Induction Week!

First day starting Southampton Solent! Met these lovely ladies, cannot wait to continue with my work to become a professional makeup artist!

For our induction week, we were set an orienteering task. For this, we had visit the makeup counters of Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Benefit, Mac and Smashbox (All can be found in Southampton City Centre), and find out what their bestselling product was. Ontop of this, we then had to take 'selfies' and photos of these products. Here I am going to talk a little about each of the products we found. 

MAC - 'Ruby Woo'

This is MAC's bestselling lipstick, a Marilyn Monroe red. It contains some blue tones, which helps cancel out yellowing of teeth, suits many complexions and does not dry the lips out, although it is matte. It is very popular as it has incredible staying power, not transferring easily. The creamy texture makes lips look smooth and not dry or chapped, which many lipsticks can do!

Benefit - 'They're Real, Honest'

As the UK's no.1 best-selling mascara, it was incredibly hard not to be intrigued by it. This mascara is  long-lasting, and most importantly non-clumpy. It's jet black formula lengthens and lifts the lashes for maximum impact,  and can be removed easily with eye-makeup remover. 

Bobbi Brown - 'Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation SPF15'

Bobbi Brown had a cabinet dedicated to their best-sellers, so it was hard to choose which product to write about. I decided I would write about one that would personally most benefit myself, a foundation dedicated to staying on. I have trouble keeping on my foundation especially due to an oily T-zone, so this hydrating, oil-free foundation took my attention immediately. Appearing in 18 different shades, it is long-lasting, for medium to full coverage. It even contains shea butter and glycerin to keep the skin hydrated, and the gel base makes the product lightweight and comfortable to wear. The SPF 15 with the antioxidant vitamins C and E. also hugely beneficial to protect the skin from the sun's rays.

Laura Mercier - 'Tinted moisturiser SPF 20'

In terms of skin care, it came across that Laura Mercier was one of the best. Winning 'Best Beauty Buys of 2014' was the Tinted Moisturiser, with added SPF 20. It comes in 15 shades, made to even out the skin tone, without hiding the skin beneath it. As a tinted moisturiser, it has hydrating benefits that create a healthy, dewy glow. 

Smashbox - Photo Finish Foundation Primer

This product has won 'Beauty Awards' by Company magazine, and it's overall rating online is 5 stars. Whilst learning about the primer from the assistant, she kindly gave us all samples of this primer, which of course, as soon as I got home I tried out. It has the consistency of air, it is incredibly lightweight and softens the skin instantly. It filled my open pores, and I had baby-smooth skin within seconds. It keeps my makeup on for much longer, and holds it in place all day. I have used it for a night out, usually by the end of the night all of my makeup would have sweat off, but this product makes it stay on, as if it had been untouched. The sample bottle, a few inches big, contains up to 35 applications, so even the primer itself is long-lasting!

Illamasqua Talk

During our Induction Week, we also were lucky enough to have a talk by the Illamasqua team! We met Spob, the Head of Proffessional Development, Charlotte, the International Brand Ambassador and also Josephine, the Events Manger. Charlotte provided us with a demo of a look, allowing us to watch her as she applied the makeup, talking us through the techniques, consistencies, and colours. She kept her brush moving all the time whilst applying the makeup, which allowed the natural oils to move around with this constant movement. We were talked through the prep, application, and what all the products can be used for. Below is the final look created, which is amazing.

After this tutorial on this particular look, we headed back to the makeup studios, to create our own looks, using a limited selection of Illamasqua products. Separated into groups, we were put into the scenario that our assistants had not bought all of our makeup, so we only had a limited amount to create our own original characters. My group opted for an autumnal inspired elf-look, which can be seen below on our model, Lucy.

We used the 'Hydra Veil' primer, which is a rehydrating gel formula primer. This softens the skin, but also smooths the surface, evening out the pores and wrinkles. The next step was foundation. Working as a team, we tested for the right tone, and using the Skin Base Foundation in 4, we applied to the face. This foundation effortlessly creates a soft, even complexion, without caking the face. We wanted to exaggerate the eyebrows, inspired by high-fashion photoshoots. We used the multi-purpose Cream Pigment in Mould, which is a high-pigmented cream formula, designed to be used on the face, eyes, lips and body. Using an angled brush, we swiped individual hairs, making them look bushy and fantastical. The cream pigment was also used to frame the face, around the hair like and for contouring, which we dabbed on lightly and blended into the foundation. Alongside this, we then added highlights to below the eyebrows, forehead, cheekbones, cupids bow and chin. We used the Pure Pigment Eye Shadow in Beguile for this, the light shimmer creating a dewy effect upon the face. Altogether I really enjoyed this experience, as we could be as creative as we liked, there were no limits as to what we could do. 

Charles Fox Talk

Members from the Charles Fox team also arrived during our induction week for a talk. We were introduced to the company, and the products. We learnt what all the products were used for, and if we'd used them for film, TV, theatre, etc. This talk was really helpful to me, as I now know what would be really helpful to have in my kit, such as the Makeup Corrector Pen and the Eyebrow plastic (used to restructure the eyebrows on your model). The Dermashield also intrigued me, as it acts as a barrier between the skin of your model and the makeup, so there is no staining, irritation and is much more comfortable for models who have to have their makeup removed and reapplied.