As you can see I’ve been a little bit ummmmm . . . . . busy! It’s a rough job but someone’s gotta do it 🙂 Seriously, however, I recently returned from BlogHer 2012 in NYC and truly had the time of my life absorbing this fab city, attending many fun events and parties, playing hostess myself, connecting with new brands and most importantly bonding with my blogging sistas and making new connections. Here’s a recap of my most memorable moments at BlogHer and in NYC, enjoy!
1) Avon Pop-Up Party & VIP Beauty Experience
This was by far the highlight of BlogHer ’12 for me! AVON sponsored my trip to BlogHer so that I could host this fabulous classy party and invite my fav bloggers and introduce them to this comprehensive, modern, beautiful and affordable brand that I have really grown to LOVE. It’s so much more than your grandmother’s (can you say mini lipstick samples) brand and it was my pleasure to share it with some of the most influential bloggers around. Bloggers were fed gourmet food and beverages by hunky waiters (see above) in a gorgeous spacious setting overlooking the city while they shopped the latest and greatest AVON products. I have so much more to tell you about my fantastic event, but that will come in another post.
2) Pop Cap Tea at the St Regis
The fab ladies who head up blogger outreach for PopCap Games (creators of of fun & addictive games like Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies) invited me to a lovely Afternoon Tea at the St. Regis in NYC to kick off my BlogHer ’12 week and it was divine! This memorable gathering took place in a stunning and elegant setting, we nibbled on tasty gourmet morsels, sipped aromatic tea and enjoyed casual networking with the brand and other bloggers. It was classy, fun, a great reprieve from the humidity and frenetic NYC pace and the best part was that it was not at all heavy handed with brand information. Loved it!
3) Pampering at the Dermalogica Academy in Chelsea
Dermalogica (a brand I adore!) invited me and my BlogHer partner in crime Beth Avant aka HipMamaB to their Chelesa Academy for an evening of pampering, socializing and nibbles. After a non-stop day in NYC, lying down to experience Dermalogica’s Signature 20 minute microZone Treatment at their training Academy was an absolute treat! For the uninitiated, a MicroZone Treatment is a targeted zone-specific treatment designed to solve your imminent skin needs. It’s a quick fix for your troubled skin and costs only twenty bucks (a total bargain by NYC standards)! My skin therapist recommended a flash exfoliation MicroZone for me in order to resurface, smooth, and brighten my grimy skin. My skin looked refreshed and glowing afterwards. CND was also there debuting their gorgeous new Fall Shellac colors
And treated us to inspired Shellac Mani’s, I LOVED mine done with the new midnight blue color with foil and pigment additives
4) Porgy & Bess
I am a total theater junkie and no trip to the Big Apple is complete without seeing a Broadway show and since I was flying solo this particular evening, I was able to score a 5th row orchestra seat to the Tony Award winning Porgy & Bess. This show was top notch, riveting and amazingly performed by Norm Lewis (an uber talent & adorbs – pictured above) and Audra McDonald, it was so good that I waited at the stage door for autographs and pictures which I never do. Definitely among my top 10 all time favorite musicals!
5) Blowout at Angelo David
The summer humidity in NYC can wreak havoc on a girl’s hair, so I reached out to one of my fav NYC PR firms and asked her to set me up with a rockin’ blowout at a top notch NYC salon. She sent me to Angelo David Salon in the heart of Midtown Manhattan for a totally Sex and The City style blow dry experience. Angelo is the King of natural looking hair extensions in NYC (he does some of the Real Housewives BTW :-)) and I loved his confidence and industry savvy. He hooked me up with one of his top stylists for one of the best blowdry’s I have ever had. The stylist didn’t ask me what I wanted, he just did his thang and when I was finished I looked like a million bucks and was ready to take on NYC, what do you think?
6) Cabi Style Suite
One of my blogging besties Andrea of Savvy Sassy Moms hosted her annual swanky Style Suite at the Penthouse of the London Hotel along with the uber FAB & gorg Nicole of Mom Trends. This year CAbi was the marquis sponsor and they set-up a pop-up shop in the Style Suite where lucky guests got to shop for their two favorite pieces from about half a dozen signature pieces from their Fall 2012 Collection. What an inspired idea! I had so much fun shopping (while sipping my Ciao Bella Belini) with my CAbi Stylist and ended up with this gorgeous outfit, one that is not my typical style and I LOVE it! CAbi has some really fun and fashion forward pieces this Fall, I can’t wait to shop for more!
I am wearing CAbi’s Ingenue Cami & Curry Skirt
7) Lunch in Grand Central Station with HipMamaB
Beth and I really lived it up on our NY trip! One afternoon we stumbled onto Grand Central Station and a had deelish three course old school NYC lunch at Cipriani Dolci. It was restaurant week in NYC so we figured, why not? While we sipped our prosecco we watched the captivating scene behind us and could have sworn we were on a movie set. It was so cool and such a treat!
8 ) Taking in the Sights of NYC with My Blogging Sistas
Candice aka FashOrganized, Beth aka HipMamaB and I really took in the sights of the city! We had so much fun walking around, exploring, window shopping and absorbing the pulse of Manhattan and here are the pictures to prove it!
9) Bonding with my Blogging Sistas & Sipping Delicious Champagne
The other highlight of this trip was spending quality slumber party time with some of my favorite bloggers. We had such fun gossiping late at night, eating Halal Street food and sipping these deliciously refreshing and indulgent mini bottles of bubbly that I adore called Le Grande Courtage Blanc de Blanc Brut Minis. It reminded me of my college days, don’t you wish you were a fly on our wall? 😉
10) Four Seasons Eat Local Brunch
Trumpeting Media owned by one of my new fav bloggers that I met at BlogHer (Suzanne Chan aka Mom Confessionals) invited me to this top notch classy Farm to Glass Brunch at the Four Seasons Hotel in NYC. This foodie inspired brunch was totally up my alley because it showcased all the gorgeous bounty of the region (with most ingredients coming from within a 50 mile radius of the restaurant). Chef John Johnson amused our palates with dishes like Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Gazpacho with Mustard Gelato
Pizzette of Catskill Smoked Salmon
and a Local Lobster Hash with Choron Sauce. The ingredients were so bright and fresh you could taste the layers in the dishes! And as an added treat was that we got to shop from the Dylan’s Candy Bar traveling candy cart
Needless to say it was FAB, the champagne was flowing and it was the perfect ending to an amazing trip!
STAY CONNECTED!
Subscribe to Romy Raves
Click the link below to subscribe and be in the know for every Rave-Worthy find!
BY SUBMITTING YOUR INFORMATION, YOU’RE GIVING US PERMISSION TO EMAIL YOU. YOU MAY UNSUBSCRIBE AT ANY TIME.
My favorite hair stylist in New York City was named as the “New Yorker of the Week” by NY1 television for donating one thousand wigs for women suffering hair loss due to chemotherapy. All women should know about it. There great heart people out there that must be supported.