Elevate your makeup skills with a creative short course at London College of Fashion

With 20 years of experience in the industry, professional makeup artist Sam Walker brings a wealth of knowledge, creativity and inspiration to her makeup short courses at London College of Fashion.

From royal weddings and magazine shoots to commercials and catwalks, Sam has worked with a huge range of clients over the years to create stunning makeup looks.

Sam combines her professional practice with teaching, working with a variety of students to share her industry knowledge and top tips. We caught up with her to find out more about what students can expect from the Makeup Workshop Short Course and Introduction to Professional Makeup Short Course.

In this fast-paced, competitive industry aspiring makeup artists must be aware of current trends and new techniques. We run a range of practical makeup courses at differing levels and in specialisms such as bridal, editorial and special effects makeup. Explore our full range of makeup courses.

Sam’s own journey into the makeup industry started at London College of Fashion, where she applied for a foundation degree while working as a hairdresser.

“I decided that I wanted to learn how to do makeup professionally so when I managed to get a place on the course, I was very grateful,” she says. “I grabbed [the opportunity] with both hands and haven’t looked back.”

Since then, Sam’s career has been full of exciting projects; from working key fashion events such as London Fashion Week, to painting the faces of celebrities and clients for their high-end weddings. Sam’s work also extends to collaborations with new fashion designers to create shots for their websites and online shops.

“I’ve worked in a variety of different areas of the industry,” she tells us, “but I’ve always been teaching as well. Teaching is really important to me because I want to give back what I’ve learnt.”

With the explosion of beauty brands and products now available, Sam is particularly passionate about sustainability and enjoys helping her students gain awareness on this topic so they can make smart decisions and avoid buying products they don’t need.

Perfect for beginners, the Makeup Workshop Short Course is designed to introduce students to the basic skills of applying their own makeup. Students learn the key techniques for creating a day and evening makeup look to suit their face shape and skin tone.

The course covers everything from bronzing and contouring to colour correction and health and safety. “We go through a variety of techniques during the course,” says Sam, “you will learn how to match foundations, how to use concealers, prep the skin, use liquid liner and create smokey eyes.”

Sam demonstrates the looks on a model and students have the opportunity to recreate the look on themselves using the College’s extensive range of MAC makeup.

“Lots of people feel self-conscious about going to a makeup counter and having their makeup done in a store with people walking past and looking at them,” says Sam. “The makeup workshop is really great if you’re a little bit frightened of going to the makeup counter, but you want to learn how to do your own makeup.”