Every spring, I take my annual trip to NYC to attend one of the premiere makeup and glamour events in the country. The Makeup Show makes it stop at the beginning of May in the Big Apple which is not too far from my actual location here in Upstate NY. Ever since the first one I attended in 2016, I am always amazed by the talent and education The Makeup Show brings to the stage as well as the brands that go. This year was no exception. We heard tips and tricks from the industry’s leaders with insight into what is new and hot for the seasons ahead.
There are always exceptional products that never cease to amaze me as well as new trends to follow. I always feel honored to have the inside “T” in regards to make up looks, hot colors, trends, ingredients and tips. Sometimes I just hear something that gives me a “No kidding!” moment. And that happened more than once this year.
So what shockers did I experience? Let’s see….
1. “If you don’t have glitter adhesive for your eyes, use some clear eyelash adhesive and gently pat glitter onto the lid with a small, flat, synthetic brush.” This was kind of a “Wow! No sh*t!” moment for me. I have a few different glitter adhesives (that I actually got from The Makeup Show last year!) but this was a great tip for someone that may want an easy backup plan who needs a bit of sparkle to hold during an impromptu meeting, lunch, dinner, club date or even a glam moment. It makes total sense… if it is safe enough for your lashes, it’s safe enough for your lids. This is an inexpensive way to play with different glitter looks you want to try as well. Also, synthetic brushes don’t “absorb” as much product, so the majority of the product you pick up with gets to the eye. Especially glitter!
2. “For a dewy look on your body (neck, shoulders, cleavage, chest), use a simple sunscreen rather than a ton of different products.” I have done many reviews on different types of sunscreens over the years, but I never thought that they could be used as makeup. The ingredients of sunscreen tend to be slightly thicker than general makeup, and are needed for long term wear to block out harmful UVA and UVB rays. This richer formula is perfect for giving you that soft, silky, dewy look without needing a ton of time with brushes, bronzers or highlighters.
3. “Do not use an HD powder when doing a photoshoot. HD powders tend to use shimmering agents that actually causes the flash to bounce off your face.” Whoa. THAT was a serious “Ah-Ha!” moment for me. In the past year, I have been doing a lot of professional photos with photographers. I always thought that the fine grind of HD powders would give me a flawless finish. That’s true, but not if cameras are involved. What can happen is your powder can cause flashback, which shows up on film as a white or oily look, coming from the flash of the camera hitting reflective surfaces. Products with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide (natural sunscreen ingredients) can cause this to happen as well, but to a lesser extent. I stopped at one of my favorite vendors to discuss what I had just heard, and to ask what I needed instead. They felt my pain and directed me to the powder that I should use. Phew!
4. “Yes, you can find a long-lasting lip color that will stay true for over 8 hours without drying out your lips.” For years now, I have loved the idea of a lipstick that will not transfer onto my coffee cup, straw… or someone else’s face! I have definitely found a few brands, but with my unusually dry lips, the colors tend to cause more problems than they are worth. They dry out my lips causing cracking, peeling, and unappealing blotchiness. I usually end up exfoliating them with sugar and honey to get the uneven color off then just apply a moisturizing gloss tint to try and repair the damage. A company was there that asked me if I would try their long-lasting liquid matte lipstick with a glitter topper to see if they could convince me that theirs was “different”. Sure… why not? After long hours of running and rushing to and from seminars; from classes to subways; to trains then driving home, I gave my lips a look on the train to see how they looked. Holy ah-may-zing. The color was strong, the coverage was even, the glitter had no fall-out and I was still getting compliments on how they looked. I touched base with this great company and placed an order for my favorites within days. Kudos to this great crew for introducing me to my new fave lip color. (To see the brand, click here!)
5. “Choose gain over gossip.” No matter how well you do in your industry, people will talk. They will talk about how you are handling yourself, how you handle your business, how polite you are, how bitchy you can be, your mistakes, your successes, you name it. But the bottom line is that those who want to further themselves in their industry only make up 10% in that line of work. The other 90% are making excuses. Tabatha Coffey held a great seminar this year, not just talking about the makeup industry but how you respond to those around you that like to cut you down. I have said for years that if you don’t like me, yet still watch everything I do?… Bitch, you’re a fan. It’s nice to be reminded that if you are investing in yourself, you are already a step above the rest.
I continue to support those that I am proud to call my friends in this industry and am honored to be with them as we all continue to grow. I have seen amazing things from companies that I have been working with for over the years now, and am so glad that so many have taken me under their wing and shown me things I’ve only dreamed about. This amazing field of makeup and skincare continues to grow, and I look forward to the years to come as we all fly higher than we ever have before!
(Thank you to Glamorous Chicks Cosmetics for their glitter tutorials and the introduction to their long-wearing liquid lipsticks; to Danessa Myricks and Matthew Jordan Smith for the great class on working as a team with your photographer & tips for artists and models of all kinds; Kryolan with suggestions for achieving a great looks on film and in print; and Tabatha Coffey for her inspiration and motivation. And as always… thank you for all of those who do such a great job organizing one of the best makeup shows ever.)
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