“Artel, in Russian, means an association of artisans living and working together. We brainstormed a whole list of names but I really felt that this summed up what we were about. We’re all artists, we’re all independent but we’re also a family. We’re a team, we all learn together,” says Eliza Trendiak proudly. With the recent opening of her second location of Artel in the heart of Vancouver’s trendy Cambie neighborhood, the rocket success of Artel can be aptly attributed to the Blanche Macdonald Pro Hair graduate dedication and drive of her craft.

Eliza is a natural entrepreneur but, then again, she’s been self-starting since before she can remember.

“My family has always made fun of me, saying that I came out of the womb trying to start a business. As a kid I did lemonade stands, dog walking, sold cucumbers on the side of the road... you name it and was trying to start a business with it,” laughs Eliza.

It was no surprise to her parents then when Eliza declared that she was leaving her native New Hamburg, Ontario to go to Business University in BC. What did come to a surprise to Eliza was that she wasn’t 100% satisfied with the path that now lay at her feet.  

“I didn’t want to end up working in an office. At the time I was doing my doormates’ hair and I just loved it. A friend told me that I should do what I wanted to do because I was going to be waking up and doing it every day. I took that to heart, so I graduated university and went straight to Canada's Top Hair School. “My sister and one of my best friends went to Blanche Macdonald for Fashion Marketing and the quality of their work attracted me to this school from the get-go. Blanche has one of the longer Hair programs in Vancouver, twelve months as opposed to six months; I felt that if I was going to invest in my education, I wanted to spend the most time I could learning. And I loved that Blanche Macdonald had a Business program built into it, as well as Makeup and Hair for TV & Film; you could really get a taste of everything. I wanted to come out of school feeling prepared. Blanche just seemed to be the right fit.”

It was. Eliza took to the program like a curl to heat.

“My group (29) was awesome! We prided ourselves on being loved by the instructors. There was a lot of bonding through the intense practical exams and I still keep in contact with some of the girls from my program. I went into hair school like, ‘Oh, I’ve done an undergrad, this is going to be easy,’ but I’d be out in the hallways with the rest of them afterwards just exclaiming about how intense it was! It was a really great experience.”

It was during the Pro Hair’s Work Experience program that Eliza was introduced to Style Lab Headquarters, and by the time her internship had come to an end, they were already at a loss with what they’d do without her. They hired her on to their roster of independent stylists, and the four years she would go on to work there would inform the trajectory of her career.

“I love the idea of being independent and working for myself, but also within an environment of like-minded people that I could learn from. When I was thinking of opening a salon, I thought about getting a small studio by myself, but that didn’t appeal to me. I’ve always learned so much from working with other people. Style Lab totally opened my eyes to that and I feel really blessed to have only ever worked in chair rental salons. I run the structure here at Artel very similarly.”

Even with an appointment book brimming with eager salon clientele, Eliza still found the time to take on a side project; she and her lens-wielding power-couple-other are the team behind one-stop-shop personal photography collective Trendi Creative, which has been sassing-up and snapping Vancouver since 2012.

“It started as a life partnership; Rob was working in the film industry while we were dating and it was a really difficult lifestyle to pace, to have any kind of balance. We got married and literally two weeks later he quit his job. It was terrifying. But I thought, ‘I’ve been running a freelance business myself, so I know that we can do this.’ We came up with the concept of Trendi Creative on the flight to our honeymoon. We would be cross-promoting each other.”

Launching Trendi Creative succeeded both in pushing the artists into new heights of awareness, and in whetting Eliza’s appetite for entrepreneurship. She wanted more of it, and with her ever-growing list of loyal fringe followers, she knew that her salon ownership aspirations were now within reach.

“I’ve always been interested in real estate, and for two years I had been searching online for potential spaces, always keeping my ear to the ground. I had even written a full business plan so that I would be ready.”

She’d been daydreaming about this since she first began Hair School. And when 3558 Fraser Street popped up on the market, Eliza was ready to pounce.

“I’m incredibly proud of this space, proud of the stylists here and of the culture that I feel is forming. As much as you want to plan out what you want a vibe to be, it’s something that grows organically. And I’m really proud that people have told me that when they come in they feel welcome.”

There have been a lot of firsts for Eliza in opening Artel. For a stylist who has been so proudly independant throughout her career, the transition to having a roster of stylists depending on her launched a steep learning curve.

“Being on this side of things now, I have so much more understanding and gratefulness for my previous employers. Oh man, now I totally get why they did some of the things that they did."

Eliza knew what she wanted and what she was looking for in curating the Artel team.

“For me, it was really really important when I was hiring stylists to look for a level of professionalism. Looking not only at their work but their vibe and what they put out there on social media; maintaining a level of professionalism inside and outside of the salon. I was looking also for a warmth and a welcoming because I wanted Artel to be an approachable space.

“The level of professionalism was one thing that was instilled very early on in Blanche and something that I still value. This is a very personal industry, but you always have to maintain that level of professionalism in the way that you dress, with your language, with your topics of conversation. You really never know who’s sitting in the chair beside you and you never want to make anyone else feel uncomfortable. Just because you feel comfortable in a space doesn’t mean everyone else does. You should always keep that at the back of your mind.”

Eliza has done a lot of learning throughout her career and now, with her second location, she is more dialed in than ever.

“Clients at Artel on Cambie can expect the same warmth, charm, and neighbourhood vibes of the original location with a bright and low-key ambience. Nestled just off Cambie, Artel's second location offers a relaxing reprieve from the hustle and bustle just steps outside the front door."

Artel Salon is an exercise in balance: organics play with industrial in the decor, team success supports independent success, and each plays their part as mentor and mentored. It is professional and it is intimate. And just like Eliza herself, Artel is both savvy in business and rich in warmth. 

Artel is already slated up there with the best of them in Vancouver’s thriving salon scene and Eliza is doing it all herself, in her own way. The new day begins as the first client arrives, and Eliza leaves us to claim the hours with the same fire that brought her here, from chair rental stylist to 2x owner of her own hair empire.    

“Be hungry, stay hungry. When I was in school every person that I saw on the bus was a potential client. It’s an easy industry to get into, but it’s not necessarily an easy industry to stay in if you’re not hungry. You have to work hard, put in the time and you have to really want it.”

They're the pruners of our strands, the keepers of our secrets and the masterminds behind those picture-perfect balayages. These Blanche Macdonald Pro Hair graduates are just getting their feet wet in the whirlwind world of Hair, but already, they're making waves in their new careers. Spanning the scene from stylists and barbers to Pro-Educators and entrepreneurs, our grads run their very own hair salons, hold the hottest seats in top salons, and work behind the scenes to create stunning editorials. Armed with the knowledge of our internationally recognized training, and a pair or two of super-sharp shears, these remarkable individuals have heard the entrepreneurial call of the Hair world and they have answered back. With Contessa Awards and other prestigious national and international competitions under their collective belts, our grads are climbing the ranks of local and international scenes one snip at a time. It can be hairy, but they're ready for anything!

After graduating from Blanche Macdonald’s Pro Hair Program, Tyla’s stunning strand skills landed her behind a chair at Volume Studio, one of Vancouver’s busiest and hottest salons. From there she laid out glowing balayages, killer cuts and everything in between for Vancouver’s hair trendsetters. Setting her sights on fulfilling her long-time dream of owning her own salon, Tyla relocated to Prince Rupert and opened Parlour Hair Boutique. Tyla’s dazzling reputation preceded her, and the salon has been fully booked since Day One. Although Parlour Hair Boutique has only been open a handful of months, it’s already a celebrated addition to the entrepreneurial scene of Prince Rupert, with a loyal following of clients waiting to receive Tyla’s magic touch. Graceful, poised and always professional, we’re celebrating Tyla and her new Owner / Head Stylist status!

Blanche Macdonald Centre: Finish this sentence! “When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is _________.”

Tyla Malcolm: The first thing in the morning I do, after having a quick snuggle with my dog of course, is without a doubt head for coffee! My day doesn't start until I’ve had my first cup. In fact, most people know not to talk to me in the morning until I’ve had a few sips haha!

BMC: What do you remember most about your first day in your own salon?

TM: My first day in my salon I remember being super surreal. I couldn't really get over that I was in my own space, being my own boss, and was fully booked with clients!

BMC: If you could do anyone’s hair in the world, who would it be and what would you do?

TM: The first person that comes to mind is Kate Middleton! I just love her! She is so classy and elegant plus she has virgin hair which is like the holy grail for us stylists! I would probably do a soft tonal balayage to give her a little dimension.

BMC: What was your favourite part of our Hair program?

TM: My favourite part of the Pro Hair program was colour class! I've always loved colour - it’s fun and creative and a little science-y, which my nerdy side secretly loves! I love formulating and I also really enjoyed the photoshoots.

BMC: Tell us about the best and hardest parts of owning your own salon.

TM: The best part of owning my own salon is the freedom and flexibility it allows me. I also love the space I've created - it really reflects my style. Sometimes I just stay and hang out after my last client leaves just to enjoy it! The hardest part right now is finding time to do everything myself while maintaining a life outside of work. I'm never not working - there are always emails, texts, and other tasks to work on outside of work hours. When you start your own small business, you become a one woman show. So the hardest part for me is learning to let go and give up responsibilities such as bookkeeping, cleaning, etc and focus on my clients, growing the business and myself. I recently just brought on another stylist and am looking for an assistant/front of house person to take a little pressure off. Baby steps!

BMC: Name your top two go-to products and why you love them.

TM: There are so many products that I love from Kevin Murphy but if I had to only choose two I would definitely not be able to live without Blonde Angel Wash & Rinse. They are great for maintaining a beautiful blonde and still battle the brass! Im also obsessed with their newest product Bedroom Hair. Who doesn't want that sexy tousled look that is so on point right now? It can also double as a dry shampoo which makes it so versatile!

BMC: If you could only eat one kind of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

TM: Most likely Sushi! And no my commercial fisherman husband did not make me say that lol! We are so lucky here on the BC coast to have such amazing fresh seafood and I definitely eat my fair share! Can you tell yet that I'm a foodie?! Haha

BMC: You step outside and find a lottery ticket that ends up winning $10 million. What would you do?

TM: My husband and I never have enough time together as we are both so busy with our businesses – he is away fishing about 7 months a year – so I would snag him off his boat and go travel for a year just the two of us! First stop would be Italy for sure! I've been dying to go there for years! I would love to go hide in the hills in some quaint little Tuscan village, find  someone’s Nonna to cook melt-in-your-mouth pasta with the freshest Italian ingredients and sip on amazing local wines! I would probably follow with an extended trip through Europe, specifically Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Greece and Turkey to name a few. Eating and sipping my way through them all, of course!

Synonymous with empowerment, infused with uniqueness, and brimming with vibrancy – it’s the magical weekend of Vancouver Pride!

With the city streets steeped in cascades of colour and glitter, laughter and hoorahs, those from near and far are welcomed with open arms to participate and celebrate all that encompasses this brilliant and diverse community.  

Celebrating our collective uniqueness in sexual orientation, gender, and gender choice, we feel honoured to be a part of this tremendous community! Our creative classrooms at Canada's #1 Makeup School are built upon this foundation of fierce independence and powerful self-expression.

We’ve seen and met some truly unique individuals who have honed their voices and nurtured their spirits within our halls. The Pride parade is strutting up fast and fabulous, and to celebrate we reached out to a FIERCE few from our Blanche family who have been taking the local drag scene by storm.

"My drag character Raye Sunshine is known for her signature makeup skills and creative looks. Although when she is off the stage, she likes to wear gym clothes or all black (hunny, I'm a makeup artist it's all we own) while doing her favourite activity, which is the gym or being in her home studio creating art. All her friends think she is TOO BUUUUSSSAAAYYYY!” 

Blanche Macdonald Centre: What does the LGBTQ community mean to you?

Raye Sunshine: The community to me, is something that is about embracing things that others may find interesting. Say for someone who wants to feel like they belong in a group but doesn't know how to approach it, the LGBTQ+ community is the kind that would walk up to a person and invite them.

BMC: How did Blanche Macdonald help bring out your artistry?

RS: For me Blanche Macdonald brought out an artistry I was doing in the privacy of my home but it never had a name. It helped me grow my skills that I used to express myself and in an environment that was extremely nurturing - in particular, was Jill Wyness who took me under her wing and went above and beyond in even the smallest things.

BMC: How did you envision yourself giving to the community with your art?

RS: Now this is something I learned over time and it wasn't something I even knew I was doing until a friend pointed it out. But my art has given new, aspiring queens the push to do more and express themselves through makeup that they weren't doing before. So I always blush when someone comes up to me after a show and tells me how my art connected with them and made them want to do more.

BMC: What do you remember most about your first performance?

RS: Oh god, my first performance was a mess, I couldn't dance, I had the world’s thinnest brows and barely any makeup. But I thought I was the cat's meow and boy did I have an awakening after that.

BMC: What is one thing you always think or remember as you perform?

RS: IS MY WEAVE ON SECURE?!

BMC: How is the Vancouver LBGTQ community unique?

RS: We are unique because the drag community as a whole supports each other, even through the catty moments and divas we will have each others back with in a moment.

BMC: Give us one word that describes your relationship to creativity

RS: WTF

BMC: A line of advice you’d give your younger drag self is:

RS: "Thicker brows dear, and your body is beautiful so don't listen to anyone."

BMC: Tell us your guiltiest pleasure

RS: Superglue. That's all.

BMC: What’s your happy colour?

RS: Corals

BMC: Favourite Queen?

RS: Anyone who can cross the lines between beauty and out of this world.

@busydragqueen on Instagram

"My drag character Cleopatra Compton is known for her signature revel and body. Although when she is off stage, she likes to wear her own merch while doing her favourite activity, hanging out with Ilona Verley. All her friends think she's a cheesecake!”

Blanche Macdonald Centre: What does the LGBTQ community mean to you?

Cleopatra Compton: The LGBTQ community to me is a safe place where my Chosen (drag) family can create together.

BMC: How did Blanche Macdonald help bring out your artistry?

CC: Blanche Macdonald helped bring out my artistry by connecting me to a world that I had dreamed about before going to the school.

BMC: How did you envision yourself giving to the community with your art?

CC: I envisioned educating others with the style of drag that I take on. I am inspired by 1920s to the 1960s in terms of make up, so I utilize a lot of hair and fashion from those eras.

BMC: What do you remember most about your first performance?

CC: What I remember from my first performance is feeling terrified but ready. I wanted to do good and slay! When I was on stage, I felt at home.

BMC: What is one thing you always think or remember as you perform?

CC: The one thing I always think about while I perform is that someone is in love with me. I’m giving a divine experience and opening up to complete strangers.

BMC: How is the Vancouver LBGTQ community unique?

CC: Our community is unique because of the people that make it that way! The people who come out and support events and the community - we are always changing and creating.

BMC: Give us one word that describes your relationship to creativity.

CC: The one word that describes my relationship with creativity is allure. You can stand still on stage and still capitate everyone in the room with allure.

BMC: Tell us your guiltiest pleasure

CC: My guilty pleasure is the vintage fetish scene from the 1940s to late 50s - bondage is expensive!

BMC: What’s your happy colour?

CC: My happy colour is red, the colour of power and passion.

BMC: Favourite Queen?

CC: I am always being inspired my sisters in the community and it is hard to have one queen who would be my favorite!

@pharaohpatra on Instagram

"My drag character Isabella is known for her signature smoky eyes and long legs. Although when she is off the stage, she likes to wear all black while doing her favourite activity, dancing! All her friends think she is strange!” 

Blanche Macdonald Centre: What does the LGBTQ community mean to you?

Isabella: In the tiniest of nutshells, the LGBTQ+ community means a sense of family and connection for those who hadn't necessarily had the opportunity or lived in a location where it was possible.

BMC: How did Blanche Macdonald help bring out your artistry?

IS: Blanche Macdonald brought my drag artistry to another level through the fashion modules. My love for makeup of the past was re-ignited with influence from the 20's and 30's, which have become key elements for my looks!

BMC: How did you envision yourself giving to the community with your art?

IS: I hadn't envisioned my drag giving much to the community at first, to be honest; it was just something I did as a release for my own emotion and energies. However, as my aesthetic developed, I realized that the niché for androgynous drag I loved wasn't as popular as it could be; I hope to change that!

BMC: What do you remember most about your first performance?

IS: For my first performance in Vancouver, I remember being so worried that my taste in music wouldn't be as popular with the crowd - I also remember that feeling melting away once the stage lit up.

BMC: What is one thing you always think or remember as you perform?

IS: I always remember for every performance, that even if I get stuck editing and over thinking behind the scenes, someone in the crowd is (hopefully!) living for the performance.

BMC: How is the Vancouver LBGTQ community unique?

IS: The scene here seemed so intimidating at first because so many people grew up in the city together and were close-knit.

Regardless of that, they warmed up quickly and made me (among others) feel welcome and encouraged performance that was different and off-beat. It's a vast network of a community, but now it feels intimate, safe, and small.

BMC: Give us one word that describes your relationship to creativity

IS: Soul.

BMC: Tell us your guiltiest pleasure

IS: One of my guiltiest pleasures in drag is creating scandalous outfits and seeing how I can push the envelope in terms of choreography and themes. Other than that, I have a serious sweet tooth.

BMC: What’s your happy colour?

IS: My happy colour is definitely mint green or coral.

BMC: Favourite Queen?

IS: There's so many! If I had to choose an international queen, I'd go with "Hungry" from Berlin. (@isshehungry on Instagram)

@harold.cooke on Instagram

Catch up with the rest of our fabulous BMC Queens here! 

Synonymous with empowerment, infused with uniqueness, and brimming with vibrancy – it’s the magical weekend of Vancouver Pride!

With the city streets steeped in cascades of colour and glitter, laughter and hoorahs, those from near and far are welcomed with open arms to participate and celebrate all that encompasses this brilliant and diverse community.  

Celebrating our collective uniqueness in sexual orientation, gender, and gender choice, we feel honoured to be a part of this tremendous community! Our creative classrooms are built upon this foundation of fierce independence and powerful self-expression.

We’ve seen and met some truly unique individuals who have honed their voices and nurtured their spirits within our halls. The Pride parade is strutting up fast and fabulous, and to celebrate we reached out to a FIERCE few from our Blanche family who have been taking the local drag scene by storm.

Of course, we must leave some of the introduction up to our resident Drag Queen Supreme, Canada's Top Makeup School graduate and CurliQue Beauty Q Talent Leader Jaylene Tyme! The always exhilarating and utterly talented Jaylene has made an indelible mark on the LGBTQ+ community; her words about it and the art she contributes to it never cease to inspire and ignite those lucky enough to be exposed to it. Jaylene’s realm of experience in both self discovery and transformative artistry has made her a powerful role model in our family, and a maternal icon out on the Drag Queen scene of Vancouver – we simply cannot think of anyone better to kick off this dazzling week!

“Blanche Macdonald has always created a safe space for people to explore and reveal their magical side. Here is a showcase of artists that hone their craft with different mediums, but all with the same focus in mind: to follow their dreams, to share their passions, and to experience a world they never thought possible.  My heart has been so full being able to witness both artistry and the human spirit take flight in these halls.

Pride is an opportunity to express the celebration of freedom. It encourages people to come together and support one another. It also allows artists to express themselves through their craft with wild abandon; sharing what makes them unique and special.

I'm so proud to be a part of such an amazingly diverse artist collective. I have witnessed over the years the growth of expression, but also the confidence in people to explore beyond what they thought their limitations may have been. Pride is a celebration yes, but it also a responsibility to be aware that in order to be truly free, we need to stand tall in the face of any challenge and realize together we can continue to break down the barriers and allow the world, and our children, however they identify, to find their own personal freedom.

Check out these fabulous artists! HAPPY PRIDE!!”

"My drag character ILONA is known for her signature Pastel Blue EVERYTHING and being a crazy extra party girl. Although when she is off the stage, she likes to wear clothing that looks like it's from the side of the road while doing her favourite activity, eating at Denny’s with her drag family the House of B*tches. All her friends think she is THE MOST!"

Blanche Macdonald Centre: What does the LGBTQ community mean to you?

ILONA: The queer community here in Vancouver means I’m never alone. I can go out without making plans with anyone and know that I’ll have a bunch of friends already at the venue. Even during the day I can walk up to Davie St and I’m guaranteed to bump into someone I know! As someone who grew up without many friends all the connections I’ve made in the queer community are so valuable to me and honestly mean the world!

BMC: How did Blanche Macdonald help bring out your artistry?

IL: Blanche Macdonald helped me really discover who I was as an artist. Being able to explore all the different realms of makeup, I found what really spoke to me. Going into the Global Makeup program I thought I’d be drawn to Special Effects and Prosthetics but by the time I graduated I found out I was actually way more into fashion makeup and editorial stuff & of course, DRAG!

BMC: How did you envision yourself giving to the community with your art?

IL: I’ve always wanted to be able to make people FEEL. So if I can paint on the most beautiful face and step on stage and really let all my emotions out performing a song I connect with be able to move people with what I’m going through and with what I present - that is so amazing to me!

BMC: What do you remember most about your first performance?

IL: That it was totally on the spot and at the ADORE DELANO concert, HELLO! Anyhow, I remember after how welcoming and kind everyone was, I’d never felt anything like that before in my life! All these people I’ve never even met coming up to me living and telling me how much they enjoyed what I did on stage!

BMC:What is one thing you always think or remember as you perform?

IL: “Being nervous means you care, if you are never not nervous then you should probably reevaluate what you're doing.” That’s one of the first pieces of advice I was ever given about performing from a local drag icon Sienna Blaze! I’ve been performing for almost 3 years now and although it has gotten so much easier and I’m so comfortable on stage, I’m always that lil bit nervous!

BMC: How is the Vancouver LBGTQ community unique?

IL: We have drag shows happening almost every night of the week, which is so amazing and really helps to build that closeness that comes with community. You get to see your friends everyday, you get to see people you know all the time! It’s wonderful!  

BMC: Give us one word that describes your relationship to creativity

IL: Rejuvenated

BMC: Tell us your guiltiest pleasure

IL: Eating Jeffree Star Lip Scrubs… LOL

BMC: What’s your happy colour?

IL: Powder Blue

BMC: Favourite Queen?

IL: Fun fact: Drag has exploded well beyond men portraying women. There are Drag Kings, Drag Things, Hyper Queens - the whole 9 yards! My fav local performer is a tie between my drag Aunt/Uncle Rose Butch and Gia Metric! They’re both super inspiring with their looks and are so in tune with how they move their bodies when they perform! I LIVE for them!

@ilonaverley on Instagram

"My drag character Anna May is known for her signature looks and un-blocked brows. Although when she is off the stage, she likes to wear overalls and snapbacks while doing her favourite activity, partying! All her friends think she is a lot!"

Blanche Macdonald Centre: What does the LGBTQ community mean to you?

Anna May: The LGTBQ+ community means more than words could possibly express. They were there for me (and still are!) when no one else was. With open arms of acceptance, love and guidance, the community has definitely begun to shape me to who I am, and who I will be in the future. I aim to be an advocate of what the community has taught me in terms of a being giving and respectful individual. My goal is to be able to reciprocate the values and above all LOVE that is the LGBTQ+ community!

BMC: How did Blanche Macdonald help bring out your artistry?

AM: Blanche Macdonald has helped with my artistry by first and foremost, being so enthusiastic and supportive of my craft. The responses I was given on a few of my garments gave me gratification that any artist would love to receive! Not limiting me or putting me into a box, but truly letting me be who I am, without any judgement! It’s so wonderful to know how supportive and progressive a school can be, it’s quite heart-warming and beautiful - thank you BMC!

BMC: How did you envision yourself giving to the community with your art?

AM: In the community I see myself as someone who can utilize my skills and talents to create elevated looks and garments for queens to further push their performances and brands as artists. Being in the community for only a short period of time, I’ve already collaborated with multiple queens in turning out fierce, fabulous and original pieces, giving queens unique and signature looks!

BMC: What do you remember most about your first performance?

AM: I often think back to my first performance and the most memorable part about the experience was looking out into the audience and seeing all the smiling beautiful faces of all my friends and family. They were cheering and hollering (and tipping ;-) ) immediately making all my worries and fears melt away! The support from the drag community, and the community in general is so substantial and large that anybody should feel comfortable in the spaces created! Also huge shout out to Ms. Alma for allowing me to grace her Shequel stage for the first time at XY nightclub!

BMC: What is one thing you always think or remember as you perform?

AM: Heel-Toe, Heel-Toe, Heel-Toe!

BMC: How is the Vancouver LBGTQ community unique?

AM: I haven’t been immersed in many other LGBTQ+ communities, but one thing that I love about ours is although we have different Haus’ of queens, I’ve never felt a divide or exclusions between them. We are one big fabulous family, they’re all my sisters! I wouldn’t want to have it any other way!

BMC: Give us one word that describes your relationship to creativity

AM: Forgiving!

BMC: Tell us your guiltiest pleasure

AM: Bratpack Thursdays!

BMC: What’s your happy colour?

AM: Pink ! Pink ! Pink ! I loooooove pink !

BMC: Favourite Queen?

AM: I have too many to pick! But I definitely want to give credit to my best friend and drag mama, Gia Metric! She has been such a huge supporter of mine, as well as the person to put me into drag for the first time. Without her light and love I wouldn’t be where I am today!

@annamaymetric on Instagram

"My drag character Misty H Meadows is known for her signature lip sync and always wearing "gowns". Although when she is off the stage, she likes to wear onesies while doing her favourite activity, making packed lunches for her children. All her friends think she is actually a serial killer; but also the best mom on the PTA!"

Blanche Macdonald Centre: What does the LGBTQ community mean to you?

Misty H Meadows: Honestly, a very dysfunctional family! Sure we all don't get along all the time, but there is an undercurrent of love in everything we do.

BMC: How did BMC help bring out your artistry?

MM: BMC helped me grow more confident. I was established as a performer in Calgary before moving to Vancouver, and considered quitting drag after moving here. However, BMC instilled a quiet confidence to push myself even in groups where you are "the weird tall one with the stupid accent". Seriously people like Sara Armstrong, Kari Appelquist, Tyler Udall (honestly I could go on and name pretty much the whole fashion faculty at Blanche) force you to become a stronger artist and I'm so grateful for that.

BMC: How did you envision yourself giving to the community with your art?

MM: Charity has always been very important to me. My parents instilled in me a desire and a drive to help those around me. So I guess the answer comes in two parts:

In Calgary I was entertainer of the year, and helped raise money through hosting shows for the ISCCA. Secondly, in a less tangible way, if only for a second I can make someone laugh, or smile, or just forget how awful the world can be, then I've done my job.

BMC: What do you remember most about your first performance?

MM: It lives on somewhere on YouTube sadly. It was at a local bar in Calgary. I wanted to be "sexy" so I slapped on an American apparel mesh dress and danced to a song by Marina and The Diamonds. Honestly it was 10 lbs of meat in a 5 lb casing and luckily I discovered that being occasionally funny is better for me.

BMC: What is one thing you always think or remember as you perform?

MM: The words. Honestly, performing is an in the moment thing for me. I'm very analytical and very anxious so if I "think" to much it's not a good thing.

BMC: How is the Vancouver LBGTQ community unique?

MM: It's very visible, and not just one facet of it but the whole "rainbow" is visible.

BMC: Give us one word that describes your relationship to creativity

MM: Addictive.

BMC:Tell us your guiltiest pleasure

MM: I'm someone who when they discover an awful song, it instantly becomes an ear worm and I have to continually listen to it. The more awful the more guilty I am of loving it.

BMC: What’s your happy colour?

MM: Black!

BMC: Favourite Queen?

MM: This is such a hard question. Locally people like my drag family are my favourites, Sienna Blaze (mom), Gluttony (daughter), or local icons like (Carlotta, Isolde, Peach). But if it was whose show could I have tickets for I would say either Bianca Del Rio, Coco Peru, Lady Bunny or Lily Savage.

@themistiestofmeadows on Instagram 

Blanche Macdonald students in Leah Elliston’s Fashion Makeup classes receive more than insider tips and techniques from an Artist regularly creating magic backstage at Fashion Weeks around the world. They’re also getting daily shots of inspiration from a Makeup Artist whose passion for fashion continues to swell.

“Working at a big show is amazing,” insists Leah. “It’s hectic and there’s pressure, but it’s always exciting. When I see the models in the clothes, makeup and hair, that’s everything to me. If it’s a collection or a designer I love, I’ll still get goose bumps. I worked on a Mary Katrantzou show in London two years ago that was absolutely stunning. The intricacy of design was so beautiful. The talent you’re working with across the board at a Fashion Week in London, Paris, Milan or New York, from the designer to the Makeup team, is ridiculous. It’s so cool to be a part of that.”

Leah’s awe-inspiring résumé is a reflection of a life that regularly takes her away from her Vancouver home. Among its many highlights are her stints working at various Fashion Weeks for names and brands like Roberto Cavalli, Vivienne Westwood, Giambattista Valli, Salvatore Ferragamo, Simone Rocha, Balmain, Temperley London and Chloé. Away from the runway she’s brought her artistry to the Juno and Leo Awards, the Canadian Country Music Awards and the Toronto International Film Festival (where she groomed stars included Forest Whitaker, Kevin Spacey, Josh Groban and James Taylor). Somehow she finds the time to document her work and her views on today’s trends at her blog, Smudge Style. All of which make clear that Canada's Top Makeup School students are in the presence of Makeup royalty.

There was an artist dwelling inside Leah from an early age. She’ll cheekily remind anyone asking that the proof of that latent talent arrived when she was a six year old growing up in Nottingham, England.

“I won an award!” she laughs. “When Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married my school held a painting competition. From the entire school, I was the winner! My prize was a cup sent directly from Buckingham Palace!”

Despite this royal endorsement Leah had no plans to become an artist. After her family immigrated to Canada, Leah’s primary aim was to return to the UK and work at an art gallery. Thankfully, fate had other plans.

“I wasn’t interested in makeup at all,” she explains. “But while I was taking an art history diploma program I started working at The Bay Downtown handing out fragrance samples. There was a MAC counter there, and the girls there would always compliment me on my outfits. This was the 1990s, when there were only two MAC counters in Vancouver. Which meant that the Makeup Artists there were beyond busy. They suggested I applied for the job as cashier. I told them I didn’t know anything about Makeup but they didn’t seem to mind. It was only once I’d started working that I could see that MAC was a pro line with a direct connection to the fashion industry, along with incredible artistry involved. That made me want to stick around and learn more.

“I started going to all the training seminars that the rest of the team attended. It was like having a paid internship. Two years later I started working as a Makeup Artist for MAC at The Bay in Metrotown.”

Leah would be the first to admit that the transition from Cashier to Artist wasn’t easy, and that these days the leap would be impossible without formal training at Makeup School. But there’s no secret to how she overcame her initial nervousness.

“How did I get good? I practiced, practiced and practiced. That’s what makes you learn. The experience you get in a retail position is completely different than if you go straight from Makeup School to working on actors or models. I loved the artistry and the challenge of working with all skin tones and ages. And after three years of practice I became the Resident Trainer for MAC at Metrotown in Burnaby!”

Leah had lodged her foot in the door of the Makeup business. One more opportunity was all that was needed to kick that door down.

“A Senior Artist position at MAC became available for a year as someone was going on maternity leave. I applied and got it! That changed my career. When Aerosmith came to Vancouver my job was to put on black eyeliner on Steven Tyler. He was very flirty! I was suddenly doing high profile events like the Juno’s, Canadian Country Music Awards, and the Toronto International Film Festival, where we would go from hotel to hotel before the stars would do their media appearances for shows like Extra and Entertainment Tonight. Kevin Spacey has a very dry sense of humour. It’s hard to tell if he’s actually upset or just playing.

"I started going to collections in Paris and Milan. That first year I did Salvatore Ferragamo and Roberto Cavalli in Milan. It was amazing! I was working with the biggest artists in the industry, assisting and learning with people like Val Garland, Wendy Rowe, Aaron de Mey, Tom Pecheux and Charlotte Tilbury. I kept going back to these Fashion Weeks and since then I’ve had models like Jessica Stam and Freja Beha Erichsen in my chair. Freja was for a Balmain show in Paris. She appeared in that night’s newspaper wearing my Makeup. I still have a copy!”

The yearlong job covering maternity leave ended, but Leah continued to travel from Vancouver to London, Paris, New York and Milan, freelancing alongside her new position as MAC’s Trainer for Western Canada. Looking for a role that would give her the flexibility to continue working at the major Fashion Weeks and inspire a new generation of Artists, Leah approached BC’s top Makeup School.

“I would go to makeup schools in Vancouver with MAC, giving seminars and showing the trends for the upcoming season. Blanche Macdonald always seemed the most well rounded. The criteria to be an instructor here was at the highest level. All the instructors were working Makeup Artists in the film or fashion industry. They were all my peers. So naturally, Blanche Macdonald was the first place I called.”

Students in Leah’s Makeup for Fashion classes have been reaping the benefits ever since, getting first hand looks at the face charts she’s used for some of the world’s most prestigious runways and having a ringside seat for the backstage tales she’s always excited to share.

“I’m the storyteller! Like the time I was in London at a Giles show, passing beads to a seamstress who was finishing embellishing a dress as the show was beginning, or when I spent the day working with Ellis Faas and ended up hanging out with Giambattista Valli’s Mamma at his atelier in Paris!”

Those stories keep coming as Leah continues to journey to the pulsating heart of the Fashion World.

“I work a lot with Grace Lee now. We met at MAC and we’ve been great friends ever since. When she was hired as Lead Makeup Artist for Maybelline Canada she asked me to come join her as her First Assistant. We’ve done a lot of shows together in New York and Toronto.  

“Grace and I have both been working a lot with Public School recently. That’s a cool label. We’ve done their New York show for the past three seasons. They used to be designers for DKNY so there’s always a lot of media at their show and a ton of models – around 45 or 50. As First Assistant my job is to make sure everything gets done. It seems like an organisational job but I need to know the Makeup look as well as the Key Artist knows it. If Grace is busy, and she usually is, I’m there to make a decision about what’s right and what’s isn’t. When you’re a First Assistant you’re the Key Artist’s right hand. You must be able to predict what they might need at any given time without being asked. You need to know when to take initiative and when to step back.  

“This year we did their show and a cover shoot for Fashion Magazine with Jourdan Dunn the very next day. She’s such a pro! You get the shots so quickly with her. It looks easy, until you take 20 selfies trying to get a good one!”

It’s an honour to learn from an Artist with Leah’s global experience and expertise. But she’ll be the first to point out that she’s enjoying her time in the classroom as much as her students.

“Seeing these new Makeup Artists grow creatively is inspiring. At first they’re copying what I’ve done. Then three weeks into the module I can see them creating their own looks. I love it when I can see that they’re interested and inspired by something, understanding what fashion is actually about. My first love was and still is fashion. My students will still tell me they love my outfit as much as they comment on my Makeup!” 

They're the pruners of our strands, the keepers of our secrets and the masterminds behind those picture-perfect balayages. These Blanche Macdonald Pro Hair graduates are just getting their feet wet in the whirlwind world of Hair, but already, they're making waves in their new careers. Spanning the scene from stylists and barbers to Pro-Educators and entrepreneurs, our grads run their very own hair salons, hold the hottest seats in top salons, and work behind the scenes to create stunning editorials. Armed with the knowledge of our internationally recognized training, and a pair or two of super-sharp shears, these remarkable individuals have heard the entrepreneurial call of the Hair world and they have answered back. With Contessa Awards and other prestigious national and international competitions under their collective belts, our grads are climbing the ranks of local and international scenes one snip at a time. It can be hairy, but they're ready for anything!

Double Blanche Macdonald graduate Fallon Brynne Nygaard has been setting Saskatoon ablaze with her beauty skills since graduating from Blanche Macdonald’s Pro Hair Program and Freelance Makeup Program. Finding her home at The Lemon Tree Salon and Studio, Fallon has amassed quite the following of dedicated clients who come for her sparkling and shimmering attitude and stay for the fierce blowouts, killer cuts and show-stopping colours. Her love of sultry hair and brows that are on fleek is challenged by only one thing - her love of dogs! (“Seriously, I want like 65!”) Meet this charming, cheeky and totally kick ass animal lover and graduate that is raising the bar of Saskatoon’s beauty game one beautifully blended balayage at a time.

Blanche Macdonald Centre: Fill in the blanks! My name is _____  and I am known for always doing / having ______ and ________. When I’m not at work, I like to wear ______ while doing my favourite activity, ______. All my friends would say I am _______!

Fallon Brynne Nygaard: My name is Fallon Brynne Nygaard, and I am known for always running into things, knocking over product shelves, and tripping at work, yet somehow being able to do hair with grace! While I’m not at work, I like to wear dresses and high heels while doing my favourite activity which is usually freelance gigs! I truly just love to work.  All my friends would say I am "the real MVP; a true homie!"

BMC: What game show or reality show you would slay if you were on it?

FBN: Dr. Phil. If "cash me ousside" made Danielle Bregoli famous, I have no doubt this is where I would find my fame and be instantly moved to a glamorous mansion in Beverly Hills and Jenny from the block would hire me as her personal stylist and makeup artist immediately!

BMC: If you ever made the news, what would the headline be (hopefully)?

FBN: "Hair and Makeup Extraordinaire Builds World's Largest Rescue Dog Safe Haven!" 

(I'm a total pushover when it comes to animals. I want like 65 dogs.)

BMC: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?

FBN: Basically, yes. I always think of Lydia’s line from Beetlejuice: "Well, I've read through that handbook for the recently deceased. It says: 'Live people ignore the strange and unusual’. I myself am strange and unusual. " - Lydia from Beetlejuice

BMC: What would we always find in your fridge?

FBN: Take out. Take out.  And ummmm... condiments? I don't grocery shop as much as a healthy human should - that's the life of a hairdresser!

BMC: What was your favourite part of our Hair program?

FBN: I think Design Forum with [instructor] Lisa was my favourite module. I loved the creative freedom we had and being able to be hands on with our styles!

BMC: What is your speciality (cut, colour, ombre, etc)?

FBN: My favourite things to do in the salon are either massive transformations - which is vague, I know - but I also love simply showing people how to enhance their natural palette through balayages and ombrés blended to perfection! I was so scared of men's cuts when I was first leaving school, but now I can bang out fades quickly and with confidence as well! 

BMC: What do you remember most about your first day in Q + A? At your salon now?

FBN: I remember walking into Q&A for the first time and feeling like somewhat of a big shot finally moving up in the ranks! I was humbled after school, of course. My first day at the job I'm currently in was definitely a very memorable one… I remember having an overwhelming sense of security and an instant familiar feeling with my coworkers who I've grown very close to now. We are all very open and are able to learn from each other in our careers and in life. I got really lucky finding a placement here. Shout out to all my Lemon heads! 

BMC: Name your top 2 go-to products and why you love them.

FBN: My top favourite products right now have to be Caviar Omega Nourishing Oil and Schwarzkopf's Mighty Matte paste. The oil is an uncharacteristic pick for me simply because I put it in the hair wet. This oil is good for really any hair type that is needing some moisture and overall nourishment, it disappears straight into the cuticle of the hair and won't burn, which is pretty fantastic in my opinion! With the paste, I just find it to be such a great versatile product that can leave the hair texture looking natural as opposed to crispy or wet without completely knocking out the natural shine. I use it mostly for short hair cuts, men and women, to create either a sleek or piece-y outcome. It's fab, and my clients adore it.

Jordy Poon commands an energetic, discerning and fiercely intelligent presence. Whether in the classroom, behind the camera at a fashion shoot, or touching up the face of an A-lister as she’s about to step out onto live TV, the instantly-recognizable celebrity Beauty Expert and Blanche Macdonald Faculty member can produce a pithy mantra for his students to remember for each and every industry situation.

“We’re just as good as our products allow us to be—and just as good as our clients allow us to be, too.”

Yet another: “One day, you’re going to not care about the wrong person so it's good practice to treat every subject who comes to your chair like royalty right away.”

This last one is of both personal and professional importance to the industry star. He’s a steadfast believer in the importance of meticulous conduct, and emphasizes this to aspiring Makeup Artists under his mentorship at Canada's Top Makeup School.

It’s obvious that Jordy eschews “traditional” methods of teaching in favor of cutting-edge ones: His classes intersperse artistic technique with practical tips on how to be. He shares and enacts valuable information at the same speed he learns it, and always keeps one artistic eye trained on the ever-evolving worlds of beauty and fashion outside the classroom. It’s no wonder he chose to teach at the Makeup School with an international reputation for its industry-forward programs and award-winning graduates.

“Self-promotion and PR and protocol are what I’m really big on,” he explains. “I took a lot of training classes in etiquette, both in London and in Switzerland. North America discredits charm school, but it’s nothing like that at all. It’s about protocol, and it helps a lot with what we do.”

Etiquette—alongside prodigious talent, an insatiable desire to become ever better, and a rigorous eye for fine detail—is both the “Once upon a time” and the moral takeaway of Jordy’s past-paced, self-made success story. It’s a narrative that has taken him from humble beginnings as a hair assistant at a local Vancouver salon to an agented Makeup Artist: the very first to be represented by the Canadian makeup and model mecca Lizbell Agency when they opened their artist division.

Not to mention, of course, a glamorous, 14-year-long professional career in New York, doing makeup for covers and editorials by VOGUE, Vanity Fair, ELLE, Cosmopolitan, NYLON, and more. He’s luminized the faces of stars like Katy Perry, Lily Allen, Sienna Miller, Chrissy Teigen, and Devon Aoki. Many of those among Jordy’s A-list roster maintain extended relationships with him, requesting that he make use of his talent across varying magazine editorials, brand campaigns, fashion shows, and media tours for which they appear in front of a camera.

His secret to earning such fervent celebrity loyalty? “I don’t treat them any differently [than my other clients],” he says. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a housewife client or a celebrity client; I just like their company.”

After all, even beauties populating the pages of our favorite magazines aren’t so very different from the ambitious makeup industry up-and-comers found in the hallways at Blanche Macdonald. “People ask me about celebrity horror stories,” he says, and laughs. “But they’re not there to torture you! Nobody has the time. They’re there to get the job done. They want you to do a good job, because then they look good.”

Meticulously courteous and genuinely invested, Jordy remembers personal details about every star he crosses paths with: Chrissy Teigen, for example, whom he knew back “when she was just a model who lived just a block away. We used to shoot catalogues in studios next to each other.” Leaning in, he whispers, “We used to hide in the stairwell to smoke!”

Then there’s singer Lily Allen, who he reveals “will write thank-you cards…to everyone who is nice to her. I’ll get them in the mail.” And Katy Perry, too, whom he admires for her bold aesthetic and classic look, which can transform into anything from candy-covered “California Gurl” to iconic Dita Von Teese with a touch of the brush. When Jordy first met the superstar, she “had very colorful-looking makeup and a spray tan. That girl can go in many directions,” he says, nodding.  

And though Jordy claims it’s too hard to choose a favorite client or job—“all of the good stuff you just remember as a whole,” he qualifies—it’s Devon Aoki whom the star Makeup Artist waited a decade to doll up. “Ten years before I met her,” he explains, “a photographer asked me who the model was that I wanted to work with most. I said her.” He ended up doing her makeup for the cover of a magazine. “I never thought I’d see her again. Then, one day, my agent calls and said that Devon asked for me. After that, I was working with her continuously.”

Jordy has found that under the right circumstances and with vigilant professionalism, one fantastic gig tends to lead to another. He remains grateful to actress Sienna Miller for helping him acquire Lancôme as a client. “Because everything looks good on her, I was trying out a new mascara that Lancôme sent to me on her. It was [for] Fashion Night Out,” he says, “the first time they did it in New York. There’s a photo of her there looking up—her lashes were just boom—and that ended up being a great photo for Lancôme to promote.”

Naturally, if the Makeup Faculty member’s success is any indicator, there are lessons abound to be had in all this for the aspiring Makeup Artists studying under him at Blanche Macdonald.

First: The way you treat your clients—and let’s not forget the rest of the production team around you—is just as important as the talent you foster. “A lot of times, you get these jobs not because you’re talented—that’s only one part of it—but because it’s word-of-mouth in this industry,” Jordy says. “You get referred by agents, by publicists, by hairdressers. And you get that referral by being nice to people on set.

“I got most of [my star clients] when they were up-and-comers,” he adds. “As you work together and grow with them, they build into A-listers.”

The second lesson is that technical and retail product knowledge aren’t just for artists who work on the sales floor. “I tell my students: People give you stuff for your makeup kits. There’s no free lunch in this world; they send it to you because they understand you can sell it. When someone sends you something nice, you try to see—without compromising your own integrity—what works and what doesn’t, so you can know how to help them.”

And there’s plenty more where that came from. Study with Jordy Poon and you’ll find yourself in a Blanche Macdonald classroom transcended: Under the guidance of this industry-elite Makeup Artist, the space becomes a studio, a runway, a backstage dressing room, and the off-camera waiting-wings of a live TV session. Not only will you learn and refine your technical hand, but you’ll be soaking up invaluable insider tips that no textbook or Youtube video could ever hope to cover.  

To students of Makeup Artistry both current and prospective, Jordy has this advice to offer: “You do your best with everybody, no matter the situation, and you cherish every opportunity. It’s like Kate the Great [said],” he adds, evoking the legendary British model Kate Moss: “Never complain, never explain.”

Jordy is always game to talk makeup, so it’s no surprise that he’s an endless fountain of teachable, noteworthy quote-isms. As he rushes off to lead a Masterclass at Blanche Macdonald’s CurliQue Beauty Boutique—an appropriate appointment, considering that he approaches his craft with both extraordinary technique and rigorously-learned product knowledge—his parting remark is, of course, both eye-opening and on-point.

“People often compare makeup to paint,” he says. “I like to think of makeup is more like collage: You have to find the right piece of product for that face.”

Ghazal Elhaei is a creative force to be reckoned with. Between running her self-started digital marketing and events agency, Capital G Creatives, styling as part of her core creative team, and working on visual art while developing related side projects, I marvel aloud at the enormity of her typical workday when she stops by the Blanche Macdonald Atelier campus in the morning on her way to her studio. But a full calendar isn’t daunting to this Global Fashion Marketing grad: “If you want to make time, you make time,” she assures me, and laughs.

Warm, charismatic, and brimming with ambitious energy, Ghazal is an astonishing do-all fashion industry insider unlike anyone you’ve met before. But don’t just take my word for it: Here she is, in her own words, on being fearless in fashion, building a dynamic business from the ground up, and what it’s like to be an integral part of Vancouver’s vibrant creative community.

Blanche Macdonald Centre: How did you know you wanted to pursue a career in fashion, and what made you choose to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald?

Ghazal Elhaei: Fashion has always been very relevant to my life, but I’m not one of those people where, growing up, I had a passion for fashion. I wanted to be a writer like Diane Sawyer and to work for Vanity Fair or The New York Times.

I spent a couple years pursuing music before I went to Blanche Macdonald. I was a singer. A big part of my music career was creating my brand, my image, and the different outfits onstage. When I was making the transition from music to the next phase of my life, fashion made the most sense. It’s more behind-the-scenes than music; it’s about design, not about what’s happening in front. That’s something I’ve always enjoyed: Seeing how everything gets put together.

While putting on big shows and photoshoots for myself, I developed this—intrigue, I guess you could say, for the fashion world. I met with [Blanche Macdonald Admissions Associate] Pam [Chong] and it seemed like a good fit.

Going into any situation, you have to do your research. Blanche Macdonald had the energy that I liked. Right off the bat when I walked in and met everybody, I saw the teachers running around, and the students, and I thought, “This is totally my kind of vibe!” When there’s someplace that makes me feel that way, I jump right in. I started about a month after I applied.

BMC: What thrills you about the marketing, merchandising, and styling side of the fashion industry?

GE: I get bored very easily—but marketing is a continual evolution, almost like a rebirth every single season. You’re redeveloping your plan every four months; sometimes it’s every month or day. You’re doing something different to push your brand or your client’s brand forward. I like that. It keeps me on my toes and it’s a continual challenge.

As for styling: As much as I loved [Blanche Macdonald Fashion Director] Tyler Udall’s class, I still wondered, “How can people do this all the time? Pulling clothes, taping shoes?” I would volunteer at a bunch of shows to get the experience, but I thought I was going to be a fashion editor. I was going to write.

I fell in love with styling when I did the Thrift Chic Challenge through Eco-Fashion Week. I was forced to apply for it by another grad from Blanche Macdonald. I didn’t think I was going to get picked. But I did, and I didn’t know what to do! I thought – and this was my cheeky side – “I’m just going to do menswear.” I ended up falling in love with the whole process of suiting and tailoring. That was where, all of a sudden, I felt like I had an “aha!” moment. That’s always the case: It’s when you stop thinking about it that you start finding things you love to do.

BMC: You’re the founder of the incredibly cool, Vancouver-based digital marketing and event agency Capital G Creatives. Tell us about its inception! How did you turn your vision into reality?

GE: First, I founded and ran a magazine called ONE1ONE with my friends in my last month at Blanche, and it took off for a year. It was great! One of the things I didn’t understand about the magazine was how to make money, but what happened was that even though we had some great interviews and opportunities, I was also getting contacted to be asked, “Do you know a photographer?” Or, “Do you know a makeup artist?” So, it came to me; I started getting all these requests: Can you organize this shoot, can you come help us with this pop-up shop.

Capital G came about from ONE1ONE. I noticed we were making money doing [those requests], and I was meeting so many people. That’s where the birth happened. Again, it was just something I fell into. From there, I developed it.

The company’s been running for over two years and we’ve been really lucky. We’ve done pop-ups with incredible brands; we’ve done photoshoots, catalogues, and e-commerce. We’ve travelled to LA and Toronto. It’s been fun! Now, Capital G is slowly transitioning into an agency. We’re pushing styling and production, but consultancy is also a big part. I find I spend more time working with brands on guidance for social media content.

BMC: What goes on “behind the scenes” at Capital G Creatives? How do you manage your own company while working as a stylist at the same time?

GE: My core team is three people, but Capital G is network-powered. It’s not about having a big staff, but about finding the best person for the job. In our immediate family, we have about 20 people that we’ll call depending on what’s going on. There’s a huge variety of skillsets. I’ve even had girls from Blanche come work with us as interns or volunteers—and they still do work for us on gigs, even when they’re in the next phases of their careers.

For me, it’s important that everyone builds their own businesses. I believe in the power of small and local businesses. If fewer people are starting their own, where’s the community going to go? I’d rather encourage people to push themselves and we collaborate when it makes sense.

BMC: What are some important skills you learned while studying Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald that you now use on a regular basis in service of your fashion career?

GE: When I was in school, I was still working full-time, as well as interning and trying to get as many volunteer hours in as I could. The biggest takeaway was learning how to multi-task and manage my time, and how to prioritize what needs to be done.

Also, knowing how to work with different types of people. I’ve now worked and collaborated with people who were my teachers, and I learned how to work with my classmates, who had a variety of skillsets, backgrounds, first languages, and were in different stages of their lives. Now I feel like a mini-teacher: I’ve saved notes about how Lyndi used to showcase stuff, or Tyler, and I use that as input for how I deal with my [Capital G] team, to better work with them.

BMC: What advice would you give to a new Global Fashion Marketing student at Blanche Macdonald about to start their own career journey?

GE: My advice would be to be open-minded and stay humble. If your job is to clean up trash at the fashion show all day, do it and do it well. Anything you end up doing, take ownership of it. I believe in taking initiative, and I live by this motto: I ask for forgiveness, I don’t ask for permission. I do it, and if something goes wrong I say, “I’m sorry, my bad!”

And do everything. Do everything! Take advantage of people like [Fashion Career Director] Mel [Watts] and her team, who are posting opportunities every day. I still volunteer for stuff just so I can learn it.

Dedicated, determined and fierce Blanche Macdonald graduate Jena Hirsch took one step out our doors after graduating from our Fashion Marketing program and was swept away by the alluring tide of the fashion world across the pond. But to where exactly? Paris! For what? A dream internship in the illustrious atelier of Maison Margiela as their Artisanal (couture) press intern. Despite speaking basically no French, Jena has immersed herself in a new, beautiful dream world filled with couture, baguettes, endless Uber trips and of course, their show in Paris Fashion Week. And yes, she met John Galliano!

Blanche Macdonald Centre: First things first - we heard you met John Galliano! Tell us everything.

Jena Hirsch: I did! It’s such a small company that all the teams work together often.  The one time we had a conversation, it was about one of the looks coming back from a shoot damaged so it was both terrifying and exciting that he knew my name! My main interactions with him and his team were when they would hand select things for a shoot.  They would need different pieces and I would bring the looks to them because it was my responsibility to know who had them and where the items were.  

BMC: So amazing! And what was it like working their fashion show?

JH: That’s when things got super busy! There were days I was there for 12 hours and I worked a couple weekends as well. This year was particularly hectic because the show was held at the Margiela headquarters. It was a fairly last minute change of plans so pretty much overnight the headquarters needed to be turned into a runway. It was so beautiful! They recreated John Galliano’s office and had such a gorgeous white space.  My job at the show was to sign in guests as they arrived and show them to their seats.  This meant I got to greet a lot of celebrities and bloggers that I admire and even have an extended chat with people when they had questions.

BMC: So once the show was done - where did that leave you?

JH: After the show was when the real hard work for me began.  What happens in the press department after the show is all the major magazines want looks to shoot for their upcoming issues.  That means that press has to organize who gets what, and when.  Magazines all want similar looks and all these shoots happen within a few days after the show. My job was to take all the looks and make sure they got everywhere on time and intact.  It was probably one of the most stressful weeks of my life. There was one day where one particular look needed to be at four different shoots in one day.  My job for the day was to take it around to the different shoots in an Uber.  It was super fun to hang out on set and see how the process worked! The locations ranged from an apartment, a studio, or a fancy hotel - you never know where! It was fun to see the industry from that side of things, especially when the looks were being sent to celebrities or their stylists!

BMC: That’s a lot of responsibility! OK so special events aside, tell us what a typical day was like for you in the Margiela offices!

JH: There was no typical day, and I mean that in the best way possible! My official main job and the reason I was hired was to be the Artisanal press intern.  So once I was finished with archiving, there wasn’t a lot of activity in the Artisanal department until the fashion show.  So for the next few weeks I worked with the other interns to return samples from photoshoots for the men’s department and MM6 (their diffusion line). My first day working there I had to organize and account for all the pieces in the SS17 Artisanal (couture) collection so that they could be archived and the showroom could be readied for the next Artisanal show’s looks. I was super excited to see all these pieces in person - it was definitely surreal!

BMC: That sounds like a dream! How did you find this opportunity?

JH: I first saw the internship in a post on [Blanche Macdonald’s Fashion Career Director] Mel [Watts]’s Facebook Career page.  After that I made an appointment with her and she set me up with the Paris internship program director, Stefan. He called me and answered all my questions.  Stefan was really helpful but Mel reassured me as well. I fully trusted that Mel understood where I wanted to go in my career. Contacts and references are so important when getting a job or internship in fashion so having her help, plus my schooling at Blanche was super helpful!

BMC: Mel does have some amazing connections! Was there any class knowledge that helped you during your internship?

JH: It was super helpful to know about brands and designer history, all things I learned in [Fashion Program Director] Peggy [Morrison]’s Fashion Awareness classes!  Having done a project on Margiela and John Galliano just a month before my internship really helped me feel like I was educated and knew the brand, as well as the looks I essentially had to be responsible for.

BMC: Peggy’s classes are the best! Did you have a favourite instructor or class at Blanche Macdonald?

JH: I honestly loved all of the instructors at Blanche! They all had such different experiences to bring to the table so it was super helpful. I definitely loved the styling photoshoot in [instructor] Lyndi [Barrett]’s class though. To be honest, I don’t think I could pick a favourite because they have all kind of merged together for me. Everything is so linked and really helps you understand the fashion industry.

BMC: So now that you have your education and some work experience in the fashion industry, did you get some insight as to the career path you’d like to follow after your internship at Margiela?

JH: 100% yes.  It was unimaginably helpful.  I felt like before Margiela the fashion world was just this mythical land that existed externally from my life.  I admired it as an art form and a business but didn’t feel I would ever be a part of it in the way I wanted to.  Working at Margiela allowed me to take an industry I had only learned about and actually be part of it. It allowed me to see how all the different departments of fashion work together and who does what.  

BMC: That’s amazing! So now that you’ve spent some serious time in Paris, what does it mean to you?

JH: Diversity.  Almost everyone I have met here is international and they are all so open to new experiences.  I love it.

BMC: Can you share some of your favourite Parisian spots?

JH: Of course! 1) Bakeries. I swear there are at least three “boulangerie” signs just on my two minute walk to the metro. Who doesn’t love pastries?!

2) Any terrace ever.  There is nothing more Parisian than coffee on a terrace.

3) McDonald’s.  I am ashamed to admit it because I have never been a McDonald’s person, but it is such a thing here!  It’s one of the only places you can get a coffee to go, and I need my java on the metro!

4) Drinks by the Seine (or on a rooftop bar or boat). You can drink anywhere in France, meaning you can grab a 3 dollar bottle of wine, head to the river and hang out and watch the sunset!

5) Picnics.  You can grab cheese and bread from a local carrefour and spend a lazy Saturday in the Luxembourg Gardens or under the Eiffel Tower.  There is nothing more French than people walking around with a baguette in their bag.  They wear carbs like an accessory here, I swear!

So yeah, all my answers involved food … Shocker!

BMC: Well, who doesn’t love food!? Did you have an inner motto that you worked / lived by when you were in Paris?

JH: I had two because I really had to stay motivated and focused. One was “Make the most of this experience and be grateful you are here.”

My other motto in general was “Don’t get comfortable.”  It’s easy to get used to things and settle into a routine.  I really decided that the second things started to feel normal or comfortable it was time to change it up and try something new again.  That was how I was going to make the most of my experiences, by pushing myself out of my comfort zone.  It worked great and is definitely a life motto for me now!

BMC: On a scale of one to ten, what was your French when you left and what is it now?

JH: Literally 0 out of 10 when I arrived -  I didn’t know a word! I’m still a beginner but I can understand WAY more than when I first got here.

BMC: What was the first French phrase you learned?

JH: “Can I have…. (Insert delicious French food here)?”

BMC: But, of course! Your internship is done but you’re still in Europe! What’s up next for you?

JH: Currently, I am learning French! It’s fairly necessary to have multiple languages if you want to work in fashion in Europe.  Most people can speak English, but French is just such an asset especially for your social and everyday life in France.  I would love to stay in Paris or Europe in general but I’m really not sure where I’ll be next - I’m keeping my options open.  I do get homesick sometimes!

BMC: Well that’s only natural! Is there one glittering moment that stands out to you from your time in Paris so far as the definitive moment?

JH: There wasn’t just one moment that stood out! There were so many amazing moments in and outside of work. Some huge ones for me were my first day walking up to the Margiela offices, going to music festivals with my friends, spending days out and about in the city, fashion week and so many more. Experiencing Paris in general has been a dream!

Making monsters comes naturally to Holland Miller. They’re part of his psyche already. So why not bring them to the big screen?

“I’ve suffered from sleep paralysis and intense nightmares my whole life. In eighth grade I decided to face my fears and went to the opening night of Nightmare on Elm Street. I didn’t sleep for the next two nights, but at the same time, I couldn’t get enough of it.”

The Blanche Macdonald Makeup School graduate-turned-instructor had caught the bug that would lead him to become an internationally renowned Makeup Effects magician. Now he’s inspiring the next generation, on screen and in the classroom. You’ve seen his work in Deadpool, Death Note, Star Trek Beyond, Supergirl, The Magicians, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, The Cabin in the Woods, Elysium, Sucker Punch, Underworld Awakening, A Haunting In Connecticut, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Underworld: Evolution, The Chronicles of Riddick, Twilight: New Moon, The X-Files, Fringe, Supernatural, Once Upon A Time, Almost Human, Falling Skies, Stargate and (to the excitement of his current crop of students) Riverdale. It’s an incredible résumé, considering his makeup career’s unlikely beginnings.

“By facing my fears I thought that when I did have these nightmares, I wouldn’t be scared. I wanted to know everything, so I bought all the Fangoria magazines and sci-fi and horror fanzines I could get my hands on. I went to community college when I was 17 and did some art courses. In a commercial illustration class I drew a coffin with a corpse coming out of it for a funeral home. I thought it was funny as hell. My instructors rejected it without even looking at it.”

With an artistic career looking unlikely, Holland enlisted in the US Navy. On duty in the Persian Gulf during the First Gulf War, the opportunity to reignite his creative tinderbox arrived unexpectedly.

"We’d run emergency first aid simulation operations. They were looking for someone to simulate wounds. I told them I was into horror movies. I had cotton, latex, rubber and little bits of plastic. I made a broken femur and tibia from what I remembered from Fangoria. People were blown away with how graphic it looked. Seeing how shocked people were with how gross and realistic they thought it was, I knew I could do this.”

Holland left the Navy and moved to Victoria, BC. Now in his early 20s, the time was right to chase his dream career.

“My friend Brandy McQueen had studied Makeup at Blanche Macdonald. She told me they taught kit effects. I took a look at the portfolio of work coming out of the school and started the program.”

The military man with a taste for the macabre threw himself into the less gruesome side of makeup artistry.

“I learned so much every day. I’d never done a beauty makeup before I came to Blanche. When I got to the makeup effects part of the program it was like instinct. It came so naturally to me. I knew the business was hard to get into, but it was what I wanted to do. When I had free time, I’d do my own effects projects.”

After graduation, word of Holland’s abilities quickly spread around Vancouver. The phone call from fellow Blanche grad Toby Lindala of Lindala Schminken FX soon followed.

“He was working on Millennium, The X Files, a feature and was swamped. I went in, did an interview and was hired on the spot. Working in the lab was fun, and when I started knowing crews and directors it became really fun. I was teaching myself and learning from my co-workers.”

Holland worked in the Lindala Schminken Lab for two years before being called to set. It’s a day he can still recall vividly.

“It was a horrible,” he laughs, “a 6am call in February for The X Files. I was all by myself for nine hours in the cold and damp. As I got out of the car I stepped into a puddle. My feet were wet the entire time. I think Toby did it purpose to see how tough I was.”

Holland could handle the adversity, and after several happy years working with Toby, another effects superstar sought out his talents. Looking for help on Stargate, Todd Masters of MastersFX asked if Holland was available for five days of work. He’s been part of the team ever since. He’s won a Daytime Emmy (for R.L. Stine's Monsterville: The Cabinet of Souls), a Leo (for Sanctuary), a Gemini Award (for Stargate: Atlantis) and was the lead on-set Prosthetics Artist on Underworld Awakening. But some of his very favourite creations took life during his multi-series run as on-set effects artist for cult sci-fi series Fringe.

“Fringe was so much fun because it was basically a variety show every week. There was always something different. Many makeups were challenging because we’d never done anything like that before. The scripts were bizarre, but we’d make it work. There was an entire team hard at work at the MastersFX shop sending me stuff on set, where I’d glue them on and refine them.

“I had to do a reverse aging on John Noble, making him look over twenty years younger. We went back to basics and used pulls and tethers that we glued to the skin that pulled it back, like a facelift. My colleague Mike Fields came up with a design for a rig that we could hide in his hair. My assignment was to come up with pulls that were going to be strong enough and tabs that could stay down for 16 hours a day, yet couldn’t be seen. Reverse aging had been done before, but not to the extremes Mike and I took it without digital enhancement.

“In another episode two universes collided and one character’s two bodies fused. So he had his own upside down head fused onto his real head. The team at MastersFX made a beautiful silicon mask for me to put on the actor. I glued the mask on, blended it so it was seamless, put the hair on, and integrated all the paint so you couldn’t see where his skin started and the mask began. It had a mechanical eye and jaw that could move.”

Fringe ended and Holland moved onto the sets of Almost Human, Falling Skies and, a particular favourite, RL Stine’s Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls.

“Monsterville had a lot of cool prosthetics. Kids would get their souls taken away and transformed into monsters. We were doing witches, demons, gargoyles, werewolves and trolls. It was different every day.”

The on-set prosthetics specialist faced a new set of demands when he was invited onto the Makeup Team for A-list blockbuster, Star Trek Beyond. Challenge accepted.

“Joel Harlow’s shop needed painters to prepaint the prosthetic appliances. I warned them that I hadn’t worked in a prosthetics shop since 1999, but they were happy to see what happened.

“Getting back into that environment was awesome. When you’re applying Makeup on set you’re always hounded for how long it’s going to take. You rarely get the time you want to finesse everything. Prepainting in the shop, finessing everything was more than encouraged. It was expected. Your work might appear on an 80-foot Imax screen, so it needs to be perfect.

“Any time you’re challenged to do something difficult you’ve never done before is only going to make you better. Plus I was surrounded by insanely talented Academy Award-winning artists from LA who’d worked on some of the greatest films ever made. Working with people with different processes is always going to make you more creative. It was awesome just to be involved in that process.”

That process becomes even more entertaining when you end up recreating a story you’ve loved for years. Bringing manga classic Death Note to the screen with Lindala Schminken FX was one of those opportunities.

“I loved being able to pay homage to something I that influenced me. I worked on the Ryuk demon and all the deaths on the series. The Ryuk suit was made in the shop and on set we put gloves on him, pull the mask over the top, blended the colours and took care of keeping him cool. I’m proud that I got to be part of something I loved growing up.”

Now Holland is inspiring tomorrow’s great Monster Makers; explaining the processes of Hollywood’s Makeup elite at Blanche Macdonald and seeing students make their mark on TV and film sets across Vancouver and beyond.

“I see Blanche Macdonald students in the industry everywhere. That’s a reflection of the teachers that are teaching here. The students are hungry to learn, so there’s an energy here that I really enjoy.”

Holland does more than deliver Makeup Effects techniques direct from the world’s biggest productions. He’s also a voice of encouragement.

“Makeup effects as a career is totally doable,” he insists. “You just have to be better than the people you’re competing against. You have to have something the person who’s hiring you will notice, whether it’s your personality, charm or artistic merit.”

Holland continues to grab people’s attention, while mining daily inspiration from the darkest corners of his subconscious.

“I’m still scared when these nightmares happen but I’ve learned to embrace it. Let’s take the things that scare me, and scare other people!”

Jesse Samuels never planned on entering the movie business. But when the aspiring designer was presented with a chance to create clothes for the entire watching world to see, she jumped at the opportunity. In her role as a seamstress in Vancouver’s ever-busy film and TV industry, she’s flexing her fashion muscles on a daily basis.

“You’re making something brand new every day,” she beams. “It’s incredibly creative because you continually run into issues. You need to know how to problem-solve and use your skills to make it work. All I ever wanted to do was sew for a living so this is perfect!”

You’ve seen Jesse’s clothes in Imaginary Mary, Legends of Tomorrow and The 100. You’ll soon spot more on the forthcoming series Lost in Space and Snowpiercer. Sew far, sew good.

“When we’re building costumes the designer will make sketches and bring those to a cutter, who will interpret it into a pattern,” explains Jesse. “I work with the cutter to actually make the toile or the muslin, which are two terms for the first version of the garment. The designer will approve that and pick out fabrics and notions. At that point it also has to be approved by the producer and director. Then I make the finished garment. It can go surprisingly smoothly but if it’s not approved we have to start from scratch. That can happen a day before we have to start shooting.”

Growing up in Calgary and Montreal, a career in film and TV was the last thing on the mind of the lifelong fashionista.

“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in clothes. Apparently the first word I ever said was ‘shoe.’ My Mom showed me how to use her sewing machine. I used to destroy pillowcases and my own clothes making outfits for my dolls. I’ve been tearing up my own clothing ever since.”

While completing a degree in journalism Jesse became a fixture on the Montreal style scene, writing about the city’s declining fashion industry, while simultaneously finding inspiration from the brave souls keeping it alive.

“Montreal Fashion Week and the city’s manufacturing were on the way out. Designers were moving to Toronto or Paris but the young people I was meeting were amazing. I realized that I wanted to be making clothing, not just talking to people making clothing.”

The solution was simple. Jesse needed to find a fashion school.

“I visited Vancouver and saw a Blanche Macdonald Fashion Design graduation show. I was so impressed. A lot of the other schools I’d seen seemed geared to ready to wear clothing and that didn’t really interest me. Blanche Macdonald students seemed so creative!

“When I started the program I knew nothing about formal pattern making and had zero illustration skills. I was terrified going into the illustration class. I’d always thought that if you can’t draw, that’s that. Lisa Gellert started explaining that if you practice, you’ll get better. I started practicing and was surprised with how far I came. I fell in love with drawing and started really enjoying it.”

Jesse’s year at Blanche Macdonald culminated with a collection for men and women inspired, among other things, by French New Wave and Congolese style mavens, Les Sapeurs. A standing ovation and an award for academic excellence were deserved rewards for a designer who had put her heart and soul into her creations.

“When my models came down the runway people started clapping and standing up taking photos. It felt like something I’d been trying to get out of me for my entire life had finally emerged.”

Jesse began working as a client coordinator at men’s custom fashion house Indochino before exchanging tailored suits for leather jackets at motorcycle clothing specialists, Lords of Gastown.

“Mel Watts at Blanche gave me the number of Jill Kacic, who runs the factory for Lords of Gastown. Mel also introduced me to Derek Baskerville. He’s been incredibly helpful. My cousin’s husband works in film and TV. He asked me if I’d ever considered doing costumes. I hadn’t but it didn’t sound like a bad idea. Derek gave me a lot of advice and got me my first job, which was an indy called Scorched Earth. It was set in a post-apocalyptic world where acid rain had torn everyone’s clothes apart. Derek was the assistant designer on this film. He gave us a lot of direction and we would loosely follow that. It was very creative and fun. We could put our own input into it. I thought, ‘This is neat.’

“On that show I met a woman called Cathy Darby. She asked if I could do alterations on a pilot she was working on. That was Imaginary Mary. The designers let me into the fittings so I could make the alterations. I had become a seamstress, which is how I’m listed in the union now.”

Jesse’s experience with leather at Lords of Gastown led her to a position on action movie The Marine 5. Its plot mostly consists of the eponymous ex-marine hero battling by a (stylishly dressed) biker gang. Perfect for Jesse.

“On Marine 5 I met Julie Edgeley, who was about to start as the assistant designer on Legends of Tomorrow, which became my first full time job. It’s a show with superheroes and time-travelling worlds, so there are always opportunities to build costumes. I helped out on The 100, making clothes look like they were cobbled together by the different tribes in the series. That’s what I love to do.

“Our team had a viewing party when the first episode of my season of Legends of Tomorrow came out. We had painstakingly made lace collars for a group of musketeers and when I saw them on screen I was overwhelmed thinking, ‘I did that!’

“Right now I’m working on the pilot of Snowpiercer with the designer Nglia Dickson. She won an Oscar for Lord of the Rings. She’s lovely and her designs are really fun and interesting.”

Jesse has created a place for herself in Vancouver’s vibrant film and TV industry in the present, but that doesn’t mean she won’t return to her first love at some point in the future. For a seamstress and designer with her skills and work ethic, the opportunities are endless.

“I’m a million times better seamstress and drafter than I was when I left Fashion School. In film you don’t get to stop. The clothing has to be made. NOW! The more I know how to do, the more possibility I can see in garment construction and pattern making. Now I’m so much more creative with how I draw and design. Working in film has helped me become a better designer.”

“For my entire life I felt that humans are boring looking,” laughs Pepper Gallegos. “I always liked sci-fi growing up and thought people should have ridges, horns and tails like the aliens on Star Trek. Why don’t we have these? So as soon as I started learning how to create them at Makeup School, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I wanted to turn people into aliens and make them look real. A new life exploded within me.”

Life these days is a blur of creativity for the Blanche Macdonald Makeup graduate. Working in her home state of New Mexico she’s brought a slice of Canadian makeup expertise to A-list productions ranging from TV masterpieces like Breaking Bad and Graves to on-line hits like T@gged to movie blockbusters including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Lone Ranger and Batman v Superman.

It’s an incredible résumé for an artist who didn’t even know a career as a movie makeup magician was possible until encountering Canada's Top Makeup School by chance on a visit to Vancouver.

Pepper always had natural talent. Before becoming a Makeup Artist she was working as an art teacher and had her sculptures and paintings exhibited across her hometown of Las Cruces. But that ability was paired with an eternally positive demeanour that allowed her to even turn tragedy into opportunity.

“To cut a very long story short, my mother was in terrible shape when she passed away,” recalls Pepper. “She had a big laceration on her face. For my father’s sake I wanted to make her look as good as possible, so I fixed her face using wax and makeup. Even though I had no idea what I was doing, that was my way of saying goodbye. I wasn’t making career plans, but I thought if I could help people see their family members look their best at tragic times, that would be great.”

Two years later, Pepper was on a road trip across North America to scatter her parents’ ashes across their favourite cities. One of those stops was Vancouver.

“I was staying across the road from the City Square mall and dropped in to buy something. I saw Blanche Macdonald and something about it called out to me. I followed my intuition and called to make an appointment. I was able to speak with Jill Wyness and was very impressed with how everything was laid out. A few months later I’d packed up my kids and we’d moved to Vancouver!

“By then I’d discovered that you need to be a licensed mortician to apply makeup on the deceased in New Mexico. That wasn’t going to happen! Once I’d visited Blanche Macdonald I understood that there’s a big world out there for makeup. I wanted to sponge in all the information and see where it took me. I wanted to become better at what I could already do. The thing that stood out to me was Special Makeup Effects. When I fixed my mother’s face I didn’t know what to do. I just jumped in and tried to figure it out. That’s how I’d done everything in my life. My instructors showed me how to do it all without the million steps I would take to get there.”

The temporarily transplanted American made an instant impression on the Vancouver film and TV industry, throwing herself into every opportunity that presented itself.

“I volunteered on French learning videos, and underground, student and independent films. One of my first big productions was a train safety campaign explaining what would happen if you were on a train that derailed. I created prosthetic injuries and cuts. I put glass in people’s heads. It was invigorating! For someone who’d never been on set before, there was a lot of hustle and bustle going on that I had no idea about. I watched every department and tried to learn everything I could, even up to how much blood you should use. That still helps me, rather than just knowing about my own little makeup corner.

“I volunteered at a company called SFX Inc in Burnaby. I had the knowledge from Blanche Macdonald and I was able to practice everything I’d learned. I helped to make a lot of the suits and painted a lot of feet and hands for a fantasy movie called In The Name of the King that starred Jason Statham, Ray Liotta and Burt Reynolds.”

Pepper left Vancouver and moved back to New Mexico, just in time to be called onto the set of a pilot for a show tentatively titled Breaking Bad.

“Breaking Bad was New Mexico’s shining glory as we entered the big time. That was very early in my career and it had some of the first professional actors I’d been introduced to, so I was a little in awe. I applied the tattoos on Aaron Paul and made the prosthetic swollen eye when he was kicked in the pilot. Brian Cranston was walking around in his chonies for three weeks. One of my jobs was putting sunscreen on his legs so he wouldn’t get sunburnt. I had no idea how great the show was going to be.

“Not that the cast or the script affects how I work. When I put my heart into a job, I give it 150%. I don’t care if it’s a student film or a major studio production. They’ll get all of me. That’s the way I’ve always worked. When you put your heart into something, you feel better and you work better.”

As Breaking Bad introduced New Mexico to audiences and the American TV and film industry, Pepper seized the moment. She made a movie star friend on the set of action comedy Refuge (“Linda Hamilton is a woman who kicks ass and doesn’t even take names. She doesn’t have the time.”) and played her part in the creation of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Book of Eli, Thor, Cowboys and Aliens, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Batman v Superman, and many more.

“I designed all the tattoos for a new movie called Only The Brave, starring Josh Brolin, Jennifer Connelly and Taylor Kitsch, which was something I’ve never done before. My team and I had ten days to design over 100 tattoos on seven characters. We were working around the clock to get them all ready.”

With her résumé and reputation growing, when political comedy-drama Graves began filming, Pepper was the perfect choice to be the Key Makeup Artist.

“Nick Nolte is a kook! He would arrive in the morning half asleep and as he woke up he would start telling jokes. Every little piece of him that I saw on set went into that character. There were long days and long nights. We worked our asses off and produced a fine season. There weren’t many effects needed, but one actress needed a tattoo that began on her chest, went over her shoulder, down her back and down to her leg. Getting that bad boy on was quite a trick.”

As a Key Artist it’s Pepper’s responsibility to build a team of artists around her. To become part of one of those teams needs more than skills. It needs a great attitude too.

“When Makeup Artists contact me about work I want to see where their strengths are. That means artwork and what they’re like to have around. I want team members that can jump in and help out. You need to know a bit of everything. You can have strong points, like tattoos or prosthetics, but if someone needs help with something like a laceration, you need to be ready to jump in. Even if it’s something as small as holding a flashlight when it’s dark. I want to make sure everyone is on the same page all the time so everything runs like clockwork. I want them to go home each night thinking ‘That was a kickass day – let’s do the same tomorrow!’”

New Mexico has changed since Pepper returned from Canada. Its fledging film and TV industry is rapidly coming of age, and Pepper’s on the front line.

“Until two years ago there wasn’t even a prosthetic shop in New Mexico.

Everything was coming out of California. A friend of mine, Daniel Casillas, opened the first shop in the State, OnSet FX, and we won the contract to make prosthetic burnt bodies for the movie Blood Father with Mel Gibson.”

Whether its penitent politicians, burnt bodies or artistic aliens, Pepper is enjoying every moment she can create and make movie magic. She’s proven it can be done. Now she’s inspiring the next generation to follow in her footsteps.

“Stay true to yourself,” she smiles. “Put your best foot forward and don’t give up. You’ll figure out how to do it.” 

Whether she's living her best self at music festivals around the world or staying in the know with the latest fashion trends, Blanche Macdonald Nail Studio graduate Little Mythy is constantly gathering inspo for her nail creations. With just over 20K followers on Instagram in only a couple of years, she’s carved a niche into the nail world for herself and her outlandish, quirky but always impeccable designs. One look at her pastel coloured, fruit-centric and googly-eye clad creations gives you all the insight you need into their creator: she’s unique, bubbly, meticulous and a lover of absolutely everything that’s cute. So let her tell you all about her “lyfe & nails. But mostly, N A I L S.”

Blanche Macdonald Centre: What made you decide that doing nails was something that you wanted to pursue as a career?

Little Mythy: Well I was at a point where I felt like I needed something more but I wasn't really sure what that was. I was and still am interested in a bunch of very different things. That being said I was always super into nails . . . I'd get crazy things all the time – every nail different type-deal. My festival nails were always the biggest hit. In 2014 I was at one of my favourite music festivals (Bass Coast) and I had these rad fruit nails – the amount of people who would ask me over the weekend where I went to get my nails done was just crazy. In my head a lightbulb went off and I just thought, "I need to learn how to do this, all of these people could be my clients". I decided right there I was gonna go to nail school. I left the festival and I made an appointment with Blanche and I was signed up within a month. 

BMC: So great to hear! What do you remember most about your time at Blanche Macdonald?

LM: There was a point during my time at Blanche where I was dealing with some pretty major personal things and I wasn't sure I was gonna continue with the program. It was extremely hard but with the support from my friends and family I was able to stick with it and complete the program. I'm proud of myself for that.

*Side note I also ate waaaaaay too many ham & cheese croissants at that little cafe next door.

BMC: Yaas, girl! Good thing you did stick with it! You’ve got some pretty rad and zany nail designs on your page! Where do you get your ideas for your designs / shapes / colour combos?

LM: I'm inspired by 80's/90's prints and artists. Saved by the Bell type stuff, lots of shapes and pastel colours. Also lots of fashion & things I see in everyday life.

BMC: What has been your favourite set of nails that you’ve done?

LM: That's hard. But probably anything I've done involving painted fruits or my retro pastel pattern nails. Oh actually! I did these nails with googly eyes on them the other day and I think those would be my favourites to date.

BMC: Is there training or advice from your program you still remember everyday?

LM: I think all the stuff on how important proper sanitization is really stuck with me. It’s so important.

BMC: Extremely important. Ok, so once you were done your program, how did you come to join Classy Claws?

LM: It actually happened fairly naturally; like it was just meant to be. I was constantly commenting on her Instagram, asking questions just being a general keener about what products she used for art/brushes, etc and she was always so good at responding. There was a day where I asked her a bunch of things and she DM'd me and was like "Hey! Why don't you just call me? Here's my number" and for some reason I didn't even hesitate. I picked up the phone and called her right away. We ended up chatting for a solid 30 minutes and she asked me what my plans were after I graduated and I went on to explain how I wanted to work in a cool studio, find someone to apprentice under and just get really good at nail art. She told me she would eventually be looking for an apprentice and that I should keep my eyes on her page. I got off the phone with her and was like "UMM pinch me that was awesome!!" I then proceeded to lurk her instagram everyday until sure enough, she posted that she was looking for someone.

BMC: Wow - that’s such a great story! And of course, you got the job. . .

LM: Yep, I emailed my resume, went in for a lengthy interview and got the position a week later!

Taking it was a no brainer for me. Who wouldn't want to work for Classy Claws?! I had been given a massive opportunity and I jumped on it.

BMC: What’s your favourite part of your job?

LM: Getting to be creative everyday, each day is always something new. I haven't gotten bored of it yet - which is HUGE for me.

BMC: On that note: If you were a breakfast food, you’d be ____________ .

LM: A triple stack of banana pancakes w/ lots of butter and maple sizzurp. Specifically, the smaller/thinner ones that are crispy on the edges but fluffy in the centre.

BMC: Because those are totally the best pancakes! What’re some of your favorite tunes to get creative and do nails to?

LM: 90's hip hop & r&b.

BMC: And when you’re not doing nails, we’d find you _______________ , wearing ________________ .

LM: At music festivals wearing alllllll the accessories - living my best life & being my best self.

BMC: Dig. Can you tell us a bit about how you managed to build such a loyal clientele?

LM: It took time. Nearly a solid year of working under Classy Claws. There were also lots of promos and we did a referral program while I was training and that helped me out! But mostly time. I'm still building clientele tbh, and Classy Claws is always accepting new clients.

BMC: But you’ve built a killer reputation for yourself which is awesome! What would your advice be to new or aspiring Nail Artists?

LM: Finding someone to apprentice under was the best thing I could have done. I've learned sooooo much from Bee. Practise, practise, practise and don't give up.

BMC: Your stellar rep has also gotten you a pretty impressive IG following! What are your top 5 IG tips?

LM: Hey thanks! I’d say being consistent, finding people to collaborate with, posting at least once a day (twice is better) and at a good time. Everyone’s audience is different but mine is usually best in the evenings. And lastly, be patient - it's not gonna happen over night for anyone.

BMC: Who are the top 3 nail influencers that you follow on IG and what do you like about them?

LM: K that is so hard to only pick 3 . . . But if I had to narrow it down it would be... 100% @asabree from @fingerbangportland she is insane!!!! Prob my #1. Like is there anything that girl CAN'T do?! I’d also say @nailjob, @vanityprojects & @vanityprojectsmia & @sohotrightnail. That's 4 butttttt I can’t choose! I love them all mostly for their fun patterns/natural nails and just overall nail art.

BMC: Where are some of your favorite brands to work with when you’re creating looks?

LM: Some of my favourite brands are Akzentz, Vetro, Light Elegance & Young Nails. Oh and Valentino just released an acrylic line which I can't wait to try!

BMC: Give us a little insider glimpse into your daily routine!

LM: I'm usually in a rush to work every day as I'm not a morning person AT ALL and I press snooze a solid 5 times before actually getting out of bed. Luckily I live pretty close to the studio. Coffee is the first thing. If I'm fully booked, that generally means I don't have a break and I'm back to back from 10 am to 9 or 10 pm. If I finish someone early I'll run out and grab another coffee and a snack but I don't often "enjoy" meals at any time during my work day. It's more just standing in the kitchen area shoving something in my face and hoping I don't choke or spill coffee on myself (which happens A LOT btw lol *Shout out to my Tide-to-go pen!) while I wait for my next client. Then clean up, close up shop - repeat.                           

The 2017 edition of Vancouver International Makeup Artist Trade Show (IMATS) was a true amalgamation of Blanche Macdonald creative talent. Makeup mavens, cosmetic aficionados and film professionals rolled into Canada Place this past weekend, for what is one of the most anticipated makeup events of the year. Held annually in six cities across the globe (LA, New York, Vancouver, London, Toronto and Sydney) IMATS is a true playground for the Makeup obsessed. The atmosphere of excitement is palpable and inspiring: industry leaders collabing with industry newcomers, beauty product innovators, educational demos and all the must-have kit products and accessories.

Our Blanche Macdonald/CurliQue Beauty booth was also a hub of activity, consisting of demonstrations from some of our most buzzed-about and industry-leading graduates, mega-pro run-ins (like Ve Neill!) and of course, our talented student finalists in the show’s centrepiece student competition, Battle of the Brushes (BtoB).

Picked from thousands of applicants, this is the ultimate competition for budding Makeup Artists as it allows the opportunity to garner international recognition and perform amongst stars of the industry. Battle of the Brushes saw four talented Blanche Macdonald Makeup students and recent graduates take to the stage, with our own Nina Nettle competing in both Saturday’s hotly contested Character/Prosthetic competition, crafting a creature on the theme of Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as in Sunday’s fanciful and fabulous Beauty/Fantasy category.

Our other Blanche Macdonald finalists – recent graduates Anna Rudik, I-Lan Yang, and current student Ulayu Sequalukwho – took to the BotB platform for the Beauty/Fantasy brush-off, each tasked with creating their look based on the conceptual theme of International Beauty. It was a thrilling day of artistry and anticipation, as each of these competitors pulled out all the stops, creating unique works of art.

The weekend also saw pop-ins by a Tim Burton-inspired sea creature (by CurliQue Q Talent Leader and Queen of Transformation Jaylene McRae), blood-thirsty draculas, and TV & Film Makeup legends such as Emmy Award-Winning Special Effects Makeup Artist Thomas Surprenant (Star Trek, X-Men, Donnie Darko) and, two-time Emmy Award-Winner, Makeup Program Director and industry legend Todd McIntosh (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Memoirs of a Geisha).

Our own Blanche Macdonald Fashion Makeup Director, founder of Vancouver’s top creative agency NOBASURA, INGLOT Educator, and industry powerhouse Jon Hennessey (@j_hennessey) talked perspective in fundamentals such as colour, texture and space on the IMATS Stage. Jon’s creative approach and personal style has elevated him to an international platform, with a distinctive signature that is part androgyny, part gestural and part ethereal. His demo and invaluable technique talk was eagerly devoured by the incredible roster of talent within the walls of Canada Place.

“IMATS is this amazing mix of fresh new talent and more established industry talent. We all get to intermingle and introduce ourselves to one another and it's just an incredible opportunity to meet new friends, see old ones, and gain some inspiration. IMATS feels like a family reunion to me.”

Back at our booth, it was nonstop creative flurry. The ooo-ing and ah-ing of passersbys who stopped to ogle our instructor demos didn’t cease, which started with Blanche Macdonald Makeup graduate-turned- instructor, the Insta-famous Mimi Choi (@mimles) who started off the morning doing her famous ‘Copy and Paste Multiple Eyes Look’. Pushing the boundaries of makeup, Mimi ended the first day on the IMATS Main Stage demoing her signature sliced makeup illusion. She shared tips and tricks, favourite products, and what inspires her to create. All of which left the crowd stunned, mystified and ready to create their own optical illusions.

Adjacent to Mimi at the Blanche Macdonald booth was another Makeup graduate-turned-instructor and award-winning body painter, the incredible Jennifer Little (@artistjenniferlittle), spritzing magnificent controlled strokes of airbrushed pigment, creating one of her body painted masterpieces. With eerily lifelike stitches and sutures, this superstar airbrusher created a spooky carnival creation that was an IMATS showstopper.

On the closing day, proving that the possibilities of Makeup are indeed limitless, Blanche Macdonald Makeup graduate, the ever-enchanting Lyle Reimer (@lylexox) took to the IMATS Open Forum Stage, warming up the crowd with charming personal stories, musings and hilarious anecdotes (like finding inspiration in spools of thread, asthma inhalers and Crocs). Lyle, notably known as @lylexox to his 90.3K followers on Instagram, created one of his signature makeup demos live, inspired by Maison Martin Margiela x Amy’s Organic Soup can lids!

"The inspiration for my look started with soup can lids from Amy’s black bean soup. I saw the lids as jewelry and adornment and then married those with my love of Maison Martin Margiela. The Margiela boutiques are all white and distressed versions of white . . . so then . . . VOILA . . . the look was born. It truly was an inspiration of high end meets trash.

IMATS serves as a rare opportunity for industry professionals and makeup lovers to all come together! It’s like one big creative love fest! It was such an honour to join with Blanche and showcase my work . . . it really a perfect way to spend a weekend!"

Simultaneously, on the IMATS Main stage, Blanche Macdonald graduate and artist extraordinaire, Timothy Hung (@timothyhungcom) spoke to a packed audience about the combination of high fashion and makeup, all whilst demonstrating his flawless techniques and sharing stories illustrating what inspires his artistry.

“The concept is to bring together the things that have been inspiring me recently in the last two to three months and putting that altogether into one look. At the same time I wanted to incorporate things that I really love which is texture and contrast. I started with a dress that I felt had a lot of impact and I added rhinestones, ribbons and jewels to it and that started to bring together the whole idea for my theme.”

Undergoing the first phases of their looks while answering questions from captivated audiences, both Lyle and Tim then completed their jaw-dropping looks at our booth among their original Makeup family and a slew of admirers and spectators that followed from the audience.

It was such a special weekend, catching up with old friends, and meeting new ones – a big THANK YOU to everyone who came by our booth to share in the beauty thrills and chills with us, and BIG congratulations to our all competitors! You were the heart of an unforgettable and beautiful weekend.

It’s 11:30 PM on a Friday night and I’m standing in front of the bathroom mirror wearing half a face of makeup. On the counter: an old receipt from Holt Renfrew with product names from NYX Cosmetics scribbled across the back, a spillage of tubes, kits and compacts from my own collection, and my iPhone, which is paused mid-frame in the final few minutes of a fabulous smoky eye makeup tutorial.

This is anything but your typical step-by-step. On my mobile screen, Blanche Macdonald grad Bailey Van Der Veen looks every bit otherworldly with her jet-black hair, ivory complexion and aquamarine eyes—but she has a larger-than-life personality that transcends the lens and an easy, unscripted approach to being in front of a camera. She’ll interrupt a technical explanation to exclaim over the beauty of a palette’s colors, textures and finishes: the way a swatch of eyeshadow darkly pigments the pale skin of her wrist or a swipe of illuminator shines iridescent over her knuckles in the studio lights; she’ll laugh and pull faces for her audience while demonstrating the desired effect of a brush or blender. It makes her lessons seem less like chilly digitized master-classes and more like a warm, veritable presence—as if she were a terrifyingly talented friend who’s come over to your apartment on her night off with the contents of her work station to show you the latest and give you a few pointers.

With more than 103,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel and 30,000 followers on Instagram, it’s obvious that makeup amateurs and aficionados alike regularly seek her counsel on hot products and inventive how-tos. It should come to no one’s surprise, then, that it-brand NYX Cosmetics snapped her up to be their Regional Trainer in 2015, the year after she graduated from Blanche Macdonald’s Global Makeup Artistry Program and dominated the vlog-based NYX FACE Awards—and that she keeps on creating despite her busy up-and-up career, regularly surprising and delighting her international fan-base on the internet.

Through a series of phone calls and emails, I spoke with Bailey—a small-town Manitoba native currently living in Toronto—about her path to becoming social media’s makeup maven and the daily thrills of representing one of the coolest names in contemporary cosmetics. Like it or love it: Here’s Blanche Macdonald’s #flashchat with this artist extraordinaire.

Blanche Macdonald Centre: Before becoming a star makeup artist and YouTube sensation, you received a certificate in health care and a degree in art history and classical studies. With such a diverse education, what drew you to makeup artistry?

Bailey Van Der Veen: I knew I would have a career within the makeup world from an early age – but I come from Carman, a very sheltered town in southern Manitoba, and being a makeup artist [there] is very taboo and unheard of. I had no resources for information about makeup schools, but at age 16 I recall Googling Blanche Macdonald and requesting an info packet.

The community I was raised in focused on agriculture, education, and health care, so I was automatically prompted to fit this mold. I became passionate about nursing…when every afternoon during my senior year I studied at Red River College, [which] offered an integrated Health Care Aide program in replacement of grade 12 credits. I think I’m the only person I know of who has graduated from college before graduating from high school! I continued my studies at the University of Manitoba. As the years went by, my passion depleted and I found myself taking art classes, architecture courses and various art history classes [instead]… completing an entire Bachelors degree with a major in art history and a minor in classical studies.

But—that was not my passion. I got involved with the drag community of Winnipeg and was always testing my creativity while heading out on the weekends. Once again, I Googled Blanche Macdonald and moved myself to Vancouver four months after graduating [from university].

BMC: Do you find that your previous studies inform or inspire your work as a makeup artist?

BV: My unique education really has separated me from the rest. On one hand, I have my art history background, which is amazing for conceptualizing and understanding the theory of makeup artistry. On the other, I have my medical background: From working in hospitals I have seen it all firsthand, so when doing Special FX and prosthetics I have a hand up when it comes to making something [look] believable. I’m always asked what I’d do if I could go back in time and go to Blanche Macdonald straight out of high school, and I always say no. My education has made me who I am, and has made me a better artist. Plus, who gets to say they have three diplomas on their wall? (Mom, Dad, you’re welcome!)

BMC: When you decided to go into makeup artistry, what made you choose to study at Blanche Macdonald? What was your experience in the Global Makeup Artistry program like?

BV: I chose Blanche Macdonald because I knew the curriculum was what I needed to learn. I already knew how to put on lipstick, but I needed to know techniques and theory from the best instructors. I went into it thinking I was going to work in film, but as my course went on I became attracted to other areas of the [industry].

Attending the Global Makeup Artistry program was amazing. I always say it’s what you make it. If you sit at the front of the class and ask questions, you’ll get more out of it. I knew I needed to be successful so I put everything I had into it. This was my opportunity to ask as many questions and gain as much information from the experienced artists instructing at Blanche Macdonald as possible.

I want to thank all of my amazing instructors: Jenna, Holland, Leslie, Cori, and Jen Folk, as well and Heather and Jen from the amazing Career Department. It’s crazy to think that just over two years ago I was living in Manitoba, wearing Snow White scrubs and working as a health care aid.

BMC: You’ve amassed a huge following of fans on YouTube and Instagram. Tell us about you path to social media stardom. How did all this start for you? How has your work changed or evolved since you first started posting makeup videos, tutorials, and looks using your favourite products?

BV: I began posting on YouTube right before I started my program at Blanche Macdonald. I taught myself how to light a set, film, edit, photograph, market and promote. After I started at Blanche Macdonald, I unboxed my makeup kits [on camera] and discussed attending makeup school, which drew a lot of traffic to my channel.

Ultimately, I started by simply sharing my makeup tips and tricks as well as my makeup tutorials and get-ready-with-me’s. My channel has remained the same as far as content goes – I produce lip swatch videos and makeup tutorials for the most part, with the occasional vlog, but every day I am teaching myself more and more about lighting and editing to produce higher quality videos. I do it all on my own, and it’s like having a second full time job!

BMC: Let’s talk NYX Cosmetics. What led you to become a Regional Trainer? What’s your favourite part about being on the job?

BV: Three words: NYX FACE Awards. In April 2014, five months after I began makeup school at Blanche Macdonald, I entered the FACE Awards by making one image post on Instagram at random—the night before the submissions closed—of a sugar skull tutorial I posted last Halloween. It picked up a lot of traction and I made it to the Top 30!

A quick run-down of the FACE Awards: Competitors make a series of video submissions that are voted through multiple elimination rounds. The Top 6 are flown to L.A. to attend various beauty blogger events. One is ultimately crowned Beauty Vlogger of the Year and given a prize of $50,000.

When I entered, I had maybe 5,000 followers [on YouTube] and was up against big channels with more than 300,000 subscribers. With the help of Blanche Macdonald, I was voted through each round—each with its own theme, like “Pop Star,” “70’s,” and “Broadway”—to the Top 6! I was flown to L.A. for two weeks to work with Disney’s MAKER Studios to create my final piece with a film crew and editors. I attended Beauty Con, parties at the W Hotel and Roosevelt Hotel, went to the Teen Choice Awards, and spent time at NYX Headquarters being educated about new products. It was amazing. I met so many brands and built working relationships with them. The NYX FACE Awards is essentially the fast track to becoming a YouTube star. I ended up winning the Technique Award that year – and my life changed.

The next year, I worked with NYX on videos and events at London Drugs, and when the company was acquired by L’Oreal I was relocated to Toronto to be a part of the management team opening our new free-standing stores. I managed our flagship store on Queen West until I became the Educational Manager and Brand Ambassador for NYX Professional Makeup Canada.

This is my dream job. NYX has a very special relationship with vloggers and they give back to the community. I’m so happy to be in the position where I can still own my YouTube channel and Instagram but enter our free-standing stores and other retailers such as London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Rexall to train and inspire other artists using our professional line of cruelty-free cosmetics. No other brand has offered me such freedom and welcomed me with open arms. I live and breathe NYX Professional Makeup and couldn’t ask for a better career.

BMC: Take us along through a day in your makeup career! What does a typical workday look like for you?

BV: My days vary! Today, I’m in Montreal presenting the new 2017 pannier to the head of one of our retailers; tomorrow, I may be filming a Beauty Learning Video for SDM; the next, I may be flying to Vancouver to do a meet-and-greet, or I may be traveling to one of our three free-standing store locations to train with our newest and most innovative releases (have I mentioned we have 2,000 SKUs?). I also create content for NYX Professional Makeup, such as announcing our #fromehtola contest; host events at our flagship store; and aid with the openings of all of our locations. We’re gearing up to open a store in Ottawa in August.

BMC: As a Regional Trainer, you’re no stranger to mentoring and teaching. What sort of advice would you give to aspiring makeup artists – those who dream of being YouTube stars, Insta-famous, or reps for their favourite brands?

BV: Right now in the world of makeup artists, everything is so social media heavy. Be present on social media! #Hashtag #everything. That’s how you’ll be noticed by brands and other artists. We’re in a digital revolution where anyone can be anything they want, so put your best work out there! When you hashtag a brand, they will see your photo and may even repost it or add you to their media lists. I’ve been contacted numerous times by various reality TV reps and other folk because of my presence on social media. You don’t need to work for a year cleaning brushes before you get a big break. Your online presence is now your portfolio, so make it count!

I never in a million years thought I’d be on media lists for Make Up For Ever, Too Faced, Yves Saint-Laurent, Lancome, NYX, Murad, Bioderma, Soap & Glory, Urban Decay; Proctor & Gamble’s Covergirl, Herbal Essences, Olay, and Pantene; and many, many more. Now I have the luxury of testing and reviewing the newest products prior to hitting market! And hey—all these goodies aren’t bad for the old makeup kit. 😉

BMC: What’s next for you?

BV: I'm going to continue building the NYX Professional Makeup brand within Canada, working to produce content for both my YouTube channel as well as Instagram, and hopefully adopt three more cats by 2017.

**Editors note: Bailey is focusing on her YouTube and Freelance Makeup career and is an ongoing NYX Ambassador. 

They're the pruners of our strands, the keepers of our secrets and the masterminds behind those picture-perfect balayages. These Blanche Macdonald Pro Hair graduates are just getting their feet wet in the whirlwind world of Hair, but already, they're making waves in their new careers. Spanning the scene from stylists and barbers to Pro-Educators and entrepreneurs, our grads own their very own hair salons, hold the hottest seats in top salons, and work behind the scenes to create stunning editorials. Armed with the knowledge of our internationally recognized training, and a pair or two of super-sharp shears, these remarkable individuals have heard the entrepreneurial call of the Hair world and they have answered back. With Contessa Awards and other prestigious national and international competition wins under their collective belts, our grads are climbing the ranks of local and international scenes one snip at a time. It can be hairy, but they're ready for anything!

Take one part Calvin (or is it Hobbes? You’ll never know!), a handful of dragon scales and an almost unspoken obsession with Dungeons and Dragons, shake and simmer under a winter moon and watch as your new dream stylist takes form. Despite only recently graduated the Blanche Macdonald Pro Hair program, Jesse has landed a chair at a branch of one of the most respected and popular salons in the Vancouver area - Hennessey Salon and Spa. Hilarious, dazzling and completely wacky, he’s the unofficial Smile Specialist of Hennessey Richmond, a burgeoning hair artist and an Dragon enthusiast. Meet Jesse Wilson. Or, as he hopes to be known in his imaginary musical career, J. Beavis. And he promises not to mess up your hair because that would be entirely too upsetting for him.

Blanche Macdonald Center: Serious question first. Are you more Calvin or Hobbes?

Jesse Wilson: Definitely Hobbes. Why? Because I’m definitely more Calvin, and that’s what he'd say to blow your mind.

BMC: Consider my mind blown! Now as far as hair goes, what would you say your specialty is?

JW: At this point, I don’t think I can identify an aspect of my work that I would consider a specialty . . . I genuinely feel as though my best work comes from a solid communication between myself and my client whatever their service may be. I like making my client smile as many times as possible. I don't know if you'd call that a specialty, but it is special to me.

BMC: Well that’s pretty heart melting. Spill the beans on your guiltiest pleasure.

JW: I play Dungeons and Dragons on a weekly basis. That is all I will say on the subject.

BMC: LOL fair enough. Can you tell me what your favorite part / level of the Hair Program at Blanche Macdonald was then?

JW: In level 7 we got a chance to do some Avant Garde work, which I would say was my favourite part of the program. I have always enjoyed doing art, whether it be painting or sculpting etc., but this unit gave me an opportunity to work with a medium in ways that I never would have considered. And even to this day in my professional work, I utilise many of the techniques that I learned during those two weeks in level 7.

BMC: That’s great to hear! So how did our Career Services & work experience help you find a salon to eventually call home? And how did you know that Hennessy was right for you?

JW: Work Experience was a big eye opener for me. It gave me a sneak peek into the real salon environment. I quickly realized how physically close I was going to be working with my coworkers, so I knew how important it would be to find a good team that could handle my "different" personality. I appreciate my coworkers at Hennessy for doing a good job of adapting to said personality, but I’m still not quite sure if they're fully sold on it. 😉

BMC: But, if you had to spend the rest of your days as an animal, which animal would it be and what would you spend your days doing?

JW: 100% a Dragon. Ravaging townsfolk and partaking in other dragon-ly business.

BMC: And if you were a musician, what would the name of your debut album be?

JW: “Prodigious, The J. Beavis Collection.”

BMC: Melodious. Tell us what your daily motivation is when you’re doing hair?

JW: Not to screw up someone's hair and ruin their month. ‘Cause that would ruin my month. And I don't want that for me.

BMC: That’s solid motivation. What would you say your favorite product for styling men’s hair is?

JW: I really like Bumble and bumble's SumoClay. It’s light enough to be used as a pre-styler, but has enough hold to be used as a finishing product as well. Suuuuper versatile.

BMC: In your opinion, what is the most important thing to know about yourself before getting into Hair?

JW: This one is important so I'm going to be serious for a moment here: If you're someone who quits, don't even bother. I've come across far too many people who have gotten into the industry and dropped it after a few months because it got too overwhelming. It's not an easy industry! The enjoyment, fun, and satisfaction of the industry doesn’t just happen - it comes accompanied by stress, disappointment, daily challenges, and a whole lot of failure. So if you aren't someone who is prepared to handle these things, maybe work on that before getting shears tattooed on your forearm.

Blanche Macdonald 畢業生Bailey Van Der Veen 在YouTube上有超過103,000訂閱，而在IG上有超過30,000追蹤！這麼有人氣又有才華的他，被知名彩妝品牌NYX Cosmetics重用為她們的Regional Trainer地區培訓彩妝老師！他被NYX發覺是在 從BMC畢業的一年後 參加了NYX舉辦的Vlog影片視頻必賽。

我們特別約了Bailey 來做一個專訪，希望他的故事能讓大家聽到一些關於這個行業發展的各種可能性 Bailey是一位來自Manitoba的一個小鎮的女孩，現在搬到多倫多這個大城市！我們用電話跟Email採訪Bailey, 問他這一條成功的路是怎麼走出來的！

Blanche Macdonald Centre: 你在成為知名彩妝師之跟YouTube紅人之前，你的大學是修歷史還有古典學，那麼擁有這們多樣化的學歷，什麼吸引了你來選擇彩妝呢？

Bailey van der Veen: 我很早就知道我會靠化妝吃飯。但是我是來自Carman，是一個在Manitoba南部的很小的一個小鎮。在那的地方 想要當化妝師是個禁忌，是沒人敢去做的。當時我對化妝學校都沒有什麼資訊，直到我１６歲自己上Google收尋Blanche Macdonald 跟你們詢問。

我成長的地方注重的是農業，教育，跟醫療保健，所以我也很自然而然的選了這類的主修。我變得很熱愛護理，而我高三的時候 下午都在Red River College專科大學修他們的保健護理科。我是我認識唯一一個在高中畢業前就大專畢業的人！我後來繼續在Manitoba大學接著我的學業。過了幾年，我開始不那麼喜歡我正在修的保健護理學，而開始上一些藝術課，建築課，還有一些藝術歷史課。到後來是主修藝術歷史 跟副修古典學 畢業的。

但這還不是我的真正熱愛的！ 我後來在Winnipeg有接觸到一些扮裝皇后，開始幫他們化妝而展開我的創意力！在這時候 我又再一次上 Google收尋Blanche Macdonald，然後在我大學畢業四個月後就搬到溫哥華開始在BMC上課了！

BMC: 你在成為知名彩妝師之跟YouTube紅人之前，你的大學是修歷史還有古典學，那麼擁有這們多樣化的學歷，什麼吸引了你來選擇彩妝呢？

Bailey: 我很早就知道我會靠化妝吃飯。但是我是來自Carman，是一個在Manitoba南部的很小的一個小鎮。在那的地方 想要當化妝師是個禁忌，是沒人敢去做的。當時我對化妝學校都沒有什麼資訊，直到我１６歲自己上Google收尋Blanche Macdonald 跟你們詢問。

我成長的地方注重的是農業，教育，跟醫療保健，所以我也很自然而然的選了這類的主修。我變得很熱愛護理，而我高三的時候 下午都在Red River College專科大學修他們的保健護理科。我是我認識唯一一個在高中畢業前就大專畢業的人！我後來繼續在Manitoba大學接著我的學業。過了幾年，我開始不那麼喜歡我正在修的保健護理學，而開始上一些藝術課，建築課，還有一些藝術歷史課。到後來是主修藝術歷史 跟副修古典學 畢業的。

但這還不是我的真正熱愛的！ 我後來在Winnipeg有接觸到一些扮裝皇后，開始幫他們化妝而展開我的創意力！在這時候 我又再一次上 Google收尋Blanche Macdonald，然後在我大學畢業四個月後就搬到溫哥華開始在BMC上課了！

BMC: 你覺得你之前學的專業有啟發你身為化妝師的靈感嗎？

Bailey: 我獨特的學歷真的讓我跟其他人有一個分別。我藝術歷史的背景讓我能很有慨念的去了解化妝的理論，而我的醫療背景讓我可以在特效方面把任何一難雜症都畫得很逼真！很多人常問我，如果可以重來 我會不會希望在高中畢業後直接去BMC，我的答案每次都是No. 我的學歷造就了今天的我，也讓我成為了一為更好的化妝師！況且有多少人能說他有三的文憑掛在牆上啊？（爸媽，不客氣喔！）

BMC: 當你決定要選擇化妝這條路時，為什麼選擇BMC? 在你的經驗裡，我們的Global Makeup Artistry 課程你覺得怎麼樣？

Bailey: 我選擇了BMC因為我知道你們的課程有我想要學的所有。我已經知道怎麼塗口紅了，我想要的是跟最資深的老師學更上一層的技巧！我本來是以 近電視電影圈為目標而去上課的，但是我後來被其他的行業吸引了。

上Global Makeup Artistry課程太棒了！我常說，課程怎麼樣是看你自己付出了多少。假如你坐在最前面，常常發問問題，你的收穫會比其他人多。我知道我必須要成功，所以我把我所有的都投放進去這個課程裡了！這就是我能盡量問問題的地方，一個我能盡量向最專業的人士收集資訊的地方！

我很感謝我的老師們：Jenna, Holland, Leslie, Cori, 還有Jen Folk, 以及職業生涯諮詢部門的Heather 還有Jen! 很不敢相信才兩年前我是一個住在Manitoba，穿著白雪公主的醫院工作服的健保看護人員！

BMC: 你在YouTube還有IG上累積了很大量的粉絲！你能告訴我們關於成為一位社交媒體的大明星的這條路嗎？你是怎麼開始的呢？你開始發一些化妝的影片跟教學跟產品分享之後，對你的工作有什麼影響嗎？

Bailey: 我開始在YouTube發影片是我開學的不久前。我教了我自己怎麼佈置背景，拍攝，修片，拍照，行銷，還有推銷！我開始在Blanche Macdonald 上課後，我有拍攝一些我們學校的道具的開箱影片，討論上課的感想，而因此有引來很多觀眾喔！

說真的，我一開始是以分享我的彩妝技巧跟小撇步開始的！我的頻道到現在還是沒有變很多，我常發一些是用口紅色號的影片，再來是一些彩妝教學，還有屋些Vlog。但是我每天還是會教自己一些新的打光技術，還有製片技巧，讓我能發一些更高品質的影片！我都是自己來的，所以就像是一個第二份的全職工作!

BMC: 我們來討論一下NYX Cosmetics什麼樣的機會讓你成爲他們的地區培訓彩妝老師了？你最愛這份工作的那個方面呢？

Bailey：三個字：NYX FACE Awards. 在2014年4月，我在Blanche Macdonald 畢業的五個月後，我參加了他們的FACE Awards比賽，在他們比賽截止的前一個晚上在IG上發了一個我前一年畫的萬聖節骷魯頭妝。那一篇文受到很多關注，而我成功入圍了前30名！

關於NYX Face Awards: 那時候參賽者需要交出一系列的影片。好幾輪被投票，而最後留下來的6位會被送到LA洛杉磯，跟所有美妝部落格網美參加活動！其中一位會被選為當年的美妝Beauty Vlogger然後獲勝$50,000獎金！

 我慘選的時候我大概5000 YouTube的訂閱人數，而我的競爭對手的頻道有300,000訂閱！有Blanche Macdonald的幫忙，我每一輪，包括「流行歌手」「70年代」「百老匯」等主題 我都有順利投票達標，被入圍前6名！他們把我飛去LA洛杉磯，跟迪士尼的MAKERS Studio工作室的工作人員跟編輯人員一起完成我最後一個作品！我還參加了Beauty Con化妝展，還有去在W Hotel 還有Roosevelt Hotel的派對，還有去Teen Choice Awards頒獎典禮，還有到NYX總部看他們的新產品！真的太棒了！我跟了很多品牌見面，跟他們打關係。NYX FACE Awards真的是我變成YouTube紅人的快到線！我後來贏了那一年的技術獎，然後我的人生就徹底改變了！

隔一年我跟NYX 一起製作 他們在London Drugs店的活動的影片，然後當公司被歐萊雅集團收購後，我被分派到多倫多，成為他們新開的獨立店的經營團隊的其中之一！我當了我們在Queen West的旗艦店的經理，直到我成為 NYX Professional Makeup Canada的教育經理還有品牌大使！

這是我夢想的工作！NYX跟Vlogger有很特別的一個關係，而且他們真的會回饋給我們這些vloggers。我很開心我在一個 又可以在自己的YouTube頻道跟IG隨心所欲的發文，又可以進我們的獨立店還有其他的經銷店像London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart, 還有Rexall用我們的無傷害化妝品 去訓練跟啟發其他的彩妝師！沒有其他的品牌給了我這麼大的自由，打開雙手邀請我！我為了NYX Professional Makeup而活, 我真的不能再要求比這個更好的職業了！

BMC: 可以跟我們分享描述你的一整天的行程嗎？

Bailey: 我的每一天都很不一樣！今天我會在蒙特利爾 為我們的經銷商介紹我們2017最新的化妝箱；明天會幫Shoppers Drug Mart拍一個美妝教學影片；接下來我會飛去溫哥華開一個見面會，或是去我們三個獨立店的其中一家 培訓我們的彩妝師，跟他們分享我們最新的產品（我有跟你說我們有超過２０００多品項嗎？）我還要為NYX Professional Makeup想一些活動，例如發布我們的#fromehtola比賽；還會在我們的旗艦店主持活動；還有幫忙我們其他店的開幕。我們８月份會在渥太華開店喔！

BMC: 身為一位地區培訓彩妝老師，你對教育跟領導因該不陌生。對於正在開啟他們的化妝生涯的彩妝師，想要當YouTube明星，IG成名，或是代表他們最愛的品牌的彩妝師，你有沒有什麼建議可以分享給他們呢？

Bailey: 現在全世界都是彩妝師，所有都注重在社交媒體。要在社交媒體保持自己的存在感！＃標井字，＃全部都標。這樣品牌還有其他的彩妝師才會看到你。我們活在一個數位革命的時代，任何人都可以當他們想要當的，所以放上你最好的作品！當你用井字標記一個品牌，他們有可能會看到你的照片，甚至把你加到他們的媒體名單上！ 我有好幾次都是因為我在社群媒體的存在 而被電視台的人還有其他廠商聯絡！你不需要花一年的時間洗刷子才成功成名。你的線上存在感就你的作品集，好好利用他！

我從來沒想過我會在Make Up For Ever, Too Faced, YSL, Lancome, NYX, Murad, Bioderma, Soag & Glory, Urban Decay; Proctor & Gamble’s, Covergirl, Herbal Essences, Olay, Pantene, 還有其他更多的品的媒體名單上！我現在可以享受適用跟評論新的產品，還有搶先看到還沒上市的產品喔！這些寶貝都會被珍收到我的化妝工具箱裡！

BMC: 接下來呢？

Bailey: 我會繼續在加拿大的NYX Professional Makeup brand 工作，創造出更多的內容發布在我的YouTube頻道跟IG，然後希望在2017年可以再多領養塞三隻貓。

**Editors note: Bailey is focusing on her YouTube and Freelance Makeup career and is an ongoing NYX Ambassador. 

BMC畢業生Daisy Hsiang跟我們分享台灣的彩妝，時尚雜誌「Vogue」的拍攝，還有他偉大的夢想

五屆艾美獎得主彩妝師Eve Pearl曾比喻BMC是「彩妝界的哈佛」。我們的專業課程是由兩屆艾美得主彩妝師Todd McIntosh所精心設置。 我們用最高業界標準去教育我們的學生。當學生畢業時，他們會擁有電影定裝，時尚秀或是攝影的化妝知識與技能，同時也將會有足夠的自信去迎接各類挑戰。BMC的所有專業全部由北美業界頂尖專業人士提供教學指導，傳授給學生彩妝基本技巧，時尚妝，新娘妝，電視電影妝，還有特效妝的知識．

BMC的畢業生遍及加拿大與全世界。從好萊塢、溫哥華的電影電視製片廠，到紐約、倫敦、巴黎和米蘭的時尚T台。整個時尚界都深知BMC彩妝師的卓越水平。我們的就業指導部門不斷幫助在校學生以及畢業生尋找工作機會。不僅如此，美妝業界知名的Eve Pearl、James Vincent、Ve Neill、 Sian Richards、Ayami Nishimura、Victoria Down、Todd Masters、Howard Berger等大師，也時常在百忙之中抽空來到BMC，為學生們帶來專業知識講座。

BMC彩妝學院一直致力於提供給學生最完善的學習環境，我們耗資六百萬加幣打造Atelier校區，其中的CurliQue Beauty， 是我們概念商店， 還有專業實踐學習實驗室。

Blanche Macdonald Center是一所溫哥華知名的時尚彩妝學院。每一年，數以千名的彩妝師，造型師以及設計師，從全球各地聚集到這所學院，也讓我們Blanche World成為多元文化的創意聯合國！在這個全球村裡，學生給我們帶來各個國家的傳統風俗，新的視角，以及獨特的想像力。對於我們的學生來說，能来到溫哥華需要很大的勇氣，他們的生活會面臨巨大的改變，但是在這裡等待他們的卻是通往未来夢想的美好旅程。在此，我們用熱情這一國際語言來結識這位出色的國際人才 Daisy Hsiang。Daisy会與我們分享是什麼樣的夢想把她帶到了這裡，面臨過什麼樣的困難，還有怎樣的毅力使她在一個新的國家成為一名成功的彩妝師！

來自台北的Blanche Macdonald國際彩妝co－op專業的畢業生Daisy Hsiang已經擁有了一份精美的個人履歷。對於大多數化妝師來說，美妝作品被刊登在義大利 《Vogue》以及台灣《美麗佳人》雜誌，簽約海外經紀公司－她目前所擁有的，已經是很多化妝師們夢寐以求的。但是你恐怕想不到，她本人比她的成就還要更酷。她的本科專業是工商企業管理，在這個專業和化妝之間，她毅然選擇了化妝師作為職業發展方向，並且成為了該領域的佼佼者。你無法想像眼前嬌小可愛，如同洋娃娃一般的她，心裡卻住著一位有著堅定信念，勇敢好強的女勇士。時髦的打扮，充滿自信的酷酷氣場，完美的詮釋了Daisy的風格。褐色的雙眸配上她臉上時常洋溢的甜美笑容，Daisy謙遜的向我們講述她的遊學經歷，並且給想要在國際彩妝領域追夢的朋友們提供一些友好的建議。

Blanche Macdonald Centre:是什麼樣在台灣的成長經歷，讓妳想要成為一名化妝師？

Daisy Hsiang:我非常熱愛藝術。實際上，當我最初在台灣的大學就讀工商企業管理專業時，我才第一次開始接觸化妝－實在是太晚了！我想要了解更多的化妝知識，因此，我在大學期間報名參加了一個基礎的攝影課程和一個專業彩妝課程。化妝課程的學習經歷讓我感到非常開心，這也讓我堅定了決心，意識到這就是我一生想要做的職業！讓我頗為欣慰的是，每次當我想學一些不一樣的東西時，我的父母總是非常支持。

BMC:是什麼讓妳不遠萬里來到Blanche Macdonald Centre？

DH:這是加拿大最好的化妝学校，在亚洲也非常有名。我跟每一個人說起這所學校的時候，他們的反應都是“哇！我知道那所學校！” 我想要學習最專業的知識，所以來到了這裡！我第一次參觀Blanche Macdoanld的時候是和我的家人以及負責我的招生總監Josephine Lee一起，當時覺得能在加拿大的化妝領域學習實在是太令人激動了。

BMC:你享受溫哥華的生活嗎？

DH:我愛溫哥華，尤其是這裡的夏天！我喜歡這裡的沙灘，徒步，各類博物館，夜市還有所有美食！這是座非常美麗的城市。我想在這裡生活一段時間。我在台湾的經紀公司總是希望我能回台湾，但是我喜歡這裡，而且我很忙的！

BMC:有什麼作品是讓你感到最自豪的？

DH:我的噴槍作品。 Natacha [Trottier]是我的任課老師，這門課雖然很難，但是非常有意思。

BMC:哪一門課是你在學習期間最喜歡的呢？

DH:當然是時尚彩妝！Jon [Hennessey]是我這門課的任課老師，他是我遇到過的最好的老師！他實在太棒了，當時我在上課期間有些吃力，他坐下來跟我說：“Daisy，我知道你能做的非常好，你可以給我解釋你的作品，這樣也可以幫助你練習英文。”

BMC:Jon對學生們非常用心。那麼我們來說說就業部門的老師，你覺得她在你職業目標的追求上有幫助到你嗎？

DH:那是當然。Heather 和Jen一直都是全力幫助和支持學生們，盡可能的幫助學生找到她們想要做的工作。他們幫助提供很多各式各樣的相關行業義工工作給我們，以便於這些工作經歷今後可以展現在我們的簡歷上，可以讓我們更好的找到後期想要的工作。他們還認識很多在溫哥華非常優秀的化妝師。我在學校做了很多義工工作，這些工作讓我也認識了很多人，讓我獲得很多靈感，對我的作品集也非常有幫助。

BMC:就業部門提供的這些關係對與剛要進入職場的人是很珍貴的! 在BMC受到的教育如何幫助你做好進入職場的準備呢？

DH:從基礎化妆到特效化妝，在學校裡我學到了所有我想要學的知識。工作通常是没有固定流程的，但是BMC的學習讓我總是可以有備而來，應對各種狀況。每當我感到疲倦的時候，我就會督促自己继續坚持，深怕辜負BMC老師對我的期望. 不久前，我在台灣進行了一期簡單的美妝課程教學, 因為我已經習慣在BMC的快節奏化妝，所以在2小時內我就完成了從打底到最後嘴唇上妝的所有教學工作。

BMC:自從畢業後，你做了很多工作，最為特別的是，你有被台灣《美麗佳人》雜誌專訪，還為義大利《Vogues》雜誌的拍攝工作過－這些真是非常傑出的成就！你是如何得到這些工作機會的？

DH:台灣《美麗佳人》的一個項目經理和我的經紀人曾經一起工作，所以我們建立了初步聯繫。她對於我畢業於知名化妝學校的經歷非常感興趣，因此他們對我進行了專訪。我在上海的經紀公司是一個成立不久的經紀公司，而我是他們第一位代理的化妝師。為《Vogue》的拍攝是個不錯的經歷,但是非常辛苦！《Vogues》非常追求完美，所以會壓力比較大，但這是個很有意思的經歷。

BMC:所以，你已經算是完成了幾個重要的里程碑了，那麼你下一步有什麼職業計畫嗎？

DH:我即將會在三月份開始上BMC的時裝設計課程專業，我非常期待！然後我希望以後能在時裝週做化妝工作。同時我也在學習怎麼做ＤＪ。我想用化妝，服裝，跟音樂做一些不同的東西。我想利用這些元素去創造並呈現出一些與眾不同的東西，這也是我的夢想。有一天我也想要自己主導自己的拍攝，那是我的一個大目標。我還希望有一天能夠和Jon一起工作，但不是現在，現在的我還不夠厲害！

BMC:妳已經實現了很多不可思議的目標，是什麼讓妳鍾情於化妝事業呢？

DH:每當結束幫客人的化妝，聽到她們說＂我現在看起來太漂亮了，和之前完全不一樣了“的時候，我都會覺得非常高興，為自己的這份工作感到驕傲。儘管有時候其他人不太能理解我的工作，當我剛開始在BMC學習的時候，甚至連我的爸爸都認為我可能一個禮拜以後就會因為受不了而回台灣了，但是化妝是我一直想要追求的夢想，所以我堅持下來了！

BMC:你認為台灣和溫哥華的彩妝風格有什麼不同嗎？

DH:台灣的彩妝風格和這裡的非常不一樣。台灣的化妝風格是裸妝；趨於日本和韓國的彩妝風格。因為台灣比較熱和潮濕 ，所以我的客戶通常最想知道的是如何讓她們保持長時間不脫妝，這也是為什麼他們都比較喜歡淡妝。我在台灣用的化妝工具箱裡會常備一些護膚產品， 防水化妝品，定妝蜜粉和一些比較適合自然妝容的彩妝產品。加拿大的化妝風格比較偏重於各種稜角的修飾，比如眉毛，眼線以及修容。因此我在溫哥華的工具箱裡會備有保濕精油， 不同顏色的粉底，口紅，眼影以及閃粉。在這裡，你可以隨心所欲嘗試各種的風格。

BMC:那麼，對於初來乍到的入門化妝師，想擁有像你一樣的成績，你有哪些建議嗎？

DH:首先我想說，要追隨自己對喜愛事物的熱情，作自己真心想做的事。但是最重要的還是要不斷的練習，練習，再練習 －這是唯一可以讓妳不斷進步的方法。同時我也建議大家通過自己的社交網絡平台宣傳，比如Instagram 和 Facebook等。我也會經常給一些攝影師們發消息說“我很喜歡你的作品，我們可不可以一起合作？”。其實挺簡單的。

Frederic Chopin and Kurt Cobain. Not the most obvious musical bedfellows, but together they provided a major dose of inspiration for Nocturnes, the 2017 Blanche Macdonald Fashion Design Graduate Show, held for the second year in succession in the spectacular Grand Ballroom at the historic Hotel Vancouver.

“In the weeks leading up to the show I was listening to a lot of Chopin,” explained Fashion Director Tyler Udall. “He composed many Nocturnes, which is a word typically used to describe a poetic scene set at night. It seemed like a good fit.”

Nocturnes delivered a night to remember, as 30 designers from destinations as diverse as China, Syria, South Korea and Kelowna dazzled Vancouver with their debut collections.

“This group came into the program with an openness and curiosity about design that superseded any of the other groups I have been privileged enough to work with,” continued Tyler. “They took direction well and dived deep into anything new that was introduced to them. Those are the kinds of students that are particularly fun to nurture. You keep setting a bar higher and higher for them, and they keep rising to the occasion. And beyond!

“Seeing the students buzzing after the show is always a treat for me. They are under a lot of pressure building up to the show so as you can imagine the tension levels are high. Seeing them relax and relish in their accomplishments is a very pleasant experience.”

One of those students relishing the evening was Vancouver’s own Hannah Eriksson, who finished her year at Blanche Macdonald on a high by being named as the deserving winner of the prestigious Overall Achievement Award. Sitting down to catch her breath towards the end of a historic evening, Nocturnes proved to be a fitting conclusion to an emotional year of creative discovery.

“It was surreal and overwhelming seeing my collection on the runway,” she explained. “My collection went from one extreme to another: from functional to art-based clothing. I put way too many functional things on the garments, to the point where they were no longer utilitarian. The strongest theme in my collection is repetition, which wasn’t the original plan at all. I called it Elated Exhaustion. It’s inspired by the emotions of being incredibly tired and incredibly excited. I think what sets me apart from other designers is my willingness to go through with ridiculous designs, probably due to my inability to see the future and the turmoil I’m about to put myself through because I’m easily blinded by excitement. One thing that has become evident to me about my design style is that I’m torn between playfulness and severity, which I believe to be true to my personality.

“It was such an enjoyable year. The Fashion Design program takes you through every emotion. There were late nights and resistance on my part, accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment when I was able to step back and see what I’d done. I told Sara Armstrong I was going to drop out three months into the program. She convinced me to stay. She was shocked and told me that I was good. That was incredibly encouraging and understanding. I made myself a promise that I would try. I pushed through that and started enjoying every aspect of the program.”

The combination of emotion, hard work and eventual triumph was echoed by Hannah’s colleague, Edmonton’s Niki Pasini, who ended the evening with three awards, recognized for Special Achievement in Pattern-Making, Garment Construction and Academic Excellence.

“Tonight was surreal,” she admitted. “A year ago I was living in Prince Edward Island working in a bridal shop. I wanted to do more of my own design work, rather than working on other people’s designs. My sister had taken Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald and had an amazing experience so I knew what I was getting into.

“All my instructors were amazing: so full of knowledge and willing to help, while still giving you the freedom to develop your own ideas and try things your own way. You don’t want people coddling you, which is why I loved drawing class. Lisa Gellert is amazing. She pushes you. I worked a lot. One of these looks I stayed up for 24 hours straight finishing it.”

For Niki, the wonders of discovering fabrics and the architecture in her new city provided dual inspirations for a memorable debut collection.

“My focus was exploring textures and developing fabrics, then translating those ideas into garments. I love the satisfaction of seeing a garment that is beautifully constructed inside and out. I really wanted to create clothing that would be empowering for anyone to wear that regardless of your size or gender, you could style it in a way that feels authentic.  

“From my apartment I can see Yaletown and Downtown Vancouver. The layers and glass started me thinking about light travelling through layers and how it changes with transparency and opacity. I took some sketches to Tyler and he said, run with it!”

Tyler Udall’s impeccable influence was felt in every aspect of Nocturnes. In addition to offering his expert eye to assist every new designer, his vision helped shape the look and feel of a runway show where vastly different collections needed to be embraced by unifying hair and makeup looks.

“As always, the hair and makeup treatments were a collaboration with our amazing instructors Lisa Callender and Jon Hennessey,” continued Tyler. “The initial references I brought to them as our creative point of departure were some random images sourced from the belly of the Internet. I’d been thinking a lot about Studio 54 and what a modern take on that kind of energy would be. I was also feeling nostalgic and Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ video kept popping into my head. There’s one slightly gothy cheerleader in that video that always felt as if she was the coolest person you could ever hang out with. Those red tinsel pompoms make my heart happy. I guess throw all those elements into a pot, sprinkle them with modernity, and what you have is our beauty treatment for the 2017 Show.”

“The beauty direction for the Fashion Show evolves over the course of a series of photo shoots leading up to the show itself,” added Jon Hennessey. “Tyler and I have collaborated on a couple of shoots with KT Auleta over the past few months alongside Makeup Artist Kendahl Jung and Hairstylist Freddy Sim. The looks all included graphic line work, neon and glitter.

“We discussed early on that the direction should be graphic in design, but unique to the individual model. No two looks were the same on the night. Each model had a bold linear shape accented with a neon or ‘pop’ colour. The skin was ultra-hydrated and the rest of the face was left relatively bare. This was the first time that I’d had the opportunity to work with this assemblage of Artists and it was a phenomenal team. Becca Randall, Kendahl Jung, Nicole Leisher, Alexandra Zenchuk, Maria Walton, Kiki Xiang and Evelyn Affleck are all very talented artists, any of who could have led the show. The show always has a fun atmosphere. It’s a showcase for the next wave of design talent and we’re happy to be a part of celebrating in their success.”

That celebratory spirit was shared by Key Hair Artist Lisa Callender.

“Once Tyler emailed me photos of looks that he wanted to go with I went into creative Christmas mode,” she smiled. “We could have gone with professional high heat extensions but I instead I got creative in Canadian Tire’s Christmas department and we curled and waved them into the models’ hair. We used regular tinsel, not meant for hair at all. It was like decorating a tree.”

Aided by a team of current Blanche Macdonald hair students, Lisa ensured that all 20 models hit the runway oozing drama and high fashion.

“I needed students who could work quickly and get stuff done while taking direction. I held an open audition so all the students so everyone had the chance to compete for a spot on the team and chose Kathleen Casimer, Lynel Probe, Kristen Cook and Jessica Nickoriuk. It came down to how quickly they could do what was needed.

“Tonight went very smoothly. I take charge and run the ship. We need direct, clear communication. At the end of the night my team left a note for me. It says, ‘Lisa, we out. Love you!’ That’s their feedback!”

For Fashion Department Executive Co-Director Peggy Morrison this graduate show was the 27th of her glorious tenure at Blanche Macdonald.

“I thought this was an exceptional year. There was some brilliant work and this was a very strong year for technical skill. Having three students win Honourable Mention Awards tells you how strong this group was. Niki Pasini in particular was well deserving of her three Special Achievement Awards. If the audience could see Niki's collection up close they would notice the true couture detail. They’d be very impressed with the workmanship.

“I always love the fact that we have such a wide range of directions and ideas.  We're not a school that tries to put everyone in the same box and that’s always been a tremendous source of pride for all of us at Blanche Macdonald.”

Along with this year’s incredible designers the success of Nocturnes was a tribute to the hard work of the staff at Blanche Macdonald, with special mention due to the inspirational leadership of President Lily Lim, the endless efforts of Executive Program Directors Peggy Morrison and Donna Baldock, Fashion Director Tyler Udall, Creative Director Kelly Schmidt, and Career Director, Fashion Department Mel Watts. Endless thanks must also go to Instructors Sara Armstrong, Lisa Gellert, Dana Johnson, Matthew Burditt, Lyndi Barrett, Carlie Wong, Wanda Sustersich, and Morgan Mallett, Lab Assistants Kari Appelquist, Joy Nickerson and Anahita Monzavi, Associate Marketing Director Natasha Eng, Social Media and Marketing Coordinators Rheanna Miller, Allie Samborn and Jacky Le, Social Media and Creative Content Coordinators Kendahl Jung and Mohamed Ali Ibrahim.

Infinite gratitude too, must be given to the backstage team, led by Tyler Udall, Sara Armstrong, Kelly Schmidt, stylist Leila Bani, her assistant Sanja Kovacevic and a team of volunteers from the Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing programs. While Key Makeup Artist Jon Hennessey, Key Hair Stylist Lisa Callender and Nail Artists Patricia Grant and Leigha Fane, along with a team of volunteer grads and students ensured the models looked as spectacular as the collections. Huge thanks also to our fabulous emcees Jaylene Tyme and Jane Smoker, and DJ Hana Pesut (Sincerely Hana) for providing an amazing soundtrack to the night.
 
The entire team at Blanche Macdonald would also like to extend its sincerest gratitude to our corporate sponsors, Make Up For Ever, Oribe, Mine & Yours and Townshoes along with huge thanks to our colleagues at CurliQue Beauty for putting our guests’ goody-bags together.

Full List of Award Winners

Special Achievement in Illustration: Kari Hong and Daynah Notting 

Special Achievement in Innovation in Surface Texture: Jenine Smith

Honourable Mention for Design: Pengfei Lai 

Special Achievement in Pattern Making: Niki Pasini

Special Achievement in Garment Construction: Niki Pasini

Honourable Mention for Pattern Making: Aisha Kaliel, Daynah Notting and Annabell (InHua) Yang

Honourable Mention for Garment Construction: Aisha Kaliel, Daynah Notting and Annabell (InHua) Yang

Academic Achievement: Niki Pasini 

Honourable Mention for Academic Achievement: Semiha Abdullah Inan 

Overall Achievement and Special Achievement in Portfolio Presentation: Hannah Eriksson 

Thomas Surprenant is an Emmy Award winning Makeup and Special Effects Artist whose illustrious career spans over 30 years in TV & Film. From Hollywood classics like Donnie Darko to present day blockbusters like The Maze Runner series, Thomas' credits are monumental and varied. There’s hardly a genre of film Thomas hasn’t touched his brush to. We were honored and so grateful to have Thomas stop by Canada's #1 Makeup School a few days before Vancouver IMATS and do a live demonstration of two of his most famous makeup looks for our eager Makeup students and staff. Sarcastic, witty, hilarious and of course - wildly talented, Thomas spilled the beans on everything from what’s in his set bag to defining moments of his career, and that time that Orlando Bloom butt-dialled him!

"You kind of get to play God,” Thomas remarks as he pauses his work and turns to smirk toward the audience. Even his model, mid-Klingon transformation á la his Star Trek days, breaks character to crack a smile. While he painted and blended his student model into a being fit for the Starship Enterprise, he regaled our students with tales of his favorite jobs “The Grinch that Stole Christmas was so fun, just a really good time,” what movie changed his life and made him want to pursue makeup as a career, “Makeup was fascinating to me but I never thought about doing it for a living - until I saw Rick Baker’s work in An American Werewolf in London,” and the importance of having a well-stocked kit that goes even beyond makeup supplies, “I always have kleenex and a flashlight.  You just never know!”

After an entertaining day of demonstrations and conversation at our Atelier campus, Thomas, along with the rest of the Vancouver creative community and some major members of the global community, hit up Canada Place for IMATS Vancouver that weekend. Thomas - a dedicated vegan who has earned the title of “Batman for Animals” among his friends - took part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion panel and painted up a likeness of Mistfits guitar player Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein on the Open Forum Stage. When asked to share what made him choose this particular look from this particular band, Thomas said “My model is a fan and I’m a huge fan. Doyle is hardcore vegan and the guy is such an amazingly cool dude. The Misfits are clever and satirical but serious about their performances, music and writing. A lot of my music is punky, goth stuff. That was my era growing up!”

Coming from a family of film people, “My mom was in it for a while, and her brother and my granddad made a living from it for a long time”, it’s almost as if Thomas was destined for a career in TV & Film - but that’s not how he tells it. “My family encouraged me to do art but not to be an artist - go figure! I think they really just wanted to see someone in the immediate family do something more academic. I did think about being a mortician at one point and an archeologist and a paleontologist but ultimately, all of the research I did in all these different fields, along with my other interests, ended up making me a better Makeup Artist! I’ve worked on medical shows with real doctors and my knowledge of anatomy and different procedures was really helpful. I had a real surgeon compliment my suture tying! All of my knowledge and research comes in useful in lots of other ways too - I’ve had actors who were really well educated and didn’t want to communicate on a superficial level. They want intelligent conversation and because my knowledge is so well-rounded, I can carry that. It makes them more comfortable and happy and that’s ultimately what you’re trying to do - keep the talent happy.”

But way before he was wooing various stars and celebrities with his outstanding knowledge and facts, Thomas was obsessed with the horror films and sci-fi flicks that his family would watch. “We watched The Wizard of Oz every year, whether we wanted to or not and other films like The Invisible Man, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman, all those classics. And then when I saw An American Werewolf in London, things changed. I started reading everything I could get my hands on that had Rick Baker in it. I thought ‘This guy has made a career doing really cool stuff!’”.

“My granddad saw me reading and painting and sculpting and always wanting to buy products to teach myself how to use so he thought he might as well introduce me to some Makeup Artists. I met a lot of people during that time and they all said the same thing ‘This is Makeup. If you want to be a Makeup Artist, you have to learn everything - beauty, corrective, character, period, hair, all of it.’ And so I set to learning everything I possibly could and I still do! It’s been over 30 years and I’m still learning. Even film itself has changed and so beyond Makeup, there’s a whole industry that you have to keep up with and understand.”

The ever-evolving film industry might be a challenge to keep up with but the etiquette required in the industry isn’t. “The new artists that come in didn’t grow up around this and then they come in and get starstruck. That’s the worst thing in the world to be. I always caution them not to get too cozy with their actors and to know their station. But I’m Old Hollywood, I grew up in this and then when you get actors who are also Old Hollywood, we have a special connection that no one else is going to have and of course, working with someone again and again can definitely build a relationship. Orlando Bloom and I got along really well when we worked together. He’s a wonderful human being. So eventually after a few years of working together we exchanged numbers. One day my phone rang and it was Orlando and I picked it up and heard a lot of noise and muffled voices. I just thought it was funny but students love it when I tell them I got butt-dialled by Orlando Bloom!”

Though Thomas makes it seem anything but, Makeup Artistry is often underestimated in the time and dedication it takes to get from the bottom of the Makeup ladder to the point of glamorous pocket dials.

“You need to be serious about it. I had to figure out a lot about this industry all by myself. Now people have the luxury to coming to a school [like Blanche Macdonald] and it’s all here for you to learn with - the materials, the instructors, everything! But you still have to put the effort in if you want a return. It’s not a place to phone it in. You can’t just expect your career in to go in the direction you want and I think that’s hard for people. You have to constantly prove yourself. This is a craft. It’s art, it’s a career, and your soul, heart and every bit of your being should be in it.”