I love parties and the Butterfly (Coachella) Party was no exception. The effort, expense and coordination behind planning a party like this must be immense. Truly, truly, truly, hats off to Tammy Lim, the founder of The Butterfly Project, who has succeeded in creating a community of bloggers/Instagrammers and YouTubers that support and lift each other up in our respective creative endeavours. It is no small feat to create a culture of encouragement in a competitive industry, but by hosting regular events with a healthy mix of new and old attendees, incorporating a “butterfly” and “caterpillar” distinction to alert us to new members, and monitoring our deadlines, the community has grown from strength to strength over the years and I couldn’t be prouder to be a member.
One of the key things I learned over the years from all the great parties I’ve attended is that a THEME is vital. The theme for this event? Coachella. Coachella is a music and arts festival held annually in California, drawing celebrity attendees and crazy fashion. The Coachella with the Butterfly Project involved such a wide range of sponsors and entertainment that succeeded in giving it that festival feel. I spent most of my time with Joanne and we explored the event together. It’s always fun to have an event buddy and I’m glad she was mine.
Without further preamble, let’s dive right in.
OUTFIT
I've always wanted to dress a little crazy, and this event was the perfect excuse! With a blue silky kimono I received as a bridesmaids gift from my sister, some messily drawn eyeliner hearts on my face, a sparkly tiara from my boyfriend for my birthday, a sparkly bum bag and some tribal accessories, I hoped I conveyed that wild, festival, there's-a-lot-going-on look that's popular at Coachella.
LOCATION
Hearty Party is located in the heart of Shah Alam, a three storey building with party at its heart. Parking at the venue itself is limited, but the entire stretch of road is filled with cafés, shops and other restaurants with parking available.
Every floor gives off a different vibe and the whole place could be a venue host for an entire party (just like this Butterfly Coachella), or you could book out rooms individually for smaller-scale events. I particularly liked the third floor space and its styling, which makes a good location for small corporate parties or even a quirky wedding!
They host activities there monthly and you can keep track of them on their Instagram page. Definitely a place to have a fun date!
ARRIVAL + DETAILS
The Butterfly Project is truly a community and this collaborative feel is no accident. Tammy takes deliberate steps to foster inclusion amongst us and always goes a little extra mile to make us feel special. As a September baby, I even got an extra gift for showing up!
This cute pineapple bag was filled with travel-sized goodies and was also a great way for us to identify the other Butterflies born in September!
Upon arrival and registration, we immediately got busy with the photobooth.
Tagbooth Photobooth
A photobooth is an absolute must for a good party and having Tagbooth there made the experience so fun! We were given the chance to take as many pictures as we wanted, which were all emailed to us in full resolution. Everyone was dressed so elaborately that the props they prepared blended right in with our outfits!
As a party vendor, they are extremely friendly and smiley. The pictures printed so quickly and were crisp, and they sort out the backdrop and props as well. It's such a fuss-free arrangement to create memories of a lifetime and having gone to parties with grumpy photobooth managers or blurry shots, I can assure you that a good photobooth makes a world of difference as to whether those lifetime memories turn out great or.. well, grainy.
1st FLOOR
Althea Korea
When we made our way to the first floor after having our fill of the photobooth, we were greeted by an entire event space filled with vendors! Althea was there, with their A'Bloom mask sets (Avo-Cuddle-Me, Water-Me-Long, Sparkle-Me-Bright and Ac-Me-Peach) alongside the adorable A'Bloom Meringue puffs.
New to the pack was the Brow Wow Eyebrow Pencil, once again coming at you with an adorable name. Check out the ad with some members of the Butterfly Project:
Our task? What we do best - Instagram.
Once we posted about the products on our stories, we got to ‘redeem’ our goodie bag from Althea, full of sheet masks and the entire range of eyebrow pencils (I had 3 and gave one of them to a friend on Instagram). These sheet masks are such great night time masks and because of the affordable price point, can be incorporated into a daily routine without breaking the bank.
If you're interested in checking out Althea, you'll find an array of straight-from-Korea skincare and makeup, with an authenticity guarantee! You might find your new favourite brand on it:
If you're interested in checking out Althea, you'll find an array of straight-from-Korea skincare and makeup, with an authenticity guarantee! You might find your new favourite brand on it:
Voir Gallery
Pronounced ‘wah’, Voir Gallery has made its name in the Malaysian clothing scene with its on trend and affordable clothing. They set up a lovely display and gave each of us a bag! I chose a cross-body gold strap green bag, which was so versatile because you can wear it across or on your shoulder for a more casual look. Wrap the strap again and you've got a little handle too!
I recently brought it out on a date and you can see it peeking out on the table here:
If you browse their website, you'll find some pretty bags as well. I personally believe that investing in bags that last years, made from established fashion houses for basic pieces is the way to go, but when you're experimenting with a new style or exploring trends, you may consider reaching for one with a lower price point.
Now I'm not going to say that these are the best made in the market, but the plus point of Voir Gallery bags is that they have outlets all over major shopping malls in Malaysia! This puts it well above exclusively online stores where you don't have the chance to meet the bag 'in person'.
Here are some that caught my eye!
Explore their site here:
Signature Market
By now, who hasn't heard of Signature Market - THE place to get nuts and snacks. Not too long ago,we’d go to the US to buy back kilograms of nuts, taking up valuable luggage space LOL. Is that a thing other Asian families do.. or just us?
Anyway, with Signature Market, nuts for reasonable prices are easily accessible online. Their booth at the party was stocked to the brim with products, from soup packets (I didn't know they made those!) to their signature nuts as well as hand soap!
Avantgarde Blooms
We made our way across the room and were greeted with gorgeous hand wrapped imported roses, with petals so lush, velvet to touch and a scent so distinct, I couldn't help but be amazed by nature and the world's most romantic flower. To preserve its freshness for longer, the flower was equipped with a little - oh, I don't know - water bottle? I got a fair amount of attention on my Instagram because of this and it is so useful if you want your flower to last. Mine lived the whole week, and the flowers are gorgeous – suitable for drying.
Avantgarde Blooms also decorate for events - floral wedding perhaps? Their prices are affordable and if you're looking for a monthly treat, they also do floral subscriptions starting from RM50 a month!
Curmudgeon's Brew Cold Brew Coffee
Although this was a mouthful to pronounce, it was a very delicious mouthful of coffee indeed. Curmudgeon's Brew prides themselves in their high quality cold brew with only the best milk. In flavours such as Peanut Butter latte and Mocha latte, you know you'll be spoilt for choice. I was expecting a super sweet concotion, perhaps like the Nescafe canned Mocha, but the flavour was entirely different. The richness of the coffee came out without being too rich, cloying or sweet.
They're easy to reach – just message them online on Instagram @curmudgeonsbrew
However, if they sold it at convenience stores that would be preferred. Maybe I should get them to sell at iHEAL?
3rd FLOOR
Yep we bypassed the second floor and made our way further up to a gorgeous set up. This truly set the Coachella mood.
JOM PARTY
The spread by JomParty was honestly, so gorgeous and surprisingly, so good! I think I’ve come to accept that beautiful food can taste pretty meh, and it was such a pleasant surprise that the colourful burger sliders served were moist and flavourful, the buns were soft and the cheese was perfectly melted despite it being cold! The hot food themselves tasted fresh and unlike those drummets that get refried and refried to crispless oblivion.
Their desserts were also yummy – even better than the buffet desserts at some premium hotels. It was a good catered spread which was both beautiful and delicious. Please consider them for your next party – I was impressed!
Lérz' Tea & Coffee Fruit Tea
Joining the fray of delicious fruit teas, we had the pleasure and treat of being served by Tommy himself. If you had the budget to serve something better than oversweetened iced lemon tea at your event, Lerz is a solution.
Their fruit teas were pleasantly sweet without being sickly and truly a treat for an evening outdoors. They even had those chewy aloe vera chunks that's - unpopular opinion - better than tapioca pearls. Outdoor wedding vendor perhaps?
You can try their drinks at Starling Mall, Damansara Uptown.
Their fruit teas were pleasantly sweet without being sickly and truly a treat for an evening outdoors. They even had those chewy aloe vera chunks that's - unpopular opinion - better than tapioca pearls. Outdoor wedding vendor perhaps?
You can try their drinks at Starling Mall, Damansara Uptown.
Sidh Haizad Yusoff, Singer
The music part of the Coachella event must not be missed and long-time KL busker, Sidh Haizad Yusoff was there to serenade us with live music beneath the stars. Such relaxed vibes that put all of us in a good mood.
2nd FLOOR
The event closed soon after, with the butterflies left mingling on the roof. Some of us had signed up for a painting workshop (we paid a nominal fee for this) and headed to the event space on the 2nd floor for our painting activity. After all, Coachella is all about music and art.
Given the option between painting 4 different fruits, I chose the pineapple for its bright colours.
Laughing at this ambiguous fruit with its green skin.
Lol I was not charmed by the green pineapple – convinced that its brown, and made my own brown from the mix of colours available.
They equipped us with apron, paints and canvas as well as a guide. I had a lot of fun – definitely not art-talented and now this painting hangs in my boyfriend’s bedroom where he says he wakes up and sees something bright to start his morning. Phew! At least nice enough to be hung up la.. or he really loves me LOL.
I had so much fun at the event and dream of one day, hosting my own party extravaganza!
What fun!
Would you want to attend a party like this? Leave a comment – I know there are some of you still reading (I can see statistics) but I don’t know who you are or what you like to read so please let me know. I miss interacting with readers.
See you next time!
