A KEY FACTOR IN A SUCCESSFUL PHOTO SHOOT IS FUN. We had an absolute blast shooting “Super Natural,” the beauty feature in our brand new issue. And how does this fun happen? Well…you start with some sincere passion, then add to that a group of creative individuals, an idea everyone can get behind, some rockin’ tunes… and blend, blend, blend! Oh, and of course, lots of hard work is involved. But when you’re having fun, hard work becomes second nature. Speaking of nature, she was our muse in the making of the beauty feature! Get glimpse of the behind-the-scenes action in our exclusive video: 

Having the talented Melisser Elliott on board again, who did makeup and hair on two features in our Premier Issue, was a no-brainer. Of course, as always, she used all vegan and cruelty-free makeup and hair products, and shared indispensible beauty tips. Our amazing photographer Ashley Macknica provided the city/nature concept for the shoot and the perfect location for it in the form of her East Village home in NYC. Our vegan model Maggie Geha had just the right look, and was a total pro in not only taking direction, but adding her own personality to the shoot (she’s also an actress!) We took things a step further this time and also included fashion stylist! Liz Polden pulled an amazing selection of vegan and ethically-produced garments, which really made all of the beauty looks come alive. Our amazing nail artist Miss Pop dazzled up the digits with her second-to-none artistry and cruelty-free lacquers. We even had a prop stylist—Jules Manoogian finessed the details of our portrait and product shots. All of this amounted to a dream project for me to art direct! So, there you have it—a shoot so fun, you’d want to do it over and over!

IN OUR EQUALLY-FUN FASHION FEATURE “SUMMER FLING,” WE PAIRED cutting-edge style with a vintage hair look. To achieve this, we recruited makeup and hair maestro Bettina May, who also just so happens to be an outspoken vegan burlesque star! Bettina created a lovely modern take on the classic pin-up hair do. “The best way to create soft glamorous curls is with an old-fashioned roller set,” she explains. Here, she gives us simple instructions on how you can re-create this look at home:

[1] To start, comb the hair into the part you want for the style. Then, using the end of a rattail comb, section hair into equal parts, and spritz the setting spray from root to tip (about 3 sprays will do it for medium length hair) holding the bottle 8-10 inches from hair.

[2] Next, rolling away from the part, wrap the hair around your curler, always rolling under, and make sure your ends are wrapped in neatly. For best results, use smaller rollers around the face, and larger curlers on the top of the head.

[3] Leave hot rollers in for at least 30 minutes (just enough time to do your makeup!), and then unroll the curlers and brush fabulous curls out with your fingers or a nylon bristle hair brush (I love the classic Mason Pearson brushes). And voilà— a sexy throwback, perfect for summer.

See the final result on our vegan model Emily Wilson, along with gorgeous vegan fashion and accessories, in our BRAND NEW ISSUE!

Beauty Feature video filmed and edited by Robert Poswall.

Emily Wilson photographed by Balarama Heller.

Written by Julie Gueraseva. Hair how-to written by Bettina May.