Here’s a swatch on my hand with a flash
I really, really like this lipstick. I’m happy with both the color and the texture. I couldn’t tell from just looking at it, but there’s a bit of shimmer but not enough to make it frosty. It glides on really smooth and feels hydrating on my lips. I know I’ll have to get a full size soon. Sending this free sample was a good idea from Black Opal.
I used my new Black Opal Eyeshadows to create this Inexpensive Look Of The Day last week. I later realized that I didn’t do actual swatches of the colors. I’ll show you what each of the four colors look like in this post.
The first color I’ll show you is Emotional Me. It’s a frosty golden yellow.
Below is what it looks like on my skin.
The next color is Illusion. It’s a gorgeous frosty light gold. Illusion reminds me of MAC Vanilla Pigment, but it’s a tad bit darker. 
I’ve been using this color a lot on both my eyes and as a cheek highlight, however, it didn’t really photograph well on my hand. 
With the flash above and without the flash below
Next up is Ring a Ding. 
I’m in love with this color. It’s a wonderful matte orange. I have another matte orange that I use in my 42 Matte Coastal Scents Palette, but this color is more toned down and also darker.
With a flash above and without the flash below.
It’s great for the crease and it blends really well.
The last Shadow is Nookie Cookie. That name makes me giggle. Ha ha! ;-p 
This color is a nice matte dark chocolate brown. When I saw it online, I thought it was going to be like MAC Embark, but it’s not as red. 
The picture above is with a flash and the one below is without a flash. 
For only $5, I’m very pleased with these Black Opal Shadows and I do want more of them. I’ll check my local Beauty Supply stores to see if I can get them there. So far, I haven’t seen them at Wal-Mart, but I’ll keep looking.
The First class of the day was facilitated by Oklahoma Make Up Artist Gwen Pettie-Green. I’m so happy or her. We follow each other on facebook and twitter. I got a chance to meet her in person at the MUFE Pro Road Show last year in Austin. The name of this class was Creating Beauty.
Gwen creating some very cool glitter brows on her model. They were just enough to add a little extra without being too over the top. I’m totally going to try this. She then added a gold lid then black liner.
Above, is the midway look that Gwen created. Below is where she began to add more drama with the lips and eyes.
I really like how Gwen used the lash brush to apply mascara to her model’s lashes. She was really able to work through each lash. I need to do this more often. I purchased a Royal & Langnickel Revolution lash brush, but haven’t used it yet.
The 2nd class of the day was The Artistic Advantage which was taught by Joy Hom. She did a fabulous job in showing us how to use the MUFE Flash Color Palette and how extremely versatile this product is.
In the above picture, Joy is using different colors from the MUFE Flash Color Palette to match the models skin. It’s something that you have to practice and really incorporate color theory to pull off.
She explained that a lot of it is trial and error and you have to train your eye to be able to pick up the right mixture to make the match. She also used the Flash Color Palette to highlight and contour.
This was the completed Beauty Look that Joy created with the MUFE Flash Color Palette. Just for fun, she kept going to take it to more of a theatrical look.
Here I am with the model and Joy. I truly enjoyed this class. Joy does a great job in explaining her techniques to help the class gain a better understanding of the products. Oh this is totally off topic but did you check out the model’s shoes? 
Here’s a closer picture. I couldn’t help but take a picture. I’m in love with these. Not sure what I’d wear them with or wear I’d wear them to, but I’m sure I could pull them off. Ha ha! ;-P
Because IMATS is geared towards makeup lovers and makeup professionals, there were plenty of demos with industry pros showing different pointers, techniques, and tips on how to apply makeup.
This post will focus on just some of the makeup demos I saw and captured with my camera. Of course there were many many more throughout the two days.
This is International makeup artist Anabel Vargas. She taught a class on how to apply makeup to Women of Color.
This is the closest I got to the finished look before leaving to attend Kabuki’s class.
Above is world renown make up artist Kabuki. He was the Keynote speaker on Saturday afternoon.
He showed us how he applies an applique to the face. He actually handmade this one by starting off with sketches, then cutting out a pattern and lastly adding the jewels. That’s an amazing skill.
There were also several demos being done throughout the exhibit hall. See below.
Above is Sean of MUD doing a demo on Baltimore based make up artist Cynthia.
Urban Decay launched their brand new foundation called Naked Skin and provided demos.
YouTube Makeup Tutorial Guru Tiffany D worked with Sigma and did make overs.
It was cool to see her in real life do makeup on another person. 
Eve Pearl also did makeup demos at her booth. Her client looks happy with the results so far. 
This is international celebrity makeup artist Rae Morris. She did a class on “Timeless Makeup”. She demonstrated great anti-aging techniques and showed us how some of the simplest of changes with filling in brows, contouring, and applying eyeliner/eyeshadow can either add on or take away years on a face.
The Tremendously Talented artist/designer Lauren Luna had a Meet and Greet event at Qwashae Boutique in Pearland, Texas 7/21/12.
I had the honor of doing Lauren Luna’s make up for this event. She’s such a beautiful lady.
Originally from Ohio, Lauren has been in the Houston area for a year now and boy am I glad she relocated. She’s so much fun to be around. She’s one of those people that you could literally just sit and talk to for hours and never get bored. She has a great spirit and aura about her that just exudes both creativity and positivity. Her work is both breath taking and inspiring.
I’ve been to Qwashae a few times now and I’ve always been in awe of the artwork there. It turns out that Lauren Luna is the artist behind those paintings.
In the above picture, we are standing next to her painting of Qwashae Boutique.
There was also a Qwashae Fashion Show exhibiting the gorgeous pieces that the boutique offers.
I was blessed with the opportunity to be the makeup artist for this awesome event. This is me working with one of the lovely models Flor.
Flor is working the floor. 
This is model Tiffany
Above is Tiffany and I standing by another one of Lauren Luna’s paintings.
Below is Micole
Micole, Shakena, and Tiffany
The dress that Micole is so effortlessly pulling off above was my favorite of the night. I’m going to have to go back and get it. This picture doesn’t do it justice. The color is somewhere between a bright coral and a hot pink…but it’s really not pink or coral. I know that sounds confusing but it’s unlike any other color I’ve seen. I love it!!
This is model Lindsey
This is Model Emily
This picture was a close up of Emily while she was modeling inside of the display case, hence the glare. I still felt it was a cool shot. 
This would’ve been a great shot had the sun not caused a glare. Oh well. Hopefully you can still see what I was trying to capture. This is the front view of the store.
It took me a while to try to come up with words to describe my thoughts and feelings about Qwashae Boutique. Honestly, I love EVERYTHING about this store. You get such a good vibe the minute you walk in. It’s an experience unlike any I’ve ever had before. When I asked the owner, Shakena, what Qwashae meant, she told me it was Happy in Greek. She wants her customers to feel happy when they walk in and happy when they walk out. I will testify that this has been my experience every time I’ve gone there. I’m a firm believer that customer service can either make or break your business. Well at Qwashae Boutique the owner and staff provide nothing but outstanding service.
