Dearest reader,
when you first meet someone, usually an introduction is in order. *Imaging shaking hands* My name is Heike, I've reached the the god awful age of 30 last fall [me and my best friend tried to console each other with a weekend trip to Paris. Kinda helped :)] and I'm still semi wrinkle free, thanks to a ton of money I invest in cremes, gels and maquillage.
I am also a nerd. Sorry to say that people. I studied biochemistry and molecular biology... and you may leave now if you want to ;) I worked in a lab in New Zealand studying the relationship between fungi and grass [the stuff that cows and sheep eat, not what you might imagine] during my master thesis, and continued on with a PhD on stem cell research using the cells in the brain of a fruit fly as a model system. Model systems, in case you're interested, is what we use to study our, mostly human disease related, questions when humans are not available for research, which they rarely are. Anyways I finished my PhD, I worked for another year or so as a scientist and then got entirely fed up with the whole thing. When my contract ended earlier this year, I decided not to prolong it and instead try something different.
Make up artistry. Now, why make up? That's like completely not nerdy, and not something one thinks a scientist would love. I got into the whole make up and beauty world when I discovered hair- and make up tutorials on You Tube while looking for a hairstyle for a ball in Vienna [in case you're ever here during ball season, get a dress or tux, scrub up and go! It's amazing]. I instantly got hooked and found out about eyeshadow primers, highlighters, brushes, what a crease is and the other vee, winged out eyeliner and so forth. Loved it. Went out and spent all my money on make up. Well, not all my money I should say, just the money I would've spent on clothes instead ;) I got almost everything I wanted [luckily I did have SOME sane moments] and build up a nice collection of stuff. I started making up friends for balls and weddings, and practiced practiced practiced. My then boyfriend thought I was nuts, but hey ho, what can you do you when you're addicted?
To make a long story short, last year I met a guy, Juergen Knoth, and we got together *happy dance*. He's a photographer and I slowly but surely I got sucked into his world. When my lab contract ended I spontaneously decided to join him in Cape Town, South Africa where he stayed to produce some fashion shoots. There'll be more about that in the next post, but this was the point when I decided to just give it a go and see what happens when I do make up professionally full time. So feel free to join me on my journey, some pretty images are waiting for you :)
Heidi xxx
