A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to go along to the Illamasqua store on Beak Street in Central London to see the incredibly talented (and lovely) Julia Townend demonstrate the art of body painting. For those of you who know or have heard about Julia she a true multi-tasker doing everything from teaching, to TV make-up and launching her own body painting products and it's body painting where she has really made a name for herself. If you've been to IMATS you may have seen her live demo's (often for PAM) so you'll know what an inspiring person she is to see in action. If you don't go to IMATS chances are that you have seen her work in adverts and on the television. |
| Julia's own gold leaf used in the hair line |
What I love about Julia is she is really down-to-earth and funny in an industry that can tend towards the bitchy side she has worked hard and let her talent do the talking. She chats (and tells insider stories) and somehow this amazing creation evolves in front of you. Only from listening to her speak do you realise what research and sketching has gone into the creation before it even makes it onto a body and how her use of colours and techniques from previous body paints influences her future one. I felt as though what we saw was just part of a link in the chain of her work.
It's also refreshing to meet someone in the industry who things of the model she's working on - to model for body painting often means wearing nothing but a thong but she is constantly checking that they feel comfortable and as warm as possible and when we arrived she'd already applied textures and base layers of paint to the bust area to make her feel more relaxed. By the end the model said she felt as though she was covered.
I try to go to as many demonstrations, open days, tutorials and events that I can. You never stop learning with make-up and not only did I learn so much but I felt completely inspired which has never happened to me with body painting. I went home wanting to try out these techniques and experiment with the colours and products I already have in my kit for regular make-up and I can't wait to buy some of her products when they are available. If you are a fan of amazing make-up then definitely check Julia out on her website, on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.
