Salon Melbourne 2013

If you follow me on Twitter (you can socially stalk me here) then you'll know that I've spent the last week getting myself excited for Salon Melbourne! For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, Salon Melbourne is an industry only exhibition, all about the salon world! Think nails, beauty, tanning and most importantly - hair!

As a blogger I was able to get media access, which meant I could shop around at all the amazing beauty stalls and watch some of the most fantastic beauty shows! 

The Zoya Stall

This was very close to the entrants, so it was one of the first things I saw. I decided I'd wait until I'd seen the entire show to head back here to buy some polishes - although I probably shouldn't have as they were sold out of a few goodies I wanted! Zoya was one of the more exciting stalls to see, as it's so difficult to come by here in Australia! (At least for a decent price!)

Girlee Cosmetics

I hadn't heard of this brand before, but boy did it look promising! They had so many goodies to test, the eyeshadow and powders in the above picture were to die for, while the really cool mousse looking foundation in this picture were fairly good! I didn't buy anything from Girlee Cosmetics as they were so busy, but I'll be looking them up!

Lash Republic

Oh how badly I wanted some of these lashes, but the problem is I would never wear them! They were truly amazing and so cheap, each of these pairs were only $9.00! Not sure I want to know their full R.R.P...

Media Makeup Stand - Make Up For Ever

I loved that Media Makeup (you can find their website here) were at Salon Melbourne, as I'd always wanted to test out Make Up For Ever, but the shop in  Myer is always disgusting and really understocked! (Not to mention over priced!) They had a fabulous selection and the girls working there were really lovely, helping out everyone with questions, they really knew their stuff! Needless to say I walked away with some goodies!

ORLY Stall

This was crazy busy most of the day, but luckily by the time I'd made my way back, the people had disappeared (mostly) and I was able to sneak in a few purchases!

The beautiful and talented Rae Morris

I was lucky enough (thanks to Mel for making us go and see) to watch the lovely Rae Morris talk about some amazing beauty tips and tricks live! She was amazing to see live, and if she's at Salon Melbourne next year, I'll definitely be booking into all of her shows!

Myself and Dean Nixon

I was absolutely stoked (more like star-struck judging by this picture) to meet Dean Nixon, the creator of Master Makeup! I only recently discovered his gorgeous brush like thanks to Her Fashion Box (see my post here) and absolutely fell in love! I'd been planning to buy the entire set for a little while, but decided to wait and buy it at Salon Melbourne - and was lucky enough to meet Dean himself! He's such a fantastic guy in real life too, so friendly and vibrant! I'd definitely recommend his gorgeous brushes!

Myself, The Made Up Maiden & Melissa Bubbles

I also met up with a few blogging ladies (most of which aren't pictured, as I was heading out by this time) which was fantastic! All of the ladies I met were amazingly sweet and beautiful! 

My Haul

I figured I'd add my purchases to the end of this post, just so you guys aren't waiting too long to see my haul! (If you'd like, I can do a whole separate post to better explain what I got and prices, etc. Just let me know if you would be interested in that in the comments below!) As you can see I mostly picked up nail polish! My reasoning behind that is that we can't really get Zoya in Australia, and the ORLY and OPI were extremely cheap! Due to the fact that nail polish can only rarely be shipped internationally, I figured I'd buy as much as I could now - anything make-up wise can be shipped to me!

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So there you have it, my day at Salon Melbourne! It was a fantastic experience, and I can't wait to head back next year! (Although next year I'll be bringing a lot more money with me!) I loved meeting up a few of the girls from the blogging community, but mostly I loved the shopping! I was actually shocked at some of the great deals (OPI $10 a bottle, anyone?) that it was really hard to resist buying more! Next year I'll be more prepared! Although I was a little disappointed that I didn't walk out with any hair products! Oh well, there's always next year...

Did you got Salon Melbourne this year? If so, what did you think?

Or if you're not in Melbourne, do you have anything like this where you live? 

If you want to know more about Salon Melbourne, head to their website!