Kryolan and Betsy Johnson Event in San Francisco

Guys, did you know about Kryolan? Because up until last week I didn’t. And now I’m about to drop some knowledge on you. You’ll thank me later!

Kryolan is a professional makeup line that specializes in stage, television, special effects and consumer makeup. The company was started over 60 years ago by Arnold Langer who was inspired by the theatrical performances of the 1920’s. He combined that with his chemistry background and the Kryolan brand was born. Now Arnold, his son and his two grandsons run the company and are still independently run as a family business.

Kryolan was the official cosmetic partner for Miss Universe for 3 years, and was the major cosmetics supplier for the 2012 London Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. They were also the official makeup used for RuPauls Drag Race Season 3 and was the exclusive sponsor of the TV show Face Off! So basically, they’s real legit y’all.

I was invited to an event in their San Francisco location this week and had a blast learning more about the brand and testing out a ton of their products. And there was wine. Lots of wine.

The event was highlighting the Kryalon products used in the Betsy Johnson runway show at New York Fashion Week this year. It makes perfect sense that a brand like this would partner with Betsy Johnson. Her clothing and accessories are super vibrant, playful and most of all colourful! They had a reel of the runway show playing in the store so you could see the incredible make up looks they created for the show.

My friend Sarah was there too in her adorable sparkly dress that she wore specifically because it seemed like her most “Betsy Johnson” number. I have to agree, I love the 1920’s vibe it has – so cute! She is also a makeup artist so it was awesome having her there to help me find a few products to try out!

Kryalon makes everything from gorgeously pigmented eyeshadows to fake blood. Faux eyelashes to spirit gum. You can create an every day makeup look, or the perfect halloween costume depending on which products you use! If you are lucky enough to live in San Francisco or New York you can stop into one of their flagship stores and get lost in the seemingly never ending palettes of colour. If you live in Canada you can find some Kryolan products on NailPolishCanada.com as well as at the Kryolan Makeup Store on Lombard Street in Toronto.

What really wowed me was the intense pigmentation of their products while still being wearable and comfortable on the skin. Their palettes are stunning with more colours than I could ever dream of and they package them so nicely!

This might not be a brand you need to seek out if you just enjoy playing around with makeup at home. But if you are a makeup artist or you work in photography or film this line is essential. It’s long lasting, waterproof and (most importantly) protects and nourishes the skin. It photographs beautifully and will stay on for hours during a shoot – even in the rain!

They gave out a gift bag that I can’t wait to dig in to! I also picked up a few things as they were offering 20% off that night. I’ll be posting a review and makeup look using my new Kryalon products next week.

Have you heard of this brand? Have you ever tried it? Let me know in the comments!