May 10th, 2016
United Makeup Artists Expo rolled back into London last weekend, and once more provided a thoroughly unique environment for artists of all genres to gather together. Bodypainters complimented SFX sculptors while beauty artists perused fake blood and postiche. The warm and engaging atmosphere matched the new location of the Novotel London West, and as ever it was fantastic to see such collaboration and support from artists across the world.
Saturday kicked off with Warpaint Features Writer Deborah Murtha hosting a talk by Love Larson and Eva von Bahr. The Oscar-nominated duo discussed the challenges and pressures presented by the numerous ageing stages in The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. They also proudly presented the first prototype of their very own Skin Illustrator palette, presented to them by Kenny Myers only minutes before the talk.
As the venue filled, the true variety of brands and artists became more apparent. Leicester College, The Makeup Artist Academy, University of Bolton and Brushstroke were on hand to offer course advice to students. Fake blood brand Pigs Might Fly rubbed shoulders with Make Up Designory, while PPI hosted intricate demonstrations on their large stand at the back of the hall.
We popped in to see Daniel Sandler work his magic during his demonstration, only to dash over to the Screenface stand and test his products out for ourselves. Joey Bevan and his glam squad of Branka Vorkapic, Mira Parmar and Maria Malone-Guerbaa created a stylish editorial feast to a packed audience.
We chatted with the team at Creative Media Skills about their upcoming masterclasses, marvelled at Kristyan Mallett’s wound work over at PS Composites, and obsessed over Tina Earnshaw’s new brush range.
Sunday brought more excitement. Joining Angela Youngs, who created three fantastic bodypaint designs on our Warpaint stand over the weekend, were three student artists who demonstrated their genderbending and ageing skills. We had the chance to interview Karen Asano-Myers and catch up with Kenny Myers again, which is always a pleasure, before getting a sneak peek of some new PPI products which will be available very soon, then dashed to facilitate Tina’s chat about her life and work in make-up.
Mehron’s colourful array of products drew our eyes, as did the EMJ Company’s huge variety of storage options and BASE Pro’s stunning Japanese brushes. Across from the Warpaint stand we admired the selection of wigs from The National Theatre and the craft of the team headed up by Giuseppe Cannas.
After bumping into Jan Sewell at the PAM stand, Deputy Editor Emma Rutherford hosted a brilliant panel with the team behind Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Victoria Down and Richard Redlefsen discussed everything from the challenges of filming a juggernaut movie to the complications and legalities that come with it.
While there are many pro and trade events across the UK, UMA Expo retains its place in our calendar every year thanks to its friendly atmosphere; never is the generosity, curiosity and sheer talent of make-up artists is more apparent.
You can find all of our images from the weekend here.
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