This morning I was up and out early to head to the Glamour Beauty Festival. This is the third year of the beauty festival and having been to the first one, I was very excited to be heading along again today. Glamour state that this year is bigger and better than ever before and I have to admit it was pretty awesome!
The Glamour Beauty Festival is on this whole weekend at the Saatchi Gallery on London’s King’s Road. I headed along for the morning session and as soon as I stepped through the threshold of the gallery the excitement was in full force! I don’t mind admitting that I’m a complete beauty addict, there is just a certain unique buzz I get from all things beauty related, so I was definitely in my element this morning. It also felt good to be doing something fun after the tough last few weeks.
The Beauty Festival is like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory to me, there is nothing else quite like it and if like me you get that excited buzz from anything to do with hair and beauty then I really do recommend heading along to this annual festival.
As soon as I stepped through the door, I didn’t know where to start, I just wanted to run and see it all. It’s a bit like the first time I went into Sephora in New York, on the outside I’m playing it cool, but on the inside I’m like a kid on Christmas Day!
The first stop for me was a visit to one of my favourite brands Guerlain in the fragrance zone. They were promoting their new perfume range Mon Guerlain and I was treated to an incredible hand and arm massage with products from the range. It was such a relaxing treat and at the end of it I left feeling very calm and smelling gorgeous and even got given a mini sample bottle of the perfume and an invite to a Guerlain beauty makeover, the perfect start to my morning. I had been a little nervous that the new scent may be a bit strong for me but in true Guerlain fashion, it’s a beautiful scent which is light and instantly transports you to Summer with hints of Lavender, Jasmine and Vanilla, it is divine and my arms still smell lovely as I type away! You get a full size Mon Guerlain Body Lotion in you Glamour goodie bag. Yes that’s right – full size – amazing!!
If you’re heading to the beauty festival, make sure to visit the Feel Unique makeup zone, next to Guerlain. Here you can compile your own little goodie bag of 5 free products which again includes full size products. I opted for my favourite dry shampoo brand Colab and nail polishes from Essie in Mix Taupe and Sorrento Yourself as well as trying something new with the Laura Geller baked gelato swirl highlighter in Gilded Honey which I’ve heard nothing but great things.
Another reason to visit the Feel Unique Makeup Zone is to have a manicure with Essie, glitter lips and Star Dust face glitter tattoos with Beauty BLVD or a makeover with By Terry. I made a beeline for By Terry as I adore By Terry makeup and I wanted to try out their Lip Powder Essence which is exclusive to Feel Unique. It’s a revolutionary powder lip product, which applies with ease and feels so light and non-drying on the lip. I went for the Coral shade and there was a wow moment when I looked in the mirror. The colour power is incredible, it’s still going strong now from that one application. Another product I was keen to try was the Compact Expert Dual Powder. The makeup artist picked shade 6 – Choco Vanilla for me and I loved it. It looks quite dark in the pan, but a sweep over the skin gave a subtle everyday glow and warmth to the skin. That’s another item firmly on my makeup wishlist (only a few more weeks to go on my spending ban – phew!)
If you’re after a beauty or skincare makeover you’ll be spoilt for choice at the beauty festival with the likes of Nude By Nature, Revlon, Laura Mercier, Nars and Kate Von D offering beauty treatments and masterclasses. Nars will show you how to create a statement lip, Revlon has tips and tricks on how to accentuate your best assets and Nude by Nature will teach you how to perfect the power brow. For a flawless complexion head to Laura Mercier and of course if you want to nail that eyeliner look from a feline flick to something bolder, Kate Von D is the place to be.
Fresh was another of my must visit brands. I’ve loved this brand since I picked up some of their Sugar Lip treatments in New York. At the end of last year I discovered their skincare products as I got to try out the Rose face mask which is a skin saviour. Recent stress and the cold weather snap has left my skin feeling very sorry for itself and I wanted to speak to Fresh and get some tips and recommendations to get make my skin happy again. Now I’m going to be really honest with you and confess that I broke my spending ban as I bought the Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner and the Sugar Lip Serum. I wanted a little treat but I just really wanted to get my skin looking healthy again so thought it worth the investment. With the purchase I also received a goodie bag of treats including the Soy Face Cleanser which I was very tempted by as I got to test it out today and it made my skin feel so soft and clean. In the Skincare Zone, Fresh, Pixi, Elizabeth Arden and Caudalie are all on stand by to give you skincare advice, facials and skin boosts.
If you want to do something new with your hair you’re in safe hands in the Hair zone with GHD, OGX, Batiste and Schwarzkopf. I was mesmerised by the mermaid and unicorn inspired looks coming out of the Schwarzkopf hair station with their instant colour refresh products. I’ve wanted to have electric blue hair since forever but wasn’t going to be a 15 minute job. As you’d probably expect, the beauty, skincare and hair makeovers are very popular and there can be long queues. My tip would be to plan the treatments or classes you really want to do and get there at the beginning before it gets too busy. I really wanted to have my hair done, I loved everyones braided looks, but sadly I ran out of time as it was time to head to the secrets of a celebrity make-up artist talk with Wendy Rowe and Alessandra Steinherr. 
I’m a big fan of Alessandra Steinherr and I was lucky enough to meet her at a Nars event, so it was great to see her at the talk and Wendy Rowe simply blew us away. She has had a long career in the beauty industry and has worked with the likes of Victoria Beckham, Sienna Miller, The Spice Girls and Cara Delevingne. She is also Artistic Consultant to Burberry for their makeup range. It was interesting to hear how she started her career and how she has helped develop the Burberry beauty range. I’ve added the Burberry Fresh Glow to my beauty wishlist after listening to Wendy. Her beauty talk was one of the most entertaining and funniest talks I’ve been to, she is such an engaging speaker. I loved her very honest beauty advice and her belief that makeup should enhance your natural beauty not conceal it. 
There is definitely a lot to see and do at the Glamour Beauty Festival and it wasn’t long before I was in need of a pit stop and headed to the Twinings Superblends Bar for a free cuppa. You have got to try the Strawberry blend, it tastes so good and was super refreshing, not to mention good for you. There is also the Glamour Bar if you fancy a glass of something bubbly. The Alcatel Instagram zone is great for a break too. It’s away from the crowds and you get a lesson in how to recreate the perfect beauty flat-lay.
Don’t forget to pick up your Glamour Beauty Festival goodie bag. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t one of favourite parts of the day. The goodie bag is worth over £180 and it’s going through it is like delving into your stocking on Christmas day. Just look at all the treats including full size products plus the bag itself is gorgeous, I think it’ll be a great tote bag for the gym. Right I’m off to put my feet up and read the all new Glamour Beauty Book.
Jx