I received an email invitation from Hadley Media to attend the Passport to Healthy Skin Tour by POPSUGAR and Simple. Since I don’t drive, Charlise took me. Upon arriving, I called Aaron as told to, and he gave me a simple tour (punny!), plus a Must Have box (and he gave Charlise one, too). He was nice and spoke clearly — it was really nice, because I have a difficult time following in-person conversations in places where there are large groups of people (think sensory overload).

I wasn’t asked to blog about going… this was my call, and all views are honest and my own. (Excuse the spazziness.)

(I totally just spritzed some of this perfume from my Must Have box at my fan, and UGH, MY ROOM SMELLS SO NICE.)

(Like, I think this is what love feels like.)

Whilst I don’t wear makeup, I do have super-sensitive skin and really bad allergies. And, honestly, I at first said no to going today simply because of my allergies. I changed my mind, however, because 1) it seemed really awesome to get invited to something, 2) if I don’t try this, I can’t say I’ve tried everything, 3) what if this works?

So, I went, even with my allergies all in a mess (because I was at my dad’s this past week, and he has two dogs that constantly vie for my attention, and I went outside on high pollen count days).

But they didn’t try to lather up my face or anything, which is nice, because if you’ve ever been to the mall when all the shop peoples are out, you’ve probably run into airy perfume mountains, or maybe they just walked up to you and started playing with your face. And I was slightly afraid that was going to happen here, but it didn’t. They know how to do biz.

Charlise and I were asked how we already had our boxes by one of the Simple ladies — “Are you part of the press?” I had originally replied with “yes” and (at least I think I did) a smirk, because isn’t a blogger technically press?[1. As graceful as I made this sound, I’m really not as graceful offline as you all may think I am.] But honestly, that was my attempt at continuing with something funny, which I couldn’t do well (because again, sensory overload), and I quickly added that I’m a personal/lifestyle blogger. For some reason, I didn’t think to even tell her the URL — I wouldn’t even have to worry about her mistaking it for “sixbirds.net”, because I own that now. BLAH. But it’s alright. :p

Activities

(Thank goodness they gave us the Passport booklet, ’cause it’s gonna aid me in remembering what all I did.)

(I also like the tips.)

(And the “Did you know?” snippets.)

Beauty Oasis

It was here that we were asked whether we were part of the press. :p

Healthy Eats & Detox Tea Garden

‘Twas un-sweet tea, which I might like… sweet tea is too sweet for me. The ‘healthy eats’ consisted of strawberries used like bowls, with some kind of banana-and-Greek yogurt cream, topped with almond slivers. I got one that only had two almond slivers, so I took the slivers off and gave my second one to Charlise — because, you know, nut allergy.

They had some cucumber-infused water at the yoga/fitness center, and I regret not getting any because I really love fruit-infused water.

(So I will just make some at home.)

Fitness Zone

It’s a 1-minute fitness challenge — yoga — and it felt like a lot longer than a minute. :p My back is slightly hurting from this, or maybe it’s hurting from the nightly stretches I didn’t do for a week and just did again last night. Because I was at my dad’s, and it’s not really as easy there.

Anyway, we were given coupons for 2 free weeks of unlimited classes at Sunstone Fit.

(Definitely doing that.)

I did the quick Fire warm up of the ‘Hot Yoga’ series, which is usually done in a heated/body temperature room at a moderate pace, where it is also usually humid. It was fitting for the weather today.

Relaxation Retreat

My dad has given me massages in the past (or tried to), but I always squealed away from him because they tickled. This was, honestly, my first professional massage, and it. was. amazing.

I’m definitely going to have to get more of these in the future. I mean, I almost fell asleep — that’s normal, right?

POPSUGAR Must Have Box

What was inside

• One Day Fat Blast[3. Probably not the best thing for someone who has an on-and-off-again eating disorder, but maybe it can encourage it in a positive way? We’ll see.] by Tone It Up with Karena & Katrina (DVD)
• Kerry Cassill Nighty Night eye cover
• Hi I’m Skinny, Skinny Sticks: Multi-Grain Sweet Onion — These babies taste like Funyuns. The difference: you can have more chips, all natural, healthier. BONUS: No dairy or yeast, though they are produced in a facility that also processes milk, soy, tree nuts, wheat and egg.
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Nail Polish: Pool Boy — 100% vegan, cruelty-free. I like the color. 🙂
• Citrus Zinger — So, I like fruit-infused water, and honestly, this thing beats having to fill a large pitcher of fruit-infusion, because I prefer to drink out of water bottles. …I mean, I’m more likely to drink something if  it’s in a bottle, because for me, the taste stays fresher longer and keeps stuff in the air from falling into it. (Does that make sense?)
  Coupon: POPZING10 for 10% off your order + free shipping, expires 1 July 2014, only valid for orders shipping to the contiguous U.S., tax where applicable.[4. Card says to share with someone special!]
• St. Tropez Dispenser by Smell Bent — Yes, just yes. I was saving up for Fantasy by Britney Spears ’cause I liked it two years ago and still like it today, and trying new fragrances is difficult because they’re costly, and you can only test so much with samples. THIS is the scent — although very, very faint — I kept smelling there, and I really, really loved it, so I’m really glad it was included in the box. It’s “the scent of sunscreen on the beach”. #newfavorite

In conclusion

I’m really glad I went, and that I got to go, and that I was personally invited.

Thank you, Aaron, for giving me a tour, being friendly and speaking nicely. Thank you, Kristen, for reaching out, and thank you, Alex, for answering my question/making sure I was all set!

Where else

They have two more stops:

• San Francisco, June 28
• Los Angeles, July 12

…Considering the number of people I know from Cali, I think that’s kind of weirdly fitting.

More info @ popsugar.com/PassportToHealthySkin