Day 2 of LuckyFABB was a completely different experience than day 1, which was exciting. Instead of being in 1 huge conference room, there were multiple rooms with different sessions for us to pick and choose from. It was a lot more intimate, which made it a lot easier for questions. And thankfully, they got their wifi fixed, because it was failing all of day 1!
9:30 AM: The day started an hour later than Thursday…which I was thankful for- I need my beauty sleep! I got there just in time to scarf down some delish breakfast- fruit and mini croissants. I could eat like this all day…
10:00 AM: As a beauty blogger, of course we had to go to the beauty session first! Stephanie and I sat down to surprise gift bags, filled with Procter & Gamble beauty products! (They own Covergirl, Olay, Secret, and Aussie…among many others. “Beauty Tips from the Pros” was a conversation with Olay celebrity makeup artist Bruce Grayson!
Some tips I found blog-worthy:
- “Feel free to become a chemist and talk about it. Mix products. Find your own level of foundation that is good for you.” – Bruce Grayson
- Swipe the first coat of undereye concealer and pat the second coat!
- Go far outside the perimeters of a blemish and blend the concealer line way out in order to prevent blemishes looking more noticeable!
- Don’t commit fully to a makeup until you get to your destination- pack a bag of essentials and tweak makeup according to the lighting!
- Skip black liner in the day because you won’t be able to “bump it up” for night time! Go with taupes or dark browns (I love grays and silvers, personally!)
- Bruce loves the Olay Fresh Effects Va-Va-Vivid Powered Contour Cleansing System that I did a mini review of last month!
Aren’t those great tips? I’m going to incorporate these into my everyday routine ASAP!
11:00 AM: During the break we ventured out to explore the “brand experiences” that were available to us! We grabbed candy bags for a mid-day sugar rush thanks to LeSportsac and Dylan’s Candy Bar, who are collaborating on a line of bags!
Another brand we checked out, AG Jeans, gave us an awesome denim scarf (like the one on the left mannequin). I love how the middle mannequin has a bouquet of baby’s breath in the pocket…it’s unexpectedly cowgirl-cool!
11:30 AM: For the second session, we selected “How to Pitch,” a way to help bloggers become brand fans to brand ambassadors! We learned what to say, how to say it, and who to say it to in this panel!
Some tips:
- Keep it succinct & edit it down- these corporate executives only have 2 minutes!
- You can teach skills- it’s all about your attitude. There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance.
- If you feel unsure about what you’re saying, say it slower and say it louder.
12:30 PM: Right on time, a delicious lunch of hanger steak, asparagus, mashed potatoes, and cupcakes…along with conversation with fab bloggers. I saw Carly from Lipgloss and Crayons again and met Megan from My Other Closet is Couture and talked about our experiences as bloggers!
1:30 PM: Post-lunch, feeling ever the more energetic and eager to learn, I headed to “Grow Your Traffic,” which was likely the most helpful session of the day! The world of SEO is so complicated, but Condé Nast’s Raman Kia and TheFind’s Dave Cook made it seem a lot more manageable!
Some highlights that are just the tip of the iceberg:
- Over 3 billion searches a day on Google! (I think I do 5 a day!)
- Hyperlink actual subject rather than saying “CLICK HERE!”
- Use different sites such as Google Webmaster Tools, Spy Fu, & SEMrush to do research and check stats
2:30 PM: At the midway point of the day, we headed over to some more brands to see their offerings. The people at JustFab gifted us with shoe petals and a free credit for any item on their site…I think I am holding off on mine because I just can’t choose! They have tons of trendy pieces for spring and summer.
The L’OCCITANE booth was packed with ladies sniffing their latest collection, La Collection de Grasse. I’d like to do a separate post on this collection, but essentially, it’s a 4 scent line inspired by Grasse, France, the perfume capital of the world. The four scents are Jasmin & Bergamote, Magnolia & Mûre, Vanille & Narcisse, and Thé Vert & Bigarade. The collection has one perfume for everyone, essentially! It covers fresh, fruity, floral, and sweet notes to please anyone and everyone! I will describe each scent in a separate post, although I’ve only had the chance to smell two!
One of the most packed brand booths was Style Network’s. They were with Betsey Johnson (she was there meeting people in the morning!) promoting XOX Betsey Johnson (airs May 12!) and gifted us with purse-friendly lint rollers- which I have actually have needed but never got around to buying!
While waiting for a session, Stephanie snapped a photo of my outfit for me. I wore my neon yellow oxford that I just got at Old Navy. I paired it with gray floral printed jeans that I got from Target last season! I think they make a nice pair. I wore studded loafers that I got at Necessary Clothing last year in NYC! Probably the best $25 I ever spent on shoes. My arm candy consisted of a cone-spiked bracelet from Nordstrom’s Brass Plum and a gold chain from ASOS. I topped it all off with an Swordplay of Saints necklace by Michelle Phan’s Ever Eden line, that I was gifted at BeautyCon.
3:00 PM: For my last LuckyFABB session, I chose “Digital Entrepreneurs,” which unfortunately didn’t help me much because I couldn’t see the panel the entire time, so it was hard to pay attention. It featured Leora Kadisha of StyledOn, Heather Lipner of Uncovet, Tracy DiNunzio of Tradesy, and Lindsay Fultz of HelloSociety. It was moderated by John Jannuzzi.
The main tip I learned was about Pinterest. Did you know you can check who’s pinning from your blog Just type pinterest.com/source/(insert site here)! I found a lot of people pinning my photos directly from the blog, not from my personal Pinterest page!
4:00 PM: After the last session we enjoyed tiny appetizers and cocktails from ModCloth. It was nice while it lasted but someone had the great idea to announce the gift bags being ready and the foyer turned into the running of the bulls…er…bloggers? Thankfully I was already close to where they were handing them out, but it was a pretty crazy reaction! I was off to haul my18.5 pounds of goodies (no joke) and have time to relax! I did get many wandering eyes on the bus and trains though…it was kind of funny!
8:00 PM: After I got home, ate, and relaxed for a while, I finally decided to crack open the treasure chest that was the LuckyFABB gift bag. I can’t even list off half of the brands featured in this bag. The gift bag alone was likely worth well over $500, and we only paid $200 to get in (and received priceless education!). There were beauty items, gift cards, discount codes, TWO handbags, just to name a few. This really felt like Christmas in a bag! Expect many reviews in the future of these “FABB” products!
To close, you’re probably wondering if you should go to FABB next year (or in NYC). The answer is YES. I can’t wait to attend for years to come, and hopefully attend in NYC in the near future, since that’s where I want my career to take me!
Thanks to Lucky Magazine, The SLS Hotel, all of the speakers, the brands, and the attendees for making this one of my best experiences of 2013!
Go back and read my LuckyFABB Day 1 Recap!
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It was so nice meeting you at FABB! I love your blog
It was awesome meeting you too! Thank you so much- I'm gonna check yours out now and add it to my list! x