mara -- i've never been to one, mainly for the reason you said. but i know a bunch of girls on the forum went to the last one in nyc and had a really good time.
i have been to the ones in nyc. it's pretty fun -- there was some pretty good stuff in the goody bag. and then there's the open bar. it was pretty crowded though, hard to walk around and the lines for any of the makeover things were super long. (we ended up mostly in the line for the drinks.)
so...exactly how good are these goodie bags? ( I am totally trying to validate the ticket fee to myself.....) But, on the other hand I hate loud warehouse-type shopping....it scares me.
The goodie bags are awesome! Let's see if I can remember what was in the ones I got:
- Foot petals (my faves!) used in the bottom of your shoes so that your high heels do not hurt. I have bought a few myself, and they are about $8. Got 2 in the bag.
- Nolita Beach Hair - Nice big bottle. I don't use the product, but managed to sell on ebay for $10.
- Some Tony nail polish in a nice neutral color.
- Lip gloss
- Some spa products
I think the goodie bag by itself is worth it, but the drinks definitely help too! The few times I went I didn't think it was warehouse-type of shopping (but then LA could be different). I did find a lot of the designers there to be the independent up-and-coming designers that I tend to gravitate towards. some very unique stuff.