Current Features

Jessica Steblyk Delivers Early Bird Makeup to Vancouver and Toronto

One major benefit of being a professional makeup artist is that you get to work in exciting environments with beautiful people and fascinating celebrities. But no one ever said that this career was easy. For Jessica Steblyk, the makeup artist for The Morning Show for Global TV in Toronto, it helps that she doesn’t have an aversion to early starts.

“My alarm is set for 3.20am,” she smiles. “Call time is 4am. But it’s stress free at Global. I have two hours to get everyone ready, which is luxury.”

Late nights are out of the question for Jessica and the rest of The Morning Show team, but there are plenty of positives that come with this position.

“It’s cool,” she explains. “I didn’t sign on expecting to do Regis Philbin and William Shatner’s makeup. I had no idea that was the level of guest they were pulling in. Regis was very friendly and professional. I had about three minutes with him. I threw his makeup on and he was on air. He looked amazing.”

Global TV is just one of many elements in the professional life of this freelance makeup artist. She’s regularly working on TV commercials, a variety of television shows, weddings and print ads in her adopted hometown of Toronto. It’s the culmination of a dream that began in drama class in small-town Alberta. 

Esthetics Graduate Judy Drew Creates Comfort and Careers at Atlantis Day Spa

When Blanche Macdonald Esthetics graduate Judy Drew opened Atlantis Day Spa in Tsawwassen, BC back in 1994, she knew she was creating something special. Today, Atlantis is double its original size, and still the town’s best and busiest spa. 

Judy’s unwavering standards of excellence have made her an iconic figure in British Columbia’s esthetics community. She’s continually reinvented Atlantis with the introduction of new treatments and technologies, which is just one of many reasons why the spa has been the starting point for a generation of successful estheticians, including Blanche Macdonald grads and current Atlantis employees Laurie Watt,Jen Clarke and Jacqueline Bruce.

Judy never planned on becoming an inspiration. It just came naturally. 

“Before I went to Blanche Macdonald I was working for a company managing cosmetic departments,” she explains. “I wasn’t able to provide the hands-on quality of service that I really wanted. I decided to open a business at home teaching people about makeup and skincare. I started seeing salons offering esthetics and I realised that I could do more. 

“I did a lot of research before I went to Esthetics School and Blanche Macdonald had a real commitment to the industry. The other schools I spoke to didn’t seem to have the same passion. The program gave me what I needed to move forward in the industry. I knew what I wanted to do but didn’t know how it was going to look. At Blanche Macdonald my knowledge was extended to the point that I was really confident moving forward.”

Craft and Creativity Wow Vancouver at Colour Couture: The 2011 Fashion Design Graduate Show

The staff and students of Blanche Macdonald’s Fashion School had high expectations coming into Colour Couture, the 2011 Fashion Design Graduate Show. From the very beginning, everyone involved knew it would be the biggest Fashion Show the School had ever presented, as an incredible 52 graduates would be unveiling their debut collections at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Downtown Vancouver. 

It turned out that Colour Couture wasn’t merely the biggest Blanche Macdonald Fashion Show. It was also the best. 

“I was standing backstage when we started, surrounded by hair and makeup artists,” explained Program Director and Show CoordinatorPeggy Morrison. “I said, I can feel it, it’s going to be a great show.” 

“I think it was the most fluid of all the shows we’ve done,” agreed her fellow Program Director Donna Baldock. “People were calm backstage. We had some amazing professionals doing the makeup and hair, and the students here helping with dressing were great.”

If the backstage area was structured and serene, for the TV crews and hundreds of fashionistas in attendance (including supermodel and Blanche Macdonald Fashion Merchandising graduate David Chiang) the excitement and emotion was raw and unmistakeable. From beachwear to bridal gowns, from elegant functionality to avant-garde outerwear, from exquisite eveningwear to custom-made shoes constructed from recycled furniture legs, Blanche Macdonald’s Fashion Design class of 2011 proved that they had the craftsmanship to match their creativity.

“The workmanship and craft on every piece I handled was incredible,” continued Donna. “It’s easy to forget that some of those students didn’t have a lot of sewing skills when they arrived.”

“First of all, the portfolios were great,” agreed Fashion Instructor Lisa Gellert. “They were very diverse in terms of style and I was very pleased with the results. With the actual clothing, it all looked well made, and it was a diverse collection with interesting and innovative designs. There wasn’t just one aesthetic.”

Pro Hair Grad Coco Manzano Makes the Cut at Toni&Guy

Coco Manzano has always had an affinity for hair. Just ask his family. 

“My Mom says that when I was really young every time she got out of the shower I wanted to brush her hair,” he recalls. “When I was in Grade Seven bangs were really in fashion so I asked my sister if I could cut her hair, which was really long. She said no, so when she was sleeping I chopped her hair really short – just above her eyebrows. Everyone was so mad at me. She has a really small forehead so it looked extra funny. She still won’t let me cut her hair.”

Plenty of people in Vancouver would leap at the offer of a cut from one of the city’s most exciting young stylists. It’s been a year since the Blanche Macdonald Pro Hair graduate dropped off his résumé at Toni&Guy and became a permanent member of the team at one of BC’s busiest and best salons.

“Working here is great,” he continues. “All the employees are really humble. I’m really comfortable here. I can come in and do my thing. It feels like home.”

Fashion Merchandising Grad Danielle Swanson: Theory Meets Art at The lululemon Lab

"The lululemon Lab is a hub for innovation and design," explains Danielle Swanson. She would know. She’s been the Merchandising Key Leader for the last two years. "Everything here is focused on moving forward.  Everything is created on site.  It's all happening before your own eyes.  It's very transparent.  Which is in alignment with how I live."

It’s only natural that Danielle now works at Vancouver’s most innovative store. The concept store of lululemon athletica, at The Lab customers can see what they’re buying at every stage of production. Home to a team of designers taking inspiration from everyone that walks through their doors, The Lab creates, manufactures and sells its own line of lululemon clothing. It’s Vancouver’s open-to-the-public fashion house. And Blanche Macdonald Fashion Merchandising grad Danielle is happy and proud to contribute to its success.

"I Key Lead, so I manage the store as well as merchandise," she continues. "I make sure the store is set up perfectly, lead the team and help them be awesome and sassy by goal coaching and bringing my uniqueness to The Lab. We do a series of installations by local artists in the window and I handle that too. I help run the store while taking the greatest care to hold up the aesthetic of the company at all times, while pushing the boundaries. We’re The Lab, so we need to be different. We have our own identity."

COLOUR COUTURE: 2011 ANNUAL GRADUATION FASHION DESIGN SHOW

Blanche Macdonald Centre invites you to join us as we unveil the next generation of Fashion talent at our annual Fashion Design Graduate Show, Colour Couture!

WEDNESDAY, November 23 2011
The Westin Bayshore
1601 Bayshore Drive, Vancouver BC
Fashion Show begins at 7:00pm
Ticket price: $26 (plus HST)

Tickets are available online and at our Uptown and Downtown Campuses 

Every year, Blanche Macdonald provides the springboard for a new generation of talented designers to begin their journey into the wide world of fashion. Our Fashion School was the launch pad for many successful careers in the fashion industry including Shannon Wilson, owner and designer of lululemon athletica, Tenille Magnusson, head designer of Aritzia's and Canada’s favourite line, Wilfred, and Lisa Malcic whose Beba Bean line boasts A-list celebrity clients and is sold in top retailers including Barneys New York and Nordstroms.

Makeup Graduate and Instructor Farah Hasan Brings Bollywood Extreme to BC

Ten years ago Farah Hasan’s creative brilliance was directed towards her laptop, delivering graphic design work for an in-house graphic agency. That’s when a visit to City Square’s food court opened her mind to new future. 

“I looked upstairs and saw Blanche Macdonald,” she recalls. “For some reason the name just clicked. I went home, googled it and decided, I want to be there.”

That day changed everything. A decade later, Farah has regular opportunities to sample the delights of the City Square food court as a member of Blanche Macdonald’s Makeup Faculty. Teaching at the Makeup School where her journey began is just one component of an incredible career that regularly takes her across Canada and the world for fashion and editorial work and has seen her become the ultimate bridal makeup artist for British Columbia’s South Asian community. 

Fashion Merchandising Graduate and Freelance Stylist Sarah Danniels: Professionalism and Pirate Paks

Three years ago, Sarah Danniels was facing a dilemma about her future. She had earned her degree, travelled around the world and was coming back to Canada less than thrilled at the prospect of returning to the music industry job she’d left behind.

“People told me that I should be a stylist,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘Do people actually do that? Can you really make enough money to live doing that?’”

Sarah has answered her own questions. Today, the Fashion Merchandising graduate is a full-time freelance stylist, with a long list of clients including BC Health, Fairmont Hotels, L’Oreal, Esquire.com, Perfect Wedding Magazine and TV Week, and a fast-growing reputation that’s led to an editorial of her own in Zink Magazine.

Donna Stocker: The Model Makeup Instructor

Students lucky enough to be in Donna Stocker’s classes at Canada’s best Makeup School know they’re learning from one of the best.  

Is she a tough teacher? Perhaps. Because she knows what Blanche Macdonald students can expect in the real world. 

“I know what the TV and movie industries’ standards are and I teach to those standards,” she explains. “But I also know how to simplify things for students when they’re first learning a technique. I let them build their knowledge up piece by piece with what they’re learning.” 

Donna’s understanding of the industry standards is the result of 17 years working on big TV and movie sets. She was part of the team for major productions like Twilight: Breaking Dawn, The Chronicles of Riddick, Stargate Atlantis, Night at the Museum, White Chicks, Santa Clause 2 and Dark Angel.

Pro Hair Grads Emily Vu and Emily Hope: On the Cutting Edge at On The Fringe

There are two branches of the supremely hip hair salon On The Fringe. One is on Vancouver’s ever-fashionable Main Street, delivering cutting-edge styles and hosting competition-standard photo shoots. The other is in the student union building at the University of British Columbia, introducing students from across Canada to the world of amazing hair. The commitment to excellence is the same at both. And it’s no coincidence that each salon has a Blanche Macdonald graduate on its floor – Emily Vu at Main Street and Emily Hope at UBC.

“I like the education at Blanche Macdonald,” explains On The Fringe’s owner, award-winning stylist Shannon Simmonds. “The people that come through there are good stylists. There are certain schools that I won’t take stylists from. I will take students from Blanche Macdonald.

“Emily Vu is great. She has an innate talent, which is a pleasure. She’s open to learning, she’s always in a good mood, she’s great with her clients and she understands hair, which is really important. A lot of stylists have taken courses but don’t really get it. She gets it.

“Emily Hope has an amazing talent. She’s a joy to be around. We’re very team orientated, and I look for people who can bring something to the team.”