This Saturday saw the first ever Cosmopolitan Self Made Summit in association with Very.co.uk take place. The day was chock-full of inspiring panels with incredible speakers (from the world of business to fitness to top YouTubers, plus a sprinkling of celebs), networking opportunities and pampering sessions for the 300 lucky readers who bagged a ticket. Sounds good, right? You know it does!

Hosted in the luxurious surroundings of London’s County Hall, guests from all over the UK gathered to see the day kick off with Cosmopolitan magazines editor-in-chief, Farrah Storr, host a keynote interview with fashion mogul Olivia Palermo, to get her insider knowledge on how to get to the top in a notoriously tricky industry.

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Readers could then choose which morning and afternoon sessions to attend, with hot topics up for discussion including how to turn your Blog into a Brand (in association with Very), to The Power of Social Media (with insights from fitness blogger Clean Eating Alice, YouTube sensation Louise Pentland, MIC's Hugo Taylor and Instagram's own Jen Ronan), to really practical advice on how to bag the funding you need to grow your business, plus networking events with pro room-workers. Supperclub and broadcasting superstars Jackson & Levine also conducted a brilliant chat asking the question 'When It Comes To Business, Are Two Heads Really Better Than One?' with the founders of Huggle, Spectrum Collection Brushes and Gandys for Orphans.

In between all these inspirational talks (and trust us, they were), guests were able to mingle and have their hair, make-up and nails seen to by the on-hand glam squads. Tresses were teased by Headmasters, while HD Brows made sure every brow in the room was on fleek, alongside the Jade Angel team who were providing manicures fit for any boardroom to bar situation. Prettly beauticians also had their kits poised for make-overs and Mon Purse offered everybody a personalised, leather business card holder. Need some new professional headshots for work? Don't worry - we had a team on hand to sort that too!

The brainy bods at Enterprise Nation also had an advice bar for those wanting free intel on how to utilise social media to grow their online presence and boost their business. Plus, the Cosmopolitan fashion department teamed up with Very for a pop-up with a difference, using styled models to create the ultimate live lookbook offering tips on how to pull together the perfect work wardrobe (and yes, guests were in with a shot of winning the looks!). Oh you fancy, huh?

And can we also just take a moment to appreciate how GOOD the food was too? We're talking insanely delicious chocolate puddings, healthy salads (loads of vegan options), smoothies and breakfast pastries. Hey, all that networking and harnessing brain power is hungry work.

The afternoon rounded off with another brilliant keynote session hosted by Farrah Storr, this time interviewing comic and actress Katherine Ryan, who left the whole room laughing and excited to crack on with bossing their future careers. And an in-conversation with vlogger extraordinaire Alfie Deyes (yup, that's 8 million followers and counting) hosted by Caroline Flack had the audience jotting down tips on how to dominate the Internet. Plus, the day saw the debut of Cosmopolitan's Pitch Palace (think Dragon's Den, only with the chance to win luxurious office space provided by Second Home and a killer work wardrobe from Very – nay too shabby!).


The event wound down with some networking drinks (with - you've guessed it - Cosmopolitan cocktails courtesy of Smirnoff, and Screwdrivers or G&Ts thanks to Gordon's Gin, on the menu) where guests could put all their new-found skills from the day into practice and meet likeminded business babes.

Oh, and if all that wasn't enough, every ticket holder also left with a jam-packed goody bag of girlboss and beauty bits worth £200!

(Treats on offer included a Mon Purse Cardholder, Ciaté nail polish, Elegant Touch nails, Metcalfe's popcorn, a Very notebook and discount code, a copy of Cosmopolitan magazine, a Spectrum Brush make-up brush, Accessorize jewellery, Diet Coke, Dr Lipp lip balm, Max Factor mascara, Ultra Sun minis, Utan and Tone sachets, Bite bar, a Givenchy mini lipstick, Wolford socks, 7th Heaven Nail Cuticle mask, a copy of Sophia Amoruso's Girl Boss, Beauty Pie lip gloss, Prettly voucher, Smith & Wollensky voucher, Burts Bees Cleansing Oil, an Enterprise Nation info pack and last, but certainly not least, a kikki.K gift voucher. PHEW!)

Thanks to Maserati for chauffeuring our guest speakers to the Summit in style! Cue ultimate car envy...

Check out all the highlights from the day here...

preview for Cosmopolitan Self Made Summit

If you weren't lucky enough to bag one of the tickets for our first ever Cosmopolitan Self Made Summit, click HERE to sign up to hear more details on the upcoming Self Made pop-up events set to run in future.