Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to join 14 other Style Guru's for the trip of a lifetime. In May, I received an e-mail from the marketing coordinator of College Fashionista saying that I was chosen to go to this year's PINK Nation Motel. She couldn't give me any information other than the dates and the fact that it was in California, but I immediately said yes.
A week ago I received a follow up e-mail with my flight information, my roommate assignment, and the excursion I was assigned to on the trip (we got to choose between a hike, a gondola ride through the mountains, and an ATV ride). I was also put in a group message with the 14 other girls. Other than this, I didn't know what was in store for me other than a weekend in California, but I was stoked.
On Friday, I flew into LAX where a PINK rep met me and a few other girls. She took us to a bus that led us to the Hyatt Regency in L.A. where we waited in a room with the other girls on the trip. After awhile, we went downstairs to see a giant tour bus covered in polka dots-- the PINK bus. I got on the second bus, and we went on a road trip to our destination. They didn't tell us where we were going, but we had a feeling of where it was. Our bus actually ended up breaking down, so we missed out on a pitstop at the Cabazon Dinosaurs, but it was just a minor bump in the road... AND, our bus got pizza, so we won anyway.
Within a few hours, we had arrived at our destination. We were in Palm Springs California at the V, which is a crazy awesome resort that I wouldn't be able to afford in a lifetime. We got off of the bus and checked in, got a few pictures in the lobby, and headed to our rooms. On our bed was a ton of freebies-- I'm not kidding, we got a water bottle, a hat, socks, undies, a bralette, a shirt, a pair of workout leggings, a gift card, a towel, a beach bag, and a few lotions. I honestly thought I was dreaming. That night, PINK rented out a local putt-putt course, so we all got to go chill for a few hours.
The next morning, a breakfast buffet was served in the most adorable little tents that were "PINKed-out". After breakfast, we headed out for our excursions. I chose the canyon hike, and I was SO excited. I met up with the only other style guru that was doing the same activity, and we met up with our group. We walked to the Tahquitz Canyon lobby with a few other girls that were PINK reps, PINK sponsored stylists, and contest winners. The hike was about two miles through the desert that led to a waterfall. It was unbelievably gorgeous.
After we got back from the hike, the other style guru's were all dolled up and going to a famous instagram location that was a few minutes away. I rushed to my room to get ready and met them outside just in time for the Uber. We headed to the door and took a ton of photos and were so excited to do that since some of us missed out on the opportunity the day before since our bus broke down.
When we got back from the pink door, we got ready for the PINK pool party. Our resort was decked out with PINK merchandise and decorations. They had a stand where we could get our hair done by the Beachwaver, which is the company who does the hair of the PINK models during their fashion shows. There was also a DJ, waiters walking around giving us the most delicious virgin mojitos and margaritas, a popsicle stand, a taco buffet, and a pool full of beach balls and rafts. Yes, it was heaven.
After the pool party, we got ready for dinner and headed downtown on the PINK bus. They rented out the loft part of a popular restaurant and PINKed it out, too. There were giant martini glasses full of fruit and vegetables, a cheese tray, meat skewers, and a build-your-own pasta bar. It was covered with pink decor and balloons. It was adorable and honestly that was the moment I realized that I peaked that weekend. After dinner, we were sent out on a scavenger hunt around town. A girl in my group was super competitive, so we were running around the streets like lunatics trying to get as many points as we could (we ended up coming in second place). When that was over, we all piled back onto the PINK bus and headed back to the resort for some free time after the busy day.
A lot of the other style gurus and I all met in one room and spent all night bonding. We came to the conclusion that we're pretty much one soul in fifteen bodies. I genuinely miss each and every one of them so much.
The next morning, we woke up early to do a hula hooping workout (which sounds dumb but it was actually really cool). After the workout, they set up the pool area for brunch. They had a breakfast food buffet set up like the day before, virgin mimosas, avocado toast, and build-your-own acai bowls from a company called AmazeBowls. This was our last hoorah since everyones bus back to LAX left relatively soon, so we got our last photo-ops, hugs, and bonding in before we left.
The weekend was more than what I could've ever expected and I am so thankful to have been apart of it. I want to thank College Fashionista and VSPink for giving me this opportunity and allowing me to befriend 14 of the coolest girls I have ever met. Gab, Norah, Sahana, Sam, Mack, Allie, Ashton, Val, Gabrielle , Monica, Britt, Avery, Kalynn, and Maddy-- you are all amazing. Katie-- thank you for everything you did for us on this trip, it was truly a pleasure meeting you.