June 07, 2021

Get The Cover Look: Pia Loyola

We take you behind-the-scenes of the June cover story…

Gritty Pretty’s June cover star—actor, presenter and Macabalm founder, Pia Loyola—started her career as a model, so we knew a pro was about to turn up on set when we photographed her for The Sustainability Issue back in March of this year. Loyola proved to be every bit the seasoned model she’s known to be, and was a pleasure to shoot, working seamlessly with photographer Eddie New, who said: “She was so down to earth and grounded … the whole team had a really beautiful energy and that connection is what it’s all about.”

But the relaxed mood on set aside, what you really want to know is how the hair and makeup team created the cover story look, right?

“For this shoot, we wanted Pia’s hair to feel very relaxed and effortless, but still healthy and shiny without feeling over-groomed,” says hairstylist Richard Kavanagh. “To create the look we started by prepping her hair by working in a drop of Redken Oil, mixed together with a little bit of Macabalm into the ends and mid lengths.”

Following that, Kavanagh blow dried her hair with a pure bristle round brush and a hot hair dryer with a nozzle to “compress the cuticle and create natural, product free shine.” To get the extra movement in the hair, which is what makes the cover image so striking, Kavanagh used a large curling iron and gently bent the hair through the mid-lengths. “A little extra attention was paid to the front hairline when blowdrying, where Pia has natural movement and volume, we wanted to ‘flatten’ the front hairline by stretching the roots and over directing them forward.”

As for the makeup, artist Peter Beard used Loyola’s own Macabalm throughout the process, proving its versatility in a number of ways.“Pia has such beautiful skin that I enhanced with Macabalm mixed with cosmetic pigments creating unique products to highlight the skin,” he said. “I primed the cheek bones and centre of the nose with Macabalm prior to concealer and foundation to ensure transparent qualities to the makeup.” 

Beard then went in with a small amount of RMS Un-Cover Up concealer, buffing it around the edges of the nose, centre of the chin and under the eyes. He then used a Kevyn Aucoin lash curler—which happens to be our cover star’s favourite iteration—and mascara only at the root of the lashes. Pro tip? He used Colgate Interdental Brushes to ensure no clumps and stop the mascara from coating the lengths of the lashes. He finished off the look with a quick line of MAC’s Coffee eye pencil to “further enhance the shape of the eye.”

“Macabalm’s oil qualities make it ideal to turn your lipsticks into tinted balms that work as transparent washes of colour—I mixed theatrical pigments with Macabalm to create a tint on Pia’s lips,” Beard adds.

While on set, we absolutely had to quiz Loyola on her favourite beauty products too—this is Gritty Pretty after all! Read her picks below and flick through the June 2021 issue for more of her beauty tips.

June 07, 2021

Get The Cover Look: Pia Loyola

We take you behind-the-scenes of the June cover story…

Gritty Pretty’s June cover star—actor, presenter and Macabalm founder, Pia Loyola—started her career as a model, so we knew a pro was about to turn up on set when we photographed her for The Sustainability Issue back in March of this year. Loyola proved to be every bit the seasoned model she’s known to be, and was a pleasure to shoot, working seamlessly with photographer Eddie New, who said: “She was so down to earth and grounded … the whole team had a really beautiful energy and that connection is what it’s all about.”

But the relaxed mood on set aside, what you really want to know is how the hair and makeup team created the cover story look, right?

Photography: Eddie New / Hair: Richard Kavanagh / Makeup: Peter Beard / Creative Direction: Kate Reeves / Producer: Nicola Sevitt / Words: Danielle Gay

“For this shoot, we wanted Pia’s hair to feel very relaxed and effortless, but still healthy and shiny without feeling over-groomed,” says hairstylist Richard Kavanagh. “To create the look we started by prepping her hair by working in a drop of Redken Oil, mixed together with a little bit of Macabalm into the ends and mid lengths.”

Following that, Kavanagh blow dried her hair with a pure bristle round brush and a hot hair dryer with a nozzle to “compress the cuticle and create natural, product free shine.” To get the extra movement in the hair, which is what makes the cover image so striking, Kavanagh used a large curling iron and gently bent the hair through the mid-lengths. “A little extra attention was paid to the front hairline when blowdrying, where Pia has natural movement and volume, we wanted to ‘flatten’ the front hairline by stretching the roots and over directing them forward.”

As for the makeup, artist Peter Beard used Loyola’s own Macabalm throughout the process, proving its versatility in a number of ways.“Pia has such beautiful skin that I enhanced with Macabalm mixed with cosmetic pigments creating unique products to highlight the skin,” he said. “I primed the cheek bones and centre of the nose with Macabalm prior to concealer and foundation to ensure transparent qualities to the makeup.” 

Beard then went in with a small amount of RMS Un-Cover Up concealer, buffing it around the edges of the nose, centre of the chin and under the eyes. He then used a Kevyn Aucoin lash curler—which happens to be our cover star’s favourite iteration—and mascara only at the root of the lashes. Pro tip? He used Colgate Interdental Brushes to ensure no clumps and stop the mascara from coating the lengths of the lashes. He finished off the look with a quick line of MAC’s Coffee eye pencil to “further enhance the shape of the eye.”

“Macabalm’s oil qualities make it ideal to turn your lipsticks into tinted balms that work as transparent washes of colour—I mixed theatrical pigments with Macabalm to create a tint on Pia’s lips,” Beard adds.

While on set, we absolutely had to quiz Loyola on her favourite beauty products too—this is Gritty Pretty after all! Read her picks below and flick through the June 2021 issue for more of her beauty tips.

Comments

This post has no comments yet.

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Search our
Little Black Book
Of Beauty

I'm looking for...
Location
To submit your business for consideration, enquire here