Monday, October 5, 2015

Event! Ipsy's Generation Beauty NYC and MASSIVE Haul! **WARNING!! LONG!!**

As I'm sitting here decompressing with my industrial sized glass of Chianti- I am still reeling from an amazing weekend at the very first Generation Beauty in NYC.

Prepare for a LONG one here girls and guys! With over 30 vendors- I hauled a lot and had an amazing experience. I kind of don't even know where to start there's so much to talk about!!

As I tried to explain to my best friend- a dude. This was like an amusement park for make up! See something awesome, get on a long line, enjoy 5 minutes of an amazing ride, hop off and move onto another while meeting some amazing characters in between!

My Generation Beauty weekend started on a very grim Friday night where I braved the awful weather all the way over to the west side highway and 52nd street for some early registration to get my pass!


Being the sneaky one that I am, I snapped some sneak peek photos for my Instagram:


 I also sent my mom and dad a text that I stopped off here to put in a job application...


I think before I go through my 2 days- I'll post my 2 day gift bag break down:

The Hauls:

Day 1 Gift Bag:


Products:

1. Skin Inc Pure Revival Peel: Sampled at 20 ml. Worth $18.70.
2. SOHO Beauty Retractable Kabuki Brush: Full Sized! Listed at $12.99.
3. Tarte Brazilliance Self Tanner: Sampled at 50 ml. Worth approx. $11.00.
4. MoroccanOil Hand Cream (Originale): Full Sized 75 ml! Worth $24.00.
5. Formula X Nail Color in Pyrotechnic: Full Sized .4 oz! Worth $10.50.
6. Mally High Shine Liquid Lipstick Pen in Delish: Full Sized 3.6g! Worth $20.00.
7. Marc Anthony Argan Oil Hairspray: Sampled at 53 ml. Worth $1.50.
8. Make Up Forever Smoky Extravagant Mascara: Sampled at 1.8 ml. Worth $6.00.
9. NYX High Voltage Lipstick in Rags to Riches: Full Sized at 2.5 g! Worth $6.00.
10. Cargo HD Picture Perfect CC Cream in Medium: Full Sized at 1 oz! Worth $34.00.
11. Benefit They're Real Mascara: Sampled at 3 g. Worth $8.50.
12. Temptu Highlighter in Champagne Shimmer: Sampled at 7.5 ml. Worth Approx. $7.00.
13. It Cosmetics No-Tug Gel Eyeliner in Black: Sampled at .012 oz. Worth $15.50.
14. It Cosmetics Tightline: Sampled at .067 oz. Worth approx. $13.60.
15. Crown Flat Concealer Brush (C410): Full Sized! Worth $3.90 

With an absolutely impressive value of about $190.00- my Day 1 gift bag totally floored me. If I reaaaaaaaaaallllllly had to pick, I think my favorite items are the Mally Lipstick, Temptu Highlighter, and the It Cosmetics items. But I seriously can't wait to dig into everything.


Day 2 Gift Bag:



Products:

2. Eva NYC Dry Shampoo: Sampled at .75 oz. Worth $3.40.
3. Elizabeth And James Black and White Perfumes: Sampled at .24 oz each. Worth $22.60 total.
4. Essence Cosmetics I Love Extreme Volume Mascara: Full Sized at .4 oz! Worth $4.99.
5. Derma E Purifying Daily Detox Scrub: Full Sized at 4 oz.! Worth $15.50.
6. Laura Geller Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush in Papaya: Full Sized at 5 g! Worth $26.00.
7. Jouer Pearl Lip Enhancer in Peach: Full Sized at 10 ml! Worth $18.00.
8. Bliss Long Glossed Love Lip Stain in Molten Guava: Sampled at .12 oz. Worth $20.50.
9. Gallany Lucite Lips in Frisson: Full Sized! Worth $18.00.
10. Tre'Stique Mini Shadow Crayon in Kona Coffee: Sampled at .02 oz. Approx. $10.00?
11. Ofra Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Venice: No idea sample or size. Maybe full sized 8g? Worth $19.90.
12. Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb: Sampled at 10 ml. Worth $7.60.
13. Skinn Sulfate Free Cleanser: Full Sized at 2 oz.! Worth $10.50.
14. Juliette Has A Gun Lady Vengeance Perfume: Sampled at 2 ml. Worth $2.40.
15. Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse: Sampled at .16 oz. Worth $2.90.
16. PurMinerals Chateau de Vine Lipsticks: Sampled at 5 x .0009 g. I'm not even doing this math- I'll dub it approx. $1.00 though it's more like $.20.
17. Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk: Sampled at 50 ml. Worth $9.00.
18. Cover FX Calming Primer: Sampled at 5 ml. Worth $6.30.

2 days of insane goodies. My Day 2 Gift Bag tops valuing around $210!!! Once again, if I had to pick- I am SO hoarding the Eva NYC, Derma E, Jouer, Skinn, and Cover FX. 

The value of the 2 bags combined can be approximated at around $400. Which is about 4 times as much as I spent on my ticket. So, I'm definitely NOT complaining... except for the fact that I have NO idea where I'm going to store all my goodies!!


Now.

Let's check out my additional hauls and all the lovely beauty vendors I got to meet!


Generation Beauty Day 1!

My Saturday morning started out with me excitedly getting out of bed at 6:30 in the morning to do my make up... I forgot to do my brows... But whatever...

I got to Pier 92 around 9 and it was already filling up. Upon letting everyone in- the Ipsy store opened and everyone lined up to create custom bags. I bought a mug (who doesn't need more coffee/tea mugs??) and got a free tote. However, I was only able to finish half my custom bag. Oh well! I actually kind of like it more minimal. Plus, I really had to pee and that kind of trumped the situation.


Watching My Bag Get Fancy:

As soon as we were allowed into the event, I ran STRAIGHT to Eva NYC. Honestly, they were the vendor I was most excited about. Their Mane Tamer Leave In Conditioner is my HOLY GRAIL of conditioners. And I really wanted to see what I could get my little hands on.

I wasn't let down! I was able to buy a full sized Mane Tamer for $10 (normally $24.00) and grabbed up a sample bottle of their Clean It Up Shampoo (3.4 oz, $7.00) with a couple compacts:


They were also doing an adorable giveaway for a pink bike full of their hair care line. I couldn't resist...


 Next I rolled right over to Nuxe where I took a short quiz to find out my French style is Bohemian Chic... like my tunic and scarf didn't give it away. They asked me to take a picture for Instagram and of course I went straight for the masks... Venice being my favorite place on earth and all...


We all had such a good laugh! And since I was one of the first ones there, they gave this this absolutely ADORABLE, TO DIE FOR gift bag with a full sized, limited edition bottle of Huile Prodigieus (3.3 oz., $45.00)!!! I am keeping this FOREVER!


Next, I bopped over the Bliss. Where I had this awesome conversation with a wonderful cosmetic chemist who told me all about her job and how I could get into the field. I feel so bad for forgetting her name. But, if she ever sees this- dude, you were awesome! 

They were showing off their new cosmetics line:


And I grabbed up a full sized Where There's Smoke Eyeliner in Plum Lucky (.2 g., $22.00)!:


Hopping over to Tarte, they were having an amazing sale. Since I'm not the hugest Tarte fan, I wanted to grab something to explore them more. And I completely fell in love with their Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Dazzled. Normally $28.00 - I snapped up that awesome little blush for $10.00. They also gave me a nice Tarte To Go Deluxe Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder Sample (.13 oz, $14.00)!


I quickly swung by Marc Anthony Hair Care. I didn't want to wait on line to get my hair done because I was rocking my awesome braid (and I need a hair cut and totally didn't want to be judged on my split ends). So I just picked out two samples and got a tote. I opted for a pack of Deep Repair Aloe Vera Jasmine Conditioning Treatment (50 ml, $2.99) and Argan Oil Conditioner (50 ml, $1.50).


Then a quick drop on Jesse's Girl to grab a gift bag. They were doing nails- but I just did mine before hand so I opted out. In my little gift bag, I got a sample of their eye shadow primer (approx. $2.00?), a bottle of Wild Cherry nail polish (10 ml, $3.99), a bottle of Beach Bonfire nail polish (10 ml, $3.99), and a Mineralized Baked Powder Eye Shadow in Plum Frost (.2 g, on sale for $2.00). 


I then decided to brave the line to get my brows done at benefit...


  Now, I normally love getting my brows done by the masters at benefit. And, I had forgotten to do my brows that morning. I needed this. But, honestly, my brow job felt so rushed and heavy handed that I felt like I looked like how Buffalo Bill felt wearing his skin coat all day. Don't judge my reference. I know what I mean. 


 I did get a funny pic with some scissors...


 And snagged a full sized Gimme Brow in Light/Medium (3 g, $24.00): 


Next up to the plate was Jouer. And I have NEVER been happier with a free gift EVER. I got this adorable little faux suede bag filled with some amazing goodies. I got a full sized Long-Wearing Eye Definer Pencil (with sharpener!!) in Mure (1.5 g, $20.00), a full sized Eye Clarifier, also with sharpener (1.5 g, $20.00), a sample of Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Rose Glisten (2.5 ml, $11.00), a Travel Eyelash Curler ($14.00), and a cute little gold heart ring.


 I then hopped over to Temptu to get my airbrush on. I want one of those things SO badly. They're amazing. I entered their Instagram contest. But, I think it's safe to say I didn't win any of the systems they were giving away. I did get a mini make over and snagged a full sized Clear Color True Lip Gloss (8 ml, $12.00)!



I did a smell test at Etat Libre D'Orange, snapped a photo, and got a perfume sampler (7 x 1.5 ml, $12.00).



Now, here's a funny story. I was milling around the Laura Geller booth and this really enthusiastic lady comes up to me and starts gushing over my eyeshadow. We start BS'ing and she's telling me how much she wished she could do sparkly, crazy shadow for the day but couldn't because of her stand. We have a couple laughs and she moves on. HOURS later I see someone post a picture of the lady on Facebook. Annnnnnnnnd it ends up I was shooting the shit with Laura Geller herself about my eyeshadow. I'm such an idiot!

Either way, I snagged an awesome, full sized Love Me Dew Lip Crayon in Watermelon Cooler (2.9 g, $16.00) from her! 



I swung by Ofra, Gallany, NYX, Klorane, Gallany, Elizabeth and James, Mally, and Pur Minerals quickly and picked up:

Ofra Miami Fever ($19.90):

Gallany Lucite Lips in Vixen ($18.00):


Elizabeth and James Nirvana Samples (.05 oz each, $4.70 total value):


I grabbed some Klorane Eye Masks and a NYX Mirror:


I was starting to get tired, but forced myself to get on line for Crown Brushes. I got a free brush and got 3 others for $8.00


My final stop was at Skin Inc (they had run out of candy!!) where I did a skin test and got a deluxe sample of Collagen Serum (.17 oz, $22.50), Pure Revival Peel (.1 oz, $2.75), and Pure Deepsea Hydrating Mask (.1 oz, $4.40).


Since there was really no vegetarian food, nothing to drink, and it was freezing- I decided to escape around 4:30. I casually strolled into Day 2 nice and late... and unfortunately missed out on a free full sized foundation from Make Up Forever... But...


Generation Beauty Day 2!:

To be honest, after getting up at 6 on Day 1 and going without food and beverage for close to 9 hours, I was beat when I got home. I had 2 ... well one and a half... beers and passed out. So, I headed into Day 2 pretty leisurely. I made some new friends and had a great time.

I still made a mistake of being a bit too leisurely about it and missed out on getting a free Make Up Forever full sized foundation. Which I was pissed at myself for missing out on for a hot minute. But, to be honest, I really think I got more than enough make up for a life time- so I really can't complain. Plus part of the reason I rolled into Day 2 so late was because I was not only talking to the people making my wedding dress- I also had to talk to the doctor who's about to remove a tumor from me next week...

First off, I stopped over at SOHO Beauty and picked up some make up bags, I think they're valued at around $20.00 for both. The bags are absolutely adorable. But... I really did NOT understand waiting on a crazy ass line to have some poor girl stamp some gold lettering saying "GenBeauty 2015" on the external packaging that I tossed anyway. Malarkey.


I bopped on over to Skinn and got a lip make over with a GORGEOUS full sized lip gloss. I was told it looked very sexy on me... So I'm totally digging my new Caviar Lip Cream in Bare (5 ml, $22.00).


I didn't even want to deal with the line at Formula X, so I just grabbed my gift. I got a mini nail polish in Obsessed (.13 oz, $3.40):


I stopped over by Dermalogica's Clear Skin and picked up an awesome Overnight Treatment (.5 oz, $4.90):


Honestly, I needed another tote, so I hopped on the Derma E annnnnnnnnnnd fell in love! On top of the tote, they gave me a full sized Purifying Toner Mist (2 oz, $15.50), 2 sample packs of Microdermabrasion Scrub (.12 oz each, $3.90 total), 2 sample packs of Hydrating Day Creme (.12 oz each, $3.20 total), and 4 sample packs (!!!) of Purifying 2 in 1 Charcoal Masks (.12 oz, $5.50 total).


I also got a pretty awesome face scan that showed that I had better skin than most 25 year olds... I was not displeased being 30 and all...

.
 And I brought down my SPF exposure a LOT from 6 months ago. YEAH SPF 10000000!

It Cosmetics closed their line. But I asked the head lady if I could grab a gift and she was totally cool about it and grabbed me some goodies from the stand and I got me some Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer (.11 oz, $9.40) and some Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream (.406 oz, $14.50).


And finally...

I know I'm lame. But I totally wasn't feeling the Belif magician. I was tired and cranky and pushed out of MUF permanently at this point. This opened me up to a lot of really offensive Gob Bluth jokes in a not so inanely humorous environment.  So, I snuck by and grabbed a gift bag. I did get 2 Moisturizing Bomb packs (.1 oz- $2.25, .33 oz- $7.45). But I also got this creepy bottle that I can decorate to look like my dad. As much as I love the man- I talk to him every day- I don't want him at my battle station. Can someone please explain this creepy thing to me?? And why is this my parting gift?? I make poor life choices.



Overall Thoughts!

Honestly, I would go to another Generation Beauty in a heart beat. Besides the fact that I got over $850.00 worth of amazing beauty products- I got to meet some amazing people, made some new friends, tried some things I would have NEVER tried before, and just was totally brought out of my element.

I REALLY just don't ever want to do another blog post about my experience because I've been working on this one for HOURS.

Suggestion wise? Was really NOT keen on the venue. In an area I consider the "bad lands" in Manhattan- there is NOTHING around there. There are tons of other venues that would have worked much better for this event with much easier access (Off the top of my head- Metropolitan Pavilion at 18th st).

And if you're going to have an event in the middle of nowhere- you HAVE to provide at least drinks: water, coffee, tea, etc. 3 food trucks with one being Italian ices and a couple vending machines was not cutting it.

Other than that, I totally dig how Ipsy handled the first NYC Generation Beauty. And I totally have my fingers crossed they have another one next year.

Did you go to Generation Beauty in NYC this year? What did you think of it??





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