- Working in L.A.: The “Working In” series is a staple of the Powder Group’s education series. Personally, having worked my whole career in Los Angeles, I think L.A. is a tricky market and I was interested to hear what the panelists – Koren Zander & Bryin Smoot – both freelance artists along with Lori Taylor, in-house artist for Smashbox Cosmetics and Sarah Lucero, lead artist for Stila Cosmetics) and facilitated by makeup artist James Vincent – would have to say about it. I would have changed the format for this workshop just a bit. The panelists were obviously highly knowledgable, however there was no directed line of conversation. The floor was, instead, immediately opened for questions and as such the questions directed the flow of the seminar. Most of the questions were quite basic – which is fine because people are there to learn – but for artists like my friend who I was with who has already gotten herself firmly implanted on agency assist lists and is working jobs via agents as well as her own Key jobs and is definitely a more intermediate level artist – there wasn’t a whole lot of new information. Not to mention more established artists like myself (but really, I was there more in Blogger capacity). I think there is just an underlying assumption that artists at these shows are complete newbies and that’s not the case so I’d still like to see the shows develop more content for intermediate and advanced – working – artists.

Exhibitors/Shopping:
The floor was jam packed with tempting goodies. I managed to just take a walk-thru and not spend every dime I had right off the bat but here are a few of the folks I plan to go back to today;

- Korres: Y’all know how much I love Korres so ’nuff said there, but they had their fabulous Provitamin Mascara there at a show price as well as some new items I’ve not tried yet. Trade shows are a great time to try new products at great prices, and Korres is one of the few naturally derived lines that works well for both personal and professional use. If you aren’t hip to Korres already, be sure to check them out!

- Ingot: I couldn’t get to a person to get actual assistance so I’ll have to go back today but in addition to their vast array of products they have something called a “Freedom Palette” that I need to go investigate.

- Yaby: Disclaimer – Liz Yu, founder of Yaby, is a friend. However, her line is great so I don’t have to feel guilty about being completely biased. I am giving myself a late pass for just now discovering the fabulous Pearl Paint eyeshadows but I’ll be rectifying that by buying the palette today.

and the Big Winner:

-I Nuovi: I teach periodically at the MKC Academy and founder Margaret Kimura is the new Creative Director for I-Nuovi cosmetics, so I wanted to check the line out. I haven’t been this impressed with a line in a long, long time. Beautiful colors, beautiful textures, beautiful pigmentations (all the colors showed true and beautiful on my dark skintone), an impressively comprehensive array of products… I’ll be real I felt about I-Nuovi the way I thought I was going to feel about Inglot. I was completely blown away by this new line and I think I Nuovi has definite Cult Status potential.

So what does the Makeup Show have to offer? Like most Trade shows, The Makeup Show is a combination of classes and industry-specific exhibitors. Unlike other trade shows, however, the classes are seamlessly integrated into the exhibition space and most of them are included in the entrance price to the show (the Hands-On/Master classes are separate and carry an additional fee). In my opinion this is really key because as fun as the shopping is at a Trade show – and it is fun, let me tell you – the most important thing an artist can get out of a show is really the education. Newbie or old saw, we all need to stay on top of what’s current in our industry and we can all stand to learn some new techniques and information. Some of the floor workshops that caught my eye are;

• HD Makeup for Print Media Covers – Mary Erickson for Graftobian
Mary is a long-time artist and a mentor to many of us who work in the So Cal market. Her store, Camera Ready Cosmetics, has become one of the online go-to shopping venues for professional artists. (And I love Graftobian HD foundations and their dual finish powder foundations)

Working in LA – Presented by The Powder Group
Let’s be real; Having pretty pictures and a website is nice, but the goal is to get people to hire you. Each market has it’s own quirks and LA is one of the trickiest, IMO so this is a great opportunity to learn how to navigate this marketplace.

The Bulletproof Bride: Durable Bridal Makeup – Kevin James Bennett for Make Up For Ever
In today’s market, most artists are going to start out their career at least partially with Bridal clients. Thinking long-term, however, these techniques are beneficial not only for artists who do bridal but later in your career if you start doing events and Red Carpet, that makeup has to last all night long…

Strengthening Your Online Presence – Victoria Stiles for The Powder Group
I’m definitely attending this workshop. If there is one area of the business that has changed the most, it’s how the internet and specifically Social Media have changed promotion and marketing in this business. I warn you now; Keep up or be left behind.

In addition to the floor workshops, there is full schedule of Keynote speakers (featuring heavy-hitters such as Eve Pearl and Joanna Schlip) as well as a multitude of fantastic hands-on workshops taking place both days, so be sure to check the schedule and see which ones strike your fancy (my makeup buddy Kathy Aragon is teaching two classes. Go Kat!).

On the shopping end there are too many exciting vendors (Becca, Stila, Korres, Smashbox) and too many exciting things to go into (apparently MUFE is introducing Hi-Def Blush!!!). I’ll be covering most of that after the show, after I’ve had a chance to use the new products. However I do want to specifically point out that Inglot Cosmetics is going to have a booth at this year’s show. If memory serves they were in attendance last year, but not selling product. What’s the big deal? Inglot is one of the new “it” lines from Europe currently sweeping the makeup landscape. Their products are highly pigmented and come on a vast array of beautiful colors and textures. The rub? Inglot isn’t available anywhere on the West Coast yet. In fact, they aren’t available anywhere in the US except the one store they’ve opened in New York city. Hopefully this will change soon but in the meantime, us West Coast glamazons will have to get our Inglot while the gettin’ is good!

This Fashion Week marked a couple of significant changes in the fashion landscape – one bittersweet and one tragic. First, after 16 years, this will be the last Fashion Week to take place in the tents at Bryant Park. Come September for the Spring shows, Fashion Week will take place in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center. On the sad side, this came after much dispute and scuttlebutt about interference with public usage of the park. Even Mayor Bloomberg intervened on the behalf of the fashion community, but ultimately it was decided that the Tents should move. On the plus side the new location is said to offer more space to the designers and attendees. While change is often for the better, it is important to acknowledge the end of an era. Fashion Week will undoubtedly have a different feel come the Spring shows.

The other reason Fashion Week – New York and around the world – will feel quite different from now on is the sudden and untimely death of designer Alexander McQueen. McQueen died Thursday – reportedly suicide – at 40 years old. Needless to say this has rocked the fashion world. Every time I read about it somewhere I could not believe it, and even typing about it now I just cannot believe it. McQueen was known as an agitator and an innovator but he was no gimmick. He was a gifted tailor and craftsman and underneath all the showmanship and extravaganza were impeccably designed and constructed clothing. He was a one of a kind legend, and he will be missed.

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