When I walked into Nordstrom Pentagon City on Saturday there were already at least a hundred women there, about 20 of them "wobbling" with it, as the DJ played music to keep the crowd hype.
Guys, it was 7:30am. I hadn't even had coffee yet. It was a little bizarre, but how can you not smile when you see women having this much fun, just waiting to get their hands on the latest and greatest from makeup and skincare?
Once attendees made it downstairs (oh, and there was running) we took our seats around the edges of a full blown runway. Nordstrom was not kidding around, and no matter what seat you had you were guaranteed a look at a variety of Spring styles, for clothing, shoes, and makeup.
And who is that in the middle you ask, the person who (according to the rumor) had been up since 4am but was charged with hosting this entire shindig? Derek Miller, the East Coast Beauty Director!
Once the initial demonstration was over and the lovely models had gone to change, Derek kept the group hype, with a combination of giveaways and anecdote filled introductions of the brand reps were we going to (potentially) be able to snag one on one time with. I tried to take pictures of everyone but between the movement and the fact that this show was almost 2 hours long, please enjoy the highlights and not the whole kit and caboodle.
Side note: I'm not super invested in any particular brand, but when this guy from NARS came out? The entire room EXPLODED. It was as if Oprah herself had descended to walk the runway and give out cars to every person there. I had no idea what was going on, but hey - I appreciated the passion, lol.
Another Side Note: Was I the only one who didn't know MAC was coming out with a cushion foundation?
Another Another Side Note: This gentleman, whose name for the life of me I can't remember, is the one who did my makeup at Charlotte Tilbury. I was incredibly impressed by his skill of application as well as the way he talked with me about my own approach to makeup and how that worked with the products.
Derek got Store Manager Stephany Pierce to help him give away 3 - yes, THREE - Foreos.
Have I pushed you into picture overload yet? These are just a handful of the brands who appeared in person or via video during the trend show.
Afterward we all made our way over to the main cosmetics/skincare section of the store to check out things for ourselves.
After stopping by a few different stations and getting my makeup done over at Charlotte Tilbury (by the lead brand rep. He complimented my brows and I bought ALL THE THINGS.), I took a granola bar and water break over in the shoe section. This event is awesome but it's also a marathon of fortitude where you have to keep your energy up each time you stop by a brand. I'm very interested and particular about what I put on my face, so making sure I remembered to focus on what I really wanted and asked the important questions - it was a lot.
Right before I ducked out for lunch (and a nap, not gonna lie) I took in the first of two Master Classes Derek was teaching that day.
The class was for all levels so while some of it wasn't as applicable to me I did learn some fun/interesting tidbits:
- Massage even your morning moisturizer into your face with outward and upward movements to increase blood flow
- You can use your serum to thin out foundations (his favorite is the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair)
- Don't highlight (as a woman) across the top of your brow bones. Instead go out in a "W" shape from the middle of the forehead, to encourage a more feminine shape
- Instead of tapping off excess powder to prevent fallout, press the brush into either your hand or a mirror, to pack the product onto the brush (tapping just encourages the product to fall)
- Pencil liners are more versatile than liquid - liquid liners can really do only one thing (cat eye)
- If you're going for a soft focus, smokey effect under the eye don't apply liner first. If you do that you'll be stuck smudging out the product, instead of smoking out the under eye.
- Derek prefers a softer, more natural brow look, so when filling them in he recommended a traditional pencil product to add fullness throughout the brow, and a thinner tipped, more pigmented product to create definition just along the bottom. He also emphasized how the spoolie on the end of brow pencils is there not just to push product more evenly through the brows, but to give texture to the actual product itself. Make sure to push down hard enough that it disturbs the pencil on the skin, giving the effect of actual brow hairs.
- Apply blush last, after bronzer and highlight, for that true "lit from within" glow.
And that's it! For a $20 ticket that gives you $20 to spend on any purchase you make that day, I consider the event well worth my time and money. After experiencing the time and attention of artists who were incredibly knowledgeable about their brands and what it could offer, I can't wait to go back next season.
To wrap things up I wanted to include some close ups of the makeup I had done, but I realized going back over the whole day that apparently that was the only thing I didn't take good pictures of. Sigh. So please excuse the selfies, but I think even these crappy quality photos of the Charlotte Tilbury face are better than nothing.
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