InStyle’s #SummerSocial Recap

As a blogger, I get invited to quite a few blogger events. Ok, not as many as the ritzy fashion bloggers who have their own photographers, but it’s enough for my liking. Due to my busy schedule and introvert tendencies, I try to only attend ones that I’m really interested in, and one of those is the annual InStyle events put on in collaboration with Single Edition Media. The ladies who I’ve been in contact with over there — Sherri and Melysa — have always been super sweet and helpful, and I’ve participated in a few of their campaigns over the last year or so.

This year, the InStyle Summer Social event was held at 404 NYC in Manhattan, NY on August 18th. Below are just some of the highlights from the event.

One of the most popular sections of the event was a manicure station sponsored by Essie. The wait list was really long by the time I ventured over there, so I ended up not being able to get one. Sad face. Wine was provided by Brancott Estate and small bites were provided by Gardein. I first heard about Gardein at last year’s event, and was excited to see them come back once more. Even though I’m a meat-eater, I love Gardein products and try to go “meat-free” a day or two a week. My personal favorite is their fried fish fillets — they taste legitimately like the real thing and are healthy. I enjoyed snacking on a few of their appetizers, but I wish they had more food. This girl is hungry by 7 pm after a long day of work, so I discreetly ate a Cliff bar as I watched the other bloggers give each other air kisses.

The one area I love visiting is all the booths of the beauty brands. This year they included Dickinson’s (I didn’t realize their product offerings were so large until this event), Jose Eber (my infrared hair drier is my holy grail),  and Neutrogena (a solid favorite – I’m excited to try their HydroBoost Gel Cream they provided in our goodie bags).