Generation Beauty 2014 - my Must-Haves

So in case you didn't pick up on it, I'm a little excited.  My use of exclamation points has been quite...liberal.  I've always been a pre-planner and packer and this is no exception!  I've been to several conventions/conferences (both for fun and for not-fun work), and I usually don't have access to a place to stash my things while I walk the floor (in this case, I think Fiancé will drop us off).  Every little thing counts to make sure I get the most out of the weekend...and can still go strong on day 2!

Here are some of my Must-Haves to survive and pwn the day that I plan on using for GenBeauty:

Comfy (and cute!) shoes - because as hard as I try, I am not one to totter around in heels for a full day.  I just can't do it.  I would much rather stomp around in boots or flit around in flats, and the last thing I want is to not see everything I want to see because my feet are sore.  Plus, 2 days in a row walking the show usually means slightly sore feet on day 2, regardless of what footwear is worn.  I am not masochistic enough to sacrifice my foot comfort for fashion.

Business cards - whether they are my "official" work cards or my "alter-ego" blog cards, these are essential for networking...and for my male-heavy line of work, helpful in getting people to take you a bit more seriously (its all in the job title!).  It will be so nice to go to a girly event like this for a change.  Silly me forgot to get her cards done in time, so I had to resort to printing and cutting myself...but hey, they look pretty darn good.

Water bottle - I am never without a water bottle.  I keep them everywhere, and I love fancy ones (such as my trusty S'well, or my new Citrus Zinger from my Popsugar Must Have box).  But for something like this, I revert back to a cheap throwaway bottle.  Seems counterintuitive to carry an un-pretty bottle to an event where everyone is looking at everyone else, right?  But!! the bottle will be lighter and if I get sick of carrying it, I can toss recycle it altogether. 

Small crossbody bag (OR giant light tote) - I usually opt for either a tiny crossbody that holds my essentials, or a huge tote to toss all my goodies into.  GenBeauty should provide cute pink tote bags upon check-in, though (if it is anything like last year), so I can use that for the goodies and stick to a crossbody for this.  (Note to self: wear something that won't clash with the tote!)

iPhone - for such a social media-heavy event like this, a smartphone is a must...preferably ready to go with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Last year Benefit printed out all the Instagrammed pics hashtagged for GenBeauty for people to take home, which is such a cute and fun idea.  This year they will have a printer compliments of bareMinerals.  Time to #genbeauty like a crazy person!  Fair warning to anyone following me on Instagram...its going to get crazy with makeup pics next weekend.

Phone battery backup - I love my hot pink iPhone charger...its small and only gets me a charge and a half, but that is plenty to get me through the day without being too bulky.  

Beauty essentials - Sunblock (I have tons of Supergoop!, thanks to the now-defunct LBB), Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 in clear, hand cream, hair ties, small concealer compact, hand sanitizer, lip color (lipstick or lip gloss).  Although in the case of GenBeauty, I probably don't need to bring anything at all and I can get made up at any of the various booths. :)

Sharpie pens & Sharpie - there is never ever a pen when you need one, although most conventions you can track down a freebie somewhere.  I <3 Sharpie brand pens though so I always have one on me.  A regular Sharpie is essential for writing your name on name tags or if you ever get a chance to get someone's signature...I'm always surprised at the number of celebrities that grace conventions with their presence!

Now if only I knew what I am going to wear tomorrow...

Generation Beauty 2014 - UPDATE

Exciting news!  GenBeauty released the full schedule and map.  For a pre-planner such as myself this is mucho awesome.


Anything tagged #genbeauty will post on a social stream screen in the middle of the tent, which is neat to see other people's take on the whole experience.  What I'm excited about though is that any pictures tagged with #genbeauty will be automatically printed out for you to take home! (thanks, bareMinerals for providing the printer!!)  They will also have free WiFi, courtesy of Polished, hooray!

 I can't even begin to figure out what I want to attend right now o_O.   Time to confer with my friend to see what is on her must-see list.  Happy hour = run around and get freebies with vouchers = <3.

Oops, a little teeny.  Click to enlarge!

Day 2 seems much more mellow, with a lot more user-participatory events.  Hopefully they provide some info on what some of these challenges and events are (particularly curious about "Beauty Chopped!" on Day 1...).

I know, still hard to read.  Click to enlarge (expand your browser window if still teeny).

YAY a map!  This is always the best part of any trip for me, even as a kid I would be the one directing my family through the zoo or the amusement park.  Maps just make it more real, 9 out of 10 I will commit this map to memory and be the person who can weave my way through the crowd to get to my destination, like a salmon spawning upstream.

Yay! This is happening, people.  so.excited.right.now. :D

Generation Beauty 2014 - beauty nerds, unite!

OMGIamsoexcited. O_O

10 days until....

AHHHHH!  Ipsy and Michelle Phan's 2nd ever beauty blogger conference is at the end of this month.  I was so bummed I wasn't able to attend last year's first Generation Beauty that as soon as these tickets were made available (in July I think) I bought an early bird ticket and convinced a friend to go with me. :)  At $50 for the whole weekend, it will be more than worth it! (Tickets are, unfortunately, up to $150 now because it is so close to the event).

It will be at LA Live in downtown LA. (Oh the driving.  By far the thing I'm the least excited to tackling that weekend.)  Should be a good location and last year they had food trucks...hopefully there will be food trucks again so we don't have to venture too far away for sustenance.

It will not be this fabulous looking, as it will be during the day and most likely in a giant tent. :)

It will be 2 days (for normies like myself who can't go Friday, which is still plenty) of fabulous basking in beauty products and bloggering, offering a great opportunity to learn about honing all types of social media sharing skills.  And networking.  And playing with all the pretty beauty products.  I plan on getting my hair, brows, nails, and makeup all did up several times over the weekend!

Here is the most exciting part!  They finalllyyyyyy released the list of sponsors that will be attending GenBeauty and I couldn't be more thrilled right now!  They upped their game from last year and have so many brands I would love to try and learn more about...especially if they are previewing any new products.  Plus, if they are all providing free products, I'll be needing a cart to haul everything away. :D

What a great sponsor lineup!

Hopefully I will also get the chance to meet up with my fellow Ipsters and Facebook group makeup-lovers, as well.  Stay tuned, I will be going bananas covering this event.

For all the info on this happi-haps, check out the Generation Beauty 2014 website.

It's been awhile...

Big doings since my last post...sometimes life just gets in the way!  But in a good way, for me...I had two happy huge life events happen in the last 6 months. :)


Life Event #1: Meet Chloe, the newest member of my little family.  She will have several posts dedicated just to her.  Because I am a crazy dog lady, and she is amazing.

Hi there!

Life Event #2: I got engaged!  FINALLY.  I've been with guyfriend (now Fiancé!) for over 12 years now, and this is some big doings.  Of course, it has been 3 months and I haven't planned a darn thing yet...

Bling bling!

Then there were lots of littler events like holidays, graduations, returned travelers, workworkworkwork stuff...

And then some not so great news: Little Black Bag (my major source of pretties) merged with Pose and will no longer exist in the form I had come to know and love.  :(  So I spent a month trading like a crazy person to close out 2 huge gift bags (hundreds of items) and shipped loads and loads.  Now its time to scrub my blog of all the LBB love, unfortunately.  Alas, the good old days....

But hey.  I'm back now. :)  And I'll be posting again.  2014 is off to a great start!

Little Black Bag: always behind, so just enjoy the pics :)

I know, I know.  I haven't been posting my LBBs in a timely manner and I do apologize. :)  Pretty sure several of these items are not available to trade for anymore, but hopefully you enjoy the eye candy!  This is a few bags combined, just taking the opp to photo dump so that I can post my newest LBB when I get it. :)  If anyone has any questions about any of these items I can elaborate more!

I've been good and focusing on smaller items lately...only a few bags made the cut for me over the last few months (on here, anyway).

Oh Strappy satchels, how I love you both.  The Ivory was mispriced on the 1st and it only cost me about $30 to open a bag with it. :)  It was trading well after a few days (after they adjusted the price to reflect the actual retail) but I liked it too much to trade away.  The Salmon is what I really wanted, so I'm glad I was able to get both!  I still can't decide which I like more. :)

Street Level Strappy satchel in Ivory, retail $78.

Street Level Strappy satchel in Salmon, retail $78.

The Mondo tote is huge and fantastic.  Super fantastic.  I've been looking for a black work tote that would fit my laptop and this one is perfect.  It will be great for travel as well...I'll be going on a few work trips this year and this would hold everything and the kitchen sink.  The front zip pockets are super useful and this bag fits over my shoulder easily.  Olivia + Joys rarely disappoint.

Olivia + Joy Mondo tote in Black, retail $98.

Pretty zippers.

The quilted Mystique wallet is so classic looking...it is definitely a larger and heavier wallet, though.  So many card slots, pockets, and a zip pocket.  I might sell this only because I have so many black wallets.

Mystique quilted wallet in Black, retail $25.

Oodles of pockets!

I'm sure I mentioned this before...but I love love LOVE statement necklaces.  And so I am hoarding them from LBB...such a great way to get some pretties without breaking the bank. :)

All the Rage stone statement necklace, retail $26.  Gorgeous colors and
lightweight but looks expensive on.

Mystique half moon cut necklace, retail $22.  Super cute, more delicate
than expected.

BCBGeneration stone necklace, retail $38.  Love. love love love!

All the Rage stone necklace in teal, retail $26.  My favorite version of
the 3.

All the Rage stone necklace in white, retail $26.

All the Rage stone necklace in mint, retail $26.

All the Rage beaded necklace, retail $16.  Thank you, Alice, I love this
one! :)

By Philippe connected leaf shape necklace in gold, retail $40.  Love the
brushed gold leaves, a beautifully made piece.

All the Rage fringe necklace, retail $28.

All the Rage bar necklace, retail $18.

All the Rage chain necklace, retail $28.  Has clear rhinestones and mixed
chains.

Carol Duplaise 3 row necklace, retail $32?  <3 so great for summer.
And T+J gold chain bracelet, retail $20.

I managed to snag a few other jewelry items, as well. :)  Lately I've been partial to CZ studs, so I've been focusing on necklaces, but there were a few things too cute to resist.

BCBGeneration fox bracelet, retail $28.

T+J designs bracelets, retail $12 each.

BCBGeneration linear stone earrings, retail $15.

T+J gold chain bracelet, retail $20.  That's right, you don't have deja vu.
I love this so much that I got 2.  Nice and light, I'm going to DIY one!

K. Kreative spike split bracelet, retail $16.

And here are my home and beauty pretties. :)  I wish LBB would stock more of these items...who really needs yet another bag, or another piece of jewelry?  LBB is a great way to try out products I wouldn't have considered, and things that will definitely see some use are always a plus.

Greene Greene and Gray purple diamond cut iPhone 4/4s case, retail $25.

OWP wearable candle in gifted, retail $20.

OWP wearable candles in dahlia and fight or flight, retail $20 each.

Michael Marcus blushes in Glowing and Bashful, retail $26 each.

NCLA nail wraps in galaxy, electric gradient (x2), and nude moon,
retail $16 each.

NCLA Venice Beach Vixen polish, retail $16.

Pixi shadows in Gilded Olive and Boho Bronze, retail $16.

More Pixi!  Lip Blush in Youth (x2), Eye Bright Primer, and Cocoa Haze.

Even more Pixi!  Oyster glow liner, more lip blush, and dye ties.

Oh, I <3 you, FAB samples.

Little Black Bag: more eye candy for y'all!

Okay, almost caught up with sharing my LBB goodies!  Sorry they aren't sorted by bag, but I'm sure everyone just wants to see the pretties. :)  This is probably 2 bags, and a few items from past bags that I forgot to post.

The Angelina!  People swarmed over the tan one (and then, oddly enough, several people ended up selling or swapping them on Facebook) but its all about black for me, baby!  I consider this is the more work appropriate Mazzie cousin.  I like that it doesn't have rhinestones...the Mazzie rhinestones were a bit much for me.  This is slightly more toned down and useful, yet still edgy and beats my more professional bags on more casual days.

Lionel Angelina tote, retail $98.  The Mazzie's larger tote cousin.

Detail.  I sat with superglue and a toothpick to make sure the studs are
stuck on super tight!

Yay, back zippers!  Always need a place for my iPhone.

Oh, my lovely.  I've loved this Steve Madden black foldover crossbody even before it was LBB, when I saw a girl carrying it while waiting in line at Disneyland.  I stared at this bag for a solid 20 minutes in line and tried to find it when I got home, but it was more than I wanted to spend on a bag.  Then it shows up on LBB! :)  Bag fate.

SM black foldover, retail $68.

Oh gold clasp and herringbone lining.  How I love you.

Inside.  Still loving large zippers on smaller bags!

Finally shipped a Deux Lux coin pouch!  I can't resist a great pink glitter.  Glad I waited, I love it way more than the dot ones that have been on the site previously.  I have no clue what I'm going to use this for but I like the prettiness.  The hardware on this is surprisingly heavy!  And the zipper is almost a neon orange-pink. I love sparkly things that burn my eyes out.

Deux Lux Resort glitter coin pouch, retail $31.

While I like this Cejon ruched scarf, it turns out I already have a seafoam/mint colored scarf already. Soooo this one will go onto my swap page. :)  It's a very nice scarf and is great for spring...bright and pastel and light and airy.

Cejon ruched scarf in seafoam, retail $28.

I can't wait to try this OWP wearable candle in dahlia...I was able to smell the lovely rose and lychee fragrance as soon as I opened my LBB!  While the candle isn't very large, it is beautifully packaged and it smells fantastic.  It also came with a wooden spatula and a pretty box of matches.  This would be a nice gift, I have another in a gift bag that I will probably ship.  I hope the gifted scented candle smells nice, too.

OWP dahlia wearable candle, retail $20.

Anti-blemish gel...so sad that in my late twenties I need to use this type of product.  I haven't tried it yet, but its a decent size and the smell doesn't weird me out so its already gotten a good start for me. :)

Skyn Iceland anti-blemish gel, retail $15.

Oh, lovenailtree chain watch.  I've been after you for so long, and I'm so happy I was able to get you this time around.  I love you so much, I'm swapping for a second one so I can change up the chain. :)  You play so nicely with my other arm candy.  

lovenailtree chain watch, retail $36.

And oh so much jewelry.  I love jewelry, especially statement necklaces.  Enjoy the parade of jewelry!

Fishbone chain is awesome.  And this fishbone chain necklace is pretty great.  I had to add some chain to make it longer...it served 2 purposes: the extra chain made the necklace hang lower in a more flattering place AND kept the fishbone chain from poking me in the neck and driving me crazy.  It is bronze and black rhinestones and subtle yet edgy.  I wore it to work today.  And I'm shipping a second to frankenstein and make some bracelets.  Yay.

BCBGeneration fishbone chain necklace, retail $42.

Close up of the pretty chains.

Apparently I have been liking the color of the year (emerald).  Or at least, shades of the color of the year.  This teal macrame necklace is a great piece for summer, very weighty and bold.  Silly that you couldn't see the macrame closure on LBB.  This mint bow is GORGEOUS.  It actually has a light gold chain and setting with mint stones and clear rhinestones.  The bow itself comes down to about 6 inches above my navel and looks great with a black top.  Finally working in mint into my jewelry!

Mata Traders teal macrame bead necklace, retail $26 and All the Rage
mint bow necklace, retail $24.

Like I said, I can't stay away from a good statement necklace.  And this is peacock feather jewelry done right.  I love this so much, I've worn it to work already with simple sold colored tops and a blazer and I've gotten so many compliments.  I only hope the feathers don't get all tore up anytime soon. :)

Punch peacock feather and leaf necklace, retail $28.

Love this next piece, this drop off jewel necklace is gorgeous.  The smoky stones and asymmetry make it a very unique piece in my jewelry collection.  Lately I've been letting my necklaces be the focus of my outfit and this one definitely stands out. 

Punch drop off jewel necklace, retail $37.

This hammered bib needs more love from me.  I may just have way too many collar/bib style necklaces, but I guess I just can't get enough. :)  Goal: wear this lovely this week.

All the Rage gold hammered statement necklace, retail $32.

This super long Robert Rose pendant necklace is large and in charge.  A nice break from the bib and collar bunch I've been getting lately.  It is, however, not gold.  And I am obsessed with gold.  Still, its a lovely piece.  That I have misplaced.  And will hopefully find again sometime soon. :)

Robert Rose pendant necklace, retail $28.

This gold peter pan necklace is beautiful, but I still can't figure out the best way to wear this style necklace.  On me, it looks silly.  Probably because I don't like collared shirts buttoned all the way up.  This will probably be up for swap!

ZAD peter pan collar necklace in gold, retail $22.

Yay!  More bibs!  At least this one has color, haha.  I still wish I got the neutral version of this guy, but now that I see all these necklaces together, I probably would never get around to wearing it.  This rainbow beauty of a bib of jewel tones though will see the light of day, and soon.  Punch makes some amazing necklaces!  And the curved threaders are also very nice, I like simple pieces.

Punch multi jewel necklace, retail $36 and By Philippe curved threader
earrings in gold, retail $35.

LOVE both pieces!  The chain necklace came much more...coppery than I expected, but it is actually a very flattering color on me.  It lies nicely below my collarbone.  Yay.  And the black fox bracelet is very cute, and fits just right.  I have the silver (and another black) in a gift bag that I may have to ship my way.  Oh foxes.  You be so cute.

FMG chain necklace, retail $16 and BCBGeneration black and gold fox
bracelet, retail $28.

More Flea Market Girl time.  The handcuffs bracelet is very cute, subtle edgy.  I have the necklace coming my way in a swap, too.  The Geranium cuff is sort of fragile, I'm afraid I'm going to snap it.  I thought I saw some stress marks in the middle so I superglued the crap out of it to keep it strong.  And finally, the stone bracelet is very pretty, it will be great for summer.  If my sister doesn't steal it first.

FMG handcuffs bracelet, retail $24, Geranium cuff, retail $14, FMG
stone bracelet, retail $24.

I love simple studs.  And these are simplicity at its best.  Since I've been rocking the statement necklace lately, these medium crystal studs are a perfect pairing.  They are very shiny and have a nice 4 ball prong setting.  These are my go-to studs right now!

By Philippe medium studs, retail $30.

I originally picked out these Geranium earrings because I was planning on taking it apart and turning all the little hammered bubble charms into a bracelet.  Which I still might do.  But these soft brushed gold earrings are actually quite lovely as is and aren't as huge as I expected.  The verdict is still out on what will become of these!

Geranium earrings, retail $26.

Ahh with the simple jewelry.  I've seen bracelets like these before in chain stores, but the crystal bars were never set perfectly and they looked a little cheap and wonky.  Not these!  Very delicate yet edgy, these are great for work when I do a more grown up arm party.

W/A Studios crystal bar bracelets in black and cognac, retail $30 each.

Heart threaders!  I love this style earring, although I know they can weird some people out.  These are best used when you have piercings that are absolutely completely healed, since the texture of the chain may irritate your ears as you draw them through the holes.  These chains in particular though are very fine and the heart is super cute.

By Philippe skewed heart threaders, retail $35.

These pinwheel studs were much more delicate than I expected!  Very thin yet shiny and striped, they are very cute and I can hardly tell I'm wearing them.  I like their unique shape and will hopefully wear them soon.

By Philippe gold pinwheel studs, retail $25.

Hopefully you enjoyed ogling my pretty things, and if you would like to join LBB, please consider using my referral link!