This past weekend I attended, for the third year in a row, The Makeup Show Chicago. This was a much-needed break for me because my kids are out of school for the summer. I honestly was most looking forward to spending time with some grown folks for a few days! Saturday started off with the private blogger preview gathering. Our host for the evening was James Vincent. I always love hearing from him; he’s so funny and super honest about his makeup journey/career. After he shared highlights from the show, we got to take a peek at our special gift bags loaded with products from MUFE, Bdellium Tools, Mehron and more. I went home that evening and start playing with colors. Check out the look I created using Mehron and Magnolia Makeup!
Goodies in blogger gift bag.
On Sunday, I ditched church because I wanted to see Merrell Hollis do a live makeup demonstration. Every year, I try to make sure I do not miss the keynote presentation and EVERY YEAR I’ve had to stand allllll the way at the back of the room because the room is always standing room only. This year I got smart: fellow blogger Ladwina and I left early; I saved seats for us on the second row while she shopped! Arriving early was so worth it. I can’t believe people attend the show and do NOT sit in on these types of opportunities; they are invaluable to makeup artist’s career. I took so many notes that it is hard for me to choose what to share, but these are my top tips from Sunday’s session with Merrell Hollis:
Makeup by Merrell Hollis
1. Orange corrector is Merrell’s secret weapon. He swears by it because it erases ashiness, green and uneven tones in ethnic skin. Merrell says you can wear the orange by itself or mix with foundation to create the perfect shade.
2. Around the delicate eye area, set face powder with fingers for a natural finish.
3. Stay away from using too much concealer or bright eyeshadows on the brow bone. Elect instead to use a natural shade with subtle highlight.
4. Merrell used primarily all MUFE products and few items from MAC cosmetics. He likes both lines for the shade range selection and versatility of the lines.
5. His favorite lip shades are the OCC lip tars. I wasn’t surprised to hear that; I have a few in my makeup collection and I love them too.
After Merrell’s presentation, he was nice enough to answer questions and to take photos with audience members. He was very nice, very humble and you can tell he really loves his work.
Next stop was over to check out the AJ Crimson BB Creme. I’ve heard so much about it online that I just couldn’t miss the opportunity to pick up a few shades. Check out the video (below) for my honest thoughts on the product. It was really nice to chat with AJ and to see him in action; he was actually helping to shade match customers which I thought was really personable and cool.
Last, but definitely not least, Ladwina and I stopped by to chat with Danessa Myricks. Her booth had been so crowded that it was a shock to see her on Sunday. I hope to have some great news for you guys soon regarding a Danessa Myricks midwest event. She is so talented! Ladwina picked up a few of her DVD’s and some products.
Patrice of Afrobella & Me
