Chantecaille Event at Neiman Marcus with Eddie Hernandez

It's no secret that I'm a Chantecaille groupie. I purchase - and love - everything Chantecaille introduces. I have multiples of many items because so many of them have been placed in my makeup museum. They are such masterpieces, I want to preserve them. I use my Tiger in the Wild Palette ($78) every week, sometimes days in a row. I dream they made it just for me.

I wouldn't miss a Chantecaille event, and yesterday I had the double pleasure of meeting Eddie Hernandez, National Makeup Artist from Chantecaille, and two Best Things in Beauty readers at Neiman Marcus at Tysons Galleria. The day left me over the moon. Now that I'm coming down from my Chantecaille high, I want to share some of the highlights with you.

I made my appointment with Alicia Cortes, the Chantecaille product specialist and a gal you need to know - even if it's over the phone. Alicia is the perfect ambassador for the brand. Alicia and Kathy Shoreman let me know as soon as the event was scheduled, and I made sure my local DC readers knew about it. I heard from one local reader, who e-mailed as Bunny Masseuse. Isn't that adorable? I knew I would like anyone with a "Bunny" screen name. My surprise was that her friend Nancy joined us. What delightful women! They share my passion for the finer things in life - and beauty products. We had a blast (at least I did).

I gave Nancy my appointment with Eddie because she had a time crunch, and Alicia slotted me in a bit later. Fortunately, they had a cancellation from someone who has no idea what she missed. I loved Eddie from the moment I met him. I hear he charmed the whole beauty department staff before the store opened. I'm not surprised. Behind that extraordinary talent for skin care and makeup, there's a warm, effusive, and artistic man - and I hope a new friend.

Eddie is one of those rare makeup artists who wants you to look like yourself, but better. He doesn't set out to paint by numbers, with the latest look or the most recent collection. He has a keen eye for how you look when you sit down and how to make you look better. I watched him work with Nancy and was astounded when he quickly took her casual look from pretty to pretty fabulous. He used the Sea Turtle Palette ($79) for the basics of her look. He did the same with Bunny. I'm not sure they want their real names used, so I'm sticking with first names/nicknames. I have a photo of Bunny I'll show you later in the week. She actually had three makeup sessions that day! There's a woman on my page.

When I sat in Eddie's chair, he asked me what I wanted to do with my own look. I gave him free rein to do whatever he wanted. After watching him work his magic with others, I thought it would be fun to give such a talented artist the opportunity to work with no constraints (well, there are all my flaws, but you know what I mean). Eddie knew by that point that I already own and love all the palettes, so he started playing with color. The results were amazing. All my friends in the department told me I looked "hot." That's not an adjective that's normally applied to me, so I was tickled.

Before Eddie worked his magic, Liliana Niewinski, an aesthetician who works with Chantecaille, prepared my skin with Chantecaille's soothing and effective skin care. It was a pleasure to sit and smell. Eddie was so cute, he started applying Vital Essence ($98), an anti-aging face and eye serum before Liliana had finished. Then, he started with makeup, selecting Future Skin ($68) in Alabaster for my foundation and Bio Lift Concealer ($66) in Ivory. I thought I looked really great before he started with color!

Eddie spent the most time on my eyes. Here are the colors/products he used on me.

• Perle Shine Eye Shade ($28) under my brow
• Rose Gold Iridescent Eye Shade ($28) all over the lid
• Jasper Shine Eye Shade ($28) for definition
• Aqua Iridescent Eye Shade ($28) to line my eyes, over the lashes and on my lower waterline
• Faux Cils Mascara ($38) in black - perhaps the only Chantecaille item I don't have! That must be remedied.
  

You can find all the Chantecaille eye colors at this link. It was the Aqua he used as an eyeliner that added unbelievable pizazz. All of the other shades were drop-dead gorgeous, but he enlivened my eyes with a shade I might not have selected for myself (I'm too conservative). I hate close-up photos of myself, but I included an eye photo; I hope you can see the perfection of his application.

Eddie used the new Poudre de Perle ($55) in Biwa to give my cheeks some color. It's a shade that works for everyone. He lightly dusted Protection Naturalle SPF 46 PA +++ ($70) over my face, and I felt great. I loved the look. He even added a little bronzer to top off the look and soften my square jaw - at my request. I'm not a big fan of my square jawline.

Here we are, posing for the cameras after my session. The first photo was taken with my camera by Bunny. The second taken with Kathy Shoreman's iPhone camera. Perfect photos - I hate close-ups. You'll have to trust that he did an amazing look for my eyes and face.

Eddie travels all the time, so you could have an opportunity to sit in his chair. Take it! You don't want to miss Eddie when he comes to your Chantecaille counter.

Update 6/13: I couldn't resist showing you how Eddie made Kathy Shoreman party-ready Saturday afternoon. Just got her photo. Don't you think she was the envy of the other women at the party that evening?


Photos at top courtesy of Chantecaille; other photos by Best Things in Beauty, except for Kathy's photo, which was probably taken with her iPhone