When it comes to entering a hair competition, makeup isn’t usually the focus, but is an important aspect to pulling the collection together. For Sara Lindsay (who started in the industry almost 15 years ago and has traveled the world doing editorial and runway makeup at London Fashion Week and worked with clients such as Aveda, while balancing her time on creative photo shoots and managing her store in Saskatchewan) it was hair was the accessory for bringing her vision to life where the nails and reflective makeup made her collection stand out.

Going for Gold

For this collection, Lindsay started with the nails and then the look fell into place. “I brought this brand over from the United Kingdom to carry in my store and [H&H] sent these gold ones over, so I knew I wanted to incorporate them into the shoot,” she explains, mentioning that these nails have graced the tips of music royalty including Beyoncé, Rihanna and Madonna. For the makeup, Lindsay “wanted something that was reflective like the nails, so I used a lot of highlighting [and illuminator] with metallic shades and worked with water and glycerin to get that dewy beading look.” Using Aveda, along with other brands she kept the hair simple and sleek to finish off this wet look.

Mermaid Crossing

The overall feel of the look was brought together with water. Lindsay explains that the initial plan was to photograph the models in a large wading pool, but when the weather changed, the team had to switch it up: “The models were freezing and covered in goose bumps so we came inside and sprayed garbage bags with water to try and replicate the lining of the pool and that’s what we ended up with.” As is the case in many photo shoots, it didn’t go exactly as planned, but the end result came together seamlessly. 

Aveda Colour Options Transformer

“This transforms powder eye shadow into a cream, intensifying the colour,” and allowing Lindsay to create that liquid texture on the eye makeup.

Aveda Inner Light Mineral Tinted Moisture SPF 15

This lightweight moisturizer provided a sheer and iridescent finish, which worked perfectly for the dewy effect Lindsay was going for.

H&H Body Adornment

These gold nail accessories, which have a celeb stamp of approval on them, were the anchor and inspiration for the reflective quality of the shoot.

Contessa 26 Finalist, Makeup Artist of the Year, Makeup, Hair and Nails: Sara Lindsay, Sara Lindsay Makeup Studio, Regina, Sask.; Photo: Kiriako Iatridis