POPSUGAR Play/Ground: A Sweet Weekend Of Beauty, Treats, Fashion & Self Improvement!

Wow, I had my first-ever POPSUGAR Play/Ground Experience this past weekend out on Pier 94 and while it was hard to take in the zillions of lifestyle brands, panels, photo ops and yoga classes, I did my best to cover a lot of ground. There were so many celeb guests that my head was reeling. Appearances were made by the likes of Mandy Moore, Chrissy Teigen, Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Seyfried, Alison Brie, Sasha Pieterse, Sydney Sweeney, Nico Tortorella and Issa Rae. Sponsors included Samsung Galaxy Watch Active, Kohl’s, CALIA By Carrie Underwood and Wendy’s (I have to say that the Berry Burst Chicken Breast Salad with Marzetti’s Raspberry Vinaigrette and Strawberry Lemonade were beyond my wildest expectations). I admit that I was just an observer at the yoga and fitness classes but thought it was lovely that free yoga mats were provided that will be a longtime useful memento of POPSUGAR Play/Ground. The toughest workout class seemed to be the one called Tone It Up given by cofounders Karena Dawn and Katrina Scott. Oops, I almost failed to mention that there was a special debut performance from the cast of Broadway’s Jagged Little Pill. You could adopt puppies as well. Talk about a lot of different things to hold your interest at an event–POPSUGAR Play/Ground certainly had them!Upon walking in–and located in dead center of Pier 94–were the coolest bunch of adult swings that I had ever seen making for the best photo op that I have had all month. I noticed most of the guests were a lot younger than me but I still got on a swing and put all my might into going back and forth and fast as possible. I am sure that some people thought that I had a few lose screws (and it’s probably true, LOL)!If you got tired from your workout or just walking around there was an adorable pink carpeting lounge area with very soft and large bean bag chairs! It was quite hard to get me out of those, they were so comfy. They were also the perfect place to chow down on your complimentary lunch from the Wendy’s truck or many of the great health snack handouts like Yasso and Daiya frozen desserts. I was totally captivated by Earthly Treats’ From The Ground Up Cauliflower Tortilla Chips. I ate two snack size bags and was excited to also be able to catch this brand the next day at the Fancy Food Show in the Javits Center.There were many fascinating beauty games and in all honesty, I was there primarily to play these games because I had heard how fun they were at last year’s Play/Ground. I got a big chuckle out of Nair’s ring toss done on mannequin legs. This was one of the harder games and I did not see many people actually get any of their three rings onto the legs! I had a blast-and-a-half at the Jill Stuart Beauty booth. Through the show’s app they offered free makeovers, a fabulous photo app with a giant prop version of their Lip Blossom lip color and 15 per cent off products (20 per cent if you spent $75 or more). But best of all, people who did a photo op and posted got a gorgeous lip palette with spectacular shades of berries and peach. I was very sad that I had to miss the press launch of this chic line last year, and this was my first chance to see and test Jill Stuart Beauty products. I think I am addicted now! Thankfully it is not a bad addiction, LOL! I was especially amazed by the Mix Blush Compacts which gives you an unheard of four colors in one medium sized silver metal compact. The Swarovski crystal on the lid is just icing on the cake. I was truly impressed with the pigments and how easily the colors blended together on my hand. The Body Milk and Body Jelly have divine floral scents and beautifully feminine cream and pink containers with a fancy art deco inspired silver knob on top. (For more info on this dazzling line, go to www.jillstuartbeautyusa.com.)I was flattered that the Foreo pr folks asked to meet with me and sit in on one of their face yoga classes. Chrissy Teigen led one on Sunday at 3 PM and it was a bug surprise. She looked like she was having a blast. For the first time ever, Foreo had all their products on sale for a remarkable 50 per cent off and everyone who did a photo op got a free Luna model in the color of their choice. Overall, it was one of the most exciting booths at POPSUGAR Play/Ground and I loved the way the stock of merchandise was kept in large pink lockers. It was great to see and touch every model of Foreo in every color they make! For more info on this incredible facial device, go to www.foreo.com. It’s incredible that such a small device can deep clean and tighten skin at the same time!I not only loved winning Kohl’s Cash from their cool crane machine pictured above but I was happy to see some of my blogger pals won shoes, jewelry and Levi’s tote bags as well. Kohl’s probably had the second or third biggest booth at POPSUGAR Play/Ground and not only was the game fun but there was live shopping of both beauty brands and clothing (including Popsugar’s own beauty brand sold at Kohl’s). There were outfits already coordinated that you could but at the event at a discount and just a lot of nice people around to help you decide what to buy for summer. I was lucky enough to go to Kohl’s fall preview recently and none of those items are allowed to be let out from under wraps yet except for Vera Wang’s legendary Simply Vera line. She has a remarkable collection for fall that is both practical and has her legendary “rocker chic” vibe–there are also some classic work pieces, her legendary graphic prints put on separates and feminine filmy blouses. Keep an eye out for the new collections coming on www.kohls.com.My favorite beverage at POPSUGAR Play/Ground was actually the popular beverage mix True Lemon which is really all lemon (nothing artificial is added). I was thrilled to be able to try their new Fruit Infusions–the flavors are Lemon Mint and Lemon Strawberry. Both are very natural tasting but the fresh taste of the mint blew me away–it really tastes like fresh peppermint sprigs are in your drink. Play/Ground guests were able to take home sample packs of True Lemon’s drink mixes plus buy product right at their booth at two for $5! Everyone also got dollar off coupons. I love True Lemon mixes simply because they make it easier to drink eight glasses of water per day. Regular water is just so boring! For more into on this revolutionary yet simple product line, go to www.truelemon.com.I can’t wait to go to next year’s POPSUGAR Play/Ground. Getting to pet the adoptable Lab mix pooches on the way out was the icing on the cake for me. I loved the panels (especially the one with Cynthia Rowley and her daughter Kit which discussed not only their businesses but their relationship with each other), the clothes shopping, the beauty booths, the games and last but not least, the camaraderie of all the women who attended. For more info on this wonderful female lifestyle fest that promotes self-empowerment and self-improvement, go to www.popsugarplayground.com.