SONYA DAKAR’S SUMMER ROOFTOP SOIREE (featuring Karen’s very first YouTube vid!)

 

I went to the most awesome beauty event at the Sonya Dakar Skin Clinic in Beverly Hills last week. It’s part of #SonyaSummerSessions; apparently, the fabulous Vice President of this skin care company, Mimi Dakar Berry, comes up with all kinds of fun, interesting activities to entertain their clients in the summer.

This one was the Summer Rooftop Soiree. It had so many parts to it that I just could not do it all! But I’ll give you the highlights of my experience, even though I did them in completely the wrong order.

Before I tell you of the services, I have to say that the nicest people worked the soirée! Not one bad apple in the bunch, which was a pleasure. If I hadn’t had to be at another event immediately after this one, I would have just lingered on the breezy rooftop all afternoon, snacking on healthful Paleta popcorn and such, and schmoozing with the other beauty writers. (Well, the ones who could tear themselves away from their cell phones for a few minutes, that is!)

First, I received a spray tan, from classy Aussie, Katrina Brown, of The Bronzing Boutique. She’s fabulous-looking, and had the perfect color tan herself, so I was already happy. (But ladies–tans should always be done last, to avoid getting your skin wet in any way. To see what I did wrong, please watch this very short, quickly-put-together, zero-production-value, over-lit video. Click here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KxwBe5AXYU .)

 

This was one of the best tans I’ve ever gotten! I swear, when I got out of bed the next morning, and saw my legs, I thought it was me fifteen years ago, when I was hot! They looked that good. It was the perfect color. And Katrina did it so quickly, with just one coat. I think it’s the first non-sticky-all-day spray tan I’ve ever gotten.

Then I moved to the second floor of Sonya’s magnificent building, where the hair salon is. For this event, Dry Bar had set-up in there, and I was lucky to have Amie Jorgensen blow my hair. She was absolutely lovely to work with, and looked great herself. I’m so jealous of her stunning profile, which reminded me of a young Elizabeth Taylor! I just may have to take her with me if ever I get my nose changed. Or a chin implant!  (She hasn’t had them done; I just want to have the same profile she does naturally!)

But, back to the hair. She made mine look gorgeous, and with no fuss whatsoever. It was different than my usual stick-straight do, and felt kind-of glamourous.

Always caring about her guests, Mimi asked me what my favorite beauty service that day was. (That should be the final question in the next Miss USA competition!) So, I actually gave it some thought, and realized that it was my manicure from Kure Spa in Silverlake, using gorgeous new bright pastels from Julep, which is one of my favorite nail polish brands! That was an interesting choice for me to pick as my fave because that’s the easiest service to do myself, or to get done anywhere anytime. And I had to forego the hand massage, (which I sorely, pun half intended, needed on my still-ailing hands,) because I had erroneously gotten the tan first. But the whole experience, with Lance Dang and Lan Ho, was the best. They made it more like a pajama party than a business experience. I don’t mean they were wildly trying to be my best friends, (which I hate when people do,) but we had fun conversations and laughs, and they’re genuine people with excellent life goals. (Which, by the way, reminds me–those guests at this, and all, beauty events, who don’t converse with the people who are performing their services, really miss out! I’m just sayin’.)

After all that, I needed nothing else, (because when I have a tan and good hair, I’m good to go,) but the Beauty’s Most Wanted‘s make-up display was calling my girly-girl name, so artist Stephanie Ortega did a little application for me.

When I opened my eyes, I noticed that many of the ladies were rocking lovely flowered headpieces all of a sudden!  I thought I had nodded off and awakened in a grassy forest for a second.  But no; it was the handiwork of Little Junebugs‘ Courtney Collins. She was actually teaching individuals to make their own, using her colorful supplies, but she was kind enough to make mine, in purple and lilac hues.  Now I can’t wait to go to a Renaissance Faire!

I also noticed a table with a box of beauty products, which was pulling me to it.  When I got over to the most pleasant trio of company reps ever, I found-out they were giving us VIP gift boxes from website FabFitFun.  It turns-out they do these boxes seasonally, and this was their Summer VIP Box.  I wanted to act cool in front of the stylish ladies, but the second I got home, I ripped it open and drooled over the contents!  Just a few of the specially-selected items were a really cute cosmetics bag, some feminine products, (which will come in handy to carry with us!,) and full-sized bottles of hair oil, shaving cream, and one of Sonya Dakar’s top products–the Flash Facial. It was seriously all that, and a bag of chips!  Literally!

On top of all that, they were kind enough to give me a coupon code to share with my readers.  If you’d like a FabFitFun VIP Box yourself, just visit their site, and enter coupon code ItsNotAboutMe10 to receive a ten dollar discount.  Isn’t that nice of them?

I thought I was dreaming when I left Sonya Dakar’s Summer Soiree with a giant green goodie bag from Sonya, as well!  Included in there were products from each of the day’s sponsors!  How fun was that?  We got to go home and work with it all ourselves, and see if we can match the experts, which I assure you, I cannot!

For more information on this and other events in #SonyaSummerSessions, please check-out: www.sonyadakarskinclinic.com