The Makeup Show

What The Makeup Show does

The Makeup Show, operated as Metropolitan Makeup Show LLC, is a privately-held event company founded in 2005 by Shelly Taggar and headquartered in New York City. The company produces professional beauty trade shows and adjacent experiential events serving makeup artists, hairstylists, estheticians, beauty students, brand executives, and press, with self-claimed status as the largest pro-driven beauty show in the United States. Core products include the annual flagship The Makeup Show NYC (80-100+ exhibitor brands, 40+ free education sessions), the regional Houston event, the iArtist mentorship program (1.5-day intensive with 20+ educators and bundled show admission), Creative Open House weekend events (expanded to Orlando, LA, and NYC), and The Makeup Shop NYC holiday pop-up (40+ indie and prestige brands). The underlying technology stack is described only as an "event management and curation platform" with no proprietary AI, app, or API components disclosed.

The business model is event-driven with five revenue streams: ticket sales across multiple price tiers ($25-$595), exhibitor booth fees with tiered sponsorship levels (Gold, Silver, Contributing), workshop and class fees ($35-$145), sponsorship revenue from beauty brands (e.g., Danessa Myricks Beauty, Alcone, TEMPTU PRO), and merchandise sales through an online storefront. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the company website (using CVent for registration) and on-site at physical venues (Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC, Hilton Houston Post Oak in Houston), with merchandise sold through WooCommerce. The company has no disclosed external funding, operates with a small core team of 1-10 employees led by owner Shelly Taggar, and integrates venue operations through Taggar's concurrent role as Vice President of Metropolitan Pavilion.

Name

The Makeup Show

Legal name

Metropolitan Makeup Show LLC

Website

https://themakeupshow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Makeup Show, founded in 2005 and operated as Metropolitan Makeup Show LLC, produces professional beauty trade shows and education events in NYC, Houston, and other cities, serving makeup artists, hairstylists, estheticians, students, and beauty brand exhibitors across flagship shows, mentorship programs, and pop-ups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Beauty Trade Show Events

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (45612)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHSALAHAJ

Mobile/On-Location Makeup Services

Home & Personal Services/Personal Care & Beauty Services/Makeup Services

SECONDARYHSALAHAD

Editorial/Fashion Makeup

Home & Personal Services/Personal Care & Beauty Services/Makeup Services

SECONDARYHSALANAE

Makeup Artistry Training Programs

Home & Personal Services/Personal Care & Beauty Services/Beauty Schools & Training (Cosmetology/Esthetics/Nails)

SECONDARYHSALAMAC

Mobile Makeup (On-Location)

Home & Personal Services/Personal Care & Beauty Services/Mobile & At-Home Beauty Services

Keywords

• Professional beauty events
• Beauty trade shows
• Makeup education workshops
• Beauty industry networking
• Cosmetics professional events

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Primary revenue from selling admission tickets to flagship events (NYC Makeup Show, Houston Makeup Show), Creative Open House events, and The Makeup Shop pop-ups. Ticket tiers include one-day, two-day, student, and VIP passes.
2. Exhibitor Booth Fees: Revenue from brands paying to exhibit at events, with tiered sponsorship levels (Gold, Silver, Contributing) offering varying levels of visibility and floor placement.
3. Sponsorship Revenue: Sponsorship packages that provide brands front-of-mind placement and prominent positioning at events.
4. Workshop and Class Fees: Additional revenue from IN The Studio hands-on classes, Business of Beauty sessions, and specialized workshops with industry educators.
5. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel, accessories, and commemorative items through their online shop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Makeup Show produces professional beauty trade show events, including its flagship NYC annual show and regional Houston event, where 80-100+ beauty brands exhibit and sell products at professional discounts to attending makeup artists, hairstylists, estheticians, and beauty students. The company also operates the iArtist mentorship program, Creative Open House education events, The Makeup Shop NYC holiday pop-up, hands-on workshops (IN The Studio), and Business of Beauty seminars, supplemented by branded merchandise sales.

Product overview

The Makeup Show is an event-based professional beauty experience company offering multiple live event products: The Makeup Show NYC (annual flagship trade show with 80+ exhibitors and education), The Makeup Shop NYC (holiday pop-up shop with 40+ brands), iArtist Mentorship Program (intensive 1.5-day mentorship), Creative Open House (intimate weekend education events), and regional events like Houston. The company also sells branded merchandise. These products are interconnected—the iArtist program includes admission to The Makeup Show NYC, and various events offer access to education stages, networking, and pro-discount shopping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iArtist: The Makeup Show's mentorship program for beauty professionals and creatives offering intensive programming, business education, and networking opportunities.
• The Makeup Shop
• Creative Open House

Products and services

• The Makeup Show NYC

Quantifiable outcome

• 20+ years of industry leadership
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Danessa Myricks BeautyflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor for The Makeup Show NYC 2026. Danessa Myricks is also a co-creator of the iArtist mentorship program. Brand founder Danessa Myricks is a featured keynote speaker and educator at events.
• Alcone CompanycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver sponsor for Houston 2025 and contributing sponsor for Creative Open House events. Major distributor of professional beauty products with extensive brand portfolio featured at shows.
• ESUM CosmeticscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerContributing sponsor for Creative Open House events. Professional cosmetics brand with dedicated presence at The Makeup Show events.
• OMNIAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for NYC 2026 show. Professional brush brand with prominent placement at events.
• TEMPTU PROcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Houston 2025 and featured brand at Creative Open House. Airbrush makeup specialist brand with education sessions and demonstrations.
• LimeLifeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerContributing sponsor for Houston 2025. Clean beauty brand under Alcone Company with presence at the show.
• Metropolitan PavilioncoreOthersEvent venue partner for NYC flagship shows. Owner Shelly Taggar serves as Vice President of Metropolitan Pavilion, creating integrated operations.
• The Powder GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJames Vincent serves as Director of Education and Artistry for both The Makeup Show and The Powder Group. Industry organization supporting professional makeup artists.
• The Makeup AltarcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMulti-brand retailer and event partner featuring multiple professional beauty brands at The Makeup Show events including Kevyn Aucoin, Ben Nye, ESUM, MOB Beauty, and more.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Beauty Independent: Media and education platform serving indie beauty brands, founders, and beauty entrepreneurs with content, events, and resources. Compares as a community/education-led growth business in the indie beauty professional ecosystem, with overlapping attendee and brand audiences.

Others

• The Powder Group: Industry organization supporting professional makeup artists, sharing Director of Education James Vincent with The Makeup Show. Strongly thematically linked via shared leadership and audience (pro makeup artists), effectively serving as an industry-association partner rather than competitor.

Direct peers

• IBS New York (International Beauty Show): Major NYC-based professional beauty expo featuring hair, skin, and nail education plus product exhibitions. Overlaps with TMS's NYC flagship on geography, professional audience, and exhibitor mix, though broader in scope (hair and nails beyond makeup).
• Premiere Show Group (Premiere Orlando / Premiere Columbus): Network of US beauty trade shows serving hairstylists, makeup artists, and nail professionals with education, exhibitor floors, and stage programming. Directly comparable multi-city format, professional audience targeting, and educator-led show structure.
• IMATS (International Makeup Artist Trade Show): Long-running trade show specifically targeting professional makeup artists, structured around makeup education, demos, and pro-product shopping. Closest direct competitor to TMS in the makeup-artist-specific event niche, with similar pricing, education programming, and pro-discount shopping model.
• Cosmoprof North America: Premier B2B beauty trade show in the US, organized by BolognaFiere/HSMAI, featuring cosmetics, skincare, haircare, and beauty services exhibitors. Directly comparable as a large-scale professional beauty trade event serving similar brand and retailer audiences, although it leans more B2B/retail-buyer focused than TMS's artist-pro emphasis.
• Beautycon: Beauty-focused event and media platform that combined live consumer-facing beauty events with creator/influencer content. Compares as a contemporary beauty event brand serving overlapping brand and creator audiences, though oriented more to consumers/influencers than working pros.

Broad incumbents

• Informa Markets (Beauty sector): Global events and exhibitions company operating large beauty portfolios including Cosmoprof worldwide. Compares as scaled incumbent B2B event organizer with extensive capital, sales force, and international reach that TMS could either partner with, compete against, or be acquired by.
• Reed Exhibitions: One of the world's largest trade show organizers with beauty-sector presence and the operational scale/resources TMS lacks as a small independent operator. Relevant comparable as the type of strategic acquirer or competitor a private beauty events company could face.
• IECSC (International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference): Long-running B2B event for spa, skincare, and esthetician professionals, operated by Questex. Comparable as an industry trade event in adjacent skincare/esthetics verticals, sharing exhibitor and educator pools with TMS, though more spa/esthetician focused than pro-makeup.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/themakeupshow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/themakeupshow
• Instagraminstagram.com/themakeupshow
• TikToktiktok.com/@themakeupshowexperience
• Xx.com/themakeupshow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Makeup Show