Blown away

As previously mentioned, I'm not extremely beauty savvy, but I'm on a quest to change that! Take blow dryers for example. Up until recently, I thought all of them were one and the same. When Misikko offered me their HANA Air Premiere Hair Dryer, one of their best hair dryers, I shrugged, thinking it was just another fancy-looking tool that wouldn't make a difference in my daily hair routine (15-second shampoo, 20-second rinse, hasty blow dry into a semi-presentable state, dash to work, repeat next day).

Then one morning, in a hurry to get to the office, I plugged in the HANA dryer, flipped on a switch and after 10 minutes of the sleek black machine purring and whirring away, found my hair was almost completely dry. I have never - and I mean, never - dried my hair so quickly since growing it long in high school! And miraculously, my tresses looked shiny and smooth, bouncy and full of volume. Today marks my two-month anniversary using this elite salon blow dryer, and I've since thrown out my old one (no offense, Conair, but you didn't stand a chance).

Thank you, Misikko, not only for the dryer, but for forever changing the way I look at beauty tools!

A Dior & Lucky crash course

I have a confession: As much as I know about fashion, shopping and clothes, I know very little about beauty and makeup. My friends berate me when they discover that hairspray remains an enigma to me and that I'm clueless about how to apply eyeliner.

So when Lucky magazine and Dior asked me to host a Dior Pretty Party, I was thrilled, but also nervous. I mean, who was I, a girl who could barely tell eyeshadow from bronzer, to host a beauty party? Turns out I needn't have worried at all because that evening, I learned everything I ever needed to know from celebrated Dior makeup artist, Kevianno Guerrero.

As our party of 10 girls gathered at the Dior counter in Bloomingdale's Santa Monica, a psychic, Dora Blackman, read our cards - with impressive results!

Then, we were ushered into a private room by Juan, one of several lovely and accommodating Dior team members, for our master class with Kevianno. After digging into frosted cupcakes (a must for a girls' night out!), we sat down at our own individual makeup stations.

Class was in session! Kevianno patiently guided us through a step-by-step tutorial of how to get a youthful, glowing day to night makeup look. We learned how to prep our skin with soothing serums and creams, how to use Dior's new Airflash Spray Foundation (it's magic, I'm telling you!) and so much more. I was maniacally jotting down notes as if preparing for a final exam. As the hours passed, I saw my friends, all pretty girls, transform into gorgeous BOMBSHELLS in the best, most natural way possible.

"Radiant" is really the only word to describe my friend Wendy of Too Poor For Couture. Psst... her cool cross necklace is from F21!

Chic bloggers Rebecca and Melanie looked cute (but then, what else is new?!) as they chatted by the Dior counter.

I knew right away that I'd purchase the Dior Airflash Spray Foundation (color 200) after class was over!

Post-makeover, my good friend Mary was at supermodel status, especially with that million dollar smile!

Morgan's eyes were definitely enhanced by the Dior mascara; I could see her lashes from miles away.

Christine and Mary. Glowing.

Almost all the girls, plus Kevianno!

My lovely new friend from Dulce Candy, who reminds me of Jessica Alba and is extremely knowledgeable about all things beauty!

Last two photos provided by Dulce Candy.

While I'm by no means a beauty expert now, I know the next time I encounter an eyeliner pencil, I'll have some idea of what to do with it! So thank you to Lucky, Dior and all my friends and fellow bloggers for coming to my Pretty Party for a truly fun, fabulous Friday night.