Real Simple Beauty & Balance Event

Last Saturday, April 18th, Real Simple Magazine held it's 2nd annual Beauty & Balance event at Andaz 5th Avenue. On April 17th, I got a sneak peek of the event, filled with a Pure Barre class, beauty treatments and wine and chocolate pairings.

The afternoon beauty services included RoC Skincare facials, Laura Gellar makeovers and Aveda hairstyling. Pure Barre held a full-body workout concentrating on arms, thighs, seat, and abs. The event ended with a Ghirardelli wine and chocolate pairing. 

The RoC Skincare Daily Resurfacing Disks, Retinol Deep Wrinkle Serum, Multi Correxion 5-in-1 Daily Moisturizer and Retinol Correxion Eye Cream were used for my RoC Skincare facial. The Daily Resurfacing Disks easily became my favorite RoC Skincare product! They are great for cleansing, exfoliating and removing makeup. 

Aveda hairstyles included three looks that guests could choose from: Earthy Allure, Prairie Waves or Crown of Gold. I opted for a mixture of waves mixed with a braid. Aveda Pure Abundance Hair Potion, Thickening Tonic and Air Control Hair Spray were used to complete my look. 

Guests enjoyed a relaxing moment with Aveda chakra balancing body mists

The Ghirardelli chocolate and wine pairing consisted of three pairings: 

1) 72% Twilight Delight, a deep velvety Intense Dark chocolate with hints of mocha, black pepper, and dark cherry, paired with Merlot Seven Falls 2011 from Wahluke Slope, Washington 

2) 86% Midnight Reverie, a luxuriously deep Intense Dark chocolate with a full-bodied flavor accompanied by hints of dark cherries and dried plums, paired with Cabernet Sauvignon Twenty Bench, California. 

and my favorite pairing:

3) Sea Salt Soiree, a blend of Intense Dark chocolate, roasted almonds, and coarse crystals of sea salt, paired with Warres Vintage Port 2003. 

Thank you Real Simple for a 'beautyful' afternoon! Hope to see you again next year!

- Kim Weling