Well, gals. Went to a Bridal show Sunday with the main focus to find someone to help transform my older (45 yo) face (within reason, lol! ;->) so I'll feel gorgeous for pix.
I also have sensitive skin and had talked to the bridal makeup 'booker' in advance who assured me that her artist 'uses only the highest quality professional makeups.'
Um, not to be too catty, but the first thing I noticed was that her makeup tacklebox was a mess, as was the makeup (yeah, it was a busy show, but, wait til you read on)--and much of it was brands available anywhere, say, Wal-Mart, CVS, even Family Dollar, with the exception of her Temptu airbrush stuff.
Y'know, knowing myself and my skin like I do, I shoulda just said 'thanks, but no thanks' and left, but am so excited about my wedding I really wanna see what can be done.... AND I've been elsewhere and had great experiences, so this shouldn't have been different, right?
Well, I will say the finished makeup itself looked ok. Not awesome like I'd expected, but decent.
However, it FELT terrible. My eyes started watering and burning as soon as she started putting on the liners and shadows. (She said I prolly got some foundation in the corners and if I kept 'em shut they'd be ok...) By the time she put on mascara, they were tearing constantly.
As well, she'd 'painted on' the airbrush makeup with a paintbrush instead of spraying it (saying it wouldn't be as drying to my skin) but did so many layers it felt just like I remembered old-fashioned basecoat: heavy and like a mask. I could see every wrinkle more clearly.
By the time I got home, my eyes were burning so badly I only wanted to wash off. I snapped a couple quick pics so I could see how I looked on camera then quickly rinsed the 'mask', exposing badly burned and red skin all around my eyes! :O What an ordeal!!
So much for "professional makeup"! Heck, I use Cover Girl and Bobbi Brown, and had makeovers with Kate Somerville, Bare Escentuals and Jane Iredale and didn't have ANY problems, despite being sensitive (meaning, SOME products, like the Ulta brand, have caused my eyes to tear after I wear it for awhile--but NEVER burn!!).
After a couple days thinking about it I wonder if it was that maybe the brushes weren't cleaned in between (didn't see ANY cleaning products), or because she definitely 'double-dipped' directly into the pots after my eyes/skin, there's no telling HOW bacteria-ridden that jumble of makeup actually is....
All I know is that I gotta follow my instincts despite the bridal excitement and I WON'T be using that salon/artist, even if she said she was voted 'best makeup artist' in the weekly free rag --that just means one has a lot of voting friends, right? lol! ;- />
Thanks 4 letting me vent.
btw, eyes are much better thanks to shea butter, jojoba oil, and rest w/fresh organic cucumber slices....