Beautycon LA was one of the best experiences of my life. It was filled with fun, freebies, influencers, celebrities, brands and great vibes overall. Back in 2017, I had never been to a beauty/makeup convention so I had no idea what to expect from Beautycon LA but it was an impressive event that made me want to go again in the future. I raved about it here on GoodGirlGoneFab and I was determined to experience Beautycon NYC!
Flashforward to 2019, I finally was set to travel to New York City again, which is like a second home. Three of my good friends and I flew to NYC early morning of April 5th and was ready to take over the city. The entire trip was a random experience but overall I had a great time in New York. In fact, the only disappointing moment of the weekend was Beautycon NYC.
My friends Skylar and Africa had never been to Beautycon, but Tierra and I raved about our LA experience in 2017 so we had set high expectations for them. Days and weeks leading up to the event, I started to realize not too many of the influencers I follow and love were promoting themselves being there. Nevertheless, I went in with the expectation of having the time of my life. Long story short, I didn’t.
I attended the Saturday show for Beautycon since my flight to Detroit was early Sunday morning. And to be honest, I had the best time when I was taking pictures of my outfit. I didn’t meet any influencers as I did last time in LA, I didn’t get a bag of freebies and it was just a lot of purchasing opportunities. It just felt like I was there, roaming aimlessly, but not much was happening that I was excited for. Beautycon is what you make of it, sure. But comparing it to Beautycon LA I don’t know if I got my monies worth. I was expecting to meet other influencers and of course, plug myself as a beauty blogger. I built a lot of confidence since 2017 that I wanted to put on display. I had tons of questions if I had the opportunity to meet an idol but unfortunately, it didn’t happen. While I didn’t get to attend on Sunday, Cardi B was the headliner. I heard she was hours late due to scheduling issues. And there was a lot of disappointed fans commenting on Beautycon’s Instagram about not getting what they paid for, especially those who paid for packages that were set to include products and fun freebies.
I will say one other great part of my Beautycon NYC experience was the “Black Girl Magic on the Big Screen” panel talk with Issa Rae, Regina Hall and Marsai Martin, which was presented by Univeral’s “Little.” The entire talk was authentic and fun and they spoke about how it is to be a black woman in the entertainment industry. They gave tips on how to keep pushing and shining brightly even when you feel like your light is dimmed by others. It was a refreshing experience to see so many black young people in a room full of opportunity.
So with my experience with the Beautycon events, I’m at a 50%; LA’s event was incredible and NYC’s was lackluster. I do think going on Sunday may have been a better option based on everyone’s reaction and excited to seeing Cardi B. But oh well. The best thing I got from the weekend was content to share with you and memories with my friends. So it was still worth it. Plus I slayed.
