February 8, 2012

Making Up Is Hard To Do: History Of Makeup & Skin Analysis



It's been four weeks since I started classes for Makeup Artistry and I've been having such an amazing time!

Last time, I wrote about my struggle with the Seasonal aspect of Colour Theory, but I think I've gotten the hang of it. I also aced my test! Which isn't saying much, actually, since it was probably the easiest test known to mankind :p. We were supposed to have another test last night, but it was postponed to next week for some reason.


History of Makeup

We had a rather fun assignment on the History of Makeup, actually. We were all to pick an era to write about and I chose the 1950's. As I wrote in my "paper," I absolutely adore the understated glamour that is 1950's makeup. The strong brows, the winged liner, the statement lip; so simple, yet so elegant. I think it's probably my favourite look.

I also love the dresses! I was in a performing arts company that did a Hairspray number a few years ago and I enjoyed twirling my dress around way too much. If I could wear dresses like that every day, I totally would...



History of Makeup was actually quite interesting and I would've happily spend another class learning about it. It was a pleasure to read and hear about trends from decades past and even what lengths women would go to to achieve a certain look. I'm not going to go into detail because that will be the topic of my next article (which will be posted tomorrow *ahem*), but it was definitely fascinating!

But back to the 50's... Can I just say that researching photos for this assignment has been way too much fun? I cannot get over how beautiful the stars of that decade were! Seriously, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn had absolutely perfect faces!


Skin Analysis


We touched briefly on skin analysis during last week's class. It's simple enough, really; at least on paper, it is. I'm sure I will become more knowledgeable with experience, but the thought of using my own products on a client kind of worries me. So many people have reactions to so many ingredients nowadays. I guess I'm just a bit scared of using something that will cause a reaction or cause the makeup to not perform as well as it needs to.

Ahh, well! If there's one thing this series of posts will tell you about me it's that I worry about pretty much anything :p.

I've also successfully colour matched and applied foundation on two of my classmates so far. Our makeup kit only comes with 5 foundations: 3 Face & Body's (definitely not my favourite) and 2 HD Foundations, so I'm constantly having to mix them up to get the right shade. 

The first classmate I did base on is 18 years old and has the skin to prove it. The only issue she has is a few dry patches here and there and dark under eye circles. I can't say I concealed them well enough, but my instructor says I did =/. Did I mention our classroom has rather harsh, fluorescent lighting? Definitely don't like this. Apparently it casts a green hue... That can't be good for applying makeup, can it?

Last night, I was able to apply foundation on another classmate, as well as contour and blush. She also has rather nice skin but the texture was a bit rougher and she has some redness on the cheeks and the forehead. Again, I don't think I was able to conceal the redness as well as I would like (I have a feeling mastering the art of concealing will be a struggle for me). It was rather hard for me to see how products looked on her right away because she would get all flushed, which would change the colours a bit. But once her skin calmed down, it would look better. 

Still, I'm pretty proud of myself so far! I've booked "appointments" with two of my friends this week because I want to get more practice in applying makeup on different skin tones and skin textures. It's times like these I wish I lived close to my fellow Lipstick Bandits... I'd love to have a go at their gorgeous faces!


<Tangent>


Have any of you watched Downton Abbey? I absolutely love this series! After watching (and re-watching) the second season of Sherlock, I needed another British Television fix. 

This show is basically about the Crawley's (an aristocratic family who live in North Yorkshire) and their plethora of servants. The acting is superb and you really find yourself rooting for certain people and wishing for the demise of certain others (*cough* O'Brien and Thomas *cough*). Though I must say, Carson, Mrs. Hughes, Mr. Bates and Anna have a special place in my heart :). 

Anyway, you guys simply must watch this show! If not for the acting and plot, do it for the costumes:






Aren't they divine? 

</Tangent>




What's your favourite era for makeup looks?




No comments:

Post a Comment

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails