I’m very lucky with my job, I get the chance to try out all sorts of fun new things. This week I’m going onboard one of those big cruise ships for lunch (woo hoo) I’ve been behind the scenes at Kelly Tarlton’s (unsurprisingly it smells quite fishy back there!), and I got to head to Sydney to meet Nicky Hilton.
But that’s enough boasting, it’s time to talk about my recent excursion to Beauty School.
I started wearing makeup regularly when I was 13, back then my best friend and I thought it was a smart move to turn up to school with our eyes caked in black mascara and eyeliner. This was probably slightly better than my obsession with OTT pearly white eyeshadow when I was a few years older.
While I’ve always had a fascination with makeup, it’s never been something I’ve felt confident about. Most of my friends aren’t big makeup wearers, so I’ve kind of had to figure it all out for myself.
It’s not been till I started having my makeup done by professionals on recent occasions that I’ve got a better idea of how it should all work. But it’s hard to pick up tips from someone doing your makeup (after all you can’t see your face!), which is why I was so totally excited to attend the Napoleon Perdis Makeup Academy for a special workshop.
Because the other person attending the course was a no-show I got a one-on-one session with makeup artist Sara Wilson.
She ran me through a condensed version of their One Day Workshop, a course designed for those who want to learn the basics of makeup application.
It was so cool to learn first hand how to do all those different things you always read about in magazines. For instance I was aware that using a brush is the best way to apply foundation, but I wouldn’t have had a clue how to do it right so never considered buying one.
My natural reaction in fact was to pick up the brush and “paint” the foundation on... brush strokes may look good on a painting, but they’re not so hot on your face!
Sara told me the secret is dab the brush in small motions starting from the centre of your face (ie. nose and surrounding cheeks on either side) because this is where people look when they talk to you, blending out to the jaw line where you need less makeup.
Then there was mastering the art of concealer. I’ve always been very intimated by those concealer palettes that contain a range of shades... self mixing all seems a little too complicated for me! But I quickly learnt how simple it was to dig out a little bit of a few different colours with the end of a concealer brush and mix it on the top of my hand to the required shade... then voila... perfectly hidden blemishes and under-eye circles.
So much of makeup comes down to colour and working with your own tones and hues to hide or emphasis different features. Working off a colour wheel, Sara told me that the best shades to bring out my blue eyes were orange tones (ie. bronzes) as this colour was directly opposite blue on the wheel. I soon discovered how using these tones really make my eyes pop.
The emphasis on brushes was probably the major lesson I took away from the workshop and I can definitely say it’s worth investing in some decent ones. If you look after them properly they should last you a long time and they make the whole process of makeup application so much more flawless and give such a professional finish. It’s amazing how much more confident you feel doing your makeup when someone has shown you how to do it.
Now that I know I’m on the right track with the basics I’m finding myself much more keen to experiment with different looks and try out new products and colours that I normally wouldn’t have gone near.
I’m very lucky with my job, I get the chance to try out all sorts of fun new things. This week I’m going onboard one of those big cruise ships for lunch (woo hoo) I’ve been behind the scenes at Kelly Tarlton’s (unsurprisingly it smells quite fishy back there!), and I got to head to Sydney to meet Nicky Hilton.
I started wearing makeup regularly when I was 13, back then my best friend and I thought it was a smart move to turn up to school with our eyes caked in black mascara and eyeliner. This was probably slightly better than my obsession with OTT pearly white eyeshadow when I was a few years older.
special workshop.
My natural reaction in fact was to pick up the brush and “paint” the foundation on... brush strokes may look good on a painting, but they’re not so hot on your face! 
under-eye circles.