The fulerton files: oct 08
Session nail technician Andrea Fulerton discovers that movie star Mischa Barton is a true professional
Ah, the memories of working with A-list movie stars. It was a sunny Saturday morning earlier this year when I met the fashionably-late Mischa Barton with her London-based mum and dad in tow. I believe Mischa and her two sisters were born in London before moving to NYC, so I expected her to have a British accent like her folks, but no, she had a gentle American one.
It wasn't easy, and neither was getting off her mass of rings and bracelets. However, once painted, Mischa was
a pro: she didn't reach for drinks, answer her mobile, constantly move about, or (my personal favourite) need the loo just as the final top coat - Creative's Speedey - was applied.She even managed to keep them out of the make-up artist's path as she leaned in to do her eyes.
The dreaded black varnish came off pretty well with the help of cotton wool pads saturated with lots of Alida nail varnish remover held on each nail for 15 seconds before swiping off in one direction. I can't help but think she had a decent basecoat on as there was zilch nail-plate staining.
I love Essie's First Base at the moment, but - just like my shampoo - I like to mix things up in life.
Mischa's nails were not really short, but they were not long either - about 1mm in length, all shaped straight across, so I didn't have to do much at all.
Talking of the States - I did another shoot for Chicago Social Interiors magazine's August front cover.The model was 16 years old and had taken a day off school. I gave her her first manicure and painted her nails in a colour I mixed myself (using a drop of an old Leighton Denny black varnish combined with OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark) to make an extremely dark, dried ox blood-like shade. OPI's new France-inspired collection has a similar shade I'm Fondue of You, while Yes I Can-Can is gorgeous for this winter too. Don't ya just dig those names?
