April 19, 2019

Palm Springs with Bondi Sands


This past weekend kicked off festival season with Coachella's annual weekend one! Not only do people attend the music festival, but nowadays companies host huge parties in celebration of new products and brand outreach. This year, the #1 tanning brand in the USA (originated in Australia) Bondi Sands hosted their first US festival launch party for their new product Aero. My friend and colleague, Chelsea Brady (whom I've worked with in Bali, San Francisco, and Venice) is their head videographer. She reached out and hired me on to second shoot and be the brand photographer for the weekend's events including Influencer Dinner/Welcome Party, Aero Launch Extravaganza, and Coachella Day 3. I was stoked to work with Bondi Sands and Chelsea and capture all the incredible moments! 

Influencer Dinner



On Friday, the first event was a welcome dinner for the influencers, publicists, and Bondi team. Bondi Sands went all out with branded shuttles that turned into party buses to and from Coachella and Neon Carnival. 

 

 


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Steph SmithPia Muehlenbeck | Tammy Hembrow

 

 

The dinner setting was stunning and the menu was very gourmet. Aesthetically, the food was lovely, but I have the tastebuds of a child. I happily enjoyed the fries and the desserts. lol Plus, we were on our feet capturing the event, so we barely ate. It was such a cool experience to a part of.

  

 


Aero Launch Party


Saturday was the big day, a.k.a. Aero launch. Chelsea and I arrived at the venue early along with some other Bondi crew members. The party decor was colorful and exciting; once the influencers arrived the party was on! When I talked with some of the bloggers and celebs at the end of the evening, they complimented Bondi Sands for hosting the best Coachella party they've been to! Check out the videos and photos we captured below. :) 

 



 
 

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Maddie Ziegler | Michael Finch

 

Steph Smith | Brooke Hogan

 

Stassi Schroeder

 

Alyssa Lynch

Neon Carnival


Bondi Sands was a top sponsor of this year's infamous after party, Neon Carnival. The festive party is known for being top secret, very exclusive (invite only), and a celebrity hotspot. Absolutely no cameras are allowed, so all footage and photos were captured with our iPhones. We got a private tour before the evening of to see all the rides and actives before anyone else. 

 


 



 


 

 

I kept it casual and comfortable for my look at Neon Carnival. Chelsea and I played a game of "pose so I can film the celebrity behind you." We captured Liam Payne (One Direction), David Dobrik (Vlog Squad), and Greg Sulkin (Faking It). We also spotted Leonardo Decaprio, Wiz Khalifa, Paris Hilton, and Lamorne Morris.

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Palm Springs


Bondi Sands' crew and influencers all stayed at The Rowan. It was pretty nice and had a great coffee house/restaurant attached called the Juniper Table. The decor was chic, staff was lovely, and the room was comfortable. My only complaint is that the elevators always smelt like intense fake garlic; me and two others in the group are allergic to garlic, so it was brutal every time we got in the lift. 


 

Lucky for us, the hotel was in walking distance of numerous shops and eateries. The area reminded me of Scottsdale. We enjoyed exploring some local shops and stopping by Ruby's Diner for a quick burger (and photo of course.)

 


 

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One of the coolest finds while walking around was a comic shop called Interstellar Comic Books and Collectibles. They had all the latest issues and were very welcoming. If you're into comics or art, I definitely recommend stopping by!

 

Chelsea and I found a wonderful boutique called Thick as Thieves. I wanted one of everything in the store. I resisted, but it was tough! The pieces were aesthetically pleasing and unique. I definitely recommend visiting it if you find yourself in Palm Springs.


 

After a long day of launch party prepping, the Bondi Team and I went out to eat. We discovered the street just a block away from the hotel was hosting a local Farmer's Market/street fair. It was filled with beautiful art and delicious food. We enjoyed walking through it on our way to and from dinner. We ate at a yummy Mexican restaurant called Las Casuelas Terraza. I had two beef tacos with rice on the side and an order of the creamy guac. I am low Fodmap, and I did great with this meal. I take digestive enzymes to help with any bloating, so I recommend this to any sensitive food eaters out there. 


 

Thank you so much to Bondi Sands and Chelsea for having me be a part of the team for this adventure! Palm Springs was beautiful and the experience was exciting. I hope to be back next year. 😄 Xoxo, Shelly

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