Wishing I was back in Tulum... 

 

But Los Angeles is pretty exciting too. Some dear friends are visiting and a couple of them are staying for several months. LA just keeps getting better and better. 

When are you moving here? 

I don’t know where to start. Even I am overwhelmed so I will do my very best to relay this information to you in the most efficient way ever...

Fashion Night Out is fast approaching: Friday, September 10, 2010. Last year was Fashion’s Night Out’s first year and barely represented in Los Angeles but thrived in New York. This annual shopping extravaganza is led by Vogue Magazine and the Council of Fashion Designers of America and for the second year, LA is going all the way. The following areas and shopping centers will be hosting FNO:


Take a look here for all participating Retailers. Participatingretailers.com

I am only going to touch upon highlights in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and West Hollywood — but if you have a favorite designer - call the store because within these city limits over 300 parties, personal appearances, shopping discounts and the like are all occurring simultaneously.

Rodeo Drive is bringing Fashion’s Night Out in Style. A Ferris wheel will be strategically placed and free to ride with a receipt from a participating retailer. Chanel will be offering manicures with their limited edition shades, Fendi will be showing a special installation shot by Karl Lagerfeld, Hermes will be demonstrating scarf-tying, Valentino will be offering a Casino night and so much more. rodeodrive.com

The Beverly Center will serve as the headquarters with free parking and shuttles starting at 4pm to six retail districts centered on Melrose Avenue, Robertson Boulevard, West 3rd Street, Abbot Kinney Boulevard, downtown Los Angeles and Los Feliz. Charles David founder Charles Malka will be performing an in-store shoe signing (in the Beverly Center) from 6 to 9. Fred Segal on Melrose will have appearances by Quiksilver's surfing team, and Decadestwo is holding "400 dresses for $400 or under". LAcity.com

WeHo is also going big. There will be a Julia Clancey runway show at the Andaz, artwork will be displayed at the 3.1 Phillip Lim Boutique and if you spend $300 at John Varvatos on Robertson, photographer Robert Knight will shoot your portrait. weho.com

The list of events is huge. I am leaning towards Rodeo just because I want to ride the Ferris Wheel....

My SO threw an after-party two weekends ago, in which I did not participate as I needed to work Monday. Monday evening as I returned from an exhausting day of work and classes, I was welcomed home by my beautiful dog and a somewhat semi-cleaned, in the terms of male cleanliness, house.

Our upstairs bathroom and bedroom are attached and during parties, this bathroom is usually trashed. This time I thought I tricked the party-goers by locking the bathroom door from inside but an exceptional smart (insert sarcasm) was able to enter our unlocked bedroom and get to the bathroom. Sure, bathrooms are used for various events in a woman’s and man’s life. Sure, you’ve been partying for a long time now and your eye makeup probably doesn’t look as fresh as it did twenty hours ago. We’ve all been there. Sure, go ahead - use my eye makeup remover and leave the used cotton balls on the sink and the cotton ball container on the toilet. Oh hey, why don’t you also rummage through my makeup and see if you like anything? Smelling bad? Use some of my perfume and as a parting gift: Take my Tweezers. I don’t need them, shit, I am not even there!

Maybe I sound a little bitter but I am now going on the second week without tweezers. My overgrown eyebrows are flowing down over my almond shaped eyes and I am finding it hard to see. I could go on to tell you what I’d like to do with the person who misplaced my tweezers but when a girl is found with tweezers sticking out of her eyeball I don’t want the evidence to come back to me.
                
I guess I have to justify the above rant with some substance. Personally, I tweeze touch-up my eyebrows a couple times a week. Otherwise, I get waxed at my nail salon: Moon Nails. (See old post) Although once in a while I will get threaded!

Threading is an ancient method of hair removal practiced in many Asian countries. Practitioners use a pure, thin, twisted cotton thread which is rolled over untidy hairlines, mustaches and so on, plucking the hair at the follicle level. Unlike tweezing where a single hair is pulled out each time, threading can remove an entire row of hair, resulting in a straighter line.


Vinita’s Threading Studio has several locations in the Los Angeles area. I have only been to the Westwood location but was always happy. I just tend to gravitate towards getting multiple things done at one place which is why I mostly wax my eyebrows now. http://www.threadingstudio.com/  If you have never been threaded, give it a try and if you have my tweezers or know where they are please contact me.

A 1920’s pistachio colored house nestled in a private corner on Genesee and Fountain Avenue looks like any ordinary house… until one enters the door. Upon taking your first steps inside you will find that this U-shaped house harbors art, fashion, furniture, and events in every room and the exterior. Family run, the Artigas from Mexico City have truly turned “a house that is not a home” into a gathering place for the former. Alejandro Artigas, the eldest and the architect of the family remodeled the house and landscaping for a warm, welcoming and peaceful disposition. His furniture can be found sprinkled through out the house with strong lines in sturdy woods. Teresita Artigas heads the daily operation while Gabriela Artigas’s jewelry line and scarves are showcased throughout the house. www.gabrielaartigas.com

In addition to the Artigas’s talents on display, they also showcase several designers and artists:

 

Carla Fernandez

www.flora2.com

Inspired by the Mexican Revolution of 1910 with production done by Mexican artisans and craftsmen, her look book is a visage of designs that are bold, geometric in nature, and unique.

 

Zan Zan eyewear

www.zanzan.co.uk 

Limited edition eyewear with flairs of vintage, handmade in the Jura Valley in France by third generation artisans – a face cannot go wrong.

 

Trista

http://www.aliciamelodiosa.com/

Inspired by the photographer, Evgen Bachcar – their current collection was awarded “Best Female Collection” in Mexico’s fashion week.

 

CLAE

www.clae.com

Breathing life into classic styles of footwear with athletic and dress undertones for men.

 

And many more…

 

 Paella was served a couple Saturdays ago, while yoga classes occur every Saturday in the garden at 10 a.m. Their sense of community and act of combining art with fashion is refreshing in times where people get caught up in the obsession of the mainstream. A “house that is not a home” but still one feels a sense of community, quite the opposite of stuffy showrooms where you feel as if you touch anything you would be reprimanded like a child.

  (Photos from Melissa Keller and www.houseongenesee.com)

 

The Artigas invite you in, ask you to stay and serve you lunch on certain days or by appointment. The feeling is always welcome and the fashion and art is always original. Open Tuesday thru Sunday, 11-7 (Monday by appointment) you must check out this Angeleno gem. 1300 N. Genesee Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046 (323) 845-9821 www.houseongenesee.com

 

 

As my one girlfriend has said myraid times I am only Asian when it benefits me. I was Asian when I applied to college. I am Asian when a hot man has an Asian fetish. And I am certainly Asian on my wedding day because I just found out Asians get massive amounts of cash when they get married. Sweeping generalization? Maybe but you can send the checks to...

Before living in Los Angeles, I had never paid older Asian women wearing lingerie to scrub my naked body. It was always done for free.

My introduction to Korean spas was life changing. Although I don’t go as often as I’d like and when I do there will always be a comment from one of the scrubbers re: me not understanding Korean - a scrub can make my skin feel like a newborn. Our usual routine: Soak in hot tubs and cold baths with some steam room or dry heat about thirty minutes before your scrub. The scrub lasts about thirty to forty-five minutes, longer with the massage but I tend to skip the massage as they are a little too rough for my taste. After your scrub you get the urge to rub up against anything and anyone that can feel your silky smoothness… which can be dangerous.

We rotate between two spas but prefer Natura. Natura closes around 10 or 11 in the evening depending on the day. Their scrub is $30 with a $20 admission for a total of $50. Their scrub with massage is $80 and the admission is waived.

Grand spa is open 24 hours. Their scrubs are also $30 with an admission fee of $15 or $20 depending on the time of the day. Their scrub with a massage is $70 and the admission is waived.


There are other Korean spas but through experience and word of mouth, these seem to be the cleanest. Voda Spa is West Hollywood’s Russian version of a Korean Spa. I have been to Voda twice but their prices are double, sometimes triple that of the Koreans’. Their scrubs tend to be a little softer, which to me, defeats the point. The positive thing about Voda is that they have co-ed days and nights, swimsuit required - so you and your lover can soak, steam and get scrubbed together. How lovely.

As I re-read my last post, I think it's quite clear I am a miserable failure. Don't get in any more bar fights. New Year's Day at about 1 a.m. proved this resolution to be too difficult for me to accomplish but in my defense it was the ghetto bitch's fault and I hope her and her family perish in a fire.

And for the rest, well I have been naughty but there is always next year!

I started out my new year with some more traveling. Unfortunately due to a delinquent setting his penis on fire, there seems to be more restrictions. These restrictions have been deemed "unpredictable", similar to the miniature toys you get in the hollow chocolate Kinder eggs - You never know what you are going to get.

But my amazing girlfriend saved the day and gifted me Lisa Hoffman Travel Spa Bath, Facial and Shower packettes. These cute kits come with airtight ampoules containing cleansing gel, body scrubs, body creams, and facial products. It's perfect for traveling or the gym and it doesn't look like an explosive or a bomb!


As always, you can order online at her site, here.

Her products also can be found at:

On Melrose Place nestled between Oscar de la Renta and Kate Somerville, you can find a quiet pathway to the John Frieda salon. As you pull back the glass door, a peaceful pool with hanging green vines greets your eyes. The smell of Love, Passion, and softly scented Shu Uemura products hits your nose. Greeted by a cheerful receptionist, you are ushered to change into a smock to protect you from the elements. Upon exiting the changing room, you are greeted by Caile, a smiling stylist with tons of talent. Quick hello's and off to be shampooed.

 
It's been about a year since I started seeing Caile and in a world where stylists have made me look like a China Doll, cut my bangs too short or the most terrifying of all - curled my bangs under, he was sent from heaven.

You get to know someone a bit, after sitting in their chair but Caile filled me in on the rest...

I have already decided on my next Halloween costume. My inspiration: Kooza, the traveling Cirque Du Soleil show that is currently running at the Santa Monica Pier till December 20th. Hurry and check it out before it moves to Irvine. Find the tickets here.   



Acrobatics, three golden contortionists, unicyclist and his lover, four strong tightrope walkers, a ripped balancing chair act and many more later, the show was fabulous.

The premise: An innocent boy who’s only interest is to fly a kite, is met by the Trickster who introduces him to a kingdom of fun. After the intermission, a sort of underworld emerges - inspiring my next Halloween costume. Skeletons leap out of the darkness some with feathers, some not, making way for the rat covered Grim Reaper.

Much to the dismay or pleasure of friends and acquaintances, I have never been a bra-wearing woman. Once I started to work in professional environments, I reluctantly went and bought a couple of bras from Victoria Secret, department stores, even Target to shield my nipples from being seen.

Recently, bras have become a part of an outfit - blame it on Carrie Bradshaw for wearing bras with beautiful gowns. It seems unholy to me but that doesn't stop me from falling into line and desiring a nice lacy bra that if I so desired, I could show to the world.

Agent Provocateur's ads are alluring as hell and since I am highly attracted to striking women in bras or without, I ventured into their boutique on Melrose.

I must have really weird sized breasts because it was almost impossible to fit me in a bra that wasn’t too pointy, wasn't too big or too small. The saleswoman was so kind and remained so even after I had tried on about twenty bras. I finally did find a wireless black lace bra with matching panties. Although I certainly would not shop here often, since the price tag is quite high for something I hardly wear (and haven't yet) - A woman deserves a set of over-priced lingerie. With Christmas around the corner and this ridiculous ad below, how could one stay away from Agent Provocateur?!