Big Blogger Expo 2016

Two weeks ago I met up with the brilliant Aine (Honestly Aine) in London and we made our way to the Danubis Hotel in Regent’s Park for the Big Blogger Expo 2016. (Although we obviously stopped at 221B Baker Street too, because it would be rude not to!)

The Big Blogger Expo was set up by Lauren from Blonde Vision (who also runs Ldnmeetup) and it’s a great way to network with brands and bloggers.

I loved the way Lauren set up the Expo. We had a sheet with a list of the companies on and had to talk to each one to receive a stamp next to their name. Once all the stamps were obtained, we’d get a goody bag. I thought this was really innovative because it stopped anyone turning up for 5 minutes, getting a goody bag and leaving. It also meant that no brands were standing there without anyone to talk to.

The first stall immediately got me excited; ย Borough Box. Becauseย they brought samples with them. My kind of brand! Their idea is to source independent food and drink businesses and bring them together in one place; they then showcase them in different gift sets and hampers. They have so much choice and ranges from meat to cheese to chocolate to olive oils and gluten-free goods.

We then moved on to the main hall and took copious photos of the BLOG balloons, with people dashing over to spin the letters back round before another round of photos commenced! ๐Ÿ˜€

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I loved the idea of Return to Glory (a premier mobile massage and beauty specialist company), although I was sad to find out they’re only offering their service in London. For now. That didn’t stop me taking advantage of the free massage on offer and the lovely Sophie spent about 15 mins giving me a back, neck and hand massage in the chair. I felt like a new woman afterwards! She was really professional and I completely forgot I was in a room full of people ๐Ÿ˜€

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I was excited to see the jewellerybox.co.uk stand, it was stunning, as I knew it would be! They’d obviously spent so long setting everything up and I was kindly gifted one of their boxes with a couple of cute surprises inside; a heart necklace and a pair of star earrings ๐Ÿ™‚

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I think for me though, TwoThree were my ultimate excitement stand of the day. They have a clothing range for unique pieces and buy retro band t-shirts and customise them! I found a tee with my favourite band and song on, so I had to make a cheeky purchase! It’s a one of a kind and I can’t wait to show you in a future outfit of the day post!

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After making a quick pit-stop to fill up with water and sweets, I carried on making my way round the room and stopped to chat to the lovely girls at Juvadent. Not only do they work in hospitals as dentists, they also have a clinic in Chelsea dedicated to botox and fillers. They’re really passionate about what they do and their enthusiasm really shows.

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Westlab were next up and they had some really lovely smelling products. They sell pure sea salt from the Himalayas and the Dead Sea and also the ever relaxing Epsom salts.

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Bonnie Boo Gifts were a company I’d chatted to before the event on Twitter and they were so engaging with bloggers. They’d just launched their website selling new born baby gift hampers! So many people I know are having babies at the moment so this is a great way to send congratulations ๐Ÿ™‚ They even gave me a little bubble bath sample and a colouring book for my best friend’s little boy โ™ฅ

Brandbassador/Onepiece were the last stall in the main hall that I spoke to and I did have a slight fangirl moment when I recognised one of the guys as Stevie (from Made in Chelsea).

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Brandbassador are a website who match brands and bloggers, but at the moment they’re invitation only. They were also joined by OnePiece, a Norweigan clothing brand, with their concept store based in Shoreditch. Their designs are quirky and innovative and I got a hat, lanyard clip and a little clip for my mobile which acts as a stand from both stalls.

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Aine and I then made our way into the second room full of stalls and got excited by Living Proof. We chatted about their dry shampoo which smells incredible and actually cleans the hair! I’ve since tried it and it’s just fantastic ๐Ÿ™‚ We also chatted about their Frizz Humidity Control sprayย and I can’t wait to give it a try because I get all the frizz!

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Afterwards we had a lovely chat with the girls at Dr Pawpaw. I’d heard of them before but hadn’t tried any of their products. All I knew was that they were good for lips … Until I learnt that Dr PawPaw can be used for pretty much anything; dry elbows, cracked heels, even bikini line chaffing (perhaps not the tinted ones though, unless you like that look!!)

Dr PawPaw

Scott at 4 You By You was so lovely to talk to; he was so enthusiastic his voice had nearly gone! The company is primarily for students to bring them affordable beauty products, but the website is open to anyone! He’s also been developing the Instant Effect range; an instant brow/lash kit to grow fuller, thicker lashes and brows, an instant lip plumper and an instant eyelift cream!ย I got one of the brow/lash kits to try so I’ll let you know how I get on!

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Then it was time for the raffle, all the money was for The British Heart Foundation, such a great cause. I’m a bit of a lucky raffle winner as not only won a MASSIVE bundle of goodies from Heaven Skincare, I also won a onesie from One Piece!! Separate posts on those to come ๐Ÿ™‚

Then there was just time enough to get to the Heaven Skincare stall and thank them for the amazing goodies I’d won and get given a sample of their BeeBee cream in caramel. I’ve been trying this out since I got it and I really love it. She definitely picked the right shade for me ๐Ÿ™‚ I’ve since been reading up on their products and it’s absolutely fascinating! The Be Venom range is the natural answer to botox and banishes fine lines and wrinkles; considering I’m 32 in a couple of weeks, I’m so excited to try these products out!!

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Jody Bell‘s stall was just incredible; filled with beautiful couture handbags, hats and one-off clothing which is all hand-made in Spain; she’d flown all the way over for the event! Although everything was stunning, it was a little too out of my price range.

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It was just after 5pm when Aine an I finished and we wearily made our way back to Brighton clutching massive goody bags!

I can’t wait to get testing out the products and as I’m sitting here, I’m wearing my TwoThree tee ๐Ÿ˜€

Have you been to a blog event like this before? What’s your experience been like? Let me know in the comments below ๐Ÿ™‚ x

*Sorry for the bad photo quality, I didn’t take my proper camera with me so everything was done on my phone.*

 

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17 Comments

  1. So much fun that day, I forgot to take photos of half of the things. You did a far better job than me with your phone! All the fun times ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. It was, I didn’t know you were there, damn. And yes, I’m sorry, it’s my favourite Metallica song, I couldn’t not buy it ๐Ÿ™Š

  2. This sounds like such a great event! I love the way it’s set up, really innovative and I think more events should be like that. Far too many people expect everything to be thrown at their feet without any work on their part which isn’t fair to those who do work for it, and the brands and organiser! xx

  3. Wowzer! I should have you enter raffles and competitions for me with the luck you have! Going to see if I can get some of these things over here in Canada, especially the dry shampoo – I’ve had some back luck with those in the past. Looks like a fun day ๐Ÿ˜€

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