Best Fashion Week Parties: LuLu*s Style Studio 2015

On September 10th, talented fashion experts, writers, artists and photographers all gathered together under one roof at the exclusive Lulu*s Style Studio to celebrate New York Fashion Week Spring 2016. The event was truly a one of the best Fashion Week parties I’ve been to in years. And that’s no surprise — Lulu*s does a great job of providing their customers with only the best brands and top styles, so it makes sense that their event would be a classy upscale venue. We were flattered to be invited this year to view the latest in fashion and new products. Take a look below at some of our photos!

LuLu*s has a lovely selection of products and I personally shop there for clothing, accessories, shoes and beauty products. Well-organized and easy to navigate, LuLu*s expertly curated website will save you both time and money. The quality of their products is consistently solid. As someone who frequently shops at the top fashion houses (Bergdorf’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks, and many of the shops on Madison Avenue…the list goes on and on) I can tell you I enjoy my shopping experiences with LuLu*s. My best purchase so far is a dress I bought from LuLu*s about a year ago– it looks and fits better than one I own made by a famous bandage dress designer. That should come as no surprise if you’re a savvy consumer and know how and where to shop. Great retailers understand the importance of carefully selecting the best products and styles for their customers and that’s exactly what you’ll find at Lulu*s.

Lulu*s Style Studio was a super event. Held at 404 NYC, the space was magically transformed into a sea of relaxing turquoise lighting, music, and fashion. In writing this article, I felt it was necessary not to over-look the great job done by those who planned the event and supplied the beverages and decorations. We created a small gallery of atmosphere photos to showcase the gorgeous decor:

Products featured for NYFW Spring 2016 included: NYX Cosmetics, Diama Sparkle Prosecco (see their gorgeous faceted bottles), LÄRABAR® whole food bars, LAQA&Co Cosmetics, LVX Luxury Nail Laquer, Shea Yeleen who created fresh handmade Shea Butter, Sigma Beauty blending brushes, White Crow, Others Follow and Black Swan Women’s Clothing lines, Show Stop Shop Show Stoppers double stick tape, Bodyography Cream Shadow in Glimmer, Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex line, The Balm cosmetics, Smith’s Rosebud Salve Balm in a tube (check out their amazing lip balm tube collection!), Rhythm, Amika hair care products, Woodzee Bamboo Toothbrushes, Mink Pink.

Guests enjoyed an evening of elegance and artistry, including personalized custom sketches by celebrated illustrator Brooke Hagel. After doing a little research, I discovered she is the illustrator for “Chloe by Design” and also has a beautiful Etsy shop called “Brooklit” where you can view her artwork and request custom orders.

And as if the evening couldn’t get any better…all guests were allowed to go upstairs to the LuLu*s Style Studio Gifting Lounge and select an article of clothing to take home with them. Clothing racks were divided into different sections so you could go directly to the one that matched your personal style. Black Swan Clothing invited guests to play a bubble gum machine contest. Winners were rewarded with an item of their choice. A few fashionistas couldn’t wait and wore their clothing item straight off the rack; several received compliments as they walked around. This year, the racks were packed with a wide selection, ranging from couture gowns to sweaters, faux fur vests to delicate bustiers. Also featured were casual and outerwear in a vast range of colors and materials (see photos).

The Gifting Suite area featured unique products; knowlegable company representatives were available to provide information and answer any questions we had about their product lines. Rosebud Perfumes Co. supplied guests with tubes of Smith’s Rose & Mandarin Lip Balm and their versatile Rosebud Salve. I chose the Rose & Mandarin, simply because I’ve never tried it before. Normally, I tend to avoid products with scents but I decided to open the tube and see. I was pleasantly surprised. The balm applies silky smooth and has a very subtle scent. I’ve heard that Smith’s Rosebud Salve works well for dry cuticles so I tried some of the Rose & Mandarin and it worked almost instantly. So love this. Plus it’s great that it comes in a convenient tube. The orange cap is clever, easy to find in a cluttered bag.

NYX Cosmetics brought in a team of talented makeup artists & treated guests to free makeovers. Watching the makeup artists at work was incredible, I wish I’d taken before and after photos because the results were truly amazing (I guess that’s why they’re called artists!). Guests were also treated to a candy bar plus an NYX eye shadow of their choice. I selected a gorgeous shade of bronze from the Prismatic Shadows line called “Bedroom Eyes.”

Next I tried the latest from Bodyography – their Cream Shadow in Glitter. I’ll admit I’m a little biased as I’m a big fan of cream eye shadows and have written about them before. Many eye shadows are one-dimensional containing only a single color choice. Bodyography’s Cream Shadow offers a multicolored palate that allows you to select and blend different shades and tones. And there’s a subtle amount of glitter that works well with the cream shadow base. By selecting specific shadow sections, the overall result produces a beautiful but subtle shimmering effect.

Shea Moisture’s products are always great; they use certified organic Shea Butter and their products are already very popular. Two lotions we love were at the party — the SuperFruit Complex and the Fruit Fusion Coconut Water Energizing Body Lotion with Imbe Oil & Aloe. Both products are highly rated, check out the many glowing five star reviews online.

There were so many great products, many of which I’ve already tried and love. I did discover one new item however– The Mary-Lou Manizer® by The Balm Cosmetics. It comes in a really cute package; it’s shaped like a sleek mini-box, has a magnetic closure and opens like a book. The inside of the box contains an illuminator — a multipurpose all-in-one highlighter, shimmer and shadow that can be used for contouring also.

Another great find was the Shea Butter station by Shea Yeleen. Guests enjoyed watching the expert mixer select and combine shea butter & customized scents by hand. Shea Yeleen specializes in selling high quality unrefined shea butter products. Shea Yeleen was founded by Rahama Wright while she was serving in the Peace Corps. One of her goals is to help women in West Africa earn a living wage via shea butter cooperatives. Shea butter is known as “women’s gold” in Sahelian Africa; Shea Yeleen strives for economic equality for women as part of their mission. More information on Shea Butter Coop Programs is available on their website.

Later in the evening, guests waited eagerly on line for a chance to win great prizes at the “Spin To Win” contest. One by one, they took turns at LuLu*s famous spinning wheel while sipping on Diama Prosecco. Meanwhile, we listened to the uber-talented DJ Kristaval spin one great track after another. The music matched the event, perfectly selected and timed; it made us want to get up and dance and elevated the overall ambience.

Thank you Lulu*s and all of the great sponsors and participants who created one of the best events of the year!