Beautyheaven Turns 10!...

My favourite beauty website, beautyheaven, is 10 years old this year, and I was blessed with an invitation to their birthday celebration at The Ivy Sunroom in Sydney yesterday. What a wonderful time was had by all - seriously, my face was aching from smiling so much lol!  And by the time I got home, my arms were aching from the weight of all the fabulous beauty products they and their sponsors so kindly gifted to us. This will be a long, loving and picture-heavy post, so grab a cuppa and let's get started ♥...

The venue was perfect - located in the heart of Sydney, beautifully appointed, delicious and innovative catering, helpful and efficient staff, couldn't wish for anything better. It was champagne on arrival, which was 10am, but I didn't let the early hour stop me from getting into instant party mode. We were ushered into the media room for a welcome speech by several of the bh staffers (and MD) and viewed a delightful video that captured the essence and evolution of beautyheaven over the years. I don't know the numbers but I'd say at least 100 guests, and the space around the atrium was set up with a huge refreshment bar (most important!), and 8 beauty "stations" manned by sponsors & their staff. We had been given wristbands when we arrived that included a random group number, and after finding our fellow "groupies" we were joined by a bh staffer and guided to each of the product stations in a sequence, sort of a moving beauty feast. My group was led by the stunningly gorgeous Bree Macgugan (pictured below left) - what a wonderfully warm and vivacious lady she is, thanks for the love Bree! ♥...

Also pictured above are Vanessa Rossini & the MD Michelle Blancato - what I wouldn't give to have a boss of her calibre, a truly lovely lady with an amazing energy field around her, and a genuine passion for what she does. These three beautiful women were actually having their official photo taken, but it was an opportunity too good for this pushy blogger to miss, and I thank you all for being so gracious considering we'd only just met! ♥ I was also super happy to meet and chat with darling Debbie Black, but in all the excitement, forgot to grab her for a snap! ♥...

Of course catching up with the other bh staffers and members was a MASSIVE part of the day, and the most common sound you could hear at any point in time was "Oh my gosh, you're ...!!!" as we finally put a real face to the avatar, and in some cases matched them up to an Instagram handle. Was delighted to meet the effervescent mum-to-be Ying (aka Ellyloves) below ♥...

My group's first station was Beauty by Nicholas - had not heard of this brand before, but if their products live up to their claims, I reckon you'll be reading all about them on my blog going forward. This is a range of serious skincare for folks who are serious about results (count me in!), and they don't test on animals ♥....

The presentation was super impressive and we were able to choose our shade of Foundation No More, a multi-purpose cream that does everything, and that I think is going to become a staple in my kit. Will review ASAP, along with their Eye Alchemy (goody bag inclusion) which I can't WAIT to try out ♥...

Next stop was the Fun Factory/We-Vibe Fun Room - a long table loaded with all sorts of strange looking devices for personal pleasure seekers! I won't go into too much detail here, but we were able to ask questions about their purpose and the best way to use them, and received some very interesting answers lol. It was all a bit of a giggle, but the products themselves are beautifully made, that bold pink one top right reminded me of a Smurf!...

And here are the contents of our Svakom goody bag...

We moved onto the Nutrimetics station, and learned about several of their amazing skincare ranges - Ultra Care Platinum (untried so far) & their classic Nutrich-Rich (know and love!) ♥...

I was excited to see this brand at the party as I used their products decades ago, and have only recently joined up again as a home buyer, so to receive all the fabulous lotions and potions below for free was a bonus I wasn't expecting - so generous! Plus they included their latest release - Lip Polish, which is certainly going to get a work out on my pucker ♥...

Another gorgeous face I was super happy to see was Laura (aka thelifeoflaura) - this beauty came all the way from Canberra for the event. Now that's what I call a megawatt smile! ♥...

We then had about 45 minutes of consuming the most stunningly presented munchies, followed by coffee or tea, after which we headed to the MAC station. While we were waiting for the previous group to finish, I leapt at the opportunity to capture the gorgeous gal Lily aka LilyNotLouise. We were able to select any colour from their Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour range, and have it expertly applied by one of the consultants - I had to decline as I'm still recovering from a cold sore that reared its ugly head a few days ago, but thoroughly enjoyed seeing the lips of the other lovelies transformed with this wondrous formula. We each received one in the bh goody bag (pic further down) ♥...

Station #5 on my circuit was Clinique, and a colour match of their new Even Better Glow Foundation. Being such a dull day, the lighting wasn't the best for such an endeavour, but my lovely consultant used her phone light to try and get the best match - for me it was Stone, which is a warm neutral...

And in the bh goody bag I found this gifted beauty, Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm - woo hoo and thank you! ♥...

Next stop was Estée Lauder, and a colour matching session of their Double Wear Foundation. With my cool base and warm freckles, I'm a bit of a challenge to match, but they have this amazing gadget which they hold against various areas of the face & neck, and it recommends the best match. Mine was Pale Almond, but because it is somewhat paler than I'm used to, the consultant also gave me a sample of  Desert Beige, which is similar to what I've worn before. At the same time we were handed one of the new Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Recovery Powerfoil Masks - you know my love of sheet masks, so you can imagine that I was blissing out! And then in the bh bag, I found a sample of their Advance Night Repair Synchronized Complex II - talk about spoilt ♥...

The next station was Plunketts - they have a new treatment called Working Hands which I reckon will be appearing in numerous empties posts going forward. It had an instantly softening effect on my hand, and absorbed in a few seconds - that's my kind of hand cream! Chuffed to find a full-size tube in the bh goody bag, and during the presentation, we were given the Pure Vitamin E Oil and Collagen Lift Moisturiser. I'm so looking forward to trying all of these ♥...

Last stop on our beauty journey was Justice - the hair care range from Just Cuts salons, and they also have a web store. The Smooth & Groom product was demonstrated on a brave volunteer from the group - it's a hair moisturiser that doesn't create any weight or greasy feel, and can be applied several times per day. Sounds like something my bleached tresses are in dire need of. We were gifted with a bag containing the samples below, and because it was the last session of the day, we also received one of various full size products, mine was the Argan Oil ♥...

After all these station hops, we moved into the media room again for the presentation of some awards for the bh members who have been the most active participators in the site - heaps of congrats to Shop A Everyday, misfortunate8, Yohanna & iluvspring. These four gals received bags containing over $1000 worth of products! The presentation was followed by the cutting of the bh cake, and then we were offered one more glass of champagne and a yummo cup cake ♥...

What a glorious day ♥ So after saying farewell to my bh mates, and a whole bunch of new found friends, I staggered home with bags and bags of loot. Below is everything else that was in the bh swag that I haven't already covered above...

Batiste Dry Shampoo and Hairspray, Lady Jayne Swirly Pins & a folding contraption from We-Vibe (I think it's a massager) 

Fabulous collection of Barry M products in a cute little cosmetic case - the lipstick is shade #167...

Elle Magazine...

Vonblu Lipstick (Riva) and MAC lipcolour (Dance With Me)...

Nads Ultimate Brow Shaping Kit, Nair Wax Strips, and 1000 Hour Lash & Brow Dye...

Manicare Eyeliner brush, Pearl Drops Charcoal Toothpaste, Ecotools Color Correcting Mini Blenders, Nature's Way Beauty Collagen Gummies, & Skinny Superfood Detox Greens & Berries...

Rosehip Plus Roll-On Rosehip Oil, SkinB5 Skin Purifying Mask, Natura Siberica Oblepikha Hand Cream, Bondi Sands Coconut Coffee Body Scrub (Bubblegum), Swisse Rosehip Facial Moisturiser, Swisse Manuka Honey Detoxifying Facial Mask, and Swisse Deep Sea Hydrating Mist Toner

The warmth and friendliness between every one of the bh staff and their guests was palpable, and a joy to be a part of - it felt like home ♥ It was actually a beautyheaven competition 4 years ago (Blogstar) that got me started on my little blogging adventure, and I credit them with igniting my passion for all things beauty-related. Truly I knew so little about skincare or makeup (let alone how to apply it) before I joined 9 years ago, and the combination of site information, opportunities to trial products way beyond my budget PLUS the loving feedback from the ultra-supportive Forum members, launched me on a path that I'm following to this very day, and will continue until my hands shake too much to apply my eyeliner in a straight line lol ♥...

Thank you beautyheaven for the opportunity to participate in this awesome event, many happy returns to you all, and congratulations on providing a beauty home-away-from-home for the last 10 years. In my book you are the best-in-beauty business the industry has to offer - long may you shine ♥...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

P.S. The stunning colour of the Say It With Polish enamel at the top of the page is called...Beauty Heaven ♥...