Sunday, March 4, 2012

Nordstrom Trend Show - Spring 2012

Lakshmi, our Nordstrom Trend show host

        A couple of weeks ago I was invited by a Nordstrom beauty social media specialist to attend a Nordstrom Spring 2012 Cosmetics show. I dragged myself out of bed at 6 a.m. on a wintery weekend morning to arrive at the pre-show start at 7:30 a.m. Anyone can attend a Nordstrom Cosmetics trend show by purchasing a $15 ticket (which will later be given back in gift card form the day of the event). In this post, I will share what I saw, what was in the goody bags, tips to increase your giveaway chances, my overall impressions, and my experience as a blogger.


         The trend show is full of makeup, models, and presentations. Below, you can see a model promoting Valentino 'Valentina' fragrance. Jake from NARS promoted the new NARS Pure Radiant tinted moisturizer. Clarisonic promoted their colorful Mias and Opal.


        One of the best guests at the show was Bertrand Thomas, founder of Caudalie, who flew in from France (and had an appropriately charming French accent). He explained the story behind the family vineyard and the creation of Caudalie. He demoed Caudalie's Beauty Elixir on the crowd (see below). For the record, I liked the fresh natural scent!

 
 

 My favorite runway interlude was before the Burberry presentation: models looking fierce in trenches.


Burberry promoted their Sheer Luminous Fluid foundation and 'Fresh Glow' luminous base for women of different skin tones. I'm also convinced that I need a white popped collar trench.


         I'll take a moment to describe what was in the event goody bags. We received orange sherbet colored canvas bags with canvas colored trimming. I usually don't use free bags, but this will be good for the beach. Inside the bags were a bottle of water (appreciate that), a 0.34 oz sample vial of Moroccan oil, a fragrance sample, show booklet, a pencil, and sample vouchers for Purity and Laura Mercier primer which you had to redeem at the counter. If you plan on redeeming, I suggest you go early! I couldn't find any artists when I tried to redeem mine after my makeover.




Chanel international artist RC is sexy and he knows it. We received an impromptu dance performance (high kicks included) before delving into Chanel's spring 2012 line.



Sarah from Bobbi Brown promoted Bobbi's longwear products.


        The highlight of the show for me was seeing Alex Chantecaille, Chantecaille's Director of Sales and daughter of founder Sylvie Chantecaille, speak. She was refined, yet down to earth. She interjected a little humor when describing Chantecaille's skincare:  "My mother being French, she is a snob. She loves only the best!"Alex promoted Chantecaille's new Coral Reefs palette; 5% of the proceeds will be donated to the marine cause. In case you're wondering about her beautiful dress, it's Dries Van Noten. (I asked).



        Below, Dior promoted a Nordstrom exclusive tanning oil. (I wish I looked that good in a swimsuit). Laura Mercier promoted an exclusive makeup travel case. Estee Lauder promoted their new Topaz collection (seen on model). There were a lot of EL fans.



Two hula dancers and drummers performed a fun interlude to energize the crowd.


July Macklowe, founder of vbeaute, came to promote and share the idea behind the creation of her 'It Kit.'



         Above, you can see everyone going wild over a giveaway. There were a good number of giveaways during the show. Some were drawn out of a raffle and some were handed out randomly to the crowd. From what I saw, here are my tips to increase your chances of winning a handout: 1) sitting in the front two rows by arriving really early 2) if you can't manage the first two rows, sit near an aisle 3) be over the top enthusiastic 4) takeout whatever items from that brand you have in your purse and wave them in the air 5) have a sign.


Smashbox model at top, MAC model below.
       MAC was the crowd favorite. The artist presenting promoted the new Viva Glam Nicki (see on the model) and Ricki products. 100% of the Viva Glam purchase price is donated to helping women and children affected by AIDS. Don't you think the make up artist above resembles Kristen Stewart?


        After MAC, people started to stream out to get first dibs at the counters. However there were presentations worth waiting around for at the end. Susan (below) from La Mer gave a resounding, militant, and funny presentation. She said La Mer is essentially "Spanx for your face." Dell Ashley, national makeup artist and media darling, of YSL got the crowd into the spirit of things while promoting Touche Eclat.


        Overall, I'm glad I had the Nordstrom Trend show experience. My favorite part was hearing from brand founders and directors who flew in especially for the event. After the show, you could meet them at their respective counters! The brief model cameos and hula performance were also nice. The crowd got most fired up about the generous giveaways and raffles of which there were a number. I would describe each brand's presentation to be like a semi-educational product pitch. If you are looking to get a background/overview of what many brands have to offer that season, the trend show is a great place to start. If you're already a makeup guru who knows about makeup collections even before they're released, the presentations aren't as useful, but it is fun to hear from the special guests.

        Finally, I'll comment on my experience as a blogger/press. I really looked forward to the event and to meeting the Nordstrom beauty media specialist who invited me. It seemed like other bloggers in the recent past had positive experiences during a well-planned event. However, my experience was quite different. Even after asking around politely, I could not find the a contact person and even received a questionable comment about blogging, which made me feel a little sad. Aside from this, I had a good time. I had a great makeover afterwards and got to speak to one of the guests above (more on this soon)!

        Thanks for reading about my Nordstrom Spring 2012 Trend Show experience! Have you been to a trend show? What was your experience like? What brands do you think have the best Spring 2012 collections?

Love, Dovey.

26 comments:

  1. Wow! Sounds like a mostly fabulous experience (aside from the bit about being a blogger, sad face for that!). I think seeing the collections "in action," so to speak, usually increases my lemmings! Haha. Dangerous!

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    1. Hi Larie, Thanks! It was fun :) You're right about lemming increases; it gets worse when you actually go to the counters and see the makeup frenzy that ensues!

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  2. How awesome!!! :) Looks like a lot of fun and you saw lots of prominent people in the makeup industry!

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    1. Hi RD&L, Thank you! It was fun despite being early in the morning. It's nice to see real people behind the makeup, especially when you get most of your makeup news online like I do :)

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  3. oh how nice you were invited to such an event!!! great photos!!! too bad you could not meet anyone who could speak to you about blogging or even the topic but still fun!

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    1. Hi J, Thank you!! Agreed-- overall it was worth it :)

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  4. It looks like a fabulous experience apart from the snide comment :/ I'm not certain why PR invite bloggers if they're uncertain of our purpose in the beauty world. I don't think of myself as a journalist or a makeup artist, but someone who loves writing and has a passion for playing around with cosmetics. I'm certain that railroad employees don't treat those with hobbies for creating home railways with mistrust and an uppity attitude. *End rant.*

    Seeing the founder and director of sales from Chantecaille must have been amazing!
    ♥ Jessica

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    1. Hi Jessica, thank you for your thoughtful comment; I really like how you articulated your thoughts! I also had a good laugh over the railroad analogy :) For the record, I wasn't much of a railroad builder when I was little :P Seeing Alex was awesome. I love her dress!

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    2. I reflected on the comment later and felt a bit silly ... did I really just bring a model railroad hobbyist into this discussion?!

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    3. Yes, but I loved it!

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    4. Random but totally valid comparison, Jessica! I can hardly believe that bloggers aren't given more respect... I for one buy wayyyyy more makeup on the suggestion of fellow bloggers vs. the usual channels (commercials, ads, magazines). And how many people buy Avon or Mary Kay because of the interaction involved in the purchasing process? It's just foolish to look down on us.

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    5. Hi Sarah, I thought your comment about magazines was interesting; I loved my magazines until I discovered blogs :)

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  5. how amazing! looks like such a fun event. sad about the snide blogger attitude, but it looks like you had a great time :)

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    1. Hi Kelly- thanks! It was fun; fortunately it was just one blight on an otherwise good day :)

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  6. We don't have things like this in the UK, so now I know what these are all about :) Must be interesting to hear from the people behind the brands?

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    1. Hi Sylvie, I'm glad you were able to see the event pictures. It was fun to hear from people involved with the brands, whether they were MUAs or founders. I hope the UK department stores will consider something similar for all the beauty lovers across the pond!

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  7. OMG, that guy with the leg kick. Too much fun!

    Thanks for the comprehensive coverage. I feel like we were there with you. :)

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    1. Hi Liz, Haha, I was quite shocked too when it happened :P Thank you for such a nice comment-- it makes me happy to hear it!

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  8. SO cool! I wish we had events like this here. Looks like you had fun!
    I don't understand the snark towards bloggers. They should realize that most people trust a bloggers opinion these days. Makes me sad.

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    1. Thanks Tracy! After posting, it's been interesting to hear international perspectives on the event :)

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  9. This event looks like it would have been lots of fun, thank you for sharing it with us all:) Love the entertainmen aspect of the presentations, a very nice idea.

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    1. Hi Emma, thank you for reading! I do like the entertainment aspect too.

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  10. Hi Dovey, Thanks for sharing your Nordstrom Trend Show experience. There was one in my area before the holidays, but I wasn't able to attend and wondered how it might have been! I think, like you, I would have enjoyed most hearing from the brand founders who flew in to speak. So sorry to hear about the ignorant comment about bloggers, but glad it didn't ruin your overall experience. Personally, I was a fashion/beauty magazine reader for most of my life, but now I rely almost solely on blogs for the latest trends and information and the ones I visit just have more of a friendly, personal spin rather than a profit-driven one.

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    1. Hi S, thanks for your comment! I'm glad I was able to share the trend show experience with you :) I always looked forward to magazines too (and I still like them) however I find that personal aspect, as well as immediate gratification aspect, of blogs has sucked me in. It's really refreshing to see how fun and creative 'everyday' people can be :)

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  11. How fun, I hope I can be part of this next time it's in SF. Sounds like it was well worth the early morning rise!

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    1. Thanks Lexi---- I definitely needed a nap afterwards!

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