Generation Beauty 2013

logo

This past weekend I attended and worked at the first annual Generation Beauty event put on by Ipsy. I have posted a ton of pics on Instagram and Twitter (if you aren’t following me on Instagram yet, why the heck not? Get to it… my name’s glossmenagerie as you can probably imagine…) so I don’t want to picspam the blog with the same photos unless you guys really really want me to, lol. Comment below. ;) Otherwise hit up my Insta.

Anyways, a lot of people have been asking me my thoughts on the event itself, if it was worth attending and how it compares to other beauty events…so that’s more what this post is about, from the point of view of someone attending the event (since most of you won’t really relate to my thoughts as an exhibitor – if you’re a brand wanting to know about THAT, please contact me directly).

Generation Beauty provided a lot of educational content. There were loads of little mini seminars that they called “content sessions”. Topics included things like how to pick a channel name, how to balance school & your youtube channel, and how to deal with creepers on the internet (that was my favorite – very practical advice from AndreasChoice). The content was really heavily geared towards those who either are on youtube, want to be on youtube, or really admire youtube beauty gurus and want to gain insight into their ‘world’. There were also a lot of meet & greets with various youtube personalities. GB was supposed to have been also a blogger event, but I felt like there wasn’t much, if any content available that was blogger-specific. A lot of the youtube-related advice can be applied to bloggers though (we ALL deal with creeps on the internet, issues of balancing life vs. your beauty hobby/job, etc.) so it wasn’t useless info.

The crowd that attended GB was almost entirely female (shocking I know) and skewed very young for the most part. But I didn’t feel out of place there by any means. Unlike other events I’ve been to, everyone seemed very open to talking to other people (not just the brand experts or youtubers). There was a genuine positive energy and a willingness to discuss ideas, opinions, and our love for the beauty world. I made friends in line for things, sitting around taking a breather, and later on Instagram by talking to other people posting things. Michelle Phan said that was her number one goal for the event, to bring people together who love beauty so they can meet and network. I think the event definitely made that possible and it worked well in that regard.

As a blogger or youtuber, especially one just starting out, the representatives from the beauty brands there were very easy to approach about working together. I have been to events where I asked about talking to someone who works on PR and was met with dumbstruck stares. Not at Generation Beauty! The brands were well-prepared and came ready to talk about media lists and collaboration. That was a REALLY nice thing to see.

Like any beauty event, the brands had their latest and greatest around to talk about and show off. And yes, there was swag. Lots of swag. ;) What’s a beauty event without swag, right? haha. More about that later. That’s not what this post is for!

Would I recommend attending? Yes, if you can afford it and it’s not geographically prohibitive. However, I don’t think both days are completely necessary. I think it was the kind of thing that they probably could have squeezed into one day. If it weren’t for getting double the swag, I’d say most people could just pick either Saturday OR Sunday. I’m not sure if they offered 1-day tickets though. It’s something for them to consider in the future if they don’t. Remember, this is the very first year of Generation Beauty.

It’s important to also remember this was not a show marketed as a pro event. Yes there were many makeup and hair artists in attendance, but if you are looking for the place to learn the latest cutting edge body painting technique for example, this wasn’t the show for you. This was designed as an all ages social event for people who love beauty to come together, learn something, and make a new friend. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed myself! Since I haven’t been blogging in a while, I really needed this. It reminded me why I love what I do. :)

If you’re reading this and you’re one of the people I met at GB, thanks for being a part of what was a really great weekend!

Cosmoprof North America 2012

This year was my first COSMOPROF! I’ve attended lots of beauty-related tradeshows, but this was the first year I was able to attend Cosmoprof North America, which is held in Las Vegas.

What is Cosmoprof?

Cosmoprof is a business-to-business beauty trade show that covers hair, nails, skin care, private labeling, spa/wellness, packaging…you name it! It’s all at Cosmoprof. It’s not like IMATS or The Makeup Show as it’s more geared toward retail buyers, packaging decision-makers, etc. In fact, they aren’t allowed to do cash & carry sales! Talk about a difference! But it’s a great place to see what innovative fabulousness has just been released or will be released in the future!

Another thing that is great from Cosmoprof, but also a little frustrating as a beauty junkie, is seeing loads of awesome brands from other countries. These brands come to Cosmoprof hoping to find buyers to have their products sold in the US – but many of them aren’t yet available for “normals” for me to go out and buy! *pouts* But at least I was able to exchange information with them so when they DO come to America, I’ll be able to tell you all about it.

Highlights

Cosmoprof is huge. It’s pretty much the entire Mandalay Bay Convention Center, which is enormous. There are literally hundreds of booths. It makes IMATS look tiny. I was not able to see every single booth. Because it’s so huge, most of us press people made appointments to meet with the brands and see what they have going on. Since I was (and still consider myself to be) a Cosmoprof noob, I made very few appointments and just kind of wandered. Yikes! Going to plan it way better next time. But these things are a learning experience. :) There were a lot of awesome things that happened.

I went over to Jesse’s Girl and met with the fabulous Julie G. I don’t get starstruck over meeting gals from Youtube, but I gotta say meeting Julie was awesome. She’s a really nice person and took time to hang out and chit chat with me & Mr. Boyfriend as well as show us her line, talk about new things to come, and just generally what it’s like going from a girl with a hobby to having her own nail polish line sold in mass. I really enjoyed meeting her, and if you ever get the chance I suggest you do! She’s so sweet.

I also had a really fun time with the gals of AII Beauty. AII is the parent company for China Glaze, Seche, Ardell, and a ton of other brands. I saw all the current and upcoming collections – unfortunately some of which I’m not allowed to tell you about just yet. I saw Halloween ’12, Holiday ’12, and some spring & summer ’13 goodies. I wish I could tell you more! But they promised as soon as I can, they will give me all the details to pass on to you! The lovelies of Ardell also put some big ole’ false lashes on me! I don’t wear lashes usually so it was definitely an experience I had to get used to!

When experimenting with lashes in the future I probably won’t go with such big ones, but I figured hey – it’s Vegas! Go dramatic! After a while I got used to them and almost forgot they were there. I even fell asleep in them (not on purpose – I don’t recommend sleeping in lashes!!) but my eyes weren’t at all bothered. Taking them off was a simple and pain-free process too. Don’t be scared of lashes! I’m not anymore. And in fact, Ardell has some new lashes that are self-adhesive, which I’m very excited to try.

Another highlight was meeting a brand new to me, Hola Lola! Hola Lola hails from Colombia. They have bath products, and underwear! But everything is beautifully packaged, stunningly presented, and smells amazing. Okay, so I don’t know how the undies smell. But that’d be weird. I’m going to assume it’s just fine. The bath products and perfumes smelled fantabulous. The first thing they did was tie a ribbon around my wrist that was fragranced. I’m. Obsessed. With. It. It lives in my purse now, scenting it. The fragrance is Lychee Rose, but to me it smells strikingly similar to Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple, which is my favorite (but discontinued) B&BW scent. The products don’t seem to be sold stateside just yet but mark my words I will get my paws on the Lychee Rose body splash so that I can bathe in it every day. I need that fragrance in my life. Seriously. And they were SO nice – they even gave me a gift! It’s a zebra print shower cap. I’m excited, because honestly does anyone look good in a shower cap? No. But now that the shower cap is zebra print? YES!

How flipping cute is this???

This blog entry is getting soooooooo long. SO! I’m ending it now, but there were over 800 booths…so there is much, much more to talk about. :) Stay tuned!

Now on Youtube

Hey everyone! Just a quick update to let you know I am now working on a youtube channel! I have a few videos up (not all of them are beauty-related but they’re fun haha). I’d love for you to subscribe or favorite vids you like! I also really want to know what videos you’d like to see! Reviews? Hauls? Tutorials? Stash organization? Collection videos? It’s really up to you! I want to know what you want. Also, if you have a particular product you want reviewed, or tutorial request, etc. I definitely want to know! Either comment below, or hit up the “Contact Me” button on the toolbar and I’ll get on it! 
I know my videos are kinda rough, but hey everyone starts somewhere. I’m working on getting used to talking to the camera (it’s harder than people make it look without being awkward!), not saying “um”, etc. haha. I’m also still getting used to actually using my camera and editing etc. So if any of you experienced youtubers have any tips or tricks you want to share, that would be so appreciated as well.
Also, a special shout-out to Kelsey and Em for their support as I try to figure this whole youtube thing out! :) Thanks guys! <3