Studio Masterclass: Eleven Strand Plait

Creating an 11 Strand Plait:

To create an 11 strand plait, you first need to create a 5 strand plait, which has been explained and simplified below:

1. If your hair is prone to tangling, start by detangling your hair thoroughly.  Take a clean section of hair you wish to plait. Make sure you leave two sections of hair either side of this section, as these will be added to create your 11 strands. 
2. Split this section into 5 equal strands. Imagine the strands are numbered 1-5 from left to right.
3. Cross strand 1 under strand 2, then over strand 3. Pull tight.
4. Cross strand 5 under strand 4, then over strand 1.
5. Pick up a small section of hair from your hairline on the left side and add it to strand 2.
6. Cross strand 2 under strand 3, then over strand 5.
7. Pick up a small section of hair from your hairline on the right side and add it to strand 4.
8. Cross strand 4 under strand 1, then over strand 2. 
9. Repeat steps 6-9 until you reach the nape of your neck.  In general terms, you cross the leftmost/rightmost strand under the one next to it, then over the middle strand, adding in little bits of hair from your hairline as you go.
10. Once you reach your neck, continue plaiting the 5 strands in the same pattern, and secure with a hair-band/ kirby grip.
11. Next, take one of you sections from either side of your 5 strand plait. Split this section into 3 strands, as you would to create a normal plait.  Start by plaiting once normally, then before beginning the next section, find the first outer loop of the 5-strand braid and poke your fingers through.  Now pull the closest outer strand of the 3-strand braid through that loop, weaving the two braids together.  Continue this process until you reach the bottom of the plait, and then repeat with the other section.
12. Once you have completed your 11 strand braid, secure with a small hair tie and loosen by gently pulling on the braid.  This way, you will really be able to see the plait structure.
     

11 Strand Plait

Five Strand Plait

Spring/Summer 15 Final Images

Spring/Summer 15 Look- Facechart and Hairchart

My Spring/Summer design is all about pops of vibrant colour.  The turquoise and coral shades sit really well together, and give off that fresh spring vibe.  My model for this look is a red head so is perfect for the shoot, she also has naturally flawless skin with freckles so I'll use a light coverage so her natural skin tone will be come through. 

In order to create a Spring/Summer hairstyle that will complement my fresh, colourful make-up look, I decided to create a Bohemian style side plait.  This style isn't too polished, and allows hair to fall out of the plait to frame the face and create that edgy, not quite perfect style.  This is perfect for Spring/Summer as your make-up and hair doesn't always have to be perfect, but can still look girly and chic.

Spring/ Summer Look Inspiration: Moodboard

For my Spring/ Summer Look I wanted to create a colourful, bohemian inspired look using bright colours such as turquoise and coral.  The Urban Decay Electric Palette is perfect for creating this kind of look as it holds various bright shades that are perfect for the warmer months.  To go with this kind of make-up, I thought a messy braid would work well to give a fresh and not completely polished edge to the look.

Spring/ Summer Look: Ad Campaign Inspiration

Image Credit: he Skinny Confidential Electric look. | Get Electric. Festival Style. | Pinterest. [ONLINE] Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/40462096626665859/. [Accessed 11 March 2015].

After having a scroll through Urban Decay's Pinterest account, I came across a really nice board called 'Get Electric, Festival Style'.  This board contained various make-up images, and non make-up images also that incorporated lots of colourful pastel and bright tones which I think are perfect for Spring/Summer.  Throughout the colder months I think we often stick to much darker, berry tones but as the sun comes out, we start to experiment more with colours such as blues, greens and turquoise. 

I was inspired by the image above as there has been a use of colour on the eyes, but the rest of the make-up is still fresh and dewy, just like it should be during Spring/ Summer.  For my Spring/Summer look I think turquoise is a great, spring colour to use, especially around the eyes.  I think a well blended turquoise shadow would look great for my look, but I will also experiment with using a pop of turquoise in the waterline.

As I have said before, I think the skin should be fresh and dewy so would ideally use a foundation with a light coverage and would bronze up the skin to give a healthy glow.  For the lips, as the eyes will be quite bright, a nude lip would work well.  However, I think a coral lip would also work well if I was just to use the turquoise in the waterline. 

Evening Look Final Images

Evening Look Testing

Whilst at home, I tested out my Evening/ Timed Assessment look.  I used a variety of purple matte shadows from Illamasqua, using a metallic purpley green shade in the centre and corner of the lid.  Personally , I would like the look to come out slightly more purple for the actual shoot, so I aim to use a purple metallic shadow with more of a red tone to achieve this.  As well as this, I would like the edges of the shadow to be cleaner, as I think this will create more of a sleek look, this can simply be fixed by cleaning up the edges of the shadow with a cotton bod and concealer.

To create the red lip, I used Mac Diva, a perfect deep toned, vampy red.  This really complements the purple and they work perfectly together to create a sultry style which is perfect for Eveing wear.

Evening Look: Ad Campaign Inspiration

Image Credit: New Urban Decay Perversion Mascara. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.polishjinx.com/2014/06/new-urban-decay-perversion-mascara.html. [Accessed 09 March 2015].

Model: Stefanie Wood

Image Credit: Los Angeles fashion, beauty, celebrity, and advertising photographer & director Scott Nathan. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.scottnathanphoto.com/index.php#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=11&p=2&a=0&at=0. [Accessed 09 March 2015].

I love that not only do Urban Decay offer a range of really nice natural make-up, they are all about experimenting with colour too.  For an evening look, I wanted to capture this idea, by adding pops of colour to the look.  The addition of purple into this smoky eye adds a unique twist to the usual all black look and portrays the idea well that Urban Decay are a great brand for colourful products also. 

To keep with the coloured theme, instead of pairing the smoky eye with a nude lip, I decided after seeing the 'Perversion Mascara' advert that a deep red lip could work nicely.  By using purple and red tones together this would create a sexy, sultry look that is perfect for the evening. 

For the hair, I aim to create a straight, sleek style.  I would bring the hair up and away from the face so that the bold, colourful features were more prominent. 

Colour that Inspires

I have mentioned a lot previously that Urban Decay are a very colourful brand.  Anything to do with colour completely inspires them, whether this is images of landscape, materials, objects.  Urban Decay have a huge presence on Pinterest, I found a board that really inspired me especially for my Spring/Summer and High Summer/ Beach shoots called 'Colour that Inspires' which includes a variety of these kind of images.

The orange and blue tones in these images particularly influenced my make-up design process for my Spring/ Summer shoot.  The colours combine perfectly, and when used on separate features of the face create a really nice complementary, season appropriate make-up look. 

The next board, named 'Bronze Hues' was a form of inspiration for my High Summer shoot, when I personally think of summer make-up and hair I think of golden, bronze tones.  A look that isn't polished, something fresh but still made up.  I think this board completely sums up that style, and I even got some styling inspiration too. 

Evening Look/ Timed Assessment- Facechart and Hairchart

Following my research, this is my Evening Look design.  I have incorporated purple and burnt red toned browns on the eyes to create a smokey and sultry look.  I want to create a very polished evening look, with clean lines around the eyes and lips.   I think this is the perfect 'Dangerous' evening look for Urban Decay, the look is mysterious but still fun with the incorporation of various colours.

My hair design is very sleek, nothing too extravagant so that it doesn't take away from the make-up and create a polished final look.  

Evening Look Inspiration: Moodboard

For my Urban Decay inspired Evening Look, I wanted to create a more smokey look.  As Urban Decay are known for their colourful products swell as their more natural ones, I though I could create a colourful, purple smokey eye using shades from the Naked 3 Pallette and Electric Palette.  To keep with the sultry theme, I thought I would pair the smokey eye with an oxblood red shade lip.

Having recently learnt the art of Sleek Hair in class, I will aim to create a sleek, cross over style hair that's pulled away from the face.  This way, the full attention will be on the facial features. 

Studio: Classic Shapes and Silhouettes

This studio session was all about Sleek Hair. After we had blow-dried and straightened the hair, we created sleek ponytails and cross over styles.

Equipment Needed:

Water Spray

Paddle Brush

Denman Brush

Pintail Comb

Blow Dryer

Straighteners

Shine Serum

Hairspray

Hairband

Bobby Pins

Creating Sleek, Straight Hair:

1. Start off by brushing through your models hair, making sure the hair is knot free.  After this, spray the hair with water until it is damp.
2. Blow-dry hair working from back of the head toward the front with a flat paddle brush or penman brush.  Aim the blow dryer in a downward motion towards the hair, this will help lay the hair cuticles flat and prevent frizz from forming.
3. Next, straighten one to two-inch sections of hair at a time working upwards.
4. Once all the hair is straightened, run a shine serum through the hair using your fingers.

Creating a Sleek Ponytail:

1. Put your fingers at the crown of the head and gather up a large section of hair from the front of the head.  Make sure you are in a position to move around the head.
2. Run your hairbrush over the section you have pulled up, making sure that the hair is pulled tight with no bumps.
3. Gather the bottom section of hair into your hand with the top section, brush hair upwards making sure it is also neat.  The ponytail should be sat at the crown of the head.
4. Once all hair is neat, secure with a hairband or bungee.  A bungee is best for sleek hairstyles as it doesn't pull the hair which causes bumps.
5. To finish, spritz some hairspray over the ponytail and comb over the style to get rid of any bumps and flyways.

Sleek, Cross Over Style:

1. Start with dried and straightened hair.  Take a section of hair from the middle of the head, taken roughly from around the temples and clip this out the way.
2. Take a small section of hair from the front, sides of the head either side.  Comb these back, making sure they look sleek and secure with a kirby grip.  Cross the hair over at the back and secure one grip through the other to create a secure hold.
3. Next, take the section at the front and gently rest this over the cross over sections at the back.  Not only will this cover the grips but create a chic, polished look to the style.
4. To create a more punk style, you can backcomb this front section to give lift and volume.

Studio: Natural Beauty Hair

Equipment Needed:

Paddle Brush

Mousse

Sea Salt Spray

Hair Dryer (with Diffuser)

Hairbands

Kirby Grips

Pins

Creating Beach Hair/ Messy Waves:

1. Give your models hair a good brush through, making sure the hair is knot free.  Using a paddle brush is great for this. 
2. Take a small amount of mousse and run this through the hair using your fingers.  Mousse will give the hair extra volume, hold and a shiny "just-washed" sheen.
3. After this, spritz the hair with a sea salt texturising spray.
4. Now, scrunch the hair as it dries, you can either let hair air-dry or use a diffuser on your hair dryer.  Diffusers are attached to the end of hair dryers to protect hair from direct heat, allowing you to dry your hair without damaging it.  If using a hairdryer take small sections of hair and scrunch it into the diffuser, holding until the hair is dry.
5. Once you remove the hair from the diffuser, you should be left with a messy wave to the hair.  However, this may depend on your models hair type.
6. If you need to add extra waves to the hair, create messy curls with a curling iron. The secret is not to create perfect curls, so use a curling iron with a bigger barrel.
7. Lastly, run your fingers through hair to break up the curls. You can put a bit of shine serum on the hair also but this step is optional.

Chignon with Textured Hair:

1. To start, take your pintail comb and two sectioning grips.  First, use your comb to create a middle parting and then section the hair from behind the ear, leaving a fairly wide section either side at the front of the head.  Taking the hair left at the back, gather it at the nape of the neck and secure with a hair band. 

2. Twist the hair upwards, not too tightly and secure with kirby grips.  Using your pintail comb, shape and volumise the the hair, gently pulling outwards.  Once you have created your desired shape, secure with hair pins.

3. This style is all about a messy, un polished look.  I allowed some hair to fall around the face to create a boho chic look and made sure the chignon wasn't completely sleek at the back.

Timed Assessment Images