The Makeup Show Chicago: Review and Haul

On June 12-13, the Makeup Show, usually a NY/LA institution, brought its amazing line up to Chicago to a drooling audience of every level of MUA and enthusiast.

My experience at the Makeup Show was a very quick three hours on the end of the second day. My real job got in the way a bit, so I was there Monday afternoon from 2:30-5:30pm. This ended up being the perfect amount of time to run through, look at what the vendors had to offer, and check out what this show was all about.

Now I have to mention that I did not visit any of the seminars or Pro Pod programs, I just walked the show floor and took in what the general vibe of the show was and what each vendor brought to show off. Most of the vendors were artistry lines hawking their wares, along with a plethora of vendors with airbrush systems, and of course the Pro versions of popular lines like Makeup Forever and MAC.

Most of the vendor booths were just big "here's what we have, so buy it" situations. The rest were visually stimulating, but just a way to pass a catalog and discuss what they can offer each artist. There were actually some great vendors there that would appeal to niche artists that do body painting, airbrush/HD makeup, bridal makeup, and the like.

General insanity around the Inglot booth. So much color!

Some of the highlights were the Kett cosmetics airbrush system and the Nurturing Force booths. When I arrived at the show, I met up with a few artist friends who were standing at the Nurturing Force booth, listening intently to a woman talk about this product called Blot Out Offensive, which is an oil and shine controlling primer cream. The booth was manned by a very nice husband and wife team who were friendly and happy to answer questions. They were actually really cute with their plain set up and package deals on their products. Based on the fact that this was the first booth I'd visited, I decided to pass on picking some up. I have a million primers, so I assumed that this one was no different. My one friend bought a primer and the other passed on it too.

Later in the afternoon, we visited the Kett cosmetics booth and reveled in their amazing airbrush system. We received a personal demo in addition to the booth demo of tattoo cover that was happening behind us. This company gets it. The product they use is silicone powder based, with lots of yummy antioxidants and moisturizers to make it heaven on the skin. I can't say enough about the foundation product that Kett cosmetics is bringing to the market. Check it out if you get the chance. This company not only uses fabulous ingredients, but they teach you how to use their products as well. They do airbrush 101 and advanced classes in a setting of no more than 10 students at a time. Now these classes aren't cheap, but by attending one, you get a $100 product credit to re-up on stuff for your kit. Cool? COOL!

While we were hanging in the Kett booth, I noticed that the incredibly friendly Kett rep, Brian, was using Blot Out Offensive as his primer before doing demos on the backs of hands. When questioned about it, he said that Kett LOVE LOVE LOVES this primer because they know what goes into it, and that being a natural product, it is important to everyone's client to know what is going on their face. He gushed about the creator of this amazing product that disappears on HD cameras, and blocks shine all day long. Turns out, it was the nice lady from the Nurturing Force booth who was all unassuming and lovely. She used to source ingredients for the big cosmetic corporations, and realized that there was a better option out there: natural ingredients that actually work, and can be good for your skin! While I had already spent my Makeup Show budget, you can pick up this miracle product at nurturingforce.com. I intend to do so as well.

In my next post, I'll show you the haul I took away from this awesome event. Hope you enjoyed!