Reporting back! I went to the event right toward the start (9:10...had trouble figuring out where I was supposed to park!). I didn't bring a +1 because none of my friends are as crazy as me.
/emoticons/
[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> It was really not nearly as crowded as I expected it to be--honestly, half of the bodies in the store were sales people. They had (tasty! and generously sized!) pastries, coffee, and cute mini Rouge-branded disposable water bottles.
I was actually really pleased with the event and genuinely surprised by it. The staff were SO FRIENDLY (shout out to Tyson's Corner staff! Great job!) and there were soo many of them (in a good way). Really eager to help and generous with samples and services. They kept asking me if I wanted to have a service (they were doing hair, lips, and eyes at the normal makeup studio, and other skincare stuff with reps throughout the store), so I finally was like sure what the hell and got an eye service. Not the most amazing makeup I've ever had, but it was fun and the woman was very friendly to chat to. While I was getting my service done, the store director came up and introduced herself and chatted. She gave me her card and said please contact her with any issues, questions, etc. in the future. A nice touch!
The one thing that really made a difference is that they clearly limited the amount of people who could attend, which made the whole experience so enjoyable. I was at one of the stores that was listed as "full" for the RSVP too. It wasn't all crammed in (less crowded than a normal holiday Saturday) and was really easy to get to the services/reps, etc. This store covers a pretty large area of NoVA for the "home store," so I was really just expecting a total shitshow. But it was so pleasant and fun.
I didn't talk to any of the specific brand reps at my store. The only one I wanted to work with was the Hourglass rep, who looked hilariously annoyed because they were sold out of all but one color of both the Ambient powders and the blushes, which were what I had been wanting to try. I was bummed by that--I made a beeline straight to Hourglass upon arrival to try the powders in person and they were even out of the tester displays! I mean, really? I think I'll be ordering the powder online with the code. So anyway, I get why the rep was annoyed, and kind of poor planning on their part!
I received the bag with the foil samples, some extra foils, and a Rouge mirror. I'll go take a photo and post in a sec!