Cool of beauty: Makeup Show

Showing posts with label Makeup Show. Show all posts

The Mixer

I purchased The Mixer at The Makeup Show and it was one of the purchases that excited me that most. I wanted to give myself a good amount of time to play with it before reviewing, and I'm finally ready to weigh in!

The Mixer is from Geri G Cosmetics and is touted as a "revolutionary makeup enhancer."

The Mixer ($29) can be used as a primer, brow and lash enhancer, to extend the wear of products and my preferred use, turning loose and powder products into creams. I purchased The Mixer because I love cream blushes and shadows and it would enable me to turn my favorite powder shades into long-wearing, water-resistant creams. It is also paraben-free and contains aloe, vitamins, natural botanicals, titanium dioxide for some sun protection, Nanomarine-5 and is said to be irritation free.

The product dispenses from the pump is a white cream with a bit of a waxy feel.

I pump a bit out onto my hand, add a bit of powder, mix with my fingers and apply. The Mixer has a bit of mica in it for added luminosity. It takes super-metallic and shimmery mineral shadows, like Alima Paris (below) and gives them more of a velvety finish. I then just apply with my fingers or a brush and the color sets for all-day wear.

With Mixer on the left, swatched alone on the right:

In natural light, no flash:

I've also used The Mixer to turn powder blushes into creams. I use the same technique as above. If you have problems with your blush lasting, this will make a big improvement. The Mixer also intensifies the color quite a bit, solving the problem if you have blushes that do not show up or are just a few shades too light.

Here is Bare Escentuals Golden Gate blush, alone on the left and with The Mixer on the right. With flash:

And here in natural light without flash:

So the good: The Mixer definitely adds versatility to my makeup collection and I love the ease of turning loose shadows and blushes into creams for easy application and water-resistant, long-lasting makeup. There's no learning curve and it allows you to completely control the depth of color and pigment level you achieve. Change product finishes and textures with ease.

And the bad: I have two big issues with The Mixer. First, it's highly fragranced. I didn't realize this at the show and would not have purchased it if I had. It's what is keeping me from recommending the product wholeheartedly. Fragrance is the last ingredient but I find the scent to be very strong and it takes a long time to dissipate. I'm very reluctant to use The Mixer to create eyeliners (one possible use I was most looking forward to trying) because I do not want to risk irritation by getting something this perfumed into my eyes. I cannot see what the purpose of having any fragrance in a product like this is, let alone one this strong. Though the brand claims that The Mixer has been allergy tested, is MD and Plastic Surgeon endorsed and is irritation free, those sensitive to fragrance should steer clear.

I also have issues with The Mixer balling up if I try to blend too much. Once the product has set, it's set, and any further blending can cause it to ball up or flake off.

The Mixer is also available in a kit with the M Brush, a little mixing spatula and an instructional DVD for $39.

My Haul From The Makeup Show-L'Oreal Gift Bag

L'Oreal had a both at the Makeup Show allowing their HiP line of products to be played with, but had nothing for sale. Instead, attendees left with extremely generous gift bags of full size products.

Magic Perfecting Base is a thick, creamy, silicone-based primer designed to smooth lines and hide pores. It blends on easily (I tried it under my undereye concealer) and has that velvety feeling typical of silicone primers. It is fragrance and paraben-free.

I was admittedly shocked by the pigment levels in the HiP Metallic Shadow Duos in Platinum and Gilded. They are very pigmented, very metallic and very cool! I'd have to blend these down quite a bit to wear to the office but they would be very fun for a night out. The lighter shades create a foiled look without needing to be used wet and the darker shades would be nice as a liner. I rarely buy drugstore makeup and had never tried HiP before but these are definitely impressive. If they had duos in more natural/me shades I would pick one up, despite finding the packaging overly and unnecessarily bulky.

HiP Color Presso glosses in Spunky and Chic were also included. The packaging on these is a little odd and takes some getting used to, since the two shades are in 2 separate chambers. You can squeeze just one tube for that color individually, or press both to release both colors which can be mixed on your lips. Both Presso and Chic blend to sheerish berries--the first cooler and the second with some warmth. They have a sweet smell and aren't too sticky on the lips. I don't have many berry shades and Chic looked very nice on! The tubes are cool looking but large and a little awkward to store or fit into a makeup bag.

These was also a Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black and the 24 Hour Lash Boosting Power System which contains a Double Extend Mascara and Lash Boosting Serum. I used Voluminous way back when and liked it but had never tried the Double Extend or the Serum.

I kind of just tossed these aside when I received them since I use only natural mascaras. With blond lashes I need to really work my mascara into the roots of my lashes and inevitably get mascara right on the underside of my lid. The idea of a multitude of chemicals being absorbed through a membrane line that really concerned me so I jumped on the "natural" mascara bandwagon early on, using Korres primarily but also Tarte. I had been happy with the look of both.

Last night I decided that it couldn't hurt just to try the Double Extend just once. I applied the white primer and then 2 coats of the mascara and had a total OMG moment. My lashes looked AMAZING. Unbelievably long and full, verging on fake, which is an amazing feat for my short, puny, blonde lashes. I've never been this impressed with a mascara. Now I'm torn--do I use the mascara chock full of parabens and other chemicals but makes my lashes unbelievable, or the less potentially harmful one that gives me merely nice ones? Hmmmm...

Here is the ingredient list for the set:

My Haul From The Makeup Show-Crown Brushes

The mass of people surrounding the Crown Brush display at The Makeup Show was so thick and so intense I feared that someone was going to get hurt, either from an elbows being inadvertently thrown or from one of the impatient shoppers experiencing trade show rage! Luckily, everyone seems to have made it out unscathed and I managed to snag a few brushes in the process.

Crown Brush has a vast selection and incredibly prices. You can order brushes from their open stock or have them create private line for you, complete with brand imprint. The brushes that I tried all felt incredibly soft and with so many different shapes to choose from, it's easy to find you have to have. For a mere $23, I was able to purchase 5 brushes--a thin liner brush (C170), domed blush brush (S205), flat top bronzer brush (C108), pointed crease brush (C139) and a short-handled powder brush (IB102).

I had been looking for a blush brush with domed bristled and had both Trish McEvoy and Bobbi Brown on my wishlist. This one is similar and was all of $6.

Here is the problem: I didn't notice at the time, but the brushes smell. Strongly and badly. I have washed them very well with all different shampoos and cleansers three times and spritzed them with Sephora brush cleanser and they still have an odor. The worst offenders are the blush and bronzer brushes. The powder brush, which is from the Italian Badger series, does not smell at all and all of the washing seems to have helped with the crease and liner brush. The blush and bronzer brushes are in the process of drying from their fourth bath, this time with dish soap, and I actually let them hang out in the soap for 10 minutes. Unfortunately if this doesn't work I don't think I can use them, but the total loss is under $12 and frankly my brush cup does runneth over:

Had the booth not been so crowded and had I been able to really see all of the line with care I likely would have detected the issue and not bought them. I would buy from the Italian Badger line again since I've had no problems at all with that brush and am impressed with it's feel and that there has been no shedding. Has anyone ever experienced anything similar from this or any other line? Any other ideas on how to fix this?

My Haul From The Makeup Show-Inglot

Inglot is a line that is new to me, but has been around for over 25 years. They have many boutiques around the globe, with a large number of them being is Australia and only one US outlet, located in Times Square. I was extremely excited when I learned that they would have a booth at the New York Makeup Show, as I've been interested in the line since I stumbled upon their website and, like many native NYCers, I avoid Times Square as much as humanly possible and a visit to the boutique could have been put off for months.

The line seems to be divided into two branches: the Freedom System and individual, a la carte products. The Freedom System allows users to put together their own palette with everything from eye shadows to lipstick. Palettes are magnetized and offer an almost infinite number of combinations. At the show, the wait to create a Freedom Palette was over an hour and so I concentrated on items more quickly and easily obtained!

Inglot's cream and liquid blushes drew my attention immediately. The creams are in small pots and come in 15 shades, all of which seem incredibly wearable. The texture stayed slightly dewy and blended effortlessly. The liquids have a thin, spreadable formula and appear much better on the skin than the Make Up For Ever's incarnation, which to my eye are too matte, dry and powdery. There are 8 liquid shades to choose from. Unfortunately, the area around the blushes was so crowded and cramped every time I went to play that I had a hard time trying everything and deciding what to buy. Many shades were missing from the display at any given time as other show-goers grabbed, dabbed and sampled them. When I do head to the Inglot store, the blushes will be at the top of my list of tings to try.

I did end up with an eye shadow and a lip gloss. The shadow, number 378, is from the matte range and is a deep, dark browned plum. I bought it to use as a cake eyeliner and it hasn't disappointed me. Mixed with a smidge of water it goes on dark and pigmented. The show price was $9.

The lip product is from the Sleeks CREAM Lip Paint line. Packaged like a lip gloss, the formula is very smooth with no stickiness at all. It applies like a liquid lipstick and leaves a nice stain behind. It is scented similarly to Hourglass glosses (think sweet cake batter) and has a doe foot applicator. The shade I purchased, 90, is perfect for summer. It's a vibrant corally rosy pink that I think would work on most skin tones. At $8 I consider i a great buy!

Shadow and Lip Paint:

Sleeks CREAM Lip Paint 90:

I look forward to trying more from Inglot, starting with the blushes. I appreciate that many items are paraben-free, reasonably priced and that the shade selection selection is vast. Their website lists store locations world wide.

Have you tried Inglot? What are your thoughts?

My Haul From The Makeup Show- Face Atelier Blush

Face Atelier Ultra Blush in Peach Glaze is your standard, talc-based powder blush in a gorgeous shade of pinky peach shot with gold. It's exactly the color to select to perk up your face after a sleep-deprived night, a long day at the office or on a dreary winter day.

The formula contains silicone which is designed to help the blush last longer and not settle into lines and creases. The company's website states that "Unlike a talc-based product that falls into creases or skin imperfections, Ultra Blush literally floats on the surface of the skin." However, the first ingredient is talc, making this a talc-based blush in my opinion. It also contains parabens for those interested, though it is cruelty-free.

Here is the blush compare to some similar shades, clockwise from top: Face Atelier Peach Glaze, Rock & Republic Call Me, Bobbi Brown Maui Illuminating Bronzer, Paul & Joe Face Color 16 Canyon.

I have no idea if it was the silicones but the blush applied nicely, blended easily, had good pigment and lasted all day. The shimmer added a glow without being over the top, always nice for a Monday morning! You also get a generous 7.5 grams for $25.

I Went To The New York Makeup Show Part 2

I made it my mission to see every line at the show, which was no small feat given the crowds. I also wanted to try and restrict my purchases to items that were either spectacular deals or from lines that I cannot easily access. I pretty much stuck with my goals and got to expand my makeup horizons!

*Alcone Company- the booth was always busy and mainly offered tools and supplies, not their makeup brands. A customer asked the rep how a Beauty Blender sponge differed from a regular one and the rep couldn't answer. I wanted to jump in and help! Luckily another customer did!

* Alison Raffaele Cosmetics- items were 40% off and so I picked up a concealer. I purchased this when it first came out years ago and didn't like it, but I'm hoping for better luck this time. A steal at 40% off (just $14). I was also impressed with how wonderful her kabuki felt. The packaging for this line has changed since it left Sephora and she no longer has the Lip Skins and shadows as part of the display.

* Arbonne International- I didn't realize that the whole line was organic and the textures felt very nice. This line is distributed similarly to Avon.

* Auraline Beauty- a wholesale line for independent branding, similar to Your Name. The bronzers were lovely and very inexpensive (we're talking $5 here) but the stock they shipped for the show hadn't arrived. I would have to return tomorrow to buy it which would mean another $50 entrance fee!

* Becca Cosmetics- they had the new palette and Beach tint. I only spent a few minutes there since I've gotten to play with the line extensively before. I didn't even check if they had a discount! I'm sad that their US distribution has dwindled so significantly.

* Crown Brushes- as I mentioned, one of the busiest booths. I picked up 5 brushes for only $23, including a liner brush, crease brush, bronzer brush, blush brush and powder brush! They all feel incredibly soft and are drying now for use tomorrow!

* Dermalogica- they didn't bring stock but were offering a 20% off online code.

* DEX New York- a mineral line with everything from foundations to eye shadows. The color items come only in palette form which I find to be a pain for travel so I didn't spend much time. DEX emailed me to let me know that the pans and palettes are magnetic, ensuring no mess during travel. The email intrigued me and led me to explore the brand's site. I learned that the mineral formulas are not only not bismuth-based, but contain peptides and 24k colloidl gold to treat the skin during wear. The line is also cruelty free and the Mineral Illuminator looks very interesting to this concealer junkie! I may have to stop by their studio one day!

* Egon Schiele Cosmetics - this is a very interesting line. The products are mineral based and all natural and the shades are lovely. The problem? I can't get passed the name! It's after an Austrian Expressionist, but to me it conjures up that dorky kid who did AV for school plays. They were offering a large discount but the booth wasn't busy. The blushes in particular was very pretty and there was a shadow I was eyeing.

* Embryolisse- one of the few skincare lines. They had well-priced kits.

* Eve Pearl- the prices were up to 60% off and Eve was doing demos, which I just noticed are already up on her website! I was debating the blush/bronzer/highlight trio but held off, and now I kind of regret it. Normally $36, it was only $20. I believe used it on me when I visited her studio not long ago and I think I remember really liking the look and convenience of all 3 shades together.

* Eye Kandy- a glitter eye shadow line. I'm pretty sure I'd get fired and/or mocked ceaselessly if I walked into work all a-glitter. Not my style but looked pretty!

* FACE Atelier- this brand is renowned for their foundation, and the lovely Lisaannie from Beauty Info Zone loves their lip gloss. You can read her review on Emakemeup.com here. This is another line where the shadows come in those plastic clamshells and you have to put them into palettes. It's too bad since they had a deep, dark brown cakeliner that looked like a fabulous color. I bought a blush in Peach Glaze which looks remarkably like every other peachy pink blush I own but I'm a creature of habit! Like a moth to a flame, I'm drawn to the same shades over and over. The blush was $15 and the line normally charges $25. This shade has a lot of gold shimmer and is very glowy.

* Frends Beauty Supply- another store that carries a variety of lines but was primarily offering tools.

* Geri G Cosmetics- this is a very interesting brand with only a few products, the star being something called Mixer, which I purchased. Mixer is a water-free, aloe-based product that can be used as a primer or to turn pressed items into cream formulations. It contains no oils that break down the formula like a moisturizer would. Geri even uses it as a lash primer before mascara since it makes anything mixed with it long lasting. It contains a bit of mica for a glow. Normally $29, this was $15 solo or $20 in a kit with Geri's signature brush. It's paraben-free, contains a natural sunscreen as well as some great botanicals. I have nothing else like this and am eager to start playing! While I didn't buy it, the brush is a unique shape and is designed to dry quickly. I find that taklon normally takes forever to dry so that would be a big improvement over regular synthetic brushes.

* Glimmer Body Art- temporary tattoos. Not my thing!

* Graftobian Makeup- a professional makeup line typically carried at beauty supply stores. They had already sold out of the cake liner I wanted before I got there! (as you can probably tell by now, I was on a cake liner mission)!

* Hakuhodo Usa- another brush line but significantly more expensive than Crown. They have a NARS Yachiyo dupe for those looking for a less expensive version. The brushes I did try felt fabulous.

* Inglot- this was one of the lines I was most excited about! They are hard to come by in the States but do have a store in the city (1529 Broadway @ 45th). The line is vast and you can either make your own palette (called the Freedom System) or buy from a separate set of products a la carte. Since the wait for making your own palette was oven an hour, I went with the latter option and bought a deep dark brown/plum shadow to use as an eyeliner and a fabulous summery pink with a hint of coral liquid lipstick from the line's Sleeks CREAM Lip Paint collection. Everything is extremely reasonably priced and as far as I could tell, wonderful quality. They have gorgeous, dewy cream blushes and liquid blushes in glass bottles with pumps, the texture of which seemed far superior to Make Up For Ever's. I am definitely going to visit their store for one of them. The shadow was $9 and the Lip Paint $8. It turns out the store is 2 blocks from my office and I never realized it existed. The majority of their outlets are in Australia, though all products are made in the EU. They also have a "breathable" nail polish but I couldn't get nail that display.

* Iredale Mineral Cosmetics- the Jane Iredale line most of us have seen before. They didn't have the full collection, just the new items (which looked very warm and very pretty) and a foundation kit.

* JAO- hand sanitizer. I'm fine with my CVS brand. I remember this line being sold on QVC eons ago.

* Kett Cosmetics- an airbrush line. I couldn't believe how many lines were selling air brush machines.

* Korres- the Lip Butters will be available in stick form in August! I love them put hate the idea of stickig my fingers into the pots over and over.

* L’Oreal- they gave out the most amazing gift bags and had the entire HiP line to try but not buy. I still haven't forgiven them for my hair debacle and wish the new eye lash serum was paraben-free, but the swag was the most generous there.

* Lord & Berry- I used to buy this at Harmon as a high schooler! With all of the other reasonably priced brands there I didn't give this one much attention.

* Luminess Air- more airbrush.Not only were many lines offering a system, many were being purchased.

* MAC Cosmetics- just some Pro items. They were body painting models all day and doing the most amazing job. I heard several people remark that they had no idea the "clothes" the models were wearing were really just makeup!

* Mai Couture- bronzers and blushes in blotting paper format. I haven't decided if it's gimmicky or a great idea.

* Makeup Mania- just a small booth. They offered a discount code for their new website.

* Make Up For Ever- holy moly the line! It was wrapped around the Pavillion the entire time. You had to wait just to get near the products let alone purchase. They were offering a 40% discount which explains it I suppose.

* Mehron- I've heard raves for the cream blushes but none of the shades appealed to me, especially after seeing Inglot. Also some neat looking cream shadows.

* Model in a Bottle- several different sprays for setting makeup.

* Myrabelle Products- this line offers a mascara shield to prevent mascara for getting on the lids during application.

* Naked Cosmetics- pigments and mixing solutions.

* Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics- nails polishes, Lip Tars, more airbrushing!

* RICKY’S NYC - Mattese Elite- this line is sold a Ricky's, a drugstore chain in NYC. It's good quality and well priced. They only had the basics with them but the line is much more extensive in store.

* Senna Cosmetics- 20% discount and Eugenia was there. It wasn't the whole line, just a few display units. They were offering free glosses and li liners but since they weren't shades I'd wear, I'd pass. I ws tempted but abstained.

* shu uemura- I was surprised to see them offering both the hair and color collections since they are pulling the color line from US distribution (it will still be available on their website). The booth was never as crowded as some of the others.

* Smashbox- offered Smashbox "Pro" items which were basically kits containing existing products, but at great prices.

* Temptu PRO- more airbrushing!

* Three Custom Color Specialists- select items from the line. I love this line and wish it garnered more acclaim. I wonder if it's another one hurt by their choice of name? Everything I've tried has been wonderful. I believe this discount was 30%

* Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics- one of the original mineral lines. Their glosses have a great texture but I couldn't find a shade I liked. I find this to be a well-edited, sophisticated line and would definitely pick u a lipstick or blush in the future, particularly to mix with my Geri G Mixer. I typically find loose powder blushes messy but this would solve the issue.

I'm very happy with everything I purchased (including the overpriced $8 slice of vegetable quiche from the concession). I am having some slight regrets about not getting the Eve Pearl Bronzing Trio and more Inglot. I'm going to have to make a pilgrimage there soon, on a day when I can take my time and will not be bumped and banged and elbowed by other eager shoppers. I'll post pictures of my haul as soon as possible! Darn Amazon taking their sweet time shipping my camera! I'd expect the crowds to be much thinner tomorrow given that it's a week day and many people will be a work. It may be an ideal time to go if you're on the fence.

I Went To The New York Makeup Show!

The Makeup Show is a cosmetic wonderland! It's a trade event designed to bring together existing brands like MAC, Smashbox, and Shu Uemura, with pro only brands and up and coming lines. There are new product introductions, discounts, seminars, demonstrations and workshops.

The event is being held today and tomorrow, 9AM-6PM. Tickets are $50 a day online and more at the door. I've been eagerly anticipating this day for weeks and it finally happened! For those of you familiar with NYC events and sample sales, the venue was the Metropolitan Pavillion, ensuring that there was plenty of room for the multitude of brands in attendance. Almost every brand had items for sales (most at a discount) and the ones who didn't were giving out gift bags and online promo codes. The L'Oreal gift bags were phenomenal and mine included:

Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black
24 Hour Lash Boosting Power System featuring Double Extend Mascara and Concentrated Lash Boosting Serum
2 HiP Eye Shadow Duos in Platinum and Gilded
2 HiP Color Presso Gloss Duos in Spunky and Chic
Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base

The biggest problem was the sheer number of people who attended! I was surprised at the number of "civilians" like me, non-professionals/non-artists who simply wanted the experience. Many of the booths were so jam packed that it was impossible to even see the products let alone try and buy them. A booth would be crammed so I'd walk around to another one to kill some time and then double back. A lot of products sold out and there was quite a bit of pushing and shoving going on! The busiest displays by far was Inglot (they had a massive set up, easily one of the largest, and allow you to make your own palette, Crown Brushes (high quality brushes at unbelievably god prices) and Make Up For Ever (the line to even approach the counter snaked all the way around the building for the entire 3.5 hours I was there. I never even got close).

This is the list of brands in attendance. The names should be clickable allowing you to visit each brand's site:

I was hoping that my new camera would be here in time to show up my purchases, but alas, it's not. I gave myself a $200 budget and was very good! I share what I learned, thought and bought in a little bit!

For anyone who will be able to go tomorrow, you can click here for information on the show and to purchase tickets. It was absolutely worth the $50. Not only was a good time and a great experience, but between the freebies and discounts you can easily recoup that amount.

Did anyone else attend the show? What did you think?

Makeup Show

Parts

Popular Posts