The Makeup Show NYC: Beauty, Shopping and Networking

Hey Loves, 

I am so happy to be back with an update from The Makeup Show NYC! A few weeks ago I posted a new "The Adventures With TFBJ" involving all the Pre-events I went to for The Makeup Show. NOW, I'm back to share all the excitement that was The Makeup Show itself! I was genuinely exhausted after my weekend being spent at The Metropolitan Pavilion Center but it was well worth it. 

If you read my previous post about The Makeup Show you would know that this was my first year attending the show. I was pretty stoked to be apart of it because it was literally the biggest show to date! Over 7000 people attended, more than 85 beauty brands and don't even get me started on all the hands on workshops and keynote speakers they had. I was so impressed by the organization of this event. I started my Sunday nice and earlier and made sure I was there on time- ok, maybe not on time BUT 9:45am wasn't too bad. I was lucky enough to skip the long line of attendees because I was part of press. So, I strapped on my camera and got to work! 

I had some shopping to do so I couldn't help but do that first. I picked up my favorite liquid eyeliners from Alcone (3 to be exact), stopped at OCC to grab their new Lip Tar Stained Gloss and floated my way over to MAC. The line for MAC was insane- so eventually I gave up and did my rounds of picture taking. I wasn't "allowed" to take any pictures at MAC but I was able to sneak this one before I got "yelled" at. I tried hitting every booth and every vendor. I ran into some old friends and made tons of new ones as I was doing all of this. 

One of my favorite parts of the show was the live makeup application. Especially the booths with the special effects artists. In my opinion, special effects makeup application is just on a WHOLE new level of artistry. The artists from The Makeup Forever Academy are wildly talented. I literally stopped in my tracks as they were working. Which wasn't a great idea- I also almost got knocked over a couple of times while standing there.

I definitely knew I HAD to stop by certain booths due to the coolness of the actual vendors. One of the booths was the Frends Beauty booth BECAUSE the love of my life Jordan Liberty was there with his "Fake It" Lashes!

I initially met Jordan at IMATS this year and when I heard he was going to be at The Makeup Show, I knew I had to see him. I was so taken back when he remembered me. He didn't remember me from IMATS, but actually from Twitter, which is COOL anyway! He is such a doll and I will be interviewing him soon so you guys can fall in love with him the way I have.

Moving on...............................

While the madness happened, I still made time to sit for some of the demo's and key note speakers. One of my favorite demo that I made sure to attend was "A/W 2013  Back Stage Trends" given by Courtney Tichman from OCC Makeup. Courtney shared with us one of the many looks that was used on the runway of Fall NYFW.

The final look was absolutely gorgeous! Since then, i've tried this look on me more than once. I love it! It is so bohemian and wearable at the same time.

The Makeup Show NYC had amazing key note speakers and one of them I made sure to see on that Sunday was Gina Brooke. Gina Brooke is currently Madonna's makeup artist and have worked with some of the greats like David LaChapelle. So needless to say I wanted to hear what she had to say. I couldn't believe how inspired I was by her story and journey. She shared how she had to restart her life in LA, what she carries in her kit and her obsession with great lighting.

We were also lucky enough to meet her muse, IIona! I mean, how awesome is that? IIona was also wearing lashes she made herself!I made sure to snap a picture with Gina Brooke before I left. She was super sweet and talking to her about my future and what I want to do in the industry was great.

Still so much to do! I mean day one wasn't even over yet at that point. Crazy, right? I still needed to hit some more booths and network a little more so I did that for my "downtime".

I started out that Monday (day 2) with a hysterical keynote speaker Mathu Andersen. I didn't expect the demo he had in store for everyone but I am definitely happy I made a stop to watch him do his magic. "Humanizing Glamour: The Art of Transformation" was incredible to watch. It was as if he started with a blank face and created his own look (if that makes sense). He talked about different elements of "transformation". Making men into woman or even a woman into a man. His models end look was so gorgeous, yet just the right extreme.

Last but not least (for keynotes at least). I had to stop and listen to the charming Dick Page. Dick Page has worked with designers like Narcisco Rodrguez, Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors. He is well known for his editorial and advertising work. (Just in case you don't know who I'm talking about just yet- He did the February 2013 W Magazine Cover with Emma Stone.)

Dick Page (left) was very humble while sitting there in a fully packed room. I'm talking people sitting on the floor packed. He answered questions and told his "story". He was one of the most anticipated key note speakers for that Monday. People were so excited to see him and hear what he had to say.

Finally, my day came to an end. Yes, I know-you almost thought it was going to go on forever right? I wish I could talk about this event all day long because I feel as if there's so much I need to cover. I'm already planning a more "tactical" route for next year. What I loved about The Makeup Show NYC was not that it is a "Pro Only" event but the fact that there was so mych education behind the show. I learned so much from sitting at the demo's and listening to the speakers. It was a great show and I can't wait for next year (I seriously mean that). Until next time................

Other Highlights! 

Durga for Lit Cosmetics

Elessa Jade a.ka Pursebuzz!

Some Instagram Highlights

 Lauren aka Queen of Blending

My buddy Michael (I met him at MAC during their Glamourdaze Event)

xo Suma

Beauty Review: Baked Blush by City Color

Let me start by saying that I own a lot of makeup. I know, that's not a really BIG surprise. I mean, since i've been blogging I think I have doubled maybe even tripled my personal stash. Which is terrible because it's not like I use any of these products for work. The point of this confession is to say that one of the main things that I own a lot of are blushes. I am OBSESSED with blush. Pink ones, peach ones, and more pink ones. I love being able to choose from an array of different blushes every morning. 

Thanks to City Color, I now own a new favorite blush! I tried their Baked Blush in the color Guava the other day and loved it. There are two reasons why I really like this product. The first reason is because it is such a pretty color that I can use everyday. I'm the type of person who buys practical colors, not colors that are just going to sit there. The second reason why this product is now in arms length reach in my makeup caboodle (yes, I own a caboodle) is because it doubles as a highlighter! With one sweep of a fan brush, it highlights your cheek bones amazingly! Since the blush is "baked" it has a hint of shimmer. 

The morning I used it, I decided to snap a picture in natural sunlight with NO flash. You can see that there is a nice glow on my cheeks. It stayed all day long without reapplying. I love products that I don't have to reapply during my work day. I also did not retouch this photo-You can tell by the ginormous pimple on my cheek! Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do...right?

I love what this blush added to my simple "natural" look I like to wear during the day. It was perfect and gave me the just the right hint of pink.

I am a total blush hoarder so, i'm happy I have a new one to add to my collection and which is inexpensive! Check out  CityColorBeauty.com for more info on how to purchase the product. They run for about $2.99 and come in 6 different colors!

I have much more coming from City Color- so stay tuned!

Use Promo Code 13FJ1B15 for 15% OFF! 

Adventures With TFBJ: The Makeup Show NYC Pre-Show Meet Ups

I'm pretty excited about this coming weekend because I will be attending The Makeup Show in my hometown of NYC for the FIRST time! I mean, how awesome is that? Not only am I attending it as a "Pro" in the industry BUT I am also getting the chance to cover this amazing two day event as Press.  Meaning------------>I get to be paparazzi for the day!

Moving on.....................................

A few weeks ago the wonderful people behind The Makeup Show put together these amazing "meet ups". I kept calling them Makeup Meet Up's and i'm still not sure why. Basically, they held mini events with the sponsors and vendors for the show. I wasn't able to attend all but I did jump on the train for the last few stops. I met the lovely people who run the show, including James Vincent, played with makeup that hasn't hit shelves yet AND played with makeup. Wait? Did I say that already?

During this adventure, I am going to show you some snap shots I took during the events and a little detail about the day. Just a warning, the pictures aren't very fancy because I took them with my iPhone. I seriously wasn't prepared for the excitement.

First Stop: Inglot Cosmetics in Chelsea, NYC.

I first came across Inglot at IMATS in NYC because I heard that their products were amazing. So after buying way too many blushes (that I haven't stopped using since) I HAD to attend their event! 

 I got to meet the lovely and talented James Vincent. I seriously felt like a creeper the whole time because I'm not a Makeup Artist, yet I knew who he was. In my eyes he was a celebrity and he knew that is what I felt by the way I looked at him. I had a great conversation with him about makeup and what it means to me in my career and he was all ears. 

 

I also ran into my new blogger bff Adri from BeautyWithATwist.com 

This girl was so sweet and ended up being my buddy for the night. I signed up for Inglot's Pro Card program which was an amazing moment for me because, Inglot was my FIRST Pro Card! 

(Happy Dance)

I did a lot of networking at Inglot. The store in Chelsea is absolutely gorgeous and I really didn't know where to look or what to touch. The shadows, blushes and nail polishes were honestly my favorites.  I made a very modest purchase and called it a night. 

Next Stop: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics on Ludlow St, NYC

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (also known as OCC) is very well known for their cruelty free Lip Tars. I wasn't too interested in them when I first heard about them two years ago. I mean, it wasn't because I didn't like the company but more of the fact that I wasn't as interested in makeup the way I am now. I also think the word "interested" is an understatement at this point. 

This event was held in their store in NYC. Was it worth rushing home from work and then sitting on a train for an hour? I am going to say...YES. The attendees received OCC's Pro Discount that night, so of course, I picked up some goodies! 

One of the coolest parts about the night at OCC is that David, the founder of the company and my good ole' pal James Vincent brought out their newest product that will hit stores in May- Stained Gloss Lip Tars! The crowd went NUTS! I was actually excited to play with them and I can't wait to pick some up at The Makeup Show this weekend.

Last Stop: NARS Flagship on Bleecker St in NYC

The Nars Event was the last of them all. The event started at 3pm, so I was a little late for it BUT definitely didn't miss the excitement. The Summer Collection was out on display to see and feel. They also had Nars Makeup Artist Cindy, doing a demo on a model. 

Cindy did a step by step demo showing her techniques using their newest Summer Collection. The final look came out gorgeous. I love watching talented artists at work. It literally warms my heart. 

After watching Cindy, we had more time to network and buy product. I didn't buy much. No, seriously- I didn't. I picked up a satin lip pencil and a bronzer. I would say that isn't so bad? I felt like jumping up and down when I was approved for their PRO Program BUT I didn't because I thought people would look at me like I was strange.

It was so sad saying good bye to everyone that day. Especially knowing that The Makeup Show was over 2 weeks away at that point. I am so lucky to be able to live in a city where all this happens. I don't want to forget to mention all the wonderful people who go with it all. It honestly means so much to me to be recognized for my talents in an industry that is so competitive. I adore The Makeup Show "staff" and so happy I got to meet them all and can't wait to see them THIS weekend! 

Make sure you pick your tickets for the largest Pro Driven Show and I hope to see you there! 

Until the next adventure.................................................

DIY: Glitterific Sunglasses!

Hey Loves, 

It's been awhile since I've posted a DIY Project on here since I started my YouTube Channel BUT I have a pretty GLITTERIFIC one today! I had so much fun putting together this project. I love projects that are simple and fun for all ages. With just a few items from the craft store and an old or cheap pair of sunglasses- you have a project for anytime of the year!

Moving on..................................................................

Sunglasses are a must have all year round for me. I seriously can't take the slightest shine of the sun. I mean, it does give your coolness factor a boosts when you are rocking funky glasses. At least in my opinion. I own so many different pairs of sunnies too. I have my "go to" pair of Ray Ban Wafers which are a MUST. Even though I own those, I still tend to buy random pairs when I go shopping. I guess I like options?

Ready for this fun project? Get your craft area ready and covered and let's begin! At the end of this post I will also link my DIY YouTube Video to this project! So don't worry if you need an actual visual.  

What You Will Need

• Sunglasses (I got mine last year for about $4)
• Glitter (I found mine at Michael's Craft)
• Sponge Brush for Application
• Mod Podge (any kind of finish) 

Starting with a clean covered surface, you are going to want to concentrate on the sides of the sunglasses. I used a Sponge brush to apply the Mod Podge. 

After applying the Mod Podge on both sides, you will now sprinkle your glitter of choice! Then, let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Last step is to add another coat of Mod Podge to the glasses to seal in the glitter. I mean, who wants glitter everywhere? 

Let that sit for about 12-24 hours before doing anything with it. After you shake off the glitter and notice none of it is falling off, you are GOOD to GO!

Check out the Finished Product! What do you think? Pretty glitterific? Isn't it?

Here's my YouTube Video for EXTRA help! 

Thanks for DIY-ing with me! Until next time......