The Ultimate Women's EXPO -- Phoenix, Arizona (2010)

Wow! What an experience! I got a chance to check out the "Ultimate Women's EXPO" in Phoenix, Arizona this year and it was incredible! Free massages, hundreds of shopping booths, cooking demonstrations from William-Sonoma, free manicures, lots of coupons, a fashion show, keynote speakers, contests for free haircuts from Toni and Guy and free samples are just a small portion of what this event had to offer! I went with my family members and was able to score some free tickets from Starbucks when I got a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino (half coffee, half cream base of course!) there a few weeks ago.

We found some nearby parking and walked across the street. Ahh, we finally found it. I was so excited--come on line, move! : ) Women were lined up down the side of the building. I was surprised that there were scalpers trying to sell the same free tickets I'd gotten at Starbucks!

Thankfully, the real tickets were only $10.00 at the door. There was a happy feeling in the air and everyone wanted to get in the building. (FYI, for you women that want to attend next year, I heard one of the ticket booth people say that they usually don't take credit cards at the ticket booth, so take cash with you).

Once we were in, there was a large room filled with hundreds of women who had showed up for the event. The lines grew by the minute. We were all excited to get in there and experienced being pampered by others!

It was fun going with family--a Girl's Day Out!

We were all smiles (I'm the one on the right with bling-ly necklace) as we waited for the doors to open. I have to admit though, I started to get a little impatient when it was past 10:00am and they still hadn't opened the venue yet. I told my family that I felt like a little kid waiting in line at Disneyland--I wanted to GO! : ) Open, open, open! Open, open, open!

Success! We were in! See that gold container? That was for a contest to win a $5,000 shopping spree! We won't know until the end of September who won, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be one of us! Dream with me for a second...wouldn't that be absolutely AWESOME to win? Hey, a girl can dream can't she? : )

The first thing we were greeted with was Kirstie Alley's Organic Liaison station where they were mixing together some kind of organic tonic sample.



I think her face says it all! I couldn't bring myself to drink it because the smell was killing me. I like healthy, but that was beyond me, blech. Not to say that Kirstie's organic blend is bad--it just wasn't us at all. Bring on the smoothies.....Please!

Thank goodness there was some sweetness floating among the booths! I found this company (http://www.sugarlipscakery.com/) that creates these really elegant and beautiful cakes! Who wouldn't want a beautiful cake like these at their event? Gorgeous!

There were great fashion booths all over the place! One of my favorites included Funfeet Footwear, Inc. (http://www.funfeet.com/) because they had these great bling-ly flip flops...and you know how much I love blingle! I didn't think I was that old, but I am definitely a child of the past! I told the woman behind the booth, "I love these thongs--they're beautiful!" I was quickly instructed that they are *ahem* no longer called "thongs" but instead "flip flops." Thongs has an entirely different meaning now....oh.  Oops. I'm glad that I didn't say "thongs" too loud.

Putting that aside, aren't these shoes great? I love vintage sparkle and these are right up my alley with a modern-day twist!

There were fashions from Dillard's, Fashion Bug and Dress Barn. Lots of accessory places that carried custom-made jewelry and lots of independently owned shops that specialize in unique fashion pieces. This purse from Dillard's and these outfits from Fashion Bug caught my eye:

There was also an abundance of chocolate everywhere...and I do mean everywhere. It seemed like each station carried some kind of little jar filled with chocolate goodies. There were also booths that were selling chocolate...things...I'm not that much of a chocolate fan, so I don't know what to call them. But they looked mighty chocolate-y! ; )

They certainly drew a lot of "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowds of women standing there looking into the booth's display of confections. My family was no exception....

I stopped at the Toni & Guy Hairdressing place to ask for advice on my hair since the salon I went to a few weeks ago didn't dye my hair properly (my hair color washed out after 3 washes) and they gave me a 20% off coupon for color services...nice!  I may just have to use it. They were giving out several free haircuts every hour--it was fun to watch! Everyone was really excited and there was a "buzz" around the stage of all the women watching and talking. I mean, where can you go and have a decent chance of winning a free haircut? How nice!

Of course, all good things come to an end and we had to leave. But want to go back next April when the Ultimate Women's EXPO rolls into town again! Hope to see you ladies there!