MUAHS BEAUTY CONVERGENCE VIP GIFTING EVENT

This was the easiest gifting event I’ve ever been to in my entire career! I really appreciated it.

And as a beauty-loving chick from way back, (my fascination with makeup, skin care, and hair care began when I was 12!,) this one meant even more to me than the usuals because all the gifts were…beauty products! And all the gift givers were experts in their fields, so we guests got to learn a lot, which was a major bonus.

The MUAHS Beauty Convergence VIP Gifting Event was held at the beauty mecca of LA—Smashbox Studios in Culver City—and it seemed like everybody in the beauty business was there. (I’m assuming that the “convergence” in the title refers to the meeting of these beauty brands with the professional makeup artists and hairstylists.) It was actually a preview party ahead of their awards show that will be in February. I love people who don’t wait until the last minute to throw their accompanying fete, so this timing was perfect.

“MUAHS” stands for the Make-Up and Hair Stylists Guild. As a media personality, occasional actress, and sometime talk show guest, I always have the utmost respect for members of that guild. Without them, we would not look our best in the public eye.

As a matter of fact, I’ve never worn face makeup in real life, (of course, I’ve done so when I’ve modeled or been on TV or film,) so at this point in my life, that’s something I’ve been really interested in learning how to do for myself. And many of the product reps at Beauty Convergence were very helpful to me in that area, so I’m especially grateful to have been included in this marvelous event.

The co-writer I brought along is Roz because she’s been talking about how she wanted to discover new lipsticks, so I figured she was the right person for this assignment. She observed, “The ambiance of this place was so cool. Amazing people who create the characters from the world of hair and makeup came together in one place that felt very chic.”

After the easiest check-in ever, we were each handed a fabulous big clear backpack to fill with our discoveries. And they’re perfect for all the concert-goers out there because some music venues say you can carry only a clear bag. So these will get a lot of use from all the hipsters in attendance. (And yes, I just might be one of them.) And then we just walked right onto the gifting floor and went at our own pace. Roz and I were lucky to be there on the early side because the place got really crowded later on. But no one seemed rushed, and there were many small groups of people enjoying their time networking. Everyone appeared to be having a wonderful time. It was all really lovely.

The most interesting thing to me was that all the company reps seemed delighted to be giving-out their items, whether it was samples or full sizes. And if their gift involved choosing colors, as for lips or skin tones, they were more than happy to help us figure it out.

And I really liked the variety of ways that the different companies made us aware of their products. Some had gift bags all ready for us, chock full of goodies; some had you choose which color(s) you wanted for foundations and lipsticks; some just gave-out little bags with samples in them; and one company even had you spin a wheel to find out what your gift would be! It was a true potpourri of experiences.

Roz and I were fans of all the items we discovered, but we each had a few faves that I want to tell you about. First up are mine:

As I said at the top, I am a makeup junkie. So my favorite gift was the Self-Love Edition eyeshadow palette from l.ys Beauty. It’s a combination of six perfect flat shades that will enhance everyone’s eye color, and five shimmering ones. I had literally just been looking for the perfect sparkly shadow to use to try out a new eye makeup design, and it appears that this one is it! So next time you see me, I will be looking totally glam.

When I was a senior in high school, I used to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning, just to have extra time to apply my false eyelashes! No lie. My bestie Jill and I would never be seen without them! But then in recent years, I’ve gotten too lazy to spend that extra bit of time. But when I saw all the stunning iterations of lashes at the Ardell Lashes table the other day, including 3-D faux mink ones, I realized that I want to go back to looking glamorous at all times. And the bonus is that a pro lash applicator was included among their generous gifts, so it will be sooo much easier to apply them now.

Dermasuri was gifting a choice of a body exfoliating cloth or a deep exfoliating foot scrub duo of a spray and a dual-sided foot file. I’ve been walking barefoot so often in my life, ever since I was a teenager in Brooklyn, so, as you can imagine, my feet practically jumped out of their (dead dry) skin when they saw the latter product. So, for perhaps the first time since I was seventeen, I will have my baby soft heels on display.

And here are Roz’s faves. Her comments are the ones in quotes.

As I said above, she really wanted to discover new lip items, and she got her wish with this one. She says, “I was hoping to find a great lip product, and there it was. Le Mieux makes theirs with ceramide, and it’s a lip glaze, so not exactly a lipstick or gloss. The difference is that a glaze, with all these great ingredients, has a healing effect. I liked the Mulberry color in a rich deep red that can be perfect to match with a fall wardrobe.”

The reps at the Armani face makeup table were really helpful in choosing the shades that were good for us. And they let each guest pick three of them to take home! Roz says, “I loved the Armani makeup! All that I tried were super silky and brilliant in their total coverage. I was dealing with a minor skin problem on my face, and this product made it just disappear!”

Roz was already aware of “one of the most well-known brands,” Giovani haircare. She tells us, “The reason it is so enduring is that they always deliver high quality, and their products satisfy the current trend demands. My favorite item from their beautiful black satin bag is a 100% Pure Castor Oil for hair. This is the kind of thing dry damaged hair needs for most occasions. I love how silky it feels.”

Since this event was billed as a “VIP Party” on the invite, I really didn’t know what to expect. So everything about it was a lovely surprise, including the catered snacks over in one corner. It was the first day I’ve been hungry in a really long time, so I was actually thrilled. A selection of fruits, cheeses, and crackers was on one high-top table, a giant tray of fresh veggies was on the next, and salami, turkey, prosciutto, pickles, onions, and all kinds of bread were on the third. Roz said, “The food was perfectly displayed; it was well thought-out, so people didn’t hoover on one table.”  And they had desserts over in another area. There were little coffee cakes, all kinds of cookies, cherries, and the best brownies I’ve ever had in my whole life. It was a great little pick-me-up in the middle of the day.

There was also a pretty bar set up with not only beverages, but very interesting energy bars and flavored waters. It seems like the organizers thought of everything to keep us hydrated, full, and happy to have the energy for all the meeting-and-greeting. I seriously loved it all.

The professional makeup artists and hairstylists had their own designated time there the next day, and I was invited to that one, as well. I really wish I hadn’t already had plans because I would have loved to be there again, to chat with them all.

Suffice it to say that I was bowled-over by all the easygoing gifting, and appreciative of the entire MUAHS Beauty Convergence experience. And now I look forward to their awards event in February. If they have a category of “Best Usage of All These VIP Gifts,” I hope I’m nominated!