Saturday, March 24, 2012

IMATS NYC wishlist + TIPS

IMATS weekend is better than Christmas, my birthday, and getting into college. It's all about shopping, makeup, and art. Is there really anything better? So, naturally I got my ticket for IMATS way in advance and have been waiting for April 14, 2012 for many months now! It's my second year that I'll attend so I added some IMATS tips to the end of this wishlist :) Below are just some of the products at IMATS I want to repurchase or have had my eye on for a while.

INGLOT
INGLOT 4SS brush
4SS brush: I'm not really sure how I learned about this brush, but am I ever glad I did! On the site, it says it's an eye brush, but I've used it for the face more times than I've used it on the eyes. This brush is a must-have. I already have one, but I find that when I'm out on freelance jobs another one or two........or three would be really useful. ;)

Shadows: INGLOT shadows deserve the hype. The 20 palette I bought last year is hands down more pigmented in one swipe than any MAC shadow I own - no base needed.


GRAFTOBIAN I recently bought a bunch of Graftobian products for my freelance kit and I really love this brand. I'm planning on buying blushes (Healthy glow, velvet peach, for the boys, dusty rose, & cognac kiss) and anything different that catches my eye.

BEN NYE 
Aqua glitter: I just saw this being used in a makeup tutorial by makeup by eman and I officially need all of these gorgeous glitters. My college is having senior week and one of the events is a dinner cruise, so I'm planning to go all out with my makeup :) These glitters will be perfect!

NIGELS 
I'm planning on getting some MUA kit essentials like an empty well double sided palette for lip colors, stock up on lashes, and get a mixing palette.


ALCONE
The DLSH actor bag is brilliant. It's designed especially for makeup artists who need a quick touch up kit that's portable and roomy. But it's also great for a travel makeup bag! I'm planning on using it for both purposes! It's usually about $50 I believe, but at the show it will be $35.


TIPS
1. Don't wear heels. Just don't. Trust me on that. I wore heeled boots last year, which I painfully regretted after 4 hours of waiting in lines, walking around, and never sitting down. (If you must have heels though, wear wedges or heels you've worn for hours that haven't hurt your feet). If you're worried about what to wear, this ain't no fashion show. People are dressed casually.

2. Early bird gets the worm. The earlier you're in line, the more efficient and quicker you will get your shopping done. This tip is especially useful for booths that get really crowded like INGLOT or OCC. For me, buying lip tars at OCC was quick and painless, but for people that arrived around noon +, products were selling out and you had to wait a while. Last year, I arrived 30 minutes before it opened and it certainly paid off. I got my shopping done quickly and had the rest of the day to browse and have fun!

3. Cash is better than credit/debit cards. You will get your products faster and actually, some booths don't accept credit/debit cards at the show. This also prevents you from any issues, like being overcharged and having to deal with all of that mess.

4. Have a game plan: Have a list of things you definitely will buy. Once you're at the show, there are so many makeup products that you might feel a bit overwhelmed if you don't! Having a list will help you focus :)

5. I'm going mainly for shopping, but the student competition will blow your mind! I saw it last year when they were presenting the models with the makeup artists who created the looks. I really admire those artists. Also, taking a class or two is beneficial, especially if you take one in a topic you don't know much about. Again, being early for these gets you the best seats.

Friday, March 16, 2012

First photoshoot - inspired by the 1920s

A modern take on the 1920s.
Photographer: Josi Makon
Model: Beth
Makeup: me :)

Visit Josi Makon photography to view the shots

Friday, March 9, 2012

Making the ordinary, extraordinary

This past weekend, I did makeup for 5 college girls that had an event that night. This is the first client of 5. She said she wanted a smokey eye that brought out her gorgeous blue eyes, so I decided that purple would do just the trick.


We decided not to put any lip products on until later so that's why her lips are still bare. But overall, she was in love with her look! I used Maybelline's new pomegranate punk color tattoo shadow. I. LOVE. THAT. STUFF.

PRODUCTS USED
Graftobian hi def glamour creme foundation palette in neutral
Tarte dark circle defense natural under eye corrector
INGLOT AMC cream concealer in 60
Benefit Hoola bronzer
TFSI
MAC brule
Maybelline pomegranate punk color tattoo shadow
Wet n  Wild Lust palette
MAC Cork
Urban Decay Naked palette for brows
bareMinerals flawless definition mascara
Maybelline eye studio gel eyeliner in blackest black
MAC shy girl lipstick

More pics




Saturday, March 3, 2012

My swap with Headoverpink (Karla)!



[Warning: this post has a lot of exclamation points] Swaps are the next best thing to Christmas. I love doing them with makeup enthusiasts like myself because you get to exchange beauty items that you otherwise might not have bought on your own. I've known the lovely Karla for a while (talking years here) and I couldn't be happier to do a swap with her! Follow Karla's wonderful blog, Head over Pink, for awesome looks, she also has a giveaway going on!

As you can see from above, she absolutely spoiled me. Totally. Absolutely. Most of the beauty products came in the gorgeous sparkly makeup bag:

It reminds me of Urban Decay's purple quinceñera bag. It's so pretty! 

So let's get into it shall we?

1. Bath and body works is what I live on. I work in a hospital and I have to constantly wash my hands, and they can get really dry. So I always need to have a bottle of lotion in my bag. And, of course, like every lotion BBW makes, it smells so good!
2. Duo professional eyelashes in D14: Karla gave me two of these but I had an impromptu makeup client so I decided to use one pair on her. OMG. I. LOVE. THEM. They look so natural and make your lashes look long and full. I'm obsessed. I'm definitely going to be purchasing more of these.
3. Smashbox try it kit: I was just saying the other day how I had never tried Smashbox, so when I saw this I was super happy! It comes with the ever so famous face primer, lid primer, hyperlash mascara, limitless eyeliner, and a gorgeous lip gloss. I am so excited to try these products out!
4. Rimmel sexy curves mascara: one of my favorite mascara! I already had one in my collection but it was all dried up, so that's been tossed out and replaced by a brand new one :)
5. Maybelline 24 hour tattoo eyeshadows: UM. GORGEOUS. BEAUTIFUL. PERFECT. These deserve a post of their own, really. I literally said "Ooooh! Aahhh!" when I saw them. lol.
6. Bangin jewelry: Some really pretty earrings! I forgot to include a zebra sparkly bracelet - I had been wearing it and forgot to put it in the pic. Perrrty.
7. Nail polish: I cannot wait to try each of these. They're perfect spring colors!
8. Mirror: I'm thinking of putting this in my bag so I can have it on hand. I might sound really vain but you never know! haha Plus it's really cute :)
9. Lippies: Yay! A Revlon lip butter! and YAY! IT'S AWESOME! She also sent me a VS beauty rush gloss that I'm thinking of putting on top of the lip butter. :)

Karla also included a Roxy newsboy hat. I never have owned a hat, but when I tried it on, how have a never owned one? I love how this style looks on me! Since I obviously am not on the ball, I forgot to include that in the pic above, and a cute pair of socks from Forever 21.

So that's everything the lovely Karla got me. I loooove everything! THANK YOU KARLA!! Hopefully, her package gets to her soon since there seems to be a post office mixup. But go enter her giveaway and tell her I sent ya ;)