LuxeBudgetnistas

Livin' luxe on a budget

Generation Beauty LA 2018 Add-On Experience

Hi, beauties!  We are back again with another Generation Beauty experience post, but this time we are talking about my event experience.  I’ve done posts like this before, but for the most part, my experience has always been pretty positive.  If you read my previous post about early registration, you know that I touched a bit on some of the changes that happened this year.  If not, you can check out that post here. Read on to see Generation Beauty LA 2018 Add-On Experience.

Past Experience

The first year I attended Gen beauty, I will say it was a bit unorganized.  I say this because the lines at the booths went whichever way possible and ran out of free samples.  Through the years, the lines became more controlled and brands planned for the event better.

ADD-ONS

Early Admission

Let’s talk admission- Ipsy started doing add-ons for early admission and one called lightening pass (we will touch on this later). What is the early admission you ask?  Well, it’s where you gain an extra event hour on both Saturday and Sunday.  This means the event starts at 10 AM instead of 11 AM.  The additional cost for the early entry is $39.95-  early admission is well worth price because this is when I had the opportunity to hit a majority of the booths.

My advice is to hit the bigger brands during this time period because these are the booths that will have extremely long waits when general admission gets let in.  I would also suggest that if you see any empty booths, get them during this time as well, just so you can knock them off your list.

Lightning Pass

Alright, lightning pass, this add-on is kind of like the fast-pass at Disneyland.  For another additional cost, you could pay for the lightning pass on its own or bundle it with the early admission.  I, personally, did not purchase the lightning pass, so this opinion is coming from the other end of the spectrum.

How Lightning Pass Works- My perspective…

The lightning pass is a separate line that allows you to move up faster within the line.  From my observation, they would let a certain amount of lightning pass holders go through- the average amount was 5 lightning pass holders to every one general admission holder unless you were in a group.  As you can imagine, this caused the general admission lines to become extremely long.  Shoot, there were even times when the lightning pass lines were longer than the GA lines. I heard numerous complaints from lightning pass holders, but this was due to the lack of organization that some booths had or the activities at the booths itself.

Final Thoughts…

I felt the lightning pass was a horrible idea because it provided a negative experience for so many.  Ipsy makes most of their money from makeup lovers who are on a budget and can’t really afford to go and splurge on numerous makeup items and brands.  C’mon, their makeup subscription is only $10 a month.  I say this because many go for the general admission ticket because that is what they can afford.  We all paid for the same experience, but just because most couldn’t splurge on the add-ons doesn’t mean they should not get what they paid for.  In previous years attendance, I have been able to make it to all the booths- this includes waiting through the long lines and doing all the activities.

I will say that they have managed to keep the ticket pricing the same throughout the five years that I have attended- good job!  So in all, I still had a good time and met some amazing people.  Afterall that is what this experience is all about- networking!

Gen Beauty LA 2018 | Early Registration Experience

Happy Tuesday beauties!  I told you to be on the lookout for upcoming Generation Beauty posts, so here we go!  I’ve been going to Generation beauty for the last five years, so I would say I have a lot of experience with the event.  I have also attended different locations.  With that being said, the event has changed through the years, some good and some bad.

Early Entry

Every year Ipsy has an early registration day on the Friday before the weekend festivities at the event location.  What’s early registration you ask?   Early registration gets you the passes for entry.  In previous years it was a lanyard, map, punch cards for each brand, and tote bag.  This year we were provided with two locations, one at the LA convention center where the event was being held and the other at the NYX Professional Makeup store, Westfield Century City Mall.  If you registered at the NYX store you were provided with an NYX swag bag.

Early registration is something I highly recommend doing if you have the opportunity to do so.  It saves you a lot of time the morning of the event.

My 2018 Experience

Now, in the five years I have attended Generation Beauty and have done early registration, I have never had to wait.  I have literally walked up with my ticket and have been out within a minute or two.  Not this time around!  This year I had to wait for 50 minutes.  I know it was due to the demand for the free swag…heck that’s why I was there. I will say that if this event was better organized and Ipsy had a more efficient process, then everything would have gone a lot smoother and faster.

Once inside the NYX store, you had to wait in another line for someone to scan your ticket, from there you waited in another line to get an add-on bracelet if you paid for it- this could be the early admission, lightening pass, or both.  Once you received that, you would then have to go to another station to obtain your Ipsy bracelet.  This bracelet is the important one because this bracelet provides you access to the event and gets you your freebies.

Once you have gone through all those stations, you have finally been presented with the goodie bag and a chance to look around the store.

My Two Cents

I get that we are in the age of technology, but we can keep things efficient, as stated above.  It really should be as easy as scanning the ticket and providing one bracelet.  My suggestion would be making different colored bracelets, kind of like what they did for GA and content creators.  They could make one for GA, one for early admission, early admission with lightening pass, etc.  This keeps things simple with unnecessary stations.

Was it worth it?  It was a new experience, definitely not m favorite but new.  I will continue to do the early admission, but early admission to a store location, ehh maybe!  They would have to provide better swag next time around!

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Boxycharm March 2018

This post also contains affiliate links and referral codes.  I may be compensated for clicks or purchases that you make.

Hi friends!  I hope you had a great weekend!  Be on the lookout for some travel and Generation beauty posts.  Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get started with my unboxing, mini review, and swatches of the March Boxy Charm.

What’s Boxycharm?

For those of you who do not know what Boxycharm is, it’s a makeup subscription box.  For $21 dollars a month, you get 4-5 full-size products.  If you would like to sign up, right now would be the best time, as Boxycharm has lifted their waitlist.  This is the perfect subscription box for someone looking to grow their collection and try out new brands.  You can sign up here.

March 2018- Bae Cation

  1. PRETTY VULGAR-Make Them Blush Powder Blush $26.00:  The packaging this brand has come up with is different and absolutely gorgeous.  The blush itself is great for every day, works with a lot of skin tones, and pigmented.

  2. BUTTER LONDON-Double Decker Lashes Mascara $20.00:  I haven’t had the opportunity to try out this mascara, but when I do, I will make sure this post.

    3.  South Mane– Revitalizing Under Eye Gels $9.00 ( 3 pack):  You can also purchase the eye gels individually for $3.00, but the instructions do say to use for three consecutive days to see a difference.  I am working on my second day with the patches.  I love the cooling sensation.  My under eye area feel really hydrated after the first use.  The only gripe I have is that these eye gels do slide down the face.

    What it is: Cooling, revitalizing, under eye gels. This product comes in individual packs or 3-pack of eye gels.

    What it does: refreshes and cools under eyes, giving a refreshed appearance to the skin

    How to use: Place one gel under each eye following the contour of your cheekbone, let sit for 15-20 minutes and then remove.

    4.  The Vintage Cosmetics Smokey Eye Makeup Brush Set $23.50:  Who doesn’t love makeup brushes? This set by the Vintage Cosmetics co is pretty great.  This set comes with a shadow brush, angled shadow brush, and smudger brush.

    5. PUR x BOXYCHARM Eyeshadow Palette $38.00:  This is a 12 piece eyeshadow palette that was created in collaboration with Boxycharm and Pur Cosmetics.  It’s a great everyday palette with some nice neutrals, but also has some great pops of color. Perfect for spring and summer.  The colors are pigmented and work together.  See below for a look I created using the brushes and palette together.

    Final Thoughts

    I am relatively happy with the box.  I was able to use 4 out of the five items in this months.  Altogether the box has a total value of $116.50- the blush itself pays for the blush.  My favorite products are the brushes and the palette.  If you received this month Boxycharm, which item was your favorite?

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Skinsmart Eczema Therapy

If you are a parent and have kids with eczema then you will want to read further. What if I told you that there is a steroid-free eczema treatment? Let me introduce you to SkinSmart Eczema Therapy.

  • New FDA-approved technology for Eczema
  • No prescription needed
  • Steroid-free, alcohol-free, hydrating, soothing.
  • Liquid base and dries like water
  • Safe for all ages and skin types, even the face.
  • Soothes angry, red, and broken skin

Results

As you can see, her skin is very dry, scaley, and starting to break open from scratching. This is my daughter’s eczema at the moment. We’ve been using Skinsmart for about a week and a half.

There’s a huge difference between this picture and the first. The dryness has subsided tremendously. The wounds are starting to heal and her skin is starting to get it’s color back. We use the product twice daily, which is what I would suggest for the best results.

Right now this product is available in the following stores: Safeway, Albertsons, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilion, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Lunds/Bylerys. Also available on Amazon depending if the weather is permitting (because the product cannot freeze). You can also email the company at customerservice@skinsmartantimicrobial.com and they will tell you the closest store to you!

No! No! Hair Removal

Where were you? A party? In the office about to walk into a meeting? Out on a date? Where were you when you did what we all do, the dreaded mirror check and looked to find out it’s back! That monster we all know as unwanted hair. We spend so much time trimming, waxing, lasering, shaving, plucking, pulling, we shed tears and even blood, just to get that smooth skin we all desire to look well manicured. Even then, you run your hand across your leg under the table and find that thin line you missed or that area on your knee again! No! No!

Will someone notice?  Now that’s all you think about for the rest of the evening, you can’t help but focus on it, drawing even more attention to it and now what?

Who wants to lug around a big “just in case” bag? Razors, shaving cream, a towel etc. If I told you that you never had to experience this fear again would you believe it? If you could receive the gift of long-lasting painless smooth skin would you want it? Give the gift we’ve all been begging for with the No!No! Hair Removal.

No! No!

The no!no! Pro speaks for itself with over 6 million sold already! Their patented Pulsed Thermicon Technology leaves your hair free with weeks of lasting results. My Italian heritage leaves me constantly at war with hair. I have to shave just about every day if I want to keep the stubble at bay! Have you ever been unsure about giving a gift because you’re afraid they won’t like it? With the no!no!, there’s a 30-day risk-free money back guarantee.

Product details

It’s a pretty simple 3 step system, easy and quick to use, compact and portable. First, insert the thermicon tip. Second, select the desired treatment level. Third, glide smoothly across your skin. It really is that simple! Some of the side effects caused by other hair removal processes can be inconvenient and painful.  This hair removal system is designed to leave you free from things like razor burn, ingrown hairs, cuts, odor, allergic reactions, skin irritation, pain, and inflammation. It is effective on all skin and hair types and results last much longer than some other hair removal treatments.

This hair removal method is safe for all body parts with the exception of breasts and genital region. This product is even great for on the go use. It’s small and compact, making it great for travel or to just throw in your bag, smaller than the average mobile device. Someone giving me the gift of long-lasting smooth skin is the equivalent of them giving me the gift of time itself. I spend so much extra time alone shaving and plucking I don’t even want to know the number of hours I devote to it each year. Help your loved ones end the frustration and quit pulling their hair out over being stubble free.

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