Top MUA serves as real highlight in RUPA-sponsored workshop

On Wednesday night, Rutgers University Programming Association (RUPA) hosted a makeup workshop in the Busch Student Center led by professional makeup artist Christina Vergara. Vergara has done campaign shoots for Refinery29 and Century 21 and currently does makeup for bridal and weddings.

The room was packed with students – mostly girls with the exception of a few guys – excited to delve into their makeup products and learn new tips from the professional.

During the workshop, Vergara guided students through her specific techniques, most specifically the dramatic eye.

Each student was given a bag of free makeup products including eye primer, mascara, an Elf eyeshadow palette and a set of makeup brushes. Vergara said she made an effort to include products that would suit different skin tones. She also recommended drugstore products and sometimes prefers those over high-end brands.

She stood at the front of the room with a ring light and applied makeup to a model, which was her little sister. There was a projector that focused on the model’s face so everyone could follow her steps as she explained them in detail.

She first started off with the eye. She used an eyebrow pencil to trace the brow and then carefully applied concealer around it to give it a clean finish. She also concealed the eyelids before applying eyeshadow. 

Then, she proceeded to use the Elf eyeshadow palette and started off with the lightest matte shade to set the primer. She continued on shading the eye moving gradually from light to the darker shades on the palette. 

A useful tip she showed was to place the dark color at the corner of the eye toward the lash line and then blend, to avoid making it smudge.

This look is a good alternative for those who are intimidated by doing a smokey eye because it’s not as bold. As Vergara was explaining the process, she made an effort to engage with students and asked if they were interested in being a makeup artist or where they got inspiration from. 

For the next step, Vergara added a shimmer to the eye by blending it across the eyelid. After she was done, she went around to each table and assisted students with any questions or concerns they had.

Students found Vergara’s tips pretty helpful.

“I didn’t have any expectations coming in here. I was really curious as to how to use the darker colors on the palette since I usually use lighter shimmers," said Shoshana Fishman, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore.

The event was fun and interactive. John Dimmick, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and RUPA's director of marketing, said it was inspired by the Maybelline pop-up shop last year and anticipated it to be popular among students. 

“We thought a makeup workshop would be really cool especially because everyone watches makeup tutorials on Youtube,” he said.

He also complimented Vergara, expressing appreciation for the effort she put into the event.

“The person that we worked with, Vergara, she’s really nice and made all those goody bags herself and did that on her own accord," he said.

Vergara told students that anyone could get into makeup, as she went home every day after school and practiced for hours. She also offered to provide a free makeup session to the lucky person who would win the lottery, as each student was given a ticket in their goody bags.

RUPA intends on holding more events on Busch, Cook and Douglass campuses to draw in a more diverse crowd. The organizers were pleasantly surprised when the event was full within 10 minutes of the doors opening. 

Students can expect more events related to makeup in the future. After all, who would pass up the opportunity to receive free makeup?