Inside Day 3 & 4 of Vanity Fair Social Club

[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ike the previous days before, we made sure to arrive just as the VFSC doors opened so we could grab a good seat for the amazing panels and also make sure to spend as much time at VFSC as we had left.

One thing we should say is how much we love that VFSC is so interactive for us attendees—down to our drink options. Yes, we did say drinks and interactive in the same sentence. There laid out on the bar was a selection of coffee, tea, and fresh ginger lemonade for us to pick. But that’s not all. Next to these drinks, lies glass bowls containing slices of oranges, limes, lemons, and cucumbers, as well as mint leaves which we can add to our drinks as fun flavor enhancers.

While sipping on our lovely glass of ginger lemonade (with mint leaves and two slices of cucumber), we made our way out to the deck where a white table was set up and all the different products available to us were on full display.

Unlike last year’s VFSC where we had Twitter machines to dispense the products we could get, we simply had to take photos of each of the products, create a tweet or put them on instagram, along with the correlating hashtags for each item.

We then got in line so we could show it to one of the lovely gals at the Social Shop for our desired prizes.

Here is a list of all the products in the Social Shop:

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• Chrysler Gas Card
• Chrysler Coffee Card
• Chrysler USB Charger Kit
• Chrysler Laptop Tote
• L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Original
• L’Oreal Paris La Palette Nude

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• L’Oreal Paris Pro-Matte Lip Gloss
• Lancôme Auda (city) in Paris Palette
• Lancôme Vernis in Love Nail Polish
• Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge Definition Lipstick
• Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb
• Viktor&Rolf Spicebomb

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• Viktor&Rolf BonBon
• YSL Beaute Black Opium
• YSL Beaute Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick
• YSL Beaute Touche Eclat Slogan Pens
• YSL Beaute L’Homme Ultime

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As we had plenty of time before the first panel started, we did a few rounds of the Social Shop and picked up a few of the products we wanted to try.

Five minutes before noon, we made our way to our seats to wait for the first panel, The Art of Costume Design to begin. The panel was hosted by Senior Hollywood Writer Julie Miller (VanityFair.com) and featured Costume Designer, Sandy Powell.

Right at first glance, we know Sandy Powell is the epitome of chic and sophistication with her ultra vibrant red hair and bold fashion sense. The talented costume designer has twelve Oscar nominations and three Oscars under her belt. And is nominated this year for both her work in Cinderella and Carol.

We love looking at the fashion in films, so it is always exciting to see a behind the scenes look at what goes into creating some of the looks for each character in a movie.

Powell shared how the color blue became thee color of Cinderella’s ball gown, which several colors like green and purple were weaved in. It was also fascinating to learn from Powell that she and her team used several vintage fur coats to create the iconic Carol fur coat in the movie.

Right after the great panel with Sandy Powell ended, we went to see what delicious lunch was in store for us.

On the menu that day was a Tandoori chicken and rice bowl with Tzatziki sauce drizzled on top. We also picked up a fruit cup and Indian inspired trail mix too. In love with the sunny weather, we opted to eat out on the deck at one of the tables with a small group of Blogger babes. To say we devoured the entire meal was an understatement.

Now for those who know us, know we love everything makeup related so we were not going to miss the second panel. Just before 2pm, we made our way back inside and grabbed a front seat in anticipation of the A World of Influences:  Designing Makeup for Mad Max: Fury Road panel to begin. No sooner did Vanity Fair’s Beauty Editor SunHee Grinnell come out, accompanied with Makeup Artist Lesley Vanderwalt.

While a first-time Oscar nominee, Lesley Vanderwalt has quite the repertoire. She has collaborated with Baz Luhrman on many movies including Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby. Vanderwalt and her team’s makeup on Fury road have impressed many, including us. We still can’t believe how badass and stunning Charlize Theron looks!

Model Sean O’Pry, the face of Viktor & Rolf’s Spicebomb stops in at the VFSC to take a few selfies with attendees. To say there was a long line for selfies with him would be an understatement. For those Taylor Swift fans, you may remember O’Pry as the lead guy in Swift’s music video, Blank Space.

As people lined up to take their selfies with O’Pry, decadent Spicebomb inspired macaroons with edible silver dust were offered to guests. We may have had two, but shh…don’t tell anyone.

We made sure to stay in our seats so there would be no chance of missing the highly anticipated panel hosted by Vanity Fair Contributor Nell Scovell with guest Actress Patricia Arquette. Joining the audience was a group of key female leaders who came out in support of Patricia Arquette and the ERA amendment.

Right at 4pm, the much beloved actress and equal rights activist sat down with Scovell to discuss the documentary Equal Means Equal, gender discriminations, the ERA amendment, and raw facts on the gender pay gap.

As strong, independent women, we could feel completely inspired and awed by the absolutely incredible work Arquette and other amazing women continue to do so that women can have the same equal opportunities as their counterparts.

It was not hard to be swept with the touching realization that Arquette and the brave women supporting the push for equal rights are making history—a true modern feminist movement towards equality in the workspace and beyond.

With the rush of feminist pride still flowing through our veins, the Stella Artois Happy Hour couldn’t have come in a better celebratory moment.

And so we grabbed a chilled glass of Stella Artois Cider, and sampled on tasty mini Chicken tacos, cucumber filled ceviche and goat cheese empanadas.

As we circulated the packed room with our glass in toll, the Viktor&Rolf Photo Experience caught our attention.

There, attendees were invited to step into the world of Flowerbomb by taking a selfie in front of the gorgeous floral backdrop. Photos could be printed or shared directly via social media platforms.

Final Day

Our final day at VFSC and we knew we wanted to make the most of our experience, especially since we would be leaving the event before the final panel. So we made sure to take an Uber to Platform just before the doors opened at 11am. Can you tell we’re early birds?

After setting down our bags, we grabbed the customary ginger lemonade and made a beeline for the Social Shop to pick up the last two gifts we’ve been eyeing all week.

With just minutes to spare, we made our way back to our seats to see The Power of the Social Influencer panel, moderated by TV Host and Author Louse Roe. Guest on the panel were Wendy Nguyen (Wendy’s LookBook), Andy Torres (Style Scrapbook), Marianna Hewitt (Life With Me), and Rocky Barnes (Rocky Barnes).

We love hearing from successful bloggers and influencers who have used their platforms to create a brand for themselves. And these lovely gals have definitely done so in spades.

Roe and the panel shared a candid look at how they got into world of blogging, how they deal with sponsorships and collaborations, and offered great tips for us influencers wanting to make this a career.

One of our highlights of the panel is when Roe stressed the importance of mentorship and shares the tremendous impact a mentor had on her years ago.

After this motivational panel, it was time for a lunch break so we made our way to see what was on the menu today. Feeling adventurous we opted for the non-vegetarian box lunch, which featured nori & sesame crusted tuna, soba noodles, edamame beans and a spring salad mix. We stopped by the bar to get a chilled glass of Stella Artois’ cider, which has quickly become one of our favorite ciders. Side note: We were thrilled to find out we could actually keep the Stella Artois gold rim glass.

Now, as per usual, a group of us Bloggerbabes sat at one of the tables outside on the deck to just relax, enjoy our lunch, and chat about this amazing week. In between conversations, we also grabbed a bag of Chinese rice crackers and a fruit & nut bar for later.

Enjoying the relaxed vibe at VFSC, we peered in people getting fabulous makeup touch ups featuring the new L’Oreal Paris Butterfly Sculpt mascara. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to get our makeup touch up as well.

Now right at 2pm, Vanity Fair’s Beauty Editor Sunhat Grinnell opened the panel with guest, L’Oreal Paris Celebrity Makeup Artist Sir John Barnett.

Barnett shared his experience working with Abeyance and Viola Davis, and offered red carpet beauty tips to audience during Q&A.

We loved his perfect red lip chart, which serves as a great guide on how to pick the right red lipstick for every skin complexion.

Now while we would have loved to stay for the final panel and happy hour, our time at VFSC was coming to a close. After saying our farewells to a few of our friends there, we rode the elevator down to the first floor to grab a Chrysler shuttle back to our nearby Airing.

As we drove away from VFSC, we took a moment to really reflect on what an amazing four days it has been. We got the chance to see amazing panels and get a behind the scenes look at several films, grab a few amazing gifts, and just connect with other influencers too.

We can’t wait for next year!

Special thank you to Vanity Fair for creating such a fabulous event for us influencers. Also we would like to thank Heidi & Bloggerbabes.com for offering Modern Chic the opportunity to attend VFSC.