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.