A couple of months ago I shot with an incredible German photographer, Sylvio Kuehn, who had come to Dubai with three stunning German models, Semy A, Janine R and Hana N. We shot in and around a resort in Ras Al Khaimah, a neighboring emirate of Dubai, as well as in the desert near the Big Red dune.
This particular shot was taken at the beach of the resort early afternoon, so naturally the skin and eyes were tired after three days of continuous shooting and up to 5 complete makeup changes per day ... doesn't stop Janine from looking overly-gorgeous though!
HOW TO ADHERE GOLD LEAF
Whilst the process of adhering gold leaf is rather simple, it is the time you need, which makes it challenging. So, you have got to keep your cool while the team is breathing down your neck waiting for you to finish :)
I prefer to use nail art gold leaf, it's extremely thin and fragile but fuses beautifully with the skin, as opposed to the thicker commercial gold leaf available at Arts & Crafts stores.
I use either of 2 products as a base for the gold leaf. Which one I choose depends on the sensitivity of the model's eyes. I always try my preferred method first, however, switch to my second option if the first one is in any way uncomfortable for the model.
1 - BEN NYE GLITTER GLUE
This product does sting when used on sensitive skin, hence always test it before use and refrain from using it if the model feels any discomfort. The advantage of using this product is that once the gold leaf is placed it does not move, unlike with other products.
Simply swipe the tiniest amount of the product onto the skin (as far away from the actual eye as your design permits) and place the small pieces of gold leaf one by one where needed.
Only use this if you are a professional makeup artist as this product requires extreme caution when used near the eyes, otherwise use option 2 below.
2. KRYOLAN GLITTER GEL
As my second option I use Kryolan's Glitter Gel (you could also use any cream base or clear gloss). The disadvantage of this product is that it moves and, hence, so does the gold leaf. You will need to pay close attention to the gold leaf during the shoot and keep interfering constantly fixing any gold pieces that have slid off.
With both options the gold leaf can easily be removed with eye-makeup remover or a mild soap and warm water.
Really, you can use lots of products to adhere gold leaf to, however, do ensure that whatever product you are using is safe near the eyes.
Here are some out-takes (unedited): Our poor model's eyes are red from exhaustion :(
photo credits: www.sylviokuehn.com
