Romy Raves

On Tuesday, I was invited to a top secret location as one of a small group of hand picked bloggers to be among the first to learn the identity of the newest Proactiv Spokesmodel. All that I was told was that I would be “Glee-ful” about the choice and that I would have some up close and personal time with this celebrity. Well as you know, I am a huge fan of Glee, so I jumped at the chance to be part of this fun opportunity.

After arriving at the top secret shoot in West LA and signing the necessary NDA’s, we were escorted to a small stuido set-up and awaited the announcement. I was thrilled to learn that Naya Rivera aka Santana on Glee, was chosen as the newest celebrity spokeswoman for the Proactiv Acne Skincare line, and that she would be joining the star-studded lineup of current Proactiv celebrity customers-turned-spokespeople, including Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne and Julianne Hough. Naya will appear in several new Proactiv television spots, debuting in spring 2012.

It was such a treat to being one of six bloggers who were granted up close and personal access to Naya and that we could ask pretty much anything we wanted!

First of all, IRL Naya is svelte, gorgeous, sexy and has really beautiful luminous skin. We quickly learned that she has struggled with acne on and off throughout her life, and that being on set and wearing a lot of makeup has caused her to suffer from adult acne. She sought out Proactiv to help her skin and was more than pleased with the results. While she really likes all of the products, her current fav (and a fav on the Glee set) is the Proactiv Makeup Remover Cloths because they quickly and easily remove makeup and refresh the skin.

Naya shared her feelings about becoming the newest Brand Ambassador, “I am excited to be a part of a show that encourages teens and young adults to embrace their differences and be proud of who they are as an individual, which is exactly why I am honored to represent Proactiv. Working with Proactiv will allow me to take that self confidence message a step further by helping individuals tackle their acne and literally put their best face forward.”

I found Naya lovely, genuine, honest and down to earth. Some other fun facts that I learned about Naya, and contrary to popular belief, were that she is a low maintenance girl and prefers staying in, ordering gourmet takeout, and wearing comfy sweats over being out on the town. Of course, I wanted to know her favorite beauty products/what’s in her bag and she is surprisingly simple and said she doesn’t have much in her bag and prefers chapstick over lipstick.

Being a Gleek, of course I also got some inside scoop about the Glee cast and set happenings: Lea Michelle is a product junkie and is always turning Naya on to great hair treatments; Amber Riley is the Santa Claus of the bunch, she brought a big bag of gifts to pass out to the cast and crew this season; she thinks the newest Glee cast member, Damian McGinty is a total cutie; she would pick Kevin McHale as the cast member she would choose to kiss on NYE at midnight; Gloria Estefan will be playing her mother on the show and she is excited to work with her; and out of all the musical numbers throughout Glee’s tenure, the one’s that she is most proud of are the Adele mash-ups.

Being a blogger definitely has its privileges, case in point: Being invited by Dove Hair Care (the official Red Carpet Sponsor of the shindig) to attend the star studded Hollywood movie premiere of New Year’s Eve. I have been totally excited about seeing this celebrity filled chick flick with a stellar cast and jumped at this coveted invite to attend the premiere and after party. I put on one of my best Hollywood sparkly glam outfits, grabbed one of fun party worthy girlfriends and off we went to Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

It was such a fun and lively event, Hollywood Blvd. was shut down to accommodate the large red carpet, paparazzi, and fans, and my guest and I hovered around the red carpet arrivals to get an up close glimpse of all the stars. It was so fun! I loved seeing the gorgeous female stars up close like Hilary Swank (so gracious to the paparazzi), Sofia Vergara (hoochie mama-sexy and gorgeous), Katherine Heigl (super fit and sporting and very attractive Marilyn Monroe look)

And being both a theater buff/Broadway musical lover and Glee fan, my personal favorite was Lea Michelle (BTW I saw her in Spring Awakening on Broadway before Glee and LOVED her), petite and gorgeous in a champagne colored Valentino dress reminiscent of old Hollywood Glamour

I got the inside scoop on Lea’s gorgeous vintage hairstyle, from Dove Celebrity Stylist Mark Townsend: “It was all about modern glamour for Lea’s look at the New Year’s Eve premiere. Her Valentino dress reminded me of Old Hollywood, so we wanted to play off that with a young, modern version. I started by adding a large dollop of Dove Body & Lift Mousse to her damp hair and blow dried with a large round brush, giving Lea a deep side part. Next, I took 3-inch sections of hair and sprayed Dove Flexible Hold Hairspray on each section, and then wrapped the hair around a 2 inch curling iron, leaving the ends just a little straighter. For loads of shine and beautiful texture, I took a quarter size amount of Dove Nourishing Oil Care Leave-In Smoothing Cream in my hands, rubbed them together and then raked my fingers through her hair for piecey-ness. I kept her fringe off her face by spraying Dove Extra Hold Hairspray on a small flat brush and brushing back and to the side.”

Now for the boys, for me it was all about the Glee cast! I adore this show because for me, watching it is like getting a little slice of a Broadway show in my home each and every week! I was fortunate enough to snuggle up to the adorably boyish sexy man Cory Monteith, so sweet and boy did he smell good!

Then I snuck past his publicist and got a nice pic with the uber talented and much more youthful in real life, Chris Colfer

And my favorite sighting and meet and greet of the night at the swanky after party was by far Darren Criss (aka Blaine). He was so sweet, charming and handsome IRL, he really took the time out to talk to me about being a blogger, shared that he is replacing Daniel Radcliff on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business and even wanted to see how our picture came out and if it met with his approval I think he is insanely talented and his star is just beginning to rise, definitely keep an eye on him! We make a cute couple, don’t ya think?

So now that the celeb gossip is out of the way (and what a treat it was to be up close and personal with so many hot stars), on to the reason you are reading this post to begin with, the movie! So how was it you ask? Fun, girlie, light, and enjoyable to see such a diverse star powered cast and how their stories intertwine. It will be a great GNO or date night movie, lots of fun storyline’s, with my favorite being the unexpected storyline with Zac Efron (totally adorable IRL and tough to take a pic with!) and Michelle Pfeiffer, very heart warming.

It was a super fab glam night and a special thanks to Dove for inviting me!  Here I am looking vintage fab at the New Year’s Eve Premiere After Party photo booth!

Greetings Beauty Mavens! This coming Monday, December 12, 2011 from 7-8pm PST, on behalf of LaserAway Tattoo & Hair Removal Experts, I will be hosting a fun and engaging discussion on the LaserAway Facebook Fan Page about laser hair removal, laser skin treatments, injectables, fillers, beauty trends and tips and any other beauty topics that may come up. Please come to the party with all of your thoughtful laser hair removal, beauty and aesthetics questions and I will moderate the discussion, answer questions/get answers to your questions and share information about this superb California based company. I have had a couple of treatments at LaserAway and I am really impressed with their top notch state-of-the-art equipment and highly skilled technicians, and I am excited to tell you all about this great local resource.

I hope you will take the time to join me for this fun Facebook event! And here’s the best part: Each registered participant that asks thoughtful and engaging questions will be gifted with a certificate for ONE Laser Hair Removal Treatment (valued at up to $300!) at one of the numerous California LaserAway locations. Plus other great prizes will be given out throughout the party including: One laser hair removal package valued at over $500 and 1  Latisse eyelash growth serum kit valued at over $100!

So what are you waiting for? Get on the list and RSVP right NOW for this not to be missed event HERE

I look forward to ‘seeing’ you at the party and chatting about all things Beauty!

Guess what LA Make Up Mavens? You are in for a real treat because MAKE UP FOR EVER, the professional make up brand coveted by beauty industry aficionados opened its first freestanding boutique in Los Angeles about two weeks ago. This new LA outpost will serve as the brand’s West Coast Flagship store, and yours truly was among the first to check out this fabulous new space located among the hip and trendy shops on Robertson Boulevard.

The space is industrial chic, complete with studio make up stations and lighting, specialized projectors playing make up themed videos and communal table which will highlight new and seasonal collections. Clients can also sit here and play with products before they buy them (FYI the store will carry over 1400 products including iconic pro and special effects products.)

This flagship store was truly designed to showcase education by providing a much more interactive customer experience, and this is truly what impressed me the most about this fab new store. It was obvious to me, that there was a great deal of thought and planning that went into creating this space, which really engages and invites the consumer to stay, play and learn about make up without the intimidation factor.

Here I am at the MUFE LA Boutique with the fabulous Amber of Beauty Junkies Unite

Here is an overview of all of the exciting, unique and interactive tools and services that you will find at the LA Flagship store:

• Video Make Up Lesson Recording Studio - I LOVE LOVE this service! It is definitely my fav part of the whole store, so useful and inspired!  Here’s the scoop: You go into a private studio that is equipped with a built in video camera in the mirror, then a professional make up artist gives you a hands on customized, step by step make up lesson for your preferred look. This personalized session, with fun little pro tips and tricks for creating your unique look, is captured for you on an adorable lipstick-shaped USB that you get to take home with you. So you leave the store with your customized MUFE tutorial to help you recreate this look at home. Isn’t that super cool? Here’s a picture of my final FAB smokey eye look, sexy don’t ya think? (Stay tuned for a future post with a clip from my video lesson and my own attempt to recreate this smokey eye myself!)

• Smart Board - The Flagship store is also equipped with a large interactive touch screen that can be used to create customized face charts which can be instantly emailed to you. The pro draws on this fabulous computerized white board with font colors that have been matched exactly to the full MUFE shade range, and it allows the artist to animate application techniques and tips so you can easily recreate your look at home. Techie fab!

• iPads - The store is also equipped with iPads that provide access to how-to videos and face charts as well as access to Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites for instant posting and sharing.

• Make Up School – The store will also offer a series of interactive, personalized make up sessions to educate consumers on application techniques and how to achieve specific looks. And the best part is that the fee you pay for the make up lesson is fully redeemable in product.

So if you live in LA, this fabulous beauty newcomer is not to be missed! It’s the perfect place to learn and be inspired, and if you are in pursuit of learning how to do the perfect smokey eye like a pro (like me!), definitely stop in and take advantage of all the great informative resources they kindly have to offer.

Make Up For Ever LA Boutique 132 South Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048 (310) 247-0277

Disclosure: MUFE invited me to their LA Boutique for a press preview of the new store, to experience the Video Make Up Lesson Recording Studio and gave me some of their products and new holiday collections to recreate my look at home. My opinions and gorgeous smokey eyes are my own.

Over the summer, the Temecula Convention and Visitor’s Bureau invited me on a fabulous VIP insider’s tour of the Temecula Valley of Southern California and I was more than delighted to accept! It had been many years since this oenophile visited this region, and the last time I was there I wasn’t particularly impressed because this region felt rather young and unsophisticated in its wine making journey and it needed time to evolve and age. Well, now about five years later, I am excited to say that Temecula has definitely evolved and has turned into a noteworthy player on the California wine scene. Let me tell you more about this burgeoning wine country and about my experience there. 

The down to earth picturesque Temecula Valley is an easy hour and a half drive from Los Angeles and it is filled with a plethora of enticing things to do like wine tasting, delicious local dining, seasonal festivals and entertainment, specialty stores and boutiques, golfing and one of the largest casinos in the West (Pechanga Resort & Casino.) However, for me it is all about the wine! With rolling hills and a big, wide-open sky overhead (ideal for Hot Air Ballooning which the region is also known for), the Temecula Valley’s unique microclimate makes for a general pattern of morning mist, warm midday sun, cooling afternoon breezes, and cooler nights. These weather factors combined with the perfect balance of great geography and well-drained soils create an ideal environment for growing high quality wine grapes. The area now boasts more than 30 diverse wineries that are gaining well-deserved recognition for their quality, premium varietal and proprietary blended wines.

My overnight adventure began with my arrival at the lovely, sprawling and cozy Temecula Creek Inn (my home for the night) which I loved right from the start. Although the Inn is housed on 350 gorgeous acres and has 130 deluxe guest rooms, it felt intimate, classy and inviting and the staff was responsive to my needs and top notch! Here are some glimpses of the property

After I settled in, I had a chance to meet our hostess Mana the PR rep for TVCVB as well as the president of the Bureau, along with my social media partners in crime for this adventure: Katie of La Jolla Mom, Lindsey of The Modchik and Chris Voss of The Chris Voss Show and I could tell from the start we were gonna be a fun bunch

Shortly after meeting one another, we met our fabulous tour guide and driver of the day, Rick Perry of A Vineyard Tour

Rick is a top notch tour guide who is super connected and knowledgeable about the region, he knows all the tourist spots and hidden gems and he left no stone unturned throughout our day. He drives a super comfortable decked out luxury van

He provided yummy cheeses, meats and fresh bread to enjoy throughout our touring, tasting and imbibing and we even got to sip our wine along the way, it was fab! If you are headed to Temecula and want a relaxed fabulous experience, Rick is your man!

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