Brushing Up My Skills at The London Make Up School

It’s no secret, make up is my passion. When I look back to my early days, it always was. I was the girl in school everyone would come to for make up tips, the one dishing out the mascaras and Heather Shimmer lipstick. I didn’t realise it at time, but I’ve been doing tutorials since I was 14. Whenever I applied make up – sleepovers, nights out, school, college, uni – everyone would stop still and watch. I could kick myself for now pursuing a career in make up back then. Still, you live and learn and it’s never too late!

These days beauty is so accessible. We can learn so much through blogs, vlogs, videos, magazine but I wanted to get some more formal training from the real experts. Sadly being a Northern gal it’s not easy finding good quality make up artist courses. I’ve been to some really bad ones in the past, not naming any names but basic skills with substandard products, this time, I wanted the real deal. So to London I looked for the gold standard. There’s no shortage of makeup/beauty schools in the capital. I did my research and The London Make Up School really stood out.

London Make Up School is one of London’s most progressive and well recognised beauty schools. Their course catalogue is huge with everything from basic make up to Avant Guard and the school caters for beginners to advanced pros and everything in between. If time and funds were no object, I’d work my way through the entire catalogue, but for now I decided to go with the Intermediate Bridal Make up Course.

It’s a professional two full day intensive make up course designed for make up artists that want to add to their skills. The course was delivered by the lovely Ana Ospina, who’s been working in the industry for over 20 years and specialises in bridal work. The course was incredibly intensive with so much crammed into two days, which was ideal for me – maximum learning/minimum time. The class size was really small – just three of us, which meant lots of time and attention from the tutor and the ability to learn from each other. We started off with a bit of theory going through the role of bridal make up artists, preparation and skincare but most of the class was hands on. Ana did some demonstrations and off we went creating looks on our models. We created a number of bridal looks – pretty in pink, vintage red lips and flicks as well as classic mother of the bride and bridesmaid looks. We learnt how to colour match foundations, correct and balance skin tone, contour, apply false lashes and perfect winged liner -  well try!

I learnt so much in such a short period of time, it was reassuring to know I was already doing a lot of things right, but there was plenty of tips and tricks of the trade I didn’t know and you never stop learning. All MUAs have their own style and it was great to see how other people do things. Working on real life models in invaluable too. I’ve been on courses where you work on yourself or partner up and work on each other, but then you’re really only getting half of the tuition and learning, the other half you’re modelling. The quality of the products was ah-maz-ing! It was like being let loose in the beauty hall – MAC, Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Illamasqua, I came away with a wish-list as long as my arm (actually both arms put together). Star products include...

Laura Mercier Photo Edition Foundation - this worked wonderfully on the models and true to its name, photographed perfectly.
MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots - creamy eye colour that provides the most amazing base. Shadow does NOT budge!
MAC Ruby Woo - it really does suit everyone.
Illamaqua Gleam Highlighter Aurora - creamy highlighter that added the prettiest pearlescent finish.
MAC Prep & Prime Finishing Powder - set the look perfectly with zero flash back.
Laura Mercier High Coverage Concealer - Powerful but not cakey. Amazing for concealing and brightening the under eye area.

As superficial as it may be, the location of London Make Up School was a real plus. Situated in the heart of Shoreditch it has a cool vibe, it’s close to the tube and is surrounded by great cafes/restaurants/bars. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy popping into Shoreditch Grind or The Breakfast Club en route.

I loved my time at The London Make Up School - just wish it hadn't gone so fast. It's fuelled my passion and increased my confidence. If you’re looking to advance your skills, regardless of your starting point, I'd definitely recommend it. Check out the courses here pssst.... there's still time to take advantage of the 15% off summer sale ending soon.