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5 Makeup Tips for a Classy & Professional Horse Show Look


I'm so excited to team up with one of my absolute favorite makeup artists: Sonia Garza, to create this extremely valuable blog post all about makeup! We're bringing to you, not only just 5 tips to create the perfect horse show look, but much more including all of her favorite products, and evening & morning routines. Let's get right into it!


First, a little about her. Sonia has always been a beauty guru; for as long as she can remember she's always been in love with makeup and learning the newest and best tips & tricks. She started as a professional artist in 2007, working at the cosmetics counter at Gottschalks, where she'd apply makeup on customers. It wasn't until 2017 that she decided to offer her serviced to the public on her own, after being her friend's go-to makeup artist for any special occasion. Now she does makeup for weddings, events, and of course photoshoots.


Sonia's favorite products:

Brushes- Morphe Brushes

Eyeshadow- Naked 1, 2, or 3 palette

Setting Spray- Urban Decay De Slick (can be used as a primer too)


Camille Kennedy with her bold lip color, matching her red outfit

Moving on to Sonia's top 5 tips to create your classy show look:

1. Moisturize well in advance

Always start with your skin well moisturized to have the smoothest surface possible. Use your favorite moisturizer (or try Sonia's favorite if you haven't found yours yet!) then use blotting wipes to remove excess moisturizer that may be on the skin. The less product on the skin, the more flawless your result will be! Then move on to primer and foundation.


2. Apply the thinnest layer of foundation possible, then correct with concealer

To achieve a flawless canvas, always apply primer or setting spray before foundation. When moving on to the foundation, use a medium to full coverage foundation and apply in the thinnest layer possible, concentrating only on areas that need to be covered most. You don't want it to look like you're wearing too much makeup on your skin, making it look cakey and un blended. Next, apply concealer under the eyes, sides of the nose, and on any red areas or blemishes. This will leave your face smooth but with some added dimension by making your under eyes & sides of the nose a shade lighter and better covered.


3. Keep your eyeshadow under control

Because you'll be wearing your hat when you show, you don't want to have your eye shadow too dark... since your hat already creates a shadow over your eyes. Opt for a color that's 1 or 2 shades darker than your skin tone. She also recommends you stay away from too much shimmer or glitter, just to keep your eyes more neutral so when you add a pop of color to your lips, it's not too overpowering.


4. Add dimension

Your face isn't complete without the dimension bronzer will add, the life blush will bring, the glow highlight adds, and the pop of a bold lip! All of these products, used correctly, will help add dimension to your face, accentuating your gorgeous face. A note on lipstick: she likes to use a more matte lip color, rather than something too glossy. Gloss tends to look a little too messy instead of the polished look you're wanting to create. Not to mention, dust will stick to gloss like no other. Sonia's recommended lip above is smudge proof and matte.


5. Two words: waterproof mascara

Get yourself some waterproof mascara if you don't already, because you don't want to work up a sweat and have it running down your face while you're running through your showmanship pattern, only to come face to face with the judge and have them also be judging your cardiovascular endurance.

Rachel Hoopman wearing a professional look by Courtney Mills

*makeup by another amazing professional, Courtney Mills- on the above photo of Rachel Hoopman*


Sonia's evening & morning routines

She uses an oil based cleanser to easily clean all her makeup off. She then moves on to a beauty serum, a night cream moisturizer, an under eye cream, and a hydrating balm on her lips. She does this exact same routine in the morning, sans the makeup remover and uses her day cream moisturizer rather than the night. She stresses on the importance of finding the beauty serum, cleaners, and moisturizers that work for you depending on your skin type and sensitivity. What works for her in this regard might not work for you if you have a more oily skin type, or have more sensitive skin, etc.

Lastly, please check out Sonia's work on her Facebook and Instagram. I'm so thankful for her contributing her knowledge to this blog post, and I hope you were able to learn some valuable tricks to achieve your class winning makeup look! If you try these tips at your next show, take a picture, post it on Instagram and tag both Sonia and I!



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