Our first workshop!

Saturday, April 18th, 2009- Orientelle's first workshop took place! And happily, it went great! Here's a word from our President & Founder:

I will always remember April 18th 2009 because that was the day Orientelle had it’s very first event! We organized a workshop where participants would learn how to apply makeup and try out different products. This wasn’t just any makeup session though, because it was specifically focused on the Asian face. And as our participants noticed, this is the very first time such an event was organized specially targeting Asian women in Montreal!

When I founded Orientelle in 2006, I dreamt of holding workshops such as this one that caters to Asian women and their special needs. Caucasian magazines or TV shows teach how to apply makeup but the tricks aren’t that relevant to us because of our different features and bone structures. Three years later, that day finally arrived.

I was so nervous the week before. Jeannette, Yan and I worked hard and planned every detail to ensure that the event would be perfect and memorable to all. But doubts did cross my mind…What if it fails? What if the girls don’t like it or don’t learn anything new? What if we forget something? What if the makeup artist isn’t good?

In the middle of the class, there was a moment when I was sitting in the back of the room and admiring the Orientelle poster. I was thinking: OMG, this is finally happening. I was touched, speechless and almost wanted to cry. I was so happy and proud of myself for not abandoning Orientelle when I first started it alone. There were days when I was desperate and questioning Orientelle’s future. Am I targeting the right market? Am I crazy or just too ambitious?

Then I watched participants giving the makeup artist their full attention, trying out all the products with eager and having fun at the same time! I was content- All the hard work was finally paying off. At the end of the class, every one looked beautiful with their radiant smiles and new-found confidence. My doubts quickly trickled away.

I’ve told them already but I want to emphasize it again.

Jeannette and Yan: Thank you for being in my life. Thank you for being my partners in this amazing adventure. We are a great team.

Also, thank you to my husband Gérard and Jeannette’s boyfriend, Johnny for helping us…can we count on you for our next event ☺

Thank you Hanyue, our makeup artist from Mood For Makeup, for your professionalism and talent.

Thank you to our sponsor, Zhen Beauty for giving us all the amazing samples.

Thank you to Cathy from Fairview Pharmaprix for giving us abundant Smashbox samples (our favorite primer!).

Last but not least, thank you to our twelve participants for trusting us and encouraging us. Without you all, Orientelle would not be as successful.

Now we are planning our second workshop. The twelve places have already filled up. There is even a waiting list for the third…which means that Orientelle is really filling a need for Asian women and I cannot be happier.

Some of the products and tricks discussed at the events are presented on our website, see the posts below:

Skin Care:

Facial exfoliator-Why and what to use
The best makeup removers and face cleanser
More facial Cleanser for senstive skin and uneven skin tone
Proper skincare for Acne Prone skin
Treatments for Acne- the conventional versus the natural
Pore minimizers
Remedies for eye-bags
Great sunscreen

Foundation:

Great primers to create the perfect base for foundation
Finding the perfect foundation for Asian skin
Mineral makeup

Eyes:

Best liquid eye liner: Laura Mercier
Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curler - the best eyelash curler for Asian eyes
Fiberwig Mascara for maximum length

Multi-color Eye Shadow Palette

Face Color:

Nars Orgasm Blush- Yan's personal favorite
How to find the right blush color for Asian skin tones

Lips:

Juicy kisseable lips
Lip Exfoliator
Great Lip Balm

Take a moment to enjoy our pictures from the workshop. Perhaps we’ll see you there at our next event?

(A note here: Unfortunately, the AM class was so dynamic that it not only ended later then anticipated but we also had little time to take pictures afterwards... We will definitely take this into consideration for our next event since we're pretty sad that we don't have individual pictures of our beautiful participants from the morning class!!)

Sincerely,
Theany Chan