‘Time for Two' is one of the Illamasqua School of Make-Up Art’s most self-indulgent courses. A personal experience tailored to your needs, inner-desires, and abilities, the course is set in a relaxed yet stimulating environment with a talented Illamasqua Educator. The perfect 2-hour bonding session for a Mother and Daughter or Son, two best-friends, or any combination you can think of, this course is a bespoke offering at the School.
I took a back seat during our PR and Press Assistant Melanie’s course with her Mother (Carol) to see what Illamasqua’s SOMUA had in store.
Illamasqua’s Professional Educator Clare began the session by explaining “If there is anything you struggle with in particular, then let me know and we can tailor this session to your needs and focus on any problem areas you have… that’s the beauty of this course!”
Products were chosen to best suit Melanie and Carol’s skin types and tones, as Clare shared insights to priceless industry secrets. Carol was eager to learn how to make her eyes look wider and as Clare offered a step-by-step guide on skin sketching and how to achieve this. Carol stated “Already it has made my eyes look more open and brighter, you’ve knocked about 20 years off me so far … a wonder bra for your eyes!” To create this look the products used were Medium Pencil in Vow, Interrogate, and Hex, completing with False Eye Lashes in No.19.
They then focused on the eyebrows; an area Melanie had always felt unsure how to tackle. Powder Eye Shadow in Heroine was used to define the eyebrows, Melanie exclaimed “This course has given me a lot of confidence to do things I felt nervous about before, this is the first time I have had eyebrows in 20 years!”
A fabulous atmosphere and an ideal start to an evening out for drinks or dinner.
Check out Melanie and Carol's before and after photos!
Before
After
To find out more about these bespoke courses and to book your place email: school@illamasqua.com
Becoming a Professional Freelance Make-up & Hair Session Artist...
In the highly competitive world of Professional Photography and with professional shoot production times becoming ever shortening, the demands of being cross trained in both Professional Make-up and Hair disciplines is becoming vital - more now than ever before. A successful future awaits those who choose to train in both skill sets.
The ultimate beginners Make-up and Hair education programme, this professionally designed 10-day intensive course will provide you with a solid platform from which to build your confidence and your skills.
You’ll learn a week of Make-up followed by a week of Hair Styling throughout the influential style decades and practice a range of core technical and creative techniques until you’re precision perfect, then look at ways in which to develop more abstract styles and looks.
This unique course will be taught between two Professional Learning venues.
Week 1: Make Up at The Illamasqua School of Make-Up Art in London’s Soho area of the West End.
Week 2: Hair Styling at The Hair Project in London’s vibrant Shoreditch area of the East End.
Course Date:
Monday 7th Friday 18th November 2011
[7-11th November Illamasqua and 14th - 18th November The Hair Project]
£1,950.00
*Price includes Make-Up & Hair Kit. Illamasqua make-up and brush set. Hair Products & TIGI Catwalk Collective Book and CD and Illamasqua Face chart Notebook
Following on from the global success of Illamasqua’s new Skin Base Foundation, and as the ONLY truly professional make-up brand on the market, Illamasqua are so confident you’ll love the perfect complexion their foundations, powders and primers create that they invite you to join the make-up revolution!
So much so, that for a limited time only Illamasqua are encouraging people to bring in their used, empty, broken or just plain unloved foundation in return for a 20% discount on any Illamasqua complexion product.
The Mechanics
·Bring in any foundation from any brand and trade it in for an Illamasqua complexion product chosen at a 10% discount.
·The 10% discount will apply to all complexion products purchased in the one transaction at any of the Illamasqua counters nationwide.
·A 20% discount will apply to any of Illamasqua’s complexion products in one transaction at the Illamasqua flagship store in the heart of London, 20 Beak Street, London W1.
·There is no minimum or maximum number of foundation products that can be brought in.
·The foundation product can be used; empty, broken, smashed you name it.
·The offer can be redeemed across Illamasqua foundations, primers, concealers and powders for complexion only.
The Illamasqua Foundation Amnesty will begin from 8th – 21st August and is available in:
Illamasqua Beak Street, Selfridges Oxford Street, Manchester Trafford Centre, Birmingham Bullring, Fenwick Newcastle, Debenhams Glasgow, Belfast and Cardiff
I am delighted to bring you an exclusive interview with the lovely Nadia Stacey. Nadia has worked with the stars of Prince of Persia, Blitz, Make Up BAFTA winning This Is England 86/88 and next years highly anticipated War Horse [which I am dying to see having seen it in the theatre last month!].
I caught up with her on the set of Simon Pegg’s latest film called A Fantastic Fear of Everything where she is the make-up designer …
1. What prompted you to get in to make-up?
I just fell in to it! I have an art based background and had never seen make-up as a career choice until I found out that Yorkshire TV used to run a make-up course where most of the learning was on set! It was very difficult to get on to such a highly prestigious course, so I saw that as a challenge!
I spent two years on the course and was always told “don’t try and move to London – the competition is very high!” So of course, I moved to London. [laughs] I worked as much as possible, sometimes three jobs at a time. I really put in the hard work, but I was working at places such as the BBC, the National Theatre – it was just fantastic and helped me to gain contacts. It was during this time that I met a make-up designer and got work experience on Miss Potter, starring Renee Zellwegger. I spent two and a half years as a trainee, then I worked as an assistant before my new exciting role as a designer! I couldn’t be more thrilled!
2. What was your first big job?
After Miss Potter, I worked for 4 weeks on Notes On A Scandal, starring Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench. Someone I met on Miss Potter introduced me to the make-up designer for the film.
I remember filming Notes On A Scandal – it was so surreal at the time as I was sitting in a car with Judi Dench on the way to Hampstead Heath! I mean wow. I couldn’t wait to ring my Mum!
3. What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
From a designer point of view [this is the fourth time that Nadia has been a make-up designer on a film – her debut as a makeup designer was Paddy Considine’s Tyrannosaur], it’s really sunk in just how much there is to do. I mean, a full hair and make-up for each character, creating ideas that will inspire the actors and the director, keeping to budgets, motivating and managing a team, set times… it just doesn’t stop. We work an 11 day fortnight [2 day weekend one week, one day weekend week after] with a 5am call time so this job definitely requires stamina! We had a 16 hour day quite recently…
Saying that, I am so very grateful and humble to have such a brilliant job where I get to meet fantastic people and work with amazing teams. That’s the thing with make-up artistry – you’re always learning! Plus, I thrive on a challenge!
4. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
I love the fact that I no longer have to clean the lace of wigs! [laughs] it’s something that I can now delegate to my assistant. That’s great. I hate cleaning lace. [Spob – “and having breakfast brough to you every morning!”] I also love that the ultimate responsibility of the make-up vision falls to me – I recently worked on a film called ‘Tyrannosaur’ which won awards at this years Sundance Festival, and as the credits rolled and I saw my name up in lights… it was the most wonderful feeling.
I also love that I have been all over the world shooting. We filmed Prince of Persia [starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton] in Morocco and we stayed in the finest hotels, with beautiful sunsets and the sights and sounds of a wonderful city with the Atlas mountains as a backdrop. That was one of my favourite experiences of my career.
5. What does Illamasqua mean to you?
It’s about not conforming – you know that any colour you have been dreaming of can be found at Illamasqua that you can’t find elsewhere. I used to visit make-up counters and feel so jaded, until I saw the Illamasqua counter that was so colourful and brave. Also, the pigmentation of the products are fabulous!
6. Any favourite products?
I love the Precision Inks, the Eye Liner Cakes and the Sealing Gel is fantastic too. The strength of the colours mean that all the products are appealing to me! I used the primers [Matt and Satin] a lot on my most recent projects.
7. What’s the biggest misconception you think that people may have of the film make-up industry?
Many people think it’s easy and glamorous. The first day new assistants come to set, they dress up, put on their heels, full make-up and hair and you think “yea right, that’s not going to last!” within a fortnight they are in jeans and converse like you!
7. Do you have any advice for budding film make-up artists?
You have to work. Hard. I worked for many years as a trainee and assistant and it took six years to get to design Tyrannosaur. It takes a long time, but I am respected because of it, hard graft is respected in this industry.
You also have to know how to handle people; remember, when an actor or actress is coming to set they are sitting in your chair before meeting anyone else, so sometimes you have to wake them up, get them motivated – it’s not unusual to have 4am call times - especially if you are working with prosthetics – so sometimes they are coming straight from their bed to your chair!
You must also be able to keep calm under pressure when you are on set – you only have a small amount of time to jump in and touch up that all important smudge before the Director wants to roll again.
Finally, you have to be able to make contacts! Most jobs in this industry are by word of mouth, so get to know people and it could be your next job!
I am sure you have all heard the exciting buzz surrounding The Illamasqua Distinction in Make-up Artistry Awards 2011. Illamasqua stays true to its roots as it celebrates and encourages self expression in the purest form, launching the biggest prize in professional make-up art. If you dream of making your dramatic mark on the make-up industry then this is the place for you!
Over the next couple of weeks we are bringing you a simple break down of the entry categories...
There are 4 fabulous entry categories, one of these is 'Graduates'. To enter into the Graduates category you must have completed a BA course and graduated by either 2010 or 2011. If you do not fit into this area then please click here to refer to our other 3 sections. If you have any queries about which area you fit into, please don't hesitate to drop an email to josephine.obrien@illamasqua.com
The deadline for applications to enter this amazing competition is 26th August 2011, don't miss out!
Send your Application form and 2 examples of your work – 1 beauty and 1 fantasy look to
Illamasqua, 6-8 Amwell Street, London, EC1R 1UQ
Alternatively…you can drop off your application and 2 photos to any UK Illamasqua counter or store.
How to master the best application technique from Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation:
Step 1 Exfoliation
To ensure the best potential application of Skin Base Foundation, first ensure that your skin has been eradicated of any patches of dehydrated or dead epidermal skin cells by gently applying skincare with a mild exfoliation method. Washing your face alone may not be enough to keep skin in top condition, so muslin cloths are a perfect accessory for daily facial skin polishing and gentle cleansing to achieve this successful exfoliation result. Be kind to your skin and always be gentle - This should not be done over frequently as this can over stimulate the skin or may lead to sensitivity. Once or twice a week should suffice and if any sensitivity appears cease exfoliation immediately.
Step 2 Hydration
To ensure the best potential application of Skin Base Foundation, next make sure that you have provided your skin with sufficient hydration. All foundation applications will provide a better result once applied over an optimum level of hydration. If you have extremely dry or dehydrated skin this should be managed by the efficacy of the moisturiser you opt to use. Likewise if you have extremely oily skin this should be managed by the efficacy of the oil control moisturiser you choose to use. If you opt to protect your skin with SPF you should select a moisturiser with SPF contained with an appropriate SPF level you opt to use.
Step 3 Prime for success
To ensure the best potential application of Skin Base Foundation, next make sure that you have provided your skin with an effective primer. Opt for Illamasqua Satin Primer if you want to achieve a more satin effect to the skin, and Illamasqua Matte Primer if you want to achieve a more matte effect to the skin. A primer smoothes the surface of the skin temporarily for a better foundation application and payoff. A primer can be readily applied with the fingers, however a foundation brush would provide a more effective and even application. A swirling circular buffing motion can also be used with a brush if you opt to work in this method to buff and polish the primer onto the skin.
Step 4 Skin Base Foundation Application
Skin Base foundation has a natural halation. It is not designed to be completely flat and matte. A very matte result can be achieved by strategic use of powder. Please note: Natural skin is not often continually matte. Once you have selected your preferred Skin Base foundation shade, next ensure that you apply the product effectively. A little goes a long way with this formula. The foundation tottle bottle administers a small amount for you to apply due to the size of the bottle dispensing tip.
Skin Base foundation can be used in several effective ways:
*As a liquid concealer and camouflage under the eyes to minimize fatigue
* Mixed with a moisturiser to sheer to a tinted moisturiser level of coverage
* Mixed with Illamasqua Gleam cream to add luminosity and to provide a sheer coverage level and payoff.
* Mixed with a mosituriser or Illamasqua Gleam Cream for fair complexions with freckles wishing for freckle visibility and natural beauty
* As a foundation with a natural coverage level and payoff – skin realism
* As a foundation layered with a buildable coverage level and payoff
* As a heavier foundation layered with a buildable coverage level and payoff followed by a layer of Illamasqua powder foundation to set as a powder.
* Powder areas you will feel may require extra shine proofing for extra durability and confidence. These may include the central forehead, nose, either side of the nose on the cheek area and the chin.
* Blot Skin Base Foundation after application with a tissue before applying any powder for maximum hold and shine control.
* Skin Base Foundation has an amazing durability on the skin over many hours.
The foundation can be applied with the fingers or a foundation brush for optimum application and payoff.
I hope this guide helps you to achieve the skin confidence this formula can provide.
Practice makes perfect.
David Horne
Director Product Development & School of Make Up Art
With a wide range of professional colour-true products with big discounts, we wanted to bring you a selection of our favourites before they’re gone forever...
Cream Eye Shadow in Amour is a stunning bright turquoise green with a satin finish, this is a summer must!
If you are forever in search of unique Nail Varnish shades then Hectic is one to check out with its warm olive green tones
Thank you to Scrangie for this beautiful swatch of Hectic.
If you are looking for a new Blusher then Powder Blusher in Kiss is a warm deep rose plum alternative to add to your make-up bags and kits!
Illamasqua's Pure Pigments are a cult favourite among the beauty world, Pure Pigment in Marvel is perfect for a subtle highlight or to take a look from boardroom to bar.
There is also a fabulous range of Lipsticks in the sale, Lipstick in Wanton is a beautiful warm lilac rose.
For more avant-garde shades to draw out your alter ego this summer try Lipsticks in Fetish and Strip.
For many more amazing offers on our truly professional range from False Eye Lashes to Illumine Oil and Sheer Lipglosses to Rich Liquid Foundations check out the Summer Sale now!
If you haven’t already seen Illamasqua’s ‘Born Again’ Interview with BAFTA winner Vicky McClure; take a look now!
BAFTA winning actress Vicky McClure joined us at our Headquarters on Tuesday 26th July, along with Illamasqua founder Julian Kynaston and Head of Professional Development, Spob. A live Q&A took place to answer your questions, and we received some very insightful answers. We posted Julian and Spob's responses last week (click here and here to read them) and here are Vicky’s answers to the questions you put forward, enjoy!
Ethan Payne: Are there any make-up looks that you consider your signature style? Such as a look you keep coming back to?
Vicky: The one I’m wearing (laughs). Ever since I began working with Illamasqua the way I apply my makeup and how daring I am has changed. I would say my signature look is something quite simple, yet defined, and of course I am never without Skin Base Foundation! I loved my look at the BAFTA’s.
Louise Patterson: Hi Vicky, I love Born Again! How did you prepare for the role?
Vicky: Well preparing for an underwater shoot was scary and exciting; I didn’t really know what to expect. Everything was so quick and fast paced that it wasn’t so much about preparation, but more the case of once I’m in it, I’m in it! All the scenes were very intense, especially the ‘eye-acting’ shot as you are having to act solely with your eyes to convey a message. It has all been a huge learning curve for me. In the Born Again film I felt more confident than ever.
Alison Darby: What is your favourite look from the Illamasqua films?
Vicky: I think my favourite look overall was the "Bladerunner" look from the Vicky & Vic film, it was just a really fierce and dramatic look. I loved wearing the make-up it was incredible, I was like ‘WOW’ I looked so different and completely embraced it. I also loved Poem, it was a really soft beautiful look.
Rachel Ryder: So far your career has been gritty British dramas. Do you have any comedies lined up?
Vicky: I’m afraid not, its more grit! I have three more gritty films lined up with roles that I am extremely passionate about; although maybe not as dark as some of my past ones. I definitely want to do comedy, I am quite a happy person (laughs) and apparently I’m dead funny!
Kenneth: What was it like going from a supporting role in ‘This Is England’ to leading character?
Vicky: A dream come true! It was amazing for Shane to give me the opportunity. The story lines were incredibly hard and I had to work harder than ever before. There is nothing negative I can say about the whole experience, it’s everything I ever dreamt of.
This season will mark the 3rd Myer show that Illamasqua will have supported since we launched in Australia just last Summer! Collaborating with the biggest retailer in Australia as the make-up provider for the show, our team have the pleasure of being immersed in the backstage action and as we build up to what promises to be another stunning show we thought we’d share a little snapshot of the previous show’s…
The theme for the first show was Golden Goddess with an abundance of extravagant gold leaf, adorned in gold make-up, the models were quite literally dripping in gold. Pure Pigment in Furore stole the show…
The last show saw dark plum red lips gracing the catwalk with a return to old Hollywood Glamour courtesy of Head Make-up Artist Nicola Burford.
Check out the backstage video from the latest show...
Stay tuned for the rundown of this season’s show…coming soon!
Nails have been slowly creeping up the fashion ladder with more and more focus being put upon them within fashion shows.Nail artists take inspiration directly from the clothes and put fashion trends onto finger nails.Last season we saw the likes of Jil Sander and Christopher Kane embrace all things fluorescent.From this came a foray of zesty and eye wateringly bright nail varnishes which became favourites for summer.My must-haves are Illamasqua’s Nail Varnishes Rare and Collide.Two vibrant shades of sun-bright yellow and ultimate shocking pink which are enough to give any eighties neon lover a run for their money!
The current colour blocking trend transcends perfectly onto nails with the Half Moon design.The entire nail is painted one solid colour, a half moon shape is then painted from the cuticle upwards in a separate colour.To use this design to ultimate effect, I would use two bright clashing colours such as Illamasqua's Nail Varnishes Gamma and Obsess.
Fashion gives fantastic inspiration for nail art.Sequined covered dresses can influence glitter nail designs whilst a jewelled neckline could lead to tiny gems as decoration.However, some people prefer to take a more literal approach when it comes to using fashion for inspiration.Vintage floral patterns were huge for spring and there is no need for this trend to be confined only to your clothes.This being said, I decided to try my hand at creating floral nails.I painted the base of my nails in a mint green and then used a toothpick to dab on drops of nail varnish in two different colours for the flowers.I then chose a dark green colour using the toothpick to create small flicks either side of the flowers, this create the leaves.
To re-create this use Illamasqua’s Nail Varnishes in Smash, Jan, Grab and Rampage.
Alongside Summer’s floral trend were the spectacular fruit print creations. Stella McCartney created oranges and lemons whilst Muiccia Prada bought bananas back into fashion. Yellow has had it’s own come back on nails this season. Lo and behold, walking through East London’s Shoreditch last week what did I notice on a female passer by? The most fabulous eye-catching banana yellow nail varnish with actual bananas painted on!
To recreate this look use Illamasqua’s Nail Varnishes in Wayward for the block yellow and Boosh for the banana detail.
Illamasqua are a step ahead of the nail trend, stretching the boundaries of nail fashion even further. Genius manicurist Mike Pocock has created the handmade Nail Quill and Toxic Claw for Illamasqua customers.These nail extensions are designed only for the thumbs yet completely transform the hands into creature-like wonders.These false nails are utterly unique and are perfect for revealing glimpses of your alter ego.
Illamasqua firmly believes in self expression and your nails are a way of expressing how you truly feel.You can use colour to reflect your mood and texture for dramatic effect.Use your nails as a creative outlet and express yourself!
Thank you to Arianne Constantinou for this wonderful blog post!
Illamasqua is a heady cocktail of cultures - it combines a rich heritage and product knowledge with the creativity and expertise of Illamasqua's team of leading make-up artists. A night-time make-up that brings premium, professional products within reach of the high street.
Illamasqua is for the bolder, darker person hiding inside us. It is an act and an attitude. A symbol of tolerance. A celebration of idiosyncrasies. A confident statement of self-ownership and self-expression.
Illamasqua is your alter-ego.
