Have you ever started something thinking it would be easy, only to discover it required way more skill than expected?
When I first heard about mannequin glamup services, I was honestly confused because why would anyone pay to have a mannequin head made up? It seemed pointless to me at first but that is the thing about life, you are often limited by the information and access you have, I had already paid for the training before doing proper research (yes, I jumped in headfirst).
Initially, I assumed it would be just like the makeup artistry training I completed years ago. I never used those skills professionally, just for myself, friends and family. So I thought, "How different could glamming up a mannequin be? It is just makeup on a different surface, right?"
But I was totally wrong, when I tried applying my human face glamup techniques to the mannequin, nothing worked properly, the results looked off and I knew something wasn't right and after struggling through several attempts, I realized I needed to stop assuming I already knew everything and actually pay attention during the training sessions, so I went back to basics then I watched the tutorials sequentially, listened closely in class, asked questions when necessary and most importantly, I practiced relentlessly.
I enrolled in early February and this photo represents my first truly well executed mannequin glam up in late September, 8 months of learning, failing and improving. Though I know I am not fully perfected yet, this is dramatically different from my early attempts.To make this piece more stylish, I tied one of my vintage scarf on the mannequin head then cut up one of my old singlets to fit the mannequin's smaller frame body, all for a more stylish touch.
This journey taught me about consistency, commitment and patience, when you commit to mastering something, you have to give it your all but giving your all doesn't mean instant success, it means showing up repeatedly, even when you fail because without patience and consistent practice over time, I would never have gotten it right. Eight months might seem long but that is what genuine skill building looks like.
And in the coming days, I hope to share step by step tutorials on how I achieved this beautiful glammed mannequin.