Okay.

First things first, let me just say that I had a wonderful time at Glamcon MNL. It was such an amazing experience for people who were into anything beauty-related, not to mention, a fan of big beauty vloggers.

But first, what is Glamcon MNL? You might as well read this first.

Now that you’ve read it (I hope you really did), you may already know now that this event wasn’t free. There were five tickets available: Queen, Diva, Glitterati, Glamderella, and Glampass. Queen being the most expensive, and Glampass the most affordable. You can see what’s included in each package in my previous post.

To be very honest, I thought the prices cost the earth, so I just relied on fate – that is if I won in a giveaway.

Lucky me, I earned myself a free pass as a blogger – not just one but two Glamderella tickets! (Thanks Ms. Leo My!)  They were just right for me and Guil. The next day, I found out that I won a Diva pass in Ms. Jessica Godinez’s giveaway! Gurrrrrl, I was SHOOOKETH! 😜

The event was supposed to start at 10, so we tried to leave early since we were coming all the way from Laguna and the event was held at the SMX Convention Center at SM Aura Premier in Taguig. By the way, I gave my Glamderella pass to my sister, so that she could also be a part of this huge event.

We got there at around 11 in the morning, and we were greeted by the polite staff. There were long tables in the registration area and there were separate lines for Diva and Queen; and Glitterati, Glamderella, and Glampass ticket holders. After checking my name on the list, we were then told to go to our respective lines to get our wristbands.

Fortunately, we were included among the first 100 who could get an upgrade. So the Glamderella passes were upgraded to Gliteratti, while my Diva pass was upgraded to Queen. Queen means access to ALL! Yay!

We then picked up our special Glamcon MNL tote bags with some goodies inside and an exclusive Glamcon shirt.

Because I got a Queen pass, I received a Glam MNL box, too.

As we entered, we were welcomed by the green Glamcon MNL backdrop and a flamingo standee.

On the right was the Makeup Lounge, where the Glitterati, Diva, and Queen ticket holders can get a free makeover and “portfolio-worthy” photos of their new look. The makeover was given by twenty makeup artists (if I’m not mistaken) from Paintbox Artistry. There were also booths that sold makeup tools and vanity mirrors. At the far end of the Makeup Lounge was Pictoglam Photobooth where you could take fun pictures of yourself or with your friends as a souvenir.

Here’s the floor map of the venue:

We walked towards the Exhibitor Area to check out the products in the booths.

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We then went to the Glam Gala Stage and watched Ms. Ana Victorino give tips on building our own makeup kit on her Makeup 101 talk.

I liked how she made it less complicated, like creating a V shape when contouring a round face and a C shape when contouring a longer face. She ended her talk with a 5-minute makeup challenge, which by the way, was a piece of cake for her.

Oh, and she gave us a “quiz” where I won some goodies from Paintbox Artistry!

After her session, Ms. Say Tioco, the host, called on Ms. Jessica Godinez to talk about skin care with Ciracle.

Ms. Jessica called someone from the audience named Louise on stage for a much closer look of the products. Ciracle representatives also talked about the brand and their products.

Too bad I was too late to join their giveaway. They were giving away P5,000 worth of Ciracle products on IG!

Ms. Say Tioco and cute little Sace played the game “Bring Me”, where I won a loot bag from Milcu.

After that, we took that opportunity to take usies with Say and Jessica! So happy Ms. Raiza Contawi came and of course, I took photos with her, too. I TOTALLY FAN-GIRLED I WAS RELIEVED I WAS ABLE TO STOP MYSELF FROM HUGGING HER!

That’s when we decided to have lunch because our friend Jemma was too hungry she would collapse (lol!). As we left, Ysanygo went on stage to serenade the audience.

After our quick lunch, we went back to the venue. Jemma wanted to go to the washroom, so we all went, which was fortunate, because I spotted someone SUPER familiar walking towards our direction. The one… the only… Ms. Anne Clutz! She was so gracious to have our photos taken, and to have a little chat with us.

When we got back to the venue, my friends decided to go around while I went to watch Ms. Raiza Contawi’s Color Wheel segment. She gave tips on what makeup looks would complement our outfits, and how to mix and match colors.

Mik and our friends had their hair done by Styluxe Salon and Makeup Studio. After that, they went to the Makeup Lounge to get a beat face. I didn’t get a makeover, though, because I was doing a wear test of the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Foundation. However, I do wish I had my hair styled.

The VIP Lounge was where the guest vloggers stayed as they waited for their turn on the Glam Gala Stage or in Glam School. It was located near the photobooth corner, and beside Glam School. Those with Queen passes were allowed access to the VIP Lounge. Being one of those, I went in with my young friend Nicole to see what was inside.

As Nicole had put it, there were lots of couches and balloons inside. As we went further in, I saw a small area with a flamingo standee and an arch made of balloons. There were ottomans and round pub tables covered in cloth.

In one corner, there were tables where you could find glasses of blue lemonade and plates with chicken fingers (?), sandwiches, and pizza cups. There really was nothing much to see, aside from your favorite YouTubers all in one place!

Next to the VIP Lounge was the Glam School, where Queen and Diva ticket holders could learn a thing or two from their favorite YouTubers and makeup artists. I was able to sit in Ms. Anne Clutz’s live makeup tutorial, where she showed how to be a “Valentine Vixen” and a “Boss Lady”. I didn’t get to finish it, though, but I think she gave away a few Colourette Colourtints to attendees who answered her questions. (Or perhaps to those who asked her questions.)

After her was Ms. Jessica Godinez’s makeup tutorial with Paprika Cosmetics, which I wasn’t able to attend because Guil wanted to have our photos taken at the Pictoglam Photobooth. Unfortunately, there was an electrical problem only along the side where the Makeup Lounge and the photobooth were located, and it lasted for about an hour.

I took my time to have a look around, chat and take photos with my friends, and have usies taken with my favorite YouTubers. Kris Lumagui, Isha Borromeo, and Nina Rayos had their meet and greet, and of course, since your fangirl got a Queen pass, I got to queue in the priority lane. I would’ve stayed there all night if I could. Haha! They were really nice and funny. I regret not hugging them, though.

 

Feeling exhausted, we decided to sit down and relax at the Glam Gala Stage. Bea Lorenzo went on stage with her Kalimba, also known as a thumb piano or Mbira in Africa. Her voice was mesmerizing everyone of us felt as though we were being taken to another dimension! She was really fun to watch. She wore a big smile during her performance, you could see she enjoyed sharing her talent. She talked about the stories behind her Kalimba, as well as the songs that she wrote. Such a shame how talented people don’t get the same amount of opportunity and popularity as those of some household names. (No shade! But you get what I mean.)

At around 6 PM, Michelly Dy, Isha Borromeo (PurpleHeiress), Kristine Roces (RealAsianBeauty), Bing Castro (The Project Awesome), Joyce Sola (CandyLoveArt), Kris Lumagui, and Nina Rayos (formerly Oeuvretrends with husband Jet Rayos) went on the Glam Gala Stage to talk about their journey, struggles, inspirations, and the perks of being a YouTuber. I went Live on Facebook, unfortunately I ran out of battery and had to cut it short. We weren’t able to record everything on camera, ‘coz the battery was low, too! (hashtag: sad life).

As a small YouTuber, I learned that I should not be too frustrated if it’s taking me too long before I reach a milestone. I must remember the main reason why I started vlogging in the first place.

After their group photos were taken, Coeli went on stage with her friend. She’s a singer-songwriter, cellist, and music teacher based in Manila (I did my homework, guys! haha!). In her hand was her electric cello, which she played skillfully. Her voice was out of this world! We could’ve stayed longer if we weren’t hungry. (We were really sorry we had to leave in the middle of her performance.)

Since it was only half past 8 in the evening and we believed the event would end at 10 as indicated in their schedule, we walked back to the venue but much to our surprise, all the staff at the registration area were gone. The artists at the Makeup Lounge were also gone, people at the booths were already packing up, and only few YouTubers were left.

With all the happy faces and fabulous selfies, we could say that the event was a success. But as everyone already knows, nothing is perfect. If there are hits, there are also misses.

• Where was VMV Hypoallergenics?
• Where was Colourette Cosmetics? Though some YouTubers DID use and give away some of their products, they did not have a booth there.
• Where was Inglot, which “will also be making sure that attendees go home with something that would make them look on point on other special days after Glamcon”?
• Did anyone notice Wit’s Sweets and Savouries, which ​“will make sure that everyone has something delicious to snack on the entire day”?
• All participants, except for Glampass holders, were each given a “special” tote bag with treats inside. Now, here’s the tea. Not every bag has the same treats. Some bloggers who had Glamderella tickets only got a Sip bottled water in their tote. Some did not get sachets of iWhite BB-holic, but everybody got loads of freebies from Milcu. (Great job, Milcu!)
• If the participants paid for their passes, would it have been worth it? Take for example the Queen pass. As a Queen ticket holder, I got a Glamcon MNL shirt, a tote bag with a pair of iWhite BB-holic sachets, Milcu sampler, a discount voucher from Styluxe Salon, Sip bottled water, and a Glamcon MNL box containing two full-sized iWhite Korea products (Nose Pack and Whitening Pack), a Naruko Repair Mask, a Cosrx Clear Fit Master Patch (which I SUPER love, btw), a sachet of Ciracle blackhead remover, and a Chihuahua mini lipstick. Not all boxes are the same, by the way. Some didn’t get full-sized iWhite products. Comment below if you think these were worth spending your P5,500 on. Well, at least there was a free makeover included. 😉
• Would it have been worth your P1,500 for a Glamderella ticket if you only got Sip bottled water in your tote and some freebies from Milcu?
• Why was the program cut short?
• I wonder how many people bought the tickets when there was a fairly large number of participants who got passes for free (including us)!
• Ms. Anne Clutz was supposed to do a “Valentine Vixen”  look (sexy, foxy), but instead, she created a sweet natural look that’s perfect for first dates. Don’t get me wrong, I love Anne, I super do. It’s just that, I think, she kind of overlooked it. Perhaps that was what Colourette Colourstick in the shade Dakota was for.
• The venue was huge and there were too many vacant chairs at the Glam Gala Stage and in Glam School. Though more people came in the afternoon, the total number of participants didn’t seem to equal the organizers’ expectation.
• Despite the discounts given by brands, some of the participants thought it would’ve been better if the brands gave jaw-dropping deals, which would make non-participants jealous. Perhaps at least something that would make them join next year.

Final thoughts:

 

Though I didn’t get myself a makeover, I could see the satisfaction and the happiness among many participants. Walking around with their new updos or curls and their made up face, they felt extra fabulous for a day. It’s not every day that you meet your favorite beauty vloggers at the same place at the same event, upclose and personal! As I’ve already mentioned in the beginning, I had a wonderful time. It was a day filled with so much laughter and lessons learned. I am really grateful being a part of it.

However, had I not received free passes nor won in a giveaway, I (being a commoner –  you know what I mean! :p ) I would never spend thousands of pesos on that. I guess I would just go for Glampass, since being there would also allow me to mingle with my favorite vloggers, as well as getting some freebies.

I expect the next Glamcon MNL will be a lot better and more bongga! I do hope they make the tickets less pricey next time so more people could go. Or, if exclusivity was their priority, I hope they try to make the participating brands give more luscious deals and privileges to attendees, and make the non-participants green with envy. :p

Now more photos! Enjoy!

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I captured more moments in video. I’ll post it real soon!

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