Makeup professionals around the world recently had their own Olympics, with eyes and airbrushes turned to the International Makeup Artist Trade Show (IMATS) at the Vancouver Convention Centre at the end of July. The Blanche Macdonald school of makeup once again earned gold when recent Vancouver graduate Catlyn Jeong took home first place in the Battle of the Brushes student competition in the fantasy/beauty category. Building on the theme Wild Kingdom, the eight selected contestants had three hours to create their looks from scratch before being judged by a group of high-profile industry professionals. Catlyn took her inspiration from the clown fish, impressing the judges by integrating its distinctive patterning in her models eyes and lashes, while applying detailed body painting by hand. The IMATS events are the worlds largest gathering of make-up professionals, held annually in six cities worldwide: London, New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Sydney and Toronto. Locally owned and independent, the Blanche Macdonald Centre now boasts three Vancouver campuses, including the newly opened CurliQue Beauty Boutique downtown.
