Out of the Beauty Box Toronto: AIRBRUSH

Last Sunday I attended the Out of the Beauty Box Toronto Airbrush class taught by none other than Koren Zander (aka:  Enkore Makeup) and Elessa Jade (aka:  Pursebuzz).  Now if you don't know who these two are WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?  We all know and love them on YouTube and it was an honour to have them as my instructors.

O2B2 (for short) took place at Arline Malakian Studio and we learned the basics of airbrushing for a whole 5 hours.  The lesson started off by Koren handing out our Temptu airbrush kits.  Surprisingly I kept my composure and held in my excitement as I opened the boxes.  The whole class was in silence as we were in awe of our new goodies!  Then it was time for inventory.  We had to make sure that we checked off that we had everything in out kits.  Next off Elessa showed us all the componenets of the airbrush gun and showed us how to disassemble and assemble and disassemble and assemble and disassemble and assemble our airbrush guns.  I think I must have put that thing together and took it apart at least 10 times!  But by the 3rd or 4th time I was already a pro!  It was almost as if we were all in the army!  

We then had Koren show us where to set our compressors and how to use the airbrush gun.  We also did a few practice exercises on paper.  Now let me tell you, these exercises weren't that easy.  Airbrushing really does require a lot of practice.  When we watch someone using an airbrush, it's alot harder than one might think.  There's a lot of finger and wrist motions involved that I even think my hand started to cramp a bit.  Just pressing and pushing that airbrush trigger back and forth really does require some sort of coordination. A lot of people may think you just aim and shoot but let me tell you it ain't so!

Practice shots

After practicing it was then time to work on our models.  I had the lovely Tess from Makeup By Tess as my model.  She was really sweet and easy to work with.  Luckily she has nice skin to begin with which made my job a lot easier!

 Tess' before shot

 Back bubbling

Students and their models

Tess' after shot

Time for Tess' photoshoot

Pursebuzz the photographer

Airbrush Certified! 

Me and my pretty model Tess

All in all I must say that this class was worth my time and money.  Koren and Elessa were awesome instructors who took the time to work with you one on one.  The class was really hands on and informative.  One thing I really liked was that they both would go around to see how you were doing and would help you and show you how to improve your technique.  They were there every step of the way answering all your questions and concerns.  Another good thing that came out of this class was that I got my certificate and I managed to already get some pro artist discounts from several beauty companies.  I'm happy that I joined the class and would not hesitate to join another!

Here's what we got in out kit:

Picture from the O2B2 Website

Temptu:

S-One Compressor

SP-35 Airbrush Gun

SB Foundations Makeup Starter Set

7 Pack S/B Blush & Highlighter Starter Set*

S/B Primer

S/B Airbrush Cleaner

Airbrush Moisturizer

Concealer Wheel

Temptu Aibrush Cleaning Kit

Disposable sponges

Cotton swabs

disposable spatulas (not pictured)

 disposable headband (not pictured)

 concealer brush (not pictured)

http://www.o2b2tour.enkoremakeuponline.com

IMATS Toronto 2010 & Haul

 L-R: Me, Fiona, Sheryl, Sandy

This year was my first year ever at IMATS. I went with my YouTube friends Fiona Man whom I've mentioned in past blog posts and Sheryl (Pincstuff on Youtube).  I also got to meet another Toronto YouTube Guru Sandy (aka: Sanderlees) whom i got to spend most of the day with.  Be sure to check out their vids on YouTube by clicking on their names!

I felt a little overwhelmed when I got there as there was so much to see and buy.  I was actually well behaved and only purchased what I thought I needed and made sure not to go over my budget.  Below are some pics of my adventures and what I ended up buying.

OCC Lip Tars of course were the rage.  Check out my full review here on Makeup Junkie !

 

Crown Brushes had sooo many brushes!  I wanted to buy some but figured I have a lot of these brushes already.  But the prices were so cheap and worth buying if you needed them. 

 

 Here's a pic of Elessa aka: Pursebuzz and Koren aka: EnkoreMakuep doing a giveaway in which Fiona won so many prizes!  Check out Fiona's haul and prizes that she won here!

Here's Fiona after she got her eye makeup done by Koren

Meeting Elessa (Pursebuzz) for the first time.  She's such a beauty and super nice too!

Check out Pursebuzz website here and her YouTube channel by clicking here.

Elessa (Pursebuzz) and me meeting Koren (EnkoreMakeup) for the first time.  Love him!

Check out his website here and YouTube Channel here.

 One of the highlights of my day was attending Kandee Johnson's Q & A.  And right after I got to meet her at her meet n greet!  She really is as sweet in person as she is on the camera.  We briefly talked about our baby bellies :)

 

 Check out Kandee's blog here.

And if you haven't seen any of her YouTube vids I highly recommend checking her out here.

 Crazy lineup to see Kandee!  I was lucky to be #5 in line! :)

Kandee's mom and I.  They could pass for sisters!  She's just as sweet as Kandee :)

And finally here's my little haul...

 

Embryolisse Creme Lait, Face Atelier Foundation in #6 Honey, Royal & Langnickel Concealer brushes and lash comb, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Clear, Roque Cozette (Kett Cosmetics) Tumblers for my makeup kit (got a free bag too!)

 

Looking forward to next years IMATS!

Enkore Makeup HD Stipple & Swirl Brush Review

 Koren Zander

If you don't already know who Koren of EnkoreMakeup is then you better hurry up and check him out on YouTube!  He's one of the top Beauty Guru's on YouTube's How To & Style Category with over 87,000 subscribers to his channel.  He's also #48 on YouTube's most subscribed (All Time) Guru's.  If you're a regular watcher of Koren, then you'll know that he has his own online store.  He has handcrafted makeup brushrolls and he even has his own makeup and makeup brush line which are available on his website.  He's full of so many beauty tips and creative ideas that it will leave you wanting more videos from him.  He recently made a new channel featuring his arch nemesis Enkorinne.  Be sure to check her out on YouTube as well!

Because I like Koren so much, last December I decided to buy the HD Stipple and Swirl from his brush line.  This brush was designed to be like that of the MAC 109 and MAC 187 put together.  I was so excited to get this brush but when it arrived and I tested it out I was quite disappointed with the quality of the brush as it had horrible shedding.  It would shed when I washed it and it would shed on my face while I applied my foundation.  And I'm not talking about 3 or 4 little hairs.  This was like at least 10-15 hairs.  The hairs looked like tiny fine cut hairs which reminded me of facial hairs right after your husband/boyfriend shaves.  I had to let Koren know about my concerns so I emailed and DM's him on his Twitter.  He was very quick to respond and said he would contact the manufacturer regarding this matter.  I was then informed that the little hairs were probably due to the fact that the black hairs were laser cut and they had probably not vacuumed all the hairs out.  My brush was shedding so bad that I could no longer put it use.  I told Koren how sad I was about it and he took action and had the manufacturer re-produce a new brush that would have a crimped ferrule which would help with the brush not shed too much.  To my surprise he would send me a new brush FREE of charge!

I received my new brush in the mail the following month and in the beginning I noticed major shedding again!  I was told that this would go away with a couple of washes and uses.  So I decided to give this brush a chance.  And Koren was right!  After a few weeks my brush is no longer shedding and the results of liquid foundation application with this brush are flawless.  I not only use this brush for foundation but for multiple uses as well.  It can be used for liquid foundation, blush, contouring and highlighting.  This brush is much better than the first as it is more dense.  This is a great brush if you're looking to have that flawless airbrushed finish.  If you already own a great brush that delivers great and flawless results and you like it then I'd say this isn't a brush that you don't necessarily need to have.  But if you're a brush freak like myself then you'll definately want one of these in your collection!

Here are some pictures of both brushes and how they compare.

Top: 1st brush

 Bottom: 2nd brush

Top: 1st Brush

Bottom: 2nd Brush

Left: 2nd Brush

Right: 1st Brush

Left: 2nd Brush

Right: 1st Brush

www.enkoremakeuponline.com

www.youtube.com/enkoremakeup

www.youtube.com/enkorinne

Do you own any of Koren's brushes?  What's your opinion?  Feel free to comment below.

December Haul

Hi Everyone!  I hope you all had an awesome Christmas!  I thought I'd share with you what I hauled for the month of December including Christmas gifts I got from family and friends. In the top pic you'll notice some goodies in the top left hand side.  Products purchased were from LUSH.  I ended up buying a Buffy Body Butter, Herbalism face scrub and Chocolate Whip Stick lipbalm.

Urban Decay's Sustainable Shadow Box

Thank you to my lovely friends Mae and Alvin. I was ecstatic upon opening this!  I can create a lot of looks with this palette.

The Color Workshop Palette

I found this palette at Pharma Plus.  It only cost $2.99 and to my surprise these are SUPER pigmented!  They blend very nicely too.  If you happen to stop by a Pharma Plus you definately have to get this.  The only downfall of this palette is that the packaging is cheaply made.  There was a mirror attached to it and it broke off the first time I opened it.  Other than that, it's great for what it's worth.

Stila Kajal's in Topaz and Onyx.

I picked these up on boxing day but they weren't on sale.  I just had to have them after seeing countless of awesome review on YouTube.  Had to have them for myself!

Sephora Eyeliner in Pure Beige

This color is great for using on your waterline (lower eye rim) if you want to achieve that wide awake look.  It'll make your eyes appear larger. Great if you have an Asian eye like myself.

Joe Fresh Fine Liquid Liner in Black

Only $6 at Superstore.  What a steal!  Very comparable to MAC's Penultimate Liner.  Does the same job in my opinion.  Just a cheaper alternative if you don't want to pay for the MAC version.

Korres Face Primer

I heard about this primer from my friend Jennai.  I usually use either Laura Mercier or Smashbox.  But after using this I'm not sure if I'll even go back to the other two.  I like the way this feels on my skin.  It doesn't have any silicone or mineral oils in it.  It's 99% natural.  And it has a nice citrus/vanilla smell to it.  If you're sensitive to scents I'd probably skip this.  But thank goodness I'm not! 

MAC Lipstick in Hue, Lipliner in Subculture, and Blush in Pinch Me

I picked these up while Christmas shopping for my mother in law.  For her I picked up a lipstick in Dare You (not pictured) and a blush called Pinch Me that I just had to get for myself as well! I love the blush it literally does look like someone just pinched your cheeks.  As for the lipstick it's a pretty nude pink color.  I'm all about nude lips and Subculture liner went very well with it too.

L'Oreal Lip Collagen Filler

I was one of the lucky few who got to receive this product for free from Chick Advisor.  Check out my review on the website!

Jacob Care Lip Gloss

I was surprised when I learned that Jacob was selling lipglosses.  My sister bought me one in the color "DONNA."  I knew instantly I HAD to have a backup!  A lipgloss with my name on it was too good to pass up! L-R in the picture are the colors Bella, Donna and Cita.  The price is 2 for $15.  That is like getting only one MAC lipglass.  And just so everyone knows, every time you purchase a lipgloss from Jacob they will donate $1.00 from the sale to help fund the Canadian Cancer Society breast cancer research.  So this is definately worth picking up!

Enkore Makeup Duo Fibre Stipple and Swirl Brush

Anyone who is a YouTube beauty watcher already knows who Koren of EnkoreMakeup is.  He has come out with his own makeup brush line.  Check out his online store for some goodies if you haven't already! He also has these amazing brush holders that are hand crafted by the man himself.  A very multi talented guy.  Go subscribe to his YouTube Channel too!  You'll learn a lot of great tips and tricks of the trade!

Business Card Holder from Forever 21

My sister bought this for me for Christmas.  I was in need of one.  I love it!

Juicy Couture Train Case

I bought this on Boxing Day from Sephora.  I believe the retail value of it was $75 + but me and my sister managed to buy it for only $37 plus taxes!  What a steal! Cute isn't it?

 

ZUCA Pro Black and Silver

I have my wonderful husband to thank for this awesome luggage!  I originally wanted the Artist Pro one but who cares it's a Zuca!  And if I need the plastic compartments they're available online.  This will be used for my makeup kit.  I no longer need to carry my hard MAC traincase that weighs a ton when filled.  I love this because it comes with stacked compartments and it's very compact but can hold a lot.  It's also a rolling bag so barely any lifting is involved.  And the best part of this is that you can actually sit on top of the luggage.  Great for clients tp sit on while doing their makeup.  I'm in love!

 

That's it for December!  Looking forward to January and hope you all have a Happy Happy New year!