West Thames College
Most of my blogs will be about my own work and thoughts on the makeup world but this blog is about the college I work at.
I work full time as a Course Coordinator running a two year HND in Specialist Makeup which has 6 groups of students and a BA Honours top up degree with a one group. We have over 100 students studying with us. It is a demanding but very rewarding position and I am very proud of what we have acheived. It is a balancing act sometimes; as I work freelance when time allows and often burn the candle at both ends. I need the creative side to keep up to date with new products and techniques but also to still be a part of an industry I love. I am very inspired and motivated by many makeup artists and while it is a tough industry and the hours are long I am very proud to be a Makeup Artist.

The HE courses at WTC have been running for 9 years and we have many graduates who have worked incredibly hard and gained well earned reputations in the makeup industry. Our graduates have won 1st place at the IMATS competitons in both London and LA. These winners include:

• Abby Swain -2007        
• Suki Miles - IMATS LA - 2007
• Tascia Guerrini - 2008
• Emily Dowdeswell - 2009
• Tamara Ramsey Crockett - 2010
• Loren Hucken - 2011

In 2007 Carolyn Roper & Carly Utting came 1st in the World Body Painting competition in Austria









Two of our graduates, Gerda Lecuite and Lizzie Davies have won traineeships with the BBC through the Design Vision Trainee competition. In 2008 Abbey Swain won a traineeship at the National Theatre, where she is currently working full time in wigs.

Many of graduates work in film, tv and on West End on productions at the ENO, National Theatre, Royal Opera House, The Lion King, Wicked, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Phantom of the Opera, Billy Elliot, Jersey Boys, We Will Rock You, Ghost, The Wizard of Oz and Shrek the Musical.

Others form careers with MAC and other Makeup Retail companies. My team are honest with our students about how tough it is to break into the makeup industry and we hold careers workshops and invite companies like MAC, Illamasqua, Charles Fox and PAM in to meet the groups.

I have a great team working with me, all industry based and each bring something different to the course. I feel honoured to run this programme and am so inspired by our graduates every year during their end of year show which is always attended by professionals in industry.