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One of the biggest events in the world of beauty was just held in New York City...and of course, if it's a big deal in beauty, we are there! I went to New York with QVC's merchandising team to take part in the Cosmetic Executive Women's (CEW) Beauty Award Product Demonstration. It's a huge event that can be hard to describe, but it is like going to the world's largest skin-care and makeup counter and being encouraged to try everything. QVC is one of the event sponsors, which is cool because we had our own space showcasing the products you see on air. However, for our beauty buyers, the goal was to leave our area, walk the isles, see what is hot in beauty, and hopefully discover new products and brands that could end up on QVC.

More than 350 beauty brands, big and small, brought their best to the show. In all, we saw more than 600 products! During the event, brand representatives stand behind long tables and try to get your attention to explain why their products should win a coveted CEW award (it's like the Academy Awards for beauty). Now that the product demonstrations have been held, CEW members will start voting for their favorites. Of course, I'm rooting for our home teams! We stopped by tables featuring Peter Thomas Roth, Mally Beauty, tarte, It Cosmetics, Kate Somerville, and Bobbi Brown.

CEW Product Demonstrations

During the evening, I spent a couple of hours with Marissa from our Selling Strategies team and Michele, our color cosmetics buyer, going from table to table to get a feel for the important trends. For instance, eye shadow with a soft and cushion-like texture, almost spongy, is showing up among some of the big, prestige brands. It is not really a powder and definitely not a cream. Chanel, Giorgio Armani, and Mally all have their own versions (Mally's formula is Effortless Airbrush Nourishing Eyeshadow and it was very popular at the show—A218007). For me, the highlight of the night came when Marissa, Michele, and I met a woman who just recently launched her brand. Her products are beautiful and she is so passionate about keeping the packaging eco-friendly and giving back to the community. As soon as we walked away from her, we all looked at each other and said, "Do you like her? I like her!" Marisa and Michele went back to her and explained that we were from QVC. She was so happy they were interested, she started to cry. I'm really hoping you get a chance to meet her and try her products! I just got an update today and it looks like she'll be coming on air in a few months! I'll keep you posted!

With Melanie Knepp, QVC's Selling Strategies

The voting is currently underway. I just became a CEW member, so I will not be eligible to vote this year. Bummer! However, I'll be at the awards luncheon in May and I'll be hosting a show later in the summer with the winners. Don't worry, you won't have to wait for many of the most sought-after products. When I got home after the event, I went through my gift bag (all attendees get one and it is packed with a ton of incredible goodies!) and I found at least five products that are already scheduled to appear on QVC in the next couple of months, including Magnetic Polish from Nails Inc. I have it on my toes right now! We will be launching it next month.

My first try with Magnetic Nailpolish

Are there any trends that you would like to see on QVC? If you could create your perfect beauty product, what would it do? You can comment here or join the discussion on my Facebook page.