8.13.2011

Glamcor: A Life (and Career) Changing Purchase

Readers, meet Glamcor. Glamcor, meet my readers. To be more specific, this is my new whip. My pimped out ride. My luggage, as it was confused for by a recent stranger in an elevator, who was baffled by the fact that I traveled with my own chair. I got a kick out of that one. The photo above introduces you to my livelihood. I protect my kit and its contents as if it were my child. My pudgy, overfed, very agile and talented child
I LOVE the heck out of this set up. I have been doing makeup professionally for about seven years now. With my dive into being an independent, full-time freelance artist starting just this past January. I have run the gamut of makeup cases, bags, suitcases, duffels, and bulky, clunky train cases. The carry-on size suitcase, small & light enough to carry by myself, was always my fall back when the new brilliant idea I would have for transporting my kit would inevitably fall through. I have wasted so much money trying to get it right.
My previous suitcase system, easy to work out of, but packed tight and a bit haphazardly.
Then I learned about Glamcor. They got it right. I kept hearing all this buzz about a new line of products for working makeup artists. A portable light kit. A bag system that would solve problems I didn't even realize I had. Wheels. Bags within bags. And all easy enough for little ol' 5'3" me to haul around on my own. It seemed too good to be true.


When I bought my ticket to IMATS, I had no intentions of making any huge purchases. But I knew I wanted to make the Glamcor booth a priority, so I could see the goods in person and decide if it was something to put on my wishlist for Christmas. I booked it to their booth first thing on the pro-only night, knowing I would have ample time to check it all out without the craziness of the convention. And what do you know, I took home my new babies that night. I am so impressed by the quality of my bag and lights. The products speak for themselves. But I have to tell you, the customer service provided by Erik Kaiser and Shana King at Glamcor is top notch. They are both super sweet and truly want to help working artists be as functional and look as professional as possible. [They have so much cool stuff in the works too, I can't wait to tell you about those when they launch!]. Erik is always quick to answer emails and provide insight to any questions I might have regarding the products themselves or business in general. It's great to know that the people behind a product I love are passionate about quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction. I urge you to contact him or Shana if you have any questions about products before (or after!) you purchase.


So anyhow, I have condensed my kit tremendously since switching to the Glamcor Mobile Studio Bag Set System. While chatting with Emmy-award winning makeup artist Kevin James Bennett at IMATS, and seeing how little he carries in his Glamcor bag, I knew I wanted to lighten my already compact load. But the great thing about this bag set is that it truly has room for everything I need. And makes it so easy to stay organized. I'll probably trim down again soon, I always love remodeling! Let's take a closer look at my current set up.
The breakdown.
Insert Bags fit perfectly inside Set Bag, with velcro to attach inside Lap Bag.
Top: main brush belt/roll panel; Bottom: rolled up, and an alternate snap-on front panel!
At a shoot. L to R: Lap Bag opened up with lashes, lips & disposables, skincare & face bags, eyes & blush/face bags.
Bags within bags! L to R: Eye bases & gel liners, shadow sticks & liquids, colored eye pencils, neutral pencils.
And the holy grail of anything I have ever purchased for my profession....
Let there be light!
If for some reason I was forced to give up half the contents of my kit in order to keep these lights, I would make it happen. Not only do these bad boys save me from poor lighting in hotel rooms and studios, but they just look super cool. To all you other professionals out there, I cannot say enough about how these need to be your next purchase. They have changed the way I do my job. Even hair stylists I work with love to utilize these when they are working their magic. Lucky for them I think sharing is caring and set them up so it helps everyone out. They bend and twist to any angle, and have a tripod style base to keep them secure, whether at a low height a couple feet off the ground, or expanded six feet up. A photographer asked me to pull them closer to our model for a nice, soft light on her face. Brides LOVE literally being in the spotlight. And I love being able to set them up, and pack them right back up in a matter of minutes and slide them onto my bag trolley with everything else. Did I mention they don't get hot? Yep, cool to the touch even after a morning doing a nine person bridal party. 


Lightbox made from tissue paper & cardboard. Lit up thanks to my Glamcor Light Kit.
Bonus! I use them at home to create better lighting for blog photos! Just today I fashioned a DIY light box out of scrap cardboard and white tissue paper. I move my Glamcor lights around easily to cast light from the top, sides, or both. More on than later though, as I have cleaned house and will have some makeup and accessories for sale soon! 


Have a great weekend! I've got my kit packed up and ready for a wedding Saturday, how about you?


Shop: Glamcor Professional