StyleCon OC Returns to South Coast Plaza at Bloomingdale's

This year StyleCon OC partnered up with Bloomingdale's for a fun filled day of beauty, style, and food! Hosted by Leah LaRosa and Jamie Gwen, this year's theme was "Eat Play Together" and the event featured several extra special activations while guests enjoyed gourmet treats throughout the event.

Collage Culinary experience, a brand new restaurant right next door to Bloomingdale's in South Coast Plaza supplied the delicious bites. This year StyleCon also expanded to include a panel on the latest trends in cuisine featuring special guests Nicholas Silva of Churrino and Michael Doctulero of Mah Jong. These expert chefs also supplied some of the delectable tastings for guests. During the panel they discussed the latest trends in the Orange County food scene as well as their own journey to becoming gourmet chefs and restaurant founders. 

The event also featured a star studded panel of beauty experts from this season's hottest beauty brands including Bethany Davis of Valentino Beauty, Brittany Warren of Gucci Beauty, and Adam Harwood of Charlotte Tilbury. 

This was one of my favorite panels and I was so excited to hear from these brands. This is only the second Valentino beauty counter in the nation and they are already making a name for themselves as an exciting new brand on the market. The Bloomingdale's south coast plaza beauty floor also features several other exclusive lines and Bethany Davis from Gucci beauty showcased their brand new products during the panel saying how the "product is an experience in itself" because bottles and packaging at Gucci are designed to be desirable objects and something to display. She showcased the new floral patterns that had so many pretty colors! 

Charlotte Tilbury is always on the forefront of the latest makeup trends so it was exciting to hear from this brand about what they will be focusing on this fall. Harwood shared that he believes skincare will continue to grow in popularity as a focus for beauty and that will continue to be a main part of the Charlotte Tilbury strategy for fall. 

All the panelists agreed that overall the beauty industry has evolved and real beauty is more popular than ever with influencers and consumers leading the trends and styles. 

For this season we heard from each brand on what their latest fall favorite makeup looks are. 

The panel also covered inclusivity in the beauty industry and how marketing has evolved. We heard from each brand about their unique approach and what they are featuring in their fall campaigns. According to Bethany Davis of Valentino beauty the top trends to look out for this fall are pops of neon color in make up that reflect the colorful styles we saw on the runways this Fall fashion week. We have lots of fun color to look forward to as different areas start celebrating reopenings after so many months of Covid stay at home orders.

 Another one of the trends highlighted on this panel was sustainability. Warren explained that Gucci beauty has several new products focused on multifunctionality as that is a popular demand among consumers this season. Harwood echoed the sustainability message sharing the packaging changes that Charlotte Tilbury has made to use more sustainable packaging materials. 

The panelists also discussed how makeup can make consumers feel more empowered. Davis shared that Valentino Beauty encourages customers to mix and match to find what makes them feel good. They are embracing that each consumer will have a unique set of needs. Harwood highlighted how Charlotte Tilbury products are made to bring out the best natural features. The panel was a huge hit and I can't wait to see some of these trends on the shelves! 

In between panels I explored the new Bloomingdale's beauty floor and visited several of the activations including the Cartier fragrance fountain. I loved getting to try the new Cartier fragrances as well as sampling some of the classics that are usually only available in the boutiques. After exploring the floor and taste testing the Nespresso coffee samples, I headed over to Charlotte Tilbury for a makeover. They were offering makeover for guests and I loved my experience getting glammed up for photos and trying the latest products. You can check out my before and after pictures below and you can really see the difference! I of course requested my favorite lip color "The Queen" and tried a few new products as well. You can check out my Instagram post here to see a list of all the products from this look! After my makeover I had to do allll the photo ops! There were so many fun ones at this event! 

I also checked out the Valentino beauty counter to discover their new offerings and am so excited to see more from this brand! Valentino is one of my favorite clothing brands so seeing makeup from them was super exciting! The convenient location really makes a difference as well! 

The day ended with a live musical performance and it was the perfect way to wrap up this fun event!                                                                                                                    

CdMRestaurant Review: The Capital Grille

My favorite place to go in Washington D.C. is the Capital Grille. On my first trip to Washington D.C. trying to find a restaurant was a disaster. I made every mistake imaginable from eating in the hotel restaurant late at night to taking a never ending midday bus ride to the edge of town for a restaurant that didn't open until 5! The next time I visited Washington D.C. I decided to plan ahead. That's when I came across the Capital Grille. Appropriately named this restaurant makes you feel like you're on Capital hill. The dark wood and old fashioned paintings give a great ambiance. I'm pretty sure there was a post Congress session dinner going on in the private room the night I was there! I ordered the lobster and potatoes au gratin for a delicious meal. That is probably one of the bet Lobsters I have ever tasted. the friendly wait staff kept my obligatory Shirley temples filled all night. But that's not the end of my time at the Capital grille.

Next I visited the Capital Grille in Las Vegas, Nevada in the Fashion Show Mall. Where I was surprised to see another one of these delicious restaurants I thought were exclusive to Washington D.C., given the name and all. As I sat overlooking the great view from the 2nd story restaurant I enjoyed the delicious signature Capital Grille burger with ground Sirloin. This delicious gourmet burger is now my favorite thing to get from the lunch menu. I also decided to taste their dessert and ordered an impeccable Creme Brulee.

Imagine my surprise when, on my way out of town in Fort Lauderdale, Florida I came across yet another Capital Grille. This time I swore I would look up all the locations when I got home. I ordered my new lunch favorite and tried the calamari appetizer which turned out to be delicious. The waitress noticed that it was our last day in town and gave us each roses when we headed out. The Capital Grille certainly has customer service perfected.

When I got home and looked up the Capital Grille locations I realized there was one right here in California at the South coast Plaza. I couldn't believe it. After all that I thought. I was excited to learn I wouldn't have to travel far next time I wanted that burger though. I have eaten at the South Coast Plaza location several times and tried many delicious menu items. I even celebrated a birthday dinner there where in true Capital Grille style I was served a divine chocolate and cheesecake dessert with Happy Birthday written in chocolate across the plate. So that is the story of how I discovered the Capital Grille. I guess you never know what could be right around he corner. I continue to try and visit Capital Grille locations whenever I find a new one. Have you ever been to the Capital Grille? Or discovered something in your area you never knew was there before? let me know in the comments below! And don't forget to try the candies by the door on the way out next time you visit one, they are very yummy too!