Birchbox Birchbloggers Breakfast with Alison Raffaele

I spent Friday morning at the Birchbox office! Birchbox held a Birchbloggers breakfast with special guest Alison Raffaele, a celebrity makeup artist and entrepreneur. I tweeted with Alison prior to the event and she replied with insightful information (with a fun twist), so I was excited to meet her in person. I was thrilled that I was one of the 12 lucky Birchbloggers who were chosen to attend this exclusive breakfast! 

Birchbox office

Alison started her career as Bobbi Brown's assistant and is now the creator of her own makeup line, AlisonRaffaele Cosmetics. Alison shared some valuable tips with us:

• The correct order of makeup application = foundation first and concealer second. This is a game-changer!
• Use a transparent powder to set makeup. This helps prevent makeup from settling in fine lines and wrinkles.
• For dry skin, use a primer after you apply moisturizer. Primers seal in moisturizers.
• 90% of the time, people can use the same shade of foundation and concealer. You don't need to use the green, yellow and purple colored concealers.
• AlisonRaffaele Cosmetics are free of parabens, mineral oil, fragrance and talc. Also these products are gluten-free and vegan.

Alison demonstrated Reality Base Foundation, True Concealer, Transparent Finish Setting Powder, and her line of Takelon bristles. Also, Alison matched each Birchblogger to their appropriate shade in Reality Base Foundation and True Concealer. Alison matched me to shade 3 or 4, depending on whether my skin is relatively pale or tan, in both the foundation and concealer. I was thankful to have an expert color match because I normally have difficulty with color matching due to my yellow undertones, redness around my cheeks/nose and hyperpigmentation from acne. 

AlisonRaffaele Cosmetics will be featured in the October Birchbox. So, if you are a Birchbox subscriber, you may be able to try her products soon. The Takelon bristles on the concealer, foundation and Kabuki brushes are soft and cruelty-free. Also, I wore the foundation and concealer all day - both felt lightweight and did not look cakey. Finally, I appreciate that this makeup line does not include several ingredients that I prefer to avoid in my makeup and skincare products.

Birchbloggers breakfast goodie bag

To top off this event, all Birchbloggers in attendance received a goodie bag, which included:

• Alison Raffaele True Concealer
• Alison Raffaele Reality Base Foundation
• Alison Raffaele Concealer Brush Duo

Alison Raffaele products

• Trio of Ruffian nail lacquers in Hedge Fund, Delirium and Fox Hunt 

Ruffian nail lacquers

Finally, Birchbox shared a special code for you to save 15% off everything in the Birchbox shop when you spend $50 - use code 'BIRCHBLOGGER15'. This code expires 10/15/13. 

Thanks Birchbox and Alison for inviting me to the first Birchbloggers breakfast! I loved meeting everyone and learning about Alison's makeup line.


Have you tried Alison Raffaele products yet?


Disclaimer: Products were provided complimentary to all event participants. No products were provided for review. I was not compensated for attending the event or writing this post. I am not a sponsor (paid or unpaid) for Birchbox or Alison Raffaele. This site is a member of VigLink. Click here for more information on disclosures and referrals.