Swatch styling for cosmetics has been a new type of flat lay styling I’ve been learning. I did this test shoot with Dan Simmons and I had fun smashing and smearing all the cosmetics. For lipstick, I did a composition of smears that kind of reminded of abstract expressionism. Next up, a swatch styling for an eyeshadow grouping with all the colors and textures. Some smears, some broken eyeshadows (do you like my little “pie” pieces?) and some with just the edges roughed up. For a more graphic lipstick shot with the actual product I sliced and diced these Milk Makeup lipsticks with an exacto knife. A little museum wax on the back kept the product from rolling around and creating a little bit of a drop shadow on the product. For mascara, I did a series of smears and swooshes. Then I laid another piece of clear plastic on top of the smears and placed the mascara bottle into the scene. And finally, some hard product shots on some colorful summer backdrops I made with paper (spray mount is my bff). For the second product group shot, I was inspired by the label on the Belif bottle. It reminded on Matisse’s paper cutouts and so I made some organic shapes to create a unique paper backdrop. And finally, a little fishline magic and boom, this Sephora compact looks like it floating. And a special thanks to product photographer super star Dan Simmons for the images!
