April MUA of the Month – Josh Collier

 

Meet our guinea pig! Err, very first Makeup Artist of the Month– Josh Collier! :)

I’m Josh! I currently work as a District Trainer with Hourglass Cosmetics in the Mid-Atlantic Region (DC, MD, VA), a freelance makeup artist, and a general makeup and skincare enthusiast who shares his passion for the industry on YouTube.

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Make Up For Ever at Nicolita

It’s no secret I’m not that into fashion shows, but every so often a look comes across my inbox that I have to share with you all. This look, created by James Vincent (working with Make Up For Ever) for Nicolita at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim is just gorgeous. It’s everything that summer makeup should be! Here’s the face chart (click to view larger!):

Actress and former Cheetah Girl Adrienne Bailon walked the Nicolita show, and this makeup look on her is so stunning!
By the way, I’d totally steal and rock that necklace!
Here’s how to get this look:
Complexion & Cheeks: James wanted the skin to look classically flawless. He used MAKE UP FOR EVER Sculpting Blush in #8 (Satin Indian Pink) to highlight the apples of the cheeks and then applied MAKE UP FOR EVER Super Matte Loose Powder #12 (translucent) all over the face for a modern, matte complexion.
Eyes: Thick outer lashes were the focus of the eyes. James paired MAKE UP FOR EVER Eye Shadows in #17 (espresso) and #165 (dark taupe brown) with Diamond Shadows #312 (dark copper shimmer) and #306 (beige shimmer) and applied to the entire eye. He blended everything deep into the crease and smudged it around the lash line for a soft smoky look. He finished by lining the eyes with MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Liner #13 (black) and MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Black to bring a nostalgic feel into fashion, and coated the lashes with MAKE UP FOR EVER Smoky Lash Mascara.
Lips: The mouth had a bright pop of pink. James lined the lips first with MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Lip #16C and then applied MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist #36 in fuchsia on top.

IMATS LA 2011

Lawdy. This past weekend I attended both public days of IMATS along with the pro-only event on Friday night and an awesome event put on by Royal & Langnickel on Friday afternoon. It was a very busy weekend! But full of amazing experiences, and lots of fun!
I’d have to say my highlight of the weekend was getting to hang out and chat with two of my makeup idols, Kevin James Bennett & Eve Pearl. Both of them are such talented, gracious, humble, and darling people. It was a really cool experience to meet up with two people whom I admire so much! And to hear from them that they like what I’m doing with The Gloss Menagerie meant the world to me. I’m so inspired to keep doing what I’m doing and being the best I can be! How heartwarming, right? By the way you can follow them both on Twitter – @KJBennettBeauty and @TheEvePearl. 
Speaking of Twitter, I also got to meet up with a bunch of my Tweeple! I spent my weekend paling around and chatting with the likes of @Krissy90220, @aquaheart, @gracechunmua, @LVmakeup, @ambercxr, @TheMakeupSnob, @karinayhmy, @nymphette415, and @Start2FinishMUA, @PurelyCosmetics, @omgbren, @itsjudytime, @nessasarymakeup and @JuneNing. I had a blast with these ladies, some of whom I’d met before and some I hadn’t. I did not get to meet everyone I wanted to though, and that makes me sad facey. But hey, if you’re local to so-cal and we didn’t get to meet up at IMATS, we can still hang sometime! Hit me up on Twitter or shoot me an email. One can never have too many makeup-obsessed friends!
I must tell you guys, IMATS was insane this year. Saturday was sold out and it was a complete mad house. Surprisingly, Sunday was pretty darn crazy too. It was less so than Saturday, but very packed. I’m really fortunate that I was able to attend the pro event, as it was almost the only opportunity I had to really peruse everything at my leisure. 
I will be posting my haulage & more info about individual products I tried/got at IMATS later, but for now here are some fun pictures from the event!
One amazingly bronzed fellow. He was the demo model for South Seas Skincare’s spray tanning. He got progressively browner all weekend, with this being the end result.
Beautiful! Eve Pearl’s cosmetics line (part of the Naimies booth).
The newest stuff from Too Faced – these products aren’t even available yet! I really like the look of the new smoky eye palette.
Naimies carries Lise Watier, a brand that is otherwise only available in Canada. I got a lipstick that I’ll be telling you more about later. 
Some creepy guys “terrorizing” IMATS spectators…
…and singing about it.
Amazing body painting was on display all over IMATS! Just one of the many stunning examples. I cannot imagine being patient or brave enough to stand there virtually naked and be painted…
Body painting by Vargas at the Royal & Langnickel booth. This one was my favorite because it’s just adorable and so amazingly detailed. Super cute model, too. Kind of hard to believe that other than her shoes & hat, all she was really wearing was panties & pasties!
Eve Pearl applying foundation and explaining the Eve Pearl Method to Krissy, who loved the results!
More super fun IMATS stuff to come! Stay tuned! :)

Networking Made Easy with CardMunch

As I’m getting prepared for IMATS LA 2011, one thing I know I will experience is coming home with a purse full of business cards. As a beauty blogger, or a makeup artist, or really any kind of professional you just can’t help but come home from a trade event like IMATS without a stack of business cards from all of the various contacts you met. So then comes the fun task of logging all of those contacts. Well, I was surfing around the iPhone App Store recently and I found something that I think is way cool. That is, if your definition of cool is as nerdy as mine. :)
CardMunch is a simple, yet genius idea for people who tend receive a lot of business cards only to promptly lose them to the abyss aka a purse. Here’s how it works…
Step 1 – Using the CardMunch app, photograph the business card you wish to add to your contacts.
Step 2 – The CardMunch app transmits the card to their team of transcriptionists – these are LIVE people who read the card to ensure accurate info.
Step 3 – CardMunch will automatically add the new contact’s information to your CardMunch address book. From there you can add it to your iphone Contacts, or set it up to automatically add all info to your iphone Contacts whenever you submit a card.
The turn-around is lightning quick for me so far, but they say it can take up to 24 hours for their team to transcribe your submitted cards. 
Best of all? The app, and this service, are completely free. They were recently acquired by LinkedIn and have since made everything a free service. From the CardMunch app you can also add your new contacts to your LinkedIn network. Very. Cool. Professionals, this is a must-have app for your iphone! It is coming soon to Blackberry; I don’t know about Android but I would imagine that is in the works as well.

Stila Pro Artist Program

Did you know that Stila has a pro artist program, similar to MAC’s pro discount program? Until now it has only been available at stores. Since Stila’s stores closed, it was only available to use via telephone order or at Fred Segal in LA. Not the most convenient pro discount. I mean, I can’t even afford parking at Fred Segal, for crying out loud. :P
However, I found out at IMATS that Stila’s pro artist program is now available on stilacosmetics.com! So cool! Like most pro discount programs you are required to furnish proof of your pro status by providing two credentials such as a business card, tear sheet, masthead, professional letter of recommendation, etc. But the discount is up to 40% your favorite Stila goodies! So if you’re a professional, you should definitely check it out. Many professions qualify, including makeup artists, hair stylists, models, beauty editors, and more.
For more information and to register, check out www.stilacosmetics.com/proartists. If you already have a card through their previous program, have it handy when you register so that you can link your online account to your current pro card.