Getting the VIP treatment at the Australian Open thanks to Dove

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you would be familiar with my frequent bouts of laziness.  My usual Saturdays involve little beyond cups of coffee and endless hours of Taiwanese drama/variety shows, and I rarely blog on consecutive days.  But this was such an awesome experience, I MUST tell you all about it now!

As one of the sponsors of the Australian Open, Dove was beyond amazing to have offered some of my fellow MBBE ladies centre court tickets, VIP access to the ao club and even chauffeur service to and from the event.  I was lucky enough to be invited by Ponikuta as her plus one!

On arrival, the lovely Laura (PR for Dove) greeted us and took us straight to the ao club. It was certainly a relief to get out of the sweltering heat, and the club is absolutely gorgeous.  It had a dining area, bar and lounge, all of which decadently decorated. After some much needed refreshment (Heineken is also a sponsor – brilliant!) and delicious dinner, we headed to the Dove Marquee.

 Getting the VIP treatment at the Australian Open thanks to DoveUnfortunately by the time we got there, the marquee had closed.  The Dove Marquee is open to public, and offers everyone a variety of pampering services and goodie bags – read about it on heartofpearl.  The queue can be long but it’s definitely worth the wait, so make sure you check it out if you’re at the Australian Open!

Then it was time for the game!  I’ve only been to the tennis a couple of times before, both of which were in the corporate boxes with my previous jobs.  I always found the corporate boxes rather sterile, so was really excited that our tickets were for the court seats – AND second row from the front!!!

 Getting the VIP treatment at the Australian Open thanks to Dove

 Getting the VIP treatment at the Australian Open thanks to Dove

The first game was Lleyton Hewitt vs Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, which Lleyton won after a 4 hour game.  Apparently Serena Williams, who was playing in the second game against Tamira Paszek, was super annoyed to have to wait so long.  I could certainly feel Serena’s annoyance in the beginning of her game, when she whacked a few balls out of the sidelines rough-handedly.

 Getting the VIP treatment at the Australian Open thanks to Dove

 Getting the VIP treatment at the Australian Open thanks to Dove

Because the men’s game took so long, we couldn’t finish watching the women’s and had to call it a night at midnight.  But not before taking some group piccies icon smile Getting the VIP treatment at the Australian Open thanks to Dove

 Getting the VIP treatment at the Australian Open thanks to Dove

Clockwise from top left: a face-shaped chair at the ao club lounge area, me & Ponikuta with our Dove goodie bags, the bar at ao club, me and Laura (Dove's PR)

 Getting the VIP treatment at the Australian Open thanks to Dove

Some MBBE and Laura

I know I’ve said it a zillion times before, but I love my MBBE ladies.  We had so much laughs that night, talking beauty (as usual) and sneaky swaps of BB Cream, a new book by a certain Taiwanese beauty blogger, and a pressie for me from Malaysia (thank you Paris B!).  There was also a particularly amusing dialogue between me and Ponikuta at the beginning of the women’s game, which I’m still laughing about ;D

Thank you Dove for being so kind and spoiling us to such a memorable night – I had a *ahem* ball!!

 Getting the VIP treatment at the Australian Open thanks to Dove

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The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend (ABBW) – Chapter 1

Once upon a time, there were 85 little girls who were so obsessed with makeup they grew up to be beauty bloggers.  From all corners of Australia they would dedicate countless hours sitting at home swatching, doing makeovers, editing photos and writing, all to spread the word of beauty to the world.

As much as they loved blogging, the little girls felt lonely: they dreamt of meeting each other, and the brands that they have grown up loving and blogging about.

One day, two fairy godmothers, Jacie and Kimmi waved their magic wands and on September 24th, 85 talented young ladies were gathered in Sydney, for the inaugural Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend (ABBW).

The young ladies were greeted with pressies from Dove, Australis, Le Tan, Innoxa and Garnier at registration.  There were also plenty of hugs and kisses, as the beauty bloggers meet face to face.

 The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend (ABBW)   Chapter 1

From there the BB’s (beauty bloggers) went on the magic carpet ride that is IMATS (International Makeup Artist Trade Show).  IMATS was filled with all kinds of coloured potions, accessories and expert speakers.  There were also mythical creatures to be seen (and judged)!

 The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend (ABBW)   Chapter 1

Royal Langnickel laid out the red carpet, and the BB’s were treated to a VIP retreat that had yummy treats, manicure and comfy couches to rest their tired (and well-heeled) feet.

 The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend (ABBW)   Chapter 1

Later that afternoon, the BB’s attended mad tea party held by Beauty Directory and brands such as La Purete, Trishave and The Purist Company.  They happily chatted with each other during the round table discussion, and asked the panel (Jackie Maxted from Beauty Directory, Eleanor Pendleton from InStyle and Kimmi from The Plastic Diaries) all sorts of questions.  The room was abuzz with passion – the BBs are one inspiring bunch of people!

 The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend (ABBW)   Chapter 1

In the evening, 85 BB’s turned into 85 princesses as they were whisked away to a gala dinner, hosted by Prince Charming AKA Maxted Thomas PR.

Pre-dinner, the BB’s were presented with many nobilities of the beauty world.  King Nivea offered complete head-to-toe skincare solutions, suncare, ingenious anti-stain deodorants and hours of entertainment with their photo booth.  Sultan Burts Bees bestowed personal care products that are natural, earth friendly and smell honey-licious.

Wizard Orly astounded with Gel FX manicure that gives superior shine, durability and even nourishes your nails (how awesome is that?).  Queen Coty delighted the sense of smell with an incredible collection of luxury perfumes.  Earl Sebastian Professional and Remington were on hand to primp the BB’s tresses into all kinds of gorgeousness.

 The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend (ABBW)   Chapter 1 The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend (ABBW)   Chapter 1 The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend (ABBW)   Chapter 1

And the dinner?  It was a royal feast, naturally! icon biggrin The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend (ABBW)   Chapter 1

 The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend (ABBW)   Chapter 1

The happy BB’s returned to their boudoirs after a magical Day 1 to have their beauty sleep, and wondered what’s to come on Day 2

*Images taken by Liz Giacco for The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend, and are not to be reproduced, republished or reused without inclusion of this credit. Images remain the property of The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend. 

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