It is so mindblowingly exciting when spontaneous magic happens…and so rare. Yesterday I worked on a totally impromptu shoot with rockin’ photographer Paul (Floyd) Baichoo (www.floydandphoenix.com/) and the human chameleon lady Karolina Maria Renor…and ‘something’ happened. It is difficult to explain, complete madness and mess, but when the images come through they will illuminate all. I will post them here shortly!
So I had the opportunity to test-run some new products that I splashed out on a few weeks ago. The brand is called Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC), which suits me as I definitely have OCD. They are US based (as these brands always seem to be), but I found two UK online stockists and went a little click-crazy. The colours are so vivid, you just want to paint graffiti with them (which is kind of what I did yesterday!).
These products are cool in every way. I love the basic packaging and simple idea behind this brand. They have amazing multi-use pigments that you can do pretty much anything (painterly) with. I bought all the primary colours and black and white. They remind me of tiny versions of the powder paints we used in primary school – just mix to create whatever colour you want. The quality is far superior to poster paint, needless to say. I mixed some of them dry and some of them wet, to get different effects and intensity.
I also bought the same colour series in the OCC Lip Tar (LOVE that name), and these too can be mixed however desired. There is also a clear Lip Tar that you can mix any of the pigment powders into. This approach to makeup suits me perfectly, as I always find myself mixing and creating new colours and textures when working. This way of working also broadens the scope of makeup possibilities to nearly anything your mind can conjure!
Oh, and unbelievably, these products are all 100% natural and 100% cruelty-free. This brand sets an excellent example for all those chemical-saturated animal-testing brands out there that top quality, professional, industry-standard makeup can (and should) be 100% ethical. And it also means these products are kind and soothing on the skin – especially important for professional models that are caked in chemicals on a daily basis.
The products I messed around with were the Multi-Purpose Pure Pigments in Titanium Dioxide (white) and Red Iron Oxide (oxblood red), which I mixed with some Loose Colour Eye Concentrate in Pollencount (mica-enhanced daffodil yellow). I bought some cheap mixing palettes from an art shop to do my alchemy. The powder mix made a gorgeous iridescent peach, which I blended into pure Red Iron Oxide on the eyelid for dimension. I used the white Titanium Dioxide wet to create small brushstrokes that were pure white, just like wall paint. It’s so thick and gooey, and stays put perfectly.
Red Iron Oxide Titanium Dioxide Pollencount
I used the Lip Tar in Feathered (pure white) on the lips. You cannot believe how little of this stuff you need for full, thick coverage. A dot will do! It is packed with peppermint oil which is yummy on the lips. The people at OCC do like their cannabis – there is a lot of it in most of their products (hemp is one of the most under-rated miracle plants)!
Lip Tar in 'Feathered'
OCC products are tip top quality; you seriously cannot get any better. Therefore they are worth the price, especially considering that you need the tiniest amount to create full on Warhol-esque faces. I am on a mixing mission now to create loads of new, amazing custom colours. Also, the OCC methodology cuts down on kit space, as you just need the primaries and black and white, some mixing mediums and some glitters. No more bulky kit! Now I just need to save up for their pro airbrushing kit (salivate!). More full reportage will be posted here in due course, so watch this space.
I bought my OCC products here:
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