Generation Beauty New York Series: Event Review

I was really excited to attend Generation Beauty this year after seeing all of the vloggers posting everywhere about how great it was in L.A. (I also wasn't aware this was the first year it would be in New York.) However, I'm sad to say that the event did not live up to the hype for me. My sister and I did a ton of research before attending this event but couldn't find much information on what to expect. That being said, I'm hoping that this post will serve as a helpful guide for those considering going in the future.

My biggest complaint would probably be about how disorganized it all was. The lines were all over the place, the meet-ups were chaotic, and the event staff gradually became more and more rude to the attendees. It was my impression based on the reviews from L.A. that there were going to be panels, Q&A's, meet-ups, shopping, and lots of freebies. Unfortunately, it didn't come close to living up to this expectation. Upon arriving on day 1, we were give a sheet of paper tabs with each brands logo on it and told that turning in each tab would get us some freebies from the correlating booth. This was true, but it was hardly that simple. Nearly every booth required us to participate in a service or an extremely extensive social media post for their benefit. This may not seem like a big deal, but consider a room of 3,000 makeup gurus, all wanting to get their freebies, and then tack on the 2-5 minutes each task took...yeah, not pleasant. The entire event consisted of waiting in line for hours just to get what was typically a travel-sized product or a sample packet. There were also no charging stations, no drink machines, and the only food available consisted of two food trucks parked outside of the venue with lines that easily were 40 minutes to an hour long wait.

Yes there were meet & greets scheduled...for THIRTY. MINUTES. Again, a room of 3,000 makeup gurus who worship Ipsy stylists and you're going to schedule their meetups for 30 minutes? No, try again. Yes, I will give some of the stylists credit for staying longer than they were scheduled so they could talk to more fans, but the scheduling conflicts in conjunction with the 300 person lines made it extremely discouraging to even try.

And speaking of the Ipsy stylists...
Those girls couldn't have been on the floor longer than two hours each day. I saw them very briefly in passing when they were exiting or beginning a meet up but other than that I was incredibly disappointed with how little they showed their faces. I also know for a fact that they weren't on the floor with fans because they were consistently snapchatting from their VIP room that they were just screwing around with each other! Not a cool move to shaft the fans that came to see you and just chill backstage with your friends.

Anyway, just to provide an example of how ridiculous the freebie requirements were, here's the Makeup Forever story. Word spread quickly that Makeup Forever was giving out full-size bottles of the Ultra HD Foundation and you could also get it custom engraved. Sweet deal, right? Again, not that easy. We had to wait in line and once we reached the front we were assigned to a vanity with an artist to color match us. After getting color matched, we received a black wristband and were instructed to go to a corner where we could pick it up. Well, when we got to that corner, we had to take a selfie in front of the wall, post it to Instagram, hashtag it with two tags they made, show them as proof, and then get in another line to enter a sweepstakes on their ipad. After all that, we got a white wristband and were instructed to go wait in another line to pick up our foundation. We did end up getting a nice makeup bag and a mini primer sample as well, but the fun wasn't over yet. From there, we could get our bottles engraved; after all this why wouldn't you just get the extra fanciness? So I was then told to get in another line, where I could go on Sephora's website and post a review of the foundation (the foundation I was merely color matched to not 10 minutes earlier...) or we could go in front of the cameraman and talk about how much we loved the foundation. After proving that I posted a review, they gave me a grey wristband, and I got in ANOTHER line to write down what I wanted engraved. After turning that in, they told me to come back in 30 minutes.

The entire process took an hour. Freaking ridiculous, and I was only able to even get it because we literally sprinted in on the second day; all of day one they constantly had the line closed off and kept telling us to come back later. It was insanity. I nearly didn't even get my foundation after it was finished because the evil security told me to wait in the wrong line that was 2+ hours long; we only happened to bump into an event coordinator who directed me to the right one, which was 4 people long.

So just to recap, did I get a lot of free stuff? Yes. Did I get pictures with some stylists? Yes. Was it worth it? Probably not. I'm glad I at least experienced it but I couldn't go through that again. The event was seriously 8 hours of standing in line trying to "earn" free stuff that our $95 tickets essentially paid for. I really wish a brand as large as Ipsy had a better plan together but as someone who went to college for PR and event planning, I expected a lot more.

I'll have some more details in my upcoming Gen Beauty Survival Guide Post. Hope this was helpful!

Here's what I accumulated throughout the day with my brand tickets:

• Derma-e: Tote bag, mini purifying toner mist, charcoal mask sample packets, coupons
• It Cosmetics: Mini CC Cream and mini Bye Bye Under Eye
• SOHO: 2 tribal print makeup bags and 1 clear plastic makeup bag
• Belif: Tote bag, mini Moisturizing Bomb moisturizer and sample packet of Aqua Bomb moisturizer
• Elizabeth and James: Nirvana Black and Nirvana White perfume samples
• Dermalogica Clear Start: Mini Overnight Treatment and Hydrating Lotion sample packets
• Eva-nyc: Mini Conditioner and compact mirror
• Skin Inc: Mini Vitamin C Serum and Pure Revival/Overnight Wonder Mask sample packets
• Mally: Mini Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Liner in "Midnight"
• Ofra: Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in "Laguna Beach"
• Gallany Cosmetics: First Class Lash Mascara in "Private Jet Black"
• Laura Geller: Love Me Dew Lip Crayon in "Plum Freeze"
• SKINN: Caviar Lip Cream in "Bare"
• Temptu: Mini Color True Lip Gloss in "Clear"
• Klorane: Mini shampoo with mango butter, mini shampoo with flax fiber, mini volumizing spray
• Jouer: Long-Wearing Eye Clarifier, Long-Wearing Eye Definer in "Mure," mini lip gloss in "Rose Glisten," mini eyelash curler, 4 necklaces, 2 rings, and 1 pair of earrings
• NYX: Lip Liner Pencil in "Toast" and "Tangerine," and Intense Butter Gloss in "Funnel Delight"
• Crown Brush: Mini eyeshadow brush
• Jesse's Girl: Nail Polish in Black and Glittery Orange, and Mineralized Baked Eye Shadow in "Rosemary Frost"
• Makeup Forever: Sheet of flash tattoos, Ultra HD Foundation with custom engraving

 

*this post wasn't sponsored and all photos are my own

Generation Beauty New York Series: Goodie Bags Day 1 & 2

If you're familiar with Generation Beauty you may already know that the goodie-bags provided at the end of each day can be a large part of the motivation to attend for some people. While it is an exciting aspect of the event and I'm happy they provided them for us, I can't help but feel like the bags were a little bit underwhelming.

Many of the items in them were either slightly larger things we had already received from booths that day (I say slightly larger because few things were full sized) and the size of the bags themselves were smaller than I had been lead to believe they would be based on previous reviews I saw from LA . I know this may make me sound greedy but keep in mind these tickets were $95 + personal travel costs of getting there all the way from Virginia.

Regardless, there is some good stuff in these bags that I may have never tried on my own, so I can definitely appreciate the diversity of brands included.

1. Formula X Nail Polish in "Pyrotechnic" (full size)
2. Mally High-Shine Liquid Lipstick Pen in "Delish" (full size)
3. Crown C410 Flat Concealer Brush (full size)
4. Temptu Highlighter in "Champagne Shimmer"
5. Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Hairspray
6. SOHO Retractable Kabuki Brush (full size)
7. Benefit They're Real Mascara
8. NYX High Voltage Lipstick in "Tiara" (full size)
9. Makeup Forever Smoky Extravagant Mascara
10. Skin Inc. Pure Revival Peel
11. Moroccan Oil Hand Cream
12. It Cosmetics No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner
13. It Cosmetics Tightline
14. Cargo HD CC Cream in "Medium" (full size)
15. Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder

1. Dermalogica Clear Start School Day Skin Essentials- Breakout Clearing All Over Toner and Emergency Spot Fix
2. SKINN Exfoliating Face Wash
3. Derma-e Purifying Daily Detox Scrub (full size)
4. Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black and Nirvana White Perfume
5. NUXE Multi-Purpose Dry Oil Sample
6. Bliss Long Glossed Love Serum Infused Lip Stain in "Ready for S'more" (full size)
7. Klorane Dry Shampoo
8. PurMinerals Lipstick Samples
9. OFRA Liquid Lipstick in "Venice" (full size)
10. Gallany Lip Gloss in "Giggle" (full size)
11. Essence I <3 Extreme Mascara (full size)
12. Eva-nyc Dry Shampoo
13. Belief Aqua Bomb Moisturizer
14. Cover FX Calming Primer
15. Laura Geller Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush in "Papaya"
16. Jouer Pearl Lip Enhancer in "Nude Pearl"
17. treStique Mini Shadow Crayon in "Tibetan Ivory"
18. Juliette Has a Gun Perfume Sample in "Lady Vengeance"

*this post wasn't sponsored and all photos are my own*

Generation Beauty New York Series

This passed weekend I attended Ipsy's Generation Beauty event in New York. It was definitely an experience and I have so much I want to tell my readers about but I want to do it in the least overwhelming way possible. That being said, here's how I plan to organize my review:

1. I'm going to do a post listing all of the items and photos of each days goodie bag.

2. My second post will be a general overview of the event, my thoughts and opinions on it, and how I felt it compared to reviews and things I've seen about Gen Beauty LA.

3. The final post will essentially be a Generation Beauty Survival Guide. I feel like so many people review the weekend and talk about how much fun they had, but what I struggled with beforehand was that I couldn't find any information about what I should expect and how to plan accordingly. I'm going to compile a list of what I believe are essential things to know if you plan on attending in the future.

I'm going to be as honest and clear as I can possibly be in this series; please note that not everything I have to say is necessarily how every other attendee felt. I did make it a point to chat with other girls I met there who seemingly shared similar opinions to mine, so I want to do this for the sake of helping other people who may find themselves in a similar future situation.

How I Took My Hair From Auburn to Lavender: Part 2

Assuming you've read part 1 of my hair story, you already know that I was dealing with some HEAVY duty damage after the process. Over the last few months I've been working to do as much damage control as humanly possible and I can finally say that not only is my hair in significantly better condition, but it's starting to grow and get some length back.

Here are some of the products I've been using to help recover from my stupidity and I some of the ways I've been using them. Obviously what works for me may not work for everybody but I think a lot of what I've been using has really helped produce great results.

1. Batiste Dry Shampoo:
I will never, ever, ever buy another dry shampoo. I've tried other drugstore ones and I've tried expensive ones. Nothing makes my hair feel as clean and manageable as Batiste does. You can also find it even cheaper at TJ Maxx and Marshalls for around $5. Dry shampoo has been an absolute must for me since pastel color is hard to keep and my hair is so dry that I can only wash it 1-2 times a week.

2. Pravana ChromaSilk Vivids Color Protect Shampoo:
I wasn't totally in love with this shampoo as I found I was still getting some color wash-out each time I used it, but I bought it because it's the same brand as the dye I use and doesn't have sulfates. Someone with a license needs to get this for you if you really want it but honestly any shampoo that's color protecting and without sulfates should be just fine.

3. Wella Elements Line:
I got the deep conditioner, the renewing conditioner, and the leave-in conditioner on sale at Ulta for a really good price so I was excited to try this stuff out. I wasn't majorly wowed by the mask or conditioner but it was useful having conditioning products that were extremely lightweight and safe for my color treated hair. I wish it was a little bit more moisturizing, but like I said I needed something light every so often to break up the heavy masks I was doing several times a week. I forgot to include the leave-in conditioner in the picture but I do love that stuff the most out of the line. It's really light and moisturizing and helped the condition of my hair immensely.

4. Brazilian Tech Keratin Leave-In Treatment:
I'll often combine this with the Wella spray or concentrate a lot of it more towards the ends of my hair where the most damage is. I don't know how authentic the keratin in this is but it gave added moisture to my desperate hair and for that reason I like it a lot and would recommend it as an affordable treatment.

5. Hairfinity:
It's hard for me to tell how large of an impact Hairfinity made, but when I began taking it I definitely noticed less and less hair falling out which was a huge accomplishment for me. As for it aiding in actual hair growth...I really don't know. I bought a one month supply and 2 weeks in would forget to take it certain days or would take it inconsistently. I can definitely tell you need to take it CONSISTENTLY for at least 2-3 months to see any real change.

6. Wen Conditioning Cleanser:
I'm sure many people are familiar with Chaz Dean's constant infomercials promoting Wen products, but I have to say this stuff is a god send. It is way too heavy to replace shampoo or use every single day and frankly, way too expensive to use that often, but every couple of days I would use this on the bottom half of my hair and it made it unbelievably soft, moisturized, and overall feeling and looking much better. If you're willing to shell out the money, this is probably the best deep conditioner you can invest in.


*this post wasn't sponsored and all photos are my own

How I Took My Hair From Auburn to Lavender: Part 1

I haven't blogged in such a long time but I'm happy to finally sit down and get back to it! This was my second year going through this color transition and I have DEFINITELY learned some things the hard way. I want to warn others about some of what I experienced and how they can achieve pastel hair successfully!

Please keep in mind that I am NOT a licensed or trained professional! I wouldn't recommend doing this at home alone but if you're stubborn like me, I would strongly advise doing your research and learning from my mistakes!!! I'm going to be breaking this into two separate posts; this one which will be about how I processed my hair and the products I used, and the second one will be how I upkeep and maintain it.

THE #1 PIECE OF ADVICE THAT I WOULD GIVE ANYONE ATTEMPTING THIS: BE PATIENT AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY!!!

It is entirely unrealistic and frankly unhealthy to try and achieve this in one day. Even salons don't recommend it but if they agree to do it, you'll be sitting in the chair for well over 6 hours. Therefore, do not plan to do this the night before an event or a day where you need to see a ton of people. My biggest regret both times around was rushing the process and trying to complete it in day and a half. If you have a long weekend coming up, that would be your prime time.

Here are the products I used:

1. L'Oreal Quick Blue Powder Lightener
2. Olaplex
3. Salon Care 20 Volume and/or 30 Volume Creme Developer
4. Pravana ChromaSilk Vivids in Violet, Silver, and Clear

*Note: Olaplex can only be purchased by licensed professionals. A 3-piece kit is $65 but is often sold for about $120 on Ebay and Amazon. I luckily had a friend who got it for me and I highly suggest using it for minimal damage; the technology and science of it is amazing and well worth the money. The same goes for Pravana- it's about $5 a tube BUT BE CAREFUL BUYING ONLINE! A lot of people counterfeit it online.

Here is what I did, what I should've done, and what I would recommend:

• I followed the package directions for mixing the bleach and the Olaplex. My biggest mistake was thinking Olaplex is a miracle worker. Just because it's designed to lift your hair faster with less damage doesn't mean the rule book goes out the window! I used a 30 volume developer which is the max you should go with bleach and left it on for nearly an hour, with a cap on, and without watching it closely. DO NOT DO THIS. Caps process hair faster and I was thinking I'd be doing it perfectly so that I'd only have to bleach my hair once and I'd have less damage. This is not how it works. LOW AND SLOW IS THE BEST THING YOU COULD POSSIBLY DO! Accept that it is a process and mistakes you make during it could ruin your hair for years. As a result, I wound up losing CHUNKS OF MY HAIR- see the picture below! My hair was snapping and falling out like crazy, the texture turned to what looked like shredded spaghetti noodles, and it was unbelievably fragile. I have never done anything so stupid with such detrimental results.

Here's what I should have done and what I would advise:

• Use a 20 volume creme developer. It may end up taking longer but it is 150% worth it. I still needed to bleach my hair again after the first process because it was a brassy-yellow and you need your hair close to platinum. So no matter what, know that it will take more than one time, and that's why you need more than a day. Also, if you have Olaplex, it's working to protect you, so if you have to bleach it 3 times, it still won't come close to being as harmful as what I did. I always lose my patience having to do multiple processes but as I've said, it is absolutely worth it in order to keep the integrity of your hair- THERE IS NO CUTTING CORNERS!

After I finished the bleach, I used about three tubes of Pravana Clear and mixed about 3 drops of Silver with 2 drops of Violet to get a customized shade of lavender. I would recommend this because Pravana's pastel purple has really bad reviews and I believe was either recalled or is being reformulated. Not to mention, if you begin with pastel color it's going to wash out so much faster.

I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY don't recommend diluting color with conditioner. Girls all over the internet are doing this and I think it basically sets you up for a loss. The color will apply much more unevenly and it will wash out so fast you'll be dying your hair once a week- no exaggeration. I'm so happy my friend recommended the clear because it dilutes the purple but with a base that is actually formulated like a professional dye. My hair color lasts for weeks and not to mention Pravana is the only dye I have ever used that actually makes my hair feel BETTER after using it. So if you don't have a license, start hunting someone down who does!

So to summarize my experience, be patient and set realistic expectations. Find someone with a license or save up and buy Olaplex. Do your research on it and follow all package directions. Use a lower volume developer and process your hair in shorter sessions while monitoring it closely. Get *real* Pravana color and don't mix hair color with conditioner. If you follow all of these steps I think you'll get really amazing results and won't have to go through the trauma that I did. Good luck!

*all pictures are my own and this post wasn't sponsored*

ColourPop Highlighters

Even though I ordered these the first day they were released, I've been trying to get more reviews up for products other than ColourPop...my obsession took over there for a bit. In my last few ColourPop reviews I'd had some trouble with feeling like some colors were appearing different in person vs. how they look online. This time around I really wanted to make sure I picked highlighters I would use since I can be so picky about them, so I took the time to really look at the swatches thoroughly, which luckily worked out in my favor!

I tend to lean towards pink-toned highlighters just because I like how they look on me better than gold ones, so I was thrilled to see that a majority of the collection is pink.

Smokin' Whistles
This one surprised me the most. It's the closest to a gold tone highlight of the ones that I ordered, but is technically a pinky champagne. I'm obsessed with how flattering this shade is on my skin!

Monster
Although I still like it, Monster is my least favorite of my bunch. It's described as a light-pink opalescent but I definitely feel like the opal brings in some cool gold tones. I may not be wearing this on my cheeks that much but it works great as an eyeshadow!

Hippo
Hippo is the most unique highlighter of the bunch and now of my entire collection! I'm obsessed with it's lavender tone that is somehow still beautiful and flattering. I'd highly recommend it even though a purple highlight might seem scary!

I love these highlighters just like I love all ColourPop products! The only thing I can think that may be both a pro and a con is that a little goes a long way so it would probably take a lifetime to finish one of these, therefore stalking up on a million colors may go a little bit to waste. I think they apply best with fingertips but sometimes I blend it out with my E.L.F. small stipple brush.

*this post wasn't sponsored and all photos are my own*

Drunk Elephant JuJu Bar

If the name alone wasn't cute enough, the brand information video made me fall in love with them before I even tried it. Everything is made with quality and really unique ingredients without all the chemicals other brands often use. When I was researching some of their products on Sephora's website, they all had really great reviews which made me feel like the price range of the products were completely justified. However, I've been using this bar for weeks now and I'm sad to say I'm disappointed :(

The way this product has been described made it seem like it was a groundbreaking revolutionary product that would finally save my skin. Unfortunately, this was not true. First off, it's incredibly harsh; the granules inside the bar are so fine it literally felt like sandpaper on my face. I'd strongly advise using a tool like a Clarisonic or sponge to lather it up instead of applying the bar directly to your skin.

This product also says it's supposed to clear acne and improve redness, hydration, and overall condition. I didn't have any of these results. It gave me a purge phase which caused my face to have several little breakouts that took over a week to clear. Since then, I don't believe it's caused anymore breakouts but it certainly hasn't helped them. I also haven't felt any added moisture; if anything, my face has felt dryer.

I know everyone's skin is different so you may experience different results than I did, but for me it just wasn't worth the hype or the money. I still want to love this brand so much so I'll be trying out some of their other products soon, but so far we're not off to a great start. If you're interested in trying Drunk Elephant, I'd really read as many reviews as possible and make sure you pick the right product for your investment.

*this post wasn't sponsored and all pictures are my own*