Behind the Scenes at Allure’s Best of Beauty Live VIP Evening Event

What’s better than one 30th birthday celebration? Two, duh. After a day filled with masterclasses, mingling, injectable appointments, and top-tier goodie bags at Allure’s Best of Beauty Live, the team did it all again for a nighttime session at Halo Twenty Eight in Manhattan’s Financial District.

Starting at 5 p.m., editors, content creators, founders, and beauty insiders with impeccable beats descended upon the event space. They were greeted by eight servers with trays of full champagne flutes for the start of Allure’s Best of Beauty Live Evening session—an event I’m affectionately dubbing BoB After Dark. For two glorious hours, guests were able to indulge in an evening cocktail party with passed hors d’oeuvres, Silver Oak wines, and signature drinks like the vodka-based Rouge Affair and the Silver Oak martini, a gin-wine hybrid. “We’re having so much fun,” Joey Healy, creator of seven-time Best of Beauty winner Joey Healy Luxe Brow Powder, said as he walked through the crowd.

There was more product testing, sampling, and smelling, and gaming moments to be had from the 2026 Best of Beauty Awards winners—not to mention VIP-level gift bags valued at over $850. And just like the morning session, evening VIPs took home branded tote bags stuffed to the brim with select products from Allure’s 319 Best of Beauty Award winners, including Ouai Detox Shampoo, Heretic Parfum Black Salt, Wella Professionals Ultimate Repair 5-in-1 Protective Leave-In, Makeup By Mario Ethereal Eyes Palette, and Dr. Idriss Major Fade Flash Mask. Attendees were also invited to get ready at L’Oréal Paris’s glam station, followed by a trip down Allure’s red carpet.

Jacqueline Kovalcin, 25, attended the later session with her sister, influencer Margaret Kiovalcin, and was especially excited about being in the same room as beauty industry innovators and founders—specifically Charlotte Palermino, founder of Dieux Skin, who she was able to meet and snag a photo with. “She’s a huge inspiration to me as someone who works in the skin-care industry,” Kovalcin says. “To be able to meet her was a dream come true. I would have never gotten that opportunity outside of the Allure live beauty event. It was literally the coolest night ever.”

Besides rubbing elbows with award-winning founders such as Palermino, Anastasia Soare, Danessa Myricks, and Octavia Morgan, attendees were also able to cozy up with two more renowned names in the industry: Botox and Juvéderm. With the purchase of a VIP+ ticket, select guests were given injectable appointments courtesy of SkinSpirit. A rep at the booth said they did almost 65 appointments throughout the day.

At around 6pm, Allure’s editor in chief Jessica Cruel took the mic to address the crowd of eager, beauty-loving attendees. “We are really thrilled to celebrate all of the amazing brands that have won Best of Beauty this year, and all the industry leaders, and all the researchers, and all the supply-chain management people,” she said. “All of you deserve a big round of applause because it’s your work that gets the Best of Beauty seal.”

Towards the end of the night, the teams in each booth were letting loose—the EltaMD section was particularly the place to be, with workers dancing up a storm to “I Love It” by Icona Pop and “Run The World (Girls)” by Beyoncé while handing out the brand’s award-winner, UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing SPF 50.

The lines ebbed and flowed, but attendees seemed most excited to spin the wheel at the Allure Beauty Box station. The prizes included hefty discounts on subscriptions and also the opportunity to win a box themselves, which is a monthly assortment of curated products hand-picked by Allure editors. Avantika Vandanapu took a chance and won 40% off a box, while her guest ended up winning an entire beauty box for themselves. Lucky them.

By 7pm, the Best of Beauty Live workers had to convince attendees to leave the floor. There seemed to be a consensus that no one was ready for the night to end. “It was my first Best of Beauty Live,” Kovalcin said, “but definitely not my last.”

For more on Allure's Best of Beauty Awards, keep reading:

• An Oral History of Allure’s Best of Beauty Awards
• Best of Beauty: Behind the Scenes
• 30 Hall of Fame Products That Won Best of Beauty Awards Again This Year