I received an email from Ashley Fruno of PETA Asia today thanking me for a job well done on Saturday. I'm glad with the amount of press coverage they received and happy I played a small part in contributing to the awareness for ethical treatment of animals. Here's the email and links to press who attended the event.
Hi Shahnaz,
Just wanted to send a quick note (although
very delayed) to thank you for all your hard work in making Saturday possible.
We were delighted with the amount of press that attended the shoot, and the make-up
absolutely amazing. Attached are some clips from two Hong
Kong newspapers and a Thai paper, and below are what we have seen
online. I thought you might like to see them. I’ll be sending much more
in the next few days….
I had a great time with Eunice and Anna at the PETA photoshoot on Saturday. We spent half the day at Myth Studio in Mutiara Damansara making-up non other then Malaysia's very own supermodel, Amber Chia.
The photoshoot is for PETA Asia's advertising campaign against animal captivity, basically to boycott zoos. Ashley Fruno, Senior PETA Campaigner believes animals belong in the wild and no matter how well they are kept in zoos, no zoo can re-create the animals' natural habitat. Zoos might claim they are educating the public but PETA thinks animals have limited space in zoos and are being exploited for entertainment.
The first photoshoot is of Amber in PETA t-shirt. The make-up and hair for this photoshoot is clean and natural. I decided to sleek her hair back into a ponytail to keep it simple.
After 2 t-shirt changes and a short interview with Ashley, Amber then changed into a white strapless bra and nude coloured g-strings to be painted on. I applied skin protector base to protect her skin and make application of the paint smoother.
The first coat was a mix of Mehron orange, yellow and brown bodypaint all over her back, outer hands and outer legs. The first layer is then dried with cold air of my hairdryer before the second and third layer is painted over. We noticed the paint needs to be applied thinly with a make-up sponge and some water using long strokes. If the paint is too thick and no water added, it will crack easily and needs to be touched up. Details of the orange coat is then done using a paintbrush. I also decided to add some gold paint for highlights.
My assistant Anna then started on the white paint on the front of Ambers' body, inner hands and inner legs. Eunice started on the black stripes using a small paintbrush. I printed out photographs of tigers in the wild as references, as I wanted the stripes to be as similar to a real tiger as possible. The stripes are appled thinly so that black paint can be added on later to make the stripes thicker if necessary.
While the 2 girls worked on Amber's body, I started on her face. She already has false eyelashes on from the first photoshoot so I applied black eyeliner on the inner and outer corners of her eyes to create "cat eyes". She does carry out the feline look very well, I must say. I added more bronzer on her cheekbones and rest of her face and it's all done. Her hair is backcombed and teased with some hairspray to add volume while the ends of her locks are curled loosely using a hair iron. After about two and a half hours (despite the press claims that it took three or four hours), Amber was ready to face the anxious media for her "junggle-setting" photoshoot.
Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary in Pahang was set up in 1989 under the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Malaysia and manned by the Elephant Capture and Translocation Unit. The team is dedicated to protect and translocate wild elephants from areas where conflicts between these elephants and humans may occur such as at plantation sites. The elephants are then moved to bigger and safer jungle reserves land and the locals are taught correct steps to protect their farms while supporting wildlife conservation. Bravo!
Visitors need to register upon entering the sanctuary. It's free of charge, the more reason to visit this wonderful place. Kuala Gandah aims to create public awareness, enhancing the public's knowledge and support the importance of elephant conservation. Hence, visitors are welcome to participate in the elephant's daily activities such as feeding. You can also ride the elephants and best of all, bathe with them in the nearby river!
