the bright and the bold

i was invited to the launch party for nail couture los angeles' the bright and bold collection at live! on sunset in west hollywood this past thursday.  free cocktails? yeah i'll have one. free mani?  sign me up!  driving to west hollywood during rush hour? oh geez.  luckily the drinks and manicures were enough to lure me to the party cause i am so glad i went, it was so much fun!  i went with my bff anjelica (duhhhh), i invited her to go with me but she was already invited! turns out that one of her friends works for the company that was putting the whole thing together, small world, right?

they had skinnygirl margaritas!

anjelica getting her nails done

anjelica's nails - gemstone

we saw this alex & ani bracelet bar and almost bought a bunch of bracelets... but then we didn't.

american apparel v-neck, madewell jeans, frye wedges, african bead necklace

please ignore my face in the full body shot - its the look of a starved blogger.  i hadn't had dinner, i'd driven from my office in rancho dominguez to eagle rock, picked up anjelica and then to weho for the party.  anjelica and i were both starving by the time we left, but we had such a good time!  the nail strips are amazing (and you know i'm obsessed with those sally hansen strips) and i was told that each pattern from the new collection is designed for a (famous) blogger (not me.  follow and maybe some day i'll have my own nail strip design!).  the event its self was hosted by the ray and the ro, although i didn't see either of the girls there (or just didn't recognize them.  oops)!  i did meet the designer of ncla who was totally sweet and let anjelica and i get our nails done right away!  can't wait to see what's next for ncla!

angeli caffe

saturday night i went to dinner with my mom and uncle at angeli caffe - quite possibly one of the best meals i have ever had! everything was amazing down to the freshly baked bread dipped in olive oil to the tiramisu we had for dessert.  the staff was amazing - friendly, informative, attentive, and did not seem the least bit annoyed by my ever-chatty mother (although i was slightly).  the restaurant is owned by evan kleiman - host of KCRW's good food for anyone who listens to the station.   

this wine was amazing!!! and organic! 

insalata forte, recommended by the staff and now by me!  so good!

my mom got one one of the specials - chicken piccata with mashed potatoes and green beans

i got the gnocchi of the day - ricotta sundried tomato in a brown butter sage sauce.  omg.

my uncle got the linguine ai frutti di mare

tiramisu - obviously had to get this classic italian dessert.  so good!  i could eat some right now!

angeli is definitely worth the trip to west hollywood (one of my least favorite places to go). even if you don't live in the area, plan a dinner! it is way to amazing to pass up.  you may even spot a actor or actress!

the blow dry bars

there is a new trend popping up all over los angeles right now, the blow dry only salon also known as the blow dry bar. what exactly is a blow dry bar? its a salon that only styles hair, no cuts, no color, just a wash and a dry at a price that won't hurt your wallet.

after reading a article on refinery 29, i decided i wanted to check out what all the buzz is about. i checked out a couple of different blow dry bar websites, and decided to book an appointment with drybar. they offer a menu of different styles you can choose, and its super easy to make an appointment through their website. its $35 for a blow out and they offer memberships and packages, which they call bartabs. they also have parties, you can book a private party at one of their locations (three currently; brentwood, studio city & west hollywood. newport & pacific palisades opening soon), or book an appointment during their brunch or happy hours and receive a free mimosa or cocktail.

i didn't want to get my hair done for no reason, so i made the appointment the morning of my friend/boss' wedding. the wedding was in long beach at 4:30, and in order to get my hair done, go home, get dressed and do my make up i needed to go in the morning. i made my appointment at the west hollywood location for 11am, which was also a good way for me to test the longevity of the hair style.

i arrived on time and waited for a few minutes for my stylist (or bartender?) to be ready. she washed my hair and gave me a little head massage (you can pay $10 extra for a 10 minute massage). when she was done we went and i told her how i wanted my hair, i chose the cosmopolitan, which is loose curls. i knew that this was the best option since they would loosen even more throughout the day and end up looking more like the mai tai.

the entire blow out was longer than the advertised 30 mins, and i skipped the mimosa since i was getting over a cold (not that it mattered since i was pretty drunk by the end of the night), but overall it was a very relaxing and calm experience. i think the worst part was driving to and from drybar, since i had to go through weho. i will definitely go back to drybar, but i think i will go to studio city so i can use the freeway. i totally loved my hair after, it was exactly what i wanted.

however, as i expected the loose curls got looser and looser as the night wore on.

anyway, i definitely recommend checking out a blow dry bar to anyone who has an event and can't do her (or his, they do guys too!) own hair.