Luis Casco Mary Kay Building Dec 2019

At work, we had a ‘lunch and learn’.  Luis Casco was in the building and he demo’ed some make-up techniques with the Mary Kay employees. While I did not use the eyeliner, corrector, or lash primer as instructed (and believe me, I learned tips you need to know), I did pick up a great autograph.

Luis has been on my radar for a few years.  While my fellow hounds won’t know who he is, the makeup world knows him very well. He is the Mary Kay Global Beauty Ambassador. Just this year he’s traveled over 200,000 miles and visited 20 different countries.

He is a make-up artist 'rock star'. He has worked with Cameron Diaz, Charlize Theron, Miranda Kerr, Heidi Klum, Blanca Soto, Garcelle Beauvais, and Tina Fey. He was the Lead Makeup Artist on Project Runway for years. He has been doing this for over 25 years. While he doesn’t work for Mary Kay, he does consultant for them.

This was an exciting opportunity.

My original plan was to sit through the ‘lunch and learn’ and then ask him to sign at the end.  My manager, who I warned about my goal, talked to another manager. They had a different idea. When I entered the room, I was gathered up and led over to Luis. Then I was introduced to him.  Just like I was a VIP. I’m even smiling now as I remember this.

As I showed him the photo and asked him for his autograph, he asked about my collection and how long I’ve been collecting. He was charming. No wonder everybody loves him.  We chatted longer than we should have as there was a room full of employees waiting to learn from the master.

During the ‘lunch and learn’, he stopped by each person and checked on their progress. He gave lots of positive feedback and suggestions. He deftly handled questions from the crowd.  He explained each step and why something might not look right in mid-process. He teasingly promised no one would have ‘raccoon eyes’. He made everyone feel special. When the demo was finished and everyone followed their steps, everyone was excited about the results. They all looked glamorous and ready to take on the world.

This was a fun accomplishment for me. It’s not often that you can feed your collecting obsession while on the job and be a team player by attending a 'lunch and learn'.

AH