Thank you to everyone who participated in this past Holiday Makeup Contest! We received an overwhelming amount of wonderful entries and we’d have loved to showcase all of them!
For this particular contest, makeup artists were asked to draw inspiration from the above winter wonderland image and create either a holiday glam makeup look, or a winter fantasy look. Artists were limited only by their creativity… and did we ever see some creative work!!
The two winners did a great job! QC Executive Makeup Artist and judge Nathan Johnson took some time over the holidays to write up a critique of both makeup looks to give you a few pointers on taking your skills to the next level.
Well Done Ladies!
Winter Fantasy
Winner: Farah Khalid Farooqui
The work on the snow queen shows a level of finesse that is very impressive. The careful use and placement of color and the over all mood of the make up allows for the inspiration to be clear, while not being overly literal. The use of blending and hard edged lines creates a beautiful juxtaposition of the hard and soft that is seen in the inspiration image. The winter wonderland is beautiful, but it is also harsh and perhaps unlivable, these two characteristics exist in this character.
The work is subtle and beautiful. I am particularly taken by a few key elements, first, the small reflective foil flecks on the forehead and temples capture the sun spots of the image perfectly. The foil lashes are a stroke of genius. I adore the soft use of fine silver glitter on the lips and brows. The tiny touch of chartreuse peeking out from the crease (just as the it peeks out from behind the trees) is magic.
Some of the colors and positions are not perfectly identical on both sides, but in this case, I find it to be more suited to the character. No living creature is 100% identical on each side, and I think theses slight differences somehow make her a bit more human. This is a great lesson in what happens when skill and creativity meet. Beautiful work.
-Nathan
Holiday Glam
Winner: Brittany Simpson
This look makes excellent use of the rich purples and icy whites from the image. The look is captivating. I adore the cut crease, the use of such a hard white on the waterline, the double winged liner and the soft hombre in the lip.
There are a few points I would offer some critique on (only in an effort to push you further as an artist). The upper lashes have spider legged. This happens when too much mascara has been applied without taking the time to comb out our separate the individual strands. I would recommend. applying, combing them out and reapplying. The lower lashes are very clumpy and this distracts from the beauty of the image. With an eye that is so dynamic and specific, it is important that your work be nearly exact on both sides. Here are a few points you should look at.
- The cat liner is different on both sides. Photo right, the top cat liner is longer and the bottom shorter, the opposite is true on photo left.
- The inner corner of the liner is smooth and perfect on photo right, it is squared and hard edged on photo left.
- The crease to highlight transition is beautiful on the photo right side, as is the hard crease. The photo left side does not have the same precision.
- The highlight in the tear duct is overly heavy and it is different on both sides. When highlight goes too low and is too harsh is it very distracting and unflattering.
In your next stage of evolution as an artist, I encourage you to watch for uniformity, balance and precision. There is a lot of good in this, but as artists, we can always improve.
-Nathan
Both ladies have received a Sephora Color Festival Blockbuster Set, valued at over $200! You can see Farah’s unboxing video on her YouTube channel here!
Thanks again to everyone who participated and voted in this contest!
