Recap: Color Up Close Panel and BIC Meetup in NYC

[clairedabear]

On Friday, August 16, I attended what will likely be the highlight of my summer at Sephora's Color Up Close Panel and BIC meetup in NYC.  It was a day filled with meaningful conversations, delicious food, and of course, makeup and skincare. 

The day started off with the Color Up Close panel, where Elaine Welteroth moderated a conversation with leaders in beauty about diversity and inclusion in the industry.  It was especially interesting to hear the three panelists talk about cultural appropriation, and how there is room for appreciation and inspiration from a culture as long as the history of a look is explained, celebrated, and respected.  The panelists also debated the impact of social media on the beauty industry; while they admired the rise of diverse influencers, they also cautioned against quality issues exacerbated by how easy it is to launch a brand on social media. 

After the panel, the BIC members were invited back to the Sephora at Hudson Yards to do a book signing and meet and greet with Elaine.  Her success as the youngest editor in Conde Nast history is intimidating, yet she was gracious and welcoming as she spoke with each one of us individually.  We were also treated to mocktails and chocolates at the store. 

The final part of the day was a fabulous dinner at Wild Ink, where the BIC members got to catch up on life.  This was my favorite part, as it was a great opportunity to meet such inspiring women from all different backgrounds who share the same love for all things beauty.  Some members had even traveled from across the country - I'm glad they did, since they were great conversation!  At the end of the dinner, we were all gifted with a generous assortment of products from Fresh, Pat McGrath, Briogeo, and others. 

I'm so grateful to @CarolBT, @KatieBT, and @TeamBIC for hosting such a memorable event!  I've never seen a company be so generous to its community members, and I truly appreciate the work Sephora does in developing this community and even creating friendships in the process.

To all the lovely ladies I met - I'm happy to have met you all and hope to keep in touch! 

[CarolBT]

@clairedabear I'm absolutely thrilled that you had such a great time. It warms my heart to see that the meetup with the Community members was your favorite part! Keep those connections alive - can't wait to see you around in Community even more. 🙂 

[pocketvenus]

@clairedabearwow, looks like a lovely event and how nice to have dinner with other BIC members!

[trishavt]

@clairedabear It was so nice to meet you and chat at dinner. It was def one of the highlights of my summer as well!

I hope there’s more events like this in the future. If not we should try to plan a reunion for all the NYC / east coast ppl in the fall 🙂 

[clairedabear]

@trishavt love this idea!!

[SportyGirly125]

@clairedabear what a wonderful event. Looks like you had a great time. Thank you for sharing. 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@clairedabear Congrats on the event!