MAC Techniques Class - Review

MAC run a techniques class every couple of months where a small group of about 14 people get to learn tips, tricks and new techniques by MAC makeup artists. It lasts two and a half hours and costs €60 which is redeemable off products... sounds brilliant doesn't it! However, and it really does pain me to say this, we were a little disappointed. It was nothing to do with the quality of the workshop or the makeup artists, it was down to the organization of it. They didn't have us booked in despite me calling them to confirm the previous day, also they took the group to the workshop and left us in the store while they started the tutorial before we had even been colour matched.

Myself and my friend had a particularly bad experience but the rest of the group seemed more relaxed and able to enjoy the class. If you are young and just starting to get into make-up or if your daughter, sister etc. is just starting out, I would definitely recommend you look into this as it covers absolutely everything, from preparing your skin to applying false eyelashes.  

How it works:

When you arrive you speak with a makeup artist who talks to you about your skin and then colour matches you for both a foundation & concealer which you get in tester pots. You then get to pick out a pair of eyelashes that you will be applying on yourself later on. A group of 12 – 14 people are taken by 4 makeup artists upstairs in Brown Thomas Dublin to a conference room that is laid out with a make-up station for each person which includes mirrors, brushes, a MAC Techniques folder and pencil for notes. It looks pretty impressive when you walk in.

The Techniques:

There are two models and two senior makeup artists at the top of the room ready to present. They then take you through the steps of how to achieve two different makeup looks, stopping at 3 different stages to allow you to apply the steps that you just learned. The makeup artist are on hand and work with you when you are trying the different things. However, this is where I found it most chaotic and confusing as there was one makeup artist showing you how to do something and another one coming over and completely contradicting what the other had just said.

The Bad:

As I said the main reason we didn't particularly enjoy this was because of the confusion with our booking on the day. I had been on the phone to the store 3 times in total to book us in and had confirmed with them the day previous. They did make room for us in the class but while they were sorting it out the class had started and we were left waiting 15 mins in the store where on 2 occasions workers said to me "I don't know what I'm meant to be doing with you".  When we did join the group it was made out as if we were the ones that who arrived late, with the organizer saying to everyone "sorry for this disruption here". We felt very rushed and as we missed the start it took us a while to get into it, we sort of felt like we were playing catch up for a bit. 

The bad organization of the course cant take away from the fact that the makeup artists who presented to us were extremely talented and did have some good techniques that I took with me. It's on that bases I would recommend this to anyone looking to learn some new techniques and tips. 

Ashley :)