I’m not a beauty guru, but when I was approached with the opportunity to attend this year’s Beautycon Festival here in Los Angeles I jumped at it! There was no way I was going to miss out on seeing some of my favorite celebrities and YouTube influencers all while grabbing trend setting beauty and skin care products.

Walking into day one I was met by the official BeautyconLA banner and a welcome banner that read, “Welcome all races, all genders, all countries of origin, all sexual orientations, all religions, all glamazons, all natural beauties, and all unicorns.” With all that is happening in our world today, it was nice to see something so inviting. Attendees were greeted with a plethora of photo opportunities and free gifting stands from some of their favorite brands. Everyone seemed to love the blowdryer backdrop — I opted to go for something with a lesser line. I came on a mission to soak up as much inspiration as I possibly could and standing in a line waiting for a photo didn’t cross my mind.

Beautycon prides itself on creating in real life (IRL) experiences with people from around the world to discuss topics of common interests, including beauty, fashion, style, and everyone’s all time favorite — staying true to yourself. The days were filled with panel discussions from some of today’s most prominent figures within the fashion, entertainment, and beauty industries, Beautycon continues to set its bar above the rest. Attendees were able to sit and listen to their favorites like Chrissy Teigen, Zendaya, Laverne Cox, Amber Rose, Yara Shahidi, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jaden Smith, John Legend, Jay Manuel, Kelly Rowland, Jay Manuel, and Shaun Ross. I really enjoyed Chrissy’s talk as she discussed a time when her opinions may have gotten her into trouble. It was great to see her admit to it and say that there was a time when she was hired by a brand to represent them as the face, but she openly discussed how horrible their products were. She said that she was dropped from working with the client.

Doors opened at 9 a.m. both days for Beauty Academy Package ticket holders; they were able to enjoy three hassle free hours of free shopping before doors opened to the general public. Kicking off the first day was the keynote speaker, Tracee Ellis Ross. She discussed the beauty of knowing who we are and being true to ourselves. Throughout the day various discussions took place including Sunday’s timely panel “The Gender Revolution” featuring Brendan Jordan, Ambers Closet, Ingrid Nilsen, Gigi Gorgeous and moderated by EJ Johnson. They discussed issues within the LGBTQ community, sharing themselves with the world, and their sexuality in the business world. Kelly Rowland, Skai Jackson, Tess Holliday, Simone Biles joined moderator Sophie Amoruso for the perfect “Girl Boss” chat.

It was great to see Beautycon partner with brands and creators like NYX, QVC, Maybelline New York, Nike, Bethany Mota, SunKiss Alba, and Zendaya. They have welcomed social and beauty influencers like Alyssa Forever Flawless, Dulce Candy, Jackie Aina, Jasmine Brown, Amy Pham, Jordyn Woods, and much more. I walked away with so many goodies including my new favorite lippie from Pop Beauty. I’m still unpacking the bags of items I was able to get my hands on and I’m sure there are others doing the same.

Until next year BeautyconLA. See you soon!