Ania Gastol - Make-up Artist

Charismatic Makeup

2011-03-25T07:40:00.001-07:00

Ania Gastol

About me...

Growing up in the communist era in Krakow, Poland - left a significant imprint in my memories.

The greyness of the city had impact on my world perception. Surrounded by grey pre-war architecture and people, monotonously dressed up, miserably queuing in front of almost empty stores, holding their ratio stamps to get some sugar and toilet paper... I've always struggled to escape this sadness and open the door to colours.

This door appeared to be the Fine Art classes and an easel in the corner of my small room.

The most important changes in my personality happened in 1989 when Poland became a democratic country and slowly everything started being more colourful.

I became interested in underground music, mostly Polish Punk Rock, not entirely understanding the lyrics, but still identifying myself with the stories about facing up to the political regime and the creation of freedom of youth' enclaves...

In 2000 I moved to the US, spent some time in Florida, New York, and established myself in Chicago. In 2005 I came back to Europe, to London.

Since then I’ve been working in London, Italy, and Poland.

After all these years of living abroad, the final changes in my world view appeared - not only the colours of all the cities I've been to, dispelled the greyness and sepia of the past, but also I found myself fascinated by Makeup Art – the world in which colours unconditionally belong to me, and greyness turns into my own choice – not a life obligation.

For the last 5 years, I've been experiencing the glamour and shimmering London, that strongly marked my passion towards fashion and makeup industry.

The London experiences clarified the melancholy of Krakow in 80’s and did prove that childhood memories are not any curse – they are my blessing...

Relevant education:

After deciding to shift my talents from canvas to the face, I attended short Makeup Workshops at MAC Cosmetics in Chicago, and then continued the Makeup Course at the Delamar Academy of Makeup, London where I specialised in beauty makeup applications, and London College of Fashion, where I learnt Hairstyling for Makeup Artists.
Also, I have been assisting Production Designers on various short and feature films, and now I'm developing my skills to become the Art Director.

I have gained experience in working with artists from the media and fashion industries, working in all areas of make up from fresh/natural look, camouflage, beauty, glamour and basic casualty makeup.

Boudoir photoshoot with Karen Brooke

2011-03-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

I met Karen Brooke few weeks ago, and we've worked together on a Boudoir photo session in a studio. Karen has City & Guilds Photography qualifications and she is a member of the Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers (SWPP) and The British Professional Photographers Associates (BPPA).

Feel free to contact us if you'd like to schedule a photo shoot for yourself! It's also a great present for a future bride!

Ania
charismaticmakeup@gmail.com

Collaboration with Miss Aniela

2010-07-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

Photos by Miss Aniela www.missaniela.com, costumes by Lenka Padysakova www.lenkapadysakova.com

Model - Maria, hairstylist - Magdalena Tucholska http://www.modelmayhem.com/706496

Brighton Photo Session

2010-07-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

Here I am - once again! Brighton!
Photo session with talented people I've been working with for almost a year now!
Rachel Holland - Brighton based stylist who specializes in using eco-friendly, fairtrade and ethical products to achieve her ideas and Juliet Greig - Brighton based photographer.

Photo session with Juliet Greig

2010-04-11T08:51:00.000-07:00

Another photo shoot in Brighton...my (so far) favorite place in the UK. It seems like I spend more time doing Makeup work there than here in London...I wish it was easy just to move there then ;)

This session had to be postponed for a month or so, due to some personal/family issues - but I think that it was worth waiting. It was definitely a good day! Working again with a great photographer Juliet Greig, who has managed to get us brilliant locations for the shoot, and having very good models, dressed up in outfits from my own wardrobe (ooops!) - I am happy and satisfied with the results.

Makeup Work at the Eco Online Magazine La luminata Launching Party

2010-03-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

Please see Rachel Holland's website for more details regarding her Online Magazine Laluminata http://www.laluminata.co.uk/magazine/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laluminata/sets/72157623499193323/

More updates on the Blog will follow shortly...

Photos by Juliet Greig
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greigjuliet

Myself, Natalie Dybisz & Nina Sagri

Alice in the City

2009-11-08T12:45:00.000-08:00

Alice in Wonderland - photo shoot with my dear friends photographers - Aga Szeliga, Ewa Nagorzanska and Ruth Joy. Models - Emma Williams and Poem. Costume designer - Karolina Faliszek.
http://www.frozenmomentstudio.com/
http://ruthjoyphotography.fotopic.net/

It was fun fun fun! Especially our shoot in the stinky Fish Shop in Hackney Baths!

The shop owner became a fan of Emma ;)

We went to very crowded and extremely busy Dalston Market - our two models felt like celebrities, walking between random people doing boring Saturday shopping...

We also jumped on 242, shocking people with Alice's behavior ;)...

And then, we went to the Public Laundromat in Clapton Pond...

After hours of shoting in various, unconvintional places, our models had to go...
But we didn't feel like to end this day, full of creative energy, we were ready to move to Hackney Marshes to take more pictures. More crazy pictures!
We decided that one of us will be an Alternative, Edgy Bride. Aga created a look of a bride wearing vintage lamp shade as a hat and a huge paper Ikea shade as a dress...Ewa was the one who was supposed to represent a Fishing Bride...and that's the result:

Adam Goodwin Photography

2009-11-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

I went to Colchester a while ago, to work with a talented, Essex based photographer and retoucher - Adam Goodwin. It was good fun working with Adam, he took part in styling and matching colours and he let me express myself by painting Charla's face to create strong, colorful makeup.
Here is a result of our work:

Fairy and Devil

2009-09-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

That was fun! Me and Ewa Nagorzanska (photographer) took some pictures of my friends - Magda (as sweet, innocent fairy) and Anna (as mean Devil). After hours of doing their make-up and hair and styling we turned our room into the stage and made them perform...few glasses of wine definitely helped them to feel like real actresses!

Photo session with Natalie Dybisz

2009-08-31T05:29:00.000-07:00

Photo shoot in Brighton.
Photographer Natalie Dybisz, costumes by Kate Tailyour, wardrobe stylist Rachel Holland.

Photo session with Aga Szeliga

2009-08-31T05:16:00.000-07:00

A photo session with a photographer Aga Szeliga, model Kelita Martendal.
Hackney Marshes - August 2009.