Make-up is part of many people’s daily routines.
Some consider it a vital part of their day, never leaving the house without it.
But there is more to it than simply concealing imperfections.
Alice Holder studies Hair & Make-up for Fashion at London College of Fashion, she believes that makeup is an artistry.
“You’re working with products on the face and just like artists work on a canvas, the face is [my] canvas,” she says.
There is a reason why professionals in the area are called make-up artists.[pullquote align=”right”]“I really like doing natural make-up and I really like working on the skin, so perfecting the skin.”[/pullquote]
“Most people don’t really consider it art,” she continues, “I mean when you think of Instagram make-up it’s a replica of the same look.”
What she means with Instagram make-up is the full-face, winged eyeliner kind of makeup.
The type that Kylie Jenner wears on a daily basis.
The type of make Alice does for her degree is slightly different from the ones seen on Instagram.
The artist's utensils are ready for use;
“I like doing creative looks on myself to experiment with different products, different pigments and textures,” she says.
“It’s really helpful to do it for uni work but if I’m working on a shoot it’s mainly the fashion stylists or photographers who decide on the make-up and most of the time it’s really simple.”
In some of her previous works she has used herbs to try and represent nature through make-up.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQqOHuohE9D/
“There’s so many different ways you can explore make-up”
“If I’m feeling a bit low I just put a bit of makeup to make myself feel better and happier so I definitely change my make-up on a regular basis.”
When working with different types of make-up styles, such as bridal or fashion, there are many factors to consider when choosing the right products.
“You have to do the make-up according to the camera,” Alice explains. “You have to think about the SPF in foundations because you don’t want flashbacks.”
When it comes to bridal make-up the product needs to last a long time since most brides get ready in the morning when the actual ceremony only starts later in the day.
With fashion make-up the artist needs to be constantly aware of how the face is reacting in the shoot.
“You have to make sure the face isn’t oily and just perfect anything that you might be able to detect on camera.”
Usually the artists keep topping up the make-up to adjust it for the pictures.
“I really like doing natural make-up and I really like working on the skin, so perfecting the skin.”
Alice has been working on her make-up skills since she was 16.
She first started wearing make-up when she was 12, but her passion for the art sparked when she was able to buy different products and experiment with them.
Now in her final year at UAL she hopes to explore the area of bridal make-up after graduation with the occasional fashion shoot to keep flourishing her creativity.
All images by Nicole Gheller