March 2018

At Inspire Greatness Aveda Institutes, we take pride in our goal to elevate education beyond what is normally required. Each year we provide many opportunities for our students to travel and experience beauty on a global scale. We have programs students can participate in, such as study abroad, New York Fashion Week, as well as the North American Hairstyling Awards. Last month some of our brightest students had the opportunity to participate in London’s fashion week. We got to interview Kayla Emmert, one of our student participants, to get the inside scoop on what it’s like to do makeup for one of the world’s largest fashion shows!Before the TripKayla first heard about the London Fashion Week trip in her esthiology class at Aveda Institute Tucson. We sent out fliers in class that explained what the trip was for and how to apply to represent the school in London. Kayla has always been excited about makeup and thought this would be a great idea, so she submitted a video of her applying makeup as part of her application, and she was selected to go! When she heard the news she was jumping up and down in excitement!She put together a GoFundMe page so that with the help of her family and friends she could afford the cost of the trip. In addition to that, she completed extra practice and training so that she and the other makeup artists would be ready to apply makeup for fashion week models when they arrived in London. Kayla would watch video tutorials provided through the Salon Pro RX provided by the school, and then upload videos of her practicing what she learned. She was well-prepared before she even left the country!The Swiss Church: XuZhiThe first show that Kayla helped do makeup for was for the designer XuZhi. This fashion show took place in the Swiss Church down the street from the hotel. The church itself had a gorgeous interior and set the stage well for XuZhi’s work to shine for photographers. Kayla had to be up and ready to go at 6 am to help get the makeup done! She and the other makeup artists put together a great “no makeup makeup” look that suited the models perfectly. Sometimes she worked on her own and other times she worked in pairs with another makeup artist to get it done. It was fast-paced and exciting!The Big Runway: Marta JakobowskiKayla said one of the most surreal experiences was seeing the big black sign that said “London Fashion Week” across it, and knowing that she was doing makeup for such a prestigious show! Being backstage for a show this big can be crazy at times, but Kayla loved the thrill of being part of such a big show! She and the other artists would hurriedly get the models ready and then get to watch them on the monitor backstage and see their models as they walked the runway! The hustle and bustle of last minute touch-ups, rushing to get models ready for the big moment was a thrill!House Party: OsmanOne of Kayla’s favorite fashion shows was for Osman’s new line. It took place in a smaller venue with a house party theme. Instead of a traditional runway, the models danced together on a stage in front of fans and photographers. Kayla said this one was especially fun because each of the makeup looks had a little pop of color in the eyeshadow that was beautiful as part of the finished look. She also loved the idea of a house party fashion show because onlookers could see how the clothing and hair flowed and moved.The Big Runway 2: Teatum JonesKayla says that the show for Teatum Jones was by far the most emotional of all of the shows, and it’s when she connected the most with the people around her. This show was themed “Global Womanhood”, and was a celebration of women from all around the world. Each of the featured models were asked three questions beforehand :What is the happiest you’ve ever been?What is the saddest you’ve ever been?What gives you hope?The responses each of these women gave were recorded before the show and played on large screens as the models presented their look at the fashion show. It was an emotionally powerful experience for everyone present!Advice For Future StudentsIf you are wondering if you should apply for one of our travel experiences, Kayla enthusiastically recommends it:“100% yes! I think the main reason why is because it has given me so much experience, not just in terms of the craft itself, but also teamwork. It’s given me so many opportunities. Now I have more shows that have been offered to me!”She went on to explain that getting this sort of “back stage access” to a show of this scale can really help aspiring makeup artists or hairstylists get ahead. If you want to have a head start on your career, you should apply!Join Aveda InstitutesAre you interested in getting a beauty education that can enable you to pursue your dream career? Inspire Greatness Aveda Institutes offers courses in cosmetology and esthetics that can lay a foundation for your future success. Reach out to us for more information on how you can begin today!

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