Event: IPSY Creator Night/Live & Beautifali NYC Beauty Dinner plus GIVEAWAY

Hey Guys,
Today I wanted to share some pics and my overall experience after my recent trip to New York for Ipsy Creator Night and Ipsy Live! I also attended Julia Salvia's Beauty Dinner Saturday night after Ipsy Live. This is my 3rd year attending an Ipsy Beauty Event in NYC and second year getting invited to Creator Day. This is also my 3rd year attending Julia's dinner Keep reading to hear more about the events and to see all the goodies that I picked up!

Ipsy Creator Night was the first event that I attended. Creator Day normally was created for beauty influencers only. You couldn't purchase tickets to this event and had to get an invite from Ipsy Open Studios. This event allows influencers to learn/get advice from beauty brands and larger influencers by listening to panels. They consist of all different topics relating to the beauty industry, social media, and being an influencer. In the past, they have also had networking opportunities and activations set up by brands attending the event. This year was alot different than previous years. There were limited ticket spots available for purchase. It also was also open to the public meaning that non influencers could purchase these tickets. The panels seemed mandatory this year vs last year but I do understand the reasoning behind it. I did enjoy watching the panels that I saw but wish the whole thing was explained better and more organized. The panels that I watched were very informative and it was pretty cool to see LipstickNick (Director of Global Artistry for Morphe Brushes) giving her opinion on different topics. I also enjoyed listening to Jennifer Yen talk about the beauty industry and about her brands Purlisse and Yensa.

In between panels we got to build our own Glam Bags. It got very hectic but was a fun idea.  The Ipsy Live preview was immediately after the Creator Day Panels and gave us the change to see Ipsy Live set up and have more intimate time to network with brands. In previous years Creator Day as a whole day thing but this year it was cut in half. It felt kind of rushed. Originally Creator Day was supposed to be 4-6pm and Live Preview 6-9pm but I guess the email sent out was wrong and the event really ended at 8. This was disappointing because had I known it ended an hour earlier, I would have planned my time better. I barely got down to the second floor of brands and lost the opportunity to talk to many of brands.

On a positive note, the venue and booths were set up really cute! I feel like the brands were more open and expecting to network with us influencers. Many of the brands were also giving away free goodies at the Ipsy Live Preview. Another thing that I loved about Creator Night/Ipsy Live Preview (but didn't get to take pictures of ) is the food and drinks that the event offered. There was a room that had a table full of fruit, cheese, crackers and two bars for complimentary beer, wine, and soft drinks. I thought this was a big step up from the previous year. The presentation of the passed hors d'oeuvres was so adorable! They had mini pizzas in small pizza boxes and other cute bite sized snacks. I was too caught up in the moment to even eat any of the fun foods but I appreciated the thought that went into it. They also had a self serve cocktail wall which was SO cool! The drink was pretty good too!

Between Ipsy Creator Night/Live Preview and Ipsy Live there were TONS of awesome photo ops!  Below are some pics that I took between two days.

Derma E booth

Ipsy Live Photo Op

Ipsy Live Photo Op

Perfectly Posh Booth

 Pop Beauty Booth

Pop Beauty Booth

Pixi Beauty Booth

Betty Boop x Ipsy Booth

Overall, Ipsy Creator Day was a positive experience for me. I got to meet new brands, catch up with brands that I already have relationships with, and hang with friends that I only get to see once a year.

I purchased a ticket to the Ipsy Live event on Saturday that was also open to the public. I was aware that it would be in the same venue and the same setup as Ipsy Live Preview. Last yea,r Creator Day and Gen Beauty were two separate events and venues. I got to the venue a little before the doors opened and the line was wrapped around the building 3x. It was crazy! That being said, the line moved fairly quickly and check it was a breeze. They scanned your tickets while you are in line and gave you your wristbands. I really liked that check in process. The only thing I didn't like was that the line was outside because it was a smaller venue than previous years at the Javits Center. Once I got into the building I went and looked for the Swag bag line. Unlike last year at Gen Beauty, you didn't get handed your bags as you got in line to go into the exhibit area. You had to go to a separate line once you got in the building. That line was also wrapped outside and around the building but it really wasn't a bad wait. Since I already went to the Ipsy Live preview the night before, I figured this day was my chance to hit up the booths that I didn't get to go to on Friday night. The lines were pretty long since this event was open to the public and had WAY more people attending. It was also a way smaller venus so things got cramped at times. I would say Creator Night had  maybe a couple hundred people while Ipsy Live had over 1,000 people (if I had to guess).  Some of the lines for the bigger booths were blocking other booths which made it hard to get in. I was able to talk to the brands that I missed but most of them just took my card. The booths weren't giving out free stuff like they were during Creator Night which was kinda a bummer but I get it. After speaking with brands, taking some photos, and hanging with some friends I left for the day. I had a free ticket for Sunday and went back for about an hour to chat with a few more brands. I had to leave to go home that day so I headed out after that.

Here are the swag bags I got each day:

Creator Night Gift Bag

This was the bag that I received when I left Creator Night/Ipsy Preview. All the products were full sized. This was an amazing gift bag and I am so excited to try all the products. There were products from each of the brands that exhibited at Ipsy Live plus some extras as well. These creator bags are SO amazing and helpful to smaller influencers like myself because they give us products to create a TON on content with!

Creator Night Gift Bag from WEN

Wen really hooked us up! Not only did they feature products in the Creator Bag, but they also gave us a second bag full of Wen/Bella Spirit products.

Ipsy Live Preview/Ipsy Live Swag

As mentioned, Friday night at the Ipsy Live Preview many of the brands were giving away free products. I recieved a majority of these products from preview night. I got a couple of samples at Ipsy Live.

Ipsy Live General Admission Swag Bag

This is the swag bag you got if you bought a ticket to Ipsy Live. It wasn't bad but unfortunately alot of it was deluxe/samples. Last year, most of the products in the swag bag were full sized.

Overall, I had a positive experience at Creator Night/Ipsy Live. I liked Creator Night and think the venue, setup, food/drink offerings, decorations, panels etc were awesome. I just wish it was a bit more organized and longer so that we had more time to talk with brands. If Creator Day and Ipsy Live are going to be the same set up next year as this year I probably won't attend both days again. You definitely don't need to go to Ipsy Live both Saturday and Sunday. In terms of the venue, I think the Javits Center worked better with the amount of people that attended Ipsy Live on Saturday and Sunday. I liked Creator Day and the Ipsy Public Event being separate from one another. Regardless, I am very grateful to have been invited to Creator Night/Ipsy Live and thankful for experience. Thanks so much to the Ipsy Open Studios team for inviting me this year!

Beautifali NYC Beauty Dinner

The third event that I attended was Julia Salvia's beauty dinner. Julia is a full time beauty influencer that has hosted many beauty dinners over the past several years. Her dinners have been hosted after many of the Ipsy events but are not affiliated. She has hosted them in several places such as LA, NY, and Toronto. Her dinners are a place to connect beauty brands and influencers in a more intimate setting. They are also a place for beauty influencers to spend time with one another, eat some amazing food, and just have a great time! This was Julia's 9th beauty dinner and she had an amazing announcement. She announced that she was starting her own beauty community called Beautifali with her best friend and business partner Amanda Laurence! Beautifali stands for my beautiful friend/ally. Julia has always said that she's going to climb to the top and take all of us (her friends/fellow beauty influencers) with her. She is such an inspiring person and role model to me. Julia has accomplished so much at such a young age and is always willing to help/give advice to other influencers. I cannot wait for Beautifali to launch in January and am excited to see what the future has in store for this new community!

To attend the beauty dinner, you did have to purchase a ticket but it was WELL worth the price! We were served an awesome dinner the included tons of apps, entrees, dessert, and unlimited beer/wine/sangria. Also included were raffle tickets for a bunch of giveaways, a fun photo op, and not one but TWO gift bags! 

We also got the opportunity to chat with tons of great brands such as Covergirl, It Cosmetics, Wander Beauty, Purlisse, Yensa, Patchology, Blue Sky PR, and more! I really got to enjoy myself catching up with some of my beauty influencer friends as well as meet some new friends. The night was so much fun and filled with love and positivity! Huge thanks to Julia, Amanda, and her whole team for hosting another amazing and successful beauty dinner!

Here are the two swag bags combined that we received at the Beautifali dinner:

I had such an amazing and unforgettable weekend and I can't stress enough how grateful I am to be given these opportunities. Beauty has been a passion of mine ever since I was a young girl. It's been so cool to be able to experience the ride so far. I would love to make my passion a full time gig one day. Until then, this will continue to be my little escape away from reality! Thanks to everyone that supports me on a daily basis reading my blog, liking/commenting on my Instagram posts, and allowing me to do what I love. I appreciate it so much! xoxo

Make sure that you go enter my Instagram giveaway that I am currently running! I have a bunch of goodies from these swag bags in the giveaway and they could be all yours! Enter HERE

Have you ever been to any Ipsy events? Let me know in the comments below!