Last March 24, Sunday, BDJ held its much-anticipated Beauty Social. Talk about GRAND. I thought it would just be some seminars here and there but no. It was more like a Beauty Expo. Stalls galore, and lots of friendly people who share my passion in beauty and makeup :)
Here's the talk schedule. I signed up for the 2PM talk, Primed and Pretty by Krist Bansuelo of Physiogel, and the 4PM talk All Dolled Up by Archie Tolentino of Maybelline New York.
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| BDJ Beauty Social Passport: colored means you get a loot bag! B&W passport means none :( |
The midday sun was pretty intense when I got there. It really dampened my mood especially since it took about twenty minutes to register. Thankfully, the BDJ team was, as always, super sweet to everyone despite the uncomfortable heat and long line of waiting people.
I was there with my BF and his BFF and I planned to roam around a little bit before my talk began. Sadly, I got held up in registration and also, there are no blackmail pics available, SO SAD!!! The BF's BFF was supposed to be on Fashbook but he was too shy. Ergo, no evidence AT ALL of me having 2 escorts to this event :( I just got too carried away by the rush and excitement that I completely forgot!
Luckily, the delay in registration allowed me just enough time to get to my first talk. This one was super informative. Krist Bansuelo updated us on a lot of product innovations, as opposed to difficult-to-suit color trends. Brow tattoo pencils (as apparently brows are really oily), cheek tint creams which dry into a powder finish and pigmented balms are great for a simple, fresh look.
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| The before look: Heavy makeup to be cleansed away with Physiogel Cleanser |
The Physiogel no-water-needed Cleanser was a great product highlight. "Oiliness is next to dirtiness" (lol) and the Physiogel Cleanser is great to carry around when you need to quickly refresh your face.
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| After: Primed and Pretty by Krist Bansuelo |
Lesson learned: simple makeup never goes out of style. Colors come and go, and they may look good on some but not on others. To maximize your look, you need to strive for perfect skin. Less imperfections, less makeup needed. And also, makeup looks great on good skin!
The next talk I attended was All Dolled Up by Archie Tolentino. I also enjoyed this one as he featured his all of his most-trusted Maybelline products and even showcased some that're not out in the market yet.
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| Before: No makeup |
The highlight for me is the blue eyeliner (I forgot the name!) which unfortunately isn't very visible in this picture. In person, it's very bold and striking and ooooh I'll definitely get that.
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| After: Dolled up by Archie Tolentino |
Lesson learned: blue eyeliner goes best with coral lips.
In choosing the talks, I had a really good strategy which sadly didn't materialize into anything: I chose to attend sponsored talks (i.e. Physiogel and Maybelline) HOPING that there will be extra freebies. Well, there were, but sadly I wasn't chosen to ask a question so I never did get an extra loot bag :(
Here's what the event layout looked like:
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| Beauty Social Map |
It really is like a beauty expo! Here's a quick rundown of the booths arranged by favoritism:
- Browhaus / Strip - They had referral programs and leaflets explaining all the various hair removal treatments you can get :) They also did free upper lip cleaning services! Afterwards, I got a voucher for another free upper lip cleaning when I get a brow threading in Browhaus. Sweet! P.S. I think the Browhaus/Strip ladies were the nicest :P
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| Moustache-free at Strip! |
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| Ice Cream, rightmost |
- Yuka - offered free express nail art. Sadly, the sheer number of people in line meant that application was a little sloppy.
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| I think I prefer the lemon slices :P |
By that night, a corner of the apple in my left middle finger had already chipped off.
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| Yuka Express Nail Art |
- Physiogel - 35 is the normal level of hydration :( I was also looking around for cleanser samples but unfortunately, those all went out to the question-askers. Boo.
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| 31.4 = borderline too dry according to Physiogel |
- Snoe - Snoe had a very beautiful display but sadly, didn't really have samples to give away. I sort of wanted to take home samples of Hair Heroes and BBfied.
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| Snoe Beauty |
- MaxFactor, Revlon, Covergirl and Shiseido - all offered free makeovers. I wasn't interested because I didn't like the look that other girls who came off the chairs were sporting. Revlon offered mini-makeup tutorial sessions but I wasn't able to sign up in time for the limited slots. Shiseido was a pretty big hit in the makeover department, but the voucher I got in my loot bag was for a free sample which I'm not crying over.
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| Makeover at the MaxFactor booth |
- L'Occitane - They weren't exactly generous with the samples, but at least I got a serum sample.
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| I liked L'Occitane's Fountain. LOL |
- Not pictured: Goody, Selena Gomez perfume and Pink Carpet photo area. Goody was only able to release samples to the first 500 people and sadly, I had no clue samples here were limited so I wasn't able to score any. I didn't like the Selena Gomez booth because the male attendants were creepsters, and the Pink Carpet photo area made me really nervous because there were so many onlookers there. I can't get my fierce on with so many people watching!
On the bright side, I finally met theee giveaway queen, Mara Mina! I looked for her the moment I got there (and I saw her post about wearing that floral band) but apparently she decided to pig out and miss Primed and Pretty, which we both got into. BOO!
She found me by the Shiseido booth. She said she recognized me by my pedicure HAHA.
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| Beauty by Tellie and badwithnames |
Here's another shot with her other friend, Bijae. She's into photography, I think. No, I assume; 'cause she has a nice camera. She should teach me things.
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| Mara, Tellie and Bijae. ehem ehem. |
I also saw an old friend from elementary school, Nix (I used to call her just Karen though. HA!) I think I introduced her to the wonderful world of subscription boxes. We used to be the Spice Girls in grade 2 and she was Posh, I think? I was Ginger. HAHA. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture with her, boo.
Weirdly, I saw the girl I asked to take a picture of in the Shiseido Beauty Soiree. I still don't know her name but hey, we recognized each other, whoot!
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| Hello, unknown friendly face! |
Here's the Goody bag I got from the Beauty Social:
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| Reusable pink canvas bag from Goody. It's a goodie bag get it? |
Here's what came with it:
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| Beauty Social Beauty Loot! |
- Women's Health November 2012 - I hate Women's Health but ugh, it's fine. It's free.
- Goody and Shiseido pamphlets. Actually the Shiseido ones were prescriptive pads, I think. There's a lot of space to write on and I think you're supposed to present that after consulting with the skin care experts for them to write their recommendations on.
- Pantene Color & Perm Shampoo weeklong sample set
- L'Oreal Fall Repair Shampoo & Conditioner sample sachets
- Revlon Custom Eyes mascara freebie
- Physiogel Intensive Cream freebie
Here's what I got from the booths:
- Physiogel Cream sample
- L'Occitane Serum sample (not pictured)
- Jelly Belly Beauty Drink leaflet
- Strip leaflet
- BDJ Favorites FMN (Forget-Me-Not) - includes birthday list, gift-giving guide and address book
- Shiseido Total Regenerating Cream samples
- Browhaus and Strip leaflets + Free upper lip threading card
Overall, it was a super fun event. The talks didn't drag on forever and there were so many fun activities and FREEBIES from the booths. I learned new stuff, saw new makeup and talked to people who have the same interests and passions as me. Thanks to the BDJ team for a snag-free major-cool event and for bringing us kikays together :) Can't wait for the next!