Analysis of VS Pro Images

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In this post I am going to analyse retouched and un-retouched images from my shoot for VS pro. The aim for VS Pro is to achieve a flawless, glowing, natural beauty look to advertising Victoria’s Secret range of makeup named VS Pro. This range consists of foundations, illuminator’s concealers, powders etc. and the idea is to portray the perfection of a supermodel and show how it can be achieved by using the products.

I utilized the findings I got from my test shoot for this look and built up dark and light foundations to contour the face, rather than contouring with powder. I wanted create more of a natural shine on the face so I used he VS Pro Face Illuminator, this worked very well. The pink/gold toned cream look worked perfectly with Diandra’s skin tone and this is a product I will use on future shoots.

Below shows an image from this shoot, the first is the image in is original form and the second is the retouched version.

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I like the angle and close up of this image and feel the crop is ideal for the look and natural feel I was going for. I feel it also works because the hair was very weak throughout this photo shoot and this shot features very little hair. However, on the original image the shadow and gloss on the lip does not work, it has created an almost lumpy look, rather than a smooth nourished lip. This has only been enhanced on the retouched image. On both images there are evident bags and dark circles under the eyes, this is something that cannot totally be concealed using Photoshop. This is not something that works for a shoot that is promoting products that are supposed to illuminate dark circles. On the retouched version of this image there are several area’s where the skin is uneven and looks over retouched. I have decided to re shoot this look because although I like the angle and crop of the image. I feel the makeup is not good enough to use as an image promoting a natural beauty look that can be achieved with minimal makeup. On my re-shoot of this look I plan to use less makeup and focus that flaws on the face such as dark circles under the eyes, redness and uneven skin tone are fully concealed and do not show up on camera. I also plan to keep a clean lip with minimal gloss and a very natural shade lipstick to ensure that this does not happen again. 

--> Below shows another image I have retouched from this shoot. 

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Here I have clearly airbrushed the skin way too much and blown the skin out so it doesn’t even look real. I have also tried to make the hair look bigger but it is evident I have done this from the blurred edges. It is clear to say I will not be using this image throughout my project, however I will keep it as a reference to remind myself not to go over board with the airbrushing.

Analysis of Very Sexy images

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In this post I am going to analyse a few images from my photo shoot of the Very Sexy theme and discuss the feedback I gained from my tutors. As I plan to re shoot this look the analysis of these images will enable me to identify what worked and what didn’t work in terms of makeup and hair, styling, lighting and poses. By reflecting upon this work it will allow me to progress forward with this look and re shoot to get the result I hope for.

The focus for this look was on the dark smoky eye and glossy red lip for a sultry and seductive look. Below shows the images I used as inspiration for this look. I used these images because I felt they portrayed a glamorous and sultry look that I was going for and they combined both a smoky eye and red lip that worked well together. Upon reflection of this I have realised that the purpose of these images are not for advertising campaigns. Therefore the makeup is a lot heavier than it would be in a beauty advertising campaign and this is something I did not account for when planning my looks for this shoot. 

  Below shows un-retouched images from this shoot for the Very Sexy theme. For this theme I created two looks, the first with a smoky green eye and nude lip and the second with a black smoky eye and red glossy lip. Both these looks were paired with bright blue nail.

 
 

 

   

On first look I was really pleased with how these images turned out. I feel that the bra works well for this theme and complements the makeup without distracting the viewer from it. Using the bra also ties in the Victoria’s Secret brand image and relates the viewer back to the brand. Initially I was happy with the lighting used for this image, I wanted the lighting to be harsher with a stronger contrast than the Dream Angels images. This was in relation to the theme; I felt that by creating a stronger contrast between dark and light it would add to the sultry mood of this shoot. However, when reviewing these images with my tutor I was told that the lighting used had washed out this model’s skin tone, making her skin look slightly dull and ashy and a lot lighter than she is. When looking back at these images and comparing the colour of the models face to her body, this is something I agree with. Throughout these images it is clear that there is two much makeup on the models skin and it has started to make her look very caked. This is not something that would be seen in Victoria’s Secret campaigns, as the models skin is also show to be fresh and glowing. These looks were the last looks of the day and the makeup had been built up and added to from the initial base for each look. This is something I will not do on my next shoots as it makes the makeup look too thick and there is much more coverage on the skin that needs be.

After analysing the images further with my tutors I have come to realise that there is too much makeup for this to be a beauty campaign or even something that would be used for Victoria’s Secret. The red lip and dark smoky are put together are two much for this look. This is something I will consider when re-shooting this look, I plan to do a much more subtle eye and keep a strong red lip. Doing two looks for this theme is not necessary and I feel that the green eye shadow does not fit in well with the theme and the styling as Very Sexy focuses on a more classic glamour and this green eye shadow is at risk of looking dated. The nails also do not work; it looks too much combined with the hair, makeup and bra. For future shoots I will keep the nails clean with no colour and just a clear varnish. 

 

--> To avoid applying too much makeup next time round I have compared and analysed two different images. One is from Victoria’s Secret, advertising their Very Sexy line of lingerie and another is from a campaign for Dior beauty. 

  The Victoria’s Secret image (on left) features the model with fresh glowing skin that has not been over powdered and lips are gently coloured with a berry shade lip stain. The model also has smoky eyes in this look however; they have been blended well across the eye for a very subtle look. This image is sexy and suggestive, however it is done in a very subtle way. This is why is successful and appeals to both women and men. This is something that I need to achieve in my re-shoot of this look I will do this by toning down the makeup. By applying to much makeup, which is what I have done in this shoot, the theme is too obvious and literal and therefore does not appear sexy. The Dior advertisement (on right) features a strong red lip paired with a smoky eye. This works because the eyes a made much more subtle and it is clearly the lips that are the focus this image as they grab the viewers attention and it is the item that is being advertised so it must stand out. This is what I need to do when re-shooting this. As my images are also for the purpose of advertising and selling a product, I first need to ask myself what product will I be selling in this image? This will then enable me to go forward with the look and make that product the focus of the look. For example If it is a lipstick the lips must catch the viewers attention first and if it is an eye shadow the eyes must be the focus of the look.

Analysis of Dream Angels Images

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In this post I am going to analyse a few images from my last shoot and discuss the feedback I received from the tutors. By doing this it will enable me to work out what worked and what didn’t work in terms of hair, makeup, styling, poses and lighting and what I can do to improve the images in the next shoot. Below shows two un-retouched images from the dream angels theme.

I feel that the lighting in these images work and create a soft flattering light across the skin, especially across the cheeks. The bra used for this image works well, the colours and pattern on the bra fits in well with the theme and it ties in with the current Victoria’s Secret advertising campaigns, as they all feature the bras. Using the bra’s in the shots was something I was apprehensive about whilst I was planning the shoot, however, reflecting back on these images I feel that the bra is something that worked well and contributed to the Victoria’s Secret aesthetic, without deterring attention away from the face.  Using bra’s in the images is defiantly something I will continue to do throughout all the photo shoots and I will specifically choose bras that match well with the theme of each shoot.

When looking at these images, the hair is noticeably lacking volume and style. It looks very scraggly and lack lustre, which is defiantly not something that would be seen in Victoria’s Secret advertising campaigns. In both these images the hair is something that brings the whole image down, and after speaking to my tutors it is also something that they agree with. Whilst I was styling the hair on this shoot I was finding it hard to get the hair into the condition and style I was aiming for, which was thick, flowing waves. However, I felt this was something that could be amended in postproduction in Photoshop, looking back at the photos now and discussing it with my tutors I have found that this is something that I shouldn’t rely on. For my future shoots I plan to take much more consideration when approaching the hair and if I am finding the particular style hard I will opt for an easier, more achievable style that will look good on camera.

At first glance at these images I liked the makeup I used around the eyes, I felt that the soft blend of lilac and pink worked well for the theme of dream angels and for my idea of pastel colours. When I was planning these looks I looked to the images below for inspiration and an idea of what I planned to do and I felt that I had interpreted the look well. However after discussing the look with my tutors they did not feel that these colours worked well on the eyes .The way I had blended the colour up close to the brow bone created a more dated and eighties look and I have been advised to re shoot the look. 

I found it hard envision how I can re shoot the look without making the same mistake again, so I examined other beauty advertising campaigns that have used pastel colours. --> Below shows beauty advertising campaigns for spring 2013 from Dior, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent.

Dior Cherie Bow Spring 2013

Chanel Spring 2013











Yves Saint Laurent 2013











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All these campaigns feature pastel colours on they eyes, you can see the application of the makeup has been very softly done and creates a subtle effect that really works when using pastel colours. This is something I did not do when using pastel colours on Diandra, by comparing these it has helped me to see the difference and to understand why my images did not work. I will defiantly be taking a lighter approach with the application of colours when I re shoot this look. In all the images from the advertising campaigns the skin is kept very clean and dewy, this is something that works extremely well as it adds to the fresh spring look. When re shooting this look for dream angels I will also create a clean and dewy base for the skin, as it is something that embodies both the Victoria’s Secret brand and the dream angels theme. My favourite of the three is the Dior Cherie Bow campaign; I love the way they have used the same colours on the lips, eyes, cheeks and nails. This matchy makeup look is on trend and it creates an ultra girly but chic look, as the colours all work harmoniously together it is very pleasing to the eye which is key in any advertising material for a brand. I am going to use this style of matching the makeup on the cheeks, lips and eyes in the reshoot for this look, as I think it will work very well for the portrayal of dream angels because it is soft, feminine with a playful element to it. In both the Chanel and Dior campaigns they have used pink/peach colours on the eyes, this works well and these colours are something I will experiment with before shooting this look again. I think that using pink/peach tones is a good way to use pastel colours and avoid the mistake I have made by making it look dated and eighties. For the dream angel reshoot I am going to use a different model because I feel these colours will look suit someone with fair skin and features rather than someone with darker skin. Below shows the model I propose to use for dream angels, she is a great model I have worked with before and I feel her soft features a light skin tone will be perfect for pastel colours and matching makeup I propose to use. 

First Photo Shoot

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Yesterday I had my first photo shoot for the project, for this photo shoot I decided to shoot the looks for the core themes, Very Sexy, Dream Angels and VS pro. These photos are for the purpose of the look book and potentially the in store advertising boards.

My initial feelings about this shoot are very positive, I feel the photo shoot went very smoothly with no last minute disasters. Whilst on the shoot I was very pleased with how the makeup looked on the model. Now, looking back at the raw files at the photos I am still very happy with the results, although I can see some obvious areas for retouching in terms of the hair and evening out the skin tone. I feel I have achieved the looks I was going for and clearly portrayed each theme, through the makeup, hair and styling.

I had a detailed plan including my initial mood boards for the three themes, a storyboard of the makeup looks, lighting and poses and three face templates of the looks I planned to d. Face templates are featured below, the top two are for the very sexy theme and the bottom two are for the dream angels theme.

My team on this shoot consisted of my model, a photographer and a nail artist who I collaborated with as part of her final major project. To prepare my team I sent the story boards round to the photographer and model to ensure that they were clear on my objective and outcomes for the shoot and to provide a better idea of my project and the sort of imagery I am aiming to achieve, because leading up to the shoot I had only spoken about what I am planning do and had not yet shown any visuals.  Leading up to the shoot I had discussed with the nail artist ideas for the nails and what sort of colours and patterns would work. We decided on having a clean light coloured nail for VS pro as the focus is on natural beauty, a darker nail for Very Sexy and to have Victoria’s secret signature pink stripes and the VS motif for the dream angels theme. I decided to include nails in the photographs because having researched Victoria’s Secret beauty product line; I found they also sell nail polish. So I felt the nails will be a fitting addition to the shot.

I feel that by preparing for the shoot, providing images and taking all the visuals to the shoot, it enabled me to be more organised on the shoot and clearly show my vision. As a result of this I felt the team worked very well together as everyone had the same idea of what the final outcome needs to look like. I feel that there are aspects of the shoot that I could of planned out better and researched into more, such as the lighting and props I planned to use. I had a rough idea of the sort of lighting I wanted for each shot, for VS pro I envisioned a beauty light that show the skin in the most flattering way with a balance a shadow and light. For Dream Angels I planned to have more light exposure to create a slightly hazy effect to make the image look slightly softer and dreamlike. For Very Sexy I planned to have a much harsher and stronger light for a more sultry effect. Reflecting back on this shoot I needed to provide much more detailed visuals of the sort of lighting I wanted as the only visuals I provided for ideas of lighting where the ones in my story boards. When asked by my photographer questions about the lighting I was unable to be as specific as she wanted because I had not given it enough thought and provided good enough examples to show. This also goes back to the test shoot I had done in preparation for the shoot, as I had only photographed it using my IPhone rather than a professional camera. Next time when conducting test shoots I will photograph them properly, which will allow me to see what sort of lighting works best with the makeup, giving me a clearer idea on the day of the shoot. I made a last minute decision the day before the shoot to include feathers in some of the images for dream angels. I felt that the feathers would fit in with the theme of dream angels and my initial idea was to have my model Diandra cupping her hands together and holding them out in front of her with the feathers and blowing them towards the camera. Again, as this was a last minute decision to use the feathers I didn’t have any visuals to back this idea up. We tried the idea on the shoot however it was harder to achieve because I didn’t have any visuals and Diandra’s facial expressions whilst blowing the feathers did not look good. This idea is something that could have been executed well, if I would have given it more thought and provided visuals such as an editorial where this had been done before. All in all I have learnt from these experiences and be sure to provide much more detailed visuals and clearer ideas for every aspect of the shoot and not just hair and makeup.

 

Tutorial with Neil Sahni

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This week I was given the opportunity to have a one-to-one tutorial with brand development expert Neil Sahni, to talk about this project. I felt this was an excellent time to ask how I can make this advertising campaign more innovative and original in terms of layout, and the way the new collection and the different themes are translated to customers in a way that is clear and precise, but still eye catching and desirable. When explaining my project to Neil and describing my aims and objectives for this project which are to create an advertising campaign for Victoria’s Secret beauty that is on the same scale as their advertising campaigns for their lingerie. In turn highlighting and promoting Victoria’s Secret beauty as a larger aspect of the brand than it currently is, as well as showcasing the new collection for 2014. Neil suggested I look at this campaign from different standpoints and explore different strategies such as writing a proposal than entails how the new collection would look in the London stores, to think about the merchandising, where the products are placed in store, what the display will look like and how the associates interact with the customers to sell the products. It was also suggested that I talk about the customers experience when purchasing the makeup, offering samples in store and looking into the distribution strategy, such as offering incentives with purchases. Initially, I was unsure about this idea because I felt it was going slightly off task to what my main aims for this project are. However, upon reflection of this idea I feel it will be very beneficial to include because instead of just focussing on the promotional advertising campaign it will allow me to better communicate and illustrate my vision for the Victoria’s Secret beauty collection and in turn it further promotes the collection by offering incentives and samples. Another idea suggested was to propose an event to launch and promote the new beauty collection, that will take place in the London’s flagship Victoria’s Secret store in Bond Street and then write a press release for the event that would go in magazines and on websites. Again, I was unsure about this idea because I wasn’t sure where it would fit in with the advertising campaign or how I would present it in the final production of this project. However after given further thought I feel that a press release is something that will benefit the project and fit in very well. By doing the press release and doing more in terms of the PR side of advertising rather than just focussing on the creative and promotional material it allows me to create a launch for Victoria’s Secret 2014 beauty collection rather than just an advertising campaign. I also feel that it rounds of this project, rather than just focussing on one aspect which is the advertising, it looks at all aspects, as any brand would do when launching a new collection.

When explaining and showing Neil my concepts for the different themes that will be shown throughout the advertising campaign such as Very Sexy, Dream Angels, VS Pro, Grecian Goddess, Hindu Goddess and Galactica, Neil said it was to confusing to have all these different concepts shown throughout the advertising campaign, especially in just one look book. This is something I agreed with, and so to overcome this issue Neil suggested as having Very Sexy, Dream Angels and VS pro as the core themes in the look book, they can also be split up into daytime and evening looks. Then for the additional themes that I have developed from research on upcoming trends, can be limited addition ranges for each season. For instance, the Grecian Goddess theme will be the summer’s limited edition range, the Hindu Goddess theme will be the spring limited edition range and Galactica will be autumns limited edition range and a new theme will be developed for the winter limited edition range. This idea is defiantly something I will include in the look book and feel it fits in perfectly with the Victoria’s Secret brand as they have offered limited edition ranges in their perfume lines before. This concept of offering limited edition ranges also enables me to communicate all the themes throughout the look book in a simple and clear format for consumers, which is key when creating a look book. The idea of limited editions also offers a sense of newness, which the Victoria’s Secret customer loves. The fact that it is limited and will be available for that season only, urges customers to purchase the products because it generates a feel of exclusivity, which is desirable, as each one is specific to a season it tells customers that those colours are also on trend, which will encourage them to buy.

This tutorial was extremely useful to me and has given me more clarity on the direction of my project and the layout of my look book and the components of the advertising campaign. Hearing the perspective and opinion of a brand development expert has been extremely beneficial because it has opened my eyes to the PR and marketing side of this project, rather than just the creative side. Neil’s advice and opinions on this project has allowed me to view it from a different perspective, not just as an advertising campaign, but also as a launch for the Victoria’s Secret 2014 beauty collection. In turn this meeting has given me new ideas in developing this project and has allowed me to progress my research and development for the look book and how I will promote the new range, with a clearer concept and direction.

Third Tutorial

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After showing and discussing the revised Grecian goddess mood board with my tutor we have decided that this one works. As a result of my research over the past week I have decided not too create a trend package that will determine the colours for the 2014 Victoria’s Secret beauty collection. But, instead to comprise a trend package out of the mood boards I have created for each theme. This will give a much clearer idea of the direction and concept behind the advertising campaign and in turn each theme offers up its own colour palate, this is something that will be shown throughout this trend package. This is a decision my tutor has also agreed with. After speaking about my work and what I propose to do for my upcoming shoots, which is shown in the story board for my upcoming shoot below. 

My tutor has advised me that I need to work on the originality of this project by proposing a unique way of promoting the beauty collection. This issue is something I have struggled with throughout the production of this project because whilst I am aware I need to make this advertising campaign new and original from what Victoria’s Secret has already done, I must ensure that I keep with the brand image so it is easily recognisable by viewers as a Victoria’s Secret advertising campaign. To gain a better understanding of what I can do to make this original I will further analyse my competitors and look at what they are doing to stay fresh, original and up to date whilst promoting their products.

Development of VS Pro

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As well as developing this mood board, I have also worked on the VS pro theme and have developed the sort of textures and effects I want and what products to use on my upcoming shoots. As the VS pro theme is based around a natural beauty look, the emphasis being on a healthy, glowing base for the skin, I conducted a test shoot to see how I would achieve this look.  For the test shoot I used a Mac primer to prep the face and built up Mac face and body foundation for the base. Instead of using just one colour for the whole face, as I usually do when creating a base, I used a variety of dark and light colours of this foundation to contour and highlight the face. As this look is going to be photographed, just using foundations to create shade and light is not enough, so I used the lightest shade in my grease paint palate under the eyes, on the top of the cheek bones and along the bridge of the nose up to the centre of the forehead. I powdered the face and intensified the cheekbones adding an additional darker bronzer along them. I also as added a subtle brown shadow along the eye socket to bring out the eyes. Pictures of this look are shown below.

 

I was happy with the finished look and I felt that using different shades of foundation to contour and highlight the face worked much better than using powder, the finished look was very dewy with a slight shine, which is what I was aiming for. After finishing this look I did not shoot it with a camera against plain backdrop, I just photographed the look with my IPhone. Reflecting back I felt that if I took the pictures using a professional camera against a backdrop I would have got a much better idea of how this look will look on camera, rather than taking a basic photo with my phone. This would of allowed me to be more prepared for my upcoming shoot as I would of known exactly how it was going to look on camera. Despite this, the test shoot was still successful as it has allowed me to prepare what products I will need in for the look and what method of application will work best to create the desired effect for this theme. From this I will continue to plan my looks and collect references for my upcoming shoot, based on the knowledge I have gained from this test shoot.