On Saturday, November 14th I hosted a charity event to benefit local women and teen girls in the Tampa Bay Area. The concept came to fruition while doing a little closet purging recently. The plan is to simplify my life for 2016 and beyond by embracing a minimalist approach to just about everything. I figured what a great thing it would be to donate my gently-used goods to women and teens in need. So I packed up loads of stuff from my closet and boutique inventory, collected loads of stuff from my friends’ closet and turned a rented venue into a closet for a day. I also enlisted two local beauty professional friends—– professional make-up artist Toni Nicole and hair stylist Kiffany Ray of Styles by Kiff. The ladies hosted a beauty corner where they offered makeovers to the guests. Local catering company Livy O’ Catering Co. created a series of delicious hor d’ dourves including cajun deviled eggs, a fruit platter, assorted chicken wings, empanadas and more. We had amazing almond cupcakes provided by Sweet Things Gourmet Cupcakes, gourmet artisan chocolates by Viktoria Richards Chocolates, an assortment of beverages and beauty bags gifted with beauty goods from YOS—a beauty and personal care company. It was so rewarding to be able to pay it forward and to simply watch the smiles on everyone faces. Check out some scenes from the event inside.

THANK YOU SPONSORS: Sweet Things Gourmet Cupcakes | Livy O’s Catering Co. | Toni Nicole Professional Makeup | Viktoria Richards Chocolates | On Point Executive Center | Charity Chics | Sergii Lakhno Photography | Styles by Kiff | Infinite Dimensions | Karen Gillman After the Band | YOS