I’ve been a hair event bunny these past two weekends, and there’s even more to come next week! On Sunday, I joined about 50 other bloggers and 30 consumers at the 1st stop of the Blissful CURLS tour, which was a brunch cruise in NYC. I had no idea what to expect other than seeing a bunch of awesome bloggers, but the cruise turned out to be an AMAZING time!
Pre-Arrival
So as always, I was not properly prepared for the event because I didn’t twist or braid up my hair for a few nights, and left the dress I wanted to wear at the dry cleaners. I improvised with an airy shift mini dress from ASOS that I’ve had since college, a multicolored statefakement necklace from Old Navy (crazy right!), a tall but comfortable pair of Jessica Simpson pumps, and an equally tall pompadour. Now I knew most people would have their hair out since hair bloggers are always trying to show off their hair, but I didn’t realize I would be darn near the ONLY person wearing an updo! So much for blending into the crowd…
The Setup
After passing the guest check in (whew!) and boarding the boat, I was immediately greeted by a member of the CULS NYC Street Team and offered a gift bag. As I turned into the main room, I was taken aback by both the vastness and intimacy of the brunch, and scurried to find myself a table. Once I sat down, I was greeted by a personal message from Mahisha, the CURLS CEO, explaining what the event was about. We were allowed to get food not to much later and I filled up my plate! I also just realized I didn’t have any dessert which is tragic because there were so many appetizing options.
Mahisha Dellinger, CEO of CURLS
After a welcome by CURLS events coordinator Julian Addo aka Bella Kinks, the CURLS CEO Mahisha Dellinger took center stage to welcome us, share her story, and answer some questions about the brand. I won’t get into all the details, but Mahisha has an incredible “rags-to-riches” type of story where she overcome everything from a split home, sexual abuse, and teenage pregnancy to go from corporate executive to the founder of one of the first natural hair companies to find its way to the shelves of Target, CVS, and Sally’s Beauty Supply. After her speech, Mahisha welcomed a few questions, and if you’ve been rocking with me for a while you know I’m passionate about “curl-enhancing” marketing that may devalue kinkier textured hair, so I asked her about CURLS’ vision of being marketable to us kinky haired naturals. Mahisha responded that they are moving towards more inclusive marketing for the year 2015, but based on the number of type 4 bloggers in attendance, I think she’s aware and not neglecting us. Fyi, Mahisha’s favorite products are the Coconut Sublime Conditioner, the Blueberry Bliss Curl Control Paste, and the Goddess Curls Botanical Gelle. I also forgot to snap a picture of Mahisha’s AMAZING SHOES! Ugh, idk where to find evidence of them so you’ll have to settle for the picture of us together 😀
Blogger Pics
Of course I had to take some selfies and regular photos (what are those called?) with a few of the other bloggers who were at the event!
Sandwiched between my original YouTube obsessions Jenell aka BlakizBeautyful and Whitney aka Naptural85!
L to R: The ladies behind Curls With Love and a friend, Yolanda Renee of EtcBlogMag, Candid of Whitney/Naptural85 in case I didn’t have time to take a proper picture, Shalleen-Kaye and Seanna-Kaye of Natural Hair Does Care plus Julian aka Bella Kinks, Jenell & Whitney, Rica of Boston Naturals making me silly, Sabrina of Natural Partners in Crime being super fly.
The Goodie Bag
So remember that goodie bag I received when I first walked in? Let’s check out the contents! Oh, and they let us keep the customized CURLS martini glass! Such a nice touch to an already amazing event. Can’t wait to update you guys on how the CURLS products work on my hair.
Omg, you looked goreous! Don’t worry you made standing out with your pompadour glam.
Why thank you!!