BEAUTY AS ART EVENT: blackUp (Late post)

Hey Fam,

Trust you’re all doing good. Its been a loooong minute and I appreciate all your calls and messages. I have been down with a serious case of Malaria but thanks to God, and a few shots afterwards, I am back and better.

Please guys, just as a word of advice, do not self-medicate. Go for a test and let the professionals give you directions that would greatly impact your overall well being. I am speaking from experience, please adhere. Health is wealth and by God’s grace we will all live long full and healthy lives.

Speaking of living long, I would like to use this opportunity to commiserate with the Olanipekuns; over 2 weeks ago, I lost a dear friend, a young man with a bright future; the concept of death is so surreal guys, but we thank God, because we believe he is in a better place and he is at rest. May Oladele Oluwaseun Olanipekun rest in perfect peace.

A lot has happened since the last time I posted here and I’ll try my best to update you. Most important of all was the blackUp event….gosh! I hope it is not too late to share. This post is going to be somewhat long cos I have loads and loads to talk about.

First, the First blackUp Artist/Master, David Coranson Beaudu came to Nigeria and on Monday, 1^st of February, I got to have an exclusive meeting with him, along with 2 other bosses of mine; Ms. Weltin & Ms. Odofin. It was at this meeting that life was given to the theme of the Masterclass; ‘Beauty as Art’.

Before now, we had done a lot of background work and research, skype, whatsapp, emails and other correspondence to come up with content for this event, we did not leave any stones unturned as even the media was in on this event, yes, the media!!! SpiceTV, BellaNaija, Mania, StyleVitae, BeautyInLagos and many more were all prepped and ready for this event. Our meeting was just to draw up time sheets and to tie up all loose ends.

Next, we planned the training for the blackUp makeup artists. We usually have between 2 to 4 exclusive trainings for our artists every year to keep them updated, so they can serve you better. We always try to ensure David is on hand for at least one of the trainings despite his busy schedule(this guy is in charge of more than 50 countries!)

The training was fun and enriching. Lots of information, useful tips, brainstorming, live demos, interaction, prizes and goody bags of amazing freebies. blackUp has a lot of newbies and we learnt how to use them all. I will do a separate post on the newbies.

The ambience of the training venue was also really nice, and might I deviate a little, the staff and management of the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel on Ozumba Mbadiwe, are simply the best!!! Customer service is on point! I can’t gosh enough guys… seriously, try them out. The redecoration and restructuring has really done them a lot of good.

Back to the training, and here is useful information for any interested makeup artist out there. blackUp is expanding, and would be in need of makeup artists.....Yaaaaaay! You could be the next fabulous artist of this chic brand

A BRIEF JOB DESCRIPTION:

1.     To provide consultation and application services in the art of makeup application, using the Montaigne Brand makeup line.

2.     To generate sales from both new and existing clients.

(EXPECTED) KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS:

1.     Sales turnover from the make-up business line.

2.     Increase in awareness of Montaigne’s line of make-up products.

3.     Level of professionalism displayed.

4.     Customer satisfaction index.

 JOB REQUIREMENTS INCLUDE:

1.     1-4 years’ cognate experience.

2.     Knowledge of different product types and effects on the skin.

3.     Knowledge of skin types.

4.     IT skills.

5.     Customer service skills.

6.     Team building skills.

7.     Excellent communications skills.

8.     Negotiation skills.

9.     Time management skills.

TO APPLY;
Send an email, with your CV attached, to careers@montaigneplace.com A response will be sent if you qualify, and an interview scheduled. Details of the interview will be communicated to you.

Good luck!!!!

Now to the event. Unfortunately, I was hard at work coordinating happenings backstage and could not take pictures by myself. Models had to be prepped from head to toe; nail polishing, hair styling, outfit checks, rehearsals, makeup debriefing....etc it was stressful but electrifying at the same time. I need to thank my bosses and colleagues for helping out as much as they could to ensure we had a smooth flow at the end of the day. Trust me, it takes a lot to pull off a show..no lies!

So, i got just a few pictures from the Montaigne Place office, and I will be sharing some of the looks for the event. I will emphasize on 2 out of the many looks created and guide you as to how they were created. 
All products used on the models are by blackUp and can be purchased at the blackUp boutique, Ikeja City Mall, Lagos, or at any Montaigne Place outlet nationwide.

As said earlier, the theme of the shoot was to portray beauty as art. We had models positioned on small podiums as work of art in a gallery. Our guests were able to walk around the models and appreciate the various looks on display as you would in a museum. 
The essence was to show that with makeup, you can tell a story. blackUp is also repositioning itself as an artist’s brand, available for any kind of artistic expression.

For the art exhibition, we had 5 powerful themes. A lot of thinking and brainstorming went into this. The eventual draft was long and detailed. I will do a summary of the themes below to give you an insight into what we were going for with each look. 
This will also help you if you intend to work on a shoot of yours. Conceptualization is everything!!!

1. “ARTi-logwu”(Atilogwu)

Symbolising an aspect of the Nigerian cultural dance; majorly found in the eastern part of Nigeria. The Atilogwu dancer is fearless, strong and flexible.

blackUp celebrates the strong woman who is not afraid of her rich heritage and culture.

2. “Risqué  “

Racy, Sultry, Seductive...

blackUp celebrates every woman’s feminity. From makeup, to skincare and fragrance.

A woman’s sexiness is captured by her scent and accentuated by her looks.

3. “La femme de la Renaissance”

The Renaissance Woman.

She is intelligent, enjoys life, not afraid to try new things.

blackUp is an innovative brand dedicated to celebrating the stylish and triumphant woman who is a symbol of elegance, accepts who she is, and cultivates her beauty as well as her personality.

4. “The Classic Woman”

She is free-spirited and modern. Fresh and alluring. Simple, yet classy.

blackUp has a wide range of fun and vibrant products which effortlessly fuses flawlessness and playfulness while maintaining classic standards of beauty within the industry.

5. “Au Naturel”

It means void of complications, naked, basic, and plain.

blackUp prides itself in understanding the importance of having a base as close as possible to the complexion of the naked skin.

With our vast range of foundation shades and undertones, it is easy to achieve flawlessness while retaining the richness of the natural skin types; peculiar to women of colour and mixed races.

David showing us how to use the new anti-shine powder and contouring stick 00 on Ms. Weltin.
Yes, you guessed it, Fair skin can definitely benefit from the goodness of blackUp!

David working on popular celebrity stylist, Jane Michael Ekanem

Now, to 2 of the looks from the event.

 'Arti-Logwu':

This look was created by Ezinne(a blackUp artist) under the direct supervision of David Coranson Beaudu.

FACE:

blackUp Correcting Primer 

blackUp Full Coverage Foundation

blackUp Concealer Palette in COR 02

blackUp Two-way Cake in TW 01

blackUp concealer pen in NCOS 02

blackUp Two-way cake in TW 02

blackUp sublime Powder in NPS 01.

blackUp contouring stick in CONT 02.

blackUp blush in NBL 07

EYES:

CGS 01 (brow pencil)

blackUp Full Coverage Foundation(to neaten the brows)

blackUp Eyeshadow Palette in PAL 04 ONLY!

blackUp Khol Pencil in KS 01

blackUp Liquid Eyeliner in ELL 01

blackUp Volumising Mascara in 01

LIPS:

blackUp Jumbo pencil in JUM 11

blackUp lipstick in M 17

Spots on the body were created using blackUp lipstick in M 30

The renaissance woman look was created by yours truly

FACE:

blackUp Perfecting Primer

blackUp Concealer Palette in COR 03 (for spots and colour correction)

blackup UltraMatifying Rebalancing Fluid

blackUP Matifying Fluid Foundation in NFL 12

blackUP Two Way Cake in TW 15B

blackUp Concealer Pen in NCOS 03

(New***) blackUp anti-shine powder (to set under eye highlight)

blackUp Sublime Powder in 003

EYES:

CGS 01(brow pencil)

blackUp Full coverage foundation in HC 06 & 08 (to neaten the brows)

blackUp Mono eyeshadow in OAP 01

blackUp Mono eyeshadow in OAP 15

blackUp Mono eyeshadow in OAP 10

blackUp Mono eyeshadow in OAP 2M & OAP 7M, and blush in NBL 07 for transition colours (always a mixologist...lol)

blackUp eyeliner in ELL 01

blackUp Khol Pencil in KS 01

FACE SCALES:

Using a clean regular bathing sponge;

Gold: blackUp Mono eyeshadow OAP 01

Bronze: blackUp Mono eyeshadow OAP 06

Dark Purple: blackUp Mono eyeshadow OAP 08

LIPS:

Lip liner in JUM 11

Lipstick in M 29

Lip Lacquer in VL 07

We completed the look with the yellow avant-garde gele, and voila!

   

I will be showing some of the newbies in my next post, and there will be a giveaway. Watch out.  muah!!!