Indie Beauty Expo Dallas 2017

I’m just back from a whirlwind week in Dallas for Indie Beauty Expo and can’t wait to fill you in on all that happened. iBE has formerly only held events in LA and NYC, so I was excited to see a new location added this year. Dallas is a perfect add-on, since Texas is one of the largest markets for beauty products (just learned that!). Indie Beauty Expo focuses on independent beauty brands, which happens to be a growing segment in the beauty industry as a whole. It’s important to note that iBE’s focus isn’t necessarily on clean beauty brands or vegan beauty brands, but many of those types of brands happen to be indie brands as well. Even though there are some not so clean brands there, it’s still a great place to connect with or discover some clean beauty brands.

One of the best parts of the week was all the time I was able to spend with friends I don’t usually see in person. I stayed in a townhouse with Sammie (hullosam.com), Lisa (thisorganicgirl.com), Suzi (gurlgonegreen.com) and Amanda (abeautifulpursuit.com) and we had the best view of downtown Dallas from our rooftop patio.

We were able to explore several natural and organic restaurants like Origin Kitchen + Bar, Local Press + Brew, HG SPLY Co and more. We also popped down to Waco one day to see Magnolia Market and The Silos.

Wednesday we went to the Beauty Heroes luncheon at True Food Kitchen and everything was so delicious! It’s always great to be able to sit down and really talk with everyone. I loved connecting with the other Beauty Heroes ambassadors and Jeannie Jarnot (founder of Beauty Heroes), as well as Ashley Prange from Au Naturale Cosmetics, Brandie Gilliam from Thoughtfully Magazine (someone that I’ve looked up to since I first stepped into clean beauty), and Jillian Wright, the co-founder of iBE.

Then it was on to the main event, iBE. I really enjoyed listening to the panel on clean beauty swaps which was moderated by Amanda, and Suzi and Sammie both were on it. I was able to connect with more friends like Sarah (whoorl.com) and Courtney, founder of Pure + Radiant skincare. Some highlights of the event were the fun flower crowns for everyone, multiple spots for taking photos with your friends and of course, all the great brands. I really loved seeing what was new from Antonym cosmetics, Au Naturale, Fitglow Beauty, Vital Proteins, and Plant Apothecary. It was also nice to meet some new brands like Ayuna, Live Botanical and Province Apothecary (which I’ve known of for some time, but haven’t had a chance to explore their line). There was more I wanted to see, but Sammie and I flew out the next morning so I missed catching up with some of the brands the next day. I feel like I always miss somebody or some brand at these events, but it gives me an excuse to go back next time!

iBE’s next event will be in NYC August 22-24. Be sure to check it out if you’re in the area or if you’re looking for a reason to head to NYC! xo

Until next time Dallas!