Explore with me.

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved makeup. I have a very vivid memory of my first makeup disaster, age seven, when I left my very own bright purple and bright pink lipsticks in the pocket and they went through the wash. Every gift I received for eight years contained some sort of makeup product or palette. As an adult I now work for women’s glossy magazines and have endless products at my disposal. I’m not exaggerating (I know some of you will be shocked) when I say that my bathroom is a danger zone as there is the constant threat that a nail varnish or blush palette will come crashing down off the teeming shelves. (FYI, nail varnish bottles shatter into a million pieces and varnish dries faster than nail salons might have you think. Don’t ask me how I know, my mother would have a conniption.)

Given my love affair with makeup, I was thrilled when my mom bought a Jemma Kidd Masterclass from Keynoir so we could indulge together. My favourite thing in the world is having my makeup done by a professional. My mom could probably think of 100 things she’d rather do so I was very excited that she wanted to take part in something I love to share the time with me.

I’ve done the class twice now, once with my mom and once for the hen do. It’s two hours long and the teacher comes to your home and, in our case, transforms the kitchen into a makeup studio. Each place is laid out with all the necessary products and brushes you will need to achieve the days ‘look’. The one negative for me, having done the class twice, is that the look is the same for all classes, although there are rumours that Jemma Kidd is developing classes teaching different looks.

The instruction is great, the teacher taking the time to explain why we use certain products, where, and the effect we’re trying to achieve. We, the students, get to apply it ourselves as the teacher comes around individually to perfect our technique. We want to look like elegant women from magazines after all, not clowns as my dad used to compare me to during my blue mascara phase in high school.

After both experiences all participants came away having had a great time and feeling like they learned new techniques applicable to them. Definitely a great activity for a party or just a fun activity. I can’t wait until they come out with classes teaching more looks! Hopefully soon they’ll also start adding goodie bags to the package so that we can continue to try it ourselves alone!