Woo Hoo, so excited that I will be attending this years IMATS (International Makeup Artist Trade Show) in Los Angeles for the very first time with my good friend Christina, aka Shuga-Shug. For those that don't know, IMATS is a huge show where cosmetic companies and related vendors showcase their wares, and many sell their product at a really nice discount.
Some of this years big names are: MacPro, Make Up For Ever, Sigma, Stila, NYX, Inglot, OCC, and a few up and comers as well, like Makeup Geek and Bdellium Tools. There are many more, but it would be boring to just write a blog that is a long list. My two go to booths are Inglot and Bdellium Tools, as I have been hearing phenomenal things about both companies. I'm not able to try either brand locally, so am going to check them out, and possibly take advantage of show discounts.
I'm also hoping to snag a pair of Velour lashes, another product I have been reading rave reviews on. This line of luxury faux lashes is made from mink hair (cruelty free -- the company says the animals are combed) and although pricy, have a much longer use time than the inexpensive synthetic kind. They are rated for up to 25 uses, so we will see.
I hear the lines are insane, but having conquered the Hall H line at Comic-Con on a Saturday, I feel confident that the MUFE line won't even phase me. Although, given the nature of a horde of women at a discount counter, I think the pushing and shoving might be a bit more intense -- the Hall H-ers are a pretty courteous bunch. Regardless, I shall brave the fray and report back!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Birthday Mascara MUFE vs. CK
As previously posted, I received two mascaras as birthday gifts; one from Sephora and one from Ulta. (And today I got an email from Smashbox -- guess what their birthday gift is this year? Yup, mascara, lol.)
The Sephora gift includes two mini products: Make Up For Ever's Rouge Artist Natural N9 lipstick and Smoky Extravagant mascara. Ulta is giving a full size CK One mascara in Black (800). I will review the lipstick later, since I'm planning on wearing it on Saturday night.
When it comes to mascara, I have a couple things I do and don't like. I hate excessive clumping, which seems to happen, at least on my lashes, with Benefit's BADgal Lash. I also don't like mascaras that make your lashes look like spider legs. I see that every now and then, some girl walking around with clumped, long lashes that look like a couple of spiders waving their legs. I seriously don't get it. I assume they are wearing product touted as super lengthening. I've always been afraid to ask, for fear of letting slip how awful I think it looks.
I do like mascara that applies smoothly, creates a full look without clumping, and generally makes my lashes look great for my face. Oh, and I don't ever curl my lashes. I tried it a few times when I was young, and always felt it was somewhat torturous. I still think it can't possibly be the healthiest thing for your lashes, so I just skip it. I do wear false lashes on occasion. Mostly for night events when I want some extra pop. I actually love them -- be daring and try them some time!
On to the review. I applied the CK One mascara to my left upper eyelashes, and MUFE Smoky Extravagant to the right. Both clumped a bit, but I used a spoolie to separate the lashes with no problem. I noticed immediately that the MUFE one created a fuller, longer lash effect, and even made the lashes look a bit curled. The CK One looked fine, but definitely not the oomph of the MUFE brand. The applicators are quite different. The CK One has a uniformly sized rubber applicator brush, and the MUFE has a tear dropped shaped brush with the narrow point at the tip. I found MUFE applicator to be better at covering those hard to reach lashes at the outside corner of my eye. A second coat brought little change to the MUFE side, but did enhance the CK One side to a look fairly similar to the other side.
I showed Kenny and one of my daughters, and they both agreed that the right side looked better after two coats than the left side, so it's a clear victory for MUFE. It's also interesting to note that my eyelid on the right side droops more, so it's harder to make that side look good. On a completely useless note, I do really like the CK One tube. It has a cool, rubberized texture and rounded edges that are appealing. Unfortunately, that has no impact on the product functionality, lol.
Both products wore well, and I didn't have any trouble with flaking or smearing. I think I will reserve the MUFE mascara for shows and evenings out, and use the CK One for day use. My current favorite mascara is Full Exposure by Smashbox, but it's not so much because it's amazing, and more because it applies well, doesn't clump or make my lashes feel gumped up.
**Disclaimer: I purchased, or received all review products as a gift with purchase or membership perk. No products were sent to me by the manufacturer for review.
The Sephora gift includes two mini products: Make Up For Ever's Rouge Artist Natural N9 lipstick and Smoky Extravagant mascara. Ulta is giving a full size CK One mascara in Black (800). I will review the lipstick later, since I'm planning on wearing it on Saturday night.
When it comes to mascara, I have a couple things I do and don't like. I hate excessive clumping, which seems to happen, at least on my lashes, with Benefit's BADgal Lash. I also don't like mascaras that make your lashes look like spider legs. I see that every now and then, some girl walking around with clumped, long lashes that look like a couple of spiders waving their legs. I seriously don't get it. I assume they are wearing product touted as super lengthening. I've always been afraid to ask, for fear of letting slip how awful I think it looks.
I do like mascara that applies smoothly, creates a full look without clumping, and generally makes my lashes look great for my face. Oh, and I don't ever curl my lashes. I tried it a few times when I was young, and always felt it was somewhat torturous. I still think it can't possibly be the healthiest thing for your lashes, so I just skip it. I do wear false lashes on occasion. Mostly for night events when I want some extra pop. I actually love them -- be daring and try them some time!
On to the review. I applied the CK One mascara to my left upper eyelashes, and MUFE Smoky Extravagant to the right. Both clumped a bit, but I used a spoolie to separate the lashes with no problem. I noticed immediately that the MUFE one created a fuller, longer lash effect, and even made the lashes look a bit curled. The CK One looked fine, but definitely not the oomph of the MUFE brand. The applicators are quite different. The CK One has a uniformly sized rubber applicator brush, and the MUFE has a tear dropped shaped brush with the narrow point at the tip. I found MUFE applicator to be better at covering those hard to reach lashes at the outside corner of my eye. A second coat brought little change to the MUFE side, but did enhance the CK One side to a look fairly similar to the other side.
MUFE on your left, CK One on your right (2 coats)
I showed Kenny and one of my daughters, and they both agreed that the right side looked better after two coats than the left side, so it's a clear victory for MUFE. It's also interesting to note that my eyelid on the right side droops more, so it's harder to make that side look good. On a completely useless note, I do really like the CK One tube. It has a cool, rubberized texture and rounded edges that are appealing. Unfortunately, that has no impact on the product functionality, lol.
Both products wore well, and I didn't have any trouble with flaking or smearing. I think I will reserve the MUFE mascara for shows and evenings out, and use the CK One for day use. My current favorite mascara is Full Exposure by Smashbox, but it's not so much because it's amazing, and more because it applies well, doesn't clump or make my lashes feel gumped up.
**Disclaimer: I purchased, or received all review products as a gift with purchase or membership perk. No products were sent to me by the manufacturer for review.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
A Little Show History
Since I don't plan on this being a makeup only blog, here is a little bit of show history that inspired me to rediscover my grown up self.
A couple years back, Kenny created his own show based on the music of the band Chicago, since this is music dear to his heart, as well as a band with which he has a long history. I love supporting his dreams, and truly believe he is meant to be a performer, so I'm pretty dedicated to attending as many shows as I can. It's been an interesting transition for me, the stay-at-home mom, volunteer at school, Girl Scout co-leader. I certainly feel a certain pressure to look good, which is challenging on a small budget, with quite a few years since I've paid much attention to which shade of eyeshadow I was wearing. Man, where did all those wrinkles come from? And why are my eyelids so much lower??!!
Back to the show history, so to speak. Kenny has been playing in a lot of different venues. Casinos, clubs, and performing arts centers. One of my "jobs" before a show is to hang around and wait, lol. The show work starts long before the actual show. Often there is a long drive, but always there is equipment set up, sound check, and if possible a pre-concert meal of some sort. There have been many times when I have done my makeup in the car, which I don't recommend! Depends on the venue. If it's semi-local (that is to say 1-2 hours from where we live) then I'm most likely getting ready on the fly somewhere. I don't like to intrude on the dressing room, because that's for the guys. Every once in a while there is a separate dressing room for Kenny, which I love 'cuz then I can horn in on it, lol. If it's an out of town gig, then we have a hotel room and I can really go crazy getting all dolled up. It's a form of entertainment for me -- keeps me busy while Kenny is sound checking, and it's kind of relaxing.
Last January, Kenny also started performing with The Long Run, doing the Don Henley vocals for this Eagles tribute band. Now I am a huge fan of the Eagles music, so I was pretty happy about this, not to mention that like Kenny's own band, this is a great group of guys. Between all of the Chicago Experience shows, and The Long Run shows, there are a lot of opportunities for me to dress up. To add some frosting flowers to the cake, several of the guys perform in other bands, and we take the odd chance to go see them as well. It's really a whole new life for me.
A couple years back, Kenny created his own show based on the music of the band Chicago, since this is music dear to his heart, as well as a band with which he has a long history. I love supporting his dreams, and truly believe he is meant to be a performer, so I'm pretty dedicated to attending as many shows as I can. It's been an interesting transition for me, the stay-at-home mom, volunteer at school, Girl Scout co-leader. I certainly feel a certain pressure to look good, which is challenging on a small budget, with quite a few years since I've paid much attention to which shade of eyeshadow I was wearing. Man, where did all those wrinkles come from? And why are my eyelids so much lower??!!
Back to the show history, so to speak. Kenny has been playing in a lot of different venues. Casinos, clubs, and performing arts centers. One of my "jobs" before a show is to hang around and wait, lol. The show work starts long before the actual show. Often there is a long drive, but always there is equipment set up, sound check, and if possible a pre-concert meal of some sort. There have been many times when I have done my makeup in the car, which I don't recommend! Depends on the venue. If it's semi-local (that is to say 1-2 hours from where we live) then I'm most likely getting ready on the fly somewhere. I don't like to intrude on the dressing room, because that's for the guys. Every once in a while there is a separate dressing room for Kenny, which I love 'cuz then I can horn in on it, lol. If it's an out of town gig, then we have a hotel room and I can really go crazy getting all dolled up. It's a form of entertainment for me -- keeps me busy while Kenny is sound checking, and it's kind of relaxing.
At Casino Arizona, March 2013
Last January, Kenny also started performing with The Long Run, doing the Don Henley vocals for this Eagles tribute band. Now I am a huge fan of the Eagles music, so I was pretty happy about this, not to mention that like Kenny's own band, this is a great group of guys. Between all of the Chicago Experience shows, and The Long Run shows, there are a lot of opportunities for me to dress up. To add some frosting flowers to the cake, several of the guys perform in other bands, and we take the odd chance to go see them as well. It's really a whole new life for me.
At the Talking Stick, AZ in June 2013
Lucky me, my birthday is in January, so I get to start the new year with a number of freebies from Ulta and Sephora. I had actually saved my Ulta points to use with the $10 off coupon I got for my birthday, so that gave me a little bit extra to work with on my "shopping" trip. I have been pondering for a few weeks what I would get, since I knew it wouldn't be eyeshadows (just got the Naked 3 palette last month, as well as the re-release of Lorac's Sweet Temptations). I also knew I would be going to IMATS soon, so didn't want to get anything that is on my IMATS list, since I want to take advantage of all the discounts available at the show. I'm a budget girl, so I'm always trying to maximize all my purchases.
In the days leading up to New Years Eve, I lounged about watching Youtube videos looking for inspiration for a NYE look. I was loving Dustin Hunter (mostly because I find him adorable, and fun to watch), GossMakeupArtist (really great reviews, techniques and also pretty adorable) and Miss Maven. Through all this video watching, it dawned on me that I don't have a product for highlighting/illuminating. I used a bit of eyeshadow as a highlight for my look on NYE, and noticed in a few of the pics with flash that the under eye area was looking a little ghosty from the eyeshadow. Obviously, I needed a better option, and one that would work with my mature skin.
Time for research. Knowing I had my free Ulta shopping trip coming up, I reviewed the highlighting products they carry. Several, like Benefit's High Beam, Watts Up, Girl Meets Pearl and Sun Beam had already crossed my radar, but didn't elicit a purchase. Not sure why -- I wasn't as interested in a liquid product, so that knocked out the two Beam options, Watts Up was a little too gold tone, and Girl Meets Pearl was a contender. Then I saw the IT Cosmetics product, "Hello Light". Very interesting.....it is marketed to the mature customer with its anti-aging claims and reviews seemed to indicate that it would work very well for me. Price was in my range, and it is offered as either a cream or powder compact. (Apparently it is now also offered as a cream stick, but my Ulta didn't have that in stock.) I opted for the cream version because it is just slightly more pink tone that the powder.
I also discovered that Ulta is giving a free deluxe sample of IT's Bye Bye Pores HD micro-powder if you spend at least $25. The Hello Light was $24 -- don't you just hate that?!! I don't use powder very often, so I'm not interested in paying big bucks for a full size, but love travel size versions that I have a snowballs chance in hell of finishing. So back to the research, to see if there was anything reasonable in the IT product line that I was also interested in. I found a cool looking lip balm, something I do use since I live in the desert. It is a clear blue designed to hydrate lips, some anti-aging ingredients thrown in to tempt us, and a reasonable price so not too much out of pocket for me. The blue color goes on clear, but is supposed to make your teeth look a bit lighter.
I also snagged a free CK One mascara as one of my birthday gifts from Ulta. I never buy mascara. It seems to be the free gift/sample of choice more often than not, so I have loads of it floating around. That being said, I'm never opposed to being handed an $18 mascara for free. I need to do a comparison of the ones I have --some I love, some I don't.
On to Sephora, which was a little bit faster since I was just picking up their birthday gift....and the nice sales associate also gave me some samples I was interested in, primarily the Cover FX Natural FX Liquid Foundation and a couple of First Aid Beauty products. Unfortunately, my Sephora doesn't carry very much in that line, probably because it's a pretty tiny Sephora tucked inside JCP. Anyhow, I got my birthday gift that is sponsored by MUFE and includes two minis -- a lipstick and a mascara (surprise!!)
That's it for my haul! I will be doing separate posts with mini reviews on the various things I picked up. Kenny and I will be taking one of my daughters and her boyfriend to a Zepagain/Queen Nation concert at the House of Blues on Saturday, so I will try out a few of these new goodies then, and report back.
This may be Deja-Vu for you, if you read my content under the first blog name I chose: A Fashionable Music Wife. It turns out, I hated that name. It was a choice of desperation, because everything I came up with was already taken. But after a couple of days, I just had to find something else, so Ready For The Show is born.
I've thought a long time about whether or not to do a blog. Will I be good at posting regularly? Will anyone be interested in what I have to say? What will I say? Lots of what ifs, but also lots of enthusiasm for reaching out to others and sharing a little bit of my world.
I'll start by telling you a little bit about me, and what kind of blog I plan on having. My name is Elisa, and I am a stay at home mom, who just finished getting an AA degree in Clothing and Textiles. I have three amazing daughters, all in their teen years. And I have a gorgeous and wonderfully talented husband who is a singer and musician.
My husband, Kenny Cetera, is headlining a show called "Kenny Cetera's Chicago Experience", performing primarily on the West Coast to date, but with an ever expanding range of venues both nationally and internationally. Kenny is the youngest brother of famed Chicago vocalist, Peter Cetera, and has himself recorded and performed live with the band Chicago for their "Chicago 17" album and tour. He also loves performing with "The Long Run: Experience the Eagles" as their Don Henley vocalist.
So this blog will delve into what it is like to be the wife of a musician, but more from a fashion and beauty on a budget stand point. Basically, for many years while my kids were little, I barely touched makeup and lived in jeans and t-shirt. A couple of years ago, when Kenny put this show together, I started tagging along to a lot of his shows, which required a bit more dressing up and attention to my makeup. I quickly realized I was quite out of touch with current makeup brands, products and techniques. Thank heavens for the internet and all of the amazing MUA bloggers and Youtube gurus. Now, you will not be seeing techniques here, unless it's just me sharing a video or post that I've come across that I thought was particularly good, because I am in no way, shape, or form a skilled MUA. Really, I'm a typical mom with aging skin, and vision, struggling to look my best and having fun doing it. And maybe I can help encourage others like me to enjoy being an individual again, after the kids grow up and start doing their own thing.
Sometimes I will post reviews of products, sometimes fashion pieces I'm pulling together to wear to shows, or just some fun behind the scenes shots from the various concerts I attend. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you will subscribe! Please feel free to comment so that I don't feel like I'm talking to myself!!
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