Lancome Elite Team Master Class Experience with Fortunato Benavoli

I am a huge fan of Lancome products because they cater to a wide range of skin tones and it was actually the brand that weaned me off MAC Makeup. Back in the days, I always thought MAC was the only brand that catered to ladies with darker skin tones but I was all wrong. I was in Debenhams Manchester a few years ago when the Lancome Sales Associate beckoned on to me to try out the newly launched (at the time) Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24Hr Foundation. I told her I am sure there would be no suitable shade for me and she smiled and showed me various shades that matched my skin tone. She sent me away with some samples and the rest is history. I have purchased several products from Lancome and I always stop by their counter whenever I am out shopping. During one of these stop over trips of mine, I learned about the Lancome Makeover Classes from the lovely Lancome Sales Associate and I booked a slot. I thought it would be nice to go with my friend/flat mate because these things are always fun when you go with someone else. It was even more fun because it was on a Monday and it added that extra touch of excitement to an otherwise boring day. The highlight of the event was that this makeup lesson was being hosted by Lancome Elite Team Makeup Artist Fortunato Benavoli. I am sure you are wondering who he is or what the Lancome Elite Team is.



Well, Lancome has an Elite (Makeup) Team which is a group made up of five exceptional makeup artists who have been carefully selected based on their artistic eye and technical ability. Fortunato Benavoli is one of the five members and he has many years of experience working with celebrities. He was also a resident Makeup Artist at the BAFTA awards so he is an expert in what he does. The interesting thing is that this Elite Team travel around the UK and Ireland holding master classes and one-on-one appointments where they share their expert advice, answer beauty questions and of course, provide a makeup class. You can find out when next there is a Master Class here so you can sign on. It is a free event but I think some stores require you to pay a booking fee of £10 which is redeemable against any purchase on the day. I guess this is to ensure that there are minimal cancellations and it also depends on the store. I went to the Lancome counter in Debenhams, Sutton and our appointment (I and my friend) was around 4pm on the 22nd June 2015. We were warmly welcomed by the Lancome Sales Associate Geeta and the Elite Makeup Artist Fortunato with a drink.

I had my makeup done first and Fortunato asked me what areas I wanted to concentrate on. Of course, I wanted to learn about everything (my greedy self) but I eventually settled on eyeshadow application because I feel that's an area I would love to improve on. I wanted to learn more about working with my eye shape and eyelid space which is slightly smaller than average. He taught me to extend my eyeshadow colour slightly above my crease to create an illusion of a lid space but not too far into the crease as it may look superficial. We decided to do a complete makeover which was very kind of him.





He started off with prepping my skin with the Lancome Advanced Genifique Youth Serum which is one of their best selling serum and I can understand why. I have tried several samples of it and I love it but I have to save to buy it at some point. Next, he used the Lancome Absolue Yeux Precious Cells Eye cream to prep my eyes for the eyeshadow application. Again, I once received a generous Gift with Purchase (GWP) of this lovely eye cream and it is one of the best I have tried although it is very, very pricey. It was then time for the exciting part- The Eyeshadow application. He used the Lancome Hypnose Star Eyes Palette in Brun Adore which is such a pretty palette. It is perfect for a neutral day look and also a smoky and sultry night look. This was the only palette he used to create a sultry look which goes to show that it indeed has all the colours you need for a complete eyeshadow look. To finish off the eyes, he used the Lancome Grandiose Mascara and their Le Crayon Kohl to further intensify the eyes. The look he created was totally different to what I would do on a good day but I really liked the change. For my face, he used the Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24Hr Foundation which was my first high end foundation I ever purchased so I have a really soft spot for it . To finish off, he used the Lancome Blush Subtil in Rouge in Love (032) which was super flattering on my skin tone. It really reminded me of NARS Taj Mahal Blush because they have almost the same results on my complexion. I can't remember the exact shade of lip gloss he used but it was from the Lip Lover Lip Perfector range.  I was really pleased with the overall look and I wished I had an event to attend to rock my makeover but alas! I was home bound.






Soon, it was time for my friend's makeup session and she opted for a purple themed look. The Lancome Sales Associate Geeta started off with the Lancome Genifique Advanced Serum and she told us that was the secret to her youthful look as she has been using it consistently for 7 years or so. She defined her brows with the Lancome Le Crayon Sourcils which my friend has already popped on her wish list because she was impressed with the results.  She also used the Lancome Hypnose Star Eyes Palette in Violet Magnetique which is such a beautiful purple themed palette. The colours really complemented my friend's complexion to a T. She used the Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24Hr Foundation as well to even out her already beautiful complexion. I keep telling my friend she has such amazing skin but she never believes me.  I can't remember all the other products used but she looked stunning at the end of the day (just check out her lovely pictures).

We both had such an amazing time and it was such a pleasant way to start the week. I have always enjoyed chatting with the Lancome Sales Associates because they are so friendly.  They never ever pressurise you to buy anything which is really commendable. Instead, they always send me away with little samples to try and I always come back to buy the products because the products were nice and the sales associates were friendly. It's truly the little things that matter. I purchased the Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara on the day and I have already reviewed it here already. I have my eyes on a few things for my next purchase.



She sent us away with a nice goody bag with lovely samples to try out. In case you are wondering, *No, this Post is NOT sponsored at all. I just had an amazing day and I got to take some lovely photos as well so I thought it would be nice to share and talk about a brand I really like. I wish I was there earlier because I heard it was a full event with many attendees but I was at work so I could not attend. I hope you have enjoyed this photos and if you would like to book for one of these sessions, you can head over here to see when the next event is and sign up to attend. That's it folks. I hope you have a nice week ahead and I will see you in my next post tomorrow...xx
*This is not a sponsored post and Lancome have no idea I am posting this.