Technical Sessions: Assessment look development 'The Catwalk Look' no.1

When it came to coming up with my assessment look for the catwalk section of the unit, it was a mixture of good and bad for me. My creative process changed few times which is very unlike me, compared to last year where when I had an idea I would just execute the first one that came to mind. I believe this could be due to the fact I am growing as a designer and that I am kind of a perfectionist when it comes to my own work. I feel as if I have learnt that even though it is a creative degree I am taking right now, I am still learning and their is always something I can do to improve my work, if that be thought process behind it, the application itself, the way the pictures or film is captured or even the reason why I had originally come up with this idea, everything can be improved and I believe I am really starting to wrack my brain around this idea. 

My favourite part in creating a look is the eye, I love the form of eyes and how different colours can make different eyes pop, how a liner can transform someone's look and create something sexy and sophisticated. Or how lashes can make a look very manly to more of a feminine look. For these reasons I decided to come up with a look for my catwalk that focused around the eyes. 

Knowing I wanted to use tones of green and blue in my look I began by looking at the type of looks I could create and taking inspiration from one of the greatest platforms ever, Instagram. I looked at a trend that has been around for a little while which was this halo effect. A darker colour in the outer and inner corner of the lid and a brighter colour in the middle.

After skincare, and an eye base was applied, I began by hollowing out the crease of the eye with a brown shadow from urban decay, I than used a deeper colour and applied this too the inside and outer corners of the eyes. After that I layered some blue/teal shadow also from urban decay and using a flat brush I placed this in the centre. As the colour didn't pop as much as I had hoped I decided to foil the teal shimmer shadow with some mixing medium and applied this over the top. Then to blend the centre colour in even more I used light strokes of a small fluffy brush just to feather them in slightly to the the darker colours. After this I placed a mixture of the teal and silver under the bottom lashes to finish the look. I applied lashings of mascara and began to work on the skin. Now as this was literally just off my own back and kind of straight out of my head. I hadn't really thought to hard on the overall look at this moment and what type of finish to the skin I actually wanted. I do know that I want a a nude lip preferably something glossy that will really show up and stand up on camera. 

Moving on to skin, I applied some double wear foundation, being a full coverage foundation with a matte finish it kind of was a bit too much for my look. By the time I had completed a slight contour and set the look, as well as the completed the brows to a thick stencilled brow it looked more like a very full on beauty look rather than something I could imagine on a run way.

I think that as an industry by itself, fashion make-up only really focuses on one area of the face. Or of what I have noticed anyway. I believe with this look that I had created was really more for a special occasion and something that seems more stereotypically more of a 'clubbing' look. I believe this too be true as I think the skin could have been something I should have left more natural and glossy and the same with the brows. It kind of looked a bit top heavy on my model, but using some false lashes could have completed the look and stopped this from happening. 

At this point I am unaware of what I wish to do with the hair. I believe it may feature something with braids or something slicked back, this is something that will have to be played with a tested. As hair is my weakest link out of the two, it is something  that needs more research. 

I know that this wont be my look for a catwalk as I feel it features too much of a beauty look, the colours are something that I think would have to be used as a block colours to be seen as fashion and not beauty/special occasion. 

My next job will be to carry on researching into how I could make more of a fashion look, I will continue to look at blogs, magazines and past YSL looks to see what I can come up with.