Sunday, November 8, 2015

Apply with Spatula: AQHA Congress Showmanship Makeup

This very cute girl is featured in one of the videos on the channel Horse Show Makeup. I am sure this is typical of the kind of makeup that is worn at Congress, and the girl is attractive. I have seen dressage riders with similarly applied makeup. I have to wonder, though,  how on EARTH they do this kind of a makeup job and then keep it looking like that through the course of a show? Even with grooms and family to help, that's a lot of look to maintain.

 


13 comments:

  1. Personally, and especially in dressage, I hate 'obvious' make up in the show ring, (the big red lip for example). I think that it is distracting from the horse and rider in the same way that bright pink boots or polos would be. More than that I think it seriously undermines the fact, which equestrians have to argue so hard for, of riding being a sport. You don't see Serena Williams, or Mia Hamm with fake eyelashes and big pouty lips at their competitions.This type of make up, in my opinion, turns riding into more of a pagent than a sport.

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    1. Hi there! I am actually the person that makes these makeup videos. I totally agree with what you are saying for the dressage arena. The hunt seat, three day eventing and dressage classes are the few that come to mind when thinking about minimal makeup. This particular look is designed for showmanship which is an in hand class in which you are up close and personal with the judge and want to look presentable. Of course no one is required to do this. Many people actually wear little to no makeup to AQHA shows, however, the Congress, which this look was created for, is arguably the biggest show in the AQHA industry and you want to look your best when you are so close to some of the best judges and competitors in the world. It's really just something fun to me, just like riding horses. It's something that you can do to express your self and just have fun which is why I love makeup :)

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    2. Hey there! My name is Emma and I am actually the person that runs Horse Show Beauty on makeup. I totally understand where you are coming from and seeing that this is mainly a dressage forum, I am surprised and in a way honored that my video is being shared in so many areas. I agree that in many disciplines, such as dressage, three day and hunt seat/hunter jumper competitors don't and are not expected to wear this makeup. However, this specific look is for the AQHA Congress which is arguably the biggest AQHA show and for an in hand class in which you are up close and personal with some of the industries best judges and competitors from around the world. In your day to day show. many people would not wear this makeup, but for the quality of the show it is important to look professional and put together just like your horse. Makeup is not all about big pouty lips and fake eyelashes. It is about expressing yourself and embracing your passion, just like riding horses. I love both horses and makeup and I hope people don't think that wearing makeup is disrespecting the sport.

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    3. Hi Emma!
      Apologies, I should have been more clear. I was thinking specifically for the Dressage ring when I wrote my comment...mainly because I have very recently had this discussion with a few other people!! I haven't ever been around the showmanship/western disciplines, but I completely understand how it is fun, and perhaps necessary (for professionalism, tradition, etc) to do.
      Either way, you look great (both with and without make up!) I wish you luck with your showing!!
      -Skye

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  2. Wow. I'm glad this isn't expected in the dressage arena! I'm totally with JSF. Over the top makeup has no place in the competition arena.

    I generally wear nothing, but if I have time up my sleeve I might wear some BB cream and lip gloss. Perhaps I should whip out some lippy next time :-).

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    1. Hey there! My name is Emma and I actually run the Youtube account Horse Show Beauty. Like I told JSF, this makeup is definitely not specified for the dressage arena. AQHA classes and Dressage classes differ tremendously in styles and to compare the two is almost unjust. This makeup is designed for a premium show in the AQHA industry and varies drastically from anything I've seen in Dressage. I agree that a minimalistic look is definitely ideal for Dressage, and other disciplines in the industry, but I think it's so cool to see my video showing up in a Dressage forum! So cool :)

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  3. Isn't showmanship a halter class? If so, that I *kinda* get. But for actual riding? Heck no! That said, as a professed makeup geek (wouldn't know it from my face on a daily basis, though), she does do a nice job with the blending and contouring, and I like the bold red lip.

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    1. Hi there! My name is Emma and I am the creator of the Youtube account Horse Show Beauty. It is so cool to see my video on a blog and people discussing it. Showmanship is an in hand class in which you do a pattern and is drastically different style wise than Dressage. I would never wear this for daily riding lol. I'm glad you can appreciate the makeup trends in different disciplines and this blog makes me think about creating some Dressage looks on my channel in the future. I do have a hunt seat tutorial look up which is much more natural looking and along the lines of what I wear for our college IHSA hunt seat shows.

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    2. Hey Emma! Well said, here and above :) My only other comment would be you might want to use a little brown shadow to fill in your brows, as they wind up slightly washed out, at least in this lighting (nothing more, size and shape look lovely!). I love a good excuse to get all fancy and turned out, it just doesn't often happen to coincide with my horse activities, lol!

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  4. Don't mind a bit of make-up to enhance appearance, but this is over the top. How can all that be so important in a class that's supposed to be showing horses? Back in the day, when I did a little showmanship, it was about how the horse was handled, We worked on posing the horse, paying attention to where the judge was at all times, getting the horse to respond to aids on the ground....showing the HORSE, not us. Looks like times have changed.

    I agree with JSF. Seems to be more of a beauty pageant than a horse show. (Of course, we always could put lipstick and fake eyelashes on the horse....h-m-m-m.)

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  5. Hi Emma, I don't know how you do it :-). Do you apply the makeup in the hotel or at Congress?

    I know that in dressage there was a makeup line for dressage riders -- some of them really do a theatrical-type makeup, but then some of the stock ties are silk and blingy, so it fits. I guess showmanship must also have sparkle and bling too? I'm not too familiar with the western disciplines, obviously!

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    1. It really depends on the show. At some shows, your class will go later in the day so you can do it at the show, but typically I do mine prior to the show or while my horse is eating. For the larger shows, like the Congress, there are occasionally makeup artists out their like Devin Territo. Showmanship has a lot of bling so a dramatic makeup look definitely balances things out and ensures that your face isn't lost with all of the bling and shadows of the hat. Hope this helps :)

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    2. Hi Stacey :)

      It really depends on the show schedule on when I do my makeup. Typically at the larger shows classes are spread out of a few weeks meaning you are likely to have a class later in the day. In that case I do my makeup when my horse is eating. At the big shows there are even occasionally makeup artists like Devin Territo which is even more convenient. Maintaining it throughout the day can be a tricky process. I don't like to put a lot of makeup on my forehead because my hat will rub it. I make sure to use products that I have tested in the heat while I ride and see how sweat proof it is. There is definitely a lot of bling in the western world which is one of the reasons I think it is important to do your makeup. The outfits tend to overpower the bare face between all of the bling and shadows from the hats. Hope this helps :)

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