MY FAVORITE FINDS FROM THE 2016 NYC INDIE BEAUTY EXPO
I HAD THE PLEASURE OF ATTENDING THE INDIE BEAUTY EXPO IN NYC LAST WEEK AT THE METROPOLITAN PAVILION AND IT WAS PACKED FROM CORNER TO CORNER WITH BRIGHT FLORAL COLORS, SUPER-CHILL PEOPLE AND A PALPABLE BEAUTY BUZZ.
As I unpacked my massive VIP swag bag filled to the brim with full-size products and generous samples, it was like a skin care Santa AND Easter bunny had made a magical delivery. It was a totally enviable task to narrow down all of the coolness, considering there was everything at the expo from non-toxic perfume to space-age shower caps…but a handful of brands really caught my eye.
1. Beauty Water by Dr. Jenise Parris.
Let me just tell you that this was one of the first booths that I encountered and it made the greatest impression on me. An elegant yet purposeful line created by Dr. Parris herself (a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist on Madison Avenue, NYC) to heal the soul and the skin in one step. Gorgeous facial mists with essential oils, serums, scrubs, and accupressure gels to use at home for aches, pains and sleeplessness. My friend Stephanie had Dr. Parris herself rub one of her signature accupressure gels on her neck because she had severe pain and by the end of the night she had forgotten all about her neck pain…magic!
2. Box Naturals.
And by box I do not mean the cardboard variety. These classy towelettes are all about "feeling gorgeous, naturally" down there and everywhere. Yes, ladies, say thank you to the vajayjay gods for these little wipes. No more chemicals and synthetic fragrances down there. These wipes are scented only with organic essential oils, and are vegan, biodegradable, and free of parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, dyes and sulfates. They have the cutest, most luxurious little packaging and come in scents like lavender and rose. The bonus is that you can use them all over your body after the gym, midday to refresh or before you visit your favorite spa for any type of treatment "down there."
3. Amika: Perk Up Dry Shampoo and Silken Up Dry Conditioner.
Yes we have all heard of dry shampoo but what an amazing bonus to have a dry conditioner too! Yes, we want fresh roots but what about moisturizing those raggedy ends? Amika has your back! Dry shampoo is the jam, we all know this…but we also know we need to avoid talc and aluminum in them and Amika does just that! You get volume, a delicious scent and no gunky build-up in your hair…done! Combine that with the the Silken Up Dry Conditioner which is SO cool! Anti-static, cuticle sealing, glossing-love for your ends! Who doesn't want that…the perfect duo on the go.
4. Florapy: Facial Sheet Masks.
Yes. There is no way you could love this product more! Make masking easy with a pull-out-of the-package, presoaked facial sheet mask. It's a no-brainer because these masks are infused with floral ingredients with a special delivery system that soak your skin with goodness. Pre cut eye, nose and mouth holes make this fool-proof, as well. After you cleanse and tone your skin, rip open an individually sealed package, remove the protective sheets, place on the face and chill out for 15-20 minutes in this paraben free, vegan friendly, sensitive skin safe and synthetic fragrance free formula. I tried the Chamomile Patchouli and it was DIVINE! My skin was so soft and silky once the mask was removed and it smelled amazing!
5. Volante Healer Concealer.
Get the granddaddy of concealers with this doctor-developed, luxurious all-in-one product. You can use this puppy for your day to day concealing but also for post-procedure bruises and numerous other skin afflictions. Think about it: cover a crazy blemish or bruise from an injectible and heal it even faster with soothing and anti-inflammatory ingredients like arnica, calendula and zinc! Bonus: this product is free from parabens, petrolatum, synthetic fragrances and sulfates! A clean way to cut healing time in half with this amazing camoflauging cover up. It comes in several shades for almost all skin tones and boasts that it will be your "new BFF." Okay, we'll take it! Developed by Dr. Elizabeth VanderVeer, it looks like a winner, for sure!
Just the tip of the Indie Beauty iceberg! So much fun and can't wait to go next year!