Academy of Freelance Makeup (AOFM) Review

So on June 30th I completed my sixth and final weekend of studying part-time at the Academy of Freelance Makeup (AOFM) in Soho, London.
I decided on AOFM over other schools for a few reasons; they offer free aftercare and masterclasses, they post amazing job opportunities on their Facebook page and they make sure they set you up for the 'real world' of makeup artistry.

When looking at the photos please bare in mind that for nearly all of these looks we had a time limit to practice something new, so most of these looks are incomplete and some will seem a little... strange, haha.

Day One

On our first day we were greeted by studio manager Kelly Mitchell and her assistant Sharka Potocskova. After unwrapping our brand new set of 24 AOFM brushes and introducing ourselves we went straight in to the lesson.
In the mornings we all sat down and listened to the tutor's background in the industry and they then gave a demo of what kind of look we would be doing that day. There were twelve of us in total and we had to try and work with someone different everyday so we could experience different face shapes and skin tones. We got to use different makeup brands every lesson, which gives you a great insight in to the way certain makeup applies.

Kelly was our tutor for the day and she taught us how to create a 'no-makeup' makeup look, which basically means making sure your model has flawless and fresh looking skin with no obvious signs of makeup (imagine skincare adverts). 

We were also taught how to do a quick smokey eye - we didn't have long to do this look so it looks a little messier than I would have liked.

Day Two

On day two we were taught bridal makeup by Louise Dartford. She gave us a lot of advice and showed us a couple of different soft bridal looks.

Day Three

On day three we were taught how to shape and fill-in eyebrows properly by brow expert Barbara Carranza. We were also told to create a glamourous, Dita Von Teese inspired look on our partners. I decided to add some colour instead of using neutral eyeshadow shade.

Day Four

On day four we were taught by Valentina Creti. She showed us how to contour and highlight correctly and also how to create 'glowy' skin using skincare products and highlighting techniques.

The photo doesn't show up a lot of the makeup I applied due to the lighting on the day.

Day Five

On day five we were taught by Yin Lee. She has a lot of experience in the fashion world of makeup artistry and she told us what sort of things to expect backstage at a fashion show. Yin then showed us a catwalk look that we needed to recreate.

Day Six

On day six we were taught by Barbara Braeunlich. Barbara taught us about makeup styles that work best for different lighting during photoshoots and the shapes and colours that are most effective. We focused on creating a look for black and white photography.

Day Seven

On day seven it was the start of our advanced course! We were taught by double World Body Painting Champion Carolyn Roper. She taught us some basic body painting techniques, how to use body paints properly (Mehron's Paradise paints in particular) and how to create a 3D looking button and chain. We then had to create a look using body paints, aswell as trying out the 3D techniques she showed us.

For some reason I struggled to come up with an idea so I'm not happy with the look I created...

... I am, however, happy with the buttons I painted :)

Day Eight

On day eight we were taught by Barbara Braeunlich again and she taught us all about period makeup; specifically looks from the 1920s-1980s. The demo she showed us was a 1920's look and she also taught us different ways of blocking out eyebrows. Barbara told us to pick a style of makeup we'd like to create and I decided to try Twiggy's look from the 1960s. I didn't have time to complete the look to the level I'd have liked to unfortunately, but I'm still fairly happy with how this turned out.

Day Nine

On day nine we were taught how to use different textures and mediums by Angela Davis Deacon. This look is a little odd - I was focusing on learning how to apply cream eyeshadows, glitter and crystals effectively.

Day Ten

On day ten we were taught Avant Garde by the eccentric Philippe Miletto. He helped us to think outside the box and how to create something rather crazy looking. We had to keep swapping with our partner and adding different things to our looks every thirty minutes. This was the end result:

We were also told to practice a perfect red lip.

Day Eleven

Another amazing thing that AOFM offers is a shopping day! We got to use discounts that were set up for us so that we can start building up our makeup kits.We went to MAC, Shu Uemera, Bare Minerals, Benefit and a theatrical makeup shop called Screenface. Due to the fact I only use cruelty-free products I was only able to buy from Screenface, but it was still a fab day!
After shopping we then went back to the studio where we found a lovely lunch buffet set out for us :) After lunch it was on to lesson time! Breianne Zellinsky was our tutor for the day. She taught us various techniques you should use when working with men, mature skin and different ethnicities.
Breianne had written different briefs down on to pieces of paper and we all had to pick one at random - mine was 'animal themed'. I decided to create a chameleon inspired look and I tried to include the different colours that my own chameleon (Sulley) shows.

Day Twelve

Photoshoot day! My model was a beautiful Chinese girl and I was really excited about applying makeup on someone of an ethnicity that I hadn't worked with before
We had forty five minutes to create a 'no makeup' makeup look and one hour to create an editorial look. We worked with hair stylist Jan Przemyk, stylist Claudia Behnke and photographer Keith Clouston and we explained to them what we wanted to achieve from the photoshoot. I had an amazing day and I didn't find it as nerving as I thought I would!

After the photoshoot was over I recieved feedback and was given my certificate of graduation! :D

I can honestly say that studying at AOFM is one of the best things I have ever done and I highly recommend this academy to anyone who's considering becoming a makeup artist. It was incredibly inspiring being taught by so many talented and knowledgeable makeup artists and another bonus is that I have made eleven new friends! :)

If you would like to know more or if you have any questions please feel free to comment below!