SAW Halloween Make-Up Tutorial

Wanna play a game? BOSS Creative Rebecca Cawthra does! This Halloween, our make-up artist went for a horror inspired look, recreating the costume from the SAW movies.

For Rebecca's booking information visit our website.

See how she got the look in this video:

'Witches Bitches' and 'Scream Queens' Styled by Sarah Hills-Smith

BOSS Creative Sarah Hills-Smith has used her fashion styling skills to create chic and glamorous witches in these mystic editorials. Look no further for your Halloween outfit inspiration!

See Sarah's full profile on our website.

A day in the life of...a Food Stylist

Nick Walsh, Food Stylist 

Visit our website for booking information. 

What I do… I’m basically responsible for preparing and displaying food for so it fulfils a brief. I normally get the brief from the client a week before the shoot so I know what’s going on depending on the job. For some jobs it’s literally styling a product that’s already there and made, for example tomorrow the client is bringing their product from their café, and then I’ve just got to style it. Other times I will have to prep the food as well. Food stylists arrange the food differently to the way a chef might do it. Quite often for the jobs the client will send over a moodboard or they give me a Pinterest link so I have an idea of what I’m working around.

When I wake up… I normally get up and my pet rabbit Boggle is waiting for me at the top of the stairs, so I feed him. I don’t normally have breakfast unless I’m on a shoot in the morning and they provide it. If I’m working on a TV commercial then call time is usually 7.30am so I have to set off quite early.  TV commercials usually run through until about 7 or 8pm at night so it can be a long day. 

If I’m on a job I normally get in my car and drive to the studio or location but I’ve got a decent sized kitchen at home so I can prep from there rather than from an office or a studio.  This week I’ve got 10 turkeys coming in for a shoot so I will probably prep them from a studio where they've got more fridge space! I think my wife would kill me if I tried to store 10 turkeys around the house. 

How I got where I am… I actually started being a chef just because my friend was a pot-washer in local pub where I’m from in Nottingham. I saw the chefs doing their thing and that’s the first time I ever really thought about it. It’s not a romantic tale: I just thought it looked really cool and I always enjoyed eating food. I always have liked trying different dishes – my favourite place to take girls on dates when I was like 15 was a Teppanyaki restaurant.

I was training Brazilian jujitsu with one of the casting bookers at BOSS and I mentioned to him that I was thinking about trying something different. He mentioned that BOSS represents food stylists in Manchester. I’d thought about food styling before but I didn’t know how to get into it and I didn’t know anyone in the business. Two weeks later I quit my job, handed in my notice and was like ‘Right, I’m a food stylist now,’ and that was it! I did a little bit of assisting but it’s been quite an easy transition for me. I’ve been doing food styling for just over a year now.

The challenges I face are…. I’ve learnt that you don’t have to season everything all the time now! I’ve gone from my whole adult life being screamed at to add more salt and more seasoning and now it doesn’t really matter. It is more about how it looks, but I do try to make it taste nice because we normally get to eat it afterwards.

The one thing that took a lot of getting used to is the waiting. My first shoot that I did on my own we took the first shot and then waiting two and half hours until it was approved and we couldn’t do anything else because the next shot was on the same background and we didn’t want to move anything or do anything in case we only needed a tiny little movement that was like a tomato up a centimetre – so we couldn’t do anything! I was freaking out because in a professional kitchen if you don’t do anything for two minutes you’re lazy so that took a lot of getting used to. But of course it’s part of the creative process and I’m getting used to it now. It feels slow to me but we always get the expected shot rate done.

Apparently I hear that a lot of chefs struggle transitioning from cooking food to styling it, especially if you’ve been a head chef somewhere and you could tell people what do and that your way is right. They might not be used to taking criticism. But for me most people that I deal with are more experienced and they’re the client so as much as sometimes I think it might not be the right way to do it I always trust their judgement.

What I love most about my job… I really love the creative side of being a food stylist. My favourite thing used to be playing with food, creating new dishes and finding new ways to present them. One of my favourite things as a chef was shopping for new plates, which is perfect for what I do now! My old boss always used to make fun of me because if I had a spare half a day I’d be out or on the internet looking at new plates we could order and how much we could get away with spending! But now my job is massively about that. The shoots that I work on all have different styles but they all want interesting crockery. I’ve been out buying roof tiles and I got a plank of wood this week to build up my own little stock. I really enjoy playing with backgrounds and sifting through antique shops.

What surprises people about my job…There’s a technique that happens with a lot of the birds like turkeys where they’re cooked at really low temperatures and then they are brushed to colour them. I’ve heard stories of people using varnish but I always try to use food products like the meat juices. The idea of doing that is to reduce the way the meat wrinkles when it is cooked properly. If you cook the bird super slow it stays in a nice shape. There’s also the use of dry ice for ice cream which obviously melts really fast normally, but if you put it in a box of dry ice for an hour it will stay frozen for quite a while, even under hot lights it will stay frozen.

When I get home... I used to be sick of cooking by the time I got home for dinner when I was a chef. I was a chef for 14/15 years before I became a food stylist. Back then I was cooking all day, every day whereas these days I’m much more open to cooking slightly more elaborate things at home. Now that I’ve got more time at the weekend my wife likes to book in friends to come round and have Sunday lunch – which is nice for them!

BOSS on the big screen

Filmed in Yorkshire, independent movie 'The Incident,' creates an uncomfortable tension that complements the dark and intriguing storyline.

A troubled teenage girl enters the life of a young couple, disrupting their otherwise orderly life in this cleverly executed British psychological drama.

BOSS Creative Martin McClean acted as the Hair and Make-up Director for the production, which will hit cinemas on November 27th 2016.

World Pasta Day

A whole day to celebrate our favourite carb-filled dish: World Pasta Day has to be a highlight of the calendar. Our BOSS Creatives style incredible food shots that make our stomachs rumble at BOSS HQ. For more information about our Manchester-based food stylists visit our website.

Styled by Olivia Gartley

Styled by Olivia Gartley

Styled by Olivia Gartley

Festive Food Inspiration from Kate Phillips

We hate to say it, but Christmas is quickly approaching. While September only seemed like yesterday, somehow, next week will bring us into November.

For those organised people out there, we have put together some festive food photos, expertly styled by BOSS Creative Kate Phillips. Whether you're starting to make Christmas lists or just need a little foospiration for this year's dinner, these ideas are a good place to start. 

Halloween Make-Up Tips from Zoe Tilston

At this time of year our BOSS make-up artists can really show off their skills. BOSS Creative Zoe Tilston is an expert in creating the goriest and most extreme looks for Halloween. Here are her top tips for creating monster make-up this year. 

'Halloween is here it's my favourite time of year! I love having the opportunity to get creative and experiment with new products and formulas. The most important thing to remember about spooky make-up and costumes is that there are definitely no rules to follow - this is your opportunity to go heavy and bold and not to be afraid of making mistakes. If you are feeling uninspired, the internet is bursting with talented individuals producing amazing Halloween material. Have a go at something new, but most of all, have fun with it!

This dead waitress is probably my favourite look. I had to try a few different glues before I the best one to make the coke can stick, but it was definitely worth the perseverance. 

If you are short on time, these half faces are a great idea. They look fabulous teamed up with glamorous eye make-up and are really popular at the moment.

 

This scary scarecrow didn't take long to put together as most of the work is in the preparation. It's a really good one to tackle if your make-up game isn't the strongest.

This Zombie doctor is another look that requires minimal make-up artistry skills and looks trickier than it is. If you are using any kind of glue on your skin, especially your face, make sure you have a good barrier between the two and be really gentle when you remove it.

That's all from me for now. Wishing you a fabulously gory Halloween whatever look you go for. Happy haunting!'

To see more of Zoe's work, check out the BOSS Creatives website. 

Team BOSS: Triple Denim

We love it when our BOSS Creatives get the chance to bring their incredible talents together. With armfuls of the fabric - dungarees, jumpsuits and shearling jackets - our team worked together to create this triple denim story that exudes attitude. 

Styled by Becky Bowyer, hair & make up by Carol McKitty. 

The amazing shots were taken by Brian O'Hanlon at FiveFour Studios.

Art direction by Bernard Earl.

How To Create Peeling Zombie Skin

Our BOSS Hair and Make-Up Artist Martin McClean can create anything from a glamorous evening look with a flawless finish to a gruesome, gory costume that will make you grimace.

In time for Halloween, Martin has put together a guide to help you make your own peeling zombie skin at home!

- Colour the area you want to work on in red greasepaint face paint or lipstick. Think about the shape of the wound at this point.

- Melt gelatine in water.

- Allow it too cool right down to room temperature.

- Paint the geltine on the red area then lay toilet tissue over the top. 

- Paint more gelatine over tissue until it goes transparent. 

- Dry with a cold blast from a hair drier. 

- Keep doing this until you are happy with the thickness.

- Tear holes in and peel back pieces of the tissue and squirt in fake blood.

Easy and gross!

Martin's work for a Halloween themed editorial

Martin's creepy Halloween costume in 2015

Craghoppers AW16 styled by Lucy

Warm, glowing light and earthy tones: Craghoppers merge rural and cityscapes for an urban survivalist look in their AW16 campaign.

Styled by BOSS Creative Lucy Hallard