My ISSE Long Beach 2013 Experience/Haul

Oops, this post on ISSE Long Beach is two weeks late. My internet was down at home and I wasn't able to work on posts at school so this has been in the queue for quite some time but I'm finally getting to it. This was my first time going to the International Salon and Spa Expo in Long Beach and I had a very very good time at the show. The show had an short opening day on Saturday then regular show hours on Sunday and Monday. I went on Saturday and Monday.

The conference was split into the arena and promenade, with the majority of booths in the promenade. It was almost overwhelming to see so many booths at the show. The show is geared more towards professionals, specifically ones specializing in hair, skin, and nails but I was still able to have a nice time there. I was hoping for the nail brands like China Glaze, OPI, and Zoya to feature more of their new releases but not many of them did. I was happy to be introduced to so many hair care brands. Since I cut my hair short, I've been looking for ways to take care of it by ensuring it stays healthy while still being fluffy and voluminous. It would be impossible to talk about all the brands and booths at the show, so I'll just feature some of the ones that stuck out to me and some pictures of the other booths.

I had the lovely pleasure of hanging out with Krissy/Addicted to All Things Pretty and Alyson/The Gloss Menagerie on both days I went. It's always nice being able to experience a show with people who are just an enthused about convention as you are. Be sure to check out their blogs!

Violet Voss

One of the first booths and purchase I made on Saturday was at the Violet Voss booth where Elessa/PurseBuzz and Koren/Enkore Makeup were. I didn't get anything from Pursebuzz but I did get one of Koren's Hot Oil Makeup Brush treatment for natural fiber brushes(which is available for sale now on his site!). I've been trying it out on a few brushes and have been really happy so far. I had purchased my brush soap in the scent "Gardenia" at IMATS but I got a whiff of the Apricot Freesia and I was in love. I'm hoping to get another one at The Makeup Show LA.

NYX Cosmetics

I went to check out NYX, one of the few makeup brands at the show but was a little disappointed at the selection. I suppose I expected a really amazing booth from them, especially since they skipped IMATS LA but from what I could tell, they weren't selling nail polish which is weird since ISSE has a big emphasis on nails. Some of the products were heavily discounted but the rest were just one or two dollars off. I just went a few days ago and my ULTA amped up their NYX section so I picked a few things up (thankfully due to gift cards, a coupon, and the Buy One 50% Off sale)

Here's just a small section of their booth, with their pigments. 


BonBliss

I was scoping Alyson's Twitter when I saw her tweet pictures of BonBliss. I had to go there and oh my gosh the body scrubs are so cute and smell so good! They demoed one of the scrubs on me and my hand never felt so soft and smooth. I had to control my wallet and decided not to get anything (though that doesn't mean I won't get something in the future!). There are a few local places selling BonBliss so I'm sure I'll get my hands on it soon.

Veil Cosmetics

I saw Veil Cosmetics at IMATS but in all the chaos, I didn't really get a chance to see what it is. I met the creator, Sebastian Tardif and it was so nice to hear about the product. At first, I thought it was like the YSL Touche Eclat but unlike the Touche Eclat, this is a combo of an illuminator and concealer. This is the first in their line of cosmetics so I'm curious to see how else they'll expand the brand. 

Azature

If you remember hearing stories about the Most Expensive Nail Polish in the World (worth $250,000, Azature is the company that makes it! They were exhibiting the infamous polish there alongside their more affordable $25.00 polish (each has contains one real black diamond). I saw them at the show but honestly, I think the glitter polishes aren't worth the gimmick.

I didn't spend too much time to explore OPI and Essie but I thought it was worth taking pictures of the rows and rows of polish.

OPI


Essie



and now My Haul!

Koren's Hot Oil Brush Treatment. I'm still in the midst of testing and reviewing it but things are looking good! Using the Hot Oil treatment in conjunction to his 5ekz Brush Soap has kept my brushes in fab condition (review on both coming up soon)

Konjac Sponges

One of the booths there were selling Konjac Sponges, which are these really strange looking fiber sponges. The black one is has bamboo charcoal in it which is supposed to help acne prone skin and the green one has aloe which is supposed to help with drier skin. You rehydrate them in water and use them to clean your face. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about them quite yet.



Seche Restore

On Monday, Seche's booth reduced their price to clear their inventory and I managed to get this bottle of Seche Restore for only $2.00. I am a little annoyed though because the pipette included in the kit doesn't work at all so I had to scrounge around to find my old pipette. 



I've still got my haul from IMATS LA to swatch and review so reviews on the Hot Oil Brush Treatment and Konjac Sponge will happen soon!

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Happy Lunar New Year! Yesterday was the start of the Lunar New Year. For me, it's the Vietnamese New Year or Tết, but other people will call it differently! If you follow me on Instagram (@ohmeohmai) you might have seen pictures from yesterday when I went to temple and some of the cool food I ate.

I hope this year will be a good year, next year is actually my year, the Year of the Horse! Have a nice week you guys!