Highlights from StyleWeek OC at the Simply Conference at Fashion Island

The Simply conference was the highlight of StyleWeek OC held at Fashion Island on Saturday September 15 and featured some great panels that covered everything from style to beauty and more! The event had several fun photo ops and several celebrity appearances. They also gave away the cutest little mini flower bouquets and some awesome lipstick from NYX. One of my favorite panels was the beauty panel. There were several experts who came to share their favorite beauty tips with the audience. Hollywood makeup artist Louise Roe, Access Hollywood Style Correspondent Emma Willis, TV personality Alli Landry, and blogger babe Lillian Babian all dropped some major beauty knowledge talking about all the latest crazy beauty trends and which ones actually work and what's a waste of time! 

After the beauty panel Reality Star Lauren Bushnell headlined the final panel of the night talking about women's fashion along with Sophie Elkus and Kat Tanita. She also made an appearance in Bloomingdale's earlier that day to talk about her Wine label Dear Rose wines. I caught up with the star to hear about what she's been up to lately. Check out her interview below.
She gave me an update on her company Dear Rose Wines and what they've been working on since we talked at Simply LA.
She said, "It's been going well...continuing to grow and utilizing Stasi which is out alcohol delivery app that we use to deliver our wine in 30 minutes or less to customers in LA, SD, and SF. We're kind of looking at expanding beyond California that's out next step and then also focusing on our 2018 vintage for next spring."
Then we talked about her other passion project Bellevue the label which she will be developing more coming this spring! She said, "Bellevue the label, I was just doing too many things, so we took a little pause which was fine because we released out first capsule and then for our next capsule it'll probably be like a spring capsule which is fun because I love spring fashion so much!"

She talked about balancing her business with her other hobbies and projects saying, "It was just too much and I realized I wasn't able to give either my full attention so I was like I really gotta just focus on one thing at a time."
It is so great to hear a Girlboss like Lauren keep it real and reminds us all that social media and society can set unrealistic expectations! It's okay not to be superwoman and taking a pause doesn't mean you're quitting or giving up. It can actually benefit you in the long run!
She left us with her favorite style tip for Fall saying, "I feel like there are so many trends out there and there are always new trends happening but you've gotta wear what you're most comfortable in and what you feel works for you. Don't try to make it happen if you feel uncomfortable or you don't feel like yourself!"
Check out more of my Simply OC coverage for all the latest trends in menswear here! 

CdM Exclusive: Lauren Bushnell Talks About Her New Fashion Line at Simply LA

Photo Credit: Innovative PR

Lauren Bushnell, season 20 bachelor contestant turned social media star came out to the Simply LA event where she spoke on a panel about launching a product as an influencer and growing a business. If you haven't heard of Simply LA go check out my article in Hollywood glam magazine o get the full story on the star studded event here and don't forget to read my coverage from last year on the blog here! 
This year was another great lineup of brands and speakers and I got an exclusive interview with Lauren about both her latest life updates and her newest business venture Bellevue the label. Her clothing brand also had a popup shop at the Simply event where she showcased her cute designs! It was a real crowd pleaser and many guests stopped by to look at the fresh summer styles.  Lauren was even wearing a cute two piece set from her line at the event. I asked her about her look and that's when she excitedly shared with me her new clothing label. 
She said, "I'm wearing Bellevue the label so this is my clothing line we did like a little capsule collection if you will. Testing the waters seeing if it works."

Photo Credit: @Bellevuethelabel

She talked about her inspiration for the designs saying, "I honestly needed cute clothes for summer and I was like wait why don't we just design a few pieces. why not. I already know what I like and what I don't like. So we just put together a little capsule collection and its really comfy I'm glad that I wore it because it's like 105 degrees here." 
She also shared how her style has evolved since being on the bachelor saying, "I just with experience learned what I like what I don’t like and just also like growing up too. I gained my platform from going on the bachelor the TV show and I was 25 years old and now I’m 28 so I think that naturally with time too I’ve matured and grown I’ve been through situations and I’ve learned and I’ve lived…Now I’m a little bit more sure of who I am and a little bit more sure of what I like what I don’t like and that goes for all things. Whether its work business personal life clothing fashion all those things I think it just kind of evolved with me.” 
She was obviously passionate about the idea and talked about the difference between working as an influencer and having her own label saying, "Being an influencer but then launching a product and not just putting your name behind it but actually like launching it. you have to be passionate about it because you’re going to be working on this every day into late hours and on the weekend so you have to be passionate about what you’re doing and that will translate. So for me using my social media platform I think there’s a difference between promoting a product that you love or a sponsorship that you love versus something that you have ownership over. I think people can tell the difference so if you can share that passion about your brand your product I think it will translate." 
After hearing her speak on her panel about her other label Dear Rose wines sounding like a knowledgeable businesswoman I have no doubt we'll be seeing more from her latest venture in the fashion world! 

How Your Favorite Bachelor Stars Turned Their Fame into a Business

Lauren Bushnell of season 20 and Becca Tilley of season 19 speak at Simply LA about what they’ve been up to since The Bachelor! Going on the Bachelor can have many different outcomes besides a dream wedding and giant diamond ring nowadays. Even if you don’t end up getting chosen for Happily Ever After, or in Lauren Bushnell’s case the fairytale ends before you make it down the aisle you can still create your own life fit for a queen. Taking advantage of being in the spotlight isn’t as easy as it looks but these women managed to turn one season on reality TV into business empires. Lauren Bushnell, co-founder of Dear Rose wines spoke about her life since the bachelor saying, “I just with experience learned what I like what I don’t like and just also like growing up too. I gained my platform from going on the bachelor the TV show and I was 25 years old and now I’m 28 so I think that naturally with time too I’ve matured and grown I’ve been through situations and I’ve learned and I’ve lived…Now I’m a little bit more sure of who I am and a little bit more sure of what I like what I don’t like and that goes for all things. Whether its work business personal life clothing fashion all those things I think it just kind of evolved with me.” Becca Tilley another Bachelor contestant turned media maven also shared how her experience on the show has influenced her career now. She said, “Digital marketing is my life, my job…it’s fun to talk about it from my perspective of having been on the bachelor and it transforming into this…I was just kind of floating around like I have all these followers on Instagram but what do I do with that you know?”

Becca was speaking on a panel later in the day about being an expert influencer and what it all means. Before going onto the panel She said, “It’s just something that I think a lot of people have questions about as it becomes more normal for this to be a career. I have questions all the time like how is this a job? how are you living? How are you making money? So I think it’s just something people are super curious about.” Becca’s career is all about her lifestyle and sharing her favorite brands, inspirations, and travels with her audience online. She is constantly coming up with new ways to be innovative on social media making her an expert on the latest trends.

Lauren is more focused on the business side of things and she said, “My focus today is about launching a product. Being an influencer but then launching a product and not just putting your name behind it but actually like launching. I’ve been a part of every step of launching this business and so my biggest tip is that you have to be passionate about it because you’re going to be working on this every day into late hours and on the weekend so you have to be passionate about what you’re doing and that will translate. So for me using my social media platform I think there’s a difference between promoting a product that you love or a sponsorship that you love versus something that you have ownership over. I think people can tell the difference so if you can share that passion about your brand your product I think it will translate. Obviously not shoving it down people’s throats but just being open and honest about the process” When asked what their biggest business tips were, both Becca and Lauren said that networking was a huge part of building their brand and such an important piece of the process. Lauren said, “Networking! Always be asking questions! I think this is such a great event because last night we did a dinner for the panelists and I learned so much from the men and women here and a lot of them have their own businesses. Just like picking their brains and learning what works and what doesn’t work.” Becca said, “The biggest thing I did was I got my manager Ally. She has a PR company and she’s speaking on the panel with me today. She just kind of helped me figure out my lane and the direction I wanted to go with this. So that was the biggest thing because she helped guide me and sat me down and helped me figure out what I wanted to do…I have just been really lucky to be around people to help me and inspire me and really drive me. Everyone has their own unique take on this (digital marketing) and its really cool. I go on these trips with these influencers and the way that they blog or do pictures or get their content up everything is different so its really fun to be a part of it and learn from them.” On her panel Lauren talked about how much she’s learned about the wine industry since starting her business saying, “Rose is something that you really want to have right away it’s not like other wines where you want to let it age too much so it’s always a process figuring out shipping and ordering ahead of time.” She also talked about how her own life experiences have helped her with her new business saying, “Living a public life, and having a public relationship and then going through a very public break-up has really helped me to grow I think.” Both of these girl boss influencers decided to take charge and turn their Bachelor days into their dream jobs regardless of whether or not they walked away with a ring. These inspiring women have are making waves in the industry and giving us all kinds of motivation. Becca said, “There’s so

many people around doing this and there’s so much room for everyone even though
it seems like a lot of people are doing it.“ So who knows what the latest season of bachelor stars will

be up to once they’re off the show!