Simply Stylist | Do What You Love, Part 1

Do What You Love

“Simply Stylist is a way for like-minded women to come together, learn from one another, get inspired and to network. It’s a place where we showcase the true trendsetters and uplift fashion and beauty tastemakers of the future.” -Sarah Boyd

Let me break that down into some different terms. This is an organization that gives us a place to share what we’re doing with other people who will not only appreciate it but get excited, too. Everyone is supportive and just amazing!! It was a great time.

So let’s take a quick step back. I attended the Simply Stylist Fashion and Beauty Conference in Chicago on July 18th. And it. was. awesome. The day was divided into three parts: Networking Brunch; Panel; and Brand experience, breakout sessions, and pampering.

Brunch started with mimosas already on the table (yaaaassssss) and inspirational quotes to share with the ladies around you tied to your napkins. After some introductions, “what do you do”s, and business card swapping, we got down to chatting about how we ended up there, our stories, and much more. I met so many amazing women just at brunch alone! Founder of Simply Stylist, Sarah Boyd, got up and gave an inspirational speech talking about how she got to where she is. It was an awesome reminder that even when I’m having rough days, keep pushing through.

The panel, which was held in the Vertigo Sky Lounge, was jam packed with amazing people. Catt Sadler of E-News lead Founder & Owner of eDrop-Off, Corri McFadden, Jacey Duprie of Damsel in Dior, Celebrity Hair+Makeup Artist Joey Maalouf and Blogger and YouTuber Sazan Barzani in a discussion of their stories, how to survive the industry, and so much more. It was seriously the best part of the day. I took pages of notes that I haven’t even gone through yet! So much information to take in. It was absolutely wonderful.

The Brand Experience, Break-out Sessions, and Pampering ended the day. A bunch of smaller talks given by leaders in the field including photographer James Nord and others. Nails and hair stations. And brands there to tell about everything they have to offer. My FAVORITE of them all was Joybird Furniture. Check them out!

Overall, the day was incredible. I met some truly wonderful people, learned so much, and even got to take a selfie with Jacey Duprie. For those of you who don’t know, she’s basically the inspiration for my blogging- one of the first blogs I followed on the regular and part of why I got started blogging in the first place!

 

Make sure to stick around for part 2 for more photos from the day and my outfit details!