Illamasqua Beauty School Drop In

I'm the first to admit that I am a beauty product addict and a pretty bad shopaholic, especially when it comes to make-up. So you might be shocked to hear, that the area I hate most in department stores is in fact the Beauty Hall. Which is funny since I spent the first few years of my working life there.

Why? Well the florescent lighting doesn't help for starters, but it's the help, or should I say, lack of help I find I get from some advisers  who most of the time seem more concerned with preening themselves and blagging the biggest sale, than helping the customer. Yes, funnily enough us make-up artists do like to ask your advice when it comes to your latest products and we do value the knowledge the brand has given you on them!!

I'm a great believer in the power of knowledge. We can never stop learning and improving on our skills. Especially in an ever evolving industry such as make-up artistry. 

So, where do we turn when we want to try the latest products and be guided on new types of application? Illamasqua of course!

War Paint Against Mediocrity. Well said Illamasqua!

'Beauty School Drop In' is a complimentary group make-up lesson held on the first Sunday of every month at Illamasqua stores and counters. Each month the theme changes, meaning you could actually 'drop in' on a monthly basis and constantly widen your make-up knowledge!

This week I decided to pluck up the courage to attend my first class, and I will definitely be a regular student!

Our tutors, Patrick and Christina, were extremely friendly and put my fears of the beauty hall advisors at ease. No sales pitch or hard sell, simply friendly chat and lots of education.

This month's theme is Pin Up Beauty and the session I attended was aptly named 'Classic Pin Up Eyes'. Perfect for a girl who loves a new flick technique! 

Firstly, Patrick used the Eye Brow Cake mixed with a small amount of Sealing Gel on a Angled Brush to define his models brows. He recommended defining the arch and end of the brow first before using just the excess product on the inner section, which should be left natural looking. 

Well, by this point I knew this class was made for me. There is nothing I HATE more than seeing girls with an artificial square shape at the inner part of the brow. 

All hail Patrick I say.

Patrick creating beautiful brows

Next, he surprised us all by using Pencils for eye shadow. He sketched nude shade Vow under the brow bone and pink-chocolate shade Ascend onto the eye lid before buffing together using a fluffy brush. Quick, simple and a very effective end result!

 'Skin Sketching' is a technique practiced at the School of Make-up Art, and uses their Medium Pencils to create definition, contours and highlights. This handy tutorial explains it all.

Skin Sketching Tutorial

To intensify the eye lid shade, using the same fluffy brush, he applied Aura, the terracotta shade from the Paranormal Palette, up to and into the socket line. Patrick finished his pin-up look with a feline flick, using their newest best seller (this store has completely sold out!) Precision Gel Liner , two coats of mascara and a set of natural lashes.

Finished Pin Up Eyes

Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the next session, which focused on beautiful skin, but I will definitely be making Beauty School Drop In a monthly Sunday highlight  and I highly recommend that you do too!