IMATS New York - Student Competition Fantasy Beauty!

April 21, 2011 by Robin Park

A Student entry for the Character/Prosthetic Mythological Creatures Theme Competition.

On Day 2 of IMATS, there was a second student competition that explored more of the elaborate side of makeup. Sunday's competition was focused on the theme of Fantasy Beauty. Student finalists had three hours to transform their models from mere mortals into their crazy fantasy vision. I was incredibly impressed with the work that these artists were doing. Also, I was taken back by the patience of their models!

A student at work.

All prosthetics were homemade by the students.

Backstage working on their models.

Airbrushing

Every detail of thought of... even the nails.

The finished models!

This model was really in character.

Amazing! This is straight out of a fantasy movie!

Everyone was amazing talented, and I could never do what they do. Have you ever thought about fantasy makeup? If you were going to create a mythological creature look... what would it be?

IMATS New York - Student Competition Tribal Beauty!

April 13, 2011 by Robin Park

Models from the Tribal Beauty Theme Student Competition.

IMATS, which is produced by Make-Up Artist Magazine, holds student competitions during the show. On Saturday, students competed in a Tribal Beauty Theme competition, showcasing their interpretations. It was amazing to watch these students make-up, style and hairdress their models, all in record time.

Who would you pick as a winner? They are all so good... tough call!

IMATS New York - Mehron Goat Girl - Amazing Fantasy Makeup Transformation!

April 13, 2011 by Robin Park

Amazing transformation!

IMATS focuses all on the endless possibilities of makeup. So you want to be a goat girl? No problem! Makeup can do that! At the Mehron booth, there were amazing transformation demos all weekend. One that I was able to capture from beginning to end was this horned ram/goat mythical figure.

See the cute girl in the background? Watch her go from normal to fantasy!

Capped and read for horns!

Artists from Mehron attach her horns.

Do you think you could this with makeup?

Mehron specializes in theatrical and stage makeup, but they also make some beautiful foundations and blushes for everyday! I purchased some of their foundations and a blush and will be reviewing them soon. To check out Mehron products go to www.mehron.com.

For information on IMATS go to www.imats.net

IMATS New York - Makeup Artistry in Entertainment, Over Jake Gyllenhaal's Dead Body!

April 10, 2011 by Robin Park

E with her new friend at IMATS

One thing that I've mentioned that I love about IMATS compared to other trade shows I've attended is its focus on makeup artistry in industry. How are people pushing the boundaries of makeup for professional purposes? The best place to think about where these limits are being constantly tested is in movies and TV. With increasingly better technology, the scrutiny over the makeup artist's work is intense, to put it mildly. You know you gotta be good.

I loved how on the first floor as you walked in, there was a mini-museum with some amazing examples of makeup work for seriously theatrical purposes. The displays ranged from chins and cheeks to create a distinctive character... to full blown twitching and bleeding mutilated hearthrobes that are wired to work at a push of a button.

All great examples of how makeup can be so much more than just making someone look pretty. The ideas are seriously limitless! And it was all very inspiring!

Don't be confused by the Paul Giamatti picture, that's Eddie Murphy (well not the real one).

Walking Dead? No, just makeup!

Gory guts, yellow rotting flesh. You have to make it look real or go home.

If you are getting squimish, this person has done their job.

**Now For Something DRAMATIC**

NO JAKE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME!

Psych! It's not the real Prince of Persia, but a latex model wired to twitch and bleed. This was created for his latest movie, Source Code.

But doesn't it look REAL?

I still can't believe how life-like it is!

Thank you IMATS for exposing me to a world beyond perfect skin and smoky eyes.

MAC Master Class with Senior Makeup Artist Louise Z. - Eras Reinterpreted!

March 31, 2011 by Robin Park

Louise Z. & Me

This past weekend I went to one of the three MAC PRO Master Classes that I signed up for this spring. When living in NYC, I never was in a position to take advantage of these, so when I saw that three upcoming classes worked with my schedule, I was game! Plus the fee for your class is completely refundable in MAC product. Win win, right?

Louise Z., Senior Makeup Artist, was conducting the class. The theme was Eras Reinterpreted. During the course of the class, we discussed makeup and cultural icons of three different decades: 1920's, 1940's and 1960's.

Many of the MAC PROs attending the class worked as makeup artists, but it seemed that the majority of students in the class had little experience with editorial makeup. I try to do what I can at home, but of course, I'm still just a beginner. It was great to see a master in action. I regret not being able to take advantage of these classes more while I was in NYC, but that's life eh? Thank you Louise for an inspiring class. I learned a lot from your notes and also loved your attitude on makeup.

Here were some of Louise's tips on editorial makeup:

Do your research - know the references, know the designers/photographers/models/icons/movies/culture/experience... Everything! Immerse yourself! Knowledge is power, so doing your homework will help you see eye to eye with the designer, stylist, client, whoever you are working with to get that special look.
Editorial doesn't always mean literal - A reference can be just that... a reference. A nod to a certain idea. Not a carbon copy.
Editorial can be wearable - Just because it's titled as editorial doesn't mean that it can't be wearable. See Louise's 1960's inspired look as an example. A nod to mega lashes and nude lips of the era without being a straight-up Bardot clone.