Monday, April 11, 2011

IMATS NY 2011: DAY 1: WHAT I SAW & WHO I MET!!!

Hey Blossoms,

So as we all know IMATS is a great place to meet your favorite and famous Youtube makeup gurus, beauty bloggers and celebrity makeup artists. I was fortunate enough to meet quite a few people. Even more fortunate enough to be recognized by a few! OMG!!!!

While there I also experienced how amazing makeup artists can really be especially in the special effects and theatrical makeup department. Being that I mostly do beauty/editorial makeup, I am becoming more and more interested in special effects, character makeup, body art and face painting.

THE KEY TO GETTING INTO IMATS: THE WRISTBAND


I purchased the 2 day ticket and after I checked-in was given this wristband which CAN NOT be removed or else you forfeit entry on the 2nd day. So yes I wore this wristband 2 full days...shower and all!



Here's WHAT I SAW:



The amazing work of a MEHRON makeup artist. The model has a prosthetic on her nose to give her more of a feline appearance! I love how their products are pigmented and safe for face, body AND hair!!





The MAKEUP IS ART booth. Their makeup artist just began her amazing work. 



This man won 2nd place in the IMATS student competition "Tribal Theme". I was so busy and unfortunately missed this competition and didn't get a chance to see who won 1st or 3rd place. However I did film the Special Effects Student Competition so be sure to view that video on my Youtube channel for IMATS Day 2 video.


WHO I MET



My best friend (pictured on the right)  with Youtube Makeup Guru, Queen of Blending. My bff was such a team player! She's super new to wearing makeup (she applied her foundation and gloss. I lightly filled in her brows, did a brown smokey eye and added pink blush) and accompanied me BOTH days. She held my makeup bags, my camcorder, my digital camera, took photos, helped film, even used her keen sense of hearing to scope out other Youtube gurus and beauty bloggers as I unknowingly passed them. Everyone was buzzing around and crowding booths so I was unaware of the meet and greets that were going on! THANKS BEST FRIEND!


 My turn! Pictured here with Youtube makeup guru, Queen of Blending. I was shocked to know she knew of me and even mentioned she was "waiting to see me"..HA! I'll take that! I admire her for her confidence and consistency. Her laugh is SUPER INFECTIOUS! She thought it was hilarious that my bff was buckled down with all my bags and I was telling her to film and snap a photo...poor bff..lol. Thanks for being as kind in person as you are on Youtube! She was such a doll with everything and I sincerely appreciated her patience. The lighting is a little off but she is pictured in my Youtube video of IMATS Day 1 and in photos from IMATS Day 2.

                                          

Beauty Blogger, @thisfancyface, from Twitter and Queen of Blending. You may remember @thisfancyface from my Youtube Video of the Grand Opening of Inglot in Chelsea, NY


While heading out of IMATS to lunch I spotted Youtube makeup/fashion woman and blogger, Allthingsfabulous101, as she exited a cab with her husband. Funny how I recognized him first so I knew she wasn't too far behind.



Pictured here with  EnkoreMakeup from Youtube(R) and I can't remember the young lady to my right.


Youtube Makeup guru, NiNiLuvsMakeup and I. I saw her both on IMATS day 1 and IMATS day 2. She had such pretty sequins blazers on both days(second day she wore a gold one).


Pictured here with Welcome2DivasWorld from Youtube. Shared so many laughs!


Pictured here with DRBrooklyn730 from Youtube. She was super sweet!



Pictured here with Thebexworld from Youtube. 


Pictured here with Thebexworld( far left) and her friends. The sweetest group of young ladies!


Pictured here with MY SUBSCRIBERS! These two were so kind and funny! We shared some good laughs over at the INGLOT booth!


Another woman who I can't remember her name at the moment but when I heard her southern belle voice I immediately said "Where have I seen/heard you before?" and the conversation went from there. Again if you see this or if my followers recognize here please comment below and leave her name :(


Pictured here with the AMAZING Celebrity Makeup Artist, Kevin James Bennett. I sat in on his seminar and  learned some great tips. I can NOT wait to start using them. He was super personable and was so funny. I mean hilarious. When I told him how funny he was he stated "I'd rather be entertaining and have fun when I teach than be boring". I definitely agree.

There were so many people I did see (Eve Pearl of Eve Pearl Cosmetics, NikkieTutorials from Youtube, the makeup supervisor for "The Phantom of the Opera" and others!) and some I missed (JulieG713 from Youtube and a few others) but all in all I had a great time. 

Stay tuned for more blog posts and on to IMATS Day 2!

Until Next Time,

Later Blossoms!!

IMATS NY 2011: DAY 1: WHAT I PURCHASED

Hey Blossoms,

So I will be doing MANY posts on IMATS NY 2011. In order to assure that I'm giving you all the best on what went on there, what I purchased, who I met, what I learned and more I MUST break the posts down into DAY ONE and DAY TWO and then into these respective categories: WHAT I PURCHASED, WHO I MET, INSIDE IMATS NY & WHAT I LEARNED. I'll do my best to consolidate as much as I can but please be sure to check out ALL of the IMATS NY 2011 posts for the complete story.

Now onto all the amazing products I picked up. I accidentally left my list at home that I created and shared with you in my Youtube Video: IMATS NY & What I plan to purchase. You may view that video HERE! I did remember most of it and many items weren't even available to purchase from the show. I will be ordering those items later from a catalogue.

I took photos of everything I bought on the first day so here they are complete with a brief synopsis of why I purchased that particular item(s).




The absolute BEST purchase at IMATS. The amazing "ZUCA" bag. A staple carry all amongst many makeup artists. This bag organizes and carries EVERYTHING. It's also the ONLY carry all for makeup that is approved by the FA for travel as a carry on. So your precious makeup stays WITH YOU for your entire flight. Many makeup artist have their makeup kits insured...YES!! MAKEUP INSURANCE!

 I have a meeting set up to have mine insured so stay tuned for that post. I can't stand to have my makeup out my sight for a second and I almost never do. So I can just imagine the horror of knowing it's in the hanger with other luggage and the chance of your bag and makeup being damaged, stolen and/or lost. The "ZUCA" bag is a life saver and I'm glad to say I'm finally saved! 

Although this will put a DENT in your wallet it is surely a great investment. To add to it's uniqueness, the "ZUCA" can also be used as a chair! You can sit on the top portion and it can bear human weight. I'm 5ft 8in, 153lbs, size 8 and I sit on it comfortably. It comes with a seat cushion which is not pictured here. Inside the bag there are 5 clear and durable zippered bags, a bazillion pockets located inside and outside the bag, an extra "sac bag" that when filled with items rest comfortably on top and a cover all. WOW!

 It rolls smoothly and the handle extends very high so no strain on my back. The amazing wheel allows for a smooth glide even over the worse terrain. I live in New York and the streets can be very unforgiving with cracks, uneveness, high side walks, sloops, construction, gravel, trash. This bag glides smoothly right over it and you barely feel a bump. This lets me know my makeup is safe inside and I no longer have to worry about cracked/broken/spilled makeup inside. As I use my bag more I will be sure to tag on more pros (and if any, cons) but as of right now I LOVE MY "ZUCA" BAG!



If you watched my video then you know MEHRON was DEFINITELY a booth I wanted to visit. This company comprised most of my "makeup to purchase" list. Sadly, many of their products weren't available at the show but I will be ordering later from their catalogue. This here is a "Barrier Spray"...placed on after the makeup application to set the makeup and make sure it doesn't move at all! Mehron is know as being the leader in theatrical and special effects makeup so many performers use their "Barrier Spray" when they need their makeup to STAY PUT!


This is MEHRON "CoverRing Tattoo" a dense and highly pigmented cream used to cover tattoos, Whether working on a photo shoot, a client or a bride who wants to cover their tattoo this works amazing. This can also be used for extreme hyper-pigmentation, discolorations or scars that need covering.


 This is MEHRON "Ad Gem" a safe but outstanding adhesive used to place gems and other detailing on the face and body as pictured above. I can not wait to have some fun with this!


This is Japonesque " lipstick/foundation" palette. 21 lipstick wells and 16 (I believe) foundation wells on the opposite side behind the divider. I've been eyeing this for a while but this palette costs a nice little penny so wasn't I more than happy to receive it at a super discounted price! I love condensing my makeup kit and this will allow for me to carry so much more!


These are ALCONE stackable empty 5 gram jars. These will come in handy with either carrying pigments, custom made lipsticks (especially when I play around with my OCC lip tars), foundations or even glitter.




This is MEHRON Paradise Palette! This palette comes with all but 6 (metallic) colors in their cake makeup. This is water based and can be used on the face as foundation, body or even for face painting and temporary tattooing. This will be amazing for kids parties, fairs, and Halloween. I can create any look! So you want to look like an alien like Lady Gaga..DONE!....like an Avatar...DONE!...any character or design can be created! Stay tuned to my Youtube channel for all my amazing transformations!



I LOVE OCC LIP TARS! These are super pigmented lip colors and a makeup artists dream. I mix these lip tars to my hearts content and create some of the most unique lip colors one has EVER seen!!


Another great bunch of MEHRON products. So you want your entire body to look like a bar of silver or a bar of gold I can create that for you easily!!!


NAKED COSMETICS is in high demand. These tiny jars retail for $60 bucks!!! Yes I just said $60 bucks!!! for a row of 6 pre-stacked. CAN NOT be bought separately. Each jar comes with a couple of "pinches" of product! However the pigmentation is CRAZY. I also picked up the lip conditioner. Stay tuned for the amazing things I have in store with these products!


More Japonesque empty stackable 5g jars and a small powder jar with a sifter top...So I can carry around a little sample of my favorite translucent powders!


I purchased quite a few MEHRON foam sponges for when I apply the cake makeup.



INGLOT!!!!!! You all know I have soo many palettes from them. I just couldn't resist and had to get another eyeshadow palette featuring all MATTE eyeshadows. The colors are super bright and just in time for the spring. I also picked up a 20 pan lipstick palette! INGLOT lipsticks are awesome. You all know one of my favorite everyday lipsticks for brown skin is made by them. To see that Youtube video where I do a lip swatch and give a full review of the lipstick click HERE! I picked up quite a few reds ,nudes, browns, pinks, purples and coral colors! Stay tuned for swatches!






I ALMOSTTTTT didn't get this!!! I've been hounding COVER FX on Twitter for a while to come back out with the Pro Artist Kit on their website. I was told it was sold out and would debut again at IMATS. Forgetting my list, filming, meeting and greeting , talking and taking tons of photographs I didn't make it to their section until the very end of the show. This was the LAST ONE! This kit retails for a FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS! It is worth EVERY cent! Cover Fx is the go to for covering clients with severe acne, birth marks, discolorations, dark circles, hyper pigmentation, scarring, bruises and surgical scars! This company has 33 foundation shades! However using any of these 12 you can create EVERY foundation color available! I was a witness to one of their MUA taking just 2 foundations and creating HER color (she was about 3-4 shades lighter than me with a yellow undertone) and then MY color. I love being a mixologist so I was more than sold after her demo. I was going to purchase the kit anyway but the sheer versatility of this kit blew me away...from sheer, medium, full to straight on opaque coverage this kit can do it all. It comes with their amazing primer, translucent powder, matte and oil blocking powder and one of the softest foundation brushes around!!! This PRO kit is a must have and it was destiny that I received the last one!


I'll be sure to showcase everything in an upcoming Youtube video(I still have to blog about what I purchased on DAY TWO...yes MORE PRODUCTS!)...stay tuned for more blogs...of what I wore, who I met, pictures galore! and what I learned all on DAY ONE: IMATS NY 2011!!!!!


Do you have any of the products above? What are your thoughts? What reviews would you like to see first?

Until Next Time,

Later Blossoms!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

MAC PRO LONG WEAR FOUNDATION NW45 & WHY ITS NOT FOR ME!!

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Hey Blossoms,

I know many of you are familiar with MAC. Some of you even use their products exclusively siteing MAC as your HOLY GRAIL of all thing cosmetics. While I agree many of their products rock there is ONE product in particular I've had a recent run in with that DOES NOT ROCK not one iota!!!

 This product is their MAC Pro Longwear SPF 10 Foundation in NW45. Pictured here is color NC20.

MAC Pro Longwear SPF10 Foundation NC20

I just could not make this color(NW45 not the color shown above) work for me. Granted I only wore it all of 12 hours it just did NOT work for me as far as color matching. The undertone was way to red and I looked like a matte tomato topped with orange sauce(after the foundation oxidized). Now it IS LONG LASTING...I was slightly shiny after 12 hours of wear and only blotted 3 times during. The matte finish remained the entire way through but I felt the matte look was way to unnatural. It would have been best to wear it along my t-zone, wearing it all over the face just made me look as if I were wearing a mask.

As a woman of color I already have a difficult time finding foundations that match my sin tone. Like many woman of color, I am lighter at the center of my face and darker along the perimeter so sometimes (ok ALWAYS) it's necessary for me to mix at least 2 different foundation colors.
I steer clear of all of MACs other foundations due to reviews of the oily, greasy mess it leaves you with. I've tried them numerous times and I always end up regretting I ever did. Now please don't misunderstand me! MAC is a GREAT company and they offer some fabulous products. I'm STILL a proud Pro Card carrying member and I love their eyeshadows, paint pots, fluidlines and fix + spray!!! That's just to name a few. Unfortunately, their foundations NEVER work for me.

I make it a habit to try everything on myself first and depending on my experience will determine if it makes the grade and graduates to my kit. Its really hard to dislike a product, have a bad experience with it (continuously) and STILL decide to add it to your kit. It almost NEVER happens! MAC Pro Long wear foundation was no exception! I do LOVE MAC Pro longwear concealers! A review on those will be coming up soon.

Check out the video above for a more in depth review and to see this foundation on my skin!!!

Monday, April 4, 2011

BRIGHT SPRING MAKEUP TUTORIAL *HD VIDEO*

Jessica Rabbit Inspired

"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way"-Jessica Rabbit


See more on this post by clicking "Read More" below!

Here is the list of products I used to create this sexy look!

Face:
Eve Pearl Foundation
Coastal Scents Blush/Contour Palette
Motives Blush/Bronzer Duo
Urban Decay Urban Glow in 'Sin'

Eyes:
Urban Decay Naked Palette
Coastal Scents Warm 88 Palette
Kat Von Dee True Love Palette
NYX False Lashes
NYX Glitter Pen in Silver
MUFE White liner
MUFE Cake Liner in Aqua Black

Lips:
Nars 'Cruella'
NYX 'Red Gloss' Palette

Once you look the part... You need to feel the part! Jessica Rabbit is beautiful, glamorous, and passionate. So "why don't you do right?" and strut your stuff!

**By Eleni**