Christmas card inspiration

I'd like to tell you a little bit about the unseen making of this image, which I shot for Beyond Burlesque couture in London a few years ago (the Beyond Burlesque designer also creates corsets for Vivienne Westwood, a perennial favourite of mine):

Photographer: David Angel

It was a snowy day in London, which was perfect for the glamour fairytale we created... but in real life, snow is cold! Bare skin in the snow is very cold. I had blankets thrown over me between shots, flasks of hot drinks and even hot water bottles to keep my skin the right colour and my muscles able to move freely throughout the shoot. I am fairly sure that in this particular shot I had the hot water bottle pushed up the front of my dress, and that exaggerated hands-on-waist pose is helping to keep it pushed in!

I love it as a festive image not only because it is so chic and timeless, but because its back story reminds me of Christmas itself- all the less-than-glamorous rushing around, preparing, shopping and wrapping that goes on behind the scenes before the moment of calm when the payoff comes: a special person opens the gift that's perfect and personal for them.

I think sometimes with social media we feel we're lagging behind if we're not up doing yoga every morning, followed by sashaying into town and easily finding a slew of "perfect" (expensive and 100% ethically sound) gifts, AND not forgetting to keep our noses perfectly powdered the whole time while we're at it. Really, who remembers that stuff? The part that I remember is that "wow" moment when someone opens that little thing that's perfect just for them- regardless of where it was acquired or if the price tag was in single digits.

With this in mind, and with the photographer's kind permission, I have turned this snowy couture image into a Christmas card that anyone can afford. If you know someone who would enjoy an elegant Christmas card, why not order a couple? At just £1 each plus postage, they make sweetly sophisticated little tokens- and they are printed on premium matte recycled stock.

Order your cards in time for Christmas by clicking here.

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Front cover of Twisted Latex magazine

I am on the cover of the latest and last ever issue of Twisted Latex magazine :') I did my own hair and makeup.

Other than celebrate Boyfy's birthday today, I also got around to creating a Beauty Detox UK Facebook fan group, a little thing I've been meaning to do for ages. If you are interested in healthy living, please feel free to join :)

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2014 in Pictures

2014 is nearly over and we're past the Solstice, which I now learn is considered the New Year from a yogic perspective, so maybe I was onto something when I was waffling on about it the other day ;)

I bring you my 2014 in pictures:


JANUARY

January was a lovely month, with all my shoots bursting with love and romance: bridal fashion and couple's portraiture.

I spent five days shooting bridal and couple's portraiture with my boyfriend, which I styled:

I don't think I mentioned it in my blog at the time, but we danced our asses off for hours to The Bug and Fuckbuttons at Brixton Academy for our anniversary.

We were still living in London and I don't recall doing anything for my birthday, probably because I was shooting a bridal catalogue in York outdoors that day and nearly freezing to death :) But you can't tell from the photos, right?

I did a fairly full-on strict detox for the first week or so of January to give me a little boost into having a generally detoxifying diet in 2014. It seemed to help my skin, muscle tone and energy levels quite a lot. I found I didn't need to work out every day to maintain my ideal weight and muscle tone anymore, which was good!

My photos also started appearing on Vogue Italia's website, including this one, by Marcus Jake:

And somehow, I also found time to shoot a shoe campaign for Fabulously Fetish with Phine Ka, and do the hair and makeup for it, too.

Bareskin Beauty looked after my skincare for the whole year, so a big and heartfelt thank you to them!


FEBRUARY

February was more of a high fashion month. It was London Fashion Week, and I walked for several international eco-friendly designers at the EcoLuxe show. The after party was really fun, and I still have and use some of the goodies from the environmentally friendly goodie bag :)

I had an androgynous fashion shoot with MrGlen in London, one of my very favourite photographers to work with. It was challenging to pose in a completely new way and NOT be girly in the positioning of my hands, and so on! Being a guy is tough!

Despite this, I was named one of the sexiest bloggers on the net.

MARCH

Shot one of my favourite figure nudes I've ever done at a workshop in London:

I also love this shoot I did with my sponsors, Playful Promises lingerie and Fabulously Fetish shoes:

The photographer was David Morley. We had two awesome shoots together, and then he seemed to vanish off the face of the earth. I hope he's all right and still shooting.

I toured Norfolk and did this hair shoot for Robert Owen Salon, which was shot by Andrew McMeekin. I did the makeup and wardrobe styling:

I was on the cover of Spain's BeDeSeMe magazine, with a 14 page interview and pictorial shot by Luci Alice! I was wearing Lady Allura's Latex and Fabulously Fetish shoes.

I also met Dita Von Teese in New York and shot a music video in London with SHOWstudio.

Photo by Jennifer Mitchell

I rather overworked myself in March by trying to shoot more or less every day, including ten days in New York and New Jersey, without a break, except for falling asleep on planes and trains, and ended up in bed with a cold and a lot of souvenirs for a few days when I got back home.

APRIL

I had a much-needed holiday in Somerset in April, which was a wonderful time to visit. The countryside was such a contrast to London, and I loved seeing all the trees in full bloom with pink blossoms, the lambs springing around in the fields, and the weather warm enough to visit Glastonbury Abbey. I felt so happy and relaxed that I think this is when I started to subconsciously get the idea to move here sooner rather than later, and get out of the rat-race a little.

I also had a couple of shoots in Helsinki for Damian McGillicuddy and Olympus Cameras, which was especially fun as I'd never been to Finland before.

My boots were custom made for me by Fabulously Fetish to match my hair :)

MAY

Got my butt out in Bo Ningen's music video for Slider, which was directed by Marie Schuller of SHOWstudio. I learned the whole song in Japanese short-notice, then on the day, didn't need to lip-sync any of it after all as none of the other actors had learned it so the idea was scrapped. Ha! Went for drinks with the band and the crew in Shoreditch afterwards and they were totally lovely. Cue drunkenly waffling about creative expression with the guitarist for aaaages.

JUNE

I met the legendary supermodel Twiggy at a photo shoot in June. I was almost speechless with starstruck-ness and she was very kind to me, including pulling me in for this shot and approving it on the spot so I could post it here. She approves ALL her photos before they appear anywhere. Imagine that!

Afterwards, I shot some bright sunny commercial stuff with Stephen Perry:

My most exciting news in June was that my book, The "Ugly" Girl's Guide to Modelling, got picked up by a publisher, meaning I no longer had to worry about self-publishing on Amazon or whatever. As far as I know, this is the first book on freelance modelling that has ever been deemed good enough to sell by an actual publishing house, and I was (and am) absolutely thrilled.


JULY

I had a jam-packed sold-out tour of Ireland for two weeks in July, which was very productive. I dyed some clip-in human hair extensions to match my real hair before I left, and had a go with them at shoots, both loose and tied up into a big up-do:

Photographer: John  Murray

AUGUST

My lower half made an appearance in a fashion film called The Masters for Selfridges by SHOWstudio, which involved many different "masters" of fashion like Jean Paul Gaultier and Oscar De La Renta. I was in the Stella McCartney segment. It was playing on the big screen in the window of Selfridges on Oxford Street on a permanent loop, along with a shop window dedicated to my scene with a mannequin leg to represent me, lol! I don't know if it's still playing or not.

By this this point, we had done some sums and realised that we could almost afford to buy our own place, rather than keep renting the flat in London, and also, that we never wanted to have a flatmate again, so much of August was spent packing, ready to move, at least temporarily, to Somerset, while we figured out what to do next.

SEPTEMBER

I had this fun Star Wars themed editorial in Rebelicious magazine, wearing Shh! Couture latex, shot by Magpie Tommy.

Trying to extricate ourselves from our flat in London was stressful, to say the least, which I guess is why I didn't blog much that month. I think I was just trying to take in my newly peaceful surroundings in Somerset and let go of all the nonsense.

OCTOBER

I did a couple of shoots in London in October, including for Hair Colour Clinic, but most of my shoots were in beautiful Southeast Asia :) I also had a makeup lesson with MAC at Harrod's to brush up on my skills.

Shot in a Malaysian jungle on a mountain by Raoul Alfamuz. I could see wild monkeys and gibbons playing in the trees right above my head! ^_^

NOVEMBER

I did my "Everywhere but the Southeast" Tour of England and Wales in November. The trip included a day at The Pit in Nottingham, which I'd never been to before, but will definitely be going back to. What a fab location!

Photographer: Caught in Action

I also particularly like this retro boudoir shot by LanesRo1 in Wales. I did the hair, makeup and wardrobe styling; the lingerie is from Playful Promises and the heels were custom made for me by Fabulously Fetish.

DECEMBER

The highlight of my December was taking Nan to the Winter Solstice ceremony at Chalice Well in Glastonbury. I thought she would probably enjoy it, but she LOVED it and was still talking about it on Christmas Day! It certainly was very interesting and uplifting to see such a nice group of gentle people coming together to celebrate their religious diversity- Christians, Dianic Wiccans, Brighid worshippers, Unitarians, Buddhists, Sufi Muslims and Pagan Gnostics were all represented in the lighting of the fire ceremony. The Chalice Well's motto is "One Source, Many Paths." I also got some great Christmas cards from the gift shop.

On the modelling front, I scored a great interview and pictorial in Sinical magazine, which you can read here.

I saw the Manic Street Preachers on the last night of their Holy Bible Tour, and was at Stonehenge at 7am the day after Chalice Well for the Druids' Winter Solstice/ free entry into the actual stone circle. I'm really trying to make the most of my time in Somerset because I have no idea how long I'll be here :)

Yesterday I was disappointed to learn that a traditional gypsy caravan is basically just a bed on wheels, and therefore not something I could live in for more than 24 hours (i.e. until I wanted to have a shower or plug the blender in), and that basically takes you up to where I am now.

I've definitely changed a lot this year. I've achieved a lot of my career-related goals- well, all of my goals were career-related, really- and as a result, my priorities have changed.

I no longer see money as a measure of how much I'm worth.

I no longer rate my personal success according to my professional success.

I'm not interested in box-checking anymore, as in: husband? Check! Kids? Check! Mortgage on an overpriced house in the suburbs? Check! Am I happy yet? Maybe I'd better check a few more boxes!

I was never deeply into any of that but I feel that I've managed to let go of it completely the last month or two, and truly not worry about it.

I'm 29 next month and I think it might be my most interesting year yet.

Lots of love,

Anita xxx

7 original gift ideas for the glamorous gift-giver

It's that time of year again- when busy people and procrastinators alike start the mad online dash to order Christmas presents!

You don't have to order everything from Amazon, though. I've collected some gift ideas together from brands I love, as well as things you can make at home, to make glamorous, luxurious, sensual gifts that are still reasonably priced. At least one of these seven original gift ideas for the glamorous gift-giver should work for whoever you're buying for- maybe more than one :)

Photographed by Peter Scott

Bareskin Beauty natural organic skincare

I'll start with Bareskin Beauty products because I just ordered a bunch as a gift for myself... my skin did not enjoy being without them for six weeks on tour! Their very high-end, luxurious raw organic products come in pretty glass packaging and smell good enough to eat. There is currently a sale on Bareskin Beauty gift sets.


Scented beeswax candles

Beeswax candles are the highest quality and most expensive candles. I got interested in beeswax candles after I learned that they actually cleanse the air, rather than polluting it like paraffin candles do, and discovering that their burn time is much much longer, making them just as good value for money in my eyes!

I make my own at home using plenty of essential oil to scent them, as the ones I've bought in shops don't smell nearly enough for me! I don't like a subtly scented candle, I want to light it and then have the whole room instantly have an opulent, relaxing atmosphere, without having to wait, or light five at once! They're really easy to make using this beeswax candle-making tutorial. I like tying ribbons around the jars to decorate them.


Playful Promises retro lingerie

A shop assistant in a sex shop once advised me, don't hesitate to buy your girlfriends sexy gifts, because why should we wait for the men to buy them for us? It's a good call! Receiving sexy lingerie from a platonic friend is good low-pressure fun, since they're not expecting to see you in it- they just want you to enjoy it! Playful Promises do lovely retro bras, knickers and suspender belts as well as makeup and corsets.

Playful Promises lingerie and Fabulously Fetish shoes shot by LanesRo1

Handmade chocolates

There is so much cheap junk "food" circulating at Christmas that it's wonderful to receive handmade healthy chocolates from friends. Sophisticated dark chocolate really can be very healthy, and it's great to turn up to a party with them as well as the bottle of champagne! My favourites are these Thyroid-Boosting Macaroons. I don't find the liquid stevia is necessary as they are sweet enough, and all the other ingredients can be found in an ordinary supermarket if you are willing to substitute ordinary cocoa powder for the raw cacao. I like to serve them on a vintage cake stand, sprinkled with extra coconut, or wrap an ordinary little box in posh wrapping paper to make a chocolate box for a friend.


Fabulously Fetish shoes

If you really want to splash out on a girlfriend, mother, sister or cool auntie, get their foot measurements and have the shoes of their dreams custom-made in real leather by Fabulously Fetish. It gives a sophisticated option for what to wear to impress on New Year's Eve.


The "Ugly" Girl's Guide to Modelling

Of course, I'm going to recommend my own book... because I made it the best resource for freelance models, and any woman wanting to gain body-confidence and model beauty secrets! It is designed to help anyone look better both in real life and in photos, as well as giving lots of information and inspiration for models at all levels, from total beginners to seasoned professionals, to get the most out of their career- something we think a lot about around Christmas and New Year as this tends to be our quiet time. It also makes a great companion to any new year's resolutions you might have to get fit, healthy, slim and more beautiful for 2015. You can do it :) I don't even know if it will be out in time for Christmas, but you can add it to your Amazon Wishlist here.


Lady Allura's Latex

Lady Allura is a properly trained fashion designer who makes latex couture to order, in whatever classic or avant-garde styles you can think of, and focuses on making styles that suit petite, standard and voluptuous figures too.


A photo shoot with me

If you're buying for a photographer, you can buy gift vouchers for shoot time with me- just email me at contact@anitadebauch.com and imagine their face!


Quality time

The most important thing about this time of year is to take stock of what is important to you and enjoy time off work to spend with those you love. We only get a limited amount of time to spend with anyone in one lifetime, so quality time really is the most valuable gift :) If you aren't able to see certain people over Christmas, use the time to make plans with them for the New Year. You'll remember the time you spent together more than you remember what you got for Christmas last year.

Much love, and season's greetings!

Anita

The Writer

Amazing news! My book, The "Ugly" Girl's Guide to Modelling, will be published by New Haven this year!!!

No dismal self-publishing for me! I have an assigned editor and book designer and marketing person and we're all so excited we could pop!! Tuesday was one of the happiest days of my life. I mostly spent it jumping up and down, calling my mum and my best friend, crying, running laps round the house and drinking champage! I'M GOING TO BE A WRITER!

I will keep you updated of when it's out, of course! It will be available globally, so no matter where you are in the world, you can pick up a copy from somewhere. Please subscribe to my blog for free (top of the right column on this page) to be the first to know when it's available to buy. I think it's the first of its kind.

Appropriately, I thought I would share this classical figure nude I shot with 25th Century Quaker in New York earlier this year. I love the rich colours and painterly feel :) I'd love to shoot more classic nudes like this.

^ Click the image for a larger version.

Skincare by +Bareskin Beauty, hair and makeup by me.

I stole the orchids from my afternoon tea at The 21 the day before :p

In other news, I visited Roswell Ivory on her boat this week. It is the cutest thing I ever saw, like something out of The Wind in the Willows! I love the idea of reverting to a simpler, scaled-down way of life closer to nature, believe it or not. I always think I love everything extra decadent but then when I go somewhere more natural and simple I feel so relaxed. I guess there is a lot of material stuff that we think we need to be happy, but really, what do we own that is still making us feel fantastic six months after we bought it?

On that note, go and bid on some of my stuff on eBay. Ha.

Anita xo

#WardrobeWednesday with Damian McGillicuddy, Olympus & Bareskin Beauty!

Hi everyone!

I'm writing this on my sofa, in a peach robe, with Lilith purring in it, and drinking almond cappuccino with cinnamon sprinkles from a big china mug. Apparently people like to know these things.

Anyway!

Check out this new photo shot in Finland last month with Damian McGillicuddy using Olympus! I borrowed my boyfriend's tie for this shoot.

I'm quite impressed by just how much you can see my nipple through that blouse. I don't know if it actually looked like that at the time or was enhanced in Photoshop. I did the hair and makeup, skincare is by Bareskin Beauty :) The hair was super easy, I just used coconut oil to slick it down.

Bought some new makeup online today, in fact; I'm gradually converting from MAC to organic pure mineral products. Less talc = less spots. I recently got a bunch of new BsB natural products and my skin looked better immediately after using the Clay Mask and Antioxidant Toner, which inspired me to think, "what else can I do? Improve my makeup case!"

Yesterday's lips =

BsB lip balm + Rimmel Dynamite pencil + MAC Girl About Town applied with MAC lip brush

Here's a little video of me visiting the BsB kitchen in London last weekend, in case you didn't already see it on Vine:

Full day shoot yesterday, spa mineral bath with Thornton's Champagne truffles courtesy of boyfy last night, and full day's domestic goddess activities today. I've already done last night's washing up, three loads of laundry, scratch-made two kinds of soup (Kim Snyder's detox vegan Thai soup, and my own vegan Italian tomato & Chanteray carrot), baked preservative-free vegan wholemeal with coconut oil and BsB Himalayan pink salt, and assembled a huge pile of clothes for mending. I feel super-efficient. Now to see if I can remember how to thread up my digital sewing machine!

 Oh and guess what?

I've officially been modelling for EIGHT YEARS this month.

UNBELIEVABLE!!! Cheers everyone!

PS, does anyone know where I can buy a pair of these in the UK??? They are actually my perfect pair of sunglasses. I think I could handle paying 250 bucks for them if I had prescription lenses put in and wore them forever.