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Another SEPHORiA, another diary! I was thrilled to hear that SEPHORiA would be back in person this year after a 4 year hiatus, and even more so that it was going to be in New York.
This Community has given me so much over the last decade, and this truly was like a family reunion. I’ve been friends with so many of y’all for years and years, this event is just the most beautiful excuse to get together ❤️
Unfortunately for us, Mother Nature had other plans. As I waited in line for Session 1, the NYC governor declared a state of emergency due to the inclement weather (severe rainstorms).
There was also something going on with the venue, likely due to the storms. They cancelled the event about 20 minutes after Gold Key holders were supposed to be inside.
While we weren’t able to go in and see all the amazing booths, they still let us redeem our swag bags.
So sorry I didn’t get to meet more of you! Our Ambassador group was able to at least get together for a picture. Fingers crossed that we might be let in tomorrow 🤞
Session 2 is also cancelled, if you were supposed to come make sure you check your emails! They are offering a resolution.
xoxo Mcakes
i
Indeed, we do.
Indeed, we do.Let's hear it for New York (uh)
New York (yeah), New York (uh)
Dear Diary,
I was 19 the first time I visited New York City. I traveled up and down parts of the East Coast with friends and we made our way to the Big Apple to see the Statute of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and Broadway. Years, decades later, I was back, this time to experience "Sephora's biggest beauty event of the year" but mainly, to meet face-to-face, some of the extraordinary BT/BIC beauties with whom I've spent years chatting about lipstick and life. 💖
While the weather may have presented some obstacles and challenges for SEPHORiA (and the state of New York), it couldn't, and didn't, damper the spirits of our fellow BT/BIC members. In fact, it gave us one more thing to bond over. And bond we did - in Uber rides, over meals, drinks the last night of SEPHORiA that spilled into the wee hours of the morning, and while shopping in store - because what's one (two, three, ten ...) additional items to add to the suitcase.
Before I go on, a huge, huge thank you and appreciation to the Sephora crew working SEPHORiA - handing out beauty samples on Day 1, even as the rains came down and you were wondering about your homes and loved ones that first day. Regina, Lauren, Blanca and the many, many others, thank you for doing your best to make our experience as best as possible under circumstances we had no control over. (@TeamBIC , I don't know if there's a way to get this message to all the Sephora team members and castmembers that worked the SEPHORiA event, but they were all very much appreciated!)
These were the bags that held the deluxe samples the castmembers passed out to us as we waited in line. I have to say @TeamBIC these bags were well admired by many of us. The ambassadors tried, unsucessfully, to get one. 😔 Needless to say, they would make great giveways or even as part of the Rewards Bazaar.
My most precious memories of this trip are of the get-togethers and time spent with y'all, and seeing your first meetings with one another and your reunion with other BT/BIC members. I remember reading about and seeing photos on these boards of your meet ups from past SEPHORiA events and seeing all those friendships brought a smile to my face - imagine then how much bigger that smile was then, to see it all happening live, in front of me, and to be a part of it! (And to be part of your Sephoria Diaries @Mcakes! You are even more fabulous than I imagined you would be. So thrilled to have an opportunity to meet you in person and to hang out!)
Beyond our online exchanges over which highlighter glistens and glows brightest or what liquid lipstick lasts longest, there are connections made and friendships formed here - some in an instant, others over time. What a joy then, to be able to connect in person, in one of the most exciting cities in the world, at SEPHORiA, a beauty playground like no other. 💖
My other favorite memory (or part 1 of it) was our shopping trip to Sephora 5th Avenue to cap off what would have been Day 1 of SEPHORiA. No masterclasses with founders or brand reps, no games or giveaways; just a bunch of beauty lovers left to our own devices in a Sephora store in New York - ooh'ing and ahh'ing over the gorgeous glow of a lip luminizer (I hope you picked one up for yourself @danielledanielle); getting each other's thoughts on various fragrances; doing lines and lines of swatches; and enabling each other with the products in our baskets.
Part 2 of that memory was @Guessgal saying she was going to head over to Sephora Times Square (all while we were waiting for a table at Junior's) and then @heartsmyface, @missjeanie and I jumping to go with her despite being suuuuuuper hungry and parched, because ... well, it's Sephora. Did we really need to buy one more thing, ladies?! Apparently, I did. Hahaha!
I would have been happy if this trip ended there, with having met and spent that day with these amazing beauties but the weather cooperated and Day 2 was ON!!! And my goodness, what an experience. I had a BLAST chatting with the brand founders and reps, and with the folks in line. My introverted self (I really am an introvert, folks! <<pause for ensuing laughter from the peanut gallery>> No, really, I am.) Anyhow, my introverted self was suddenly a social butterfly, gabbing with anyone and everyone, and offering spritzes of hand sanitizer and a few passes of cool air from the fan (gifted to me by the lovely @sister13) to folks in the booths and in line. I was wiped out before the last masterclass of SEPHORiA started that I went to sit and grab a quick bite at the marketplace with the lovely @Mellmars1185 before going back to pick up our bag and meet up with folks to walk back to the hotel.
I thought I would spend the rest of that night playing tetris with my suitcase and all the beauty treats in the swag bag, and I did spend some time doing that, but not before heading to Target to pick up another suitcase and not before joining friends for one last drink (okay, maybe it was two drinks) together! 😉
Lessons Learned:
💋 Go BIG when it comes to your suitcase. When deciding on which suitcase to bring, go with the extra large one you have to check. You'll need the space. Trust me, you'll need the space.
I brought the black suitcase with me with the duffel bag. Didn't think I would come back with 3 pieces of luggage. There were a lot of extras.
💋 "You have no silver linings without a cloud" (Angela Carter)
Day 1 brought several less than desirable results - flash flooding, safety concerns and a decision (a hard one I imagine but one I do think was appropriate under the circumstances) to cancel Sephoria for the day. Without those happenings, I would not have made the memories I did. Thank you to all for making the most of Day 1! You know who you are and I'm sending each of you (virtually) a warm hug ... and a few spritzes of hand sanitizer! 😉
Miss ya ladies! Can't wait to see y'all again! 😘
