Life of a Model: Behind the Scenes with Louisa

Many of you may recognize Louisa Raske. She's posed so many times for us at Beauty For Real that we like to refer to her as our “In House Model.” There's no one better to represent us as she truly is a real beauty inside and out. Read what she has to say about her model life.

Thanks Louisa! xxoo, Leslie

Feeling confident, beautiful and sexy are obvious assets you want to bring on set with you. I'm going on twenty years now as a model so I am no stranger to being in front of the camera. But I am also no stranger to feeling the lack of confidence, beauty or sexiness. Hey! Models are human too! The makeup artist is probably who you end up spending the majority of the day with from start to finish. Last thing you want is to butt heads with the person in charge of transforming you! But it happens. What’s great about working with Leslie is she usually asks if me if I like the makeup or look she’s going for. In the end, she wants you to feel as beautiful as you look!I have been fortunate to shoot with Leslie for Beauty For Real a handful of times now. We first met on a job in the Dominican Republic four years ago where we bonded over our love for horses and our goofy personalities. One of my favorite personality traits that tells me “This person and I will get along,” is to not take yourself too serious. Leslie has the ability to have fun and make the most of whatever situation in which she is shooting. This can be a talent within itself, because contrary to popular belief, photoshoots are generally far from glamorous. That particular little personality trait that I appreciate so much produces more than just friendship gaining qualities.

photo reel louisa raske and leslie munsell

I keep my ear to the ground in hopes of a BFR shoot on the horizon. I make out pretty well in the product department at the end of the day, so that is always a plus! My bathroom mimics their showroom and I love it! Shoot days with Beauty For Real always end up being one big social event that yields beautiful pictures. It can get hectic but we’re all equipped with hectic coping capabilities. My most recent shoot was for the Home Shopping Network (HSN). The other girls who are a part of the shoot who represent the various shades and skin tones are all great friends and have also been modeling for twenty years more or less. I think George Kamper, the photographer, might need a gaggle of girls detox after a full day of all of us. Come to think of it, I don’t feel too bad for him having to stare at beautiful girls all day!

Depending on what products Leslie needs to shoot that day, we usually do a before and after. Yup, that’s what I said…BEFORE! No makeup. No photoshop. Nada! And I will repeat: Models are humans too! While I question my career choice as the images pop up on the monitor, I know I will spring back to life momentarily. Remember that whole confidence and feeling as beautiful as you look? Well, this is where the makeup artist skills kick in. It doesn’t take much. I'm not talking full Kardashian contour and smokey eyes. Who has the time or patience or lets face it, the skill set to do all that…I know I don’t.

Leslie has been using her MVP Perfect+Protect Tinted Moisturizer and Concealer on me since the beginning of its existence. She had it in little sample tubes for a while trying to perfect and test it out. I loved it from the get go! If she didn’t know it would have been me, I would have “dropped” it in my bag. It seemed like forever but I finally got my own right before they launched it. I had it for three days and another makeup artist friend of mine “dropped” it in her bag so Leslie replaced it. I made the mistake of showing my mom over Father’s Day and once again I was left empty handed.

Once Leslie covers some sun spots (hard to avoid being active and living in Miami), adds a little mascara and straightens out my eyebrows, I am joyfully off to shoot the after shot! Feeling like a Stella, I got my groove back! Because it is focused on the makeup, the shot is typically from the neck up, so not too much goes into clothing. Leslie can be seen bouncing from one girl to the next doing touch ups rattling off all the different shades like a Sherwin Williams paint chip. When we all finish our single shots, all the girls pile in for a group shot. I always love these. Who wouldn’t appreciate a photo of their friends all from diverse backgrounds and looking beautiful in one shot?

It is always a long day but never long enough! I'm sure Leslie wishes there were a few extra hours crammed in there, but we get what she needs. Giggling and being silly, we all scurry on our way with new products to add to my in home showroom. Once the pictures are chosen and edited, she sends them to us to use for our book or social media. George does great lighting, which is not as easy as it seems, and the makeup is perfect. With the BFR shots we do, I'm never lost in the makeup. It’s there and you see it but it is just enough to bring out what I already have.

I can mark off another day with BFR for the books and soon the quirky boomerangs and behind the scenes candids pop up on our Instagrams. Being friends with Leslie, I know there are more products on the horizon and more photoshoots to come. In the mean time, I am sure we will work on other projects together outside of Beauty For Real, possibly on some Caribbean island or maybe Mexico. What ever it may be it is guaranteed to involve wise cracks, laughter and beautiful makeup.

louisa raske Xoxo, Louisa