Brews, blueberries, and blowouts

Owner Nava Nabavi (left) and me, post-blowout

When I was invited to get a blowout at Séchoir+ (pronounced seh-schwahr) in Santa Monica, I jumped at the chance, especially when I heard the hybrid hair salon served up blooming tea, espresso, refreshments, and iPads at every guest's station alongside a full blow dry bar and a menu with options like cut, color, highlights, and extensions. A latte and Internet access at my fingertips as I'm getting a blowout? Yes, please.

With 20 years of training (including a stint as one of the original Drybar stylists) behind her, owner Nava Nabavi clearly knows how to fine-tune the salon experience. As soon as I walked into Séchoir+, I was stunned by the attention to detail: a crystal chandelier and soothing blue walls, a piping hot latte (with refills!) and an array of yummy treats and fruits like fresh blueberries, a scalp treatment and hand massage as a stylist washed my hair (note: the salon uses only Aveda products). Nava herself worked on my blowout, and as her nimble fingers whipped my hair into sleek, bouncy strands, I found in her a kindred spirit.

But the moment I realized I'd received an out-of-this-world blowout was several hours later, when I confidently skipped out of my apartment with barely a glance at the mirror. I didn't need to look: Thanks to Séchoir+, my hair was perfection.

Séchoir+, 1121 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. 310-310-8238.

So, how do I use a flat iron?

Before.



After.



Yoshi's magic tools.



With Yoshi Hagiwara himself.

When I walked into Yoshi Hair Studio the morning after Thanksgiving, I was not looking too hot (in truth, I looked quite terrible). I'd just eaten up a storm the night before (turkey, cake, beer, the usual T-Day suspects) and I was tired from the holiday festivities. I did what I usually do when I'm in that kind of mood: I threw on my trusty denim button-down, pinned my bangs away from my face and ran out the door.

Thankfully, hair guru Yoshi Hagiwara rescued my look. A veteran stylist with an intimidating amount of experience in the biz (over 25 years), Yoshi now offers one-on-one individual styling classes, which include a restorative conditioning treatment and styling session, at his Beverly Hills studio. During my 60 minutes of Yoshi's undivided attention, I peppered him with questions about my hair troubles ("Um, I'm not sure how to use a flat iron?" and "Volume, please?"). He spent time styling my hair various ways, then explained each step to make sure I could replicate the look at home. Best of all, he introduced me to his specially developed product, Magic Water, an amino ion mist from Japan that works wonders to give your hair instant luster (and when I say instant, I mean it - I saw it work with my own eyes).

After class, I sauntered out of Yoshi's studio with shiny, freshly blown out tresses, a bottle of Magic Water, and a teeny bit more hair confidence. Thank you, Yoshi!

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.

YOUTHskin/care: My at-home spa experience

(Photo courtesy of YOUTHskin/care)

One of my biggest guilty pleasures is enjoying a bath at the end of a tough week, complete with flickering candles and a really good book. So when Mike Gyulai sent me samples from his new natural beauty brand YOUTHskin/care (created with his good friend Kendra Marie Studdert), I couldn't wait to try them out! At the moment, YOUTHskin/care carries three products with a straightforward message - no confusing chemical components but just simple, high quality, natural ingredients for youthful and beautiful skin:

1. The lavender epsom/dead sea salt body soak draws out your body's toxins and melts away all your aches and pains. Perfect for de-stressing.
2. I fell in love with the sugar/jojoba oil body scrub, a wonderfully exfoliating scrub with an intense Italian blood orange scent. After a quick rub, my skin seriously felt like butter and smelled deliciously refreshing and citrusy.
3. The organic bergamot body wash, which hydrates and soothes the skin, was pure bliss. I felt so pampered after the whole experience; it was as if I'd just bought myself a spa treatment!

To top it all off, I happen to love detail-oriented brands that pay attention to packaging. YOUTHskin/care's sleek, amber bottles and modern black-and-white labels completely mesh with my personal style aesthetic (and look very nice lined up on the side of my bathtub). Apparently, their sophisticated packaging is also designed to help preserve ingredients from sunlight oxidation and deterioration. Functional and stylish? You can't get more beautiful than that.

Prtty Peaushun: A girl's secret weapon

Every summer, I go on a mini health kick - working out at the gym, hiking on weekends, trying (often failing) to resist my favorite treats. Despite these efforts, I don't mind a little help every now and then! That's why I was so excited to receive a sample of Prtty Peaushun Skin Tight body lotion.

Created by makeup artist Bethany Karlyn, who has used the same formula on her celebrity clients for years, the lotion contains subtle light-reflecting particles to give skin a shimmery glow, even out skin tone and enhance muscle tone. The lotion is made of natural plant extracts and delicious-sounding ingredients like jojoba gel, pomelo wax, avocado oil and green tea extract. After smoothing it onto my calves, I instantly noticed a difference - the lotion seemed to infuse my skin with a radiant, totally flattering sheen. The proof? When I recently sashayed into a party sporting denim shorts and Prtty Peaushun-enhanced stems, my friend asked, "Have you been doing yoga or something?" Well, yes, but thanks to Prtty Peaushun, I've got a secret weapon in the bag.