Raising a Toast to Looking Good
Los Angeles is a city of well-manicured people who love to party, so why not combine the two passions?
The Beauty Bar, which opens today in Hollywood, is an ode to old-time glamour. The space is furnished with vintage hair dryers and manicure tables. Compacts, perfume atomizers, and beauty product ads from the 1950s and ‘60s provide some kitsch for the walls.
Drinks have names like Prell (a grasshopper), Blue Rinse (a concoction with blue curacao) and Miss Clairol (a Bloody Mary), and instead of business cards, the bar’s name and address are printed on nail files.
“Hollywood is a great place for [the Beauty Bar] because this town was and is all about glamour,” said owner Paul Devitt.
Devitt founded the first Beauty Bar in a New York City salon in 1995. He even persuaded the place’s former owner to continue offering manicures. Manicures will also be offered at the Hollywood location at 1638 Cahuenga Blvd. Thursdays through Saturdays from 6-9 p.m.
Good thing it’s possible to lift a martini glass to your lips without wrecking those freshly done nails. But be sure to pay before you polish.
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Around here, celebrity spotting is like shooting fish in a barrel. What does interest me, however, is watching celebrities watch each other.
Rock ‘n’ roll old-timer Elton John was at the House of Blues the other night for MTV’s annual Rock the Vote party watching performances by Grammy nominees Macy Gray and Moby. He was really into Macy, bopping his head up and down to her hip-hop-meets-reggae-meets-soul sound.
But when Moby, the electronica wunderkind, brought his bizarre act to the stage, Elton was more reserved. Sting looked downright befuddled when Moby began lunging around with his guitar. Could Sting have been jealous of the latest one-name wonder? Not likely.
He was probably just coming down from his 15-minute acceptance speech, a rant on the current political situation in Austria. Honored by Rock the Vote for his longtime community activism, the British star said he found it ironic to be honored by an organization that works to promote voting participation among young people in the U.S., considering he is not even eligible to vote here.
“But I’ve paid enough taxes in this country to buy a couple of cruise missiles.”
Hmmm . . . taxation without representation? Sounds vaguely familiar.
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Fashion Wire Daily (https://www.fashionwiredaily.com) reports Melissa Rivers recently sent a mass e-mail to writers across the country, asking for help on her new dot-com, the Underground Shopper.
She is looking for “shopping fanatics,” the e-mail said, “who can research and compile brief pieces on shopping-related local info, news, events, and insider tips.”
Rivers is offering a mere $5 apiece for the 100-200 word items.
Makes me wonder what the heck they’re paying her over at E! Entertainment Television.
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The eagerly anticipated Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue hit stands Wednesday, and this year’s selling point (besides toned abs and bum-floss bikinis) is a 3-D feature.
“Estella, Daniela and Heidi bust out in 3-D (glasses included),” reads the cover.
Grope at your own risk.
