So eyes are my favourite part of my face to make up. There are so many possibilities, colour combinations, textures etc. But for those that are beginners, or those who don’t have a lot of time, just a few simple steps could give you a polished look.
The Brows
Before I get into eyes, I have to speak of the eyebrows. Your eyebrows are absolutely important as they frame the eyes and the face. It’s one of the first places that people see. Many people have their brows shaped via threading, waxing or tweezing but really and truly, combing your eyebrows will make them look groomed. This is where a spoolie or eyebrow comb comes in handy. I think the metal brow combs are the way to go! The plastic ones break every 5 mins! Also get a shape that suits the way the hair grows, eye shape etc. Overly plucked brows are a no-no!
But before I get to that, let me talk about the event held Saturday night by Erin a.k.a Scandalous Beauty. This was a meet and greet at the Taj II lounge in Chelsea. A very relaxed, chill event where I got to meet some people that I have been watching on YouTube since I discovered it, including Erin from Scandalous Beauty, Cindy aka DRBrooklyn730, Aina from Lacquerholic and Ivette from Girl Can Paint. Also met some fashion and music bloggers, photographers from all across the East Coast and it was great interacting with such a diverse crowd. This was just a preview of things to come!!
I was not 100% sure of what to expect of The Makeup Show, so I bought a ticket for only one of the two days. Note to self: Make sure yuh buy ah ticket for de two days nex’ year. It’s absolutely worth it!!!!!!!!
This is an event held yearly in NYC by the Powder Group and Michael DeVellis. There are other shows hosted in other cities like Miami, L.A. and Chicago. Check the Powder Group’s website for details.
The NYC version is the biggest trade event for makeup artists, makeup brands, bloggers and enthusiasts. I got there at about 9:20 am and there was already a line outside the Metropolitan Pavilion!!! Once inside, I literally was blown away! Many of the top makeup brands had booths: M.A.C. Pro, Make Up For Ever, Inglot, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, Eve Pearl, Smashbox Pro. There were some lesser known brands like Yaby and Youngblood. Airbrush company Temptu Pro, well known professional lines Mehron and Graftobian, Crown Brushes and Nigel’s Beauty Emporium also made appearances.
This was an amazing experience!!!! So many people, all different styles of makeup, body painting. I was in awe!! I was able to learn a lot of little tricks and tips. I was able to see how other famous makeup artistes worked and watched them create, in my opinion, gorgeous results that seem so effortless. I hope that one day, I could attain that level of skill!!! I walked around in circles just looking at all that makeup and products. MUFE had a perpetual line for their cashiers, like 30 people deep! All day long….
As I watched the rain pelting down in Port-of-Spain, as 2009 slowly draws to a close, I began to think about all the wonderful and not so wonderful things that have come out in the past year. In a tough economic climate, I had to be very selective about the products that I purchased. I cut down A LOT on my spending on makeup, haircare and bodycare. So here are the things that survived the cut in 2009 and that I thought were great products.
Maybelline Lash Stiletto
M.A.C. Mineralized Eye Shadow in Cinderfella (They did a really great job at this formula, it’s perfect for a festive Old Year’s/New Year’s fete!)
M.A.C. Greasepaint Paintstick
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Uber
NARS Blush in Crazed
Kinky Curly Come Clean
Qhemet Biologics Amla & Olive Heavy Cream
Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade
And all that purple that reigned!!! (Seriously, I have an all purple wardrobe complete with matching makeup and nail colour!)
All of Zoya’s MatteVelvet polishes
So my list is kinda short, but I’ll fix that in 2010!!!! I definitely hope that I could branch out even more and discover more brands especially natural/organic ones!
So what made your list in 2009??? What do you hope the companies come out with in 2010?
Yesterday The Powder Group presented their first TPG Pop-Up Shop at the new home for Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics! I had been waiting for OCC to open their doors and I have not made it to the Makeup Show, so I went there for a preview. There were a variety of brands available for sale at discounted prices including TPG makeup bags, Stila and of course OCC. James Vincent, who is a MAJOR (!), in the makeup world was there and also the founder of OCC, David Klasfeld. I took the opportunity to finally get my hands on the oh-so-popular Lip Tars. Can I say…..they are they most highly, crazily pigmented lip products eva!!!! They come in these cute tubes that look kinda small, but when I say a drop of the Lip Tar is too much–you know what I am talking about! They could literally last a lifetime. They may actually stain the skin, it’s like pure pigment in a tube, and the formula is 100% vegan. I picked up Uber, which is a cool, creamy, milk chocolate with some grey mixed in. I am always on the lookout for the perfect nude lip. The formula is fantastic, not sticky, super smooth, highly pigmented and there is a hint of peppermint. I wore Uber with some M.A.C. Clear Lipglass, and I liked it! I definitely have to go back and get Katricia (a sick purple!!!), Plum and the Clear Lip Tar. I also picked up one of the loose pigments in Auric. Lately I have been on the hunt for gold eyeshadows. I have bronzes, champagnes and taupes but surprisingly no true golds. Again Auric is light to medium gold – very pretty, very finely milled and densely pigmented. Love it! I will definitely have to work this into my Christmas looks!
I was really glad for this Pop-Up and I hope they continue it throughout the year. And I definitely need to make it to the Makeup Show!
For more information,
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
121 West 27th Street – Suite 1200
NY, NY 10001
212-675-2572 www.occmakeup.com
So I’m a M.A.C. fiend, but I’m having a lot of fun discovering other brands. One of the hottest makeup lines out there is Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. OCC is a vegan-friendly, cruelty-free professional makeup artists line and they are best known for their uber-popular LIp Tars. These tars or glosses are made to be mixed with each other for customized lip colours so you find the colours are very intense, and are not really made to be worn by themselves. A very little goes a loooooong way and the chemist in me absolutely cyah wait to start mixing! They also make loose colour pigments, nail polishes, complementary lip balms and airbrush sets.
So I just got word that they may be coming to the Big Apple. They are supposed to be opening up shop on 27th Street and its going to open to the public!!!!! OMG! I’ll keep you posted!!!!
OCC is also available in Trinidad, at Katrianna’s Makeup Studio, 9 St. Ann’s Road, St. Ann’s, Tel: (868) 682-7758.
For more information on OCC, check out their website at occmakeup.com
