opportunity and has changed so many people’s lives,
and that makes me very proud. We are looking forward
to continuing this trend in 2017 with our next stop in
Chicago, and following that Dallas and Los Angeles.”
The show started off Saturday the 6th with the gallery
opening of professional makeup artist and painter Moi-
ses Ramirez. Ramirez displayed a series of paintings
heavily inspired by his work in the industry. The gallery
was accompanied by a live painting demonstration by
the creator of Makeup Forever, Dany Sanz, who show-
cased the latest launches from his brand. Along with his
opening, Ramirez offered a keynote speech on color,
textures, and fundamentals of art that can be used to
elevate a makeup look.
One of the biggest draws of the conference was the
many keynote speeches and classes that allowed artists
to learn from industry leaders. One of the most well
attended talks was given by Vlada Haggerty for Smash-
box Cosmetics. Haggerty showcased a variety of looks
she has done for Smashbox including an amazing tuto-
rial on a bejeweled lip look.
Along with the series of keynote speeches, the con-
ference offered a series of courses that started on Friday
and ended on Monday; almost all of them were com-
pletely sold out in advance. One of the most popular
courses, Orlando Santiago’s Understanding Color The-
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