Artistry by Frances: "A Cosmetics Circus"

Finally! I had been looking forward to the Nordstrom Fall Cosmetics Trend Show for weeks and was now on my way. I was fashionably late, (okay it's not fashionable to be 2 hours late) but I made it. Armed with my Starbucks coffee, I walked in and was instantly surrounded by a mist of this season's newest fragrances (Gucci Guilty wasn't bad). The place was packed with products and loads of vendors and beauty experts. There were also plenty of bare-faced Nordstrom customers who were all excited to start their shopping.

There was a show going on upstairs, so I took the escalator to catch the tail end of it. A tall, lively man was on stage giving away attractive looking prizes...it was celebrity make-up artist Ross Burton. The lucky ladies collected their gifts in what appeared to be a "come on down" Price is Right kind of game. After the show we all headed downstairs, where many of the customers scurried to make their purchases and sat down to complimentary facials. A man even approached me to ask if I wanted my scalp analyzed (got a nice chuckle at the offer). I declined, but at least now we know there's a demand for this service.

After observing all the hoopla, I decided to say hello to a few familiar faces and make my purchase. I took some pictures, looked at the new goodies, and decided I should at least sit down to try a couple of eye colors. After a quick makeover by Estee Lauder artist LaShawnda Thompson, I stumbled across a list of Ross Burton's top ten beauty must haves. Check them out in the photo spread at the bottom of the page!