Generation Beauty 2017 Experience, Review, and Haul!

Here is a super detailed post outlining my experience at Generation Beauty Toronto on June 24th and 25th! I also give some comparisons to the 2016 event!

GenBeauty is an event hosted by Ipsy that brings together Beauty Brands, Content Creators, and Beauty Enthusiasts alike! It is the second year that the event has been running in Canada, and I was able to attend both! It is held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Tickets range in price from ~$60 to ~$165 CAD. This year, 22 brands participated, including Covergirl, MAC, Ciate, Pixi, Smashbox, and more! 

They decided to do the event a little differently this year, compared to last year. The most noticeable change was with the swag bags that the attendees receive. Last year, there was a smaller bag for each day of the event. If you were unable to attend one of the days, then you were unable to receive the bag for that day, which was unfortunate because it was incorporated into the ticket price. This year, they gave the swag bag upon registration, which I thought was a way better way of doing things for a couple of reasons. First off, you got all of your goodies regardless of when you attended. You also only had to line up for this once, as opposed to lining up for registration, then waiting in line for a goodie bag on each of the days, taking up time that you could be interacting with other brands. It also came in a tote bag which was nice because you had somewhere to keep your stash! This years event coincided with Pride, so I feel that may have deterred attendance on Sunday. 

Although there were a lot more brands this year, I was disappointed that some of the bigger brands from last year did not participate again in the 2017 event. Most notably, Tarte, Too Faced, and Make Up For Ever were missing! Also, Ipsy, the company who hosts the event, had a booth giving out custom silkscreened makeup bags last year, so I was surprised to see that there was no Ipsy booth this year. With that said, I was grateful for the whopping number of brand booths they had for the 2017 event, especially since many were brands I hadn't tried before! It's such a great way to introduce consumers to a brand's products and have them fall in love with their line! 



Whats great about the event is that you get to go around to all of the different booths and interact with the brands. For many of them, this included following their social accounts, signing up for their e-mail newsletters, or posting photos with event specific hashtags. Many brands also hosted meet-ups with beauty bloggers and youtubers. Another great thing is that the brands tend to sell their products at cheaper rates!  

Now lets get to the good stuff... the haul!! The brands were SO generous this year! Attendees walked away with bags full of amazing products and an amazing experience! 



By Brand: 
Note: Values given are in CAD. Prices listed with an asterisk (*) were converted from prices in USD found online when the price in CAD could not be found (using USD to CAD 1.35 exchange rate). Values of some Sample Sizes unknown. Value totals are for products included in the ticket price and do not include items that I purchased at the event. 

Covergirl - I received two Melting Pout liquid lipsticks - the shade Raspberry Gelly came in the goodie bag and I picked up Gell Yes at the booth. I heard others received a mascara from the booth on day one, but there was always a large line. I went in on day two with almost no line and was happy to try a second lip colour! They also did shade matching of the new Vitalist Elixir foundations at the booth. This was Covergirl's first year at the Toronto event. Value: ~$20.00*

Absolute New York - Absolute had a really cute booth with a cotton candy machine to advertise their line of pastel, cotton candy-coloured liquid liners. One of these liners was included in the goodie bag - I got the shade Mint Chip. At the booth itself, you were able to roll 2 dice and redeem 2 products by following them on Instagram and Snap Chat. I rolled for the Glossy Stain in Girl Next Door and the Perfect Pair Lip Duo in Old Hollywood (I LOVE this product!). Value: $50.00

Ciatรฉ - A deluxe sample liquid velvet matte lipstick came in the goodie bag, and I received one at the booth. The lineup for Ciate was always quite long, not really worth the wait. Others received a full size liquid liner, not sure why I was given a second deluxe sample of the lip product. This was Ciatรฉ's first year at the Toronto event. Value: Unknown

Luxie Beauty - Luxie provided us with two brushes: a tapered blending brush from the booth (rose gold collection 237), and an eyeliner brush in the goodie bag (rose gold collection 219). Last year, they sold many sets and single brushes from their line at the event for a discounted price. I was disappointed that this year they were only selling their Wonder Woman set, as I wanted to pick up a couple single brushes. Value: $29.00

MAC - Mac was very generous! A lipstick in the shade Flatter Me Fierce was included in the goodie bag. At the booth, they had a selection of their products for sale at a discounted rate. I was unable to get to the MAC booth until Day 2, so many of the products/shades I was interested in were sold out. I purchased two products - retro matte in Tailored to Tease and lip liner in Magenta. At the booth, they were giving out a Retro Matte Liquid Lip in your choice of 3 shades and the matching lip liner if you followed them on instagram and posted a photo with the hashtag. I received the shades High Drama (retro Matte) and Vino (Liner). They also had a live body painting demonstration. This was MAC's first year at the Toronto event. Value: $67.00!!!




Smashbox - Smashbox was very disappointing this year, compared to last year. There were very long lines all weekend. Last year, everyone got a full-sized Photo Finish Primer at the booth, this year was only a sample size (not even deluxe!). They also included a deluxe sample of Be Legendary Liquid Lip in Crimson Chrome, a beautiful metallic red! Value: Unknown

NYX - At their booth, NYX was handing out their Strobe of Genius highlighting palette and also had a vending machine which dispensed coupons for a Mystery Gift with purchase if you visited a GTA store that weekend and spent $25 or more. I didn't have a chance to redeem this. They also included a Butter Gloss in the goodie bags. Value: $35.00  

Benefit - Benefit included a They're Real travel size mascara in the goodie bag and a travel size BrowVo Conditioning Primer at the booth! They were selling many of their products at 30% off. I picked up the new Boi-ing Airbrush Concealer for only $18.90. Value: $32.00 

Goomee - This is a brand I was unfamiliar with until the show. They sell those curly plastic hair ties that are meant to decrease breakage and not leave any dents in your hair. The gave out one hair loop for visiting the booth and a pack of 4 was included in the goodie bag. This was Goomee's first year at the Toronto Event. Value: ~$12.00*

Marc Anthony - Marc Anthony's booth always had a long line! It was worth it from what I can tell. Unfortunately I ran out of time and they closed the line before I was able to partake in the booth's events. I heard that if you had your hair done by one of their artists (in a top knot or space buns) then you received a full size product. Luckily, since the line was closed, their reps let me redeem my booth products by posting a photo on instagram with their specific hashtag. The reward for this was a travel sized bottle of their Argan Oil Hairspray, travel sized Clear Dry Shampoo, and a packet of the Argan Oil Deep Conditioning Treatment. In the goodie bag, they gave out a travel sized Coconut Oil Volume HairsprayThis was Marc Anthony's first year at the Toronto Event. Value: $14.00

Royal & Langnickel - At Royal & Langnickel, you had the chance to spin a wheel and receive a MODA brush, if you followed their Instagram. I received the Multipurpose Powder brush when I spun the wheel! They also included the Complexion brush in our goodie bags. I was disappointed with this booth again this year, not because of the products, but because they weren't selling them! They have really nice quality brushes, and this would have been the perfect opportunity for them to sell them in Canada! Their shipping to Canada is a hefty $20 USD flat rate, so I wish I could have purchased some brushes at the event. Value: ~$23.00*




NudeStix - I was really excited for Nudestix! Last year was my first time trying their products and the gave out a full sized Gel Lip Colour. In 2016, their co-founders Ally and Taylor were even at the booth themselves! This year, they had their new Magnetic Matte Lip Colours at their booth. Every attendee got to choose their colour from the full shade range to bring home. I chose the colour Rose, which I have been seeing all over Instagram. These are the first completely budge-proof lip crayons I have seen - they have been advertising them with #liptattoo. Value: $28.00 

OGX - OGX provided a travel sized Coconut Milk Shampoo in the goodie bag and foil packet samples of the biotin and collagen shampoo and conditioner at their booth. Value: ~$4.00

Pรผr Cosmetics - A beauty sponge from Pรผr was in the goodie bag and attendees received their travel sized Fully Charged mascara by visiting the booth. They also had a selection of products for sale with discounted prices! Value: ~$30.00* 

SkinFix - Skin fix was giving out Lip Repair Balms at their booth, and the flavour you received was dependent on spinning a wheel. I received a flavour-free one. I got one of these at last year's event and it is actually amazing! It makes your lips feel so soft and works wonders in the winter. I was happy to get another. They also included their Daily Lotion in the goodie bag! Value: ~$10.00 

Briogeo - A Rosarco Milk deluxe sample was included in each goodie bag. At the booth, Briogeo made customized Don't Despair, Repair hair masks (travel size) for each attendee based on their hair concerns, by mixing in different oils into the jars! I really liked the custom experience of this booth! This was Briogeo's first year at the Toronto event. Value: ~$18.00




Dirty Little Secret - This is another brand I was unfamiliar with before the event. They are an indie brand from New Jersey that boast high quality, affordable products that are on trend. At their booth, I received a lipstick in the shade Bottlerat, a deep teal. They also included a full sized nude lipgloss in the shade Nude Beach. This was DLS's first year at the Toronto event. Value: ~$32.00*

Dr. Belmeur by The Face Shop - This is a new brand to me. I really need to check out the skincare at the Face Shop more! A nothing Gauze Sheet mask was included in our goodie bags and they gave out foil samples of various products and a toner at their booth that was cutely packaged in a pharmacy style paper bag! This was Dr. Belmeur's first year at the Toronto event. Value: $6.00+

IGK - This is a brand that I have seen at Sephora and been really curious about trying! They were giving out travel size Beach Club Texture Sprays at their booth and included a sample of the Rich Kid Coconut Oil. Excited to finally try these products out. This was IGK's first year at the Toronto event. Value: $18.00+

Derma-E - I received a Vitamin C Concentrated Serum sample from Derma-E. this was Derma-E's first time at the Toronto Event. Value: Unknown

Essence - I always love stopping by the Essence booth! I love their products, they are so cheap and they're actually good! This year, they had a 5 for $15 deal where you could pick up your favourite products or some new items that they were previewing. I bought the Roses eyeshadow palette, an eyeliner, 2 blushes, and a highlighter. I received a nail polish for stopping by the booth, which was different for each attendee, depending on which card you randomly chose (I couldn't find a link to the polish online - new formula perhaps?). Essence included a Get Big Mascara in the goodie bag. Value: ~$8.00

Eva NYC - When I had an Ipsy subscription, I tried a few of their products and fell in love. I was so happy that this brand attended this year's event! The Mane Magic hair oil was included in the goodie bag, and they gave out Purse Perfect Hair Towelettes for stopping by the booth. They had great deals as well - I picked up a full sized Freshen Up dry shampoo and Surf's Up texture spray at 2 for $23. These retail for $19 each on well.ca! This was Eva NYC's first year at the Toronto event. Value : ~$8.00*




Glam Glow - I was also really excited about GlamGlow being here this year. At their booth, they gave out a deluxe sample of Youthmud and included a sample card of Volcasmic moisturizer and deluxe Flashmud treatment. They also had their products for 30% off! This was Glam Glow's first year at the Toronto Event. Value: Unknown

Physician's Formula - Physician's Formula included a different product in everyone's goodie bag. I received an Instaready Glide-On Gel Liner in Champagne, whereas my friend got the Eye Primer Duo. At the booth, they were handing out Butter Blushes! I was really excited about this because I have heard so much hype about their Butter collection! I got a new shade - Rosy Pink. I loved that all their products came in a branded white drawstring pouch. Value: $28.00

Pixi - Pixi consistently had a really long ling, so I wasn't able to go in and partake in the booth's activities. My friend purchased two products and received a free eyeshadow palette, and at that time they let us redeem their product which was a deluxe sample size Endless Silky Eye Pen. In the goodie bag, Pixi provided a full-size Endless Silky Eye Pen in Bronze Beam. Every hour Pixi would get the crowd to make noise and throw products into the line! They were also doing an instagram giveaway and picking one winner per hour! Value: ~$24.00* 

PopBeauty - At the Pop booth, the more activities you did meant the more products you got! For  visiting the booth and following their instagram, you got a kajal pen in Inky Purple. For trying on a product with one of their reps, you got a full size Essential brush set. For posting a photo of yourself at the booth and using the hashtag, you got a full sized Face Magnet Primer! Very generous! I ended up with 2 Kajal pens, I think this was also what they contributed to the goodie bag. This was Pop's first year at the Toronto event. Value: ~$80.00*

Purlisse - In the goodie bag, Purlisse gave a sample of their BB Cream. Visiting the booth left you with a full size Blue Lotus Essential Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30. This was the highest value single product of the entire event! Value: ~$74.00*+

Soo Ae New York - This is a Korean skincare brand popular for their face masks, although I was unfamiliar with them until the event. By visiting the booth, attendees received a Purifying Black Charcoal Sheet Mask. In the goodie bag, I got 2 more Charcoal Masks and a Purifying Brightening Peeling Gel. Their products are available at Walmart in the US but not in Canada yet. This was Soo Ae's first year at the Toronto event. Value: ~$23.00*





Grand Total: Over $670 worth of products!

If you made it to the end of this post thanks for sticking with me! I tried to be as detailed as possible. It was a wicked event and I was left with the most amazing pile of products! My ticket was only $99 so I'd say it was most definitely worth it!! I had a fantastic time and can't wait until next year's Generation Beauty! See more pics from the event on my Instagram @midnight.wink  


Let me know if you were at the event or comment below if you'd like to see any in-depth reviews of these products! 


Comments

  1. I didn't get to go this year but I hope they have it again next year.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

How to get the most out of Drunk Elephant skincare products

Sephora VIB Rouge Sale 2017 Wishlist!

Bridal Beauty & Wedding Day Glam