A few weeks ago, you may recall that I posted about how I was invited by Nordstrom’s Beauty Social Media Specialist to Nordstrom’s Beauty Trendshow in Coral Gables, Florida.  Nordstrom puts on these amazing fashion/beauty trend shows all over the country throughout the year, to debut over 20 cosmetics brands and trends, where models walk the runway in amazing outfits and makeup, while brand creators, representatives, and national makeup artists excitedly tell all of the guests about their newest products and techniques.  The entire event is high every, as all of the brand representatives and the amazing host, Nordstrom’s Beauty Director Karen DeLauro are so enthusiastic about all of the products.


So…I rolled my cute butt out of bed at 5:00am (yes..5!) to ensure that I got there at 7:00am, which is when the pre-show Red Carpet VIP party started.  (They hold the Trend Show before the store opens to the public.)  Luckily, I was able to bring a friend, who is also a beauty industry girl, and she met me at my house at 6 so we could make the hour drive together to Coral Gables (after a quick Starbucks run of course!).

We arrived at the beautiful Merrick Park outdoor mall, where were then walked over to the huge downstairs courtyard in front of the the Nordstrom entrance.  They had mimosas, coffee, and some breakfast pastries available to the huge crowd that came to see the show!
Strawberry mimosas – they know how to throw a party!

We were also greeted with a cute pewter colored tote bag (as you can see at the crowd shot below, everyone is carrying one)


They also had some tables set up with product, and some brand representatives outside to explain the products. 


We thought this was the pre-show party, but little did we know, the real VIP pre-party was awaiting us bloggers inside!  The wonderful Sharon (Nordstrom’s South Florida Regional Marketing Manager) greeted us by the red carpet in front of the store, and led us inside to get the full VIP blogger treatment!  The entire cosmetics section downstairs was set up with a ton of extra tables and stools to prepare for the stampede of people that would come back downstairs to shop and get their makeup done after the show.  


(The lighting was dim, so excuse if some of my pictures came out blurry or with a weird tint, and some I actually took with my iPhone so I could upload them as I was live tweeting).


We were escorted upstairs, where the Nordstrom team was finishing to set up for the event.  We were introduced to Angela, who has been organizing the Trend Shows for 11 years!  She saw our pewter goodie bags that we received downstairs, and told us we could keep that one, but she had a much better goodie bag for us!  She handed all of the bloggers the same bag, this time chock-full of products (even full size!)  I’ll give you a peek later in the post.  

Angela also took us backstage to see how the show comes together, and we got the AMAZING honor of meeting John Fussell, the Global Brand Ambassador and National Makeup Artist for Chanel.  We were able to chat with him, and even learned how he got his start.  He went to art school and then worked as a model booker (booking jobs for models at the agency he worked for).  At one of the photoshoots, the makeup artist never showed up, so with his art background (but never doing makeup before), he saved the day and stepped in as the makeup artist for the shoot.  He loved it so much, that he continued doing it on the side, sneaking away from the agency to do side jobs as a makeup artist.  He was later found out by his agency, when they were looking through a model’s portfolio, and praised the makeup on a particular photo.  When they asked John who did the makeup for that photo, he admitted that he did.  From there, it’s history, and he’s now the National Makeup Artist for one of the most iconic brands in the world.

We had front row seats, and got a perfect spot near the end of the runway, so we could watch all of the models walk down and easily snap some pictures!

The host Karen (who I mentioned above) came out, and it was time to get the show on the road!





Brand representative and some male models showing off some Philosophy products:


Such a funny action shot!
Alex Chantecaille – the creator of Chantecaille Cosmetics!


Smashbox showing off it’s amazing face primers and foundations:



Jeffrey Tasker – Regional Training Manager/Global Makeup Artist for Laura Mericer

John Fussell – Global Ambassador for Chanel:

 Beautiful in Dior!



Gaga-esque MAC Model


The Elie Saab dress flown in from Paris!

The show was incredible!  Following the show, we headed back downstairs, where we had an hour to visit all of the brands’ counters and tables, where we received expert advice, tips, and more samples before our 11:00am makeup appointments.  Check out this cool device by NuFACE.  The representative gave my friend a mini lift – the handheld device uses microcurrent technology so you can lift, firm, and tone your skin at home.  

You apply moisturizer and then use this over it to tighten, lift, and contour your skin (and you can use it on your body too).  The demonstration was amazing.  She did half of my friend’s face, and we saw an instant difference – being in our early 20’s, you wouldn’t think we needed any kind of “mini-lift”, but it looked like she got a mini brow lift and her eye area looked widened and rejuvenated – it was super cool.

I also met the fabulous Myisha from Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, and she gave me an Alpha Beta Peel.  This was a perfect way to prepare for my makeup appointment!  We even got a sample kit of the Alpa Beta  Daily Face Peel, so I’m really excited to try this again at home.   My skin felt really refreshed and clean. 

Angela was right when she told us it would be bombarded downstairs – she told us there were over 800 appointments that day!  Luckily, we had appointments, so after our respective face treatments by the Dr. Gross staff, we headed to the Smashbox counter for some more pampering at our makeup appointments.  

This event was so amazing and I want to thank Carla, Sharon, and Angela again for inviting me and giving us the VIP treatment!  I can’t wait to attend one of next year’s shows!


Here’s a peek into my goodie bag:


2 Comments

  1. Great post! This event was so much fun. I really love the Living Proof hair products, I think I’m going to buy the full sized ones soon!

  2. I actually just used the shampoo & conditioner last week! I have the restoring/treatment mask that I’m really excited to try, and I’m loving the humidity free hairspray! The hairspray actually isn’t even pictured in my goodie bag photo because it was already on my bathroom counter and I forgot to grab it before I took the photo.