The Untold Story of The First Makeup Show in Houston

It took me almost forever to write a story about my visit to The Makeup Show in Houston but here I am.

The Makeup Show is the annual pro-only 2-day beauty event touring across the nation and beyond. The one that serves the Southern area has been hosted in Dallas, TX for four years in a row till 2019 when the organizers decided to take it to Houston instead. The reason behind this move is to support the growing local beauty community whose living and work were heavily affected after the Harvey Hurricane in September 2017.

I was so excited to learn that the Makeup Show is coming to Houston, Texas, that I purchased the ticket almost a year in advance. I was anticipating the event for several months and to my misfortune, I got bed sick with the flu a week before the event. The fever was so bad, I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to make it to at least one day of the two-day event.

Thanks to the fast-working anti-viral drugs, I felt much better a day before the event, so I decided to pull myself together and attend it. Almost fainting, I somehow made it to the Makeup Show. Unfortunately, I couldn’t visit all the presentations and classes that I planned initially but did the best of my ability to get the most of the event.

So, what makes this beauty event so unique?

First of all, this is the biggest pro-only beauty conference-like event in the nation, open to everyone in the beauty and fashion industry: whether you are an esthetician, makeup artist, photographer, salon owner, influencer, editor, beauty executive, or a student, you are welcome to attend the Makeup Show.

There is no required level of skills to attend, and I think this event is especially good for beginners in the beauty industry. Events like this help you to define where you stand in the industry.

From stage presentations to limited-seat masterclasses, this is a very intense educational full two-day event (technically a three-day event, as it starts a night before), where you will learn everything you need to help you elevate both your skills both from artistic and business points of view, as the leading masterminds in the industry will be sharing their experience and insights with you.

What is more, you can not only listen to inspiring stories from people who have succeeded in the field but you also get a chance to participate in their workshops, expand your network by meeting new people in the industry, and get professional beauty products with pro discounts.

My experience at The Makeup Show

As I already mentioned, some of the speakers are offering hands-on experience in their private group masterclasses and this is where all the magic is really happening.

I had a chance to attend Orlando Santiago’s “Understanding Color Theory & Color Collection” workshop, which left me completely speechless. Mr. Santiago was showing what it really is to be a makeup artist, by custom-matching a foundation shade on a model using the professional color makeup palette from Make Up For Ever that you can see below.

Mr. Santiago encouraged his students to experiment by mixing primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) together. By doing so, you get a single color – brown, which means brown is the base color for ALL skin shades, from fair to deep.

This masterclass completely transformed my understanding of color in makeup, especially when Mr. Santiago showed how to work with cool shades on a warm undertone skin and how to color correct imperfections and get a flawless complexion without a need to have a huge makeup collection. By adding a different medium to this color palette, a powder, for instance, he showed how to easily create eyeshadows. “Makeup is just a liquid cream or a powder. If you know how to manipulate, you win”.

Another person that made my visit to Makeup Show special is Danessa Myricks. Danessa is a very talented and inspiring makeup artist, photographer, and entrepreneur. I didn’t get a chance to attend her Makeup for Photography masterclass, but I was lucky to get to her main stage Keynote Presentation where she was creating a masterpiece with her makeup artistry and products from her makeup line followed by a photo session in the lobby.

During the Q&A Session at the presentation, a lady from the audience asked Danessa where she gets her inspiration from. I would never forget her response to that question: “Happy energy is what inspires me. I keep most of my energy focusing on being happy“. This deep statement made every person in the room paused for a second and think about how they are managing the energy that they have, at least this is what I was thinking about that moment and keep reminding myself about till this day.

To my greatest surprise, I got a chance to talk to Danessa in person, while she was preparing for the photoshoot and I was amazed how humble, open, and supportive she is behind the scenes.

After filling myself with inspiration and positivity, I was ready to explore the marketplace with 60 brands featured at the show. This is a perfect place for artists to connect with brand representatives, discover niche brands, and stock up with makeup, skincare products, tools, and anything else a makeup artist can dream of. The best part – you can get all of this with a huge pro discount.

As I was wandering from isle to isle, swatching high pigmented products, hauling beautyblenders and other frequently replaced and disposable tools along with some newly discovered products, I finally realized that my calling is not to become a makeup artist, but rather be a story-teller, sharing all these amazing things of the beauty industry with the world.

Would I recommend attending the Makeup Show?

If you want to work in the beauty and fashion industry you should definitely join the next event! This year, due to Covid-19, the initially planned Makeup Show event in Houston was rescheduled for the same time next year, March 20-21, 2021.

The Next Makeup Show Event

Luckily, Makeup Show is not completely canceled for this year. Instead, it will be held virtually this September, on 13-14th. Since it is a virtual beauty event, you would be able to join for live shows these two days from the comfort of your home. In addition to this, you get a chance to e-meet brands and shop online for their products with discounts during the show and for 7 days before it starts. For tickets and information, please go to www.themakeupshow.com/virtual.