Photo by Brandon ShowersPhoto by Brandon Showers
When you’re used to the relative calm of spa-oriented shows, an event that celebrates the creative imagination of cosmetics can be a shock. Fortunately, in the case of The Makeup Show LA in downtown Los Angeles’ California Market Center on March 2-3, the departure was a welcome one!
More than 75 beauty brands, 30 keynote speakers and 4,500 attendees gathered in the penthouse of the light-washed contemporary building to enjoy the inspired artistry that reigns supreme in today’s world of professional makeup. High-quality cosmetics lines like INGLOT, Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics, Auraline, Senna, Stila and Nars showed their wares, as did heavy-hitting beauty players like Dermalogica and Tweezerman, to the excited and decidedly colorful crowd.
Journalists flocked around stars of the professional makeup world, like artist Sam Fine, whose work has graced the faces of Beyoncé, Rhianna and Michelle Obama, to secure exclusive interviews. Meanwhile, speakers like Lois Burwell, whose film credits include The Princess Bride, Braveheart and Lincoln, offered invaluable advice to the throng of beginning, intermediate, advanced and veteran artist attendees.
From the spa perspective, we couldn’t help but notice the preponderance of skincare ingredients touted as key players in makeup products: antioxidant combos, hyaluronic acids and even peptides are continuing to find their way into today’s foundations, concealers and lip products. One noticeable example was Auraline, which has incorporated beneficial formulas into its private-label line. For this and other reasons, Reed Cromwell, the company’s director of product development, believes there’s a strong place for lines like Auraline’s in today’s day spas.
“We offer a low minimum order, which is good for single-location spas,” Cromwell told DAYSPA. “For $500, we can even help a spa can create its own lipgloss.”
Certainly the fun and glamour of makeup is hard to resist. And when it becomes good for skin—and for spa profits—we think it’s time to start taking it seriously. —Linda Kossoff
