really really needed an awesome hairstylist for the shoot. The moment she emailed me, I already have the gut feeling that this woman would do wonders for my team. And boy, she’s amazing.

Below is a quick interview with some portraits that I took of her) that I had with this freakin’ talented individual.

GM: Hello Shannon! Thank you for trusting me and my team and working with us on our projects. So for the benefit of all the people reading this around the globe, tell us something about yourself. Since when did you start doing hairstyling? How come you’re so good at it?

SM: I am a California native, and have been a licensed hairdresser for almost 10 years. My credits include LA Fashion week, Scottsdale Fashion week, Mercedes Benz Fashion week, bridal exhibits, womens expos, Miss USA pageant and much more. I gained training by being an art team member, educator, academy director and product ambassador in the past. Currently i am a freelance hairstylist servicing personal clients through my website masonmisbehaving.com and producing looks for editorial magazine submissions!

GM: How do you see hairstyling as an art?

SM: My whole life I’ve always been artistically inclined & naturally love all forms of art. When I began hairdressing I didn’t find the technique to be artistic but more mathematical or scientific. Mixing colors in ratio form, and designing cuts with angles! But then I honed in on the form of hair in a fabric sense. Pondering ways I could create hair to look anything other than what it is.

GM: Do you have any heroes in the field? Any specific idols or inspirations?

SM: My hair idol is Guido Palau. I look to what he produces in every fashion season. Youtube is a wonderful thing for that reference. I also had mentors I was lucky to assist when I first began my career & they are very dear to my heart.

GM: What is your usual process in creating a specific hairstyle? Is there like a template or you just follow y our instincts and adjust to the clients need?

SM: When I approach hair, i always always always put my clients voice first. I love to listen to people. And I respect what makes one person feel comfortable to another. It’s what makes us, us! For my photo shoot visions, I can sometimes become very focused in my zone because my mind races with an artistic vibe I only feel when a model is in my chair. Very hard to describe, but i respond to people who ask “what would you do to my hair??”  by simply say “sit in my chair & it’ll happen.” confidence is gold.

GM: Tell us something about your brand, Mason Misbehaving.What is the idea behind the name?

SM: My brand Mason Misbehaving was created last year. When I was in beauty school, my alias was “mason” due to another Shannon being on the salon floor. I love my last name, and knew it needed to be a part of my company name. Mason misbehaving represents your ego that comes out after you leave the office, the ego you have when you’re out with your friends, or doing something out of the ordinary. I believe everyone has their own ideas of what misbehaving is. And that’s intriguing. I will have a part on the website simply “Shannon” for my bridal and beauty images.

GM: Any crazy experiences so far with regards to hairstyling?

SM: I don’t run across many hair tragedies per say. But I will admit i come in contact with many different types of personalities in this field and that’s where the memories form from! Crazy artists!

GM: You also do make-up right? Aside from the obvious differences, how different is it from hairstyling?

SM: Makeup is a whole another animal in comparison to hairdressing. Makeup artists have skin to prep and conceal and are very color detailed. My favorite look is a natural no makeup look. It’s harder to create clean skin than a smoky eye.

GM: Thank you so much. Any words for people who aspire to be a successful hairstylist like you?

SM: The beauty industry is fast paced. I am a firm believer in education!! Absolutely.  Keep up with trends online and in magazines. I spend a couple days a week in Barnes and Nobles dedicating my morning to every magazine possible. Hone in on what your strengths are and produce those looks in your book. When you plateau learn something new! Boredom kills hairdressers. Oh, and always document your work with photographs!

GM: If anyone needs your services, how and where can they reach you?

SM: They Can reach me at these places:

Shannon Mason

Creative director masonmisbehaving.com

Email:

mason@masonmisbehaving.com

Gallery:

www.facebook.com/masonmisbehaving

Website:

www.masonmisbehaving.com

Coversations with fashion designer Kay Lim

The first time I learned about Ms Kay was when she got my partner and assistant photographer Chase Green as her model for her fashion line KayLimDesign. Since then, I decided to communicate with her to shoot some of her amazing collections. 

After some planning and casting, we were able to execute our shoot which was also published on Posi+ive Magazine.

Graphics Metropolis is also fortunate enough to shoot her special collection, the Nestor pants line which aims to help the Berkeley Animal care Services organization in Los Angeles. You can view the photos from the shoot here.

Anyway, below is a short interview with this beautiful and talented lady.

Also included are some portraits that I took of her.

Enjoy!

GM: Hi Ms Kay! We can’t stop raving about your wonderful designs. How would you describe your style and what motivates you to create them?

KL: The vast varieties and multitudes of fabrics and other components such as yarns, beads, appliqué and such excites and motivates me.

I like to just hang these materials out or lay them where I can look and touch them whenever I walk by.

Sometimes it will take days or weeks, but eventually I’ll start to envision and develop all kinds of different styles and ideas in my head and then something will click. Then I start sketching. But, the magic happens when I actually start sewing. It may sound a bit crazy, but quite frequently I’ll end up having a different final piece from the original sketch. I’m like that, I enjoy being spontaneous and creative… you know… just playing with different, interesting materials.

That’s why it’s so fun making one-of-a-kind pieces.

GM: When did KayLimDesign started? Since when did you start creating your amazing pieces?

KL: I have been creating clothes as far as I can remember. I didn’t know how to use sewing machines, but I always loved playing with clothes and accessories and tried to be different from classmates and friends. I majored in Fine Art in South Korea, so I wasn’t really planning on to be in the fashion industry, but since I came to the US -after getting married- having more free time to learn new things and I wanted to learn how to sew and I just loved it from the very first class. So that how it started!

GM: What makes KayLimDesign Special from the usual wardrobe?

KL: Hand applied details on each piece which makes it unique and one-of-a-kind.

GM: My team has worked with you twice. One Fashion Editorial got published and the last one was for your Nestor Pants line. How was your experience with the Graphics Metropolis Team?

KL: Blast! Your team is the most fun and caring team I have ever worked with!

There are so many professionals who are extremely talented in what they do, but it’s hard to find people who are thoughtful and caring for each other. :-) I’ve always enjoyed working with your team.

GM: Tell us something about the Nestor Pants Line. What’s the significance of the dog design? Is Nestor the dog behind the prints?

KL: Nestor the pit bull was rescued by Berkeley Animal Care Services, CA after abandoned by his family of 5 years. He was adopted by a good friend/customer of mine and now working as a therapy dog.

I became obsessed with this breed after watching some horrible stories about how they have been mistreated by some heartless, greedy humans; as a result, this breed is misunderstood so unfairly and have been banned / killed by human. I live with two toy poodles, and do hope that I will be able to adopt a pit bull in the near future, but right now I am donating a portion of my Nestor printed t-shirt sales to the organization he works at.

There are many cool animal printed t-shirt lines out there, but again, I wanted my pit bull t-shirt to be different from what you can already see in the market. It’s not just a dog printed t-shirt that helps shelter animals; you can still be a unique and fashionable animal lover. :-)

GM: So, people can actually help by purchasing your new line. That’s really awesome. How and where can they purchase your new collection?

KL: My Etsy site: www.kaylim.etsy.com

GM: Any advice you can give to aspiring designers out there?

KL: Well, I am still learning new things everyday in this competitive fashion industry and people can sometimes be very brutal, but keep focusing on being creative and most of all, treat your customers as you want to be treated.

GM: Where can people see more of Ms Kay Lim?

KL: www.kaylimdesign.com

www.facebook.com/kaylimdesign

Thank you, Irvin!

Below is a motio editorial created by the talented Joe Alimagno of StateofJoe

“Playground” featuring KayLim Design from Joe Lorenzo Alimagno on Vimeo.