So you are going to The Makeup Show : What now?

The Makeup Show will be gracing my wonderful city of Chicago this weekend and I thought I would give you guys a few last minute helpful tips to maximize your money and time. 

1. Review your kit
Make note of the products you loved, would like to upgrade, used up and need more of. Don't waste money on things you have no use for and didn't use up within the past 6 months.  

2. Set a "like to try" and "needs" budget 
…and stick to it! This is very important. If you arrive with an unlimited mind set you will spend until you can't spend anymore. 

3. Convenience list
Make note of items you would like that will make your work  easier, look better or improve on your convenience.

A few brands represented at the show this year

4. Familiarize yourself with all education classes
Read up on the keynote speakers, free seminars, hands-on classes and focus series session. Because many things are happening at the same time decide what you feel you need to learn and schedule accordingly. It's best to have this mapped out before you get to the show as things move swiftly and you might miss out chatting with friends. This year they've added a focus group session that features a focus on different areas of artist kit building. You will get to test a range of products to decide which items work best for your kit.

5. Network Network Network
Pass out cards, introduce yourself and remember the person you are passing by today could be the person deciding if you "get the job" tomorrow. This is our community and you have to remember to ensure its growth.


Pro tip: Smile A smile can get you a long way! Don't forget to have a great time!!!

I'll be at The Makeup Light booth all day tomorrow doing makeup. Stop by and say hello!   

Nicole Rogers
www.NicoleRogersMakeup.com
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Bombshell Best buys of 2011!

Each year I go through my yearly purchases and determine what the "best buys" and "bust" were. This helps me determine what products I use most often and should be on the "discount" hunt for. Below are a few of my favorites of 2011!

Kryolan palette 

This has to be my favorite shadow palette. It has the perfect amount of shimmer to it. I use it on the eyes as well as the face. My brides love it!

Makeup Forever Aqua Lip pencils 
These are my favorite pencils for my brides! Waterproof and they give the perfect base to a long lasting lip for blushing brides.

OCC Lip Tars

A little bit goes a long way with these little wonders. They are highly pigmented and I use them in a variety of ways.  You can check out my review here.



Although I love products, I always spend money on education. This way my clients can rest easily in knowing I'm staying on top of my makeup and hair skills.

Petra Alexandra Inc"All about eyes" class

I took this class May of last year during my annual trip to New York.  I learned all I could about brows and couldn't be happier with my investment. You can read more about it here.

I'm well on my way with 2012's purchases and haven't been disappointed yet. My next big buy will be hair related. I've got my eye's on America's Beauty show. I can't wait!

What were some of your favorite purchases from last year?

Rapunzel....who does your hair?

As a young girl I had mixed feelings about my hair but one thing was certain...I hated how my mother styled it! lol Being a natural problem solver, I took on the responsibility of my hair care at 9.

Fast forward many years and 2 kids (girls) later, I've found products and methods that have aided in both me and my daughters hair growth. Check out this video showcasing the below products and methods to achieve these looks HERE

Important things to note:

*Heredity

* Hair reduction

*Curl pattern

*Density

*Hair texture

Important things to consider:

*Protective styles

*Hair breakage due to brushing/combing straightening

*Hair damage by over blow drying

*Product usage damaging hair

Things to help:

*Saturate hair with generic conditioner and detangle

*Shampoo in sections

*Braid hair and let air dry

*Be patient

*Be consistent

Some Great Products

*Dudley's The Shampoo, moisturizing shampoo and conditioner

*Dudley's creme press

*Dudley's setting lotion

*Generic conditioner

*Redkin Anti snap

*Design Essentials natural care line

When straightening my hair and my girls I only pass once with the flat iron. This helped to avoid scorching of the hair and split ends. One slow controlled pass should get most hair types pretty straight.

Do you have any hair tricks or products you'd like to share? We'd love to hear them!

"Tresses at their best"

As of late it's been super hot and humid, making it difficult to maintain my diva hair status here in Chicago. We all would like to have perfect hair like Tyra Banks or wonderful loose waves like Kim Kardasian but lets face it....... those are WEAVES ladies! Let's keep it real! Wonderful weaves and wigs but still artificial hair. What's going on underneath those hair masterpieces? Looks like traction alopecia for our friendly super model Naomi Campbell.

Let's take a moment and talk about Healthy hair!

I know I just lost all of my Weavalicious sisters but this is especially for you!

Here are a few tip and tricks you can use to maintain the health of your hair!

Of course we can't all have perfect hair but we can take steps to make it look like it!

Tip 1: Make sure you are properly cleansing your hair with the proper products. You should have several different shampoos as your hair does not always need the same thing. If you are frequently using heavy styling products you must have a deep cleansing clarifying shampoo to properly cleanse those strands and follicles.

Tip 2: The only true way to moisturize your hair is with water. Find a moisturizing conditioner that is going to penetrate each hair shaft to bind and hold moisture into the hair. This is especially important for my natural sista's. Natural curly hair tends to be very very dry.

Tip 3: You should limit your time with heat styling tools. If you must indulge always use a heat protectant when using styling tools. Concentrate product on the ends for extra coverage.

Hope this helps you!

Visit here for more links www.BombshellArtistry.com

Top Photo by: Nightengale photo

Makeup/Hair: Bombshell Artistry

The Artist Summit Recap

I am soooo late but the Artist Summit was a weekend to remember. I met great artist, spent time with friends and got loads of education. I attended several hands-on workshops including (Detailing your work) Daven Mayeda, (Eye Focus) Danessa Myricks and (Colors everyday) Johnny Lavoy. James Vincent, Crystal Wright and Michael Devellis stood out as favorites in regards to information and inspiration I obtained at the summit. Because I learned so much and was inspired by so many artist, its kind of hard to single any one moment out.

The shopping was of course great! I spent so much money on restocking my kit. I shouldn't need to buy anything else for a while.(Thats what I'll try to keep telling myself anyway lol) I will be discussing further in my vlog. Check out my youtube vlog channel for youtube.com/bombshellartistry for updates.

For those of you who missed it, there is a bigger show that will be coming to Los Angeles "The Makeup Show". It is very similar to the Artist summit but it is much larger. You will have twice as many workshops and seminars along with twice as many vendors. This is a must attend event for all makeup artist. For details on this event please visit The powder group.

Makeup tip: To improve the longevity of your eyeshadow, try using an eyeshadow base or eye primer before eyeshadow. This will give the eyeshadow something to adhere to.

Finding Inspiration

Inspiration for me comes from so many sources. I find most of my inspiration in nature. From the wings of a butterfly to vibrant blades of grass, I am inspired by all beautiful things.

For this look I was inspired by a peacock feather. I loved how the colors appeared to jump right off the page. I had to try something like it!

I was very impressed by the model who sat through her entire face and body (up to the shoulders) being painted black. It was a time consuming process but ended with great results. She was a great sport!

Incase you were wondering, I used Mehron creme based paint and Wolfe face art palette for the lids.

What are some things that inspire you?

Photographer: Dean Paul

Natural Bridal Beauty

This year so far has been one to remember! I've had the pleasure to work with so many brides and wanted to give the brides and their attendants a chance to comment on their experiences. Because I also do more than bridal work, I will also be including behind the scene recaps from various jobs, fashion photos as well as tips for clean and healthy skin.

This bride wanted a very soft and natural look. Her "look" was designed specifically for her needs. She wanted to be made up but did not want to appear as if she had on loads of makeup. Airbrush makeup was used to create that flawless finish! I think we did a great job but what do you think?

Bombshell Beauty Tip: The eyes are the window to your beauty regimen! This area is the first to show signs of lines and wrinkles but does not mean we should over do it with eye creams. Overuse of eye creams can lead to serious under-eye bags from unabsorbed eye creams. Avoid this by using products sparingly and dotting lightly around the orbital bone (bone just under your eye socket) :)