Romy Raves

Greetings My Beauties! I have been a very busy girl this summer with several domestic trips and a slew of lifestyle, foodie and beauty events, my head is spinning and it has been hard to keep up with my posts! But I LOVE and treasure every minute of it and it is my pleasure to share my adventures with you. So here’s a glimpse of what my dance card has looked like these last few of months, enjoy!

DNA EGF Renewal Spa Launch at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village

Nobody loves a fabulous swanky summer party more than I do, and I was delighted to attend an evening under the stars for the launch of the DNA EGF Renewal Skincare Line at The Spa in Westlake, CA. This was a classy top notch party filled with pampering (got a FAB blowout at the Yamaguchi Salon), bubbly, tasty morsels, a gorgeous setting and most importantly the opportunity to meet brilliant and DTE Dr. Ronald L Moy (he is the current President of the American Academy of Dermatology BTW). Dr. Moy is also the creator of the DNA EFG Renewal skincare line which repairs photo damaged aging skin, targets the visible signs of aging, diminishes wrinkles, evens skin tone and improves texture. This product line dramatically makes your skin healthier, firmer, and more radiant—and I should know because I have been using the line’s Growth Factor Serum since late July, and am quite impressed with the results. My skin has never felt better!

Sheer Cover Breakfast with Leeza Gibbons

I had the absolute pleasure of being invited by Guthy-Renker to an intimate breakfast at Chateau Marmont with Sheer Cover spokeswoman Leeza Gibbons. A small group of bloggers were invited to meet Leeza and learn about the Sheer Cover Mineral Make-Up line. Leeza is an absolutely authentic, beautiful, passionate woman and it was truly delightful to get to know her better. Aside from telling us about her love for this make-up, we chatted a bit about her experience on Dancing With The Stars and how difficult and transformative it was. I also enjoyed learning about the Sheer Cover mineral makeup line which is 100% natural, infused with skin soothing botanicals, sun protection, and anti-oxidant green tea. I have been trying out these minerals all summer and am impressed by how natural it looks, yet how well it conceals flaws.

LA Film Festival with Dove Nourishing Oil Care

Dove Hair Care invited my hubby and I to attend the Los Angeles Film Festival for an insider’s screening of the poignant film Terri starring John C. Reilly. Dove Hair Care was a premiere sponsor of the festival and was celebrating the launch of their new Nourishing Oil Care Collection, which dramatically smoothes hair frizz. I was sent the collection of these new products to get red carpet ready and was very impressed with how smooth and shiny these products made my hair. In addition to the pre-event goodies, car service was also provided and we had exclusive access to the Jameson Filmmaker Lounge as well. It was a fun night and I was delighted to share the evening with two of my favorite bloggers, Amber of Beauty Junkies Unite and Andrea of Savvy Sassy Moms.

COVERGIRL Queen Collection BET Awards Beauty Lounge

Earlier this summer, my favorite budget friendly make-up brand COVERGIRL, invited me to an intimate  interactive beauty session, hosted by the very talented celebrity makeup artist, Ashunta Sheriff, and up-and-coming It girl, Tika Sumpter  (from Gossip Girl). I was privileged to get an up close and personal behind-the-scenes look at Ashunta giving Tika a full glam COVERGIRL make-over before walking the red carpet at the BET Awards.  It was amazing to watch this artiste at work and we learned some great make-up tricks along the way. After Tika was glam and gorg, the bloggers were invited to get glam ourselves with custom hair services and COVERGIRL inspired makeovers. I loved channeling my inner diva J We were given an assortment of CG products to take home and I am personally LOVING the Queen Lipstick Collection, the nude colors are totally up my alley!

California Strawberry Commission Paint Los Angeles Red Event

Sugar Jones, bloggess of Sugar in the Raw, recently invited me to this strawberry inspired event to learn all about bringing the gorgeous vibrant California strawberries from farm to table. We nibbled on variety of strawberry-inspired appetizers like a fresh Strawberry Gazpacho and Strawberry Caprese Salad (yum!) and sipped a refreshing Strawberry Basil Balsamic Mojito. While our senses were amused by all things strawberry, we learned about the nutritional benefits of this red super fruit and also about the heart that goes into growing CA strawberries. It’s was a ’berry’ good time!

Angeleno Magazine Poolside Beauty

Angeleno magazine recently invited influencers to the uber chic L’Ermitage pool in Beverly Hills for a summer Poolside Beauty Event in order to experience an assortment of summer beauty must-haves-Totally up my alley! We sipped refreshing cocktails and connected with coveted brands like LaRocca Skincare, Ipanema Flip Flops, Joico, and Votre Vu to name a few. We sampled their latest product offerings and took home a bag of impressive SWAG to keep pampering ourselves at home. Super Fun!

Yoplait Light Summer Swap Event

Last week, I was invited to the swanky SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills to attend this fun Summer Swap event with the adorable and accessible Alison Sweeney, host of The Biggest Loser. Alison has teamed up with Yoplait Light to show women that small changes can make a big difference when watching your weight and she’s encouraging people to swap one thing a day for a Yoplait yogurt. A handful of bloggers enjoyed an intimate roundtable lunch with Alison and swapped creative healthy food tips with her, and then Ali demonstrated an easy Red Velvet Parfait using Yoplait Light, berry jam and a sprinkle of crushed chocolate cookies, tasty! We also met the vivacious Jeannie Mai celebrity fashion expert, who shared her easy fashion swaps with us and even gave us some fun shoe bling.

Earlier this month, I had the delightful pleasure of being invited to the COVERGIRL Beauty Bar, an event that was set-up especially for some celeb-style pampering in honor of the The MTV Movie Awards. How could I resist an afternoon of luxurious salon treatments, hanging out with some of my favorite bloggers, sipping Hpnotiq cocktails and getting makeovers with the newest COVERGIRL product offerings? Twist my arm

Upon arrival, my first stop was the uber cute purple Hpnotiq Harmonie lounge. It was all decked out in purple decor to match the violet color of Hpnotiq’s latest spirit-vodka infused with berries, violets, lavendar and Cognac. The room was filled with jars of all sorts of ecclectic purple candy, lavender cake pops and hot guys dressed in tight fitting purple t-shirts. I ordered the Harmonie Champagne cocktail topped off with a pretty little edible flower and relaxed in prepartion for my first treatment.

Even Karina Smirnoff, the smokin’ hot dancer from Dancing With The Stars, stopped in to indulge in all things purple

My day of pampering at the Beauty Bar began in the Wella Shampoo room, where I learned all about Wella’s new Brilliance and Enrich hair treatment collections. After my hair was washed, I got to experience Wella’s new Self Warming Conditioning Mask and I loved the subtle warming effect. Then one of the seasoned stylists from Nine Zero One Salon gave me a rockin’ blowdry (and I am rather picky about my blowdry’s, so that is saying alot.)

My next stop was definitely the highlight of the day, getting my make-up done with all latest COVERGIRL NatureLuxe Products by the amazingly talented down-to-earth celebrity make-up artist Amy Nadine (Amy is responsible for Lauren Conrad’s gorgeous red carpet looks ) Amy created a stunning flawless look on me using NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara in Black (which will be available in July 2011), Intense ShadowBlast in Brown Bling (available July 2011), NatureLuxe Silk Foundation in Oak (LOVE the flawless lightweight natural looking finish!), LipPerfection Lipcolor in Kiss and NatureLuxe Gloss Balm in Marble. Checkout Amy giving me the full on star make-up treatment-and of course I am soaking it all in with the gorgeous Amber of Beauty Junkies Unite

Amy was such a doll, an amazing artist and I couldn’t get over how natural yet enhanced my features looked. It was such a treat having Amy’s skillful hands prep my face. Her artistry combined with the affordable and high quality CG products was a winning combo! Here’s my finished look (with Beauty Junkies), what do you think?

I wrapped up this fabulously indulgent day with a customized spray tan by Fake Bake which left me with a beautiful golden bronze. I looked like I had just returned from a tropical vacay!  And each guest got to leave with Fake Bake Flawless, a full proof at home bronzer with a professional buffing mitt to ensure a ‘Flawless’ finish. Here I am aftering bronzing with my bloggin’ soul sista Andrea of Savvy Sassy Moms

*Disclosure: COVERGIRL invited me to this event to learn all about their newest products and to enjoy a day of pampering salon treatments and product gifting. Nothing was expected of me, but I had such a fabulous time and tried some great products that I just had to share them with you!

Well, you might have noticed that lately I have not been posting as regularly, but it is for a good reason: I am very busy with events, conferences, and trend scouting. Here’s a glimpse of what I have been up to:

Face 2 Face LA Sponsored by Therapon This past weekend I hosted my first grand scale social media influencer event and it was a HUGE success!! About 40 top SoCal bloggers spent the day with me at a swanky LA spa getting pampered with mini facials using the fantastic Therapon Skin Renewal System and mini OPI mani’s. We ate amazing gourmet food from Heirloom LA, we had yummy cocktails thanks to O.N.E Natural Experience, and finished it off with divine cupcakes and banana pudding courtesy of Magnolia Bakery. Oh yeah and we got major swag from many fabulous sponsors! Here is a SNEAK PEAK of the amazing pictures of the event taken by the very talented Jennifer Kelley Lublin. Stay tuned for a full and detailed post about the event coming soon.

LTD Expo 2011 This was a fun and motivating local conference (Pasadena) to inspire women entrepuers to go for it. It was created by Nada Jones and featured fabulous speakers like Ali Brown The Millionaire Entrepreneur Coach and Jen Boulden the founder of Ideal Bite. Great energy, inspiring connections and motivating overall.

Blissdom 2011 Tomorrow I am heading to Nashville to the Opryland hotel for this esteemed blogging conference. I have heard amazing things about Blissdom as far as connections and meaningful learning. I am excited to fill my mind with great ideas to help take my blog to the next level. Stay tuned for my recap of my first experience at Blissdom. And I would like to extend a special thank you to Therapon Skin Health for sponsoring me at this conference

ISSE Long Beach The International Salon and Spa Expo held in Long Beach California is the largest cash-and-carry professional beauty event on the West Coast and over 40,000 beauty professionals from around the world are expected to attend. Beauty professionals come to this conference to see the newest and most innovative products in the industry and to buy items at a significant discount. I am planning to go and discover new brands, scout trends, and observe the most innovative new beauty treatments.

So as you can see I have been pretty busy, but loving every minute of it. Come back soon to hear about my latest adventures and discoveries!

This Giveaway is now CLOSED~Congratulations to the winners Bobbie A. & Renee W.!

Everyone always tells me that I seem to live the most fun and glamorous life because I get to attend a lot of fabulous insider events and parties. And I must admit, they are right! I always feel so lucky to be included and invited to so many great places and events and I am always delighted to share my experiences with you.

Well, today just might be your lucky day because I giving away ONE ticket to a fabulous social media insider event that I am hosting on January 22, 2011 in Los Angeles. One lucky winner will be invited to attend my Face 2 Face Pampering Beauty Event sponsored by Therapon Skin Health.  This event will be attended by some of the top social media mavens in SoCal and will include schmoozing, pampering spa treatments, delicious food from a top LA caterer, signature cocktails sponsored by O.N.E Natural Drinks, divine desserts sponsored by Magnolia Bakery and fabulous SWAG bags. This is an event you don’t want to miss!  

All that you need to do to enter this giveaway is THREE Things:

1. Become an email subscriber of Romy Raves
2. ‘Like’ me on my Facebook Fan page                 
3. And post a comment on this blog post telling me why you would like to attend this insider event and why I should pick you!

This contest will end at midnight PST on Wednesday, January 19th, 2011. I will personally select the winner based on who has the best reason for wanting to attend this FAB shindig! Winner must live in LA or be willing to travel to the area and must be available on Saturday, January 22, 2011 from 3-6:30pm. Only one entry per person.

I know that I am a lucky girl because I have one of those totally understanding hubby’s who let’s me sneak away for girls getaways every now and again–and if your schedule is half as crazed as mine, you’ll understand how much I treasure these escapes. I especially love local getaways within an hour or two of home, but where you feel totally removed from your regular life, no schedules, routines, to do’s-just relaxation. Ahhhhh. . . . the thought of it makes me smile.

Being a social media maven has its privileges and last month, I had the delightful pleasure of being invited to the retro chic Viceroy Palm Springs 

by my bloggin’ sista Andrea of Savvy Sassy Moms to experience the Mom’s Stay and Play Getaway at this swanky hotel.

OK Girlfriend, I have to let you know right off the bat that this is a totally fab, indulgent, must do, girlie getaway that you don’t want to miss! Let me tell you a little more about this wonderful property and package.

The Viceroy Palm Springs is a beautiful upscale property located in downtown Palm Springs. This hotel was actually unveiled as a bungalow hotel in 1933 and was magnificently redesigned in 2001. I absolutely adore the fabulous and memorable interior design of this hotel which is described as Old Hollywood Regency–a look that totally recaptures the look and glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age, when celebrities flocked to PS for weekend getaways. And quite honestly, I totally felt like I was channeling my inner Marilyn Monroe when we were hanging out at this swanky joint.

Here’s a Glimpse of the retro fab decor in the Viceroy Rooms-can’t you just picutre the starlets hanging here!

And check out one of the swanky pools by day .  .  .  .

And a beautifully picturesque pool shot at night.

When we arrived at our chic and inviting room (love the Twister in the closet! Rumor has it Miley Cyrus was playing Twister out on the lawn during a recent visit), we were immediately greeted with this fabulous box of enticing goodies that instantly made us feel spoiled and welcome: Sparkling wine, gourmet brownies, bottled water, and an assortment of lifestyle and fashion mags–totally up my alley!

This beauty maven was totally *giddy* about the full size Neil George luxury hair and body care products that were placed in our bathroom to use during our visit–I seriously LOVED this amenity and wonder why all hotels can’t do this too? Makes me totally feel at home.

Shortly after we settled in, we were invited to a reception to meet the head of PR Don Devine and the General Manager Diego Heredia, to learn more about this property. They were totally delightful, accommodating (Diego even poured me a glass of champagne-now that’s service!) and welcomed us with open arms.While we sipped our cocktails, we were taken on a tour of the rest of the property and learned that although it seems intimate and cozy, this property is actually spread out over four arces and has 67 rooms.

Here I am making myself right at home in one of the suites

After our tour and some wind down time, we were treated to a delicious dinner al fresco at Citron. The progressive California cuisine was tasty and inspired, loved the heirloom tomato salad, farmers market gazpacho, Kobe tri tip and OMG the Parmesan truffle fries were insanely addictive!At this point, I am relaxed and thoroughly enjoying myself. I especially enjoyed the collection of smart savvy social media mavens that were invited to this gathering which I affectionately called the Viceroy Mom’s Posse.

After sleeping like a baby in the uber fluffy and comfy bed. . . .

We began the next morning with a fabulous rejuvenating yoga class . . . .

Followed by a relaxing massage at Estrella . . . .

and ended with a gourmet brunch at Citron–can you say braised short rib burrito? Indulgent & Inspired!The Mom’s Stay & Play Getaway offers the perfect combination of relaxation, pampering, beauty, and foodie amenities:

• Overnight accomodations starting at $525
• $50 Breakfast Credit
• $200 Estrella Spa Credit
• 2 Signature Cocktails at Citron Bar
• Welcome Goodie Basket
• Complimentary Yoga Classes
• Overnight Valet Parking
• Resort Fee Waived
• 1 year membership to My Very Viceroy Program (lots of discounts & hotel perks throughout the year)
• Offer ends December 31, 2010

Viceroy Palm Springs, 415 S. Belardo, Palm Springs CA 92262 (760) 320-4117

Photo Credit: Many of the photos used in this post were taken by adorable and talented Shanna of My Favorite Everything~ I bow down to her photographic excellence!