Nordstrom Beauty Bash Recap

If you've never been to a Nordstrom special event, you should really consider it. I've now attended three of their events, and they never disappoint. From gracious hosts to amazing raffle prizes and a fun ambiance, Nordstrom knows how to throw a soiree.

I was recently invited to attend the Nordstrom Beauty Bash, which kicked off their anniversary sale. I took my friend Ling with me and we perused all the fall beauty merchandise and peeked at all the great beauty deals. You can see some of them in this post about my top anniversary sale picks.

The DJ provided a party ambiance with fun, upbeat music that even had some people shakin' their booties.

As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by Sarah, the night's MC and gracious host. She was super friendly and gave me the details on the fun we had in store. She whisked me away to the Dr. Dennis Gross counter for a little facial. Perfect, considering I'd been eyeing some of his products recently while on a trip to Sephora.

After a quick chat with Stacey, the Dr. Gross skin expert, we decided I should have a little mask treatment since I'd already had a minor peel done at my doctor's office earlier that day. It was fantastic! We started off by washing my face with the All-in-One cleanser with toner, which made my skin feel clean but not tight or dry. It's meant to cleanse your skin, remove makeup and impurities, and maintain your pH balance all in one step. It's potent, but gentle, and seems to be a great multitasking product.

She followed my cleansing with the Clarifying Collodial Sulfur Mask, which felt cool on my skin, didn't have a sulfur smell, and can (is intended to) be worn over night to pull any impurities out of your skin. Ever gotten a facial and gone home with your skin feeling great, only for it to fade once you wash your face at home? Blame it on all the minerals and heavy metals in tap water. Don't worry, you don't have to start washing your face with a bottle of Evian. Just apply this mask once per week, wear it over night, and watch your skin look more radiant.

As we let the mask sit on my face and steamed my pores, Stacey also tested out the Alpha Beta daily peel pads and Active Vitamin D Serum on my arms, giving my skin a radiant glow. We finished off my mini facial with their Ferulic Acid + Retinol Brightening Solution (to help fade dark spots) and Hydra-Pure Firming Eye Cream.

Sara kept the crowd amped up, especially when she announced the winners of the raffle prizes. 

After my time at the Dr. Gross counter, I was taken to the blow-out bar, where I got to test out Living Proof Straight Styling hairspray and have my blow out touched up. I was impressed by how well this product worked. I'd freshly blown out my hair before coming to the event, but this spray really helped give it a sleeker finish and even seemed to seal some split ends that were showing through (I'm due for a hair cut). And while I was impressed with the product while sitting in the chair, it wasn't until I got home that I was really convinced. For the next two days, I was able to quickly and easily touch up my hair with a blow dryer and get sleek (but still voluminous) results with very little effort. I may actually need to go back and buy it just for it's ability to make retouching my blow out so much easier. Alas, I had to wash my hair, so now the effect is gone and I'm actually missing it.

Customers enjoyed getting their hair touched up at the blow bar station. 

We finished off our beauty bash experience with a makeover at the Smashbox counter where I got to try out the new Halo foundation. It gave a nice medium coverage that looked natural and gave my skin glow without looking oily. Our makeup artist was a blast in a glass and since we were right by the DJ's speakers, we had a little mini dance party.

My friend Ling getting her pretty on with a smokey sultry eye look at the Smashbox counter. 

Other fun things to do at the event included visiting the eyebrow station to get a quick lesson on how to properly fill your brows and nail station where you could get a quick polish change and test out polishes from lines like Ciate and Butter London.

Goodie bags with great product samples were prominently displayed and available to everyone. 

And of course, we can't forget all the fun free goodies that are up for grabs when Nordstrom throws an event. Everyone who attended could take home baggies with perfume and skin care samples. There were so many, people could actually take two and there would still be enough. Plus, the raffle included awesome, full-sized products for people to win. One of the prizes was a Chanel Ultra Correction Lift night cream (retails for $165). I wish I'd been the lucky girl to take that one home. How luxurious. And, how generous!

Aside from the fun of spending a few hours playing in the beauty department with my friend, it was also great to meet new bloggers and reconnect with others. I was happy to see Judi from Judixo, whom I met at the Spring Trend Show in April. Plus, I got to meet Courtney, of Phyrra Beauty and Genia from GeniaBeMe Beauty Blog. It's always nice to meet local bloggers. Let's be honest, there's really only so much lipstick talk my friends can tolerate, so it's nice to meet people who have a similar love (obsession) for all things beauty.

Special thanks to Nordstrom for including me and my friend in their event. If you've never been to a Norstrom event, make it a point to visit their next one. They're always a lot of fun and Nordstrom is a gracious host. Make it a girls day and bring your friends! Who knows, maybe I'll see you there!

FTC: I was invited to this event, and got to attend for free.