If you're not acquainted with Illamasqua, I heartily recommend getting on board with this playful, theatrical British brand. Relatively new (it launched in 2008) but an absolute smash hit, Illamasqua is known for bold looks, amazing products, and a school for training professional makeup artists and amateurs alike. Illamasqua invited me to try one of the school's two-hour classes, held at their flagship Beak Street store. Choosing one was the hardest part - should I learn how to contour like a pro, do the perfect smoky eye, or work on brows and lips? I went for the cut crease eyeshadow class, mostly because I'd never heard of this, and on further investigation found out it's the perfect way to have big, dramatic eyes without looking like a drag queen - not that there's anything wrong with that if it's the look you're going for. In fact, Illamasqua even has a drag makeup class, which I'm told is also brilliant for non-drag artists as "you'll learn to blend like you've never blended before." 
The two-hour classes are perfect for doing before a night out, or perhaps for hen parties and birthday soirees. The one I attend has just has three people, including me. Embarrassingly, the other two girls are makeup pros - one is doing a series of two-hour workshops with Illmasqua to train to be a professional makeup artist, and the other one is already a theatrical makeup artist wanting to add fashion makeup training to her CV. This is only an unfortunate thing because the fantastically talented and funny teacher, Tonee (below), gets one of us to sit in front of the others each time he demonstrates the next step in the class, so the other two see what a bad job I'm doing. They are very nice about my lack of precision and talent, and Tonee is very encouraging - not once leaving me behind. We had our own mirror to sit in front of, and a set of makeup brushes that Tonee talks us through. Two hours might sound like a long time for one makeup look, but it's a slow step by step process, with lots of group learning and one-on-one support. 
Cut Crease, if you weren't aware, is a way of defining the eyes by putting shadow on the brow bone and not in the crease as you normally might. It gives the look of a 'bigger' eyelid because the whole lid is much lighter instead of simply having the lash line a bit lighter. Now I know what cut crease is, I've noticed it way more in fashion magazines, and on celebs too; Adele has a very classy cut crease thing going on, and Kim Kardashian even had cut crease eyes for her wedding makeup. Here's my finished look (below). I am cheating a bit as the eye you can see more clearly is the one I had a lot of help with from Tonee, and the other one was all my own effort.. ahem.. (though I did do the winged liner on my own on both eyes, and even though I haven't used gel liner before, I was pleased with the result!). It felt weird to shape the eyes with black pencil before applying the shadow (two shadows, in fact, as we used a brown for a transition colour), but it helps you define the shape and get the precision of the cut crease. 
Despite being the only class amateur, there was a great atmosphere, and I got tips from the other class members as well as from Tonee - who told us lots about his former years as a movie makeup artist. He answered all of my general makeup application questions, and gave me some pro tips, including: * Never blow on brushes, always tap them after putting them in product. Blowing spreads germs. * If your skin is moving round too much when you use a brush, you're pressing too hard.* Hold brushes lower down towards the bristles so you apply less pressure. * All makeup looks have an 'ugly stage' where it looks like it's not working out. Keep going.* Keep blending until you can't see any colour line. * Always do a bold eye look first, and then do your base in case there's fall out.* Eyeliner 'senses fear', especially gel and liquid ones, so relax and apply with confidence. * Illamasqua doesn't have a fix it spray yet, so the best one to use is Ben Nye Final Seal. 
Even if you're not up for a makeup class, I really recommend popping in to their stunning Beak Street store. The staff are so lovely, and it's a real treasure trove of gorgeous cosmetics. I'd never used Illamasqua brushes before but they are unbelievably soft and work so well - my faves were the smoulder brush for precision crease work, and the smoothing brush to achieve really clean edges. The in-store artists also do Halloween makeup each year, so try and book in if you have a spooky party coming up. 
This was such a fun experience, and I will definitely practice the cut crease look. Tonee said it can work with neutral shades for more natural daytime looks as well - anything that can open up your eyes and make them appear larger has got to be a winner. If you want to learn how to get better at makeup artistry, whether it's for fun or for your career, I can't think a better place than the Illamasqua school - great facilities, excellent teaching, and awesome products. 