Who likes getting their picture taken? Yeah, me not so much.
When the publisher mentioned that they would need a headshot for publicity purposes as well as for the book, I panicked a little. True, I could send them the one I already had. The one that's okay. The one that I spent about 10 minutes getting ready for (i.e. running a flat-iron through my hair and applying mascara) only to end up looking pale and washed out. The one where I look stiff from holding my head perfectly still in fear that one perfectly straightened strand would fall out of place. The one where I look half evil and/or mischievous because Chris told me to tilt my head downwards while smiling and I overcompensated. It was good enough for a tiny pic on the blog and on Facebook but yeah, not for sending to the publisher.
So I decided to get real, grown-up professional headshots and take them seriously. I talked to my stylist friend, Ten, who gave me advice on what to wear and where we should take them. I then decided, rather than try to do my own make-up and hair and get extremely frustrated if it didn't work out, I would go to professionals. Being vegan, it was important to me that the professionals I went to used vegan and cruelty-free products.
My normal hairdresser uses vegan products but she's very pricey and does not do make-up or work on Saturdays so she wouldn't work. Awhile back, a reader had asked me for a recommendation for a vegan-friendly salon in west LA. I remembered hearing that Wicked Hair & Make-Up Artistry, a completely vegan salon, had opened recently in Venice so I sent her there. She had her hair cut and colored and had nothing but rave reviews. After I remembered this, I decided to talk to them to see if they would be up for the challenge.
Carlynne Epstein, the owner of Wicked as well as the master stylist and make-up artist for the studio, was very positive and generous and assured me that they would take good care of me. I even sent them a picture of myself from my wedding day to see if they could replicate the hair and make-up (I did it myself that day and in all honestly, I have no idea how I pulled it off because I have tried several times since then copy the look only to end up in tears of frustration) and she was confident that they could.
Wicked is located on Rose Ave. in Venice. It's a small shop, but very cute, stylish, and cozy inside. They offer hair cutting, styling, scalp and conditioning treatments, and coloring, as well as make-up application, brow shaping and facial waxing. All products used in the studio are vegan and cruelty-free and the studio's prices are reasonable to boot!
The women working there were all very friendly and made getting my hair and make-up done a breeze. I actually have a very strong aversion to people touching my face but Carlynne made me super comfortable and I never once got anxious about it.
They did such a fantastic job. I am not ashamed to admit that I looked pretty dang great. Besides looking good for the camera, having my hair and make-up done so well also gave me more confidence during the shoot. My smiles were more natural and I actually had fun during our shoot. And I have to add that Chris did an amazing job with the photos. We're both super proud of the results.
Thank you so much to Carlynne and the team at Wicked Hair & Make-Up Artistry for doing such an amazing job and helping to make my professional headshots totally perfect!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
These are gorgeous!!
Caitlin
absolutely gorgeous. i am so in awe of your beauty...more so than ever before. and i'm the same way with pictures. dayv has tried a million times to take a pic of me for the blog, and i always hate them too much to use them.
Michelle
Great Pictures.... love it
Shannon
Stunning! I have no doubt that you look beautiful all the time, but the pictures are really fantastic 🙂
Katie @ Produce on Parade
Beautiful! Hehe, I like the funny pics! I can completely relate to the whole photo thing...I absolutely abhor being photographed, in any sense. Great job! 🙂
Ana
You look absolutely stunning both in your old headshot and the new one!!
Richa
i wil pay the sweet peeps double if they can take a good headshot for me.. seriously, people just dont know my good angles !
you look absolutely gorgeous and glowing Kristy!
lori @ thehealthminded.com
Thanks for sharing. Never had head shots or professional make-up, etc., done so loved hearing about the process. They look great and love the captions you wrote to the pics. Hilarious!
Amanda
I LOVE the photos, Kristy! Your hair and makeup are perfect and you look genuinely happy and at ease. I'm the same way with being photographed. I used to like it actually, and now, not so much. Kind of interesting reading the comments and seeing that other bloggers feel similarly...this is why we photograph food (and in my case, dogs), right? 🙂
Gabby @ the veggie nook
You are simply gorgeous my dear, they turned out sooo well!!
I hate getting my picture taken, I'm so uncomfortable and stiff. I think it has more to do with knowing I'll have to look at the pictures after and I won't like them. I'm not super photogenic. Luckily I have a couple good ones for blog purposes 😉
Stefanie
Great headshots! Getting professionally made up definitely helps my confidence when I have to get my picture taken. I totally walked by this salon the other day, but I had no idea it was vegan. I'm going to have to check it out!
Rika
Love the beautiful headshots!! I love the "HAAAYYYY" version of you more 😉
Emma
I love them! You look so gorgeous Kristy and I think your energy and warmth really shines through. How cool to find a completely vegan salon too. They did a great job on the hair and make-up.
Cadry
You look stunning! What a treat to find an all-vegan studio to do your hair and make-up. You look like you're really having fun in the photos, and it makes you seem all the more inviting and down to earth. If I saw that girl's picture on a cookbook, I guarantee I would buy it!! 🙂
Lynette
Love your look - and what stunning pics, especially the fun, in action shot. I think feeling comfortable within oneself shines through in pics.
Melissa Bechter
You look lovely! I've been avoiding getting head shots taken because I'm so camera shy --- but gotta get over it!
Liz
First of all, you know now since you mentioned the word wedding, I will not be able to resist the urge to ask for an unveiling of a wedding PICTURE. LOL
Second, I'm quite PARTIAL to your old blog pic since I've been staring at it for about a year now. To me, it's YOU. 🙂
Third, I love how relaxed, at ease, and NATURAL you look in your new ones -- I think my favorite is the hydrant pic. 🙂 All three of the variations are super fun and so pretty. You must be one of Chris' favorite subjects. 🙂
Angie
You look darling and the pictures came out great.
Thank you for posting about this place, I may need to check it out.
Kylie @ FotV
Your pics are adorable! I've been looking for a good hair person in Los Angeles, I'll have to check them out!