Show Your Heart: My NY Trip with Diet Coke!

My winning photo 🙂

On the red carpet in alice + olivia peplum dress; Report Signature red heels; DKNY dot tights; Brahmin handbag; Lia Sophia bracelet

Let’s see. How do I explain how amazingly extraordinary (as Diet Coke likes to say) this whole experience was for me? From the moment I won the Show Your Heart contest to now, it’s all a whirlwind! On Wednesday, January 23, I was contacted by Diet Coke that I was the first of five winners of the Show Your Heart contest (I submitted the winning photo above…approp, no?). They also let me know they would fly me to New York (with transportation and accommodations) to see The Heart Truth Red Dress runway show at the Hammerstein Ballroom. As you can imagine, I was really and truly squealing on this one!

The entire process was so organized…someone set up my travel right away, and before I knew it, a week ago today, I was on my way to New York! We arrived at the Westin Times Square that (snowy!) afternoon, and I immediately realized I would need earmuffs. Yikes, it was cold that day! Luckily, I have the nicest husband in the entire world and while I was inside a couple of shoe showrooms (so glam, right?), he brought me back a pair of earmuffs to match my sweater. Seriously. That night we had dinner at Da Silvano in Greenwich Village and can’t recommend it enough. Best lobster gnocchi EVER – and such a cozy little spot. We fell in love all over again…swoon.

On Wednesday, I spent a lot of time catching up with my ad network (The Glam Network…more to come on that) and old friends, and must I mention a little bit of shopping, eh? By 3:00, it was time to really get glam for the pre-show VIP event with Diet Coke. And guess what?! They showed up in a white stretch LIMO. Such a wonderful surprise and so very fun! This was the first time I met all of the other winners, and we all got along so well. Once we arrived, they even had a red carpet outside for us to snap photos, so of course, I obliged. No shame there! After all, alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet sent me this amazing peplum dress to wear to the event, so I had to show it off! Turns out? I met actress Minka Kelly (brand ambassador) and we both had on our peplum…in Diet Coke colors! 🙂 She was so stinking nice – and obviously, gorgeous. (P.S. A little slimming secret? Shhhh…my ASSETS Sleek Slimmers Tank Slip…it’s one piece and the best shaper for wearing a short dress!)

Minka Kelly and me in our matching peplum!

We all got to meet Minka!

The winners with Minka…love her!

Before the show we had our own skybox so we could watch celebs like Kris Jenner and Kendall and Kylie Jenner get their hair and makeup done before walking in the show. They also showed our winning photos on a big screen…way to make a girl feel special! We had such tasty bites to eat, and obvi I drank a Diet Coke. Funny enough, there were some other bloggers there as well, and I finally got to meet one of my favs, Tammy from A Mom in Red High Heels. LOVE her.

With Tammy from A Mom in Red High Heels

The final pose

So cute how the Jenner sisters held hands down the runway!

After the show, we gathered our heart-embellished goodie bags and headed back to the W Hotel for more fun and amazing food. Then, D. and I headed to The Darby for dinner after that! Hey, who can resist a great New York meal? By Thursday afternoon, we were sad to see New York come and go once again, but I’m so proud I was able to be a part of something so special. I’ll always have amazing memories – and plenty of photos – close to my heart. 

Thank you Diet Coke for treating me like a complete queen last week…I heart you!! xo

P.S. See ALL five winners and read my quotes on the Coca-Cola site today…squeal! 🙂

Pre-show makeup (fav Jill Kirsh blush, lip gloss)…thanks to Heather at Serenity Salon for my color & blowout!

Drinking Diet Coke, obvi

The heart straws were simply adorable

Just before heading out for the show!