Dazed has always been a fan of Illamasqua and its creative director, make-up artist Alex Box collaborates on numerous fashion stories with us. That’s why we were super excited to be involved in their Distinction Awards that took place in their fantastic Beak street store. Judging the winner of the Illamasqua Distinction Awards was really fun and inspiring, I’m not the technical expert but I’d like to think I can spot a strong look! The awards chose contestants from three categories - BA, Foundation, and Beauty School. But, surprisingly, I was particularly impressed by the high standard of the Beauty School category (the contestants with the least amount of training) and my personal winner definitely came from this group!

It was great to see students from across the globe creating brave, strong looks to push the limits of beauty. Contestants incorporated hair and nails into the look and finishing touches extended into the neckline from body painting to a mosaic scarf. Some of my highlights included a ‘breek’ - an eybrow that turned into a cheekbone/blush, shaded nostrils to change the shape of the nose and green furry nails. It’s very heartening to know that there is exciting new talent out there who are not only technically skilled, but interested in creating a strong and unique vision.

Illamasqua Competition Winners
From the BA Final Year category: Sasha Wren
Beauty School & Make-up Course: Kelly Odell
And Foundation: Kat Vogart