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10.02.2018

NOLA 2018

Two weekends ago, Kevin and I headed to New Orleans!
The last time I was in NOLA was in April 2006 when I went with a group of people from our church to help rebuild houses for Hurricane Katrina Relief.
You can read about that trip HERE.
There was so much devastation in NOLA from Katrina, so I was looking forward to seeing how the city had rebuilt itself the past 12 years.
We arrived in NOLA late Thursday afternoon.
We got an uber from the airport to tour hotel and our uber driver told us we were her last ride of the day becuae she was going to the Beyonce' &Jayz concert at the Superdome that night.
That sounded like a BLAST, so right then I looked up tickets and convinced Kevin we needed to go.
"Vacation Mel" is very spontanous...you never know that I am going to do. Haha.
Like when 2 years ago in Vegas, my friends and I  were walking back to our hotel at midnight and saw a line outside a club and found out the Chainsmokers were playing at 1am, so we bought tickets right then and got in line for the concert. 
 
Even though I'm a planner, it's always fun to be spontaneous! :)
 After we checked in to our hotel, we headed to Bourbon Street so we could go to Pat O'Briens.

We've never had Hurricanes before so had to get one.

Such a  sweet drink....hello sugar!
That was the one and only Hurricane I had the entire weekend...way too sweet!
We ordered the fried alligator as an appetizer, because why not?!?!

It was actually really good. It tastes like if Chicken and Calamari had a baby. LOL.
We checked out more of the French Quarter before heading to dinner.
We had dinner at GW Fins. It was delicious. If you ever go there, get the lobster pot stickers.
They also have amazing biscuits...don't fill up on them!
The food was incredible.
If you like fresh seafood, you would love this place!
We even made room for dessert...our favorite Creme Brulee!
Afer dinner, we walked over to the Superdome for the Beyonce Concert!
Bourbon Street was starting to get more crowded.
The walk to the Superdome was only a mile and we enjoyed seeing different areas of NOLA on the walk.
So excited to see the Superdome...it is MASSIVE!
Even more excited to see Beyonce!
The show as AWESOME!!!!

DJ Kahled opened up for Beyonce and Jayz. He was great.

Then it was Beyonce time. Jay Z is talented, but there is a reason Beyonce is called the Queen.
It was such a fun concert! Kevin is a trooper!
The next day I was up bright and early to head to the New Orleans Convention Center. 
The reason that we were in NOLA was for the Rodan + Fields Convention. Kevin didn't attend the convention, but he wanted to come to NOLA!

Before the sessions, I had to stop and get some coffee and beingets!
The line was about 15 minutes long

But it was worth it!
I mean....they don't skimp on the powdered sugar!
SO good!!!!
The Convention Center is near the Mississippi River!
My RF sessions were exciting that day because they announced our newest product...Radiant Defense Perfecting Liquid.
We got to sample it, try it on & buy it right there at convention!

 What is Radiant Defense? It is Derma Cosmetics.
Derma-Cosmetics offer instant cosmetic results with long-term dermatologic skin improvements.
  How is this different from foundation or B.B. or CC creams?
 Derma-Cosmetics  work to IMPROVE your skins health, not just cover it up. 
It PROTECTS from the environment (things like pollution and dirt)
It REPAIRS your protective moisture barrier 
It PROTECTS against sun with 30 SPF
After one week you will already see results WITHOUT the product on.It comes in 6 shades!

I am the 3rd shade which is Sand. It goes on so easily & it so lightweight. I never wear foundation, but I am loving the Radiant Defense. You would use this in place of foundation. I am seriously obsessed. It was so hot & humid in NOLA and it felt like I had nothing on my skin!

After my sessions that day, I met back up with Kevin for a late lunch.
We loved walking through the French Quarter looking at all the cool buildings & landmarks.
I loved all the balconies with ferns.
So unique & unlike anything we have in California.
I was so happy to see NOLA thriving after Katrina.

Beautiful church.
Everyone told us we needed to go to Central Grocery for their Muffuletta.
 It is a deli type of sandwich with this olive chutney. I don't even like olives, but I LOVED this sandwich!
We walked a different way back to the hotel so we could see more unique houses.
So pretty!
I couldn't stop taking photos of the architecture!
At night, these balconies are filled with people throwing beads people
Crazy at night, but beautiful during the day.
Can't stop won't stop taking pictures of hanging ferns.
There were also some really cool hotels in the French Quarter.
Later that evening we got ready to meet the team for drinks & appetizers!
We went to Sac A Lait.
It is in the lower Garden District & had a really cool vibe.
After drinks & appetizers Kevin and I had reservations at Brennan's in the French Quarter. It was a nice night...88 degrees! So we decided to walk instead of Uber. We walked past this place called Bar Cadia.
It's a bar with tons of arcade games. We had to stop!
We got to Brennan's & had to wait a little so we got drinks at the Brennan's bar.
The food at Brennan's was amazing.
If you go to Brennan's, you MUST get the Bananas Foster...the make it right at your table!

Delicious!
After dinner we walked around Bourbon Street again.
I'm wearing Radiant Defense in Sand :)

Bourbon Street is just crazy...I went to Mexico for Spring Break when I was in college and I thought that was crazy.
 A random Friday night in September and Bourbon Street was out of control crazy.

 I can't imagine what it is like during Mardi Gras. WHOA.

The next morning I headed back to the Convention Center for more RF training sessions while Kevin and my teammate Nora's husband went to a Sports Bar to watch College Football. My teammate Nora and I met up with them after our sessions for lunch.
Beer & Fried Pickles/Jalapenos!
We don't have fried pickles/jalapenos in California...so good!
I also had a Bacon Cheeseburger. Just eating our way through NOLA.

After lunch we walked around some more to check out even more beautiful architecture.
Love all the character!
We got ready for the big GALA!
We had dinner The Palace Cafe. I got the gumbo because you gotta have gumbo in NOLA!
There was also Turtle Soup on the menu & I was intrigued, so the waiter was so nice and gave me a sample. It was really good, glad I tried it!
There was a live Jazz trio that came to each table and sang. They were incredible!
Such a fun dinner at the Palace Cafe!
Then we were off to the RF Gala. Mario Lopez was our host.
And, we got a private concert by Kelly Clarkson!
She was awesome!
Love being in business with these girls.
The Gala was such a fun way to end Convention.

Our last day in NOLA Kevin and I headed to the Garden District for lunch.
 
Such a cute area of NOLA.
 We got Shrimp Po Boys at a really cute restaurant in the Garden District....Delicious!
We walked around a little more and then headed to the airport.

We had a such a great time exploring NOLA.
I am so glad Kevin came with me to convention.
Next year is in Nashville....I can't wait! 

I also wanted to let you know Monday was the official launch day of Radiant Defense Perfecting Liquid and now you can order it! I have been using it the past couple weeks and I absolutely love it.

Our NEW Radiant Defense:
👉 Is PERFECT for ALL skin tones and types
👉🏻 Doesn’t clog pores or leave skin oily
👉🏼 Protects against environmental aggressors
👉🏽 Leaves a smooth and flawless finish, like you’re wearing nothing at all
👉🏾 Contains SPF 30
👉🏿 Comes in 6 shades to match any skin tone and can be blended and contoured
👉🏽 Helps dry, irritated skin
👉🏼 Has skin-perfecting ability
👉🏻 IMMEDIATELY IMPROVES your skin tone
👉 Functions as the last step of your morning skincare regimen
I need to take a before & after, but my favorite thing about Radiant Defense is that it covers my Skin Cancer scar on my nose.
I don't need to use concealer anymore!!!

If you are interested in Radiant Defense, you can find your color on my color matcher HERE.
I have a special going on this month for anyone who orders Radiant Defense.
You will get our Make Up Remover Wipes OR our Eye Makeup Remover for FREE.
If you buy a regimen & radiant defense, you get Make Up wipes AND a Radiant Defense Brush for FREE.
One bottle of Radiant Defense is $59 and will last 5-6 months.
Comes with a 60 day empty bottle 100% money back guarantee.
Radiant Defense is good for all skin types, has SPF 30 and won't clog pores...it's good for your skin!
Message me if you have questions or want to place an order.
melissa_larson17@yahoo.com

6 comments:

  1. Ohhh! This made me homesick for my heart city - love NOLA! Y'all hit so many great places, too. Isn't Barcadia fun? And yes! Turtle soup is so yummy. What a fun trip.

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  2. You don't have fried pickles in CA?? Oh the horror! :) Fried pickles are my jam, and I will order them anywhere I find them!

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  3. I'm headed to NOLA in a couple of weeks I'm so excited for this post.

    xo
    Pinksole

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  4. Hi Mel,
    Great pics & post.
    I live in Northern California, too. I just wanted to let you know that you can get fried pickles at Buffalo Wild Wings. :) There may be other restaurants, as well, but, I do know BWW has them. They are good. Maybe not as good as Nola cuz I'm guessing their food is amazing. :)
    Anyway, just letting you know.

    ReplyDelete
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