Official AW14 Blogger – Events Lounge - Maybelline and Toni&Guy

Saturday Talks

Saturday saw the Events Lounge at Vodafone London Fashion Weekend take a beauty focus, with tutorials from Maybelline and Toni and Guy; two of the official sponsors. Aside from the usual interviews, I was excited to see the professionals in action and perhaps learn a thing or two about what the industry was really like.

Maybelline Masterclass

Maybelline nail technician Michelle Humphreys was one expert I was very eager to hear from. Nails are something that I’ve always been obsessed with but only recently been able to experiment with; years of using acrylics left them weak and unable to grow to my desired length, meaning they weren’t something I wanted to show off. However now I can be a proper girl and paint them ‘pretty’, I was more motivated than ever to take on board any tips Michelle had. Michelle gave a pretty cool talk at Vodafone London Fashion Weekend in February, so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed.

Now I’ve never really been an OTT kind of gal when it comes to nail polish - I would gaze dreamily at any nail art that wasn’t a single shade, thinking I could never pull it off but secretly wishing I could. Michelles work is undoubtedly intricate, proudly announcing you can recreated anything on a nail. She’s worked for celebrities such as Lily Allen and Jessie J, travelled all over the world on incredible photoshoots and recently spent hours placing crystals on the nails of all the models for the Ashishi catwalk show. Whilst Michelle stresses that prepping the nail is the most important thing to remember when painting your nails at home, its difficult to envision my nails turning out anything like her creations.. I was oogling over her perfect pearl mani! Michelle likes to balance her colours, if she paints a strong and vibrant nail she suggests pairing it with toned down accessories. However, if she paints a simpler nail she proposes hyping up the vibe with bold accessories. This nail technician has come a long way from painting nails in a salon and I wouldn’t be surprised if she was painting Beyonce’s talons any time soon!

Whereas Michelle gave us the low-down on nail art, Maybelline Make-up artist Ninni Nummela gave us an insight into the wonderful world of make-up. Originally from Finland, Ninni trained in Stockholm before moving to London to live her make-up dream. She began her career by working with Charlotte Tilbury, before being scouted by Maybelline and since then has worked on some of most iconic and memorable photoshoots, proving she is as in-demand as she is dedicated to her craft. At Vodafone London Fashion Weekend, you would probably find her putting the finishing touches to the models behind-the-scenes looks, armed with her own assistant to carry her endless array of products. Being a make-up artist usually comes with the assumption your make-up will always be perfect. Ninni is a sentiment to this idea, her dewy skin finished perfectly with a slick of red lipstick when we met at Vodafone London Fashion Weekend. I asked the secret behind the perfect complection, she replied primer then contouring. I know contouring looks incredible but I had no idea how to achieve this myself. Realistically, how could a girl who fails to apply enough mascara on a busy work day even consider starting to contour daily. Hmm.. Maybe I should rethink my beauty routine! It goes to show you need time, patience and practice to achieve the perfect look, so maybe I’ll experiment next time I have the time and hopefully have it perfected and down to a fine art in perhaps say, the next year?! I’m ever hopeful. Nevertheless Ninni and Michelle gave us a crash course in beauty that I’ll never forget and it was a great insight into industry, I even got to see them in action backstage which was crazy busy – they must really love what they do!

Toni&Guy

Considered a London Fashion Week veteran, International Artistic Director Philip Haug is no stranger to the fast-paced world of fashion - particularly as he has worked backstage as part of the session team for ten seasons. As Artistic Director, Philip is able to constantly experiment with his creativity and create looks that challenge conceptions and create innovative styles. The Toni&Guy team creates the hair for over 80 runways shows each year – not that’s a lot of products! The past decade has seen the session team work alongside designers such as William Tempest, Tom Ford and Matthew Williamson. If, like me, you were a little confused with the term ‘session’ it basically means work a little like freelance. The session team are called upon to realise, conceptualise and masterfully create the hair for different briefs, fashion shoots and other projects.

The talk from Philip Haug at Vodafone London Fashion Weekend recreated the grungy and severe look from Giles Deacons SS15 show at LFW. The lovely Astrid sat patiently as he carefully teased and moulded her hair into a sophisticated pony. Whilst I must admit the outcome was a little basic for all the time and products he used, I understand the industry is one that is constantly competitive over the next big do’. Saying that, I could have easily tied my hair back in two minutes, but then I’m not a model about to walk down the runway at LFW nor a creative director who’s job it is to create exciting and enticing hairstyles day in, day out, so Philip Haug did a fabulous job.

I’ve always wanted lusciously long and thick locks, but sadly my hair is quite fine and lacks volume. I’ve tried everything I can but, probably like most people with my student budget, have given up. I’ve finally faced the reality that my hair is never going to look like Cheryl Coles with bouncy curls and vivacious attitude. It’s so hard to find products that actually work, especially when all the products that you do buy never seem to do the look you want justice. So, when I heard about Label M I was naturally sceptical about it’s workability – would it really be worth it? I’m ever optimistic that I’ll find the perfect product one day, so I thought I’d give my freebie a try and oh-my-god was it worth it. Honestly, the Texturising Volume Spray gave my hair lift all day and never dropped. My hair never tends to be straight or curly, more like a crimped wavy mess. So when I gave it a few curls and used this beauty to secure, it worked its magic like a charm. The only downside is brushing it out afterwards (as I realised when I got a bit too carried away and sprayed it all over like a girl with a new perfume) It leaves your hair feeling slightly matte like and if I’m honest, not very nice. The only way to get rid of it is to wash it after every use, but this compromise is one I can handle when I think of how bouncy my hair looks when I use the spray. I’ve now resorted to saving the pristine bottle for special occasions, and use it sparingly. I don’t think it’s enough to put me off – I love the volume it gives my hair and wouldn’t be without it now but bear in mind if used a lot it will leave your hair feeling like straw, no matter how many times you brush it. No beauty without pain, right?

By: Jessica Duke