Gia's First Beauty PR Event: Gen Z Reviews Glow Recipe, Laneige & Huda Beauty
Yes I came home with lots of viral beauty products! But I also learnt some invaluable confidence lessons too.
What happens at a beauty PR event?
I wasn’t sure what to expect walking into my first PR event. Maybe a few glossy tables and some samples to politely sniff. What I found instead was influencer heaven: pastel displays lined with glow serums, lip masks in every shade of pink, and an actual raspberry cake that looked like it belonged in a Coppola film.
I was there on behalf of The Beauty Ed, my first official outing as a freelance contributor; and my inner beauty-obsessed teenager was levitating. Between trays of oysters, blinis, and glass bottles of sparkling water, I floated from brand to brand, my notes in one hand, samples in the other.
The event was hosted by TRACE Publicity, and it was like stepping inside a real life Tik-Tok feed: glow filters, beauty samples, and influencers in perfectly coordinated outfits snapping photos against perfect backdrops. I found myself somewhere between journalist and observer, both part of it and slightly outside it.
As a Gen Zer who’s grown up in a world where skincare routines begin before secondary school and “holy grail” products trend weekly, the beauty industry has always fascinated me.
What does it mean to really care for your skin when almost everything around you is designed to make you buy more of it?
💄Trying (and truthfully reviewing) the Viral Favourites
Laneige Matcha Lip Mask Review: Is It Worth The Hype?
That was what I kept thinking as I tested the much-hyped Laneige Matcha Lip Mask. Aesthetic, pastel and perfectly on trend with the season’s matcha craze. However, if I am being honest, it smells more like cupcake frosting than earthy matcha. Aesthetic? Absolutely. Essential? Not really.
Truthfully, nothing from the range has managed to overthrow my go to Sweet Candy Lip Mask which still lives on my nightstand!
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturiser Review
Next up was Glow Recipe, practically a rite of passage for anyone born after 2000. Their pink glass bottles glistened and I finally understood the obsession. The Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturiser surprised me with its ultra-lightweight, breathable texture, perfect for those who dislike heavy products. It leaves skin radiant and plump and contains potent skin-strengthening proteins to calm and brighten. It’s the kind of skincare that looks good both on your shelf and in your camera roll, a Gen Z love language, really.
Makeup💄
Huda Beauty Easy Bake Setting Spray Review
And finally, makeup. Huda Beauty’s Easy Bake Setting Spray caught my eye the moment I walked in. Makeup is my daily ritual, and with a makeup artist for a mother, I’ve grown up learning what’s worth the splurge.
This one earns its hype: it uses rice starch and mineral clay to control shine with a soft matte finish, while hyaluronic acid keeps everything comfortable and hydrated. It subtly blurs pores and holds makeup in place, even through humidity and long press-day hours!
What I Learned at My First PR Event
By the end of the day, I’d chatted with PR reps, learnt about the ingredients behind the newest beauty products, and learned two key lessons:
You have to fake confidence, even when you feel like hiding behind the canapé tray. Confidence is 90% pretending you belong, 10% an outfit that makes YOU feel good).
PR events are far less intimidating than we think.
When I got home, with a bag full of samples, I felt this strange mix of excitement and exhaustion, the kind you get after a concert where the music’s still ringing in your ears. That’s the thing about beauty: it’s performance and intimacy at once. Behind every aesthetic pot and glowing mist, there’s a story about who we want to be; and, if you look closely, who we already are.
So here’s to the first of many press days, to the lessons learned (mostly: wear flats), and to finding beauty in the small moments.
Until next time,
-Gia xoxo