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Archive for November, 2009

The 40′s are back!

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Vivien Leigh, Bette Davis and Katherine Hepburn are returning to our screens. Vogue UK tells us that designers like Christian Dior are moving away from the ‘80s back to the glamorous ‘40s. And if you want to follow them and transform into a ‘40s Screen Goddess you’ll need to do some work on your makeup case! And your face: eyebrows are the key to this look. And yes, you’ll need to work hard on them but the end result is so worth it.

First stop plucking them into that thin ‘80s line; Katherine Hepburn’s eyebrows were strong and set the shape for her face. We’d recommend threading as the on-trend alternative to waxing. No more pain and stretched skin! This technique comes to us from India and you know how great those Bollywood actresses look. And as they said over on WOW.ie it lasts much longer than waxing too.

We offer a threading service in Dublin as recommended on Beaut.ie so we can get you started and show you how to maintain the look in between visits. You’ll be amazed the difference a strong pair of eyebrows makes to your face. It’s especially important for the ‘40s look to balance out that strong, red mouth.

And if you want to learn how to DIY your eyebrows really well, take a class with us. Our Beauty Therapy course looks at eyebrow shaping and threading while the Module Three course takes a special look at re-creating the 1940s. The students use wigs and makeup to turn their models into screen sirens.

Once you have the perfect brows then it’s time for the fun to really start. You’ll need some great lashes – long and thick. Try the Eylure brand or Shu Uemura for high-end glamour. Keep foundation natural looking and fresh. And when doing those lovely lips remember not to overwhelm your face with too strong a red colour. Read our previous post on Kissable Lips for more tips!

Less is more for this look which will set off your Christmas sequins to perfection.

Have you tried the ‘40s look? Tell us how it went!

Tags: LA Make-Up, LA Make-Up Academy Blog, Latest Make-Up products, Make-Up Blog
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Make-Up Career Inspiration

Friday, November 13th, 2009

All of our tutors here at La Make-Up are professional, working makeup artists. Moving along that path isn’t always easy but fun and excitement are guaranteed! We had Kym Menzies Foster here in Dublin last week talking about Airbrush Make-Up. She also gave our students some inspiration for the next step in their journey.

Kym, Celebrity Make-Up Artist, has been working in the business for 20 years so things have changed a lot since she started. But a good make-up artist still needs some key skills in spite of digital photography, airbrushing and the internet. You’ll wear different hats as your career progresses; this is some of the advice which Kym gave her students.

· Be creative. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes just make sure you learn from them.

· Be artistic but remember this is a competitive industry and you’ll need to work hard on your craft as well as having great ideas.

· Be tough. In the beginning you’ll get knocked back a lot. You need to have a thick skin and just keep on returning to the agencies.

· Be friendly. Make friends with photographers and other artists; learn from them.

· Know where you want to be. There are so many areas for a make-up artist to work; film, theatre, music, fashion, bridal. Try them all at the start and then commit to the industry you love!

· Develop your people skills. Clients can be nervous, can be demanding and you need to listen, be empathic and find solutions.

· Always be professional. Learn about your products and tools. Know what suits your clients. Deliver on time.

· Ask questions. Talk to the photographer and learn how light affects your work, listen to the designers to find out what’s in trend.

· Aim high! Kym says: ‘Anything is possible if you’re pursuing your dream.’

The right advice can really help someone starting out on their makeup adventure. As Kym said we can teach you so much but then you have to jump out in the world and take on the industry on your own terms.

If you think this sounds like a challenge you’re ready for then pop in and see us on Dame Street. Beginners could start at any level from Module 3 to leave us a professional make-up artist. Just because we are all going through tough times doesn’t mean we can’t dream!

Tags: Alesha Dixon, Career in make-up, Celebrity Make-Up Artist, Full time courses, Kym Menzies Foster, LA Make-Up, LA Make-Up Academy Blog, Make-Up Blog
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Male Make-Up

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

male-make-up What do Boy George, Bertie Ahern and Brian O Driscoll have in common? Yup, a little love of grooming. And as we told you we were chatting with Spin FM about Bertie’s make-up budget; the Irish Male has definitely changed.

Now the man in your life might not have Bertie’s budget but we’re sure he could handle a few products – it doesn’t hurt to try! And if you’re a guy reading this, well you don’t need much more persuasion now do you?

Watch out for the new Eircom ad and the great look we created for their male model! eircom_tailorshoot

Concealer: who doesn’t want to lose that racoon look and pop brightly out of the house in the morning? The top end is the YSL Touché Éclat for Men or start him on The Men Pen which can be safely ordered online. Boys – dab it carefully onto the inner corner under your eye, don’t bring it all the way out and only use enough to cover your shadows not bake them!

Guyliner: The jury is out on whether this is a good look off the film-set but he’ll never know ‘till he tries. Now he wouldn’t have to go as heavy as we do for Smokey Eye and definitely avoid the Captain Jack Sparrow look unless he’s in front of the camera. Boys – a thin line is good, maybe start with a pencil as they’re easier to use than liquid, even for us experts at LA.

Foundation: As with the ladies start with a clean, clean skin. Try the L’oreal male products which come in reassuringly solid packaging. For any boys reading this – you know how you laugh at us when we get the neckline wrong? It’s not that easy so go lightly on the colours! Match up skin colour and foundation shade in sunlight if you can.

All of this will create a subtle glow without drawing too much attention … if that’s what you want. We’ve always thought it a bit sad that men miss out on so much. But as the Beaut.ie girls reported men can even wear our favourite Eylure lashes now.

And guys, expert help is always on hand here at La Make-Up! Some of the best makeup artists in the world are male so don’t be shy! Start with one of our Make-up Classes and you never know; you might end up working here!

What make-up products do you think suit men? Or is everything great?

male-make-up-2

Tags: Make-up for boys, Makeup for Men, Male Make-Up, Male Make-up product
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Airbrush Make-Up Magic

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

We were very excited to have Kym Menzies Foster back in Dublin to teach a two-day class on Airbrush Make-Up. We had to bring her back when we saw how much you loved her in August.

As you know the make-up industry is very competitive so for Kym to thrive at the top for 20 years is a clear sign of how talented she is! The students were fascinated by the techniques she’s picked up from working in the music industry as the favourite of many top musicians. When she mentioned that she’s worked with P. Diddy someone actually squealed! It might be hard to imagine now but some of you reading this will be that good in the future!

She started by bringing out a range of Airbrush Compressors, Airbrushes and Make-up including IWATA, Temptu and MAC. The girls discovered that cleaning and maintaining the equipment isn’t that simple and requires a steady hand with lots of concentration. She revealed that Airbrush Make-up isn’t just for actors and models anymore; it’s becoming a key part of a great Bridal Look as well. Who wouldn’t want to look like a million dollars on that special day?

So no matter which area of the industry you’re planning on working in: film, theatre, TV, music, bridal or fashion you’ll have the chance to create your own flawless finish.

It was great learning how that finish is really a combination of perfect make-up and the effects of HD television. The make-up artist definitely has to know his/her stuff and be ready to work with the photographer or director to get the actors looking perfect. She even had a few tips to make the man in your life look even better on his wedding day! We’ll have some more Male Make-Up Tips for you later this week.

Because it’s such a tricky skill to acquire, the students practised by creating some artwork on the walls first; using body-paint. Some of the girls went for abstract shapes and one artist created a beautiful smoky eye staring down at us – very creative!

They then spent the afternoon trying their hand with the airbrushes and turning each other into screen goddesses! It’s difficult learning new techniques and getting comfortable with expensive equipment but with Kym guiding them along they did an amazing job!

We can’t wait to have Kym Menzies-Foster back again.

Have you tried Airbrush Make-Up? Tell us what you think.

Tags: Airbrush Class, Airbrushing, Celebrity Make-Up Artist, Kym Menzies Foster, LA Make-Up, LA Make-Up Academy Blog, Latest Make-Up products, MAC, Make-Up Blog
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