Yesterday, I attended my very first makeup-related event, the Make-Up Party V4.0 hosted by Ms. Mara Salvador of Mara Salvador Manual Make Up Artistry. This was her fourth makeup workshop, and the workshop has actually been her way of celebrating her "anniversary" being in the MUA business. This marked her eighth year. She is one of the most in-demand MUAs in Ilocos Norte and has had clients abroad, including in Canada and Australia, and soon in Vietnam and Cambodia! She is also the person who introduced airbrush makeup in Ilocos. :)
The workshop's participants, I noticed, were mostly people who wanted to get into makeup but weren't sure how. There were around 16 of us in the very chill atmosphere of Joe10 Café in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, excluding Miss Mara herself (@theimagespecialist), her brother and two assistants, and Marianne Pasion of Lather Goods PH (@lathergoodsph) who had set up a booth featuring her organic skincare line!
Back to the participants: they ranged from a middle-aged woman who seemed to have never heard of primer to a girl not more than 16 years old with a brush and palette collection that would put me and all my fellow casual beauty bloggers on Instagram to shame. Mga Artis at Morphe, bes. Ganern.
That said, the workshop was like a beginner's class for those still dipping their feet into the world of makeup, or those who had already waded around awkwardly (like me) and still aren't sure about a lot of things in life. You can see the "ad" for the Make-Up Party below, which Miss Mara posted on her Facebook page around a month ago:
In the first part of the workshop, she defined HD makeup as not a label stuck on makeup lines like "HD foundation" and "HD lipstick" (which I never understood), but rather it is a technique of achieving a makeup look that makes skin look flawless, covering skin imperfections like acne and large pores to wrinkles and fine lines, even under the scrutiny of studio lights and a camera. Thus, true HD makeup products would be those that do not dehydrate the skin but rather keep it moisturized. This keeps the makeup from drying up and cracking after prolonged wear, and ensure a natural-looking, flawless finish.
She also shared that while a lot of brands try to paste "HD" on a lot of their products, MAC and Make Up Forever foundations are still the best.
However, at the makeup application part towards the end of the workshop, where we each did our own makeup using our own kits, she complimented my foundation and said it could pass for HD! Which one did I use? My long-time favorite, Revlon Colorstay Whipped Crème Makeup! The photo includes the other base makeup I used: TonyMoly Cats Wink Primer and Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder. Also pictured is the Charm Stippling Brush I used to apply my foundation, which I have had for nearly four years! (Actually, I lent it to my sister around 2014-2015ish, but she gave it back to me in late 2015.)
She also explained the importance of moisturizing your skin properly before applying makeup, during which I was like, "Yaaaaaas, skincare over makeup," because if you're familiar with my recent skincare obsession I routinely apply 5 products (after cleansing) to my face before I even begin with makeup, and I have found that makeup applies more smoothly and indeed has a more natural finish when your skin is properly hydrated.
After the HD ganap, we moved on to brow basics! She introduced the following method of knowing where to begin, end, and arch your brows, as well as knowing which shade to use. Using a shade that's one step lighter than your hair color gives off a more youthful vibe.
The illustration below is similar to the guide she flashed on the screen:
(Photo grabbed from thechicspy.com)
We then moved on to contouring basics, where she demonstrated how to apply and blend contour under the cheekbones and jawline. She also show different forehead-contouring methods depending on whether one's forehead is wide or high. It turns out, for a more natural-looking contour, blend upwards and in rounded motions. I never could have guessed.
She then introduced the Kyle lip technique, aka "overlining" lips with a lip liner before applying lipstick to make them appear fuller. I personally am not a fan of the trend. I think my lips are of medium fullness, and I don't feel the need to thicken nor thin them out. I realize though that it's a concern of many women, and am just glad that it's one less thing for me to worry about. Especially since I do not own a single lip liner. Okay, I own one, but I don't have any lipstick that matches its shade, so it'll really be a while before I ever try overlining.
Next up was Blending 101, which focused again on blending contour, noselining, and eye makeup. I finally learned what the rest of my brushes in my Charm Holiday Brush Collection (a "preloved" gift from my sister) are for! PLUS I learned the proper order of applying eyeshadow, and where each shade could go I just wish I'd brought my Naked Basics Palette, as it would have been better for practicing the "guidelines" she shared. I only brought my Sleek i-Divine Palette in Oh So Special. It didn't offer very many neutral-matte shades and I ended up skipping the "contour shade" to apply to the crease because there didn't seem to be a fitting shade to blend with the medium, light, and dark shades I chose. Below is the final look I did. Regrets: I should have brought another lipstick. Haha! I'm so happy I was able to please Miss Mara with my noselining though, which I didn't bother attempting until she told me to. HEHEHE
Products used aside from those already mentioned: Sonia Kashuk Arch Alert Brow Kit, Maybelline Fashion Brow 24H Color Matcher, EB Advance Blush Duo, L'Oreal False Lash Butterfly Mascara, Maybelline Hypersharp Power Black Eye Liner, and MAC Lipstick (Russian Red).
ALSO THAT DAY WAS THE FIRST TIME I EVER ATTEMPTED LIQUID EYELINER WITHOUT ANY MAKEUP REMOVER ON-HAND SO CLAP CLAP, 'DI BA???
K.
After the workshop and Miss Mara's careful evaluation of everyone's makeup, we all had a simple beauty shot (mine is the one above), distribution of certificates, and a group photo, shown below:
I really wish I knew how to style my hair. My hairCUT is alright (inverted bob that's getting pretty long na), but when it comes to, like, styling it, I have no idea what to do, as demonstrated on this photo where I had apparently swept all my hair onto my left shoulder. It looks so flat and lifeless and awkward. *cringe*
By the way, this is how we all looked during the makeup application part of the workshop. I am way more accustomed to doing makeup while not holding a mirror pero kinaya pa rin, gais. Some lessons have to be learned eventually. Chos.
Miss Marianne of Lather Goods also contributed goodie bags for a giveaway, which Miss Mara gave to the first two earlybirds. The Lather Goods booth was situated towards the back of the room, where we had a selection of their toners, sudbars, artisan soaps, and facial creams to choose from. I already have a good stock of skincare essentials, including their HEDGE Sunscreen Gel which I oh-so-love, so I only got one of their newest products, the EARTHEN Bentonite Clay Mask, for a friend. I still have Bentonite Clay and Activated Coco Charcoal, and Lather Goods is Laoag-based, so repurchasing is never a hassle or a long wait for me.
(Photo grabbed from the Lather Goods PH Facebook page).
Before I forget to mention: Miss Mara herself gave all the participants freebies, including an NYC bronzer/blush and the Sonia Kashuk brow palette I mentioned and used above! <3 Photos and reviews will be included in future posts.
That's all! I think a Part Two of the Make-Up Party is being planned, but so far no details have been released. Participating in this workshop definitely made me want to try more makeup workshops in the future and try more different techniques and trends in makeup. So thank you, Mara S. Manuel Make Up Artistry, for the very successful Make-Up Party V4.0! <3
~Mizpah
