Illamasqua DIMUA's 2014

Over the weekend I attended the Illamasqua Distinction in Makeup Artistry Awards, held at BAFTA in Piccadilly, London. I attended the awards last year and it was such a good experience, and this year was even better. The artists competing at Illamasqua DIMUA's are always so talented and their work is highly conceptual. I love seeing the different interpretations of the given theme - this years theme was Art vs Textiles and the range of looks was so diverse.

I arrived at the event for the Pro Category, and of all the categories I think the work produced by the pro artists was the most impressive. Each contestant had taken such a different approach to their look - Branka Vorkapic's work was very runway and looked as though it could have been part of a John Galliano show, whilst Julie Rombaudt's look was clearly very Elizabethan inspired.

All of the completed Pro looks (image from Illamasqua's official Facebook page)

From left to right: Jemma Grace, Julie Rombaudt, Branka Vorkapic, Michelle Anderson

Of the four contestants my favourite look was by Michelle Anderson. Her piece was so expressive and had clear correlation to the given theme. I loved her use of bold colours and unique brush strokes. Of all the contestants I feel that Michelle's work was the one piece that was constantly changing and evolving, watching her work was almost like watching a performance piece. I learned so many new techniques just by watching her, the way she used her tools was highly innovative.

Gorgeous brushstrokes on Michelle Andersons look

Michelle Anderson's finished piece

My favourite thing about the live performances at the DIMUA's is seeing each look unfold and develop into the final piece. It never fails to amaze me how the artists create something so extraordinary from a blank canvas, and it's clear how much time, work and dedication they have put into creating their final look.

First stages of Julie Rombaudt's look

Development of Julie Rombaudt's look

Application of the final touches

Julie Rombaudt's look was clearly Elizabethan-inspired, and she executed it very well, creating an elegant Queen Elizabeth with a contemporary twist. I thought the black latex applique was a gorgeous touch and really exaggerated the regality of the look as a whole. I also thought her chosen colour palette really complimented the Elizabethan theme.

The finished look

I also really loved that Branka Vorkapic took a high-fashion approach to the competition and created a very avant-garde editorial look. I thought her use of gold leaf was very effective and her colour palette was beautiful, the colours complimented each other so well. Her spiral headpieces were so original and worked perfectly with the makeup, and the styling really just pulled the look together as a whole, resulting in a highly polished piece of work.

The second category I saw was the Illamasqua artists, who also created some truly stunning pieces of work. I felt like this particular category took a more cultural approach to the theme, with clear references to different traditions and cultures around the world.

All of the completed Illamasqua looks (image from Illamasqua's official Facebook page)

From left to right: Minx Hafon, Panda Chantatot, Frankie McKernon, Charlie Butterfield

All of the looks in this category were extremely striking, but my favourite by far was Frankie McKernon's. The makeup design itself was beautiful, and the look she created was so soft - it was a true beauty look which can be incredibly hard to achieve. 

Frankie's look before the hair was added

 Her idea of adding the hair to the model's face was very innovative, and I felt it really gave her the edge within her category. She showed her skill by creating a flawless, soft, beauty look, but then also showed her creativity and innovative concepts by completing the look with hair accents. I just think everything about this piece was so perfect, and she was meticulous in regard to placement. The final look gave off a windswept, feral vibe and I feel as far as character creation goes this look was definitely the strongest, as the makeup and hair accents just look so right on the model, as though they're part of her and should always be there.

The final look

Another artist in this category who really impressed me was Panda Chantatot. His precision and skill was astounding and his linework was flawless. He created the most perfect lines which really reflected his artistic talent. His look was Thai-inspired and he went to great lengths to ensure that it was authentic, dressing his model in a traditional Thai headpiece and costume.

Panda at work

Panda's completed look

I would definitely like to experiment with some of Panda's techniques, I think he is a highly skilled artist and I found his work extremely inspiring. It was a beautiful homage to his country.

The Illamasqua DIMUA Awards was a really fun day and it gave me so much inspiration. It was great to see some unique looks being created and I feel as though just by watching these artists I learned so many new techniques, which I will definitely be putting into practice throughout the New Elizabethans project.