The Paisley based duo, Make-up Artistry Student Marta Walenciak, and Photography Graduate Magdalena Slowik have had their work publicised in not one, but two international publications within weeks of each other.

The thirty year old originally from Poland describes how she felt when she found out her Graded Unit project made it into both the creative fashion and experimental editorial photography publications - Sheeba and Surreal Magazines.

Marta said, ‘I just can’t believe it; I’m delighted, surprised and shocked at the same time. A few days after my graded unit photo-shoot my photographer contacted me to tell me she’d  submitted our pictures to two magazines and she got word back saying they were going to be used!’

The SHEEBA Magazine, which featured Marta’s creation this month is published monthly and circulated in Europe, North & South America, Australia and Asia. SURREAL Beauty is an Alternative Fashion Beauty Magazine for creatives looking to get published; they are based in the U.S. but International in over 15 countries.

For the HNC Fashion Make-up Graded Unit brief students were asked to choose a company or a make-up artist who inspires them.

Marta explained, ‘ I didn’t have to think twice about this and chose Samantha and Nicola Chapman- two famous make-up artists. I still remember one of their first online tutorials I watched – a Drag Queen makeup. I remember how excited I was –watching professional make-up artists sharing their make-up artistry tips up step by step.’

On the day of the final shoot I was a bit nervous, but it was such a fun day. I spent more than 12 hours on preparing my day and evening looks for the photo-shoots with Magdalena to create the finished look. She captured the scene perfectly with her creative flair – so it was a real team effort.

Twenty-nine year old West College Scotland Photography Graduate Magdalena Slowik who captured the graded unit pieces said,’ Marta and I both worked well together on this shoot – in fact I think it will be the first of many. I finished my photography studies at the College in 2014 and it really set me up for my BA course. I was so happy that the magazines came back to me so quickly to let me know they were going to use the pieces; they must have really liked them. It’s great to see my work published in these magazines.’

(Featured above is Marta and Magda's work in Surreal Magazine)

Marta added, ‘I’d always been passionate about make-up. I decided to take the plunge and start my NC at the Greenock campus two years ago and haven’t looked back. Last year I moved to do my HNC Fashion in Paisley and I can honestly say I’ve loved my two years here. I’ve liked everything about coming to college, the lecturers were extremely supportive and it was nice to study in the two different campuses and meet new friends.

Fashion Make-up is really my passion and I’m planning to get as much work experience as possible so I can build my portfolio so I can freelance.

My advice to students would be that if you have a passion for make-up then go for it but be aware that it’s a lot of hard work and you need to put in a lot of time and effort. No matter how hard you try or how well you prepared things can go wrong so you need to be able to think on your feet.

A lot of people think make-up artistry is just applying lashes and foundation – but there is lots of learning involved so you really need to be dedicated from the outset. During the process of completing my Graded Unit, I developed my personal skills and grown more confident in my abilities. I have learned to challenge myself, to be more creative.’

Marta’s success doesn’t stop there she has recently found out that she has received top marks in her class for her Graded Unit work. She’s Made-up!

Christine Brack, Make-up Artistry Lecturer said, ‘I had the pleasure of teaching Marta in both years at Greenock and Paisley and it’s been a joy to see her make-up artistry skills develop.  She is perfect example of how you can succeed if you have drive, passion and commitment. We all wish her the best of luck with her future endeavours.’

Want to start a career in Photography or Make-up Artistry? We are still accepting applications for our August Start Courses.

Photography Credit: All images are credited to Magdalena Slowik, PHOTOBARA.