Redhead at the Piggy Bank

I made it to that Redbook Beauty Bash event today…just barely. When I got to the building in Midtown, the line was outside and around the block. One girl said she’d been waiting an hour and a half! I started walking away, thinking it wasn’t really worth it, but then changed my mind. Of course a free event is going to attract a ton of people. And if I’m getting free stuff, I can’t really complain about these types of things, can I?

So I joined the line and passed the time by playing solitaire on my iPod. The weather was gorgeous and warm, so I didn’t mind being outside for an hour (except for the two obnoxious high school girls behind me–I don’t care how many PBR’s you drank last night!!!). I got to the entrance at about 2:15.

Now, I’ve been to promotional events like this, so I knew not to expect a whole lot. The room was very nice, but it didn’t feel like there was a lot to see there. Most of the tables had baskets you could sign up to win in a drawing (I entered a few, so I fully expect a slew of subscription offers and newsletters in my inbox from now to eternity). Appointment slots were pretty much filled through the end of the day for the mini-massages and mini-manis, which I think annoyed some of the other people there. But what do you expect? I guess the lesson learned today is get to free events really, really early if you want to participate in everything offered.

I stayed for about 10 minutes, then took off with my goody bag. It’s a good haul:

• April issue of Redbook, featuring a very Photoshopped Jaime Pressly
• Two bottles of nailpolish: OPI’s “Party in My Cabana” and wetnwild’s “Spicy Cinnamon” (um, not really my type of colors, but whatever)
• Samples of Curel lotions: “Pregnancy & Motherhood Nurturing Comfort Moisture Cream” and “First Signs of Aging Youth-Defense Moisture Lotion” (oh yeah, have I mentioned that I’m not in Redbook’s demographic at all?)
• Sample of Maybelline’s new “Volume Seduction XL Lip Plumper” (the warning reads as follows: “This product may cause a temporary tingling sensation which is normal. Discontinue use if you experience excessive discomfort. Do not use on chapped, damaged or sensitive lips.” My lips are definitely sensitive, and this warning scares me enough to throw this one away without trying it. Besides, my lips are plump enough.)
• C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint (the tagline: “Mint-infused for fresh breath”). This actually fascinates me because there’s peppermint oil in the lip gloss to mask any bad breath you might have. I haven’t tried this yet, so I can’t vouch for how well it works, but it’s sort of a brilliant idea.
• Very cute notebook and pen from Jacqueline Savage McFee.
• Mineral eyeshadow from e.l.f.
• Coupon for 50% off an order up to $15 from e.l.f. (anybody want this?).