The Academy of Makeup - Hope Street, Glasgow
A couple of years ago I was browsing the internet for fast tracked makeup artistry training. I knew it would be quite expensive but that was the route I wanted to take. This was because I have already been on the uni scene for 3 years and the thought of spending another 2+ years of studying in another area just didn't appeal to me. After doing quite a lot of research, The Academy of Makeup stood out to me by a mile. It received tonnes of positive feedback and the layout of each of the courses on offer got me excited instantly. I have now completed my training and I am 110% happy with the decision I made. That is why I wanted to write up this post as there are not many places like The Academy in Scotland for people who want to take up quick and intensive training.
Why I chose The Academy Of Makeup.
Other than the amazing reviews and feedback the academy received, I was so attracted to the idea of smaller and more intimate training. Not only that, the list of vast experienced tutors that work for the academy pushed me even further away from the college route. Sara Hill (Director) has had 16 years in the business, started out with MTV and the BBC. Her celebrity clients include Kanye West, Emeli Sande, Grace Jones and Melanie C. Vivienne Westwood is just one of the great designers she has assisted at international fashion week and winning Best UK Makeup Artist in 2012!!! She is also the editor for Hope St magazine! Sara noticed that there was a gap for short course make up training within Scotland and wanted to change that.
What course I chose.
There are various courses on offer from makeup to hair to nails. All of which vary in length. The site can help you choose which course is best suited to you by listing the courses according to your previous experience. I chose the Foundation Course which is a weeks long intensive course. You can be a beginner to intermediate to attend this. Each day of the week, we learned and mastered certain techniques.
Foundation Course - Monday to Friday, 10.30am - 5.00pm
Price - £850 plus VAT
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| Training Notes |
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| Brush Roll |
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| 11 Piece Brush Set |
Daily Low Down.
- Monday -
On Monday morning we arrived and were each greeted by a brush roll with 11 brushes, training booklet and a form to fill out. After this, we were greeted by the great Kat McSwein. Kat introduced herself and gave us a summary about her career. Kat has worked in the industry for 10 years. Some of her A-List clients have been Katy Perry, The Saturdays, Paolo Nutini and Alesha Dixon! Kat has worked for many fashion events including London Fashion Week. Tennents, Capital Radio and Irn Bru and some of her clients in advertising campaigns. We were all so impressed with her experience.
We worked through our booklet to get some of the theory out of the way first. She lead on to explaining which skincare items we would need in our professional makeup kit, giving us little tips along the way. Kat then demonstrated how to
Cleanse the face, Assess Skin Types, Moisturise, Foundation match and Setting the face! Next it was out turn, we partnered up and went through the steps that Kat had taught us. Colour matching foundations was something I was scared about but now feel very confident doing. Kat gave us homework which was to wash our brushes for the next day (best homework ever eh?). I had a great first day and went home with information overload!
- Tuesday -
Our tutor today was Kimberley Dewar who was so lovely and helpful. Kimberley also gave us a summary of her career to date. Like ourselves, Kimberley also trained in similar circumstances to us by small courses but training at the infamous London College of Fashion. Kimberley has worked on commercial advertisements, music videos, editorial shoots and massive shows/events including London Fashion Week, The Scottish Style Awards, Mallorca Rocks and The Mobo Awards. Again, we were astonished by the success of our tutors!
Today's training featured
Contouring, Highlighting and Blush. We opened our booklet and discussed in groups what face shapes we all had. Kimberley then took us through the stages in correcting face shapes by contouring. Kimberley demonstrated on a model and we each got to practice on different partners today. We then added what we learned on day 1 with Kat with what we were doing today with Kimberley. Kimberley informed us that we were her fastest class yet and we then went onto learning the classic, bold Red Lip and how to match the perfect shade to the clients skin tone. Yet again, I went home filled with lots of knowledge but so exhausted.
- Wednesday -
Kimberley was our tutor again for Day 3. Today's topics were
Eyes, Brows and Lashes (eyebrow plucking and shaping, eyeshadow, eye liner, individual lash application). We chatted about various eye shapes and how to correct brows. Kimberley demonstrated each step on the model and then it was our turn on different partners again. It was fun putting the face and eye steps together. I was so impressed by the eye look I created for my model. It was great to get practice applying individual lashes to complete the look. I felt like we were all getting the hang of the full makeup application by today and relaxing a lot more.
- Thursday -
We had Kat again for day 4. Today was
Bridal Day! Kat taught all students about building a bridal business and threw in so many tips. This was highly beneficial for me as this is the business I am getting into. Many notes were taken down on this day. We then learned how to create the most natural and complementary bridal looks. As there were an odd number of students, I got to do the model's makeup today. I was super pleased with this as I had the time to create two looks on the stunning model. We carried out a bridal consultation and then I created the first look (very natural and simplistic but effective). Using the extra time I had, I then created a bright and colourful look. When day 4 finished, sadness came over me as I realised I only had one day left on the course.
- Friday -
Kat tutored us today for day 5 where it was all about the smokey eye and strip lash application. The eye look today would be more in depth and adding black to it which increased the difficulty. Kat explained what type of smokey eye suits different eye shapes and also filled us in about her tricks when it comes to a smokey eye. We put every step together from day 1 to day 5 carrying out the base, cheeks, eyes and lips. As today's focus was on eyes, we had more time to practice liquid liner which is something I find so simple to do on myself but found it quite tricky on others. Lastly, we finished off with strip lash applications and a powder puff to complete the look. At the end of the day we received our certificate and I said my farewells to the team and the other students (although I hope to see them in the future). The Academy keep in contact with their students through emails and update us on events that require makeup artists which I think is just amazing.
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| Makeup Stations |
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| Bridal Look |
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| Smokey Eye Look |
This post would be weeks long if I was to go into further detail about all the course entailed but I loved every single minute of my time with them. I plan to go back and attend one of the masterclasses and gain some more training and experience. Since leaving The Academy, I have been building up my makeup kit, getting my business page up and running and building a clientele. Yes I could have carried on self taught and saved many a pound by going it alone into the beauty industry and not had the professional training. But I wouldn't have had the skill, information, materials and knowledge of the industry needed to be as confident as I am now, thanks to The Academy and the tutors. I met some lovely people and was able to share my passion with the other students who attended. I do and will continue to recommend The Academy to all who are thinking of improving their makeup skills and those seeking high quality training.
Feel free to visit The Academy Of Makeup website
HERE for all information on tutors and courses they have on offer.
ttyl,
