Olivia Frescura

los angeles beauty & lifestyle blog

International Salon & Spa Expo 2015 Highlights (Glycelene, Cailyn Cosmetics, Caption Nails)

ISSE Long Beach 2015 Caption Polish
ISSE Long Beach 2015- Caption Polish

As a blogger, going to industry trade shows is always a ton of fun for me. I get to see some of my favorite brands in person, and meet with new brands to see the latest beauty releases. ISSE is a salon and spa expo where professionals in the hair, nails, and spa categories go to learn and find new product to purchase. For myself, I was there to check out and see if there are any interesting products that I could possibly review on this blog! I attended ISSE 2013, so you can check out my posts from that. Thankfully this year I did essentially no shopping, which is always a hard thing to resist! I got to hang out with some blogger buds Stephanie, Alyson, Mai, and Romy. Show their blogs some love! Anyways, here’s a peek at a few of the best brands & most exciting products that I scouted.

ISSE Long Beach 2015 Glycelene The Rejuvenation Creme
Glycelene Rejuvenation Creme

Glycelene is a 100% natural, organic, and vegan skin care line created by makeup artist Kim Borio. I hung out at Glycelene’s booth for quite a while and got a demo of quite a few of their products. I was super impressed by their Luxury Face Oil (I need it!), Seatox Mist, and yet-to-be released eye oil.

ISSE Long Beach 2015 Glycelene No. 1 Natural Parfum Oil
Glycelene No. 1 Natural Parfum Oil

I also tried their No. 1 Natural Parfum oil, which is also new. It contains citrus notes such as lemon and neroli, blended with jasmine. It’s inspired by Sorrento, Italy- which was a match made in heaven for me since I stayed there for a weekend when I was studying abroad there. I received a sample size of the Rejuvenation Creme pictured above, and although I’ve only used it once- I’m already a fan! My skin was baby smooth overnight!

ISSE Long Beach 2015 Cailyn Cosmetics Pure Lust Extreme Matte Tint
Cailyn Cosmetics Pure Lust Extreme Matte Tint

An exciting makeup product I tested was Cailyn Cosmetics’ Pure Lust Extreme Matte Tint. These matte liquid lip colors are all the rage right now, and I think one of the biggest trends I’ve seen to start off 2015- and I’m all over it! They were kind enough to give me a shade to try, so you’ll have to wait to see my thoughts, besides the fact that I want them all & they should release a wider range of colors ASAP!

ISSE Long Beach 2015 Cailyn Cosmetics Cocoon Lip Stain Collection
Cailyn Cosmetics Cocoon Lip Stain

Yet ANOTHER Cailyn Cosmetics product that I found was their new Cocoon Lip Stain line. This product is unlike any other lip stain you’ve ever seen or tried! You apply the stain gel like a mask, wait 10 minutes for it to try, and then peel it off to reveal a gorgeous stain! I’m DYING to get my hands on the orange color (okay, all of them) to do a video demo for you guys.

ISSE Long Beach 2015 Caption Polish 3
Caption Polish in Shizaaam!

New brand Caption Polish promises gel-like shine without the UV lamp. I was in love with their display (first picture in this post), and all of their colors are gorgeous. I had this amazing glitter polish Shizaaam! applied over my nude nails- can you say amazing? This was 1 coat, and it dried lightening fast! Definitely hoping to get my hands on some of these polishes for a review- already impressed!

Those are the main brands that I was blown away by at ISSE, but I checked out a lot more brands, but I don’t want to go on forever so I’ll keep it brief! Hover over the images to see my thoughts & click to enlarge photos.

Overall I was pretty thrilled with ISSE this year. I’m highly considering applying for a press pass for their biggest show- Cosmoprof in Las Vegas this summer! I think it would make for great networking- and who can resist Vegas?

ISSE 2013: Skincare & Makeup (Dinair, BonBliss, G Body Art & More!)

A smaller section of ISSE was devoted to wellness and spa-like booths where I found many of the things I will be talking about in this posts! There aren’t many makeup brands at ISSE compared to hair or nails, but it was still nice.  If you’re looking for makeup…head on over to IMATS or The Makeup Show!

I got to see BonBliss, who make solid body scrubs that I have reviewed before. They just came out with a new size for professionals, scoopables. I think that this product would be great for manicurists because it isn’t nearly as messy as traditional body scrubs!

ISSE 2013 BonBliss
BonBliss body scrubs

G Body Art Professional have very unique stencils for their glitter tattoos. If you saw in my intro post, I told you to guess which one I got…an orange kiss! Remind you of anything? These glitter tattoos are great, but not too long lasting. As soon as I got it into warm water, it was easily rubbed off. It lasted 2 days, though!

I’ve seen Dinair at pretty much every single trade show I’ve been to in the past 5 years. I got to check out their newly redesigned airbrush compressor, and was even given my own system that I’m VERY excited about! It’s purple, as you can see from my haul!

A few other makeup brands there were Cailyn Cosmetics, IPKYN, and Michael Marcus Cosmetics. I haven’t tried any of these brands but they all look pretty cool! NYX was also there but their booth was too crazy to even photograph! They were very popular.

As far as skincare goes, most of the products available were for professionals only. I stocked up on tons of face masks! I love collagen face masks, which are similar to Bel Mondo Beauty’s that I’ve reviewed before. At the show, I got mine 10 packs of 2 for $50 from Martinni Beauty! Another mask I love is the Grand Central Beauty face mask, and I found a similar idea from Banzai Living. KollagenX has all 24 carat gold products including a collagen face mask, skincare, and a lipgloss. Everything felt really nice on my skin from what I tested at the show!

And that pretty much concludes all of my ISSE coverage. I hope you guys liked it! I had a great time and hope to go next year as well!

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ISSE 2013: Hair (Indie, Hair Hookups, Macadamia Oil, and More)

I’ve got to admit, hair isn’t my forte. So, I wasn’t too drawn by many hair products just because I’m so boring with my hair. If you’re a hair stylist, ISSE is the place for you to grab your favorite products at a discount, get supplies (like scissors and smocks), and even learn from the professionals. I heard Tabatha Coffey was there…I love her! I did spot a few cool finds that I hope you will like. I did haul from a few of these brands, so check that out on my intro post.

I recognized Amika because I got a sample of something from them in a Birchbox a while back. They handed out adorable bags in their signature print with a few samples inside. I definitely want to try more from this brand in the future…it’s too cute!

ISSE 2013 Amika Hair
Amika Hair Products

Indie Hair is a pretty cool brand that was recently launched. I was eying their powder #round2 because I love to use powders instead of spray dry shampoos, but I can never find any! I loved their nearly neon packaging…so fun!

ISSE 2013 Indie Hair By Scruples
Indie Hair by Scruples

Hair Hookups is a website that I was introduced to because I won a giveaway they were having at the show (woo $20!). After talking for a few minutes with the founders, Heidi and Derek Nelson, I thought it was a pretty interesting idea. Essentially, Hair Hookups is a platform for salons, stylists, and even clients (that’s you!) to look at hair inspiration (including demo videos), for stylists to find jobs, and for salons to be found. It’s still in the beginner stages, but check it out and let them know what you think.

 Macadamia Oil is something that I’ve seen many beauty gurus talk about on YouTube, but I’ve never tried it personally! They had an awesome detangling brush that came with some samples of their best selling oil and mask, so I’ll be putting that to the test!

ISSE 2013 Macadamia Oil
Macadamia Oil NoTangle brush

Speaking of brushes, I had to try The “Wet” Brush for detangling as well, because I have extremely tangly hair! They’re $15 regularly, but were only $7 at the show.

ISSE 2013 The Wet Brush
The “Wet” Brush

Some other things that caught my eye….Woody’s Grooming for men looked pretty cool. Their grooming kit was nominated best manscaping kit. Plus their products smelled nice and manly and look great. Perfect for dads, brothers, and significant others!

ISSE 2013 Woody's Grooming for Men
Woody’s Grooming for Men

I was tossed a sample of Vodana‘s hair oil, so I’ll be putting that to the test. You know me and my hair oils…

ISSE 2013 Vodana Hair Oil
Vodana Hair Oil

Now onto hair styling…so many options! From using tools, to hair chalking, to sock buns…what’s not to love? I eyed pretty Hot Tools (lusting after the 3 barrel waver), huge hair donuts (think dinner plate sized), hair extensions by Snappies…who doesn’t want candy colored hair? Kevin Murphy‘s color bug was a huge hit…I love hair chalking! Color without the commitment…There were tons of hair demos, pictured is Clairol…but I have to say Chi did a pretty swell job at performance hair styling to the song “Clique.” It was interesting to say the least!

That just about does it for hair! I just caught glimpses of what I was personally interested in, with my low maintenance hair! Stay tuned until tomorrow for my skincare and beauty post.

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ISSE 2013: Nails (Azature, China Glaze, OPI, Orly, and More!)

All of the nail inspiration was probably my favorite part about ISSE. I loved checking out all of the spring collections and learning about products I haven’t heard of before! I’m a huge nail  junkie (who isn’t?)…so I was in hog heaven. Have fun browsing my photos, and click on them to make them larger! Click here to see my haul!

I just had to share all of AZATURE‘s diamond nail polishes, including the 6 new colors that have just been released. Their original $250,000 nail polish was there, being protected by a guard! Kelly Osbourne and Jennifer Lopez have worn this nail polish before, and you can get the 1-carat version for only $25.

I’m definitely most excited for ORLY‘s collection for spring, called Hope & Freedom Fest. I can’t wait to share more from this collection, as I got the mini set to test them out! I love the name “Coachella Dweller” and think that these are so fun for spring…and loving the promo image. I want flowers in my hair! FYI the mini sets include Elation Generation, High On Hope, Melodious Utopia, and Coachella Dweller.

Nail art is so fun to me. I loved browsing all of the fun glitters and other things that can be put on the nail such as gold/silver foil, velvet powder, etc.

ISSE 2013 Bulk Nail Art Glitter
Glitter Galore

Who doesn’t love China Glaze? Their nail polishes are affordable but work amazingly. They were on a super sale at the show (6 for $15), so I couldn’t resist picking up a few…including some from the Hunger Games collection!

ISSE 2013 China Glaze Hunger Games Collection
The Hunger Games Collection by China Glaze

I also got Rare & Radiant from the Bohemian collection, because it’s a dupe of Chanel’s Peridot…which I regret never getting because Peridot is my birthstone!

ISSE 2013 Hunger Games and Bohemian Collection
Hunger Games and Bohemian Collection by China Glaze

I’m a big fan of CND’s Shellac after getting it a few times in the past. Their spring 2013 collection is called “Sweet Dreams” and features adorable pastel shades with a twist. I love the cake pop photo! One of the shades is even named Cake Pop! These were a hit and all of the colors except for the green, Limeade, were sold out by Sunday!

ISSE 2013 CND Spring Sweet Dreams Shellac Collection
CND Spring Sweet Dreams Shellac Collection

There were gel polishes galore for the manicurists to purchase. I loved all of the shiny bright shades!

Jessica Nails had a fun booth with a holographic floor. I learned about their new system that is a self-curing gel which will cut time for a lot of professionals. Their nail polishes are gorgeous…hope to try them one day!

Other brands you might recognize: Essie, Seche, and OPI were all there as well! I got a pamphlet for OPI’s spring Euro Centrale collection that I will do a new post on soon. I was bummed they weren’t showing it!

Something I thought was fun were these Q-Tickles cuticle oils that had tons of different scents and had little flowers in them.

ISSE 2013 Q Tickles Cuticle Oil
Q-Tickles Cuticle Oils

That’s all that I could possibly capture at ISSE regarding nails…it was such a huge area I couldn’t possibly cover every booth! Stay tuned for my hair, skincare & makeup posts to follow in the next two days!

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ISSE Long Beach 2013: Experience & Haul

International Salon and Spa Expo Long Beach 2013
International Salon and Spa Expo Long Beach 2013

This past weekend I attended the International Salon and Spa Expo (also known as ISSE) in Long Beach. Yes, just 1 week after IMATS! Trade show madness! It was my first time attending this show, which is pro-only (targeted towards salon owners and workers…hairstylist, nail techs, and estheticians). I’m sore to say the least, because this expo is HUGE. I had a fun time hanging out with Stephanie, Alyson, Krissy, and observing the madness. I only attended Saturday and Sunday…I was beat by Monday. I wasn’t planning on purchasing anything but I just couldn’t help it! The deals there are insane. I just wanted to post a few photos today and will continue with a few more posts highlighting the best of the show that I saw for hair, skin/makeup, and nails!

ISSE 2013 Azature
AZATURE, the black diamond king!

I visited AZATURE, who you may remember launched black diamond nail polish worth $250,000. They had it locked up in the glass case you can see in the photo (pics will be in my nails post). Behind him are his much more affordable $25 black diamond polishes, with the new color diamond collection that they just launched.

ISSE 2013 CND
Ad at CND

CND brought their new spring shellac line (will feature later) that mostly sold out! I love this ad they had at their booth…oxblood lips and bold brows!

ISSE 2013 Dare To Wear Nail Polish by Le Chat
Dare To Wear Nail Polish by Le Chat

There were so many nail polish brands…even ones you may not know about. I saw this brand, Dare to Wear, at Le Chat’s booth. I’ve seen them on many blogs so I just had to take a photo! What pretty colors!

ISSE 2013 G Body Art Professional
G Body Art Professional

G Body Art Professional had fun glitter tattoos…I can’t wait to share mine with you! Can you guess which one I got? And what color? 😉

ISSE 2013 Jessica Nails Nail Polish (2)
Jessica Nails

Another nail polish brand I’ve seen on many blogs was Jessica Nails. I lusted after their Gelato Mio collection from summer 2012, and couldn’t resist taking photos of them at ISSE! I hope to try some of their polishes someday.

ORLY
ORLY

ORLY has my favorite base coat (bonder), so I grabbed a professional refill at a great price. I also snagged some photos and minis of their new Spring 2013 collection called Hope & Freedom Fest that I can barely wait to show you! Think Coachella.

ISSE 2013 Seche Nails and It's So Easy Nail Art
Seche Nails

And lastly, I had to stop by Seche to grab more of my favorite Seche Vite Top Coat…it was a great deal. Slightly bummed that I just purchased their clear base coat and restore thinner from ULTA when I could have gotten a better deal at ISSE! They launched a color collection last year that includes a bunch of shades that only need one coat!

I know that’s not too much to share, but I wanted to split my posts so they wouldn’t be to photo-heavy. But, to tide you over…here is what I purchased…just from my Instagram!

On day 1 I didn’t buy a single thing! Thanks for the samples, Moroccanoil & Amika! And thank you Dinair for my airbrush compressor and makeup!

On Day 1 I didn’t buy anything because I was overwhelmed. But, Dinair was incredibly kind and gifted me an airbrush compressor (newly redesigned). I’m so excited to use it in tutorials to review for you guys. Airbrushing isn’t just for makeup artists, ladies! I’m also excited to try my Amika and Moroccanoil samples that were handouts at the show.

Day 2 Haul goodies!

On Day 2 I pretty much bought the whole show out…I got everything but the brushes and a hair oil with my own money…yikes! A few polishes (including the new ORLY), nail and haircare, and a TON of professional face masks. I’ll try to review everything I can that’s available to the public. Stay tuned for more ISSE photos in the next few days!

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**This post contains products that I have received for free– for more information, please read my Disclosure Policy**