As soon as I saw that Alex Box would be holding an intimate masterclass at London's Selfridges, I was all over it like Kate Middleton in a wedding shop. Like Cher Lloyd at a chav convention. Let's just say I was keen. From a previous
post you will know that I am a massive fan of Alex and her work as the creative director of Illamasqua and international make up artist.
The masterclass was held in a private room with approximately 16-17 people in attendance, plus a few Illamasqua make up artists to lend a hand and pour the bubbly! The room was set out with tons of Illasmasqua products for us to play with and the setting meant that we were all able to see Ms Box work her magic up close.
Alex -in massively high wedges and a cool colour clash outfit - made up a stunning model from scratch, demonstrating how to create a flawless base and contour the face for a nude but edgy and defined look. She then developed this further by adding colour and texture for a more full-on, night-time editorial look. She then a transformed this into a more 'glamourous' look by adding lashes and more (as she puts it) classical motifs of glamour. Check out the pics!
What I appreciate about Alex's work aside from her technical ability (and the fact that she was able to talk at length whilst perfectly applying everything!) is that her references are so rich. Her background in fine art means she draws inspiration from 18th century art and sub-cultures and uses this to amazing effect. She can turn out something really directional and abstract as well as more classic looks and is fearless with colour. Some artists seem to be stuck in a colour rut but Alex (and Illamasqua in general) encourages experimentation and expression. She explained that Illamasqua is practically the only brand that allows their counter artists to wear progressive make up.
Illamasqua has navy lipstick in their Art of Darkness range ('Disciple') which would scare the shit out of most people, but it was perfectly applied to one lady and it didn't look crazy at all. As Alex explained, perfect application makes you look past the non-conventional colour and you just accept it as being glamourous.
She spoke about her methods of contouring, blending, colour theory, the Illamasqua product range, eyebrow shaping, what differentiates contemporary from glamour and why, and much, much more! She also took questions at the end, offering advice to the make up artists and the plain old enthusiasts amongst us. It was so much fun!
I even got a picture with her! Whoop! And she signed her book for me. Did someone say restraining order?!
Afterwards, we had the opportunity to chat to her and the other make up artists. The lovely Mark (below) taught me how to contour my face, doing one cheek for me and guiding me through the other and we had a good chat about blushers. Seriously - the Illamasqua make up artists are so lovely. They are approachable, knowledgeable, honest and happy to be engaged in lengthy convos about technique and their products.
I could have bought a whole lot more but I exercised some restraint and only bought the following:
- Cream blush in Rude (a warm coral)
- Powder blush (for contouring) in Create
- Pure Pigment in Furore (a pale champagne gold good for highlighting)
The other items I wanted (and will still probably get so not sure why I am bothering to delay the gratification) were:
- The angled blusher/ contouring brush (sold out at the time)
- Lipstick in Over (a peach/ orange)
- Liquid metal palette
I am definitely keen to attend more of their events and I totally recommend to anyone else!
XX
Check out the swatches:
