America's Beauty Show + Haul!

Hey guys! Man, this year's ABS was so much fun! I've got a bunch of new stuff to show you! Okay so, this was my third year going to ABS, and coincidentally it's also the third year that's it's been held at McCormick Place in downtown Chicago. Before that I think it was held at the Rosemont Center. Anyway, even though the show was a blast, I felt like it was a bit less organized than last year. It was just like aisles upon aisles upon aisles, and it was kind of confusing/overwhelming. But for the most part, it was fun! Almost everyone in the industry was there, ranging from haircare, skincare, esthetic's, makeup, massage/wellness, nails, you name it. However, I was severely disappointed that White Sands wasn't there, because they make this awesome hairspray called Stuck Up + I get two cans of it every year. But other than that I got everything I needed and a lot of stuff I wanted!

Okay so, I really did mean to take more pictures of the exhibits and stuff - but with all the mayhem going on, I didn't take as many as I wanted... but I still got a few! And I'll get to the Haul after these.

The picture on the top is what you saw before you entered... *heavenly music* On the bottom is Redken's booth, one of the first ones you see when you walk in. Sam Villa was there too, demonstrating his cool irons. Redken also had some of the best deals in the whole place.

The pic on the top shows the Hempz booth and the Pearatin booth. Hempz emphasizes the many uses of hemp/hemp seed oil. I think it's in all their products. Pearatin is an amazing brand, and I'll be reviewing a couple of their products soon. The pic on the bottom is Rusk, they really do beautiful work. Their DeepShine color line creates gorgeous results, and their models were really pretty! Rusk also makes great products, I've really been getting into them lately!

The top pic is Kenra's booth, theirs was one of the nicest looking. Very clean + simple. Kenra makes great products, but I don't love how some of them smell. I also think some of them are a bit overpriced, but it's still a great brand. The bottom pic is Sally Beauty Supply, I think they had like three or four booths. Pretty much everyone at ABS was carrying a big red Sally's bag, myself included. As the day went on, the crowd started getting thicker and I was constantly getting beaten with one of those bags! LOL! Oh well, it happens.

On the top was Dermalogica, an excellent skincare brand. If you've never tried their products, you really should give them a shot. On the bottom was Tabatha Coffey at the Matrix booth. She was holding some competition for students working on magazines. Oh my god, the people went CRAZY! She was throwing shirts, and everyone was screaming and going nuts, I had to get outta there! But it was cool seeing her.

The pic on the top was taken for my dear friend Wes (check out his blog BETTERby30) because it's his favorite - and now discontinued - shampoo. I almost bought some, but I needed to buy other things. Sorry Wes! On the bottom is a pic of some of the eyeshadows from Medusa's Makeup, some of the prettiest makeup I've ever seen. Everything was so bright and sparkly, it was hard to look away!

On the top was a quick pic taken of some models with these crazy headpieces on! They were walking fast so I had to shoot it quick, lol! The shirt you see on the bottom was what I wore, isn't it cool? It's like a phoenix made out of scissors and blades with these cool metallic royal blue reflects on it.

Now on to the Haul! There were a lot of amazing products there, and I got everything I needed and a bunch of stuff I wanted! What I really needed were new brushes, because mine were getting really worn out. The rest... well just take a look!

Here's a kit I got from Redken containing three of their latest products: Matte Sponge 05, Velvet Gelatine 07, and Wool Shake 08. They're all really cool, funky texture products that I can't wait to review for you guys!

The Redken bag was included with any Redken purchase, and it's one of those cool bags that come in a tiny zipper bag and unfold into a big tote. The Matrix tote is similar to the Sally's ones everyone was carrying around. I can't get enough bags! I honestly use all of them until I wear them out, so I always get as many as I can.

The CosmoProf booth was having an INSANE sale on GHD products - $2.00 a piece! So I got a few: A box full of 7 Indulgence Treatment weekly conditioning mask, Obedience Cream for Frizz-Free Styling, Remedy Cream Daily Leave-In Treatment, Sea Spray for Matte Waves. I can't wait to start trying + reviewing this stuff!

Of course I had to get some TIGI products! This is probably my favorite tote I've ever gotten! It's so bright and unlike anything I have, even if it's a bit small. The tote was actually a kit that contained three color brushes, a pair of gloves, a foiling comb, and a really nice apron!

I also got a set of 10 TIGI PRO clips. I much prefer clips like these as oppose to jaw clips, they're much easier to work with! I also got a set of four brushes from Monroe, an awesome brush company. There are three round brushes and a teasing brush, and they all have boar bristles. I'm already in love with them!

Here's a bunch of samples and other little stuff, including a shiny new pin for my stylist jacket! I get one every year. The last one I got was a silver scissor and comb with jewels similar to this one. It sparkles so nice!

Okay so, here's a funny story: So I was at the show with my mom, my sister, and my uncle's girlfriend. We had been walking around for a while and came across this booth with a bunch of makeup and professional makeup brushes. So my sister and my uncle's girlfriend went over to look and me + my mom went to sit and rest near the Rusk stage cos it was right there. So they come back and join us, and we continued on looking around the show. By this time, I kind of noticed that my bag felt a little heavier, but we had gone over to the Redken booth and after that we were gonna leave so I got distracted and I didn't think anything of it. By the time we left ABS, and got in the car to leave I was going through all my stuff and I noticed that this Rusk kit had appeared out of nowhere. I was like ".....What's this?" My mom and my sister both turned around and were shocked that this Rusk kit had appeared out of nowhere! My mom told me to check to see if I had gotten someone else's bag, but no - it was all my stuff! We figured out someone must have mistaken their bag for mine and put it in there, which was easy to do considering practically everyone was carrying their stuff in a big red Sally's bag. So... lucky me! I got a Rusk color kit for free! It came with a liter of 20 volume developer and 5 different shades of red. Isn't that wild though? I still have no idea how it happened! LOL!

Well, at the end of the day, I think we all got what we wanted and we all had an amazing time! I can't wait for next year! Did any of you go? I wanna hear all about it and see if anyone else got a surprise in their bag like I did lol! I hope you liked my haul, and my little story. Until next time, take care of your hair! XOXO