Make-Up Designory in Slovenia

I have to be honest. Before visiting this magical place, I didn’t even know where Slovenia was. I did a bit of geographical (and, as it turns out, political) research to become a bit more familiar with what is now my new obsession… other than make-up, of course. Slovenia gained its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, and is today a modern state and a member of the European Union. Located just 4 hours away by car from Northern Italy, it is nestled in a perfect location should short travel throughout the rest of Europe be on the menu.

Ljubljana is Slovenia’s capital city and where I was based during my stay. It was clean, friendly, and above all, picturesque. Weeping willow trees lined the streets and bridges along the city’s canals and extended their poetic branches down into the water below. The architecture was similar to that of Italy and the streets were paved with romantic cobblestone.

Why was I in Ljubljana in the first place? To meet our Slovenian distributors, Makeup Artist Center. We had been working with them for over a year and it was such a pleasure to finally meet them. We all met for the first time a week earlier in Bologna, Italy, during Cosmoprof as we all worked together at the MUD booth – we were the dream team. Not only was Cosmoprof a huge success for MUD this year, but it was the most fun I’ve personally had in my trade show career!

I had been scheduled to lead three workshops at Makeup Artist Center while I was there. Their store was very professional and MUD was highly advertised throughout the establishment. Tate Holland, CEO of Make-Up Designory, and Troy Watson, who handles International Sales for Make-Up Designory, were along for the ride. They began each workshop with a fabulous PowerPoint presentation to familiarize everyone with MUD. I followed their presenation with demonstrations, tricks and tips of the trade, and a Q&A session at the end. The girls who attended were just phenomenal. Eager, enthusiastic, and talented, they were definitely an ideal crowd for our presentation.

Leaving such a beautiful place (and its people) was not easy. I promised myself I would return as soon as possible. Working with our Slovenian crew was hardly “working” at all. It was real pleasure.

— Reiva Cruze