Haven't updated the blog in a very long time. That's because I have been busy building my photography book. Check back every so often to see more images like this, the undeniably beautiful Michelle Nadeau of Icon Model Management. Makeup by Nicole Lupis. Also, if you haven't already, add me to instagram @guidodisalle to see images and behind the scenes in a more timely manner.....
Pop!
Beautiful and youthful inspired editorial shot by the talented Jessy Pesce. Impeccably styled by Jordana Handler. Flawless makeup translation and application by Juliette Benoit. Our gorgeous model, Kimone Berwise supplied by Victoria Page Management. Hair and Video quickly assembled by Guido Di Salle. ( Yes I just referred to myself in the 3rd person) Enjoy!
Hair and Makeup Refresher for Summer
Every now and then a client sits in your chair that really puts things into perspective. Our makeover candidate is Caitlin and she deserves some thoughtful pampering. Caitlin currently has 2 young children and is caring for her mother who is battling breast cancer. She is exuberant to be getting an update and her personality is infectious. Gina-Marie and I were very willing to give Caitlin a little help in the beauty department, and she was really pleased and thankful for it. These are the kind of situations where you really admire peoples strength, especially for a woman like Caitlin who is juggling her job with family life.
HAIR:
When assessing Caitlin's hair I noticed that her shade of color was off, and that the geometry of her haircut was leaving a little to be desired as well. I addressed the color situation by highlighting the hair and packing many foils close together to achieve a more overall blonde look. The previous color had quite a bit of a medium-golden brown throughout that in my opinion looked like low lights gone bad. I made a conscious effort of weaving my highlights to pick up as much of the previous medium-golden brown so I could really make her color pop. Caitlin looks best light and bright and I kept this feel by toning her with my custom toner that reproduces that "california" blonde I always rave about. This is the kind of blonde I am known for.
With Caitlin's cut, I really liked the length, and in fact have advised her to grow it out a little. The geometry of the cut was a little off with a few sparse layers on top, and not much in terms of layering through out the interior, or what I like to call the "bulk" of the haircut. This is the area that I believe is usually the culprit of bad haircuts. I decided to shorten the layers throughout the interior of this cut and revive it by alleviating some weight.
I finished off Caitlin's look by using some Moroccanoil Volumizing Mousse and blow drying the hair with medium size boar bristle brushes. The new geometry combined with the mousse really provided tons of lift and movement. Caitlin now looks a little more like herself and has a hair style that matches her personality.
MAKEUP:
For Caitlin's look, we went for a soft use of spring/summer-esque colors on both the lips and eyes. She has gorgeous blue eyes which were accentuated with corals and pinks that make blue eyes pop. For some added radiance, I used one of MAKE UP FOR EVER's Star Powders in a beautiful peachy pink to give the lids an iridescent glow. Caitlin wanted to make her eyes look bigger with a cat eye, which we achieved using MAKE UP FOR EVER's Aqua Black gel eye liner with an angled liner brush. Her eyes were open when creating the 'flick' which helped create the shape perfectly without any 'hooks'. Brows were filled in using a brow gel that is waterproof, which means your brows will not sweat off in the heat!
Her skin was a mix of HD Foundation (MAKE UP FOR EVER) in 117 and 120 mixed with Uplight #12 applied with a Beauty Blender (of course!). This is my #1 favourite skin application technique for a gorgeous summer glow. On her lips, we used a pink lipstick that complimented her eye look and skin tone.
Evolution of a Lookbook
This video is a cool new interpretation of a "lookbook". For those that are unfamiliar with a lookbook, these are traditionally used by fashion designers to display their latest and greatest designs. In this video the young and talented local fashion designer Tyler Kenny showcases his handmade pieces on two stunning models from B & M model management, Amanda and Shay. I was happy to have been a part of this production and created some wearable styles that took nothing away from the focal point of this video: jaw dropping fashion designs on two beautiful women. Enjoy!
The Friday Night Lights
Fringe Theatre.
The Kops Record Story.
kops records
So, what is a guy in the beauty biz doing blogging about a record store? Kops Records is the pretty much undisputed king of vinyl in Toronto , being its oldest record store and purveyor of quality music to people who appreciate that sort of thing. It also boasts the largest collection of 45's anywhere in Canada.
The Kops Records story starts with Martin Koppel in 1976 on Queen street. Since then it has moved east and west before settling in its current location at 229 Queen street west. In 1976 Kops inception was strongly tied to Martin's love of "northern soul", a sub genre of music that descended from the mod scene of the 1960's and sounded something more akin to the motown-detroit era of music that we became familiar with in a mainstream way. Northern Soul had become a hit in the dance clubs of northern England, but was virtually unheard of in Toronto, until Martin Koppel came along.
Fast forward about 38 years and Kops Records is alive and well, thriving in a digital modern era where vinyl lovers and audiophiles still appreciate that raw unparalleled sound of a record spinning your favorite tune. Kops recently opened up a Bloor street location as well, to meet the demand of the most discerning music lovers.
About one month ago, we were lucky enough to have been allowed to shoot a fashion editorial at Kops Records, thankfully to Andrew Koppel (son of Martin). We chose the location based on the history and story behind it. Seldom do you find a place in Toronto so entrenched in its past that you virtually feel the energy in the air. We had a vintage, rock type of theme, and the Kops setting was second to none. Our inspiration came from the deep history this store has and we envisioned what it would have been like to walk into that store in the 70's and 80's and browse the then latest and greatest of the music world. That it was we set out to do with our photos and I believe we achieved our objective. (Stay tuned for images).
To have had the privilege to shoot a fashion story in an independent record store with thousands of records, memorabilia and countless autographed pictures on the wall is really something. Listening to old 45's spin while we took shot after shot still resonates a month later. It is a testament to the Kops Records legacy and the fact that after 38 years they are still spinning records the same way they did when vinyl was the only way to go. This is one place I feel really is somewhat of a landmark in Toronto, and when walking down Queen street feel free to drop in and take it all in because Kops Records is in a class of its own.
Friday Night Something...
Two images of a recent photo shoot I did at Violet Blonde Salon for the first day of spring. Wardrobe was inspired by the heady 80's, and a mix of past looks with hollywood hair. More looks to follow, check back shortly!
Credits:
Photography: Daniel Camer
Makeup: Gina Marie Oades
Wardrobe: Kathleen Eastwood
Hair: Guido Di Salle
Models: Sofiya and Dana.
A Toronto Fashion Photo Shoot in 60 seconds.
Recently I had the pleasure to work with a talented team and produce some stunning images. This 60 second teaser gives you a glimpse of what its like behind the scenes:
Top 3 Met Gala Hairstyles
The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute and has been held since 1971. Since then the event has become known for it's status as the elite fashion event of the year and is attended by anyone who is anyone in the fashion and celebrity world. I looked at many photographs of some very stunning and eclectic mixes of hair and fashion, and after scrutinizing quite a bit, I narrowed it down to three impeccable looks that I believe stand out.
Marion Cottilard:
French actress, singer, songwriter, greenpeace activist, and Met Gala standout! What I love about Marion's look is how she worked with her short to medium tresses to create the illusion of a longer classic side swept look that is very fun, yet very French effortless as well. The deep side part with tightly pulled back side give the look a little asymmetry and interest. I love the low, face framing focus, and with a girl as pretty as Marion this is one look that I think people will be talking about for years to come.
Cara Delevingne:
Cara is an English model and socialite, and she can do no wrong! That goes for her hair as well. Another look with an exaggerated deep side part to add interest, and tightly pulled back on one side. Her choice of leaving her ends softer looking with some curl and height through the top are a nice take on some seriously 80's inspired hair. Cara can pull this look off effortlessly, and I would argue that this is a really simple way that most women can make a statement without much commitment.
Amber Heard:
Amber is an American actress who decided to put her hair completely up for the gala, and in my opinion an excellent way to offset her cute girl next door look. It has been awhile since I have seen someone wear their hair up completely, but Amber really left an impression on me with this take on a classic pull back. With tightly pulled back sides, she had some soft touchable height that really gave her a more serious, definitive look. If this looks sets the mood for the current generation of updo's, I am definitely in support!