Alright Mr. DeMille, I'm Ready for My Close Up - Bucket List Item #4

     Let me begin by stating (quite clearly), I AM NO MODEL. I don't pretend to be. In fact, it took a bit of coercion to even get me to agree to do the shoot. I'm a makeup artist. I ordinarily hang out on the OTHER side of the camera, but as my bucket list would indicate, it is something I always wanted to do, even if no one but me ever saw the pictures.
     With that being said, my friend Tisha (yes, the one who I worked with on the film) is also a photographer and asked me if I wanted to do a shoot with her. I thought it'd be a good opportunity to shoot some of my makeup and utilize the photos for my portfolio. (Plus, I wanted to see if my hundreds of hours spent watching Top Model would finally pay off. FYI - it didn't! That shit's harder than it looks!).
So here are some of the shots, not many but a few, just so I can show you that I did it.
    I was super self-concious. I was freezing. And I am wildly critical of the shots that we ended up with, but overall it was a really fun time, especially because Tisha and me together is always a recipe for madness and ridiculousness.

Show Business? More like SNOW Business!

     Ok, so as I mentioned, movie making isn't nearly as glamourous as it sounds, but it is especially heinous when it is negative six degrees outside and there is no functioning bathroom on set. Without complaining too much, this experience was literally HELL ON EARTH. The people were great, but the conditions were SOOOO difficult that it made it almost impossible to enjoy. We worked an average of 12-13 hours a day (not including over an hour of travel each way from the set to the hotel) in the freezing cold and without much sleep. Late nights. Early mornings. And if you weren't already aware, I HATE the cold. I am not cut out for it. A few years ago I decided that I'd had enough of the winters of the Northeast and packed up my life and moved to sunny Florida. Glorious beach days in February. Yeah, that's what I was daydreaming about while losing my toes to frostbite on set. I literally had to wear every article of clothing I brought every. single. day. Eww gross. Tisha and I even took a trip over to Goodwill to stock up on sweaters and more layers because we were so friggin cold.
    But as I said, putting ALLLLLL that aside, it was a pretty cool learning experience and the people were pretty fantastic. I had a blast with Tisha (together we are insanity personified!) and the rest of the talent and crew maintained an oddly positive outlook despite the conditions. I think we all had our moments where we were on the brink of short-circuting, but in general, we all hung in there. I learned some valuable lessons about set etiquette and makeup for film and other things and most importantly, I now have my official first film credit! I was also featured in a photo in the Philadelphia Inquirer and on www.philly.com for my work as a makeup artist in the film. So that's cool.
    Below are some pictures from set. Let me warn you, when you are freezing cold and WAITING (which was like 90% of our day), you get a little kookadoo. Hence some of the wacky pictures. Enjoy!
(For legal reasons, I'm not certain about the parameters of how (if I am at all) allowed to mention the title of the film just yet. So I'm going to hold off because I can't quite afford a lawyer if I'm sued. ;)

Noree Victoria on set
Photography Credit: Jennifer Helene Photography 

Krista Robelle as Holly Monroe
Photography Credit: DerekBrad Photography

Yup, that's the sunrising. And I'd already been on set for hours. 

The Crew and Talent at chow time in holding. 

On set in the maze - check out the creepy clown in the background at crafty. Yikes. 

You can't even IMAGINE the weird and creepy shit we found on location.
I guess that's what happens when you film at a fright farm.

Bundled up and still smiling. Or maybe my face just froze that way. Hmm...

It's a little blurry, but that's me and Tish bundled up to our eyeballs trying not to freeze our asses off!

Another creepy clown. We became buds.
He kept me warm during the long periods of waiting.

That's my scared face. 

That's not a person, it's a prop that's hanging in the maze.
I was trying to make the face he's making.  TWINS!

This is why you don't give the prop gun to the makeup girl! 

Yup, shenanigans.  

Kristin and Logan gettin in on the prop gun action!

This is BY FAR my favorite picture ever.
We didn't stage it this way, but the clown over Kristin's left shoulder is HILARIOUS!

Chillin' at montior waiting waiting for 'last looks'.  (94% of my day.) 

Driving to set - at the ass crack of dawn!

Finally indoors! Filming at a cafe for half the day. 

Ooh! That's me in the paper! Right in the middle! 

Me and Tish doing our impression of an eskimo!

This is me, on set. And that foggy mess around me is my ICE COLD BREATH!

Tish made this meme - a picture of us before and after the shoot. Haha.

Ok, so clearly, the cold weather makes people looney.

But it's evident that we did the best we could to have fun and make the best with what we got! 

I'll keep you posted on the progress of the film and when it is expected to drop. 

Lights, Camera, Action! - Bucket List Item #26

     Today was my first day on a movie shoot for a horror film where I am working as the Assistant Makeup Artist on set. Whaaaat?!?
On location.
With real paid actors.
With a real live budget.
Pretty cool, eh?
    But let me tell you, it isn't as glamourous as you'd think. Today it snowed almost 12" and the mayor announced a State of Emergency and guess who was still working!?! (If you guessed us, you'd be right!) It's been freezing and a little insane but so far, it has been a really great learning opportunity! I am working with my long time friend, Tish, who is Key Artist for the shoot, and together we are having a stupidly good time. She cracks me up and we are rooming together at the hotel on location so obviously there are many laughs. Lots of chinese food. And zero sleep.
    You know what they say, there's no business like show business!

Our setup! Holy makeup batman! 

SOOOO EXCITED TO GET STARTED! Btw, it's only like 6:30am and like 20 degrees!
That's an impressive amount of enthusiasm for not having had coffee yet! 

Me and my BEAUTIFUL Tish! 

Hotel shenanigans - fun with hair extensions!  L'chaim!! 

I've always wanted a mustache! Mwah ha ha!
(Tisha says I look like Moses!)

My Last Hurrah - Day 108

How am I leaving London already?
How did four months pass so quickly?
How am I leaving a place where I feel so at home?
The answer is: I have no effing idea.
Not a clue.
But I am devestated. So much so that I can't even put it into words.
I just keep crying.
Matt says that I just have to think of going home as a 'holiday' from which I'll return.
That I'll be back to London before I know it.
I truly hope he's right.

Me and my buddy Houshang saying goodbye! Isn't he friggin adorable!?!

My Perfect Last Night In London - Day 107

     After spending the day shopping at Spitalfields in Shoreditch (yay for my new hipster blue slouch hat!), I had the most amazing time and last night in London at Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland with Matt. We decided that instead of sitting down to eat at a restaurant that we would run around the festival and partake in the yummy food stalls and Bier Gardens. Totally brilliant idea. It was exactly the way I wanted to spend the last night of one of the best, most memorable trips of my life. With a good friend. Eating yummy food. Drinking delicious bier. In one of the greatest cities in the world. It was perfect and almost broke my heart to have so much fun. But, I can't think like that. I am lucky to have had every moment I did in London and I am really blessed to have reconnected with Matt after all this time. It's amazing how life brings people into (or back into) our lives when we need them most. Out of all of the wonderful things I experienced on this adventure, it's one of the things I am most grateful for. I will miss him dearly and know that it will only be a matter of time before we are causing havoc again soon. Xo.

Most delicious pork EVER on the babiest little fork of all time! 

Pork skins?!? Ewww..... JUST KIDDING! DEEEELICIOUS!

A beer the size of my head!

An authentic "Bier Garten!!" 

Paul Van Dyk with Aileen and Jeremy! - Day 105

There are no words to express the EPIC-NESS (so not a word) of the last night I spent in London with Aileen and Jeremy. As she would say, it was amazeballs. Aileen bought us tickets to a dance club called Electric Brixton where one of her favorite DJs, Paul Van Dyk, was playing. His set was to begin at 1:00am so we met for dinner at Gaucho in Richmond, close to where they live. Let me tell you: I had THE BEST STEAK I'VE EVER EATEN. Seriously. I almost cried it was so good. I don't really even eat meat but this steak was ridiculous. Like melt in your mouth, cut with a fork, little nuggets of bloody bovine deliciousness. Yeee-haaaww. (Sorry I get graphic when I'm excited.)

After dinner went back to their flat to watch a movie because we had some time to kill before heading over to the club. For the record, don't watch the film Lone Survivor before heading out to the club. Major downer. I cried off all my makeup and my fake eyelashes ended up on my chin. No bueno.

Anyway, so about 11:30 we headed over to Brixton from Richmond and then waited in the queue to get in and then DANCE TIME BABY. Holy cow it was insane. The DJ before Paul Van Dyk was decent, but when Van Dyk took over, it was utterly bonkers. People went crazy. We were all smushed on to the dance floor and jumping around like idiots for six hours! He went on at 1:00am and played a five hour set. Trance music generally isn't my thing so I was afraid that I was going to lose interest after like a hour, but NO I was a dancing fool and I could have kept on going for another five hours! I kinda can't wait to go to another one. I think he plays in Australia next... hmmm....