Colour Challenge

RANKIN (N.D.) Texture & Colour Play by Ayami Nishimura [digital image] [viewed 27th Feb 2015]. Available from:http://www.musebeautyproblog.com/tag/ayami-nishimura/
(EDITED B&W BY ME)

In class, we were given this photo and a colour scheme to stick to.  The colour scheme that I was given was complementary, so I chose to work with the colours blue and orange.

I found the task fun but quite challenging.  It was interesting to depict the different areas of colour from the black and white picture that we were given, however I found it very difficult to recreate the shapes seen on the model's face with the same perfection.  The shape of the eyebrows proved to be especially difficult, as I couldn't get the right shape shown in the image and I couldn't get the two sides equal.

Below is my complementary colour version of the image.

I think that this was a good exercise and it really got me thinking about choosing the right colours and the shades within those colours in order to create an effective look.  I will transfer the skills that I have learnt here when designing the looks for my brand.

Studio: Textured/Natural Beach Hair

Equipment needed:

- Water spray

- Mousse

- Sea salt spray

- Hair dryer

- Hair dryer diffuser

How to create Natural/Textured Hair:

- Begin by dampening the hair with a water spray and put some mousse through your model's hair.

- Spritz the hair with sea salt spray.

NOTE: If your model has naturally curly hair, just use the sea salt spray.

- Use a hair dryer with a diffuser and hold it under the ends of the hair to dry it and create texture.

- Thoroughly dry your model's hair and finish by bringing their hair back off of their face.

Textured/Natural beach hair.

Having created the natural hair look, we were then asked to create a chignon and plaits with this texture of hair.

A messy, textured chignon.

Waterfall plait on textured hair.

Evaluation:

I found the natural beach hair fairly easy to create, and I think it helped that my model had naturally curly hair.  Creating the messy chignon with this texture of hair was simple too, as I just pulled my model's hair back and pinned it in a rough chignon, finishing by bringing the front pieces of hair to twist around the chignon.  The waterfall plait I created to practice, and I found it a lot easier than the last time I tried.  This time I managed to get my head around where to drop and pick up the sections of hair.  This textured look would be good for my beach look.

Day Look: Test Shoot

The look above is the look that I created for my day look test shoot.  To create the look I began by mixing Illamasqua Satin Primer, Kryolan Foundation and Urban Decay Naked Foundation '0.5' and applied it to my model's face and neck.  I then slightly contoured her cheeks using Kryolan Foundation a shade darker than the foundation I used for the foundation.  I powdered the skin lightly to keep a dewy look, and then applied Illamasqua Powder Blush 'Ambition'.  After that I combed through the eyebrows, applied Urban Decay Eyeshadows 'Dare' and 'Stun' and applied Rimmel London Mascara to the eyelashes.  I finished off the look by applying Urban Decay Naked Lip Gloss 'Sesso' to my model's lips.

There are elements to this look that I like, however overall I do not think that it works for my brand ethos.  I like the base and lip colour, so I think that these are elements that I will consider for my final day look.  The eyeshadow is a bit darker than I originally thought and not quite right for the day look, so I will either not use eyeshadow or use lighter shades for my final look.

Studio: Plaiting

Wiggle plait.

Plaiting can be seen within a lot of catwalk hairstyles, and in this weeks hair session we were looking at different ways to plait the hair, and add plaits to enhance a hairstyle.

Equipment needed:

- Hair brush

- Pintail comb

- Hair bands

- Sectioning clips

How to create a Wiggle Plait:

- Begin by creating a 3 strand plait.

REMEMBER: A plait comes away from the head, and a braid is against the head.

- When you get to the end of the plait, hold one of the strands firmly and push the other two up to create the wiggle effect.

- Pull out the plait so that it is not too bunched up at the top.

How to create a Waterfall Plait:

- Begin by sectioning off a square piece of hair at the front of your model's head.

- Split the section of hair into three and begin to plait normally.  When you go to plait from the strand above, drop it and pick up another strand of hair from above the plait.

REMEMBER: The rhythm of plaiting = plait - plait - drop

NOTE: Creating another plait underneath with the strands dropped will create a ladder effect.

Waterfall plait.                                                                                   Ladder plait.

How to create a Five Strand Plait:

- Separate the section of hair that you are plaiting into five strands.

NOTE: Crimping the hair will help if it is your first attempt.

- Take the section on the right and bring it over and under the two strands next to it.

- Take the section on the left and bring it over and under the two strands next to it.

- Repeat this method, always bringing the outside pieces of hair over and under the other sections.

NOTE: Be careful not to bunch your hands together.

Five strand plait.

How to create a Slip Knot Plait:

- Begin by creating a clean section along the hair line.

- Split the section into two, tie a knot with the hair and ask your model to hold the strands.

- Create the next section cleanly from the temple and tie another knot, asking your model to hold these strands too.

- Create another section, split it into two and join with the first knot sections and create another knot.

- Continue to work like this until you have created knots in your chosen sections of hair.

- To finish off the plait, twist the last two sections together.

Slip knot plait.

Slip knot plait.

Evaluation:
Learning these different plaits was interesting and some were easier than others.  The wiggle plait was the simplest to achieve as it was very straight forward.  The five strand plait was also quite easy to create.  It was fiddly to begin with, but once I got into the rhythm of the plait it was fine.  Creating the slip knot plait was fairly simple as well, but a bit fiddly with all the different sections.  I found the waterfall plait the hardest to get my head around, as I couldn't understand when to drop the hair and pick up the next piece to replace the dropped section.  Overall I think I created the different plaits quite successfully, and they are designs that I will take forward to consider for my final brand looks.

Colour Theory

"Colour is the ultimate in art"

- Phillip Otto Runge, 1802

In art, colour is the mean of visual and sensuous expression, and colour theory is very important when it comes to being a make-up artist, as you need to know the different colours and how to mix, combine and use them to achieve different effects.  Colour can be understood through different ways, through colour theory, colour scheme and colour wheel.  Colour theory is the body of practical guidance to mixing colour and the visual effects of specific colour combinations.  Colour scheme is the choice of colours used in design for a range of media, and they are used to create style and appeal, and a colour wheel is an abstract organisation of colour hues in a circle that show the relationships between the different colours, such as primaries, secondaries and tertiaries.  There are different attributes that define all colours; lightness, saturation and hue.

ANON, (2010) The Wonderful Colour Wheel [digital image] [viewed 13th Feb 2015]. Available from: http://www.printmag.com/design-inspiration/the-wondrous-color-wheel-part-1/

The colour wheel was invented by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666 and is central to colour theory.  In the middle of a colour wheel is the primary colours; red, yellow and blue.  In between each primary colour are the secondary colours; orange, green and purple, and then the tertiary colours fall in between the primary and secondary colours.  Colour wheels are great for learning and using the power of colour, because where certain colours fall  in relation to each other depends on their colour harmony.  This means whether or not it is pleasing to the eye.  Below are different harmonious colour theories:

1                                                                     2                                                                  3

1. MONOCHROMATIC - These are different gradients of the same colour.  For example, the different gradients of red.

2. ANALOGOUS - These are three colours that fall next to each other on the colour wheel.  For example green, yellow-green and green-yellow.

3. COMPLEMENTARY - These are colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel, and are usually put together to make each other stand out.  For example blue and orange.

4                                                                      5                                                                  6

4. SPLIT COMPLEMENTARY - This is a variation of the complementary scheme taking three colours; your first colour, and then the two colours either side of it's complementary colour.  For example purple, orange-yellow and green-yellow.

5. TRIADIC - These are three colours that are equally spaced around the colour wheel.  For example orange, green and purple.

6. TETRADIC - This involves four colours that are made up of two complementary colour pairs.  For example yellow, purple, yellow-green and purple-red.

References:

- ANON, (N.D.) Basic Color Theory [online] [viewed 13th Feb 2015]. Available from: http://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory
- ANON, (N.D.) Color Theory Basics [online] [viewed 13th Feb 2015]. Available from: http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-theory-basics.html

- ANON, (2012) Color Harmonies [online] [viewed 13th Feb 2015]. Available from: http://www.tigercolor.com/color-lab/color-theory/color-harmonies.htm

Photo References:

1 - ANON, (2014) Monochromatic Colour Wheel [digital image] [viewed 13th Feb 2015]. Available from: https://www.threadless.com/forum/post/990081/monochromatic_question/

2 - ANON, (N.D.) Color [digital image] [viewed 13th Feb 2015]. Available from: http://www.webdesignref.com/chapters/13/ch13-15.htm

3 - ANON, (2013) Complementary Color [digital image] [viewed 13th Feb 2015]. Available from: http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/3711819/hudson-valley-ny--decorating-help-with-color-schemes---complementary

4 - ANON, (N.D.) Color Harmonies [digital image] [viewed 13th Feb 2015]. Available from: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/briots-view/color_harmonies_4_cool_and_warm_dominance.shtml

5 - ANON, (N.D.) Color Theory [digital image] [viewed 13th Feb 2015]. Available from: http://www.purplewyrm.com/workshop/color-theory-2/ 

6 - ANON, (N.D.) Color Harmonies [digital image] [viewed 13th Fev 2015]. Available from: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/briots-view/color_harmonies_4_cool_and_warm_dominance.shtml

Trip to London

On Monday 9th February, we had a research trip to Covent Garden, London where we went to various make-up boutiques to get their opinions and advice on products, see the layouts of the stores and learn more about the individual brands that we are studying.

Urban Decay were kind enough to offer us a make-up demonstration, which I learnt even more about the brand from.  The make-up artist, Danielle, that was leading the demo showed us how to create a cut-crease eye make-up.  As she applied the make-up, she talked us through what she was doing, the products she was using, how to use the products, which brushes to use and how to care for your brushes.  This was the outcome of the demonstration.

Danielle applied the eye make-up first and then the base after, so as do avoid ruining the foundation with flakes or smudges from the eyeshadow or eyeliner.  She then answered our questions about the brand:

- What kind of people work for Urban Decay? -

Urban Decay's staff tend to fall into 3 categories; fun, feminine and dangerous.  The fun prefer the brighter products, such as the electric palettes.  The feminine will be seen wearing the Naked range and the dangerous are usually seen with dark, bold make-up.

- What are your best-selling products? -
The Naked palettes, settings sprays and our eyeshadow primer potion - every girl wants a Naked palette, and the eyeshadow primer has been our bestselling product for as long as I've worked with the brand.

- Where can you find the Naked nail varnishes? -
Harvey Nichols got the only stock when they came to the UK, however they have been discontinued over here and you can only find them in America.

- Do Urban Decay offer a student discount on their products? -
We don't offer discounts to celebrities, students or anyone at the moment, but we are in the process of setting one up for students studying to become a part of the industry.

- What do you like about Urban Decay's products? -
Urban Decay's products go a long way, you don't need a lot of each product to make it go a long way, especially with the eyeshadow palettes.  For example, I bought my first Naked palette in 2011 (Naked2) and they are all still in use and haven't hit the pan yet.

After the demonstration, we shopped around the boutique where we were offered a one-off discount of 20% and I browsed the shop floor to see the way that they had laid out their products and presented them.  I noticed that they had a very clear layout, each stand with a different range of products on.  The shelves of the stands were all purple, with the products placed with equal space between them and a clear label of the name of the product and it's price underneath.  All of the products on the shelves were all testers, with the new products that you buy hidden away in drawers that the staff would access to get you your desired purchase.  Each palette tester is placed on the shelves open, so that customers can easily see what is inside and in what shades.

Studio: Adding Accessories to Hair

Accessories can really change a whole hairstyle, whether it be a simple clip or a big head band.  In this weeks session, we were experimenting with different accessories and adding them to the same hairstyle.  The hairstyle we added to was a simple chignon.

Equipment needed:

- Pintail comb

- Sectioning clips

- Hair band

- Kirby grips

Simple chignon.

- Hair pins

- Accessories

How to create a Chignon:

- Begin by sectioning the front of the hair from behind the ears and separate the front sections of hair with sectioning clips.

- With the back section of hair, tie it into a low ponytail at the nape of the neck.

- Slightly backcomb the top side of the ponytail to half way down.

- Roll the ends of the ponytail around your fingers and continue to roll the ponytail up to the hairband and secure with a kirby grip at each side of the roll.

- Using your pintail comb, or hair pins, stretch the hair over each side to join the head and pin each side to create the shape.

- With the front sections, bring them back and wrap around the chignon.

NOTE: you can plait or twist the hair to give more decoration.

- Decorate!

Simple black lace added onto the chignon.

Decorative hair pins added to the top of the chignon.

A necklace placed over the chignon.

A shell necklace added around the chignon.

String of sequins placed down the parting and around the chignon.

A simple hat with netting placed on the side of the head.

Evaluation:

I enjoyed this task and feel that I executed it well.  I had never attempted a chignon before, so was keen to learn this new skill.  I found that it was a fairly simple hairstyle to create, but there are so many different ways to decorate it and make it look different.  It was fun to see how the different accessories changed the overall look of the hairstyle and I think that the decorative clips did this best.  This is because they were such a simple accessory, but they gave the hairstyle a much more elegant feel.

Advertising Brands

Advertising is very important for brands, because it is the process through which a company makes there brand and it's products known to the public, in order for them to continue to buy it.

Urban Decay are known for their unique advertising campaigns, with tag lines such as 'Does Pink Make You Puke?', 'the Crazier the Better' and 'Beauty with an Edge'.  They have a specific style to them:

                     - model; dark hair, pale skin and big eyebrows

                     - shot; from the shoulders up

                     - focus; bold make-up (unless it is an advert for their Naked range)

                     - hair; pulled off of the face or messy

Within their campaigns, Urban Decay nearly always feature the product for which they are advertising and it is normally the main focus of the image.

URBAN DECAY, (N.D). Beauty with an Edge [digital image] [viewed 2nd Feb 2015]. Available from: http://www.chacha.com/question/this-city-was-once-a-city-of-industry,-but-now-is-a-symbol-of-urban-decay.-answer-detroit-washington,-d.-c-new-york-atlanta

Above is one of Urban Decay's campaigns for the overall brand.  As you can see, the model has very bold make-up with her hair pulled off of her face, and she has been positioned to the right of the image so that the logo can take the main focus and tell the viewer what the brand is about.  They have chosen a purple background, as that it their brand colour, and I think that it works well to make the white writing and pale model stand out.

URBAN DECAY, (2013). Naked Basics Campaign [digital image] [viewed 2nd Feb 2015]. Available from: http://listtoptens.com/top-10-best-and-most-popular-cosmetic-brands/

In this campaign you can see that again the product has taken focus.  I think that this works for Urban Decay's campaigns because it is showing viewers what the product consists of, as well as what you can do with it.  Their advertisements are a lot more make-up focused compared to other brands, due to them not having any hair products, but the hair is always pulled back off of the model's face, or slightly messy.

Here are some more Urban Decay campaigns:

URBAN DECAY, (N.D.) Naked Skin [digital image] [viewed 2nd Feb 2015]. Available from: http://popsop.com/2012/11/loreal-to-buy-urban-decay/

URBAN DECAY, (N.D.) Urban Decay Cosmetics [digital image] [viewed 2nd Feb 2015]. Available from: https://www.pinterest.com/radford0264/mktg-435-segmentation-and-targeting/

URBAN DECAY, (2014). Naked 2 [digital image] [viewed 2nd Feb 2015]. Available from: http://www.polishmodelsblog.com/charlotte-tomaszewska-for-urban-decay-naked-2-basics-fw-2014/

URBAN DECAY, (2013). Revolution Lipstick [digital image] [viewed 2nd Feb 2015]. Available from: http://theessentialist.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/urban-decay-ad-campaign-fallwinter.html

As a whole, I think that Urban Decay's advertising campaigns work well for their brand.  They show off the products them selves, rather than a photoshopped model who is wearing the products.  I think that this is a good aspect of advertising, and I like that you can see what they are trying to sell.

References:

- CD, (N.D.) brand advertising definition [online] [viewed 2nd Feb 2015]. Available from: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/business-english/brand-advertising

- MICHAELS, W (N.D.) Urban Decay [online] [viewed 2nd Feb 2015]. Available from: http://makeup.lovetoknow.com/Urban_Decay