Karissa Bodnar, the founder and chief executive of Thrive, a cosmetics company, arrived at a launch party for her latest product line on a recent Monday. Basic beer, wine and cheese are included in the price. Dozens of makeup artists, beauty editors, and social media stars would descend on the venue over the next three hours. She wore a skirt suit of turquoise and silver sequin that cast a disco-ball glow across the floor. I had $25,000 to spend and I wasn't going to rent a house for the summer so I could take selfies.
The two events cited by Ms. Bodnar were relatively thrifty. In January of last year, Tarte flew 50 contributors and their plus ones to a Ritz-Carlton to celebrate the introduction of a foundation made with a multi-tasking superfruit.