At Mirabella we are striving to be our very best, and to do that we have to learn from the best!
Last month we held a special training with Mirabella students from around the globe. They came from near and far to train with hugely-successful celebrity makeup artist Fiona Stiles, insanely talented hairstylist to the stars Adir Abergel and amazing beauty photographer Andrew Stiles. We brought this dream team together to show us how to take our application and styling to the next level, it was an absolutely incredible day full of so much fabulous information and even more fun. Unfamiliar with these beauty mavens
Fiona Stiles is trusted implicitly by some of the world’s most famous faces. She is a regular insider for Halle Berry, Elizabeth Banks, Rosario Dawson, Maria Sharpova, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Alba, Kate Winslet and so many more. Her Emmy nominated work has also been tapped to create flawless faces for top tier brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Apple, Gap, American Express and more. Her work has been published widely with appearances in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Elle, W, Vanity Fair and Instyle. According to Fiona, “Every face has something interesting and compelling in it. My work highlights someone’s natural gifts and makes them even more spectacular through the power of make-up. I love to transform and re-imagine women in the most beautiful way possible.”Adir Abergel has been a major presence on the set of our Mirabella shoots for the past 3 years. We were lucky enough to snag him and now we are never letting go! His creative genius begins with hair and knows no end. His boundless energy and infectious personality bring so much to each project. Adir is at the helm of the celebrity industry for nearly two decades. Touted as the “Hit Maker of Hollywood Hairdos”, Adir is the man behind the hair of Jennifer Lawrence, Kristen Stewart, Gwenyth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Roony Mara, Jennifer Gardner and so many more. His work is consistenly featured on the pages of top fashion magazines including Vogue, W and Harpers Bazaar. He also appears as a guest expert on Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight and E. He is a powerful player on the front lines of every major award show and his clients always kill it on the red carpet.
Andrew Stiles loves capturing beautiful and interesting moments. He loves to take incredible pictures and be involved in everything that goes into that one perfect second. His clients include beauty campaigns for Patti Dubroff, NYX, Stila, Orlando Pita and Youthology. Other work projects have been done for Total Beauty magazine, Pac Sun, the Ace Hotel and more. His photos have been featured in many publications including Allure, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, People Style Watch, and Health.
We were beyond thrilled to have these industry giants teaching us for two full days. Day 1 was full of learning about the ins and outs of styling celebrities for different events.
Look #1 was inspired by 40’s glamour where Adir and Fiona taught us how to create a high fashion, sophisticated look as seen on the red carpet for an award show.
Look #2 celebrated Adir’s signature style of undone waves that he frequently uses for Reese Witherspoon and Kristin Stewart at movie premieres and press interviews.
Our favorite thing about watching these masters at their craft is how they can change one look into something different in such a short time without a complete wash of hair or makeup…and still keep the look fresh. Each look was transformed into a new upstyle for the remaining portion of the day.
Day 2 was a complete hands-on experience at the famous Smashbox Studios in LA. Each attendee chose a model to recreate a celebrity look. They spent individual time working with Adir and Fiona to master the look. And finally they were able to have Andrew Stiles photograph a fashion image for their portfolios. Check out their AMAZING work!
Adir and Fiona provided such a great learning experience. I was so interested in everything they had to say. Here are a few of my favorite takeaways.
“Hair is sculpture, makeup is painting” – Adir Abergel
“Create solutions for your client quickly without overusing product. I don’t hairspray mid-style. Too much product makes the hair lose memory and shine.” – Adir Abergel
“The secret is over directing the hair for volume and body” – Adir Abergel
“The most important part of styling hair is applying heat and letting it cool down and harden into shape.”
– Adir Abergel
“Spray the brush with the hairspray and then be fearless in brushing out the set.” – Adir Abergel
“Knowing when to scale back and edit shows the talent of a makeup artist” – Fiona Stiles
“Use Swirling Pearl Brilliant above cupids bow of the lip to bring light” – Fiona Stiles
“I rarely use black on the waterline. I never use white. Instead a taupe liner is softer but still closes the look.” – Fiona Stiles
“Orange tones are beautiful for Asian skin, cheeks and lips.” – Fiona Stiles
“A bronzer should be used differently than a contouring powder. It adds brightness and warmth, but it should not be used to add depth.” – Fiona Stiles
“I find my inspiration from books, old movies, etc. A strong reference library is key in this industry” – Fiona Stiles.
“I don’t let my products boss me around.” – Fiona Stiles
“Recreating 1940’s Old Hollywood is not about eyeshadow, instead a beautiful lash and soft liner paired with a bold lip” – Fiona Stiles
A BIG THANK YOU to Adir Abergel, Fiona and Andrew Stiles, our China partners and US attendees! We loved spending time with you. The training was such a success we are going to absolutely have to do it again. Keep your eye out for for Mirabella Master trainings in the future!