This afternoon I checked out the Makeup Show. I went expecting it to be more of a trade and trends kind of deal but, in fact, it was a free-for-all for every makeup artist in the Tri-State area. All for good reason though as many top cosmetic brands were on hand, offering pretty decent discounts. Among them: Young Blood, MAC Pro, and Nars.

While making the rounds, I came across a new (to me) beauty brand, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. The brand boasts a vegan/cruelty free line up of products. What really caught my eye was the colorful range of Lip Tars - a gloss meets lipstick combo. Packaged in a juicy-tubes like container, the Lip Tar squirts out like any old gloss and melts on to your lips easily. The consistency stays moist for at least an hour, but sets to a long wearing stain after just a few minutes. The key when applying is to work fairly quickly to avoid any unwanted staining. After application, you're pretty much set for the day or night (or both!). When I say long-wearing, I mean it! I missed wiping a little off at the show and it's still holding strong after a number of hours and countless washes.

In terms of color, I personally think the bright colors such as Reverb (orange-based red) and Anime (florescent magenta) look the best. There is a wide variety of nude and pastel tones but on Caucasian skin, they end up washing you out (or as one girl beside me at the table said " give you that dead look"!). I'm really excited about these new additions to my cosmetics bag. Long wearing and glossy color (with a hint of peppermint) = the perfect evening accoutrement!