I knew I would be guaranteed beauty, education and fun but when Yolanda Adams took to the stage at this past weekend's 2016 Ubiquitous Hair and Beauty Expo, I realized that was not all that was in store.
The two-day event descended upon Washington, DC for a third year and provided a platform for empowerment, inspiration and motivation featuring Blogger/Vlogger panels led by social media mavens and more. Repping were national and local hair, health and beauty brands along with an all-star lineup of celebs and performers such as Nicole Ari-Parker and hubby Boris Kodjoe, Celeb Hair Stylist Kimberly Kimble (previously a guest on my show), and the incomparable Yolanda Adams.
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| Expo-goer's |
Held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, I had the pleasure of attending Sunday and since I missed church in order to go, what I thought was a missed word turned into an on-time word. Yolanda Adams not only preached! But she performed and practically brought the house down. When I realized I had to stop short of taking pics and wipe you know my watery eyes cause you know squinting to take pics can do dat, I knew she was taking not just me but all of those in attendance to church.
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| PREACH! |
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| Gospel Legend, Yolanda Adams took the entire expo to church! |
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| In addition to panels/seminars, there were styling demos. |
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| When you wanna say, "don't bother me, I'm getting beat." |
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| "Beauty Talk" was my most popular recurring segment on Bag Ladies so I was front and center for this Milani beat featuring MUA @lonicely. |
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| And the hair! Curls were popping, puffs were flawless and twist outs were voluminous. Of course there were lots of swoon-worthy naturalistas. |
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| The brand lineup was the biggest lure for me. Not only were most of my fave natural hair brands significantly discounted but you could purchase on site minus tax. Now where they do that at? |
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And it's one thing to just push product but the expo provides brands a platform so that attendees can actually learn about the products, what they do, how produced and if it works for them which can sometimes be an overwhelming task when trying to decide what's the right product for you and the care of your hair be it natural or otherwise. Alot of Q'ing and A'ing going on.
Freebies! Get your freebies here!! All in attendance left with a minimum haul even if they didn't purchase anything. |
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It figures that I was having somewhat of a bad hair day. Not really, I resumed working out and just didn't feel like being bothered. My The Wrap Life wrap was the perfect accessory and I received quite a few inquiries regarding where I purchased.
The expo is a family affair! There were demos and activities for the mini-me's too. |
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| I honestly love demos that allow me to get touchy feely. I like to not only know what a product smells like but also how it feels. Participating brands like Alikay Naturals, were very willing to provide samples. |
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| And how can you ever turn down a new lippie? Or maybe that's just me. Lip Bar is a fave. I see some fall color must-haves. |
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| #BlackGirlMagic at it's best |
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| So, see you next year? |
In these times of much uncertainty, events such as the Ubiquitous Hair and Beauty Expo are necessary to give us a place to congregate and celebrate our magic and excellence while also focusing on our health and wellbeing. Sometimes we have to make a conscious effort to take "me time." There were demos, seminars, panels and MORE! I learned alot, observed alot, chatted alot. Oh and I shopped alot (be on the lookout for my haul).
What's your fave Yolanda Adams song?
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