keeleywilson : Course

Ok final part! I just noticed it's been almost a month between each part of this blog, and I do apologise, things have been kinda crazy here!

So I left the last blog on Day 10 with some pretty bloody looks but don't worry the next few are very theatrical and fairly normal haha.

Day 11

1920s with Monica

Was actually quite looking forward to creating this look (also because I wanted to see how I'd look from the Gatsby era!)

Literally in love with this look, we did a lot of research on the hair and makeup, I created the hair using the pin curling technique, then I brushed it out and styled it. And the makeup, well it speaks for itself, stunning.

Day 12

Ageing and on set rules and regulations with Jane.

So the title speaks for itself, we're using special fx makeup to create the look of ageing, fun and slightly scary seeing yourself with wrinkles and sun spots haha.

I used wrinkle stipple around the eye and lip are (obvs creating the look of wrinkles) and used the Kryolan supracolor palette to accentuate the lines in the forehead and create the look of sun spots. I also used white paint to take out the colour of the eyebrows.

Day 13

Edwardian / Victorian /HD looks with Ellie

As you probably know, Edwardian and Victorian era's have slightly different makeup looks

Edwardian has very little colour, definitely a "no makeup makeup" kind of look. so very little was actually done, as we were also looking at makeup for HD TVs we had to make sure everything was spot on, ie covering spots/ blemishes, redness without it actually looking like the actor/actress is wearing any makeup.

Victorian, the ladies decided to play with a little more colour, so rosy cheeks and a bit of lippy! However still looking clean and fresh, just accentuating their natural beauty!

Day 14

1930s and blocking out brows with AJ

Must admit, I always thought there wasn't too much of a difference between the 1920s & 1930s, but using the blocking out of the brows really does make a huge difference!

AJ showed us a recent image of Kylie Minogue imitating Marlene Dietrich (Sorbet Magazine) Then did a demo to show us how it's done!

My turn...

I was actually pretty impressed with how well I blocked out the brows, however drawing the new brows on and trying to get them the same, not so easy!

Day 15

Burns and Male Grooming with Lisa,

Have no photos for this :(

Day 16

Ice Queens with AJ

So pretty straight forward, AJ set us a task to try and re-invent the ice queen and try new things, here's his demo.

I decided to warm up my ice queen so used golds and oranges to create my look! I rick-racked the hair too (such a cool technique)

Day 17

Bullet Wound, Slit Wrist, Scars & Stitches and Bruising with Jane.

This was such an ace day, learnt a hell of a lot and got some pretty good shots from it!

Bullet wound to the head.

Slit Wrist

Stitched up wound

Bruised Shoulder

Day 18

Bald cap application and finished look.

This was interesting, there's a lot to deal with when applying bald caps, main one, getting rid of the models hair and when your model has super thick hair like mine, it was not easy haha.

I decided to create a skull look, but after the morning not going as we'd all hoped and barely having enough time to finish each others looks, mine didn't go as I'd planned!

Taking it off was painful but hilarious!

Day 19

Run through & practice of final designs with Lindsay.

So this was the last day of finalizing our looks for our photoshoot with our models tomorrow! Lindsay went through our looks with each of us and gave us a few hints and tips along the way, she also told us about her career and working on strictly, I was literally fascinated.

I was going for a tribal princess kinda look.

So impressed with how these photos came out, considering it was just me and my iPhone!

Day 20

Finals Day!

Huge & nerve-racking day, a few of the girls brought their own models in but I chose to use one from the school, I was hoping for someone with long dark hair but I had Deana with short blonde hair, however she was gorgeous so I made it work!

How the day goes is that we all start at the same time getting our models ready and then whoever finishes first, shoots first (I think I was 2nd) about half way through we had a buffet lunch and then got straight back to it. Having never worked a photoshoot before I was worried I'd have no idea what to do, but turns out it just happens naturally and I was jumping in constantly and fixing stray hairs and powdering down the shine, was a lot of fun!

Here's my final shots.

Once we'd finished Tori handed out our certificates and we were done!

Then that feeling sank in of "oh my god, what am I going to do now" but with the amazing aftercare that DFMA has, jobs come through thick and fast so get ready to get out there. I got a job as makeup artist with Bobbi Brown at their freestanding store, so for me it completely changed my life, I grew in confidence and moved to London from Bristol, and by no means has it been easy but if I hadn't done the course, I wouldn't have met so many talented people and I most definitely wouldn't be where I am now.

I'm really trying to blog a bit more so hopefully you'll all follow me on my journey!

Hope you all have an ace weekend, mine's going to be filled with, family, food, wine & of course the rugby ;)!

Love Keeks

I know it was back in April that I attended DFMA but I thought id write a little (large) post on how I actually ended up choosing the course and how I found accommodation etc.

So basically after months of browsing through and contacting several different makeup academies (Delamar, AOF Makeup, Greasepaint, to name a few) I decided to go with DFMA, not only were they extremely helpful but the testimonials on their website were amazing, the other thing that had drawn me to the school was the fact they use makeup artists who are currently working in the field (some even studied at DFMA) so they can give you second to none advice and really handy tips and tricks to get you started.

Having finally chosen DFMA, I had to decide which course I was going to attend;

- Foundation in Fashion Makeup

- Fashion, Media & TV Makeup & Hair, or

- TV, Film & Theatre Makeup & Hair

I decided to go with TV, Film & Theatre Makeup & Hair as I felt like I'd get a lot more knowledge. The Course covered everything from, face shapes, eye shapes, bone structure, basic hair cutting, health and safety,

wig demo, the making of facial hair pieces, continuity, blocking out brows, male grooming, period makeup, ageing, Special FX and a hell of a lot more. Also included in the price is a full hair and makeup kit plus an aftercare programme to help you get work, Not only that but you can attend masterclasses with top brands such as Bobbi Brown, MAC, Nars, and several others, included in the masterclass is a chance to shop whilst the store is closed and a chance to apply for great discounts.

Sounds pretty ace right..

I chose to study in Brighton, as id been there a few times and fallen in love with it, id also studied in London before so thought why not study by the beach! DFMA also hold courses in Bournemouth and Manchester as well as Brighton and London, so plenty of choice!

The course in Brighton is held at the gorgeous Stanmer House , which also makes it a pretty epic place to study.

Next on the to do list was find somewhere to stay whilst studying, id looked up several hotels and DFMA email you a list of host families; if you've never heard of host families before, its basically a family or a single who has a room in their house for you to rent out during your stay, it's fairly cheap and is a good way of getting to know the local area.

As great as that is, I preferred the idea of staying in my own little apartment, as if you don't already know I bloody love cooking and didn't want to live on microwave meals or pot noodles for a month!

Now I obviously didn't choose the cheapest method of accommodation and did spend a hell of a lot of money on an apartment for a month, however if I'd have booked my accommodation a lot earlier on it probably would've been a bit cheaper.. One thing I would say, is that dfma should start up a forum for future students to join and they can then find places to stay together, after talking to the girls on my course it would've been so much cheaper and easier for us all.

I found my apartment through 'CityPad Brighton', they're an agency who work with landlords to offer self catering holiday homes for business or leisure and were extremely helpful. They have homes all over Brighton & Hove, so it's just working with them to figure out which homes are available on the dates you need.

I didn't want to leave this place, it was perfect!
(Apart from the shower head that wouldn't stay up, but we'll get over that)