Earlier this month, on Saturday, May 8th, four teams of makeup artists and hairstylists competed at San Francisco’s Pigment Lounge over free cocktails, mocktails, and other sundry snacks, giving each of their models a unique look in thirty minutes. This event, designed to spotlight the efforts of people important to the fashion scene, featured Nikol and Sarah Elaine, Michael Patterson and Mike Page, Jen Holiday and Justina Downs, and Jamia and the Pigment Cosmetics artists.

Many attendees enjoyed the idea of a celebration event just for hair and makeup – after all, as some said, no one would go out dressed in high fashion without paying attention to the rest of their appearance. And people wanted to observe how much the styling contributed to someone’s look, and how much artistry someone could put into preparing a model for a show.

The judges, representatives from various local fashion and makeup businesses, including one woman who worked with people suffering from physical trauma and skin diseases, received instructions to select the winner based on skill and originality. Each team developed something distinctive while people sipped drinks and networked, and designed looks ranging from a smooth, cohesive and colorful yellow, purple and orange Mardi Gras-esque style to more dramatic with plenty of lipstick and eyeshadow. Judges, and many others, continually complimented each team as they worked, and every style reflected passion and artistry.

Many entrepreneurs and local designers attended this event, including a representative from sponsor Smart Water, dressed proudly in jeans and encouraging everyone to relax and stay healthy. A general feeling of peace, health, and well-being permeated the showcase, and Smart Energy’s free cocktails could be mixed with a vitamin supplement to help drinkers stay hydrated and nourished.

After a few minutes of deliberation, Holiday and Downs received the top prize, and the audience generally agreed the team carried out excellent work, building off of the natural shape and color of the model’s face.

As an accompaniment to the event, organizers Owen Geronimo and the rest of the San Francisco Fashion and Merchants’ Alliance collected poetry from the general public on the topic of ‘beauty’ and posted them on a blog connected to the show. Currently, a trend seems to have emerged in the city towards integrating fashion into the broader arts and cultural scene, and combining other forms of art with clothing design and style. As Kate Durbin, poet and author of The Ravenous Audience, said at her May 11^th reading at City Lights Books, poetry is a form of ‘decorated language,’ words stylized like the fabric of new couture. To her, fashion is public, direct, and a powerful form of immediate self-assertion, which all types of writers and artists should look at and embrace.

The Beauty Expo, now an annual event, offers a step in that direction while highlighting the talents of many important people whose work accompanies that of leading fashion designers.

To get in touch with the people of the Beauty Expo, please contact them through the website www.sffama.com or on Facebook.