On Thursday and Friday of this week, I attended the IFB (Independent Fashion Bloggers) Conference in New York City. This was my third IFB conference, and they just keep getting better and better.
There were amazing panels, brands and experiences in attendance, and I met a lot of great people (both fellow bloggers and brands). See below for a walk through in photos!
1) This was my favorite panel of all — called “Keeping it Fresh: The Secrets to Blogging Longevity.” The moderator was Karen Blanchard of Where Did You Get That, and the panelists were Stephanie Horbaczewski of StyleHaul, Susie Lau of Style Bubble, Jeannine Morris of Beauty Sweet Spot, Leandra Medine of the Man Repeller, Andrea Lavinthal of People StyleWatch (fellow Bachelor live-tweeter!) and Geri Hirsch & Erin Falconer of LEAFtv. The girls were hilarious, honest and fun to watch.
2) Jennine Jacob, Founder & CEO of IFB, gave the crowd a warm welcome (is she not the cutest pregnant lady you’ve ever seen?!)
3) LOVED hearing Elise Loehnen from Beso speak as well … I’ve been following her work since the very beginning at Lucky Magazine (another adorable mommy-to-be!)
4) This panel was called “Catching Their Eye: What Do Brands Want from Bloggers” and had Meg Biram as the moderator. The other panelists were Alle Fister from Bollare, Laura Ellner from On the Racks, Julia Engel from Gal Meets Glam and Ara Katz of Beachmint.
5) Another highlight of the day: the CEO talk with Lisa Salzer of Lulu Frost … one of my favorite jewelry lines. You’ve probably seen some of her vintage-inspired pieces at J. Crew, like this stunning statement necklace.
6) This panel — “Elevating Influence: Content, Tools and Techniques that Drive Social Media Success” — had great tips for how to stand out in social media. The moderator was Grace Atwood of Stripes & Sequins (one of my favorite blogs and twitter personalities!), and the panel included Dina Fierro of HL Group, Felicia Walker Benson of ThisThatBeauty, Christine Olsen of the CFDA (who just kills it on Twitter), Matt Edelman of Glossi (which looks insanely cool), and Brian Difeo of Mobile Media Lab.
7) If I had heard this panel discussion when I first started out, my blog probably wouldn’t have taken years to take off. “Business in the First Year of Blogging” was moderated by Hilary Rushford of Dean Street Society and included Elise Loehnen of Beso, Tina Craig of Bag Snob (their story was fascinating and she was HI-larious), Pippa Lord of Sous Style, Amy Levin of College Fashionista and Zanita Morgan of Zanita.
8) The READY blushes from Bare Minerals are amazing … I’ve been using The Aphrodisiac and it’s probably my favorite, but this new one might dethrone it.
9) Alex + Ani were also there with a booth full of their amazing bangles. I love the peace sign and the heart! The girls at the booth were expertly stacking them, too.
10) They had bangles with these really beautiful religious medallions as well.
11) The new READY eyeshadows in Bare Minerals’ spring collection are perfect for spring. I love the teal and the yellow-green shades.
12) Their new lip colors are insanely gorgeous … AND they smell good AND they have a great rich, creamy consistency that doesn’t feel sticky or cake-y on your lips. I’m in love.
13) Monster Headphones was there with a booth as well … and that’s when & where I fell in love with these seafoam green headphones. The sound quality is really rich (they had stations set up where you could give them a listen) and let’s be honest — I love that they match my glasses.
14) The Bare Minerals makeup artists were there doing “make-unders” and making people even more gorgeous than they already were. I love that each and every one of them are so well-versed in the products, and it’s clear that they really love and believe in the brand and the products.
15) One of the signature looks of their new spring collection is a green eye with a peachy pink lip, as seen on this display. It’s becoming my new favorite makeup look! J. Crew had a similar look on their models for their spring 2013 collection.
(All images courtesy of NYC Recessionista)
16) The conference was the perfect chance to test out (and show off) my new Essie Sleek Sticks manicure. This design is called ‘Glam It On’ and I got tons of compliments on it!
17) This panel was called “The Evolution of Our Industry: What Does the Future Hold?” and it was moderated by Rachel Seville of Pizza Rulez (which might be the coolest blog name I’ve ever heard). The panelists were Andrea Derricks of L2 Think Tank, Dan Meehan of PadSquad, Jake Gallagher of GQ Eye & Esquire.com, Liz Cherkasova of Late Afternoon, Reesa Lake of Digital Brand Architects and Mattias Swenson of BlogLovin.
18) After each of the panels, IFB and Cambridge Satchel Co. generously gave away one of their amazing bags to a lucky two-day attendee … and after one of the panels on day two, they called my name! I won this amazing bright green one, which I am sure will be my go-to bag this spring.
19) This was my new look after I hit up the Bare Minerals booth and played around with their new spring collection — they gave me a new blush / lip combo and I LOVE the new products.
20) Aside from the panel I really loved (the one with People StyleWatch and The Man Repeller), the other CEO talk on day two was also amazing — Neil Blumenthal, co-founder of Warby Parker. I am dying to try their insanely cool eyeglasses now, and I love that their company is so philanthropic.
21) This little pack of sweets that came with lunch on day one of the conference was genius — the brownie, rice krispie treat and oatmeal raisin cookie were what fueled me in the afternoon.
22) This panel on affiliate marketing confirmed for me that it was the right move to monetize my blog. “Affiliate Marketing: The Essential Revenue Stream for Bloggers” was moderated by Justin Livingston of Scout Sixteen and included Scott Allan from Rakuten Linkshare, Aimee Song from Song of Style, Claire Sulmers from Fashion Bomb Daily, Kristin Ess from The Beauty Department and Joe Adolph from Nordstrom. It was great to see someone from Nordstrom there, because it’s one of my go-to sites when I’m looking for amazing pieces to share with y’all.
It was a great two days and I can’t wait for the next round of conferences in September!