Hey guys,
Hope you’re all having a nice Saturday? I’m finally able to catch up on some new blog posts!
So, as most of you guys know from my Snapchat and blog post from last Wednesday, I flew out to the UK to have some SOSU-related meetings and of course to attend the Cocoa Brown masterclass with the one and only Joyce Bonelli!
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Joyce Bonelli, she is the right hand woman and makeup artist to the Kardashian ladies. To be honest, Joyce is so close to them at this stage that she’s like one of the family.
She was at Kim’s hen party in Paris and wedding to Kanye, Kris Jenner’s Great Gatsby themed 60th, she has appeared on their show Keeping Up With The Kardashian’s … wherever you’ll find the Kardashian/Jenner clan, you will almost definitely find Joyce!
Around 2 weeks ago, I got a call from Cocoa Brown owner Marissa Carter inviting me to a Cocoa Brown masterclass she had organised. I couldn’t believe it when she told me Joyce was going to be the guest speaker!
As most of you guys already know, I have been a HUGE fan of Kim Kardashian’s makeup for so long, so I was only too delighted to accept the offer to meet and speak with the woman responsible for it!
Joyce is always in the Kardashisns Instagram posts and Snapchat videos so it felt surreal to actually meet her and hear the inside scoop on our favourite TV stars!
The masterclass itself took place in the luxurious Landmark Hotel in London’s Marleybone last Thursday.
Marissa actually hosted a few different masterclasses on the day so that she could keep the numbers small, which was a really clever idea. With Joyce being one of the industry’s leading makeup artists, I was convinced I would be in a room with 200 other bloggers and makeup artists from Ireland and the UK, but when I arrived, there couldn’t have been more than 30.
It was so up close and personal that it was like a one-to-one meeting! It was really intimate, so much so that Joyce didn’t even need a microphone! She just chatted to us all like we were friends.
The room itself was so bright and beautiful, just the perfect venue for such a glam event! I have recorded loads of footage and over the weekend I’m going to edit it all down to a 3 minute video capturing the highlights because I know that most of you would love to hear what Joyce was saying etc.
I have to say I was very intrigued by her! She’s very out there, very eccentric, and she’s got the rock chick look down to a T! She’s not perfectly groomed by any means, but that’s her style and it really suits her! For the masterclass, she was wearing a plain black tank top, and these really cool wet look leather trousers.
Lot’s of you on Snapchat were asking me what she was like. She’s very American in the way she speaks with the prolonged accent on certain words, and she actually has a lot of the same mannerisms as Kim which is no surprise as she is around them so much. She really reminded me of Kim, and a lot of others who attended thought the same thing.
I was expecting her to do some makeup demos but it actually tuned into a really girly fun chat. Joyce was telling us all about the Kardashians, how she met them, and how she loves doing their makeup.
She also revealed that they’re each trying to pair back their makeup looks, and going for a ‘less-is-more’ kind of style. She also touched on the contouring craze and explained how it was originally used on actors in black and white movies. She said that Kim and Khloe always go for the contoured looks because they’re photographed and filmed so much.
Joyce even revealed that none of the Kardashians ever go anywhere without being spray tanned because they’re followed so much by paparazzi. I was so surprised when she told us that Khloe and Kylie are actually quite pale without the spray tan! I never knew!
Next, Joyce told us about how she first came across the Cocoa Brown range and how her favourite product is the Golden Goddess Oil. She used it on Khloe for a photo-shoot and even Khloe fell in love with it.
Joyce also explained how Marissa originally sent her a bottle of Cocoa Brown for her spray tan machine and how she fell in love with the colour as soon as she tried it.
It was so interesting to listen to her speak. She goes on holidays with the Kardashian’s all the time and even told a story about how they bumped into Rihanna on a recent trip together. Joyce revealed that Rihanna asked her to her makeup, but she refused! Can you imagine turning down Rihanna? She told us that she has actually declined a lot of celebs because she’s so loyal to the Kardashians.
Joyce also did some demos on Marissa using the goddess oil, and afterwards Marissa’s skin was absolutely glowing! Joyce admitted that once she starts applying it, she can’t stop! I think we’re all guilty of that when it comes to highlighters, eh girls?!
Overall it was such an exciting day. I got chatting to lots of UK bloggers. I also met Ashley James from Made in Chelsea and we ended up grabbing a cup of tea together afterwards. She was lovely and down to earth.
I also got chatting to Lily Lexi who is the ex-girlfriend for Gary from Geordie Shore. She also recently launched her own clothing label, Lily Beau, and I have to say her pieces look so fab. Lily was so lovely and so polite too.
We all exchanged phone numbers so I am definitely going to keep in touch with them for when Im back in London. I’m going to be traveling over there quite a bit from now on.
Following the masterclass, we all had the chance to meet Joyce personally and get a photo with her.
When it came to my turn, I thought it was only right to hand her my SOSU Complete Contour Palette, especially as had just spoken about how much she LOVES contouring. She seemed really interested in in and said she would definitely be trying it. Although I’ll probably never see a picture of her using it, it was still so exciting for me when she acknowledged it, and even just knowing that she’s going to have it in her makeup kit is a huge thrill for me!
Once I got a picture with Joyce, I left for a bite to eat with Dylan and my agent Jules who was in attendance at the masterclass as well. Ashley James also later joined us and we had a good chat about the day.
Before I finish, I just want to say a BIG well done to Marissa and her Cocoa Brown team for arranging an incredible event and for securing such a wonderful name. What an amazing person to have associated with the Cocoa Brown brand! Meeting Joyce was such a surreal experience, so thank you very much for giving me the opportunity!
Lots of love
