I have been in an absolute glittery makeup wonderland the past week and a half, and stocked up on some serious makeup kit must-haves, as well as some inspiration and learning! First was The Makeup Show Pop Up Shop in San Francisco, followed immediately by the Make Up For Ever Pro Takeover in San Jose!
As I mentioned in my recap of the PHAMExpo (Professional Hair and Makeup Expo), one of the things that I love about these events is the inspiration from seeing so many makeup artists with incredible, beautiful makeup on their faces!
I also love the pro and tradeshow discounts we get… And of course, I took advantage of them!
Here’s my unboxing… Or unbagging, since I brought stuff home from the show in bags! This time, I focused on upgrading and streamlining my makeup kit with some serious must-haves for any pro makeup artist!
How hilarious is that screen grab YouTube chose?
It seems like I go to the shows and have phases… I will go to several shows in a row and not spend TOO much money. Then, every couple years, I make some big investments into my career. This is one of those years! Great for my kit, less so for my wallet, but I find that I usually recoup my money quickly when I invest in myself!
My intention was to take pictures of all the items I got for the blog, but then I had the opportunity to recoup said investment and had to re-organize my kit right away, so I guess the stock photos will have to do (Thanks, Frends, for the stock photos!)!
You may remember the beautiful purple Zuca bag I was lusting over at Phame…
Well, guess what? It’s mine! I special ordered it from Frends, which is once again, the business I worked for at TMS SF – since Phame was so much fun!
So my main, biggest purchase was the new case, which I am loving… It’s all a part of streamlining my kit so it’s lighter and more compact! Reorganizing my makeup into a smaller space has been quite the challenge, but it really makes me prioritize what I actually need to bring with me on all jobs (i.e. the makeup kit must-haves), versus some things that I could leave behind on most jobs – for example, I won’t likely use glitter eyelashes on the male CEO of a startup!
In addition to that, I got something else I had been lusting over for a while – this Viseart palette!
It goes right along with my focus this season of streamlining my kit. These are essential matte shades every artist needs, and they are fantastically pigmented and work beautiful!
I’m so excited to try it! If I love it as much as I think it will, I will be getting some of the other palettes as well!
Not as sexy or glamorous of a purchase, but I also got a couple of these Vuesets to move my lipsticks into. I have them currently in some pill organizers, but this will streamline them even further, which I am excited about!
On many of my jobs, I do the work off-set in a designated area for makeup and wardrobe, and then hang out where the action is happening with a few select parts of my kit so I can fix hair, reduce shine, and touch up lips… I HAD been trying to carry it all around in my brush belt, arms, and pockets, usually setting a couple things on a nearby table, but I am excited that I finally invested in a solution – a set bag!
This is something I SERIOUSLY should have bought years ago!
If you haven’t gathered from the silly screen capture from my YouTube video of my unboxing, I also got a RCMA no-color powder. I have heard amazing things about it, and am excited to see that it has no cast! When I was first starting, I actually had issues a couple times with powders creating a white cast on set, so I am excited that this is TRULY no color!
Because I loved what I got at PHAME, I also had to get some more Z Palettes and false lashes!
In the next addition of “things I’ve been lusting over forever, I also grabbed a new PURPLE brush set from Bdellium!
It was also time to replenish my blush!
Temptu stop – new airpods, airbrush cleaner, and their new Hydra Lock Foundations!
And finally, a static nails reusable manicure!
Aside from restocking and upgrading my kit with makeup kit must-haves, I also love learning at makeup shows, however when I work at the Frends booth, this is not a possibility! I made up for it easily by attending a day of training that following Tuesday at the Make Up For Ever boutique in San Jose with classes from three amazing artists, including one I have been following on instagram forever – I LOVE his work!
The classes I took were “Add and Subtract,” which was about highlighting and contouring. I learned a couple tips in this one that were not really related to highlighting and contouring, so even though I didn’t have too much interest in the topic and didn’t really learn much about highlighting and contouring from the class, it was still worth it!
The second class was one I was really looking forward to and wanted to take for a really long time since I first learned about it. It was about Color Theory (a good reminder helps!) and how to use the Flash Palette to do basically anything! The flash palette is definitely a makeup kit must-have!
Thanks to this class, I can use the flash palette (thing above) to make ANY foundation color! They do have a foundation flash palette, and another flash palette that I also own, so having all three in my kit is perfect – especially in the event that I need to do hand-applied makeup instead of airbrush.
I don’t always have access to electricity and haven’t bought a battery powered airbrush – yet!
The third and fourth classes were taught by one of my artist crushes – Nick Lujan. The first was called “Better with Age” and was about tips on how to work with older clients. I think it was geared toward those who do bridal makeup and work on mothers, grandmothers of the bride and groom, but I found some of the tips helpful, because I have worked on people in their late 80s – like Brent Musberger, and the 86-year old breast cancer survivor I worked with for an insurance magazine!
The other class he taught was one I didn’t think I would love as much, but did! It was called “Halloween Hacks,” and he dove into some of MUFE’s SFX stuff and how to use it! And of course, the flash palette was featured!
Here’s the snapchat highlights, minus my picture of the program and the space where the class was done (I forgot to save my story in time)!
While I don’t plan on making a career in SFX makeup by any means, I know his tips will be helpful. I have had to turn down some jobs for movies and shows locally because I wasn’t confident in my ability to make a wound, and now I feel empowered to do it, once I’ve had a little practice!
Now I am extra psyched to try all of my new products and skills! As I try the products (and some I still need to review from Phame), I will report back to you via the blog to show you how I like them! I also have quite a few paid product reviews coming up as well, so stay tuned! 💜
Have you used any of my new items? If so, what did you think? If not, which sounds most exciting to you? Which of my four makeup classes would you be most interested to take?
xoxo,
Mandie
P.S. If this post interests you, but scares you a bit… I wrote a makeup book with basic skills for beginners, plus practical makeup looks you can actually use! Get the details here!
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