Written by a model/actor for models and actors. Whether aspiring or pro, this blog offers advice, information, resources, and real-life experiences from a professional, agency-repped, working model and actor that's been in the industry for 25+ years.
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Meet the MUA: Sophia Musto - The Arist Behind Dania Denise's Look
I always believe in keeping good company around me. Over the years I've been fortunate enough to have some of my best friends also in the entertainment industry...from makeup artists and hairstylists to photographers, we've all stayed very close since our school days and frequently hire each other for various projects--not to mention plug their name and services for networking purposes. It's all about spreading the word!
Professional makeup artist, Sophia Musto, is one such BFF of mine who I've known since high school. I have a handful of MUAs (remember, that's short for "makeup artist") that I keep on hand for my shoots if needed and Sophia is my main go-to-gal for all my beauty needs. She spent years working for MAC and has recently left them to strike it out on her own.
I recently brought her on to a project that I was helping to direct but wasn't a model for, which was the T.I.L. Darling 2011 Model Search. I knew I wanted to provide our winner, Sarah, with the best of the best so I hired Sophia to take care of the makeup.
To make the model search more interesting, myself and the owner of T.I.L. Darling decided to capture everything on video, from the casting to finding our winner and me working with her to prepare her for the shoot showcasing the latest fashions from the company. As part of the video process, Sophia was also featured in her own video segment, which you can check out below. (The webisode series covering the entire model search will be on YouTube soon as all the video footage has been edited...oh, and ignore the fact that the videographer misspelled her name as Sophie lol...gotta let him know to fix that!):
Even though Sophia is one of my dearest friends, I would not promote her services if I didn't feel her work was up to par. Hands down, she's one of my favorite people to work with on-set...she's professional, dependable and will get you results you'll love! If you're in California and need a quality MUA, I highly recommend her. In addition to providing makeup services for modeling and acting projects, Sophia is also a skilled and trained wedding makeup artist.
Here is Sophia's business card, which has her contact information on it and below are some random modeling shots where Sophia was my MUA:
Sophia is also a trained esthetician.
Sophia did this look for me for a boudoir shoot.
I was so excited to have Sophia be my MUA for one of the bridal shows I was doing.
This was the first shoot I brought Sophia on as my MUA for (swimwear shoot).
(*Due to the number of comments and questions I get from aspiring models about working for VS, please be sure to read my post on this very carefully. If you don't meet all of these requirements then you cannot become a model for VS. If you are not tall enough, if you are not signed to a top agency, your chances are not good. If you don't meet the requirements, please don't be too upset about it. Find another field of modeling you may be good for. There are plenty of other modeling opportunities for models outside of being a VS angel. They may not be as good or as well-known as VS but it's better than nothing.) I know I’d jump at the chance to be offered a gig modeling for Victoria’s Secret (although I think they’d be irritated by Photoshopping my stretch marks HAHA, yeah, I said it, I’ve got stretch marks!). All silliness aside, the gals of Victoria’s Secret are probably the inspiration for a majority of aspiring models out there. Not only do they get to wear the s...
(This post is more targeted towards freelance models and not those with agency representation, although it may apply to those that have an agent but continue to find their own work.) A part of being a successful model is making money from the jobs that you book. However, being a freelance model comes with many challenges--figuring out what you should charge is one of them. I will say upfront that there are no established black and white rules when it comes to pay rates. Each modeling job is different, each client is different and budgets vary. Ultimately the factors that should influence what you charge should be the amount of experience you have, the strength of the images in your portfolio and the client's budget/needs. Not every client is going to pay what you want to charge. There may be times when you will be skipped over for charging too much or taken advantage of for charging too little. It's going to happen so be prepared for it and do not take it personally. It...
It’s no secret that the media has made a big deal out of youth. Think about it: how many people have you heard say, “Gosh, I can’t wait to get wrinkles!” Worldwide, selling the idea of youth has made many companies billions of dollars. Without the models, however, they wouldn’t get very far. So that’s the obvious stuff but what about the question of age and being older in the modeling industry? Well, for starters, if you plan on being in the fashion and runway field, the younger you are the better. The longevity for this type of modeling is extremely short for the majority of models involved. Agencies sign girls as young as 13 years old and tend to hesitate if a model is over 18. This topic, like the height issue, is a reality of the industry that you don’t have to agree with but you will have to accept or at least get used to. It’s just a plain fact that agencies and their clients can get more work out of youthful models than those who already show the signs of aging. Sadly, this...
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