The Makeup Show NYC & the Three Brands MUA Meagan Shea Fell In Love With!

Meagan Shea is a hardworking makeup artist, and when she isn’t beating faces in the DC and Maryland areas or being a busy honeybee at Oyin, she’s a-traveling the land to further her craft!

When Meagan told me she was attending The Makeup Show NYC, I asked her to clue me into the three brands she went gaga for as a makeup artist. When I go to the Makeup Show Chicago this weekend, I’ll be looking out and doing a post from the consumer perspective!

Take it away, Meagan Shea!

The Makeup Show NYC & the Three Brands I Fell In Love With

Hello Lovelies!!! On May 15th, I had the pleasure of going to New York for The 6th annual edition of The Makeup Show. My friend Erin and I, you may know & love her as Scandalous Beauty made our way up to Manhattan to be a part of this absolutely amazing event. This was my third year at The Makeup Show and every year I meet AWESOME new people, learn about new brands and have my moments of “WOW???” at the show.

Erin & I on our way to NYC, after she watched & laughed at me applying my makeup (my process is interesting)

The Makeup Show is the largest PRO-ONLY beauty event that brings the industry professionals together. Well known artists, educators and brands come together to keep us up to date on any and all information we need. Companies showcase new products, there are hands-on workshops, seminars, and interactive forums. It’s a great shopping experience, and a lovely way to network with your peers. It’s always a great time! The Makeup Show makes stops in Los Angeles, NYC (it’s largest turn out), Chicago and this year for the first time in Europe!!!

All of your favorite industry pros make appearances at The Makeup Show: Sam Fine, Billy B., Johnny Lavoy, Reggie Wells, Crystal Wright, Dany Sanz and a host of others! This year I got to meet, hug and share a BOATLOAD of laughs with one of my ALL TIME favorite artists – Billy B!!! He’s the BEST!!! Billy held a seminar wherein he REALLY was preaching to folks in the industry, one of the most important messages he shared with us – “CHECK YOUR EGO!!!” This message transcends the beauty industry and his words of wisdom really were applicable to everyday life, regardless of what you do for a living. They were just words to live by.

Billy & I serving face before his seminar

Johnny Lavoy (Consulting Hair Stylist for L’Oreal Paris) & I. He’s a stone cold dreamboat, super adorable!

The Makeup Show also brings out all of the major brands, in addition to brands that are not as well known – including brands I’ve never heard of! I get most excited about brands I haven’t been formally introduced to. This year at The Makeup Show, I made it my business to stop by booths & talk to representatives of brands I wasn’t really familiar with. My favorites of the day were Becca Cosmetics, Yaby Cosmetics AND Embryolisse. Now, all three of these brands are VERY well known among my fellow makeup artists, however I tend to live under a rock. LOL I try to be a minimalist when it comes to products, because I have been known to be a bit of a hoarder – DON’T JUDGE ME! AFROBELLA.COM IS A JUDGEMENT FREE ZONE! LOL 🙂 I have actually tried at least ONE product from all three aforementioned brands, however, I didn’t know a lot about their products overall. I got a chance to meet and talk to the reps from my new three favorite brands and each captured my heart for different reasons. I thought I’d share these brands with you, as I KNOW you guys will love them too!

I’ve been a background fan of Becca Cosmetics for a few years. One year at The Makeup Show, I stopped by their booth, but all of the reps were talking to other consumers. I decided to not wait around and opted to just grab some of their promotional materials. I INSTANTLY fell in LOVE with the company based on their campaign images. They showcased women of all different complexions, and were simply GORGEOUS! I had a chance to talk to Kacey, who is the Vice President of the company & she’s a DOLL! I enjoyed chatting with her about the future of Becca, and shared with her how happy I was to see brands that have complexion products for women of all shades. Their foundation sticks were silky, contain an SPF of 30 (YES WE NEED SPF, I’LL BE TALKING ABOUT THAT VERY VERY SOON!), aren’t heavy & provide GREAT coverage! ALL WOMEN, ALL COLORS – from Norway to the Sudan, you’re covered! That was a joke, get it? You’re covered… It’s foundation? Nevermind! LOL 🙂 Lovelies, you’ll be hearing more about Becca Cosmetics from me in the future. I’m officially sold & when I’m into a product – I am a lover for LIFE. I can’t wait to learn more about the products myself!

Kacey of Becca Cosmetics & I
Product Suggestions: Stick Foundation – $44
Product Suggestions: Loose Shimmer Powder in Athena – $20

Another great brand with foundations for all complexions is Yaby Cosmetics. Like Becca, they have a wide array of colors and consistencies. I had to let the Bellas know about this brand because not only are the colors great, but like the television show – the price is right! Their foundations start at $9.45, you already know what I’m about to say… WINNING!!! 🙂 I tried the liquid foundation which has a really smooth texture and it looks BEYOND natural on skin. The best part is that they are OIL-FREE, so they won’t clog your pores. The consistency is perfect for mixing the perfect shade if you can’t find an exact match. I plan on getting the entire line of these foundations, as they’re perfect for my kit. I love the way they lay on the skin, giving that beautiful dewy look. I’m now a bona fide Yaby fan!

Left to Right: chocolate chip, pecan, hot fudge (not shown caramel, a yellow based beautiful brown shade)

You can see a little goes a LONG way with this product. Those three stripes gave a lot of color payoff. The great part is they can be sheered down when necessary.

Product Suggestion: Liquid Foundation – $13.55
Product Suggestion: Loose Setting Powder – $25

A few booths away from Becca, there was Embryolisse – waiting for me. They have a very extensive line of skincare products, so I was excited!!! I’m a stickler about skincare, especially moisturizer and Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè impressed me because it’s a multi-purpose product. It serves as a makeup remover, moisturizer and primer for foundation – hello MAKEUP SAVIOUR! The texture was so smooth & creamy, my skin was not greasy and it didn’t feel heavy. It was sheer perfection. What I loved the most was that my skin looked healthy, not too dry and not oily – just naturally glowing. ME LIKEY! Needless to say, I’ve already switched moisturizers and I’m a satisfied customer.

Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè – AWESOMESAUCE!!!

Product Suggestion: Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè 2.6 oz – $25
Product Suggestion: Embryolisse Rosamelis Water Toner 7.0 oz – $30

Well lovelies, I’m hoping you guys will try some of these products, you KNOW if I didn’t think there were good enough for the Bellas I wouldn’t even have mentioned them. I loved the products I got a chance to test at the show, and I guarantee you’ll be pleased with what you try. I’ll be going to IMATS LA in a few weeks & I cannot WAIT to learn about more brands to share with you. Let me know if you end up trying any of the brands out, and remember it’s okay to try something different – it’s just makeup, it’ll wash off! 🙂