Glamour

glam·our/ˈglamər/

Noun:

The attractive or exciting quality that makes certain people or things seem appealing or special: "the glamour of Monte Carlo."

Here I am with my cape/coat and my Glamour bag outside of Carnegie Hall.

For the second year in a row I have been lucky enough to attend Glamour’s Women of the Year Awards at Carnegie Hall.  It goes without saying I’m a fan of the glitz and pizazz such an event brings.  From celebrities to sequins, the evening is an all-out star-studded extravaganza that’s inspirational and entertaining.

If you don’t know what the Awards are about, here’s a quick rundown.  Each year, Glamour selects around 11 women who are doing amazing in things out in the world.  These women can be politicians, artists, fashion designers, royalty, actors or activists, and every year they are selected by past recipients and honoured at the Awards. 

As I’m clearly not famous (well, at least not yet), how I was able to attend this event is a bit of a mystery, that is, until you discover the world of being a seat filler.  Basically all televised awards shows get a group of people to dress up and, well, sit in empty seats so the theatre always appears full. If Cher gets up, you sit in her seat.  When she returns, you give her seat back.  This particular example hasn’t specially happened to me, but I have seen Cher at the Awards, so I’m speaking from experience. Ish.

Last year, I braved this new world of seat filling on my own and I moved about the theatre a number of times, filling empty chairs and having a few brushes with fame (thank you, Stanley Tucci – I’m still talking about you).  This year, I convinced my husband to come along, but unlike last year, after we sat down in the 10^th row, we didn’t have to move.  We sat across the aisle from Tory Burch, Lea Michelle, Gloria Steinem and Jennifer Lopez; we listened to colourful stories from Arianna Huffington and shared in an inspirational adventure with Esraa Abdel Fattah.  The night was full of girl power… and it was awesome.

“The Bests” – in my opinion

• Most Inspirational Story – Withelma “T” Oriz-Macey
• Best Dressed – Lea Michele
• Best Acceptance Speech – Arianna Huffington
• Best Surprise – A four-way tie for unexpected award presenters: Jennifer Aniston, Emma Stone, Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer
• Funniest Speeches – Arianna Huffington and Chelsea Handler

Of course, it wouldn’t be a truly glamorous event without an equally fun bag of goodies at the end of the night.  So, what was in that bag?

As the title sponsor is Loreal, you'll notice a pattern of strategic product placement.  Here we have full sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner and hairspray.

Loreal make up fun! False lash mascara, Glamour Women of the Year lipstick in 'blazing sangria',  'blushing berry' lip gloss, and 'smokey for all eyes' eye shadow (a product I'm frankly skeptical of... how can one foam brush blend everything in one sweep?)

A Pandora collector's guide and, perhaps most importantly, a bottle of 'Youth Code' serum.  Apparently  if I put it on  in the morning I'll look like me and by the end of the day I'll end up looking like Abigail Breslin.  Quite frankly, as long as it can guarantee I'll look as good as Julianna Margulies at some point in my life, I'm willing to try it out.