My First Hair Show Competition! (Pic heavy)

Happy Sunday, everyone!

I've been talking a lot about this competition in my past few posts, but never actually posted the pictures to show you guys!  Sorry!  Here's the gist of it:  A local hairshow was holding student competitions for anybody who is not yet a licensed cosmetologists.  Students work in teams, with each team consisting of one hairstylist, one makeup artist, one nail technician, and one model.  The theme was Hawaiin Fantasy: Earth, Wind, and Fire.  During the competition, teams have one hour to complete the look.  Hairstylists may prep the hair by setting it in rollers before the competition, and the nail technician may glue on tips or form the acrylic nails beforehand as well.  Makeup artists.....can't do jack.  Not even foundation.  During the competition, hair, makeup, and nails must be worked on simultaneously.

Needless to say, I did the makeup.  My team decided to go for a Volcano theme, and we wanted to make the entire look as extravagant as possible.  We were told that we would be judged so, even though the emphasis was on nails, makeup, and hair.  The hair stylist went for banana peeled hair, but added more elements after I overheard my teacher saying that we would be judged on the five elements of design present in the hair style.  The nail technician used long, sparkly tips adhered with acrylics.  On them, she placed different sized rocks, some red rhinestones, and some red nail polish in between the rocks to resemble flowing lava.  For the makeup, we agreed to go for something dark, and steer away from beautiful, everyday makeup.  I drew inspiration from fire that burns bright, but at the same time leaving charred bits behind.  However, I still wanted to show that I wasn't simply face painting, so I used neutral colors on one eye, but with Arabic style eyeliner.  I also added lots of gold and red pigment fall out to match the theme.

Doing prep work.  From left to right: Rachell (nail tech), Taniel (model), Kim (hair stylist)

After the judging and competition had taken place.

One of our rival teams

The 3 models from the 3 different teams in the competition

Check out those crazy red contacts!

The other rival team

My team with our head instructor, Ms. Thomas

Check out these wicked nails!

People crowded around Taniel to ask if her hair was real, how her nails were done, and if they could
take pictures of her.

FIRST PLACE!!!!

I was screaming my head off with joy.

Proud and with one of our other instructors.

Prize:  A set of foundations.

:)

We had a few complications with the process, but luckily enough we were able to make do.  First off, the model was an hour and a half late--the nail tech and hair stylist had to get her prepped in 30 minutes as opposed to the original 2 hours.  The foil originally adhered to the gown with moss, flowers, and rocks glued on it started ripping, so I tied the red material around her waist to hide it.  The red material was originally supposed to be constructed as a veil.  In the end the foil fell off completely.  At least her overall look was still coherent!  There was also a cup of dry ice on her head which bubbled nicely until right before the judges started the judging so we didn't get the points for that.  All in all, it felt really good to win because my team and I had spent so much time preparing and visualizing the final outcome.  

Hope you guys enjoyed this post!  I know it was lengthy but I wanted to make be thorough.  Can't wait for the next competition!

Oh, and in case you guys were interested, here is a list of products I used:

-Too Faced Shadow insurance

-Darling Girl Cosmetics Glitter Glue

-Eve Pearl Moisturizing Primer

-Some cheap foundation from my school kit

-Sugarpill pressed eyeshadows in Love+ and Buttercup

-Inglot eyeshadow in 63

-Sugarpill Loose shadows in Stella, Asylum, and Goldilux

-Wet N Wild Blush in Mellow Wine

-OCC Lip Tar in Harlot (mixed with Stella)

-Nail Art Rhinestones

-No name lashes

FOTD: Burnt out

I really didn't know what to call this look.  It's one that I've been using over and over again because it's so quick and easy to do.  With recent events, I've been feeling burnt out, and have very seldom used makeup.  After last week's competition (which I still have to post about....), I told my classmates that I'm going to stop doing makeup for a while because it's just so exhausting to do as a part time gig.

In this look I used one of my new purchases--Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill eyeshadow #20.  I also took some lazy shortcuts by swiping on some colored liner instead of eyeshadow.

 

Of course, being in a hurry makes my eyeshadow more uneven than ever.

Face:
-Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer
-Smashbox Healthy FX Foundation in Light 3
-Cover FX Setting Powder in Light
-Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Amused
-NARS Laguna Bronzer

Eyes:
-UDPP
-Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Silk Eyeshadow #20
-Lancome eyeshadow in After Dusk (discontinued)
-Urban Decay 24/7 Liners in Oil Slick, Midnight Cowboy, Flipside, and Perversion
-CoverGirl LashBlast Volume Waterproof

Lips:
-Buxom lipgloss

Time to do the same look for work tonight!  Cheers, everyone!

My First Fashion Show

Hello lovelies!

I'm terribly terribly behind in blogging as always.  I don't know if I'll ever catch up!  Anyways, I did makeup for some lovely ladies at an event called RAW a couple weeks ago.  RAW is an event that takes place in a handful of cities across the country.  It is held each month, and is sponsored by local businesses to promote local artists.  The event was held inside a huge club on Folsom, where I'm told a lot of gay clubs are.  One of my classmates is friends with the owner of Le Petit Hat Company, and recommended me to her to do makeup and hair for this event.  I brought somebody else along to do hair, as I wasn't sure if I could do 3 makeovers and updos in the time alloted.  It was definitely a great experience, and I wish I had taken a lot more pictures at the event.

2nd floor at the event.

One of the artists showcasing her clothes and teaching her models how to
walk the runway.

Tovah's booth

Aren't these the cutest hats?

The 3 girls I did makeup for: Kerry, Tovah, and Maggie

I was pretty damn nervous the entire time I was doing the makeup, especially for Tovah, who is the owner of the company.  I really wanted to make a good impression, but as a result I spent about an hour on each girl's makeup which is really too much time.  Another girl in the green room was doing makeup on many more girls and she was cranking them out much more quickly.  I think I did an okay job on the makeup, but I wish I had done better.  I wanted other people to be wowed and stop the girls in their tracks about the makeup.  That combined with the pressure to do well, and wanting to keep the makeup fairly wearable just drove me nuts and my anxiety level went up up up.  I think what I took away most from this event is that I have to be more confident in myself, and I have to really speed up my application time.

In other news, being a full time student, working part time, and doing makeup gigs every now and then is really draining me.  I'm at the point where I can't really drop anything because I need school for my license, my job to pay for school and my kit, and the makeup gigs for experience.  If you girls have any suggestions, please please please let me know!

FOTD: Pony Colors

I racked my brain for quite some time I settled on this name.  While not the eye look is not dramatic, the colors remind me of the obnoxiously bright colors of cartoon ponies or Barbie.

I'm having a moment with my Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette.  I missed out on it when it first came out and kicked myself repeatedly for doing so.  Then it somehow miraculously appeared on Sephora.com again and I snagged it right away.  Absolutely love all the colors, and I find myself reaching for it over and over again.  This is probably my favorite Urban Decay palette.  I would say it is on par if not more awesome than the Urban Decay Naked Palette.  That's how much I love it.

In any case, I make a grab for this palette to slap together something quick, bright, and colorful for work quite often.  This is the brightest one yet.

Face:
-Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer
-Smashbox Healthy FX Foundation in Light 3
-Laura Mercier Setting Powder
-NARS Laguna Bronzer
-Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Amused

Eyes:
-UDPP
-Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette: Junkshow, Deep End, Evidence, Blackout, Vanilla
-Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Oil Slick
-Inglot Gel Liner in AMC 77
-Cover Girl 24Hr Lash Blast Mascara

June 2012 Empties!

I always enjoy reading other people's monthly empties posts, so I thought it I would start doing them as well.   On one hand, it makes absolutely no sense for me to do these posts because I rarely finish products.  On the other hand, it may push me to use up my products that are nearly empty or need to be used.  So I'll try this out for a while and see how it goes.

For the month of June, I finished an entire THREE products.  Woohoo!  Sounds pathetic but it really is an accomplishment for me.

I had a few of these partially used makeup removers lying around, so I just used them up.  This is currently my favorite makeup remover as it it inexpensive, effective, and I use tons of it.

Ah, baby wipes.  Not just a baby mama's best friend.  I use this to wipe down my hands if they get grimy with makeup, or to break down my face makeup before I go in with a cleanser.  I never use these for disinfecting or as a main source of makeup removal, as they are ineffective for either.

And that's it!  Short and sweet.  Definitely hoping to use up more products in the month of July.  We'll see!

My first CosmoProf haul!

Whee!  I'm so excited!  On Thursday I finally had a chance to get my CosmoProf membership, which is a beauty supply store for professionals only in the U.S.  I've tried obtaining membership at the San Leandro store a few weeks ago but the customer service was definitely not the best and I was told that my transcript was invalid.  I visited the Albany location on Thursday and the customer service was phenomenal.  Not only did I get my membership , but the employee there (Lariiyana, I think her name was) extended it way past my graduation date.  She was also super helpful and knowledgeable about the different products I inquired about.  Even though the Albany location is a bit further than the San Leandro location, I will definitely be returning there.

Anyways, I had only about 20 minutes in the store because some classmates and I were shopping for an upcoming hair show competition (this Monday, eek!).  CosmoProf was only one of the many stops we had to make.  Of course, I ran for the styling products and stocked up on a bunch of things from various companies that I wanted to try.  I knew I wanted to get some flexible hairspray, some salon quality shampoo and conditioning as I've never used any before, and something from Sebastian as I've heard amazing things about their products.  I got that and a lot more.

I saw this set of shampoo and conditioner on sale.  Since I was paying salon prices (as opposed to consumer prices), it cost just a little more than what I pay for Head and Shoulders, which is what I usually use.

I found an Aquage transforming spray duo on sale as well and grabbed that.  I currently use it and I love it so far so I decided to get back up even though I have tons left.  The Paul Mitchell finishing spray caught my eye because it was really inexpensive.  I also got a huge refill bottle of  the Kenra thermal spray I fell in love with.  I grabbed a flexible hold hairspray from Sebastian just to try it out.  The styling cream all the way to the right is something Lariiyana raved about.  She suggested I use some of this creme product instead of/with thermal spray because she said it held styles a lot better be they long or short.

Lariiyana also threw a whole bunch of samples into my bag!  She asked me to choose between the dry shampoo and beach spray and I chose the former, but she threw all this into my bag.  She was so sweet!  I didn't realize how much she gave me till I got home, but I did thank her many times for her time and recommendations.

I can't wait to try out these products!  Right now I'm focusing all my energy on the hair show competition (More on that in another post!  I still need to tell you guys about the fashion show I took part in!).  After Monday, hopefully I can start playing with all this awesome stuff!

Have you guys ever been to CosmoProf?  What are your favorite salon hair products?

Makeover: Strut My Way

Here's another look that I practiced on a fellow classmate for last Thursday's RAWartist event in San Francisco.  I was knew I wouldn't have a whole lot of time to do the makeup so I opted for something that I hoped would be relatively quick.

Face:
-Maybelline Fit Me Foundation
-Laura Mercier Setting Powder
-Tarte Bronzer in Park Ave Princess
-Nail art rhinestones
-No 7 Illuminating Lotion

Eyes:
-Benefit Creaseless Shadow/Liner in Strut
-Inglot AMC Gel Liner in 77
-Milani Liquifeye liner in Black

Lips:
-Inglot Lipstick in #264

Funny thing is, I didn't end up using this look either.  I guess it's one of those times where there is only so much preparation you can do.

Comments? Constructive criticism?  I'd love to hear it :)

FOTD: Lisa Eldridge Metallic Smoky Eye

Hello everyone!  Happy Independence Day!  I hope everyone is having a safe, but fun filled day whether you celebrate this day or no.  My sister pulled me into doing a 5k mayor's race which ended up being 12k or so because we walked back home.  I then collapsed on my bed and slept for three hours.

I'm so very behind in posting.  I only have a couple of makeup-related events going on but it seems like a million when stacked on top of school and work.  And of course, I want to share everything with you guys.

I was invited to do makeup for one of the artists featured in June's RAW event.  Across the United States, RAW artist events are held and sponsored by local businesses to showcase artists in all shapes and form.  For more information, you can visit rawartists.org.  The artist I was doing makeup for was Tovah Perrin, creater of Le Petit Hat Company.  I will post more about this event later.  Tovah asked me to do some smoky eyes and red lips for her and her models.  I found my own versions of smoky eyes a little boring so I searched the interwebz for something more exciting.  I practiced this look on myself and one of my classmates (not pictured)  because this was my first fashion show and I REALLY wanted to do a good job.

My search led me to Lisa Eldridge's tutorial on metallic smoky eyes, which absolutely stunning on her model but quite dark and unrefined on me.

Face:
.....I don't remember T___T

Eyes:
-UDPP
-Inglot eyeshadows in 63M and DS 500
-Micabella loose eyeshadow in Bronze
-Sugarpill Loose eyeshadow in Goldilux
-Inglot AMC Gel Liner in 77
-L'oreal Waterproof Carbon Black Mascara

Lips:
-Inglot lipstick in 264

Here is the original tutorial if you were interested:

Mini CCO and Lancome Haul (and rant)

Some time last month, I went to Vacaville Premium Outlets to do a bit of shopping with my boyfriend, but mostly to check out the Cosmetics Company Store (CCO) there.  I was absolutely bursting with excitement upon entering the store, but that slowly turned into disappointment and irritation the more time I spent in the store.

I was a bit disappointed in their selection, which is probably fortunate for my wallet.  I was most disappointed in the way some of the testers were handled as well as the customer service.  As I'm sure most of us here are beauty fanatics, we tend to like to swatch testers to see the real thang before we make a purchase.  I wanted to check out the Estee Lauder Double Wear Shadow Cremes as I only own one of them, but all their testers were tried out.  When I requested new testers, the SA refused because she said they had to leave the caps off and they would dry out anyway.  When I went to check out the MAC paint pots, however, all the caps were kept on and the products nice and creamy.  I'm not sure I understand what's going on here.

I think the atmosphere in the store was the most, suffocating and unpleasant.  I had such a wonderful experience at the CCO in Gilroy Premium Outlets that I had expected the same in this Vacaville location.  Couldn't be more wrong.  The SAs here seemed to have quite a snobbish attitude.  It probably didn't help that it was a very hot day and I was wearing minimal makeup and dressed very casually.  I had a feeling they thought I was not a serious buyer. The SAs there asked me continually if I had any questions or if I was finding everything all right.  Based on the tone and frequency they were asking, it sounded much more like they wanted to get rid of me rather than an invitation to ask questions.  I was thoroughly annoyed and irritated, but I still left the store with three purchases: Estee Lauder Double Wear Shadow Creme in Blue Velvet, MAC Paintpot in Pure Creation, and MAC eyeshadow in Dame's Desire.

Blue Velvet, Pure Creation, and Dame's Desire

Blue Velvet, Pure Creation, and Dame's Desire

Blue Velvet, Pure Creation, and Dame's Desire

Blue Velvet, Pure Creation, and Dame's Desire

I also stopped by DF & CCO to check out what they had for sale.  They change up their sales every two weeks.  I picked up Lancome's Star Bronzer, which I hoped would be a cheaper alternative for NARS Laguna bronzer.

When I was having my purchases rung up at CCO, I asked if there was makeup remover available.  The SA paused and told me there wasn't, but there was hand sanitizer I could use.  She knew that I wanted to remove the makeup swatches on the back of my hand, and I was really annoyed because I had a feeling she was lying to me.  Blah.  I will probably still return to this store because it's the closest to me, at about an hour's drive away.  It's somewhat close to my university where I completed my undergraduate studies so I'm most familiar with that road.  California has 8 CCO locations, which is the most out of any state in the United States.  If you live in the U.S. and would like to check for locations, you can click here.