LuckyFABB Recap

Oh my. Where to begin with a LuckyFABB recap? I guess I can first start by saying this is what I wore for Saturday brunch and that becoming roommates with Jenn and Stesha was simply meant to be. Really. It was the "universe" took over kind of deal. None of us planned on staying together. We all had other original plans with sleeping arrangements and accommodations. Literally a week or two before LuckyFABB we all wound up together. I could tell you how it all went down, but that's a whole other blog post. Let's just say fate stepped in. Shall we begin?

Old Navy Gingham Top (options here and here) // Forever 21 Faux Leather Pleated Skirt (option here and here) // Forever 21 Booties // Quilted Bag from Marshall's (option here and here) // Forever 21 Necklace // Michael Kors Watch c/o The Jeweler's Wife // Lilac Bijoux Bow Bangle c/o (option here and here) // Wrenn Jewelry Ring c/o

I flew into LAX on Thursday evening and took a cab straight to the SLS Beverly Hills where the LuckyFABB conference took place and our home for two nights. I anxiously knocked on room #303 for Jenn to answer. I had never met her in real life and quite frankly didn't even know her last name. Crazy, right? She swung open the door and we immediately embraced in a full on non-awkward hug. "OMG!" "It's so good to finally meet you!" "I can't believe we are here!" "You look just like you do in your blog pictures!" "Let's go to the bar and have a cocktail!" That's pretty much how the first few minutes went down.

The SLS is KILLER! The decor is out of this world and the lobby bar was the most homey and coziest place ever! We hunkered down on the leather couches in front of a private fireplace and started our long overdue chat session. Stesha and Kacie arrived an hour later from an earlier event (I didn't fly in in time to attend). We sat there for a few hours just catching up, laughing, snacking and of course chatting about all things blogging. Stesha stayed with me last year for Texas Style Council and we have been buds for a few years. Meeting Kacie and Jenn in the flesh was a first. Both ladies were exactly how I expected them to be and what you see and read on their blogs are true to the core. Adore them both!

Friday morning came early. Believe it or not, three girls getting ready in one room with one bathroom went smoother than expected. We headed downstairs for a small breakfast buffet and a few photo opps. We all decided we needed to figure out the lighting of the photo booths because no filters were required!! Bloggers' dream. Eva Chen, Editor-in-Chief, of Lucky pretty much ran the morning show. She did a fabulous job of speaking, getting the conference started and her and Nicole Richie's chat session was so relaxed, real and candid. When Nicole came on stage I kind of got the chills. She is a fashion icon in my book and brought her true personality to the table. She mentioned that fanny packs were dope, wanted to start a restaurant called Nicki Fresh, gave some style tips, reminded us that our craft is a work in progress and that we should live and breathe it. Wise words. 

We also heard from Sophia Amuroso, founder of NastyGal. I literally want to be BFFs with her. To think that her glory all started with an eBay Vinatge shop blows my mind. Her rapid success in just seven years is a true testament to hard work and dreams coming true. This girl has ZERO regrets about her crazy and comical past (which she shared snip its of) and reminded us that if those "chapters" in her life didn't take place she wouldn't be where she was today. Again, wise words and ones to chew on. I can totally relate. 

After one big happy blogger family pow-wow, we had a quick lunch, then broke out into sessions that catered to our individual interests. My favorites were the insights I got from SEO and Personal Style. To keep this bog post to a minimum, I am not going to go through all my notes from the sessions. If you have any questions, let me know. I am happy to share some of the tips I took notes on. Besides the normal advice of ignoring haters, trolls and surrounding yourself with positive people, the personal style portion was enlightening. I did want to share a few tips on the SEO portion of blogging. It was insighful to learn a few tips on growing your traffic and making an SEO checklist.

1. Do not write in a robotic way. Sprinkle key words throughout your post. 

2. High engagement on your site (comments) will increase your SEO.

3. Write about new and relative content. Check out trending topics on Twitter and Facebook.

4. Set up an account with Google Keyword Planner or get a free trial with Word Tracker. 

5. Don't name your blog pictures 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. Give them key word names like "Floral and Stripe Pattern Mixing" " Silver Sequin Pencil Skirt" "Best Beauty Products for 2014". 

6. Make sure your site has a fast page upload with no broken links.

7. NEVER use "click here". Always name the product you want people to click on. 

After our sessions, we ended the day with a cocktail party and of course more photo opps in the booths. I mean, would you expect anything less? (left to right: Kacie, Amy, Lauren, Stesha and Jenn)

 

Friday evening we took blog outfit pics of one another (duh), made a mad dash to our room, did a quick change for dinner and hopped into a cab to Tortilla Republic (highly recommend) for dinner and cocktails with Glam Media. Thank you, Hallie for coordinating an amazing and memorable night! It was one a few of us will laugh about for years to come. Some moments just can't be documented in a blog post. Let's just say a handful of new inside jokes were compiled.

We ended our LuckyFABB escapade by attending a networking patio brunch, receiving an obscene swag bag that weighed at least thirty pounds, packing up our ransacked room and saying our sad farewells. I am still grinning from the weekend and am so thankful for this experience and trip. Meeting so many women with so much in common is heartwarming and humbling. We all work so hard at what we do, take pride in our sites and all hope that we get out what we put in. When I started my blog over two years ago I would have never imagined all the friends I would make or the memories that I would add to my life. Some days stressful and I want to give up, but opportunities like this past weekend make it all worth while. I don't even want to think about the day that my blogging book closes. 

P.S. "It's always more important to have an audience than it is to have followers." - Chriselle Lim

 **If you are linking up today, the only request is that you follow my blog with GFC or Bloglovin' and link back to it in your post. It's how weekly link ups work. Oh, and go meet some new friends! 

 

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