She may live thousands of miles from Hollywood but that isn’t stopping Aurora Osborne from indulging in her love for blood and gore and special effects makeup.
Osborne, runs Phoenix Art Studios which specialises in glam and gore makeup, body art and acrylic nails. While she hopes to one day be handling special effects makeup on movie sets, she can be called upon to create outrageous and scary looks for Halloween or any other reason. She also has a knack for cutting up T-shirts, which is quite popular in carnival season.
“I have always had a thing for body art, anything expressive, colourful that enhances ones beauty. I gravitated more towards glam and gore makeup and body painting but as time went on my interest in actual glam makeup became more pronounced so I dived into educating myself and practicing my makeup application,” the young entrepreneur shared.
She attended secondary school in the United Kingdom and had her first work experience at Steiner Professional Beauty School in Oxford Street London, where she was trained in all areas of professional beauty treatments including waxing, facials, massages, eyelash & brow tinting, manicures and more. Her work experience turned into a full-time job with Steiner and this allowed her to develop her techniques and fall in love with beauty therapy and beauty enhancements.
“I absolutely love anything that is out of the ordinary, which is why I decided to specialize in glam and gore makeup and body painting. I am really interested in the various aspects of special effects (SFX) gore makeup, the different techniques to make designs look 3D and the simple ways in which you can contour a plain flat cut or bruise in a few steps. To me SFX gore makeup is super exciting and there are so many channels and doors it can open for me because this type of makeup is widely appreciated in the UK and USA.
“Body painting is my overall goal. I am immensely intrigued by using the human body as a canvas to paint anything that comes to mind. Body painting can be used for simple art, photo shoots, advertisements and once you have a creative mind the list is endless,” Osborne shared.
“On island there is always a demand for nails and glam makeup but as it relates to gore SFX makeup and body painting there is less of a demand, which is why I am currently creating pieces and displaying them to create a niche market for such closer to Halloween and thereafter. My body painting art work/portfolio is growing but currently private as local models are very reluctant to have their pictures posted on social media. However neighboring islands are a lot more open to body painting as well as glam and gore makeup because larger populations call for a lot more creativity and open-mindedness. I have recently booked a few jobs overseas for body painting at private functions and I am very excited because this is my true passion.
“Glam and gore makeup is really about mixing the two to create a
powerful outcome and a look that is out of the ordinary. I love anything that is different and out of the ordinary even exclusive. To me it gives me a better advantage of being able to product both looks combined. Not all glam and gore looks are scary which branches into my absolute love of fantasy makeup. Fantasy makeup looks can range from simple to vast all surrounding fantasy, things only found in dreams so to speak.”
While she prepares for the opportunity to show her SFX makeup and body art skills, she keeps herself motivated by continuing to practice her passion.
“I am motivated by lots of things, my surroundings, colours, art work that I find online, books I have read and those I am currently reading. I keep myself motivated by doing new things, keeping myself educated with different techniques I’ve learned, going on adventures with my family. Most of all I am motivated by my two incredibly beautiful daughters, Aulauni Andrew & Aurealia Andrew.”
Aurora emphasizes that with any kind of makeup use, a proper skincare routine is key.
“Caring for your skin is very important whether you wear everyday makeup or not. I recommend a good skincare régime to include a face wash for their specific skin type, at home face masks and moisturizing regularly. For women who do wear everyday makeup I would suggest having a facial once or twice a month in order to eradicate any impurities that may be embedded in their pores. I also recommend light facial oils for their specific skin types before bed.”
Phoenix Art Studios is located in Barzeys. Check out more of Aurora’s work on her Facebook page @phoenixartstudios as well as on Instagram page @phoenixartstudios664. Ask to see her portfolio of nail designs and other artwork. Call for appointments at 1-664-496-1435 or email bubblez2683@gmail.com.
