Perth Online Beauty Media Event - watch us creep out from behind our computers!

If you had any idea how much I'd been looking forward to this event, you'd think me crazy. My diary had a firmly pre-POBM/post-POBM slant. I'm currently taking a 1.5 week break off work, and that didn't even occur to me until I was out the door and on my way home.

And whilst I love a day spa as much as the next person (in this case - Djurra Day Spa, in Fremantle, and good god its beautiful) and giftbags are wonderful things, the BIG thing for me was an opportunity to meet other bloggers in my area - sort of a massive internet blind-date, if you will. I'd already met Sarah (Dempeaux) a few times, and we've gotten along swimmingly, so I was hoping that boded well for everyone else.

This shindig had been put together by Annette from Wellness WA - who for some unbeknownst reason has let me write articles for her a few times in the past - and with that sites focus on health and natural beauty, the speakers, catering, choice of venue, everything was as healthy as could possibly be, and for me, as a devoted Subway cookies lover, this was a surprising and intriguing experience.

Food-wise, especially - it was catered by The Raw Kitchen and Emma & Toms, neither of which I'd had any real experience with. The raw macaroons tastes like chocolate crackles. I am SO nostalgic for chocolate crackles, you have no idea. I didn't partake of the pizza, to my shame (I'm not an olive, fetta or onion person, sadly) but the empty plates suggested that they were very appreciated. But that said, one juice and one of those macaroons and I was completely done. Raw food is so filling. I had no idea!

And consider I have such issues with eating enough fruit - I need to find an Emma & Toms stockist near me, since there's three pieces of fruit in each bottle and that's pretty perfect for me. Also they were so tasty. Nom.
And on an equally tasty front - Aveda make their own tea, which the ladies in Djurra serve for their patrons. It's a green tea with liquorice and peppermint and holy cow is it amazing! I had two little cups of this and I was so ready for more. Must return and buy a gigantic box.

(l-r) Anissa, Megan, Sarah, Hannah, some hobo

And it was so surreal meeting all these people who I feel like I know so well and yet have never met - people like Megan from Beauty in the Sky, Anissa from Beautifully Glossy, Hannah from Beauty Down Under. Was truly sad that Jessica from The Belle Lumiere could not make it - would have made it completely perfect. You'd better be at the next one, lady.

I want her dress.

We were visited by Adele Plumridge, a really lovely and vibrant naturopath who chatted with us for a while about some basic health, skin and dietary pitfalls. We all did the zinc test (i.e. a shot of zinc. How it tastes determines whether you are deficient or no) which felt oddly like doing dorm room teenage vodka shots, with far less vomiting. To no one's surprise, I am zinc deficient, though as far as I could tell, everyone (excluding Annette, clever thing) was as well. Golly! How does one keep up with all these vitamins? I've just start taking vitamin D and it feels like a hassle.

Anita, who runs Djurra Day Spa, spoke to us briefly about the choice involved in creating a purely natural salon alternative, and a little about the building itself (it's heritage listed - the mix of modern fitting and these beautiful, partially exposed walls is so gorgeous) and about Aveda, who I've never tried before but am intrigued by. The ladies were SO generous with their time, and beyond letting us take over their salon for an afternoon, they gave us foot scrubs (amazing. so amazing) and blue oil scented massages. I did catch myself, a few times, going - "All I do is be obnoxious on the internet. Why am I here? What have I done to deserve this?"

Haley from Peachy Clean being blue oiled.

So ultimately it was everything I was hoping it would be - a really beautiful, social, educational experience and a chance for us to drag our pasty selves out of the computer room and interact. It was SO wonderful to meet everyone, and before all else I am SO impressed with Annette, who organised the whole show, kept everything moving and organised the most decadent, ridiculous and flat out amazing giftbags I've ever seen.

I actually honestly tweaked a muscle getting this lot home. 

There was also an informal beauty swap, and people brought the most wonderful things to exchange! I brought six things along - and whilst I didn't intend on taking six away with me, that's - sort of what happened.

There's some out of character choices here - the self tan, for one (it says "light"! and it's Rodial!) and the Fredrick Fekkai set. I'm not a big tan or hair person, but perhaps these might change that? And I have always loved NYX, and was a little devastated that no one was gunning for it. That's all right, pumpkin, you can come home with me.
I've never tried a creme blush, so that Australis is going to be rather interesting, and what I THOUGHT was a Nutrimetics lip gloss was actually a Mirenesse. All the better! I love me a bright red. Oh, and also a GIGANTIC STILA PALETTE, which I am so thrilled about! I've been about to buy this SO many times! A little amazed that anyone would want to do away with it, but - nevermind! I am smitten, and a review will be forthcoming.

I am so overwhelmed by all the things - all the products, all the new information and concepts and people and websites - that I'm still going to be decompressing and probably writing about POBM for a good while. If you're curious, the #POBM twitter tag is yielding some gold, and there's already been some wonderful POBM posts by other attendees - as of now: Sarah from Dempeaux, and Alexis for Amgoorie.

Phew. So what on earth am I going to try first??