Inside the Make Up First's Holiday Eyes Workshop

My purchases and the Make Up First brochure

I was lucky enough to attend Make Up First School of Makeup Artisty's "Holiday Eyes" workshop Sunday December 4. I was truly anticipating this 2 hour event, which I found advertised on their Facebook page for only $25 - all redeemable in product.

I arrived early to the event, and good thing I did, because it was a full house. At the start of the workshop Jill Glaser, state certified makeup artist, and her staff began with a slideshow on a big flat screen tv that showcased makeup on vintage Barbie and how the look has been updated with glitter and evolved into a variation of smoky eyes. After brief introductions to the staff of beautiful ladies who specialize in makeup artistry from Bridal to Gore, the demonstrations began. Instructor Dena created a smoked out burnt orange to burgundy look with perfectly powder sculpted eyebrows on Jaycie, a freelance makeup artist who Jill noted had worked a wedding every weekend this past summer. To create the look Dena used several products that the Make Up First School sales in their pro shop including Make Up For Ever's Flash Palette ($95) on top of Paula Dorf eyeshadow primer, Make Up For Ever blush/eyeshadow and eyeliner pencils and Inglots eyeshadow on top.  False lashes on the top and bottom lashline finished this look off to give a doll-like affect.  To her right, Jill demonstrated the amazing cleansing power of Cinema Secrets Brush Cleaner ($35) and it's ability to clean a brush with as little as two swipes, even with if used with a thick creamy product. She also shared an exciting product that they sale that every makeup artist needs, the Make Up First Light (Sale Price $150 normally $200).  It has two bright bulbs with adjustable arms and base and comes with a carrying case for easy travel. She informed us that once shipped from China, her boyfriend puts these lamps together in her living room (She was really quite entertaining and had the audience laughing the whole time).

While Jaycie took a short break to feed the parking meter, Jill demonstrated a bit of color theory with Obsessive Compulsive's Lip Tar ($13), which has the shine of a gloss and the staying power of a lipstick, mixing blue and red to create a red with blue undertones and red and yellow to create a poppin' orange hue.  Jill then choose a volunteer from the audience and with a disposable wand gave her hot pink puckers using the Lip Tar. When Jaycie returned to the makeup chair, Jill showed the audience how easy it was to create the effect of flawless skin with the Kett Airbrush System ($467).

The Make Up First School made all of the products from their demonstration available for purchase and eligible to use with the $25 registration fee. Needless to say with the student discounts and the generous $25 off, the existing 4 Make Up For Ever Flash palettes, were all sold out before the end of the workshop, but if you were there you were able to see how these great products are valuable to creating the perfect flawless face.  I think many would agree that makeup education is worth so much more to the student audience.


Jill founded Make Up First School in 2006 and it is Chicago's only state-certified, MAC-approved program for training makeup artists. If you are interested in enrolling in workshops or courses which start as low as $500, visit their website at makeupfirst.com.