Make Up School Part Deux: The Session School

The Session School is located in the heart of Central London and offers a range of make up and hair courses for the freelance industry.

This new and exciting school was founded by distinguished Make-Up Artist Dani Guinsberg (also a Fashion Week regular) to teach future Make-Up professionals the art of make-up within the fashion, beauty and advertising industry. With over 14 years experience in the industry, Dani has become a very well respected and fully qualified expert in Make-Up Artistry.

So, students can expect no less than to be taught by some of the most talented in the industry, tutors have a wealth of experience - from working on make up backstage at Vivienne Westwood, to styling Victoria Beckham's hair for her wedding!

Courses

The Session School offers a range of hair and make up courses, such as;

• Professional Foundation Make Up Courses

11 week beginner course (option to choose Saturdays/weekdays).

Includes a small professional basic make-up starter kit worth £300 and a professional brush kit worth £70 (from Illamasqua and Pixie).

Fee: £2,500

• Combined Hair and Make Up Course

5 week beginner course (weekdays).

Fee: £4,500

• Bridal Make Up and Hair Courses

5 day course for intermediate level.

Fee: £1,500

• Skincare workshops

2 day course, for either personal or professional.

Fee: £375

• Asian Bridal Make Up Workshop

2 day course for those with previous make up experience.

Fee: £375

• Vintage Beauty Master Class (love the idea of this one)

2 day course for those with previous make up experience.

Fee: £375

• Taster classes (which are only £15)

2 hour session for all levels. Great way to decide which course you would like to take.

Make up is available to use on all the short courses, but obviously for hygiene reasons and to build your own kit, you can buy pro brushes at the school for a discounted price of £40.

A variety of make up brands are used, such as Illamasqua, Laura Mercier, Pixie, Lucas PawPaw Ointment. However, the experts build their kits according to what they like to use.

The Session School is also BABTAC (British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology) and HABIA certified.

For more information, visit The Session School website.

Read more from this post in Free beauty tips »

Posted in Illamasqua , Laura Mercier , Pixie , The Session School

Laura Mercier Caviar Dreams

Good morning, Dear Reader!

After spending many days of being able to see through my tips with Revlon Fizzes, I wanted to change to a good opaque polish.  I chose an oldy, Laura Mercier Caviar Dreams.

Laura Mercier hasn't put out nail polish for at least a couple of years now, I think, but I loved them when they did.  I'd liken them to Dior with respect to overall quality - they're extremely well pigmented with one coat being almost sufficient, are so easy to control they pretty much apply themselves, and some of the colors are spectacular.  Caviar Dreams is in the Spectacular category.  I recall when Chanel Black Pearl came out that at least one person asked me if it was a dupe for Caviar Dreams, and at the time the likelihood of me locating this one to compare was virtually nil, but I was sure that Caviar Dreams was far more duochrome and I managed to get some pictures that at least hint at its spectacularity (I know that's not a real word, but it's a fun word).

This is Caviar Dreams in direct bright sunlight.  You can see that it's a charcoal shimmer and there's something going on with a bit of teal in the shimmer, but the duochrome effect is largely washed out in the brightest lighting.

Laura Mercier Caviar Dreams Nail Polish, Two Coats in Direct Sunlight

I wandered around taking pictures in different light to see how many of its colors I could catch, and partially lit with bright sunlight, the kind of purple-pink side of Caviar Dreams shows up.  Indoors, that pinkish cast shows over the whole nail well, but in light bright enough for a color accurate picture it's just in a few spots.

Laura Mercier Caviar Dreams Nail Polish, Two Coats in Partial Sunlight

Completely in the shade, I was able to get a good look at the teal in Caviar Dreams, which is also apparent in indoor lighting.

Laura Mercier Caviar Dreams Nail Polish, Two Coats in the Shade

Pretty cool, huh?  This is a good one, so I'm glad I stumbled upon it while looking for something completely different.  Really good duochromes are so few and far between that I always really enjoy one when I wear it - it's fun to make my nails change colors in the sunlight while sitting at traffic lights.

That's the scoop for today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Read more from this post in Free beauty tips »

Posted in Black , Duochrome , Laura Mercier , nail polish , Pink , purple , Teal