Beauty Night Out

So apparently, the Style and Image Network puts on a yearly Beauty Night Out which features local dc spa treatments, make-up consultations and boutique shopping. I was invited by a friend and was not sure what to expect at all. The biggest original attraction for me was that a portion of the $35 entry fee went to Dress for Success, a great Non-profit organization that provides interview suits, confidence boosts, and career development to low-income women. You were also promised a gift bag which ended up having some free hair products (for color treated hair), some crazy pomegranate and blackberry energy drink, eye renewal creme (my favorite) and a book about why we should consider getting plastic surgery earlier rather than later -- not only was it kind of annoying to be pushing surgery on 20-somethings, but really heavy to carry around all night. But the best part turned out to be a free bar with all the beer and/or martinis (or Beautinis) i could drink. The martinis were made using Pink, a new vodka infused with caffeine that was making its debut in the dc market...i have to say it wasn't half bad, though i didn't really feel "energized". the was bottle really cool, but this marketing campaign is kind of lame. but whatever, it was FREE! there wasn't much food and when it appeared it didn't last long, so i was glad i ate first.

As far as product placement, they only thing that really stood out for me was the mini-makeup consultation by PR at Partners , using their "Pretty" signature makeup brand. I felt a little like an extra in "The Mummy" when it was over, with my golden-bronzed eyes and nude lip color but got some great application tips and the look definitely grew on me. My friend went for the oh-so-popular smokey eye look, but it was really modernized using a bronze shadow for the base and navy in the crease -- a great combo for brunettes! That, i think i might have to buy.

We went on to get free hand and back massages, which were good but nothing special. This was done by a traveling day spa company (listed as a vendor on the site). I'm still figuring out how i can suggest to our management committee that we have them come do massages for our office once a month... Moroccan facials were available, but watching girls walking around with mud on their faces and their hair in shower caps was not really appealing...so we skipped that. Besides the makeup people, I can't say I'd search out any of the other spa treatment providers in the future, so its not the kind of event you'd attend to find a great spa.

All in all I'd give the general event 4 out of 5 stars, mostly because of the free booze. I was only planning to be there for a few hours and we ended up being one of last groups to leave. The vendors were all incredibly nice and as a result we bought more stuff than we had intended. However lines were really, really long and I wished I'd worn more comfortable standing shoes. I can't think of many better ways to spend $35 or my Thursday evening and I'll definitely be on the lookout for next year's event and inviting all my girlfriends.