Meeting My Makeup Muse, Lisa Eldridge

Hi, everyone! It's Friday- woohoo! If there's anything more exciting than the upcoming weekend, it's the out of this world experience I had last Saturday. If you follow me on Instagram or read my latest post, you'll know that I spent the weekend in NYC with a troupe of my beauty blogger pals. The highlight of the trip was IMATS New York, which not only featured an amazing selection of vendors and demos, but also gave me the opportunity to rub elbows with my biggest makeup artist inspiration. That's right, folks- I got to meet Lisa Eldridge! I've been watching Lisa's YouTube tutorials for years and deem her my favourite for many reasons. First off, she's incredibly sweet, down-to-earth, and approachable. Someone once described her as a "makeup fairy godmother", which totally fits the bill! Beyond that, she has 20+  years in the makeup industry (hard to fathom, as she doesn't look a day over 21), having made up hundreds of celebrities and models, provided the makeup for several Vogue covers, and worked behind the scenes of countless fashion runways. As icing on the cake, she is a complete nerd for cosmetic science and makeup history, which are both completely up my alley! 

When Lisa Eldridge was announced as this year's IMATS keynote speaker, I immediately had hopes that she might make an appearance on the Saturday when we would be attending. Then Saturday's itinerary was announced and I did a little happy dance- Lisa would be doing an hour-long Q and A, followed by a signing of her beautiful and informative book, Face Paint, which has been sitting proudly on my bookshelf since the Fall. I had been super pumped about IMATS already, but this upped my excitement level by 500%! 

My blogger buds were lovely enough to save me a front row spot for the talk, and when I took my seat, my excited geek meter when through the roof! My friends no doubt have video and photographic evidence of my delight ;)

When Lisa emerged, she was sporting the most beautiful vintage-inspired floral dress and killer platform stilettos. Truly a vision! Her first words were to divulge that she was incredibly jet lagged, having arrived in New York after a vacation in Asia and a pit stop in London. First off, the fatigue did not show and second- you must check out Lisa's Instagram- her photos from Japan are stunning! 

The talk not only reiterated Lisa's class and humility, but was also incredibly fascinating and informative. She described her recent experience of observing geisha makeup first-hand, her role in product development at Lancome (and the thrills and pitfalls involved), and her tips about working with celebrities. She discussed how to work the individual client's personality into the makeup look and how collaborating with such well-known personalities, especially on high-stress red carpet days, really entails 50% emotional support and reinforcement. As a therapist, I get it! 

In an interesting parallel, Lisa compared the current beauty industry milieu to that of the 1920s. She explained that it was during the '20s that makeup became readily available to the masses for the first time in history and was a time where women could finally sport makeup proudly, without stigma. She stated that the emergence of YouTube and Instagram have created a similar boom, where millions of men and women worldwide can share their love of makeup and express themselves creatively and honestly. She was firm that this has changed the beauty industry for the better, really holding makeup companies to their words- false promises can no longer stand! 

Following the talk, Lisa was doing a book signing at the Makeup Artist Magazine booth, half-way across the venue. We seriously booked it and ended up snagging a good spot in line! Here Chelle has captured my pure glee as I eagerly waited for my turn. 

When my time had come, I did my best to keep my wits about me and not totally lose my cool. Not an easy task! As you can see from the photos below, Lisa welcomed me with such warmth. It immediately put me at ease! 

Courtesy of Julie at Swatch and Review

Courtesy of Julie at Swatch and Review

I went in for a hug which, as these photos reveal, looked quite dorky on my part. Oh well!!

I started by gushing about Face Paint and how it completely satisfied both my inner history and makeup geeks. She eagerly signed the book and seemed genuinely humbled by the compliments. 

Courtesy of Julie at Swatch and Review

I also told her that I could completely relate to the idea that makeup artistry is 50% emotional support and therapy, as I'm a psychologist by day and beauty blogger by night. Upon my telling her this, she perked up and eagerly asked about the blog and inquired if she could have a card. I was so floored and incredulous that she had asked and immediately started to fumble around my wallet for my blog's business card, chit-chatting in the process. I felt a pang of guilt when I realized I'd be sending her to a blog that's been largely neglected of late, so I made the admission that the blog had been quiet recently due to my wedding planning. She then asked all about the wedding and we talked for awhile about the venue and my plan for wedding makeup. It really felt like I was in a dream! 

Here's a shot of Lisa peeking at my blog card. *Faints*

After the lovely encounter, I stood by, buzzing with glee, as I took photos of Chelle and Julie meeting Lisa as well. They were both so impressed with Lisa's talk that they had to seize the opportunity to buy her book and meet her. I'm so glad they did and that they got to geek out with me! 

Overall, I could not have been more pleased with my Lisa Eldridge x IMATS experience. Her talk was completely fascinating and engaging and she was just as lovely and gracious in person as you'd expect. This experience really made IMATS New York a day I will never, ever forget!

Are you a fan of Lisa Eldridge? Who is your favourite makeup artist/YouTube makeup guru? Who is the most exciting celebrity you've ever met?

Thanks so much for stopping by and look out for my IMATS New York Makeup Haul post on Monday! xoxo

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