A Little Bird Told Me

Makeup by Blanche Macdonald Makeup graduate Marie-Helene Babin, finished product of a live featured body painting demonstration at the Lab Art Show, Vancouver.

“This body paint was inspired by the importance of birds; the symbolism they carry across different cultures, folklore and history. Humans have always had a fascination with birds, for their natural ability for reaching the sky; which they won’t ever be able to do without a little bit of manufactured help! 'A Little Bird Told Me' is a tribute to freedom, and to the realm of dreams; to the unknown and the infinite.

Most of the body paint was done by hand, and the main product used was Kryolan Aquacolour. As my model had to wear the body paint all day, for a photoshoot as well as an art show, I used Ben Nye Final Seal to dilute my paints (as opposed to water), so that it provided a longer lasting quality to the paint.

Some details and textures were airbrushed, like the little black birds, the clouds on the leg, the blue contouring the cheekbone and forehead, and a range of different brands for airbrush were used (Kett, Kryloan, Ben Nye). The silver was Mehron Metallic Silver Powder and it was mixed with Ben Nye Final Seal and airbrushed, or painted by hand.

For the face, Make Up For Ever powder blush in orange was used as a highlight. The eyes were done by hand with Kryolan Aquacolour and a fine textured brush that allowed me to do very fine lines and create a feather-like effect. For the lips I used Kryolan orange from the Lip Rouge Palette, as orange was the accent for this body paint! I also speckled fluorescent orange in some areas of the body, as a highlight and to provide more texture.

Ben Nye Glitters “sparklers” silver prism was applied over the paint as a highlight in the end. The prism is a fantastic glitter; it catches and reflects the light very nicely, and it looks really good with all colours because of the reflecting light property.”

Body Paint: Marie-Helene Babin Makeup Artist
Hairstylist: Leanne Chapman
Photographer: Cyrus Wu Photography
Model: Kristen Brown