Last week, I was honored to partner up with Blo Bar Brickell (http://www.blomedry.com/locations/blo-brickell/) and FACE Beauty Bar (http://www.facebrowandbeautybar.com) for a wonderful 'beauty gives back' event benefiting The Glory House of Miami (http://www.gloryhouseofmiami.org). The outpouring of support from all those who came out and from all the vendors that contributed to this great event and cause was overwhelming in a good way. Seeing a community come together in order to raise awareness is always a positive force of change and hope, and if you can throw some complimentary beauty treats for a small donation, who wouldn't sign up?!
Before I give you a recap of this fun and festive event, I wanted to give stylist, Chanel Peraza- Munoz, a BIG shoutout for the out-of this-world braided mohawk she gave me for the night. I loved it so much, I wrapped it up before going to bed and wore it the following night! I've never received so many compliments. She's a talented and creative force to be reckoned with.
When the folks at Blo approached me about hosting this charitable event, I immediately knew which charity I wanted to feature. I had recently done an event at Bloomingdales, and met the team behind Glory House of Miami. It's a fairly new charitable organization that is making big strides in the fight to bring awareness to the human trafficking industry. With Florida being one of the leading states in human trafficking (Miami alone brought in 235 million from human trafficking rings), Glory House aims to serve as a place of refuge and long-term service, to rescued female victims of human trafficking. Any organization that strives to empower women is a charity I can stand behind.
Once guests checked in and received their bands, they were also able to participate in a beauty raffle worth up to $250! For $1 a ticket, they had the chance to win Moroccan Oil Products (http://www.moroccanoil.com/usa/countryselector?website=us&lang=en), and complimentary hair and makeup services!
Keeping guests happy and fed is a big part of any event, and we were lucky enough to have some great food and drink businesses offering their services to our 'beauty gives back' event. The bubbly was flowing thanks to Zonin Prosecco (http://www.zoninprosecco.com/home/). My palette is very specific when it comes to prosecco. I like them dry and not very fruit forward- just light enough but not overpowering. Zonin is at the top of my list. I'm a big fan of Zonin and I was very excited when we were able to connect and learned they were interested in being part of our charitable event. They wanted to help and pay it forward and that just took them up a notch in my book! They share the same passion and message about giving back that we wanted to spread to our guests. And guests loved the bubbly!
Same goes for the kind folks at Dreaming Tree Wines (http://www.dreamingtreewines.com), one half which is helmed by musician, Dave Matthews. They generously donated bottles of their white and red blends to the event. Their Chardonnay is crisp, light, with hints of spice and fruit that is perfect for a hot Miami night! Guests were coming back for seconds! And we can't forget about the delicious cupcakes by local cupcake shop, LA Sweets (http://www.lasweetz.com). You might have seen this 'little bake shop that could' on such shows as 'Cupcake Wars' and 'The Next Great Baker.' It's no wonder they're a fan favorite with such cupcake creations as guava, triple chocolate, and nutella cheesecake, flying off the shelves!
As part of the $5 donation, guests were able to enjoy a complimentary braid bar and lip bar. Two stylists were on hand giving ladies beautiful ombre lips with a pop of color and shine. My personal favorite was a coral matte shade with a dusting of gold gloss. I was so happy to see so many of our guests taking advantage of the lip bar and getting some makeup tips as well from the FACE Brow and Beauty Bar staff!
And once those lips were freshly painted, the ladies indulged in a 'female power' inspired braid bar at the Blo Bar space. They had their pick from either a fish braid, braid crown, or Katniss-like side braids! If braids weren't your thing- no need to fret! As part of the night's special, Blo slashed their blowout prices to $25, and all proceeds also went to benefit Glory House!
Blo has some incredibly amazing stylists on hand who can basically create anything you bring to them. I love seeing the guests' reactions once their undo or blowout was all done! After getting dolled up, these girls were ready to hit the town!
Can't get enough updo photos? Here are some great shots captured by our event photographer, Jessii. Photos by Jessii (Instagram @photosbyjessii) was on hand to photograph the event and because of her generous service, I'm able to give you some great behind the scenes shots of our fun event!
Last but not least, what's a beauty event without some temporary fashion tattoos! Check out this beautiful tattoo necklace by Dash of Flash (http://www.doftattoos.com)! With a $1 contribution, guests were able to accessorize themselves with these cool and unique flash tats during the event! And the best part - they last for days! Dash of Flash Tats are available for purchase at FACE Brow and Beauty Bar.
Overall, the turnout was great, the company was great, and the event raised a nice chunk of money for the Glory House organization! I was humbled and honored to be part of such a charitable initiative with Blo and FACE and hope that we can work together again to raise awareness for another wonderful cause! Thank you to all those who came out, to everyone who donated, to the Blo and FACE staff, and to the Brickell community for spreading the word!
See you at the next one!
In Style,
Kat
