Get Scouted: How can I get into modeling!

All model hopefuls need someone to notice just how amazing they are, and one of the biggest hurdles is to catch the attention of a model agency or model scout.

Do your homework and research online the most reputable agency in your local area. It’s a good place to start, but in the age of social media, it has never been easier for scouts and agents from the top tier agencies in NYC, Paris, and other major markets, to find the most promising “new faces” online, no matter where they live.

There are several ways hopefuls can be in contact with agencies:  online submissions on agency websites, social media, open calls at agencies, and through contests or model conventions and showcases. Let’s break it down to find the best approach for you to get your face in front of the decision makers in the agencies:

Open Calls:  this is a set time at an agency where they will meet drop-ins.  You should come exactly on time, do not wear makeup, wearing skinny jeans and a tank top or t-shirt.  Make eye contact, be yourself, and put your best attitude and personality forward.

Online submissions through agency websites:  go to agency websites and look for a menu item that might say either “Be A Model” or “Get Scouted”.  There you will find their submission guidelines with a questionnaire and a place to upload specific photos of yourself.

Social media such as Instagram:  agencies maintain social media accounts, especially on Instagram. Make sure you are following the verified account of the agency and not a fan account.  The best working models have very active social media accounts with images that show their personality, interests, behind the scenes shots, and sometimes they show their tear sheets from work.  Think about your own account and remove any images that might make a potential agent or scout leave your account, such as nudity, club life or party images, duck lips (!), wearing too much makeup, and pictures that are missing a head! All the best agencies check Instagram every day and most of them have a hash-tag # that you can add to three or four of your best pics, that they will check.  Just as a matter of protocol, hash-tag only one agency at a time on a photo, and edit and change the hash-tag to a different one from another agency after about ten days if you have not received a direct message from them. 

Conventions, showcases and contests:  often these events cost money – a lot of money - and promise to put a model in person in front of agents and scouts, but your chances are no better than if you submitted online, or went to an open call or hash-tagged an agency online – and these are free!

So ... Key things to remember: 

Be natural with a fresh face without makeup, have clean hair worn in a normal style, and show the real, genuine “you”.

No professional photos needed – phone pics are preferred.  Use good, natural lighting and avoid a busy background behind you.

Modeling schools are not necessary and do not qualify you to be a model.

There should never be a fee to apply to submit yourself to agencies. Ever. 

Girls should wear skinny jeans and a tank top and guys should wear jeans and a plain t-shirt for online submissions to agencies so they can get an idea of your proportions and figure.  Every agency has different requirements so make sure you read the guidelines.

Don’t lie about your age or height – imagine if you get to actually meet the agent in person and you are caught in a lie??  It’s not the way to begin a business relationship. 

Finally – don’t get discouraged!  Keep in mind that many top models were rejected by one or another agency along the way to building their careers, due to timing, their particular look, their age, or just being the right type for that market.  It’s business, not personal. 

“No” might mean “not right now” or “not this agency”, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for you in the industry!  Don’t give up!

Izabel Goulart - Model Crush Monday !

Braziliain born, Izabel Goulart is our Model crush this Monday!  Izabel is best known for her work as a Victoria Secret Model but she is so much more than that!  

Izabel is a girl that can walk the runway and also appears on covers and editorials for the biggest magazines and designers on the planet.  She travels in supermodel style and shows us all on her amazing Instagram feed how to live a happy, healthy life as a model.  Just try and stop watching her workouts clips - and then take yourself right back to the gym and try to get her model body - this woman earns it!  She is known just as equally for her gorgeous hair and contagious smile - glamour on fleek!

How she got her start? A hairstylist suggested she should become a model at age 14, while shopping for groceries with her mom. Goulart, whose brother has type 1 diabetes, does charitable work, helping hospitals in her native Brazil to raise money to provide free insulin for diabetic children in need. A beauty with a big heart!

So you think you want to be a model? 5'9" is the minimum Height Requirement!

Modeling is not always as easy as it looks.

So many girls ask me about that 5'9" requirement and why it's such a deal breaker.  Below is some proof positive how those few extra inches give you the ability to stretch your body and elongate your torso in ways most women find impossible to do, all the while looking poised and beautiful. Take a look and see what you think.

Find more photos like this from funny girl Celeste Barber on her IG page! 

Cost of Beauty is Going up! The High Price of Maintenance

Beauty is Expensive, but just how much can it cost to maintain? Well, here's a bit of a shocker ... an annual outlay of more than $16,000 a year!

1. Haircut : $125 every other month | $750/yr

2. Hair Color : $200 once a month | $2400/yr

3. BlowOut : $50 | Twice a  month $1200/yr.

4. Botox: $300 lasting 3 months | $1200

5. Brow Shaping/Waxing : $25 a month | $300/yr

6. EyeLash Extensions: $150 with $50 fills every 2-3 weeks | $1000/yr I just about categorized this as an indulgence, which it certainly is, however, if you are a busy girl it saves tons of time! So I say necessity. 

7. Retin A : Cost $200 a tube lasting 3 months | $800/yr
My dermatologist says that everyone should be on a Retin A or retinoid. It is the only topical agent that scientifically has been proven to stimulate collagen production.

8. Microdermabrasion ($100) and Peels | $1200/yr
Facials are nice, but they don't go deep. It's important to remove dull, dead skin and to stimulate collagen in order to make your skin look brighter and youthful. The best way to get instant results is with microdermabrasion and chemical peels. Microdermabrasion works best if you are committed to once a month treatments - about $100 a pop. Peels require some down time  because your skin peels like a snake, but the results are impressive: Try VI peel $300-400 and the Obagi Blue peel $450-600 (more intense). Best to do once a year after the summer to remove sun damaged skin layer.

9. Teeth: Whitening $400, Invisalign $5000
As we age our teeth shift and fall back. To keep your smile many adults are now turning to Invisalign and retainers.

10. Manicure & Pedicure: $75 a month | $900/yr

11. Gym Membership: $60 a month | $720/yr
The extras? Pilates, Barre class, Yoga, Spinning -  each $18-40 per session

12. Sunless Tan: $40 | Twice a month $960/yr

Product faves

• Moroccan Oil Shampoo ($25) and Conditioner ($24)
• SPF: Anthelios AOX Daily Antioxidant Serum with Sunscreen SPF 50 ($34)
• Serums/Moisturizers: SkinCeuticals Vitamin CE Ferulic Serum ($104) 
• Hidden Crown Hair Extensions ($250) - Instant volume and length that you can put on in less than a minute yourself at home.

Indulgences

• Facials: $100 a month
• Massage: $100 a month
• IV Vitamin therapy: $100 per treatment | $1200/year
• Green Juices: $20 a week | $1040/yr
• Crème de la Mer $310

Procedures

• IPL: $700. Intense pulse light used to even out skin tone and lighten sun/age spots.
• Fillers: Restylane and Juvederm cost anywhere between $500 and $1300 per 1mL syringe, with one to five syringes needed). Total cost of treatment might range from $500-6500, lasting 9 months to a year. 
• Thermage: $2000 - $3000. A nonsurgical face life using radio frequency for skin tightening, like shrink wrapping your face.  
• Ultherapy on chin and jawline and eyelids: $3,000. A non-surgical ultrasound treatment that counteracts the effects of time and gravity on your skin.

PREPPING FOR YOUR PHOTO SHOOT

It is a model’s obligation to arrive prepped and ready to go for every booking and photo shoot, from hair, skin and nails, to mental attitude. It's

the true sign of a professional model. 

Don't leave things until the night before the shoot but maintain your beauty routine at all times so you are ready to go when the agency calls to say  “you’re booked!”.

• I recommend shaving fuzz and fine hairs from arms and face. To learn about this technique check out a previous post Women's facial shaving {Here}. If waxing do so at least two days before any shoot and really moisturize your body skin, to avoid redness

• Avoid alcohol the night before so you don’t have a puffy face that goes for any salty foods too

• Never try a new product the day before a shoot in case you have a reaction to it! Trust me!  This happened to me from a facemask and I had to shoot a jewelry campaign the next day! Not good.

• Wash your hair the night before, not the morning of a shoot.  Hair stylists prefer hair slightly dirty as it holds product and style better.  That does not mean having any product already in your hair, or greasy hair.

• Make sure your haircut, hair color, and hair condition are maintained regularly so you don’t arrive on set with a birds nest for the stylist to deal with

• Make sure you have clean nails and no colored nail polish and that includes your toes

• Get a good night’s sleep – woe to the model who parties all night and thinks she can pull off a great booking in the morning – no one is that beautiful – or irreplaceable

• Pack your bag the night before with nude lingerie including a nude thong, bring your toothpaste/toothbrush, and don't forget energy bars, water, and your phone charger. Even if you are arriving with clean face because a make up artist is booked, always bring the basics - foundation, powder, mascara ... Once I went to an early morning booking and the makeup artist was deathly ill and couldn't make it to the shoot and it the location was far from town in the middle of no-where. Thankfully I had enough to makeup with me to make the job still happen for everyone.

• Check the call sheet for any other specific things they might ask you to bring - always bring 2 choices if clothing or shoe requests

• Eat breakfast!  Do not starve!  Models who don’t eat before a shoot because they want a super flat stomach or are just nervous, are fooling themselves.  They have no sustainable energy to last through the shoot and clients and the creative team never have patience for low energy from the model.  Eating a normal breakfast will not be an issue by the time you are shooting, after hair and makeup.

• Arrive with a clean, moisturized face, without any makeup - sometimes this appears on the call sheet as "clean - clean"  (clean hair, clean face, clean nails

• Sometimes it will be written on the call sheet "arrive bikini ready" - that means waxed and without any fake tan streaks

Being prepared is in your own best interest in helping create beautiful images which can get you re-booked in the future.  Never assume that the photographer or client will be willing to retouch your roots, shaving stubble or lack of proper hair removal maintenance, ragged nails or cuticles, or the dark circles under your eyes from lack of sleep.  The makeup artist and hair stylist are there to enhance your look and are not there for your beauty upkeep.

  

My first agent told every model to always arrive fifteen minutes before your call time in case you are lost or can't find the location, or need to use the washroom, or whatever.  When you arrive on set, greet everyone, be respectful, polite, and engaging.  Always ask the protocol regarding social media, selfies on set, and posting.  The booking is not about you but about the client and the project, so be professional.  It's business.  When the shoot is finished, thank everyone on set before you leave.  Remember: today's assistant stylist, editor or photography assistant could be tomorrow's client! Have a great booking!