Evaluating my design and my interpretation

Throughout the technical lessons I have learnt so much. I never thought I'd have taken in so much information in such a short amount of time, or be applying my newly learnt skills to every makeup look we design and execute. I have found learning about the Elizabethans and their makeup rituals particularly interesting, which is surprising because I didn't know what the project would entail or if I would even enjoy it. As a whole I have become better at applying makeup, more confident in trying new things, and more inspired than I've ever been! I can't wait to start the next project and apply the skills I've learnt to them, and keep improving as the course progresses.

Evaluating my design:

I really enjoyed the whole creative process of designing something unique and interesting for my final assessment. I was worried about whether or not my design was a good take on the Elizabethan era or not, but I think the qualities that it is made up of really apply to the period.
For one, the pale complexion is the most noticeable aspect of a typical Elizabethan woman when we see portraits and paintings of them. I thought the Illamasqua skin base was perfect for this and created the dewy look I was after - a more modern take on the design, as Elizabethans would typically have very chalky, matte skin.
The eyelashes and brows apply to the era because Elizabethan woman often used to blank these features out as it was deemed beautiful and fashionable at the time. I was inspired by the Elizabethan makeup we practiced in one of our technical lessons for this.
The gold used in the design is my favourite feature. Gold is considered a very royal, wealthy colour and was worn by Elizabeth 1st during her rein as Queen. I wanted to incorporate this not only for that reason, but also because I knew it would work perfectly with my red (Elizabethan) hair colour. I also applied the same gold to the lips as I thought it tied the whole look together.
If I had to re-do this project, I would have loved to add in royal purples, reds and some more exciting features. I really like my design idea and was so pleased with how it turned out, but now I'm in the zone with designing I know I'd like to try something a bit more adventurous next time. I'm really happy with how the design was executed by my partner, and I can't wait for the next project!

Evaluating my interpretation: 

I felt the pressure when I was handed Hannah's design! I loved it from the start and thought it would be really easy to interpret someone else's design and idea onto them.. I was surprised at how nerve-wracking it actually was. I was constantly asking for direction in our practice sessions because I wanted to make sure my partner was happy with how I was doing her design. I know that if my design was done by someone else and it wasn't how I wanted it I'd feel disappointed, so I made sure I perfected the design before assessment day.

I have previously written about the changes we both overcame in both of our designs, and I have to say when we altered Hannah's design slightly (on the lips and brows) I felt way more involved with the design! I was glad to have been able to put in some ideas about what would create a more 'Elizabethan' feel, and Hannah told me exactly how she wanted it to look and I did as she asked. I was so pleased with the outcome of this look, it is the best work I've ever done and I was chuffed to bits with whole assessment - especially when I was complimented on my blending skills!!

Next time I really want to study the design I'm creating more. I want to feel 100% confident and practice it until I feel like I could do it with my eyes closed. I am lucky in the way that I am able to work under pressure and to a time limit, but I want my partner to be confident that I can deliver the design she was wishing for. I loved working with my partner on this and got excited about the colours and the creativity of her design.. I will definitely be working with her on some makeup looks after Christmas!

Three brushes makeup challenge

In our lesson today we were given the challenge of creating a makeup look using only three brushes. I decided to go for a complimentary colour design as I was working on a model with very blue eyes and wanted to make them pop. I'm all about the bright colours so I wanted to use a bright goldy/orange colour and define it using a warmer golden colour.

I like the finished effect for my model as it's pretty, however I was hoping for the colours to contrast a lot more!!! As my model was fairly tanned, the orangey/gold eyeshadow complimented her skintone rather than contrasting with it. Although it makes her blue eyes pop, (which was the intention) I wish it had turned out a little bit more dramatic.

Working with three brushes only..

I found the concept of this challenge really scary. I don't seem to use many face brushes but I really like to have a selection for eyes, blending and building colour is key. The three brushes I eventually chose were: Kryolan Foundation brush, Mac fluffy tapered eye brush and a small mac lip brush.

I normally like to blend foundation into the skin using my foundation brush and then my trusty kabuki brush, however I had to make do without today and I thought it'd be dissappointed.. I was pleased with how smoothly the product went on and didn't need much blending. It was also handy that I didn't have to cake on foundation as my model had good skin and didn't require much coverage.

My favourite brush of all time is my Mac tapered eye blending brush. I knew it would be perfect for blending my two very pigmented eyeshadows together, however I also knew that applying the product with it might be tricky. It was ok.. But I had to really wipe off the product with couch roll before I started blending.

I thought using the lip brush to do eyebrows was quite tricky as normally I'd use an angled brush. I applied the product little by little which seemed to do the trick; I can imagine if product was layered on very thickly with this brush the whole thing would look awful! Again, I had to clean this brush off and use it for the lips, which was just a simple pale pink matte gloss. I didn't want the lips to be a distraction to the eyes so thought this worked well.

Products used:

• Mac Studio fix fluid foundation in 'NW15'
• Makeup revolutions eyeshadow palette in 'Iconic 1' using gold shimmer and pale brown
• No7 dramatic lash mascara in black
• L'oreal eye brow palette in dark
• Naked lipgloss 'barely there pink'

Brushes used:

• Kryolan foundation brush
• Mac tapered fluffy eye brush 
• Mac lip brush

Peer exchange and practicing my partner's design

My partner and I exchanged pictures/notes about our final designs so that we were both clear on what the other person expect. Above is the face chart Hannah sent me after we had done a trial session with her makeup design in a free lesson. I had a couple of photos to refer to for Hannah's design, but she guided me through what to do as we came to it. I really love her design but we had had a discussion about whether or not it was 'Elizabethan' or not.. I thought it was, because of the royal pinks/purples and the reds and glitter. However, when we were practicing we made a few changes..

The first practice session, step by step!

The changed aspects of the design included the eyebrows and the lips. The base, eye makeup, lashes and the glitter used on the lips all stayed the same, but in the practice session as I  was filling in one of the brows it extended out too much. I had a little play and made it turn upwards and flow out, and Hannah loved it so we added this minor detail; which was fun! As well as this, I was filling in the lips and we both thought how great the look would be with a little love heart lip (to suit the era..) instead of the lips being fully coloured in. We then trialed this in the last session before the assessment..

Final practice session

As you can see, there are a few changes in these images compared to the last images. The brows, lips, and base look entirely different (and better). I was really grateful to have the time to practice the design a couple of times so that we could have changed it slightly if we needed to, I really wanted it to be perfect for Hannah and to show my technical makeup skills! I feel confident about the final assessment knowing that I got both of these looks down in under an hour. It was such a fun design to work with and really visually rewarding too.

Products used:

• Illamasqua matte primer
• Kryolan supracolour in white
• Nars Vanilla concealer
• Illamasqua translucent powder
• Melt eyeshadows in 'Lovesick', 'Promiscuous' and 'Amelie'
• Illamasqua liquid liner in 'Havoc'
• L'oreal volumous black
• MAC liner 'Beet'
• MAC lipstick 'Russian red'
• MAC pigment in 'Rust'

Brushes used:

• Zoeva foundation brush
• Zoeva flat blending face brush
• Zoeva contour brush
• Zoeva pointed face brush
• MAC fluffy blending brush
• Unnamed flat eyeshadow brush
• Unnamed pointed concealer brush
• Unnamed pointed eyeshadow brush
• MAC lip brush
• Kryolan small angled brush

Health and safety for this technical lesson:

• Work surface area must be clean and tidy
• Use couch roll to cover the surface of your work space 
• Wash hands after preparing where you'll be working! Use antibacterial soap and a clean towel
• Always lay out your brushes on the couch roll - never a surface. Make sure your brushes are always clean before you arrive 
• Gown the model
• Always remember to ask whether the client is allergic to anything, if so, what?
• Does the client wear contact lenses or have sensitive eyes?
• Cleanse the face and follow on with toner and moisturiser before applying makeup
• Bin any dirty cotton pads, wash your hands again after this
• Use a mixing palette or the back of your hand to mix products. Do not double dip!
• Direct the model if necessary, looking upwards, moving their head etc

Peer exchange and creating my look for my partner

Trialing my design

Once I had chosen my design for the final assessment I had a play with the makeup products I wanted to use so that I could show Hannah what I wanted. This was the first try of it and I really loved the dramatic stripe of gold, as well as the white eyebrows and lashes. I hadn't tested the white base on my skin for this trial as I already knew I wanted to use the white base by Illamasqua. We had used this previously and it worked really well on my skin!

I then went into lesson the next day with my prepared notes and a picture of the final design and Hannah went at it with an open mind- she completely aced it! Here are a few of the practice pictures:

I felt SO pleased with the outcome of the first practice! Hannah did such a great job and although it took some time to get it right and the first practice session took over two hours, the final outcome was even better than I'd imagined it. I really enjoyed the process of giving my partner my design and running through what she needed to do for it to be perfect. I also really liked having the freedom to design a contemporary Elizabethan 'look' with all of my own products - many of which I have purchased especially for this design. Next time we practice I feel like it's really important that we get the time right, as the thought of Hannah only having an hour to do everything is quite daunting! Fingers crossed we get this same design in the amount of time given for our assessment. :)

Products used:

• Cleansed skin, using No7 cleanser/toner/moisturiser
• Illamasqua Skin Base (white) mixed with Illamasqua satin finish primer
• Illamasqua loose powder in translucent
• 'Amber lights' and 'amorous alloy' MAC eyeshadow
• Illamasqua eyeshadow in 'Obsidian'
• Kryolan Supracolour in white
• MAC 'Indianwood' eyeliner gel
• Rimmel mascara in black
• Elf lipgloss 'buff pink'

Brushes used:

• Kryolan foundation brush
• Kryolan Kabuki brush
• Kryolan eyeshadow brush
• Unnamed eyeshadow: blending brush, pointed crease, flat eyeshadow brush
• Disposable mascara wands x2
• Unnamed lip brush

Health and safety for this technical lesson:

• Work surface area must be clean and tidy
• Use couch roll to cover the surface of your work space 
• Wash hands after preparing where you'll be working! Use antibacterial soap and a clean towel
• Always lay out your brushes on the couch roll - never a surface. Make sure your brushes are always clean before you arrive 
• Gown the model
• Always remember to ask whether the client is allergic to anything, if so, what?
• Does the client wear contact lenses or have sensitive eyes?
• Cleanse the face and follow on with toner and moisturiser before applying makeup
• Bin any dirty cotton pads, wash your hands again after this
• Use a mixing palette or the back of your hand to mix products. Do not double dip!
• Direct the model if necessary, looking upwards, moving their head etc

Historical Elizabethan makeup

We have recently been learning about traditional Elizabethan makeup and I have researched this quite thoroughly. In Sue's lesson today, we put our knowledge of makeup into practice. Above are a few images with makeup similar to the style we practised in lesson. The aim today was to create a white base, using whichever base we preferred, powdering it, applying blush to the cheeks, whitening out the brows and lashes, and then adding a red lip. It was fun to do, and didn't take too long to achieve either.

These three images really interested me because when researching Elizabethan makeup, the young ladies always have pale features and very blatant rosy cheeks - in a circular motion, not the modern way of achieving blush! They would use various products to achieve this rosiness, including vermillion, which is a red pigment made from mercury sulphide. We recreated our own Elizabethan looks on a partner and these were the results:

Working on Tolly was good because she has lovely flawless skin, so it means the white base goes on beautifully. I used Illamasqua white base for this instead of the Kryolan sets because I prefer the finish of it. I mixed it with the matte illamasqua base so that it wasn't dewy, as this isn't the traditional Elizabethan look. Next, I used the Kryolan Supracolour to white out the brows and lashes. Tolly is quite dark, so it meant blocking out her eyebrows was a challenge and still didn't look perfect at the end. I used a disposable mascara want to apply this and to the eyelashes as well. For the rosy cheeks, I used circular motions with a powder brush, using the Kryolan Blusher palette. As for the lips, I used the dark burgundy colour in the Supracolour palette.

Products used:

• Illamasqua white base mixed with Illamasqua matte primer
• Illamasqua loose powder in translucent
• Kryolan Supracolour in white for brows and lashes
• Kryolan blush palette in 'R21'
• Kryolan supracolour in dark burgundy

Brushes used:

• Kryolan flat foundation brush
• Round puff for powder
• Disposable mascara wand
• Kryolan powder brush
• Unnamed lip brush

Health and safety for this technical lesson:

• Work surface area must be clean and tidy
• Use couch roll to cover the surface of your work space 
• Wash hands after preparing where you'll be working! Use antibacterial soap and a clean towel
• Always lay out your brushes on the couch roll - never a surface. Make sure your brushes are always clean before you arrive 
• Gown the model
• Always remember to ask whether the client is allergic to anything, if so, what?
• Does the client wear contact lenses or have sensitive eyes?
• Cleanse the face and follow on with toner and moisturiser before applying makeup
• Bin any dirty cotton pads, wash your hands again after this
• Use a mixing palette or the back of your hand to mix products. Do not double dip!
• Direct the model if necessary, looking upwards, moving their head etc

Bibliography (images):

https://40.media.tumblr.com/f68e1d2c76d292a242ea558f75de22df/tumblr_mtdajcVaA91rdb09to1_500.jpg

http://orig03.deviantart.net/33ce/f/2012/353/a/e/elizabethan_make_up_by_punkd_pyroshadow-d5oklx4.jpg

https://corsetsandcutlasses.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/portrait_elizabethan_lady_par_hi.jpg

http://www.shafe.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/anon_a_young_lady_aged_21_1569.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2e/c8/0b/2ec80b683e649e997ed2f2a69830b5a8.jpg

Final design proposals

Design #1

This is the simplest of my designs and the design that my partner has tried out on me. Although I like the design, it's not got the wow factor I really want for my final idea.

The details include: a dusty gold lip, gold brows achieved with a liquid metal gold and subtle gold shading in the inner corners of the eyes working down the nose and around under the eyes. This shading also goes over the forehead to create a heart shape, typical of the era. The eyes have simple black mascara.

Design #2

This design uses the same colours as my first design but it is slightly more complex. I have stuck
with using gold lips and brows, but added a slightly more intense colour of gold/red for the lids to create the feeling of power- suitable for a queen. I've also added in some glitter on the lashes. Contouring will be done using the same gold that is on the eyes.

Design #3

This is the design I want to use as my final idea. After thought about what could make the look more intense, I decided to continue using the gold and red colours, but create a sharp line under and above the eyes but blending it downwards so it blends into the illamasqua white base. I want to use a red to enhance the eyes, and then a black eyeshadow around the lashlines before applying normal black mascara and then whiting out the lashes and brows with supracolour white. Gold lips!

Perfecting eyes and lips

In this lesson with Sue we learnt about eye shapes and what style of eye makeup compliments particular types. Again, working in an environment where I have to know eye shapes at Boots really benefited me, and I was really lucky to work on Katie who has big, round eyes. Here are the different shapes you can find when working on clients on an everyday basis:

As you can see from the images below, Katie has really big eyes. It was so easy to work the colours onto them - I'm used to my own eyes, which are more of a downturned shape and it's hard to actually see any eyeshadow unless it's 'mega' for an evening out. I was surprised by how much of a difference my product made even though I'd only used a little bit.

We were set the task of using two colours. I chose to go for a rose goldy shimmer eyeshadow on the main area of the eye. For the outer section and the crease, I chose a warm brown and blended the two together. I was really pleased with the dimensional look it created, and the definition it gave to Katie's eyes.

For the lips, I chose an orangey- warm toned lipstick from our kit palette. It turned out a little brighter than anticipated, however I love how the whole look comes together with the colour I used. Next time, a darker colour (a vintage rose/maybe a dusty deep pink) could be better suited to the look. I really enjoyed this practical session and having a recap on eye shapes and what suits them. I enjoyed creating a fresh, pretty look on Katie!

Three images from todays lesson

Products used:

• No7 Cleanser, toner and moisturiser
• No7 airbrush away primer
• MAC studio fluid fix in NW15
• MAC 'Amber lights' and 'Brun'
• Collection long lash mascara black
• L'oreal eyebrow sculpting duo in dark
• Kryolan lip palette in R12

Brushes used:

• Kryolan foundation brush
• Kyrolan eyeshadow brush
• MAC blending eye brush
• Real Techniques angled eye fluffy brush
• Disposable mascara wands
• Kryolan small angled brush
• Unnamed lip brush

Health and safety for this technical lesson:

• Work surface area must be clean and tidy
• Use couch roll to cover the surface of your work space 
• Wash hands after preparing where you'll be working! Use antibacterial soap and a clean towel
• Always lay out your brushes on the couch roll - never a surface. Make sure your brushes are always clean before you arrive 
• Gown the model
• Always remember to ask whether the client is allergic to anything, if so, what?

The client was allergic to Illamasqua primers so we used No7 as an alternative.

• Does the client wear contact lenses or have sensitive eyes?
• Cleanse the face and follow on with toner and moisturiser before applying makeup
• Bin any dirty cotton pads, wash your hands again after this
• Use a mixing palette or the back of your hand to mix products. Do not double dip!
• Direct the model if necessary, looking upwards, moving their head etc

Bibliography (images):

http://katesbeautyblog.info/content/images/2015/09/Six-Eye-Shapes-1.jpg

Shaping and contouring the face

In Sue's lesson today we recapped on how to apply the perfect base foundation and then we had a demonstration from her about how to contour and highlight.

Firstly, I ensured that Liberty's skin was properly prepped by cleansing, toning and moisturising her face. I blended a few colours from my Kryolan foundation palette to match her skin tone and applied the foundation from the inner face and worked it outwards. I then concealed any problem areas and under her eyes. I didn't finish with a powder as I normally would because we then went on to start highlighting and contouring the face.

(From left) Cleansed face, foundation base

How to contour:

• In order to shape the face and prep it for contour, we applied a light mix of concealers/foundations and lightly shaped these onto the upper cheekbones, the forehead (in a triangle formation) chin, and down the middle of the nose. 

• We then asked our models to suck their cheeks in and we felt for their cheekbones. Mixing together a shade one to two shades darker than their skin colour, we lightly lined out the cheek bone and blended it in a curving motion towards the face and into the hairline.

• You must make sure this is properly blended! Use fingers to do. This is a cream so it's easy to blend but can get a bit muddy.

• We then used a bronzer (I used matte) and went over the contour line we created and then up on the sides of the forehead and down across the jawline to create definition.

• If you want to you can use a blush for a pop of colour!

The final contour result:

I was really pleased with the finished result and felt like the process was easy. I was fascinated about how you can change what a person's facial structure looks like by defining their features! I hadn't really learnt about contouring before and hadn't even practiced it on myself. I was so intrigued and felt like the lesson was a great tool for future makeup looks. 

Products used:

• Illamasqua satin primer
• Kryolan Ultrafoundation palette
• Kryolan dermacolour camouflage concealer palette
• Illamasqua loose powder in translucent
• Kryolan blusher palette (dark browns)
• Sleek highlight

Brushes used:

• Kryolan foundation brush
• Kryolan Kabuki brush
• Kryolan concealer brush
• Charles Fox triangular sponge
• Angled contour brush
• Kryolan powder brush

Health and safety for this technical lesson:

• Work surface area must be clean and tidy
• Use couch roll to cover the surface of your work space 
• Wash hands after preparing where you'll be working! Use antibacterial soap and a clean towel
• Always lay out your brushes on the couch roll - never a surface. Make sure your brushes are always clean before you arrive 
• Gown the model
• Always remember to ask whether the client is allergic to anything, if so, what?
• Does the client wear contact lenses or have sensitive eyes?
• Cleanse the face and follow on with toner and moisturiser before applying makeup
• Bin any dirty cotton pads, wash your hands again after this
• Use a mixing palette or the back of your hand to mix products. Do not double dip!
• Direct the model if necessary, looking upwards, moving their head etc

Monochromatic design

We were set the task of creating a monochromatic makeup design in lesson and I was really excited to start this! I am a fan of using one colour and colours similar to eachother for makeup looks because it creates a beautiful, dimensional and interesting look. I decided to go with the colour silver as I'm torn between which colour represents royalty and wealth; gold or silver? Gold is traditionally used to represent these, however my other designs are featuring golds and reds so I thought I would go with silver for my monochromatic design.

Monochromatic face chart

This was the monochromatic makeup look on Hannah designed above:

I was really pleased with how the makeup turned out - I liked just having one colour but in two tones to work with. The look is simple but effective, it's almost mystical! I used the Illamasqua liquid metals palette in our kit that I hadn't used before so I was interested to see what the texture and final outcome was like. The liquid metals were easy to work with and blended beautifully. Here are my two favourite pictures that demonstrate the makeup:

Products used:

• No7 cleanser, toner and moisturiser
• Illamasqua matte primer
• Illamasqua skin base mixed with MAC studio fluid fix NW15 (foundation)
• MAC concealing pot NW15
• Illamasqua loose powder translucent
• Illamasqua liquid metals eye palette in 'Electrum' and 'Surge'
• L'Oreal false lash mascara, black

Brushes used:

• Real Techniques stippling brush
• Kryolan Kabuki brush
• Kryolan concealer brush
• Charles Fox round puff
• Real Techniques eye shadow brush
• Naked Pallet eye shadow brush
• Unnamed eye blending brush
• Disposable mascara wand
• Real Techniques contour brush

Health and safety for this technical lesson:

• Work surface area must be clean and tidy
• Use couch roll to cover the surface of your work space 
• Wash hands after preparing where you'll be working! Use antibacterial soap and a clean towel
• Always lay out your brushes on the couch roll - never a surface. Make sure your brushes are always clean before you arrive 
• Gown the model
• Always remember to ask whether the client is allergic to anything, if so, what?
• Does the client wear contact lenses or have sensitive eyes?
• Cleanse the face and follow on with toner and moisturiser before applying makeup
• Bin any dirty cotton pads, wash your hands again after this
• Use a mixing palette or the back of your hand to mix products. Do not double dip!
• Direct the model if necessary, looking upwards, moving their head etc

Choosing the correct base/Application of the base

In our second practical lesson we learnt how to properly apply foundation to create the perfect base.

FOUNDATION AND CREATING A BASE: 

Instructions and points to remember: 

• Cleanse, tone and moisturise the skin to ensure it's clean and prepped for makeup.

• If applying a primer, wait for the moisturiser to have settled nicely into the skin and either apply with fingers gently or buff with a brush. (You can also mix your primer in with your foundation if you fancy. If your client is pale and needs a lighter shade than that's in your kit, you can mix the appropriate shade with your illamasqua skin base. This will lighten up the colour and the texture. Use a primer appropriate to the skin type e.g matte for oily, sheer for dry skin.

• Using a spatula, take some of the appropriate shade from your foundation pallet and apply to either the back of your hand or a pallet mixer. Mix until you find the perfect shade. Do not double dip! 

• Always use a brush to apply foundation to your client - heat from your fingers removes the product and leaves an untidy finish. 

• Like cleansing and moisturising, apply the product to the middle of the fact and work the product out for a natural coverage and finish. 

• Apply layers with foundation, don't try to add thick amounts to certain areas. You can add and adjust as you continue on.

• Ensure you blend foundation up to the hairline, around the ears and on the ears as well as down the jawline and neck. This makes sure it's all even!

• (Optional step) Buff out any areas with the kabuki brush in your kit. It works wonders and leaves the skin looking flawless.

CONCEALING

• Grab a small concealer brush and apply the correct colour to any blemishes, problem areas, or under eye bags. Again, make sure applications aren't thick, you can add to them again and they'll look a lot better that way.

POWDER

• To set your foundation and concealer, use a sponge or a brush to apply a light translucent powder. Press the product on rather than rub it. Focus especially around the corners of the eyes, on the nose, the corners of the mouth and the T Zone. Flawless! 

The products I used in our practical:

• No7 beautiful skin cleanser
• No7 beautiful skin toner
• Vitamin E facial lotion
• Illamasqua matte primer
• Kryolan UltraFoundation 8 palette 
• Kryolan Dermacolour Camouflage Mini Palette 16
• Illamasqua loose powder in transculent 

Brushes used:

• Kryolan foundation brush
• Kryolan Kabuki brush
• Kryolan small concealer brush
• Charles Fox triangular sponge

Health and safety for this technical lesson:

• Work surface area must be clean and tidy
• Use couch roll to cover the surface of your work space 
• Wash hands after preparing where you'll be working! Use antibacterial soap and a clean towel
• Always lay out your brushes on the couch roll - never a surface. Make sure your brushes are always clean before you arrive 
• Gown the model
• Always remember to ask whether the client is allergic to anything, if so, what?
• Does the client wear contact lenses or have sensitive eyes?
• Cleanse the face and follow on with toner and moisturiser before applying makeup
• Bin any dirty cotton pads, wash your hands again after this
• Use a mixing palette or the back of your hand to mix products. Do not double dip!
• Direct the model if necessary, looking upwards, moving their head etc

Kryolan foundation and concealer palette

Skincare: Cleansing, toning and moisterising

Our first practical make up lesson was with Sue. We learnt the importance of hygiene as well as how to cleanse, tone and moisturise the face appropriately. 

Notes to remember:

• Cleansing, toning, exfoliating and moisturising are important factors in ensuring your client/models face is ready for make up application. It might be an idea to recommend the client exfoliates their face the night before a shoot as the skin can get quite red after exfoliating. If it's a bridal photo shoot, recommend exfoliating 3/4 days prior to the event. 

ALWAYS INFORM YOUR CLIENT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE BEGINNING ON THEIR SKIN: THIS IS NOT ONLY HYGIENIC BUT PROFESSIONAL. 

• CLEANSE to get rid of grime/makeup/dirt - take it all of. You're working on a blank canvas.
• Men - cleanse dirt from skin, use a tissue instead of cotton wool as this won't get caught on stubble. 
• Use babybuds around the delicate eye areas to remove left over mascara/eyeliner or any foundation/concealer. 
• TONE after cleansing to get rid of any left over grime and moisture. This prepares for the moisturiser. 
• MOISTURISING - use as much as a pea and don't forget the neck! Apply in firm upward motions working from the middle of the face outwards. Careful around delicate areas and make sure you're not too rough with it.
• Use couch roll to keep the surface you are working on clean; this looks professional and ensures the client is confident that you're clean. 
• Have your brush cleaner in a bowl. This is an alcoholic substance, if used during a makeover because you only have one kind of a brush, make sure it is dried and that the alcohol smell had faded as it can make client's eyes water and be unpleasant. 
• Shampoo your professional brushes every two weeks to keep the bristles soft and clean.
• Keep sectioning clips in your kit to keep hair off the face, and keep your hairdressing cape in your kit too. 
• Be aware of eyes; some liquids and powders can irritate eyes - always ask if your client has contact lenses too.
• You can always ask your client to remove their own eye make up if it's proving difficult to remove - some people might want to do it themselves.
• *** IS YOUR CLIENT ALLERGIC TO ANYTHING? ***
• Use sensitive, non fragranced and hypoallergenic products when removing make up and cleaning the skin.
• Put your dirty cotton wool in the bin - don't leave it by your kit. 
• You can ask your client to look up to the ceiling to really clean around the eyes.
• Your client's face is completely clean when your cotton buds and cotton wool are clear of any make up or grime.

My model after cleansing, toning and mosterising

LESSON EVALUATION

I really enjoyed this first practical lesson as I could finally get stuck in! I found that my client was relaxed as I cleansed her face. I asked for her feedback and she said I had the pressure right in terms of how firm I was being with her face, and that she felt very at ease and even though I was close to her she didn't feel like I was invading her personal space. When it came to removing her eye make up, she had waterproof, non budging mascara on and I thought it was going to be difficult to remove. I managed to remove it without asking her to try by soaking the eyelashes a bit more with the cleanser and being slightly firmer. I then removed the rest and cleaned up the eyes with a cotton bud. I was pleased with the overall result and my client felt refreshed and ready for make up application. 

Consultation notes

As a makeup artist, it is really important that you don't forget to consult your client about their skin and any needs they have, or if there is anything you need to know. Here is a list of the most important things to think about before you start a makeup trial/look on a client:

1. Ensure the face is clean. This can be before your client gets to you, but if not you need to make sure you that you cleanse, tone and moisturise. Make sure to ask your client whether they have sensitive skin, and that if they want to remove their own makeup around the eyes, they can.
2. Identify the skin type of your client, it will be useful when prepping the skin for makeup.
3. Make sure that the desired makeup look with your client is clear. Discuss what they want you to do.
4. Before you start, discuss any issues with anything. At this point it's good to ask about cold sores or any other infections that could effect you!
5. Ask the client if they're wearing contact lenses.
6. Ask if there are any products that your client is allergic to.

Health and Safety/Skin Consultation

Assessing the studios

In our lesson today we discussed how important it is to carry out risk assessments in the studios. A risk assessment involves looking at the equipment we use on a daily basis as well as our work stations, and identifying whether or not they are suitable and safe to work in. We have to be really careful to make sure that our work spaces are clean, tidy, and won't cause any damage or be hazardous to anyone in the area!

All makeup artists should assess the area they are working in and are responsible for their own work space. This involves using tools and equipment properly, and to act on any hazards or potential hazardous situations they may find.

Here is a risk assessment form that I found online and thought covered the topics necessary;
it is specific to hair and makeup artists and includes the equipment and environment you'd find yourself in in a typical studio. This could be a future document to take when assessing new working environments!

Example of an assessment form

Hygiene is the most important aspect when working with clients!`

Make-up and tools must be used hygienically and should not be shared:

Make up and tools must be used in a hygienic manner at all times; they should not be shared and should be taken with either a clean, sterilised spatula or a brush and placed onto a palette on onto the back of the makeup artists hand (as long as it has been washed!!).

Do not double dip products, whether it is mixing foundations, using moisturiser or any cleansing products, eye shadow palettes, etc.

Washing your hands:

Ensure that your hands are washed thoroughly with disinfectant soap and then dried with a clean towel before working on a client. It's actually quite good to let your client know that you're 'just going to wash your hands' before you work on them; it lets them know you're professional and hygienic. A small bottle of anti-bacterial hand gel is always useful to have in your kit too.

Make up brushes and tools:

The brushes that you use on your clients should be squeaky clean for your next client. You can sterilise brushes using an alcohol mixture that kills any bacteria, but make sure you give your brushes a bath to ensure the bristles are kept nice and soft - they last longer this way too.

If you're using sponges, it is quite often a good idea to use disposable ones so that they don't hold lots of bacteria. If you use an expensive sponge, make sure it is cleaned and dried for your next client. Disposable mascara wands, sponges and puffs are a great tool to have in your kit at all times.

Checking for allergies and if your client wears contact lenses:

You should carry out test patches for any makeup that might have chemicals in (latex etc) - it's better to prevent a reaction than deal with one!
Always ask if your client wears contact lenses. This  can be uncomfortable for someone if they have their eye makeup done, or equally if they are having their makeup removed.

Infectious conditions:

Be aware of any infectious conditions that clients may have. You must make sure that you deal with these correctly to ensure that infections do not spread around the workplace, to other clients, or to you! You can use disposable brushes in these cases. Common instances of infectious skin disorders may be simple things like coldsores, which are fine to work with if you're using disposable tools, or in extreme cases could be infections such as impetigo, staph infections or carbuncles. These cases are highly contagious and it is not recommended to have these types of infection in the work space as it could be risk to other clients or yourself.

From left: cold sore, impetigo, carbuncles and staph infections

IDENTIFYING SKIN TYPES:

Finally, we had a chat in lesson about particular skin types and how to identify them. I have worked on the No7 beauty counter at Boots for the last three years and so I was aware of these skin types:

Oily skin:

Often people with oily skin will find it hard to get the feeling of being 'clean'. Oily skin means that the pores can be slightly larger than normal and that the client could be prone to shiny skin/acne/breakouts. It can also mean that their makeup can come off easily so it's important to use a matte primer for this type of skin! Many people hate having this skin type, however it does mean that their skin is well hydrated, and ageing effects will take longer. Less lines and wrinkles!

Combination skin:

Combination skin is a take on oily skin, however it is a mixture between oily and dry skin. People with this skin type can often experience an oily T-zone, but not necessarily on the rest of their face. It can mean you can have open pores in some areas of the face. In cold weather, this skin type may require more hydration.

Normal skin:

A skin type that doesn't feel neither dry nor oily, and quite often feels sufficiently hydrated. This is a great skin type to work with as you can create either a matte look or a dewy look. This skin type must keep up a healthy skin regime in order to keep it balanced.

Dry skin:

Dry skin can often feel very tight and quite uncomfortable after cleansing, and can have a lot of flaky/dry patches on the skin. If you pinch together your skin and you can see fine lines, it is a sign of dehydration. People with dry skin will require lots of hydration and it's not recommended to use a matte primer on a client, but to stick with a satin/dewy finish.

Bibliography:

http://www.nasmah.co.uk/#/health-and-safety/4541326447

Technical File