Need A Makeup Fix

Monday, November 15, 2010

IMATS Toronto

Hola chicas...long time no blog!! I hope everyone is well and getting ready for the holiday season!! My family and I had an early Thanksgiving last night since we won't all be together on Thanksgiving Day! It was a yummy dinner. Needless to say, I think I gained about 5 pounds! Anyway...

I wanted to tell you all about my first experience at IMATS. For those of you who don't know what IMATS is; IMATS stands for International Makeup Artist Tradeshow. This event takes place in several cities across the globe. The cities are London, Los Angeles, Toronto, New York, Vancouver, and Sydney. I believe those are the only cities, but don't quote me on it. You can always check out Makeup Artist Magazine for more information. My daughter and I attended the IMATS Toronto show on November 6th. Toronto is only about 3 1/2 hours from where we live in Michigan. My daughter thought it was the coolest thing ever to cross the border to Canada!

To tell you a little bit about IMATS, the tradeshows are set up in such a fashion that you can purchase makeup and skincare products from several different companies at a discounted price. Each company/vendor has its own booth with a display of items they are selling. You pretty much walk from booth to booth and purchase what you like. There are some brands sold at IMATS that you may find at your local department store, such as NARS, Stila and MAC, but overall, the companies that are represented, are companies that aren't commercialized (is that a word?). These companies may be smaller companies or companies that are specifically targeting makeup artists...or MUA wannabe's like me! LOL!!!

While all of the shopping is taking place, there are also seminars/workshops going on at the different stages/rooms. There are many different topics that are covered. Some of the topics covered on the day I was there are: Complexion Perfection, Runway Trends, Airbrush for Runway, etc. Some of the speakers/attendees you may know from youtube: EnKore, Pursebuzz, Kandee Johnson, Eve Pearl, etc.

So let me just tell you...when I walked in, I felt like I had just walked into heaven. I heard harps playing and angels singing. OH MY WORD!!!! There were just lots of booths...makeup, brushes, etc. just everywhere. I really thought I had died and gone to heaven! Okay, I am exaggerating a little! HA!

NYX booth! I think it was the BIGGEST one!

I tried to get into the Youtube Q&A that Kandee Johnson was doing. It must have just started when I got there. It was so crowded, so I moved on. I did get a pic of her on stage. Here it is!!

I think I need to adjust my camera...the date was actually 11/6.

So the first stop I made was at the Crown Brush station. It was a huge booth. I've never seen so many makeup brushes in my life...and get this! The majority of the brushes were between $3 and $9 AND they are great quality!! Can you believe that? I picked up several brushes and paid about $27. That's how much I paid for 1 of my MAC brushes. Here's a pic of what I got!

The one on the far right is a great dupe for the MAC 217

While I was back at the Crown Brush booth, my daughter and I had the opportunity to meet Koren from EnKore Makeup and Elessa from Pursebuzz. They were both so nice and sweet...just like they are on youtube. Here are some pics!!

Koren (EnKore Makeup) and Me

My daughter Taylor, Pursebuzz and Me

I tried to stop at every booth, but couldn't really get in to see much because there were SO MANY PEOPLE there. I really wanted to check out the Obessive Compulsive Booth, Yaby and some others, but again, there were so many people there, and I'm not one to push my way up! It's just not my style! I'm too nice I guess!

In addition to the brushes I mentioned above, I picked up a few Ben Nye Items, Face Atelier Foundation, and NYX eyelashes. I was on a very tight budget that weekend, so unfortunately that's all I got. I will start preparing for next year!! I'll be coming home with suitcases full of makeup.

Ooh....last but not least, I had an opportunity to meet Kandee Johnson. If you guys haven't watched her videos on youtube, please go check her out. Not only is she a super talented makeup artist; she is one of the sweetest, most kindhearted individuals on the face of this planet. Anyway, there was a GINORMOUS line of people waiting to meet her and there is no secret as to why? She's amazing!! My daughter and I waited for about an hour...maybe longer. Kandee was super sweet. She told me that I don't look old enough to have a 12 year old daughter! Um...I love her even more now! Here's our pic!!

Taylor, Kandee and Me

Overall, I had a great time at IMATS and plan on attending again. I would love to go to the one in LA next summer. We shall see!!

Until next time...

Jackee

Saturday, November 13, 2010

It's been awhile....

Ahem...testing testing 123...

Hey ladies! It has been quite awhile since I posted. I am so sorry I haven't posted anything in so long. I've been super busy with work, home, kids, etc., and unfortunately it's been hard to find the time to blog. I am really going to make an effort to post more often.

I have so much to share with you all. Let's see!! I went to IMATS Toronto last weekend, I won the Flirt IT Girl of the Month Contest, I won a blog giveaway....and I just received my prize today.....oh, there is so much more to share!!

I really hope you are all doing well!!! Be on the lookout tomorrow for IMATS posting!! I'm back!!!

Talk you all soon!

Jackee

Sunday, October 17, 2010

FOTD - Cult of Cherry Tempting Quad

Hola Chicas!

Just wanted to share yesterday's look with you. I pulled out another oldie but goodie...the MAC Cult of Cherry -Tempting Quad. It had been forever since I last used it. Hope you like it!!

I didn't get any good full face shots! Boo!!!

Face

Tarte Clean Slate Primer
MAC Pro Longwear Foundation
Eve Pearl Salmon Concealer
Lancome Dual Finish Powder (Product I will no longer purchase since Lancome tests on animals)
Cinema Secrets Blush - Adobe
Sugar Tropic Tan Bronzer

Eyes

Maybeline Define A Brow Pencil (Product I will no longer purchase since they test on animals)
Benefit FYEye Primer
MAC Paintpot - Cult of Cherry Tempting Quad

Sharp - lid and lower lashline over Paint Pot
Tempting - above Sharp and crease
Dark Edge - outer crease and over Sharp on lower lashline
Next To Nothing - Highlight

MAC Pharaoh Paint Pot - lower lashline
L'oreal Lineur Intense Liquid Liner - Carbon Black (Product I will no longer purchase since they test on animals)
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner - Zero Waterline
Rimmel The Max VolumeFlash Mascara (upper lashes) (Product I will no longer purchase since they test on animals)
Maybeline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous Mascara (Product I will no longer purchase since they test on animals)

Lips

Ulta lipliner - Flesh

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Review - MAC Pro Longwear SPF 10 Foundation

It's been awhile ladies. Sorry for the delay in getting this review out to you. I've been super busy with work, kids, etc. Anyway, I'm back with my review of the MAC Pro Longwear Foundation.

Here's the description directly from the MAC Cosmetics website:

A long-wear foundation that gives up to 15 hours of wear in any environmental condition. Lightweight and creamy, applies smoothly to provide sheer to medium coverage. Even in hot and humid conditions, controls oil to keep skin fresh, natural and flawless. Provides everyday SPF protection.

Retails for US$29.50 for 30ml/1.0 US fl oz.

My Thoughts
I've been using this foundation now for about three weeks and I have to say I REALLY REALLY like it. It works great for my Normal/Oily skin.

Packaging
The packaging is wonderful. The foundation comes in a glass bottle with a pump. Having a pump is great because not only is it more sanitary, but it allows you to use the amount of product you actually need versus pouring out what you think you might need only to find that you poured too much and now you can't get the dang stuff back in the bottle! What a waste of product! Holy run on sentence, but you know what I'm talking about! We've all been there. HA!!

Application
Okay so now for the application. Well, this is where there is a little work involved. The formula is a little on the dry side and takes a bit of work to blend out. Also, it dries very quickly, so you have to work as quickly as possible to blend. Perhaps spraying a little MAC Fix Plus might do the trick. I haven't tried that yet, as I haven't had TOO much trouble. The coverage is medium to full coverage, depending on your preference. I find that what works best for me is applying a primer (after moisturizer, of course) and then applying the foundation with a MAC 109 Brush. I tried the MAC 187 and I felt the application was too difficult. I also tried applying the foundation with my fingers and didn't like that either.

Staying Power
Okay, I don't know about 15 hours because I haven't done an official test, but this foundation DOES stay on for a long time (8-10 Hours) and works great for oily skin. Well, at least for my normal/oily skin. I normally have to blot several times a day and apply powder, but with this foundation, I blot maybe twice (if that) and there is not much oil. As a result, I don't even apply powder after blotting. This foundation delivers great results!!

Overall
I give this foundation 5 handbags!! HA!! I think it's great and provides perfect coverage for me. I will definitely purchase this foundation again. I do not recommend this to someone who has dry skin. I think it will only accentuate the dryness of your skin. I do, however, recommend this to those who have normal, oily and normal/oily skin.

If I had to compare it to another foundation, I would have to say that it reminds me a lot of Revlon Colorstay Foundation. The formulas are both on the dry side, although MAC Pro Longwear is A LOT drier. Both foundations require that you work quickly with blending and both give long lasting coverage.

Two of the major differences are price and smell. While MAC Pro Longwear retails for $29.50, Revlon Colorstay retails approximately between $10.00 and $12.99, depending on where you go. As for the smell, Revlon Colorstay smells like paint while MAC Pro Longwear doesn't have a strong odor. In fact, I don't notice any particular smell with this foundation.

I hope this review has been helpful. Let me know if you've tried MAC Pro Longwear and what you think of it. I would love to hear from you guys!!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Testing on Animals

If you read my blog, you know that I absolutely love animals. I’ve always had a soft spot for them. When I was a little girl, I used to bring the stray cats and dogs home and hide them in my closet in the hopes that my parents would not find out. Just a couple of years ago I found an injured squirrel and took it home. I spent hours trying to find a wildlife rescue organization that could take the squirrel since I didn’t know what to do. Those are just a couple of things I have done for animals. I could go on and on! I wonder why I just didn’t go into Veterinary Medicine or something along those lines! Hmmm! I still think about switching careers. Who knows?

Anyway, the reason for this post is that I have decided to stop purchasing products, including beauty products, from companies who test on animals. I’ve been giving this a lot of thought and after reading about some of the awful things that some of these poor little critters go through in testing labs, I just can’t do it!

I’ve always known about animal testing, but never really stopped to think about it in detail. What really happens? What conditions are these animals living in? Are they in pain? Are they loved and cared for? Is it really necessary to test on animals? I mean, really? It’s 2010 and I am sure there are other ways to test products, chemicals, etc. in ways that do not involve animals.

Just recently, I received a Tweet from PETA about an undercover investigation that took place for nine months in a rural North Carolina lab. This particular lab tested insecticides and other chemicals on animals. These poor animals were in cages and endured some painful procedures. They were left with sores, infections, etc., and were never treated. In addition, the workers at the lab treated them so badly. They yelled at them and dragged them across the floor. UGH! Reading this article just made me sob! There was a link to video footage, but I couldn’t watch it. I WOULDN’T watch it! How could this happen? Why?

A week after I received the Tweet I mentioned above, PETA sent out another tweet! One week after the PETA Investigation information was released, the lab CLOSED. There were approximately 200 cats and dogs surrendered. You have no idea how happy that made me. Again….I was in tears, but this time it was tears of joy! Maybe just maybe, those animals will receive the care they need and will be adopted into forever homes where they will be loved and cared for.

I know everyone is entitled to make their own choices in what products they use. I’m not here to preach to anyone. I just wanted to share this personal choice with you all. Perhaps it might get you to think about this topic a little more.

This is just the tip of the iceberg for me. There are still so many things I could be doing or not doing to protect animals. Every little step counts. This is where my journey begins!

Click on the image below for more information on companies that do and that don’t test on animals!!

Monday, September 27, 2010

What Happens When I'm Bored

Hola Chicas! I was bored yesterday afternoon so of course, what did I do? Yay! Played with makeup! Anyway, I don't know what this is, but it was fun creating it! The first pic doesn't have the gold on the design. I added it later and you can see it in the 2nd pic.

The color I used is actually blue, but the camera picked up purple???? Not sure why. I used MAC Mineralize Trio - Inter-View. I'll add the rest later. It's storytime for my 3 year old!!! =0)

Sunday, September 26, 2010

FOTD - Sassy Green

Hola Chicas!!

Hope you've had a nice weekend!!! Here is yesterday's FOTD. Hope you like!!