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.