I was confident that when I set our departure time at 6:30am and estimated our arrival time at 7:00am we would be the first ladies on the scene to begin a morning of makeup decadence. I was wrong. When we arrived at the entrance of Nordstrom at Pentagon City Mall for the celebrated department store's fall Cosmetic Trend Show, we were struck dumb by the line of women who turned to us with triumphant smiles. My sister, who was experiencing the glorious show for the first time, was not prepared for the line of determined women who screamed when the opening gate lifted or the gazelle like speed of these same determined women as they raced for the front row of the red carpet. I must say I was right there with the pack, showing no more restraint than any other. Once we pleased ourselves with front row seats, with renewed decorum lined up for coffee and danishes.
From the beginning of the show to the end of the show, women screamed and clapped and oooo'd and ahhhh'd at all the new treats the presenting cosmetic lines had to offer. Chanel, Dior, Smashbox, Estee Lauder, Jo Malone, and so many more kept us on the edge of our seats praying to heaven above for free giveways. The host informed us that 700 women strong were in attendance for the affair. As the show ended, we made our way to our makeover appointments and to the makeup artists who hoped to sell us on as much product as possible.
My appointments were with NARS and Dior. I declined to have a full face from NARS and elected only to sample its blush offerings. I happily decided on Torrid. After lunch, I eagerly made my way to my Dior appointment. I had been craving it all morning. I mean, I had been drooling over the Dior eyeshadows, the air flash foundation, and beautiful red lipsticks. Ahhh, hindsight is 100%. I should have a full face done by NARS. I was so disappointed with how my Dior makeover turned out. There are a few possibilities for the debacle. Though the foundation felt great, it did not work for me so either the artist was just plain inexperienced or the line does not offer a good color selection for black women. To make matters worse, the eyeshadow though beautiful was not applied well. In short, I looked horrible. I do have complete faith in the eyeshadow (3 Couleurs Smoky Eye Palette in Smoky Black) so I did buy it and will do a better job applying it than the artist. Unfortunately, my sister had the exact experience at the YSL counter. Her eyeshadow was beautiful but the foundation match was horrid.
Just when I was concerned that none of the high end brands were catering properly to black women, my coworker displayed her beautifully matched foundation from Chanel. Chanel just launched more colors with the goal of providing quality product for black consumers. Her match was phenomenal. She did not look orange like me nor did she look ashen like my sister. Dior and YSL, I am calling you out. Step up your black woman color game!
I will be back in the spring to partake in the festivities again. Hope to see you there.
Did you attend the show? What did you think? How was your makeover? What did you buy?
(Credit for images: Merlisa Lawrence Corbett)
