Photo by: Athena Skapinakis
The Marketplace is a wonderful environment for friends and family, offering eateries, shopping, entertainment and a fantastic atmosphere.

Photo by: Athena Skapinakis
Jill Miller, 42, holds onto her daughter Sabrina, 3 1/2, protectively as she touches the water of the fountain.

 

Photo by: Athena Skapinakis
Jill Miller, 42, keeps a watchful and loving eye on her daughter Sabrina, 3 1/2, as she plays by the fountain at The Marketplace.

Photo by: Athena Skapinakis
Jill Miller, 42, gazes at the fountain with her 3 1/2-year-old daughter Sabrina.

Photo by: Athena Skapinakis
Bakersfield’s Marketplace offers lovely landscape design by offering roses underneath an old style lamp.

 

Photo by: Athena Skapinakis
Jessica Sons, 16, and younger sister, Jenny Sons, 11, gaze out into the distance as they eat their frozen yogurt at The Marketplace.

Photo by: Athena Skapinakis
Jessica Sons (middle), enjoys her sixteenth birthday alongside her siblings Jared Sons, 14, and Jenny Sons, 11.

Photo by: Athena Skapinakis
Amanda Caldwell bites into her rainbow sherbet ice cream.

Photo by: Athena Skapinakis
Mary-Kay beauty consultant Dolores Ventura assists Danielle Alcala in matching her color tone for liquid foundation.

Photo by: Athena Skapinakis
Katelyn Prosser applies the finishing details of her eye makeup.

Photo by: Athena Skapinakis
Mary-Kay specialist Dolores Ventura sets up a makeup palette for her guests.

 

When Bakersfield has nice weather, many residents enjoy being outdoors. The Marketplace is a family-friendly atmosphere for eating, shopping and entertainment. For a day with your best girlfriends, hosting a Mary-Kay makeup party may be exactly what you need. There is nothing quite like sharing good company, playing with makeup and making some new purchases to satiate your inner shopaholic.

The Magic’s in the Makeup

“‎Lipstick is really magical. It holds more than a waxy bit of color – it holds the promise of a brilliant smile, a brilliant day, both literally and figuratively.”
― Roberta Gately, author of Lipstick in Afghanistan

Bakersfield can seem repetitive and routine, especially when weekends are almost always spent downtown bar and club hopping. This past weekend my friends and I decided to try something new. Our remedy was to kick off the heels, ditch the club dresses and trade them for a day in.

I called up my friend Dolores Ventura, a Mary-Kay specialist, and setup a makeup party at my house. I hosted the get together in the backyard this past Saturday, April 27. The Bakersfield sun offered a warm and lovely day for the ladies and me as we took our seats.

We spent the afternoon sharing fond memories of our friendship as we learned new makeup techniques to enhance our favorite facial features. Dolores took us step by step on applying the makeup from the palettes she gave us. It was exciting to admire our new looks when everything was put on.

Photo by: Athena Skapinakis
Mary-Kay Consultant Dolores Ventura (left) searches for the correct shade of foundation as Danielle Alcala (right) tests out a different tone.

Photo by: Athena Skapinakis
Katelyn Prosser applies Mary-Kay’s moonstone eyeshadow to complete her eye makeup.

The most fun aspect about makeup is the sense of confidence it can bestow. Of course, a woman should always be comfortable in her own skin, but there’s nothing wrong with a sassy shade of lipstick to shake things up every now and then.

Needless to say, we all bought many new products and didn’t feel guilty about our purchases—I do admit to misbehaving with my wallet the most out of my friends.

After the makeup festivities, we took a break to eat the pizza and hot wings we ordered. Days or nights in always require tasty carbs and a little ‘mixology.’ We played a quick game of trivia before calling it a day.   We accomplished several things that day: We applied makeup, we shopped and we had a damn good time being ladies.

To look up a local Mary-Kay beauty consultant and host your own makeup party, you can visit www.marykay.com and search for specialists in your area. You can also contact my Mary-Kay consultant Dolores Ventura at http://www.marykay.com/dolores.ventura/en-US/Pages/default.aspx?lcov=1