Spa & Beauty Expo 1: All the things, Expo-going advice and bloggers galore!

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How to cite: Wong M. Spa & Beauty Expo 1: All the things, Expo-going advice and bloggers galore!. Lab Muffin Beauty Science. August 31, 2013. Accessed March 29, 2024. https://labmuffin.com/spa-beauty-expo-1-all-the-things-expo-going-advice-and-bloggers-galore/

I posted my haul yesterday, but the point of an expo isn’t hauling, its everything else! So onto my round-up of the Spa & Beauty Expo, with everything except nails (that’s tomorrow’s post!).

I battled the expo with a bunch of Sydney beauty and nail bloggers – Jen (The Nail Polish Project), Rose (Every Little Polish), Michaela (Lather Rinse Repeat, aka my partner in food crime) and Reese (Reese Atomic), but I also bumped into a heap of other blogging friends there, including Kimmi (The Plastic Diaries) and Angie (An Obsession With the Fabulous). If there’s one thing guaranteed to bring the bloggers out of the woodwork, it’s trade prices on professional brands, paired with access-all-areas media passes! Here are some of us on Day 1:

I know I look like I’m pissed off but I actually thought I was smiling! I plead exhaustion. And can you blame me? The expo took up 3 halls of the Sydney Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour. Here are some of the sights:

All the custom palettes and brushes!

Stalls competing for banner real estate!

All the smells!

Creepy Doctor Who technology!

Half naked spray tanned guys in tight undies! (There was a disturbing number of these.)

As well as the ample, ample shopping hall (“exhibition hall”, but we all know what’s what), there were masterclasses and workshops going on upstairs, and multiple stages with demonstrations and Q&A sessions. The main stage was buzzing with shows all day including talks by Jane Iredale and Jeff Pink (Orly founder), who were specially flown in for the exhibition, and a multitude of demonstrations, lectures and competitions.

With my handy media pass, I ducked into Rae Morris’s masterclass. Rae is one of the leading makeup artists in Australia, and she’s a treasure trove of tips and tricks. The best thing about her – she loves sharing her knowledge! I’ll be posting some of the stuff I learned here soon 🙂

Right after the workshop, she raced down to her stand where she gave out all the photos and autographs everyone asked for, including in the book I bought. Michaela kindly took some photos of Rose and me with Rae:

Additionally, there was an area set up for free consultations on business matters like insurance, software and publicity – a great resource for small business owners!

At the end of Day 2 of the expo, the Australian Beauty Industry Awards were held in the adjoining Convention Centre to celebrate excellence in the spa and beauty industry. The full list of winners are here, but particular highlights for me were Rachel Montgomery winning Make Up Artist of the year (though it would’ve been a hard job picking the winner – the slideshow portfolios were stunning) and Rae Morris being inducted into the Hall of Fame. The shortlist of finalists is a great way to work out which spas and salons to look into!

Being a media delegate meant that I had my hair and makeup touched up by Youth Worx Hustle, a rare treat for me! I was making mental notes aplenty. I wore Face of Australia Budge Proof Eyeshadow in Mermaid Tears and it lasted all night.

Me standing awkwardly (but somehow less awkwardly than usual) with a bunch of other Sydney bloggers: Angie, Adeline (Through Beauty Eyes) and Lisa (The Beaute Buzz):

I don’t know what happened to my expression here! I look so angry, but probably just hangry.

Before I was too hungry, but also before I reached better lighting!

Expo Tips
 
Here’s what to expect for those of you planning to brave your first beauty expo:

– Lots of walking and standing. Wear comfy shoes!

– If you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, do what Michaela, Rose and I did and do a systematic zigzag through the entire expo.

– Bring cash! Many stalls don’t accept cards, and most of those that do have a minimum charge.

– If you can, avoid expo food! It’s almost always overpriced, and really more for stall holders who don’t have time to pop out.

– There will be people handing out free bags everywhere.

– Some things sell out, so do your homework and hit up your must-buys early. Many stalls offer expo prices for a limited time afterwards though, so if you miss out, it doesn’t hurt to ask.

– Lines to get in and at stalls are always heaviest at the beginning of the first day. If there’s something you want that isn’t going to sell out, the second day is far less insane.

– If you’re planning to haul big, bring a suitcase! Or buy a suitcase – at makeup expos, there will be plenty of people dragging around makeup kits (which you can buy there).

– Don’t rely on there being any power points available for phone charging.

– If you’re going to be swatching up a storm, bring baby wipes or tissues. Some stall holders are lovely and will offer wipes, but if it’s during mad rush time it’ll be hard to get a word in edgeways.

Tomorrow will be the final Expo post, I promise! And it’ll be wall-to-wall NAILS.


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