Makeup Lover Over Here

I absolutely LLLLOOVVVEEEE makeup. I love looking at makeup looks in magazines and online and  also love to window shop for makeup. I especially love when I get to actually buy makeup. It may not always be so apparent to people, however, I have for the longest time been interested in makeup and playing with it. I used to apply makeup on my youngest sister just for fun or when we would have a night out. I was never taught anything really but loved to create eye looks especially with bright colors or smokey eye look. I won’t even get started on my heavy lipstick/gloss obsession. I will say that if your going to be obsessed with something, lipstick and/or gloss is not a bad way to go.

Beautycon!!

Beautycon is one of the biggest makeup conventions in the US and I have never been to it but I had heard a whole lot about it since its inception in 2014. Lots of makeup brands and influencers set up booths and have meet & greets.  Their mission “to challenge traditional beauty standards and redefine what beauty means”. This is a great platform for new companies, new product launches and a way to garner more exposure for existing companies. Typical convention but definitely on a large scale with lounges and lots of cool backdrops for photographic opportunities. Definitely great The Gram. The makeup industry is in fact a large industry especially in this country. Better yet, the beauty industry is a large industry that includes makeup, hair care and skin care. I had heard that Beautycon is pretty amazing and fun. My experience at Beautycon did not disappoint in the least.

Why Not Volunteer??

So, I don’t know why, this year I decided to check out Beautycon. As soon as that thought popped into my head, because I heard that the tickets get sold out quickly, I checked out the prices Soon I realized that I would not be able to attend. That just made me sad. The idea of all of these companies and makeup all under one roof, that just got all of my motors running. I really wanted to go. So …. why not ask if I could volunteer just like when I wanted to go to Techmunch. So I did and they said yes. YYEEESSSSS!!

What to Wear??

I instantly started to think of what to wear, how I would do my makeup and how to do my hair. I was so excited at the thought of going to Beautycon that I could not contain my excitement. I told my mom and she too was excited for me. She had been on countless makeup window shopping trips with me to understand how deep my love for makeup  goes. She knew this was a wonderful opportunity for me. I was on my way to Beautycon. WOW… Some people might not care about this but I do and that is what ultimately matters here.

I got my cute outfit out and put it on.

I wish I could do my hair with grace but sadly that is not where my little talents lay, not even in the slightest. So the with the powers combined….loose frizzy curly blah hair it was. What a shocker!! Not to me…or anyone that knows me or has ever seen a photo of mine but is not the point of this long blog post, right?? RIGHT?? RRRRRIIIIGGGGHHHHHTTTTT????????? 

Into a Jumpsuit and on to get Makeup

Okay, maybe I need to relax a little bit and get back to the point. So I got to Jacob Javits Center and got the run around from people there until I found where I was supposed to be. Then, after I met some of my co-volunteers, I was handed my “jumpsuit” (more like coveralls) and I covered up my cute outfit.

Then got right to work, which meant filling up buckets of samples to hand out to the people that would be on the line to enter Beautycon.

There were some great samples, one of which was from Nudestix. It was their Intense Matte lip and Cheek Pencil in Entice. After a couple of hours we got our assignment for the day. Some of us were to be partnered and stationed in different areas the outside of Javits center where the lines for the entrants would be. My awesome partner in crime, Nandi and I were the first ones that would be seen and we directed traffic towards the proper lines. We were given flags to direct traffic and we had fun doing so.

Nandi and I danced to music from her cellphone (sometimes no music at all) and took pictures, we also made sure to brighten up the day of most, if not all, whom we greeted.

On Our Feet

Our feet definitely hurt after standing outside (also perhaps a little could have been from dancing) for almost six hours and we were definitely hot in our black coveralls….sorry, “jumpsuits” but we had finally earned our keep. The (maybe) velvet ropes would be parted for us. I could hear a heavenly song being played….maybe just in my head. I felt like I would be let into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. I was so ready….so ready…well maybe not not my feet. I had to give my feet a pep talk which consisted of saying “you are not quitting so get over it” and they listened.

Now for Beautycon

We went to the actual Beautycon event inside the Javits Center with our uniforms and actually, like much of the earlier part of the day, got a ton of compliments on them. My partner in crime ( or rather traffic control) and I started to go to different booths and taking pictures, also collecting the gifts they were giving out.

We stayed until the very end of the festival, as they like to call it, and had a great time. Some brand counters had cute photo booths with nice backdrops but some were more creative like swings and rides from a carnival as in Mugler booth.

That made the day even more fun. Just taking pictures and enjoying all the silliness. Partners in work and play.

The whole time we were going through different booths, we were, in fact, on a food search. We had not eaten since the morning before we had started to work which was at around 8:40am. We were in search of the Hippea snack booth after realizing there was no actual food at the event other than in one of the two lounges at the event. So Hippea it was and we finally found it at the end of our day but when we got there they were closing up the booth. However, since they knew we worked the event, they gave us a couple of small Hippea snack bags each. They were so yum. Thanks Hippea booth people. You made us very happy, especially Nandi. Also thanks to Califia for being there and their awesome events coordinator. He helped me quench my thirst with one of their Black & White coffee beverages. I met him prior at Techmunch and we shared Beautycon work stories. As with all the other workers we met, we were able to relate to the hectic day and a few (or more) over zealous customers. That was it for day one. A full day, indeed.

Work No More

The nest day, Sunday, I did not go into work. I did, however, go to Beautycon with very tired and pained feet in the afternoon around 3pm. I went in search of my partner in crime who did go in to work. She told me where she was stationed, the Social Lounge, and I was in hot pursuit of it. I didn’t think, though, that it would hurt to stop at various booths that looked like had short lines. I mean, I was at Beautycon and I needed to take advantage of that fact. Free entrance to an awesome convention needs to be fully capitalized on. I mean, how often are opportunities like this ever presented in my life, where I would be able to not have to pay a fee other a few hours of work for free makeup from awesome companies? hardly ever, so I kept on and I asked where was said lounge along the way. I also took some more pictures along the way.

 

I followed her directions and the directions of others to a lounge with music and it was sectioned off with rope, along with security in suits. I asked twice if that was indeed the Social Lounge and he asked for my bracelet. I showed him mine and I told him I worked there, he ushered me in. I asked one more time if that was the Social Lounge but I don’t think he heard me correctly and told me my bracelet got me.

All Access Lounge!!!!

There were so many different companies spread out on counters along the makeshift walls and in the center of the lounge. I went up to a counter with makeup on it and asked how much they were and the lady at the counter said “you just take them, they are free”……WHAT???? Full sized products and I could take, in some counters, as many as I wanted. So even though, I was at the wrong lounge ( one of booth attendants told me and my partner in crime said I was in the wrong lounge) I kept going from counter to counter until I reached the NYX Cosmetics booth. I took a couple of lip products and chatted a bit with the girl behind the counter then went to inspect the bar that the All Access Lounge had. I got myself a free cocktail from their open bar which was pretty and delicious.  I picked up, what I now consider my favorite (I can actual use it and not have an allergic reaction) perfume, Angel from Mugler. It is soooo delicious smelling. The is so intoxicating, that when I applied it on myself yesterday, I couldn’t stop smelling myself and bothering The Kid with it. The All Access Lounge was AAAAWWWWESOMEEEEEE.

So then after I felt I had taken advantage of all I could for the time being, I headed out, now with the right information, towards the Social Lounge. My partner in crime had actually just headed out of there. She told me she was tired but she wanted a few things before she would be done for the day. I said we should hit up the Hippea booth for more bags. Sadly, they only had totes, no snacks to give out. We starting perusing Beautycon and went to K-Town Beauty section.

K-Town Beauty!!

At the K-Town Beauty section there was a whole section called Amore Pacific Land. we went there because Nandi was looking for the booth that was handing out light up crown headbands. We had seen a lot of people wear them and she had to have one. I figured, why not? they were free so…..yeah, free. The Amore Pacific Land was amazing. It was laid out like a Candyland but with awesome skincare from different companies. On the line to Candyland, we were given a mini map which is so cute and detailed all the “attractions’ and the products at those stops. I was excited because I could see an actual seesaw inside the booth. It was more like an interactive exhibit. I was just in love with this section of Beautycon. Nostalgia was in the air and all of us were so happy at that moment.

Bye to Amore Pacific Land and My Partner in Crime

After we went through Amore Pacific Land, Nandi said she would be headed back to the volunteers’ area to rest because she was tired but the next booth caught my eye and I decided to get in line. I am so glad I did because after I took my picture and followed them on Instagram (which gets you a free sheet mask) I was automatically entered into a secret raffle. I found out that not only had there been a secret raffle via Instagram DM but that I had won said raffle. I was alerted of said raffle while I was waiting for my Urban Decay Quick Fix primer mist (we all recieved two 1/2 oz bottles) and headed back to K-Town for my raffle winnings from Soo’AE. I was given a bag full of goodies from a very happy lady (according to her business card, a marketing manager) and had my picture taken.

She thought I had left because it was almost 6pm. She was very happy to see me and I was very happy to receive my winnings. I have already tried some products but that is for a different blog post for another time.

A Not So Friendly Farewell

After I won my goodie bag, I headed out taking in the scenery. It was time for the event to come to a close and I had stayed past the time I thought I would considering that my feet had clocked out a bit ago. So I dragged them towards the exit and stopped by the Moda counter. I saw that everyone at Moda was wrapping things up so I didn’t want to bother them. However someone felt as though I was bothering them by simply touching a brush that was still on display. She came up to me from behind and firmly told me that they are closed. I get that she would be eager to close up shop but I only touched the bristles of the makeup brush. I didn’t even pick it up. They weren’t even being put away at that moment and she didn’t need to be so irritated. I walked by a wonderful booth that was more than happy to still be talking to anyone that went up to them or even by them. They even started a quick demonstration.

Other than the rude boot from Moda and a few over zealous convention goers, Beautycon was so much fun. I gathered quite the pile of goodies. So much good stuff. MMMMAAAANNNN. I just wish to be blessed with more opportunities such as this one, as this was such a blessing in my life. Especially for this time in my life, when every little bit of happiness counts. That, however,is also a story for another day.

My New Toys

I acquired such gold at Beautycon. Things that I had been eyeing but could not afford to buy. Also I received products that I had not even thought about or even known about. I finally got a Colorpop lip product and I love it. It is a collaboration between Colorpop and Beautycon and the name of it is Beautycon. It is a nude creamy shade and I am sure that it will be a favorite soon enough. I also got a Nudestix Intense Matte Lip and Cheek Pencil in Entice. I have been wearing that almost ever since I got my lil hands on them. Thank goodness I grabbed as many as I could, perk of volunteering, because those go for a whopping $24 DDDDDAAAAAMMMMMNNNN!!

It is so creamy, beautiful and long-wearing. I have worn it by itself and pairing it with other lip products for a faded look and ombre lip. I love it. I love the Angel perfume I picked up from Mugler.

I also got my hands on some NYX lip products and their Vinyl eyeliner. I did not keep all the goods. I made goodie bags for my mom, sisters and friends. I wanted to share with everyone what awesome things I had received.

Beautycon was so awesome….

and I hope to get to work at more beauty events. I also want to work at other conventions like Techmunch or Vidcon. Working events is so much fun and very informative. You get to see what it takes to run an event and learn about different companies. Also, you can get freebies. That is never a downside to working. I also love the fact that I can work for something that I enjoy. I love to work when I enjoy it as I am sure that is the goal for most. Also, it is a great experience, in general.