[ Photo by ASG Imaging. Article by Lexie Tiongson, The Elle Tee ]

Local fashion and technology entrepreneurs graced the spaces of Pigment Cosmetics on Saturday, May 27th to network and celebrate the 3rd Annual Beauty Expo. Hosted by Charleston Pierce and Owen Geronimo, four teams of hair stylists & make-up artists competed in a styling showcase. The beauty styling teams included: Avital Elgaziel and Jerushalem Weaver of Avital Beauty Lounge, Ericka Gosha and Regina Dixon, Geneive Jaramilla and Viet Thi Tha of Step Heavvy and Cynthea Amnatkeo and Desiree Cerda. While models were getting dolled-up, guests were able to network an enjoy all the commodities provided by the sponsors of the event. Models, bloggers and contestants were given Samsung Galaxy Tablets and iPads with AT&T’s 4G Lite service to tweet with during the competition and share images online.

After all the champagne bottle popping during wonderful “happy hour” provided by SFFAMA, all the hair and make-up stylists were done dolling up their models and giving them their final look. The teams then stepped up to explain their reasoning behind their style. Judges Joyce Hu, Dario Smith & Gwendolyn Wright all proceeded to critiquing the model’s styles during the runway show and after a tough decision, Avital Elgaziel and Jerushalem Weaver from Avital Beauty Lounge became the winning team for most creative hair and makeup.

In addition to showcasing all things beauty, many retailers and vendors including WorkPlayDate, Bachman’s Sparrow & Chloe+Isabel showcased their product during the event while Intern Sushi and Ask a Salon were providing giveaways. At the end, guests were able to take home a “swag bag” courtesy of Wella Professional. If there’s one thing about beauty that surprises people, it’s the togetherness of it all. As many people came together to celebrate beauty, another year of a successful Beauty Expo has come and gone. 

Lexie Tiongson interns for Stipple as a Fashion & Style Specialist researching celebrity fashion trends. She has also had editorial internships at Shojo Beat Magazine, NOVO Magazine and The Sacramento Press. She currently writes for several magazines including Arielle Simone, We The Urban Magazine and UniversityChic.com, and is a contributing writer for SFFAMA. Lexie majored in journalism and fashion at San Francisco State University and currently attends Academy of Art University studying fashion journalism and visual merchandising.