MUA Day Time Look Development

Before diving straight into designs for the day time look, I wanted to do some quick investigations into MUA's current inspiration from their Pinterest moodboards. This allowed me to see what looks they have been enjoying and basing their products around. This is what some of their current inspiration looks like from their Valentines board:

Pinterest, (2015). Valentines Inspiration… Romantic Look. [online] Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/muamakeup/valentines-inspiration-romantic-look/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2015].

This board shows very soft, natural and romantic makeup, perfect for an everyday/day time look. The makeup looks naturally contoured and highlighted with lightly blushed cheeks, a soft brown smokey eye and a touch of nude/pink to the lips. We can also see the hairstyles teamed with the makeup are braids/plaits, again, looking very natural and beautiful. MUA have created many products which could be used to achieve this look, from their eyeshadow palettes, to the nude lipstick shades. 

This natural look, posted onto their Facebook page, is warm and natural which is perfect for an everyday look. This look was inspired by PAUL & JOE and shows similar warmth and softness to the makeup representative's look on the right. The MUA customer is a youthful individual, so this look is ideal for the age range as it doesn't age the wearer, it simply enhances the beauty and doesn't take away from the natural shape and colouring. This effortless make-up is ideal for a relaxed day time look, something to add a bit of life to the wearer. 

MUA, (2015). Facebook post. [image] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/MUAmakeupacademy/photos/pb.183271198377030.-2207520000.1428852750./814523801918430/?type=3&theater [Accessed 12 Mar. 2015].

Products used:
Mono Eyeshadows - Copper, Fudge, Golden
eXtreme Contour Pen - Dark Brown
Whipped Velvet - Spry
Blusher - Cupcake  

On the SS15 runway, there have been multiple looks of hair and makeup that have caught my eye. This flirtatious yet understated look by Topshop Unique is the perfect 'barely there' look which has been glammed up with the pop of colour on the lips. The clothing in this show is very much complimented by the colour of the lips and looks like an ideal outfit for a picnic in the park. The hairstyle is fuss free but well kept.

Vogue UK, (2015). The Return Of The Red Lip. [online] Available at: http://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/2014/10/03/spring-summer-2015-beauty-trends-catwalk-hair-makeup/gallery/1242890 [Accessed 12 Mar. 2015].

Styloko, (2015). Styloko. [online] Available at: http://www.styloko.com/womens-fashion/see-the-full-collection-topshop-unique-ss15/ [Accessed 12 Mar. 2015].

At Chloe, the skin is flawlessly dewy and radiant. There has been a light foundation coverage to conceal any skin imperfections without creating a heavy mask ontop of the skin. The soft contour creates a natural illusion of dimenions to the face in a subtle way. The eyelashes have minimal mascara and the brows are brushed through yet kept natural. The hair looks especially clean, fresh and effortless in the centre parting. The collection shows relaxed daytime clothing, made up of neutrals and denims, perfect for an everyday outfit. I think this look is perfect for the MUA customer to wear everyday. The look is fresh and young, with great effortlessness. To alter this look to suit the MUA customer slightly more for the day time look, I would prefer to add a little more colour to either the eyes or lips to demonstrate MUA's large range of colourful and easy to apply products. 

Vogue UK, (2015). The Off-Centre Parting. [online] Available at: http://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/2014/10/03/spring-summer-2015-beauty-trends-catwalk-hair-makeup/gallery/1264374 [Accessed 12 Mar. 2015].

Erika Brechtel, (2015). CHLOÉ SS15 Paris Fashion Week. [online] Available at: http://erikabrechtel.com/2014/09/30/chloe-ss15-paris-fashion-week/ [Accessed 12 Mar. 2015].

At Suno, the hair was pushed back into a intricate braid. Braids are a beautiful detail which looks so effortless and feminine. This look is clean, yet slightly untidy at the same time. The hair is youthful, and would go nicely with simple makeup for an everyday look. The collection at Suno looks like a painting; it reminds me of beach huts on a sea front, but chic. The clothing has little structure to the figure, which makes it look comfortable and effortless. The clothing in this collection is just how the day time hair and makeup look should appear, wearable and pleasant. 

Romance, H. (2014). NYFW hairspiration - 9 runway braids to inspire your everyday hair - Hair Romance. [online] Hair Romance. Available at: http://www.hairromance.com/2014/09/nyfw-hairspiration-9-runway-braids-to-inspire-your-everyday-hair.html [Accessed 12 Mar. 2015].

Us.lindafarrow.com, (2015). Suno SS15 // SN1 / Linda Farrow - Linda Farrow. [online] Available at: http://us.lindafarrow.com/diary/2014/09/suno-ss15-nyfw/ [Accessed 12 Mar. 2015].


At Paris fashion week, Stella McCartney showcased some beautiful natural skin, with a nude beauty theme throughout. The model's skin glowed and the nails were kept soft and natural with a nude polish to "complement the classically nude tones in the collection". This 'barely there' look demonstrates a healthy and youthful glow, which I believe is the perfect everyday look. 

StyleBlazer, (2014). #PFW Beauty: Get The Nude Matte Nails at Stella McCartney SS15. [online] Available at: http://styleblazer.com/328987/get-the-nude-matte-nails-stella-mccartney-ss15/ [Accessed 15 Mar. 2015].

With the knowledge of MUA's current inspiration and the latest catwalk trends, I have gathered plenty of food for thought when it comes to my designs. Dewy skin is everywhere on the catwalk at the moment and looks very youthful and fresh. To achieve dewy skin, my personal method is to add a small amount highlighter to the foundation to create a soft glow, but I also like to use a pressed powder highlighter to define the more prominent features. MUA has a wonderful 'Undress Your Skin' collection which has the perfect products provided to create the ideal "flawlessly radiant complexion", so the look can be achieved by all. 

Muastore.co.uk, (2015). Undress your skin | MUA Make up Academy. [online] Available at: http://www.muastore.co.uk/undressyourskin/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2015].

MUA's individual eyeshadows and eyeshadow palettes can create almost any desired eye look. From the Pinterset boards and posts to Facebook that MUA have created, I have noticed very natural enhancements made to the eyelids for a day time look. Soft browns have definitely come to my attention from their inspiration, but also hints of pink and purple, also seen on the catwalk. Purple can be a very bright colour and not often described as natural, but when applied gently there is something about this look which is very soft and a gentle substitute for brown/nude eyes, but for a day time look purple may be too strong.

Elysium Palette - £6

Matte Palette - £4

Undress Me Too Palette - £4

Matte Eyeshadow Fudge - £1

Matte Eyeshadow Chestnut - £1

Matte Eyeshadow Shade 18 - £1

When it comes to last years biggest trend, the eyebrows, I have noticed a much more natural approach with this year. Rather than having the perfectly 'dipbrow' defined eyebrows, there is a definite higher demand for softer brushed up brows, with an 'unkept' look. The natural brow is a trend which may not be caught on by all, but MUA have shown a softer brow in their latest looks to naturally suit the hair colour much more than in previous posts. Eyebrows are a personal preference and different styles suit different faces. MUA provides various products to create the desired brow and the brand still shows variation in their looks for eyebrows, ensuring the target market isn't narrowed down.

Brow Define Tinted Brow Mascara - £2 (each)

Eyebrow Pencil Blonde - £1

Brow Kit - £3.50

My favourite lip is a soft nude lip, boring I know, but the nude lip is so understated. With the latest hype of the Kylie Jenner lip, everyone has gone stir crazy. Creating and perfecting the fuller lip with the trick of finding the perfect nude shades is a trend that I don't see disappearing for a while. But for this look, I don't want to create something as exaggerated. The example above provided my MUA's makeup representative shows the lips perfectly lined to create an illusion of the fuller lips. Mastering this look takes time and skill, so the every day MUA customer would want something more hassle free. This could possibly come from a tint, balm, or a moisturising lipstick. Below, I have created a small image to show the range of products MUA provides for a more natural look. Adding the smallest amount of product to the lips finishes a look. In contrast to the nude lip, I couldn't resist a delicious coral/red lip, like from Topshop Unique. What I love about this pop of colour to the lips, is that it completely transforms a face with no makeup to looking like an effort has been made. A statement lip is the perfect way to look made up when in a hurry, so this is why I see this look as a potential day time look. 

Lipstick Barely There - £1

Lip Switch Duo Pink Candy - £3

MUA Power Pout Broken Hearted - £3

Sweet Sheen Lip Balm Pink Lily - £2

Kiss Proof Lip Stain Fabulicious - £3

Mood Board:

This mood board shows the multiple ideas I have to represent MUA's Day Time look. The general look shows very natural enhancement of beauty, with dewy and highlighted skin to create a fresh and youthful look. The brown to the eyes creates dimension to the face and the nude lip creates a delightful finish. I have also chosen to keep a bit of colour as MUA has many varieties of colour in their collection. The red lip and purple eyes have caught my attention in current trends and I believe they are worth testing. I have also included products in the mood board that I may use to create the look.

Testing:

Dewy Skin, Light Contour + Highlight:

To create a natural looking light coverage, skin care is a very important stage before applying the foundation. Cleansing, toning and moisturising creates a clean canvas for the makeup application, and I always use a gentle one to suit all skin types. For this more natural look, I add a small amount of primer to the foundation to thin it out and create a smoother application. For this I have used Illamasqua matte primer mixed with the Screenface foundation palette. I then created a gentle contour around the face and powdered the concealed areas around the eyes. To emphasise the highlighted areas, I brushed over a small amount of Mac Soft and Gentle.

This skin coverage look is what I will use for my final day time look. It looks natural and effortless, which is exactly how the MUA customer would wear their makeup on a daily basis. 

Soft Nude/Brown Eye + Nude Lips:

For this soft neutral look, I have applied a small amount of brown eyeshadow to the eyelids. I have only applied it to the outer corner of the eyes and blended it inwards with a soft blending brush. This creates a more subtle colour enhancement rather than covering the entire eyelid. I also created a subtle highlight on the brow bone using a lighter eyeshadow. To the skin, I gentle brushed the cheeks with Illamasqua blusher in Tremble. This pale pink shade creates a very natural looking blush to the cheeks, adding more colour to the skin. To compliment this, I applied a small amount of nude lipstick with my finger across the lips and massaged it in for a subtle finish.

This look is very simple, yet creates a very soft and natural enhancement to the face. It coincides well with MUA's inspiration and previously created looks. This look is very young and innocent, so works well with the MUA market.


Purple Haze Eyes + Nude/Pink Lips:

To respond to the current trends, I attempted to create purple eyes with very little product and lots of blending to show more subtlety. The colour is from MUA's eyeshadow range and blends nicely on the eyelids. I wanted to use just one colour to see how easy this may be for the usual MUA customer. The colour is soft, but creates quite a bold look for everyday wear. With the purple eyes, I have also applied a small amount of nude lipstick with the same technique as before.

This look is beautiful and soft, but for a day time look the colour may be a bit too much for the MUA customer. The purple is possibly better suited to a Spring/Summer look rather than this look. I would like to keep the tones a little more neutral.


Strong Filled in Eyebrows + Glossy Red Lips:

The glossy red lips in contrast to the barely there makeup creates a point of focus. The lips look full and juicy. The look is fresh and bright, perfect for a youthful colour pop makeup look. The skin is slightly matte to create a nice texture contrast to the lips. The eyebrows are filled out with powder for a complimentary bold look. The eyes have received a light coating of mascara to bring the eyes out, but kept very minimal.

The gloss of the lips could be a little too much for an everyday look, and may be more suited for an evening look. As the skin was made matte to suit the gloss of the lips, it works here. But the dewy skin is a preferred look for a more youthful day time look. The filled out eyebrows are quite bold for this model, as she has a naturally larger shape. Something more subtle would be more suitable.


Strong Filled in Eyebrows + Matte Red Lips:

This look has been inspired by Burberry's SS15 matte red lip look. The skin is kept fresh and the rest of the face is kept very minimal. The matte lip is something that's visible a lot lately, and MUA have many matte lip products to cater for this desired look. MUA's Luxe Velvet Lip Laquer is the perfect answer for the bright matte lip, but for something a little more toned down like in this look, I applied a regular lipstick then pressed powder through a tissue using a soft brush. The eyebrows have been filled out with a small amount of powder to create a bolder look and more definition. The pop of matte red makes the look interesting and different from a nude lip.

As a day time look, it depends on the wearer if this look is appropriate. As MUA's customers can range to quite a young age, heavily noticeable makeup, such as heavy eyes or a bright lip, may not be as suitable.

Final Face Chart:

For my final look, I have chosen to create a similar look to one already produced by MUA. Beautiful, naturally enhanced makeup is a favourite on the catwalk at the moment, and also a favourite of mine. There is something romantic about a neutral makeup look, and is suitable for an every day wear. The facechart shows a soft brown matte smoke, a subtle contour with a natural blush, and a nude lip. Mascara will open the eyes beautifully for a lengthened lash effect. The eyebrows will be gently filled in, but only to create a naturally filled effect.

Products:

The products used will be from my professional kit. Some MUA products will be used, but also other products that are similar to the range from MUA.

- Illamasqua Primer

- Screenface Foundation Palette

- Crownbrush Concealer Palette

- Contour Palette

- Illamasqua Powder Blusher Tremble

- MUA Matte Palette 

- MUA Undress Me Too Palette

- MUA Lipstick - Peachy Keen, Barely There

- Maybelline Mascara 

Hair Mood Board:

Teamed with fresh faces for SS15 trends, are soft, romantic hairstyles. To compliment the neutral makeup look, an effortless hairstyle is perfect. The hair isn't artificially coloured or heavily structured by heat or product. The moodboard shows many examples of loosely put together styles which appear almost as if they have just climbed out of bed. This hair demonstrates comfort, which I believe is how the MUA customer wishes to spend their day, looking comfortable yet effortlessly chic. Braids are a trend which aren't budging for a very long time, and choosing the perfect style will be concluded through testing.

Hair Testing:

This style shows a messy low ponytail with volume produced at the back with a small amount of backcombing. No product was used to create this style. To keep the hair looking as natural as possible, I wrapped a small strand of hair around the ponytail to cover the hair tie. This was then secured with a grip, hidden under the hair. This look is very effortless, but potentially to simple for a simple makeup look.

For this style, I have created a soft beehive. The side has been french plaited and secured at the side, continuing the plait to the length of the hair. To create the lift at the top, the hair has been push upwards to create a loose shape rather than a firm structure. The rest of the hair has been left natural, so it is partially wavy. This style is elegant and romantic and would really compliment the neutral makeup.

Here, I decided to create an alteration to the previous look by simply pulling up the entire head of hair and securing it into a ponytail. Again, the finish isn't polished with any product. I also pulled small bits of hair looser to create a more relaxed style. 

This look has been inspired by Chanel's SS15 very low and loose plait. The plait doesn't start until very far down the hair. This look is feminine and very simple. The plait is quick and easy to create, yet looks intricate and delicate. To create this look, I brushed the hair upwards slightly to create a messier effect. I then created a very loose plait, which I pulled apart at the end. This was then secured with a hair tie matching the colour of the hair.

The fishtail plait looks intricate and complicated, yet takes very little time and effort. The hair has been pulled over to the side to create more volume and has a messy effect. The texture of the hair is messy but clean and the fishtail adds a feminine touch. This look will perfectly compliment a natural makeup as the fishtail plait adds fine effortless detail. With the hair pushed to the side, it creates a just out of bed look, but works perfectly for a day time look.

Hair Chart:

My favourite look, and most suited for the MUA day time look, was the loose side fishtail plait. This effortlessly beautiful look perfectly compliments the chosen makeup look as it adds a subtle enhancement to natural hair. The side parting is flirtatious and adds a gentle messiness, but still looks put together.

Test Shoot:

For the test shoot, my priority was to test the makeup on my model's face and to see if there was a correct balance of subtlety. I wanted to attempt to generate a similar feel to what the final shoot would be like, without the full application of hairstyle and styling, etc. 

I am very pleased with how the model suited the natural makeup look and how it compliments her face shape and skin tone. The hair in this test shoot was rushed and not fully styled. It is evident that the style needs to be looser and have more volume at the sides. Here I have also only created a regular plait rather than a fishtail plait. With the hair properly styled and the model dressed suitably, I believe that this look will be perfect for the MUA day time look.