Crystal Healing

I wanted to include a crystal of the week feature in my blog articles, this was something I had proposed in the early stages, but after attempting to shoot the crystals and feeling unsuccessful  this idea took a back seat. 

Here is an example of what I mean...

The images didn't work for me, they just look thrown together. I tired to create a mood around the crystal, for amethyst it is tranquil and aids sleep so i photographed it with the lavender but feel it was unsuccessful. 

After a meeting with Emma, she suggested creating moods through images of models, not marco shots. I tried out shooting the crystals again, but this time on a body. It made sense as the crystals are placed on the body for direct healing, so shooting them on a table wasn't the way to show this. 

I think the images look good because I used a model with such a small stomach, I would have preferred to have used a model that better represents my readers but i feel the image would have probably been criticised if I didn't pull the photography off. This image doesn't work for me personally because I feel I have seen images like this everywhere in general advertisement. But I trust emma judgement, I have showed a few of my peers the images and had positive feedback, so will be using one of these images to accompany my crystal healing post. 

DIY bath bar feature image

I arranged a photo-shoot with my friend phele after being inspired by this image by Maisie Cousins (I think she may be my favourite photographer-sorry Prue!). purple, especially lilac is my favourite colour, and when paired with black skin i think the colour looks even more beautiful. I wanted to create an image like this for my coconut and essential oil bath bar tutorial. 

Im really excited about the images I got today, I think they are so beautiful too look at (if i don't say so myself). I need to lighten the backdrop as it looks much darker than on the back of the camera, but I'm confident I can adjust that fine. 

 With a lot of images to chose from I am happy I have the feature image for my blog post.

RMS order 2

I have been looking at what make-up to chose for the RMS beauty shoot, I have a model ready and think she would look beautiful in and shade as her complexion is neutral and I have seen her model many different looks. 

After endless browsing I decided to get two eye polishes and a lip shine. 

Magnetic: Our biggest seller is this taupe/silver shadow with a hint of mauve.
Seduce: Sensuous earthy brown hue that can double as a contour.
Honest: A nude, dusty rose.

Skin 

Natural dewy glow, no sparkle or shimmer, just healthy glowing skin. This will be achieved with patting the living luminizer on the high point of the face. Dusty nude pink lip with lip shine in shade honest. Magnetic polish washed on the lids for a healthy look without too much shadow. 

Hair

The hair will be wet down completely and then coconut oil will be added to sooth down the hair into a slick, chic style. 

Social media

I have launched a Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram page for the blog. I will be posting teasers up until the launch of the blog. I have not use social media all that often this year, I've been too busy really and find it boring a lot go the time. I think I will find it hard to keep up with uploaded often, thats something i fell out of love with. If you do not post a picture every day on Instagram follows lose interest, you take a day off and before you know it you are yesterdays news. Hopefully i will stay determined...

Creating water droplets

I was thinking about what type of feature image i should have for my Jojoba oil post. While I like the close up of the bottle, flowers and crystals I feel there needs to be a feature image that shows how nourishing this product is. 

I like the idea of water droplets on the skin. It's something that looks really visually pleasing and I'd like to try out an idea i've had to imitate the effect. 

 An example of the desired effect. 

Trial

I am really happy with how this trial went! I love the effect of the glass pebbles and feel I've managed to create the desired effect. While this was meant to be a test I feel like I have usable images. I am so pleased with the lighting and clarity, it did take me a while to perfect the set-up and at times I wasn't really sure how it was looking but seeing the images on a computer screen is much different. 

Arabian Oil Feature Image

The mood I am trying to create with the Arabian oil article is fresh, clean and luxurious. I have been in the studio with a model and tried to encapsulate the scent. I used white petals and grass to create freshness and also purity. I feel like the shoot went well and I am pleased with the images. i love the wet look of the oil and how the body hair creates texture. My model was worried about me shooting her bod hair up so close, but I assured her this was what I was hoping to achieve. Body hair is pretty unacceptable and while there is a body hair don't care movement, it is very much something that is seen on Instagram but not so much out in the street. I want to promote natural beauty and think I have done this in todays shoot without showing armpits or pubic hair, so i think it adds rather than distracts from the perfume post.

Wild Medicine Soap shoot

Wild Medicine is an American brand from Los Angeles, created by three friends that care about organic and holistic personal care. I saw the brand on Instagram and instantly fell in love. I'm always looking for crystal alternatives and think its the perfect products to talk about on the blog. 
I was hoping to purchase the Titanium treated quartz and tea tree soap, simply as it was my favourite of the seven different soaps. However, it was out of stock in the UK and I wasn't sure how long it would take to arrive so purchased the rose geranium soap that is a collaboration with Content Beauty. 

I really enjoyed shooting this soap, I think the look of it is exactly what I want for my blog and after some post production I will have clean simple images. 

***

Looking back I think I should have wet the soap as you can see the clarity and the crystal better. I was not to know as did not find out until I used it a few times, in order to write a better informed article. I have also realised when referring back to the website I accidentally shot the soap upside down! I cannot re-shoot as the soap is clearly used and the soap now is out of stock! 

Rose Petals

I thought about what feature image this article should have and as it is really about the fragrance of the geranium rose essential oil I decided to try out rose petals on the skin, I also added grass as I really love the natural combination. The geranium also has a slightly minty and fresh smell so feel the grass clippings are appropriate. 

I used coconut oil on the skin which allowed the petals to stick and create an over-oiled look. I used my personal organic stuff but think I should buy some of the cooking oil they sell in Tesco as it was pretty wasteful. 

 Here are some more of the images, I am happy with how the shoot went, however I wasn't able to locate a tripod and found it hard to focus at times as I prefer to shoot manually. It is vital I get a tripod for my next shoot like this.

Arabian Oil

I have decided I will be writing an article about the Arabian oil I purchased. I had a conversation with Emma about different ways of incorporating fragrance into organic lifestyles that isnt regular liquids in a spray bottle. One way of showing this is through organic essential oils, but with those comes risk assessment, whereas with this oil a person only needs a drop on the pulse point for three day wear. Only a small amount is needed and the ingredients are so minimal. 

I took the oil in and wanted to shoot it with one of my clear quartz geodes. The fragrance is called white musk so I wanted a crisp, clean prop to use in conjunction. 

I was really happy with the images I had taken in the studio looking at the camera screen, but importing them onto my desktop I can see the lighting is really bad, its far too low and I don't like how dark the background looks. While i like to have a slight grey tint instead of bright white, this is too dim. 

I do however think the oil looks interesting in the images, I like the bottle and as it is made from glass and metal these are good materials to work with my ethos. But thinking more about this being a fragrance still life, I need to find a way to produce a mood for the scent. When re-shooting this image I will try to achieve the luxe yellow filter and consider the rest of the images for the article. 

One last thing I really adore about this oil is you can rub in into the ends of the hair, which release the gorgeous scent as the hair moves. 

*Re-shoot*

I have been back in the studio with the oil and have captured some images I am really proud of and excited about. I had such a good session in the studio, I really enjoyed myself and felt content and most of all time passed so quick as I was really enjoying myself. 

I used the flash setting on the white balance adjustments, i know this is the correct setting to have but usually prefer shooting in auto for a cooler toned image. However I feel the warm yellow tint really works for this product and image. It is not exactly how i want the images to look but feel so confident once I have a play around in photoshop Im going to have my second shoot of final images I will be publishing on the blog.  

The Soap Lab

My auntie used to be involved in a soap making project with the Combodi Sisters in Lusaka and Mongu. She took me over to the soap lab where I made 100% organic and natural soap with the sisters. It was amazing to see something so easy yet effective. The soap is really versatile and can be used to wash clothes and dishes too.

The small soaps made in silicone cup-cake moulds were 3 Kwatcha, which was around 15p.

You could also buy bigger bars which were 8 Kwatcha, still so cheap!

The main ingredient is the oil from the jatropha seed, the name means 'doctors nutrient' and is a nourishing oil for the inside and out, even promoting healthy teeth. The longest process of the soap making is extracting the oil by crushing. 

The rest of the process involves mixing the ingredients, water, sodium hydroxide, oil and then finish with essential oil. The soap is then left for around a month to cure.

I want to add a DIY element to my blog, while buying organic products is a positive step, actually having the ingredients to make a range of products would be more beneficial. I have seen some coconut oil bath melts on Pinterest, I am going to look at creating some of those and writing a tutorial style blog post.

Zambia

I spent my time in Zambia working with my auntie and uncle on their environmental projects. My auntie is a Moringa farmer, she has a plantation called Mother Earth which also has a lot of other plants such as neem trees. My uncle is a builder and is in the process of building my Auntie a Moringa factory that washes and dries the leaves, which is hopefully able to function completely without electricity. This way when the power cuts they can continue working. 

Moringa

Moringa oil comes from the seeds of Moringa Oleifera Tree. These are extremely rich in phytonutrients and can make a great impact on your overall health.

Neem 

Neem is an amazing gift from nature! It offers unbeaten and medically proven health and beauty benefits. The oil derived from neem seeds is ever more amazing! It is used as a main ingredient in many skin and hair care cosmetics. 

I helped plant seeds and learnt about making black soil to grow the miracle trees. Moringa oil is gaining popularity in cosmetics with the body shop and Estee lauder launchig products with the ingredient. Though organic and 100% pure is much more beneficial. 

During my first week in Mongu I did not have my suitcase as it was left in Dubai, I was incredibly distressed about it as I did not have my skincare products for my eczema, suncream or shampoo, let alone a hairbrush. But I soon realised none of it mattered, everything I needed was already there. Instead of moisturising with coconut oil I cut down pieces of Aloe Vera each morning to sooth my skin, I hand washed my clothes every morning, wearing the same top and trousers for an entire week is not something I would do at home but it really didn't matter to me out there.

One day I learnt how to make concrete water jars instead of using plastic ones, how to make renewable energy with hand made briquettes instead of charcoal and how to make a solar cooker with a cardboard box, sheet of tinfoil and plastic bag. 

It was really amazing to visit such an organic and environmental place, I have always questioned the UK and living here, as I grew up in Germany which was much more environmental than England, i was confused at why nobody washed their yogurt pots out and didn't recycle that much when I first got here. I expect I will return to Zambia after university to learn and experience much more.

Dubai

My recent trip to Dubai was beneficial to my project. I visited the Wafi shopping centre and souk market which to my surprised offered a wide range or natural and organic products. Nature provided inspiration through colour and texture. 

I am not familiar with this seed but a large tree covered in hundreds of them caught my eyes. The blushy pink tone is gorgeous, I want to wear it on my cheeks, I am really fond of pink and green combinations, it reminds me of the spring time. 

I purchased some oil from a shop called Ajmal Eternal in the Wafi shopping mall. It is concentrated fragrance oil and only contains one ingredient. These oils can be used on their own or are customisable with other oils. I love how versatile organic products are, since converting my make-up and personal care product shelf looks empty but I have never felt like I have a more luxury regime than ever before. 

I tested so many beautifully scented organic creams, pastes and oils. All leaving my skin feeling unbelievable smooth and I smelt amazing for days after.

I also popped in to Neals Yard Remedies, but after working out the conversion rate I realise the products were double the price, must be the shipping.