Induction Week

During our Induction week, we were introduced to an array of people, products and activities. I felt that during this week I was very encouraged and inspired, and it was a good way of socialising and getting to know the other students on my course.

Firstly, we were asked to go to certain makeup counters to find out about their hero products and deduce which counters we find most appealing etc:


This is MAC's hero product; their matte lipstick 'Ruby Woo'. Personally I am a big fan of MAC's matte lipsticks due to their lasting power and pigmentation, and just matte lipsticks in general as I have an oily complexion and I find that shiny lipsticks combined with an oily face do not compliment each other, and I also do not like the way that they feel on my lips as I often find that they are sticky or slide off and bleed if you don't use lipliner.

MAC counters, their makeup and their packing are probably one of my favourites of the more expensive brands. I find that the shiny metallics and dark, glitter hinted coating of the products makes for a professional, refined and consistent look which very much appeals to me. I love the black theme of their uniform, their stands and their stores because it's dark and sleek.

A photo of us at the MAC counter.

Next we went to Bobbi Brown, where there was actually a display of their best selling products. Admittedly I haven't used many Bobbi Brown products so I can't fully gauge what they are like and whether they suit the packaging, their style and whether they are worth the money. However I know that Bobbi Brown herself works closely with the brand which I like; she doesn't leave it up to others to run her brand for her. I quite enjoy looking at their branding and packaging again for the simplicity, however I don't think that it has the same wow factor of MAC as they use more colours and I think aim to look more cosmopolitan and mature which doesn't really appeal to me, however this is just my personal preference. From looking at the best sellers it is clear that all types of their products are popular, and this could mean that Bobbi Brown can be useful for our upcoming project on the new Elizabethans.

At the Bobbi Brown counter.

                                                  

These are Laura Mercier's best sellers. Again, I haven't used many Laura Mercier products but I am aware that the Silk Creme foundation is very popular, especially among youtubers. I noticed that the counter is based around neutral, natural colours like warm browns. This can connote makeup that is natural looking and products that enhance the face rather than aim to completely change it or to create dramatic looks. Again, this is not really for me but I can understand why it would appeal to people, and I would be interested in trying their products, especially their faces ones because of the flawless finish I imagine that they can create. 

As you can tell we were beginning to have fun with the makeup counter selfies- us at Laura Mercier.

Penultimately, we went to Benefit, and were told that their 'Hoola' bronzer is their hero product. I have used a lot of Benefit products, and I have found that some products are better than others. For example I have been using 'Brow Zings' for years, as I find that the wax and powder along with the angled brush and rounded brush that comes with the kit a perfect combination for defined eyebrows that can either be made to look ombre, natural, defined and you can easily create any shape eyebrow you like with it. It also has a long staying power due to the fact that the wax acts as a sticky base for the powder and both are quite pigmented so the kit lasts months. I also like their sugar bomb blush because of its pearly look and gold undertones. I believe it acts as a blush/highlighter which I am a fan of. I also enjoy the puns that Benefit use to name their products, and the retro, vintage style of the products. However I do not enjoy the inconsistency of the quality of their products, because I have found that when using some of their foundations on friends that it tends to collect on dry patches on the face and can come out looking very orangey despite looking like the correct colour in the bottle. Despite this, I do find that their products become permanents in your collection and I will continue to use Benefit products.

Lastly, we visited Smashbox. I haven't used any Smashbox products until I was given a sample on this day of their hero product, the Photo Finish Foundation Primer. I have liked it so far, for example when you apply it to the skin it has a pearly, smooth texture that leaves your skin feeling soft and less bumpy. However, due to having extremely oily skin, I find that it still does not last me throughout the day or even a night out, however I can imagine that it does last for someone with dry or combination skin. But having an oily complexion means that all products will slide off of my skin and eyelids by the end of the day. I liked that Smashbox had availability in Boots unlike the other brands, which shows that they want to reach out to all types of consumers. 

At the Smashbox stall in Boots. 

Later during Induction Week, we created paper bag masks. My mask was based on the mythical creature Medusa, mostly because I enjoy fantasy and creatures and am interested in mythology. Medusa is a representation of who I would like to be when I am older and during my career; I am quite a sensitive person and take things that people say to me seriously, especially when they are negative. I would like to be able to take on board what people say but not let it define me as a person and enable it to help me improve rather than recoil in embarrassment. Medusa is a powerful creature that obviously does not let anyone walk over her (mostly because they will turn to stone if they look at her), but this is also something I would like to take on board when learning and working with others. Aesthetically, I chose to put gems on the eyes of the snakes and place gems between the eyebrows because I believe that gems lighten up any look and add a fun, playful image. 

We were fortunate enough to have some of the Illamasqua team come in and give us a talk about futures, Illamasqua products and their events. I found this talk particularly inspiring and encouraging because of the opportunities that a career in makeup can give, such as travel, new experiences, meeting new people and creating revolutionary looks. They tested our their makeup on a student from the course which meant that we were able to see their products in action.

 

After the Illamasqua talk, we were given a task. This was begun as a scenario; you are about to leave for a shoot and your makeup delivery has not arrived, so are forced to bring a limited selection of products and make up a look regardless. We came up with a look that encompassed the seasons. The gradient purple on the forehead fading downwards represents the sunset in summer, the icy highlight represents winter frost on surfaces, the dewy lips represent misty, soggy spring mornings and the brown/purple, bushy eyebrows represent the muddy, rugged atmosphere of grass in autumn. I was very surprised that as a group we were able to conjure such an elaborate idea within such a short amount of time, and even more surprised that we finished the makeup in time too. It was quite comical seeing everyone frantically work on Lucy's face at the same time, but a glimpse of reality as to what it's like in the fast paced world of makeup. I thoroughly enjoyed this task because of the fact that we all communicated well with each other and listened to our ideas and created a look that every single one of us was excited about and proud of.