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!

I am a girl who lives for pampering, and having my digits and tootsies perfectly manicured is high on my list. Well, I must confess that this beauty maven has been so busy, that she has been severely neglecting her regular mani’s and pedi’s, and my nails are atrocious! As my Bubbie would say,”It’s a shanda!” Well you can imagine my delight when I was invited to check out an undiscovered nail salon in my own backyard, and little did I know that bliss and nirvana lurked there.

Let me introduce you to the Nail Garden, an upscale nail salon in the San Fernando Valley (with locations in Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Burbank, CA), dedicated to fabulously indulgent nail care, a very relaxing environment and the highest level of cleanliness. It is a beautiful salon with state of the art pedicure chairs, upscale decor, and tranquil running waters. They offer a multitude of nail care and waxing services at competitive prices and I was invited to checkout the Indulgent Bliss Spa Combo–the ultimate offering in hand and foot care.

From the moment I walked through the door, the salon was relaxing, peaceful and professional and after checking in I was immediately whisked into one of their luxurious pedicure chairs. This was one of the best pedicure chairs I have been in because it had heat, vibration and those strong massage rollers that I love (and the chair actually worked too!) Once I settled in, two expert nail technicians worked their magic. This was one seriously pampering combo and it was the perfect remedy to my lax nail grooming maintenance of late.

So what is the Indulgent Bliss Combo you ask? It is a dee-lux mani-pedi with all the fixins’ and then some. Beyond the usual trimming, filing and polishing, this dynamic duo also includes an exfoliating sea salt scrub, a therapeutic massage with a yummy smelling antioxidant lotion, a rejuvenating mint cooling masque wrapped in warm towels, callus removal, and a hot paraffin wax treatment. Now imagine if you will, two skilled technicians scrubbing, rubbing and pampering your arms, hands, legs and feet all at the same time. . . . ahhhhh absolute nirvana! This treatment felt so relaxing, indulgent and luxurious and I devoured every moment of it. I’ve had tons of mani/pedi combos in the past, but something about this combo felt uber luxurious and indulgent.  Maybe it was the very skilled technicians, maybe it was the great massage and high quality products used, maybe it was the warm lotion and paraffin; whatever it was, IMO this was one of the best mani/pedi combos I have had in a long time, and certainly one of the most memorable.

I highly rec checking out the Nail Garden for yourself and here are a couple of added incentives to check it out now: First of all, they currently have Happy Hour Monday-Wednesday from 5-8pm and they give you a glass of wine with your mani/pedi combo, nice perk. Second, in honor of my beloved Spa Week, Nail Garden has decided to extend their $50 treatments for another week thru Sunday, September 26th, so you can get the fabulous Indulgent Bliss Combo for a sweet deal $50 (regularly $69). Girl what are you waiting for? Give them a call now to take advantage of this extended offer and enjoy every indulgent moment of it!

Nail Garden 14006 Riverside Drive Suite 118, Sherman Oaks,CA (818) 783-2745

Hello, Hello fans and followers! So sorry I have been remiss about posting, but I have been caught up in the BlogHer frenzy and am finally feeling alert and present again (sorta). So what’s all this hype and talk about BlogHer you ask? What is BlogHer all about anyways? Well, lucky you, I am going to give you the down low on this annual event.   

BlogHer is gathering of over 2000 female bloggers (with a few token males) and brands that covet them. They call it a conference, but in my opinion it is more of a networking, socializing schmoozing event rather than a sit down and learn something conference. In fact, most of the bloggers that I talked to don’t attend any of the sessions at BlogHer because they are not content rich enough, plus there are so many more enticing offers rather than sitting in a chair listening to a panel. I actually attended one session at BlogHer and IMO it was very weak on content, disorganized and the worst part was the panel members never really answered the questions asked–It was a total waste of time!  

Now for the good stuff! Well what is totally amazing and enticing about BlogHer is that it is a fantastic way to meet and bond with your social media friends IRL and meet the icons in the blogging world. The networking was amazing and I made so many fab connections with inspiring, successful, genuine bloggers – that alone was worth it. Then add to that feeling like a celeb because I was invited to so many fabu parties and SWAG gifting suites, that it would make your head spin. The amount ot SWAG and the perseverance of brands to connect with bloggers was both encouraging and overwhelming at the same time. I never imagined what it would be like and although it was draining and exhausting, I loved it and will never forget my first time.   

So here are some of the highlights:    

 The Expo Halls 

Two large conference halls were filled with booths representing a variety of lifestyle and female friendly brands all there hoping to make connections with a wide variety of bloggers and get them to buzz about their brand. This reminded me of the more typical lifestyle, beauty and business conferences that I have attended in the past, however it seemed kicked up a notch. Tons of giveaways, interactive experiences and the ability to schmooze with some key executives or PR reps for that brand.  The highlights from the Expo floor were: demoing Wii’s Just Dance 2 game, getting a pair of Assests (Spanx new mass brand) Super Control Unbelievable Underwear, Visiting the JVC booth and shooting this fun video, smelling Play-Doh perfume, meeting the Pop-n-Fresh Dough Guy and the Jimmy Dean Sun and seeing Padma Lakshmi from Top Chef.   

 Hershey’s S’mores Suite   

Hershey’s by far had the best BlogHer suite decked out to make you feel like you were camping in the woods, roasting marshmallows on mini grills and making yummy smores. So cute and fun! Oh and I got to meet super cutie Adam from season 4 of the next Food Network Star who has a great new show focused on all things sweet called Kid in a Candy Store.    

Parties & Events Following is a list of every party or event I had the pleasure of attending during my 3 days at BlogHer and as you can see it was quite alot! And there were even about 4-6 more events that I was invited to but never had a chance to make it to. This is enough parties to last a girl for a year let alone three days, but being the diligent lifestyle maven that I am, I went, I dazzled, I networked and I had a blast (sleep is what I lacked!)  

“Seeds of Inspiration” Reception This was a lovely classy intimate reception at Aquavit Restaurant hosted by this green better for you beauty product brand. It was founded by a husband and wife duo who are ex-J&J employees and their mission is to bring better for you products to the masses. I left with a bag filled with all of their products to try and felt I was off to a good start.     

Bloggers’ Night Out! @ Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia We were invited to Martha’s Stewart’s headquarters to meet the key staff members in each department (Martha was there for about 10 minutes but I missed her due to the long line to get in), drink some yummy cocktails and eat tasty morsels, try our hand at some crafts, enter raffles for some fab prizes and leave with a goodie bag of Martha products. I loved the Pipe Cleaner lady who made the most fab flower rings out of pipe cleaners and the mini pink whoopie pies were divine.  

Nu Skin/CraziBeautiful “I Heart New York” Social This was an invite only suite where we got to get up close and personal with some coveted beauty brands (my favorite passion). I was excited  to learn all about the Age Loc and Galvanic system by Nu Skin and they are sending a system for me to try so stay tuned for that review. And then Luminess Air allowed us to try their new compact airbrush make-up kit and generously sent us each home with one. I schmoozed with the fun and fab hosts of the party who I adored, took in the wonderful city view from their patio and appreciated the easier cadence of this more quaint event- and they gave me a fab goodie bag filled with lots of beauty booty and a 1 day NYC sight seeing pass   

Schick Kiss & Tell 

This was the perfect end of the night party with yummy girly cocktails and a live performance by the adorable Gavin De Graw and the hot Karina Smirnoff from Dancing With The Stars was there too. Such fun!   

Getting Gorgeous Event This was another of my fav BlogHer events because it was all about beauty and fashion. Remington was there showing us their new pearlized heat tools, Lia Sophia showed their latest jewelry collection and let us pick a fab piece, Sketchers Shape-Ups provided try-on’s, PowerMat educated us on the latest in Wireless device charging and gave us their whole system (my hubby was fond of this SWAG), and my fav part of the event was getting to try on the amazing Miraclebody Jeans by Miraclesuit (they make those great sveltifying bathing suits) and with the help of celebrity stylist Robert Verdi, I found my perfect fit and style and got to take them home. This event was totally up my alley!   

Sweets in the City- Suite Event Yet another SWAG suite hosted by The Big Toy Book and Sharpie where we had a glass of wine and delicious cupcakes and left with some more fun goodies.   

Swanky After Hours BlogHer 2010  

One of my fav blogging gal pals Andrea of Savvy Sassy Moms hosted this classy swankified event at the Penthouse of the London Hotel.  The event was sponsored by Ciao Bella Gelato and Zulily and it was by far the best party I attended at BlogHer. It was an amazing space, not too crowded had amazing girly drinks sponsored by Sky Vodka and the deelish Ciao Bella Gelato (I was a fan of Blackberry Cabernet mixed with Chocolate). And once most ot the party cleared out, a handful of us blogging babes climbed in the tub to toast the fabulous night (fully clothed of course )   

e.l.f & XBox Glamour & Gaming Event We were invited to the new e.l.f headquarters to see their latest make-up collections, get makeovers, test XBox’s new Kinect system, have a cocktail and some tasty appts and bond with other like minded women. We left with a bag of e.l.f goodies and even a pair of sunglasses.  

Tavern Direct UnWind Her Party Hosted by Romy Raves  

I wanted to host an intimate gathering of fab bloggers to unwind at the end of BlogHer, have a good meal, drink some divine wine and connect to a worthy cause. It was a perfect evening of honest sharing, learning about TavernDirect’s mission to help missing & exploited children, and of course I gave out some awesome goodies from some of my fav companies like Envirosax, Red Handed Bags, Kenneth J Lane Jewerly, Hard Candy, It Cosmetics, MOR Cosmetics, Rahua Beauty and Barista Bath and Body.  

CheeseburgHer Another after hours stop hosted by McDonald’s with all the cheeseburgers you could eat and a hat decorating contest.    

I Left My Buns in New York City Sponsored by Flatout Bread I actually never made this fab AM walk through Central Park, but was delighted that when I returned home the company sent me a box full of their flatbread products and healthy recipes too–I am loving their peanut butter, jam and fresh strawberry and banana wrap-yummilicious! And they were kind enough to send a gift card so I could stock up on more healthy food post BlogHer.   

Taste of Loews Brunch My last morning in NYC for BlogHer was spent at this elegant foodie brunch hosted by Loews. They shared with us their programs catering to upscale family travel and treated us to an amazing brunch of gourmet sushi, eggs and a cheese bar. I enjoyed every morsel! And they win the prize for the most meaningful giveaway because they gave us each a DonorsChoose.org $20 giftcard to make a donation to the charity of our choice, love that!  

A Discussion on Healthy Eating hosted by SOYJOY I also made a quick stop at this event and caught the tale end of the presentation where leading health experts shared their tips for healthy living at the top of the Le Parker Meridian Hotel (amazing views). I loved hearing celeb train Harley Pasternack tell us that his celeb clients are totally human and do not workout more than 1 hour everyday, nice to know. We left with books from each of the experts and armed with some tips to get us back on track.  

Hope you enjoyed my blow-by-blow recap of BlogHer, kinda crazy I know! Gotta go now cause I am off to an advanced screening and event for Eat Pray Love  - such is the life of a lifestyle maven

Many of you know that I am both a beauty maven and a foodie, so its no wonder I was super excited to attend a Blending Bash at KleanSpa in MindfulNest in Burbank (a super cute store that showcases artisanal designers). I was invited to attend this fab soiree by Jennifer AKA the Scentual Mixtress (LOVE that!) Jennifer is a goddess with beautiful energy and a NOSE (meaning that she really knows the art of smelling and combining fragrances in just the right way.) She is also the creator of KleanSpa, a beautiful line of handcrafted beauty products that are definitely worth checking out.

Jennifer recently began hosting these super fun monthly Blending Bashes at MindfulNest (usually on Sunday Evenings) where you have the  opportunity to formulate your own signature fragrance. During this inspired event, you are able to create, blend and walk away with a roll-on perfume and an extreme moisture shea lotion in a fragrance of your own creation. And to enhance the appeal of this event, KleanSpa usually partners with local restaurants and caterers so that you have the opportunity to sample yummy eats and drinks during the gathering. All this fun and creativity for a mere thirty five bucks! And as an added bonus, you can shop the unique assortment of artisanal items at MindfulNest too.  

During the bash, you  have the unique opportunity to work one on one with this Masterful Mixtress and custom blend your own signature fragrance. The process goes something like this: First you tell the Mixtress what types of fragrances you like and then you start sniffing to see what you like and what you don’t. If you get desensitized she has coffee grinds nearby too. Once you have a few fragrances you like, the Mixtress starts pairing the notes that go well together and eliminating those that don’t and then she starts combining your fragrance–making sure you have the right elements of a good base, middle/heart, and top notes. You sniff along the way to see if it smells good to you or if you want more of one scent or another until you get it just right. Jennifer expertly guides you through this process, so you feel confident and supported in creating something sophisticated and delicious.

Then you put on your apron and mix your custom scent into a luscious creamy shea lotion and give it a name. This whole experience totally appeals to both my beauty and foodie side! I created my Sultry Sassy Spring Blend with notes of  Fern, Fig, White Tea, Pomergranate, New Cucumber, Grass, and Ginger Milk—Green, fresh, slightly fruity, and the ginger adds a little spicy sultriness to the blend and I LOVE it! 

This was such a fun, scentual, creative experience and I highly rec giving it a sniff and a whirl  if you live in the LA area. And if you don’t live near by you don’t have to miss out on these fab products either, because from now through May 2010 Romy Raves Readers get 20% off all products at www.KleanSpa.com by entering the code ROMYRAVES20

And as a special treat, I am also doing a Blending Bash GIVEAWAY for you and friend ($70 Value!) , so you both can having the pleasure of creating with the Mixtress. All that you need to do for your chance to win this fabulous scentual experience is become an email subscriber of Romy Raves   AND  a Fan of the Romy Raves Facebook Page  AND post a comment on this blog post telling me what your favorite Spring/Summer fragrance is and why you love it. That’s all you need to do. I LOVE comments and want to encourage my readers to regularly post comments and share your thoughts. This contest will end at midnight PST on Monday, May 3rd, 2010. The winner will be selected using Random.org. You must live in the Los Angeles, CA area in order to take advantage of this regional prize and only one entry per person.  Good Luck!

I LOVE being a lifestyle and beauty blogger (as you can tell). It gives me both insider access and the opportunity to discover unique products, services and trends so that I can share them with my readers. Honestly, sharing tips, resources, products, places and services delights me to no end So every now and again, I like to share with you what I am up to (inquiring minds want to know, right?) and how I go about finding the things I share with you on this blog. So here’s a peak at some recent and upcoming events that I am thrilled to attend all in hopes of sharing information that can impact your life in a positive way. Enjoy!

Vital Juice Pop-Up Wellness Retreat  In early April, I was invited to this fabulous healthy lifestyle event hosted by Vital Juice (VJ is a free daily e-mail newsletter and website that brings you the latest trends in fitness, nutrition, beauty and wellness—I LOVE my daily VJ fix ). This Pop-Up event was dedicated to trend influencers in order to showcase some of the latest trends and discoveries in health and wellness. They offered a day of fitness classes, product demonstrations, beauty treatments and healthy eats. Some of my favorite discoveries of the day included trying on Reebok’s new EasyTone fitness shoe, tasting the surprisingly yummy, healthy food from The Fresh Diet, learning about the fabulous attractive shapewear from Yummie Tummie and checking out Ginger and Liz’s hip and eco friendly nail polishes. 

Sassy City Chicks Los Angeles Fashion Bash Last night, I attending this super fun lifestyle shopping event at the Petersen Automotive Museum. It’s a really cool venue and it was such fun to hang out with my gal pal Tif and shop among the cool cars and exhibits. There was music pumping, signature cocktails by PAMA Liqueur cocktails (I had the yummy Fashionista), chair massages, a Ride & Drive opportunity hosted by Chevy, and shopping galore (at bargain prices!). I love my Bling Bling Belt and my collection of statement making cocktail rings (who could resist picking out vintage style rings in a classic Corvette!)

Unique LA – April 24 & 25, 2010  This is the largest independent design show in the country because it gives attendees the rare chance to meet and shop directly from over 300 hand-selected designers and artists. This is a great opportunity to buy local (95% of the products showcased are made in the USA), support LA’s economy, discover new companies and artisanal products, participate in hands on workshops and eat yummy inspired food from some of LA’s hottest new food trucks. I’ll be there this weekend scouting trends and looking for new undiscovered products and companies, can’t wait!

The Luxe Life Pink Carpet Event - April 25, 2010  This fabulous lifestyle, beauty and shopping event donates a portion of the proceeds to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Charity, so you can enjoy yourself while also feeling like you are making a difference. This fun event will have a hand selected assortment of amazing vendors, discounted designer shopping, beauty treatments, consultations with celebrity stylists, make-up artists, cocktails and decadent treats, and a gift bag with a VIP ticket. 

Shecky’s Girls Night Out: Los Angeles – May 19 & 20, 2010  I LOVE Shecky’s GNO!! Twice a year I look forward to this super fun, lively, girls night out, where I hang with my besties, explore lifestyle trends and find the greatest and most unique stuff.  This is a fabulous shopping event for what’s cool and undiscovered in fashion and beauty, and Shecky’s showcases emerging designers, great beauty discoveries, delicious hosted cocktails, and free giveaways. And make sure not to miss the overstuffed goodie bag too! Use promo code STAR30 for 30% of Goodie Bag Memberships (admission) now through April 30th.

The International Make-Up Artist Trade Show LA aka IMATS - June 26 & 27, 2010  This is one of the make-up industry’s biggest showcase events, where thousands of make-up artists, vendors and enthusiasts converge to discuss, display and collect the best that the make-up industry has to offer. This year they will be hosting a highly-anticipated panel of make-up artists from the Tim Burton film, Alice in Wonderland. I love attending this lively show to discover the newest trends in make-up and stare at amazement at the insanely creative make-up artistry from some of today’s most exciting talent–It has a ton of amazing eye candy!

This savvy beauty maven is always on the hunt for the best beauty treatments and services around, and I recently had a delightful facial with Gayle Miller at Guy Matthew Salon and Day Spa in Agoura Hills, California.

 What made this facial so special you ask?  I would be delighted to tell you. First of all, Gayle is a gifted pro and knows her way around skin care products. She uses one of my all time favorite skin care lines called Epicuren. This is an active and effective line of products and I am always impressed with the results it delivers.

Second, Gayle has a very gentle yet thorough technique that really gets your skin clean and glowing. She gives your skin a thoughtful analysis and designs the facial to meet your needs. She decided that this beauty blogger needed the works, so in addition to cleansing, a relaxing massage and extractions, I tried two of her different exfoliation services and finished it off with an oxygen treatment. And let me tell you, my skin looked and felt divine after this triple whammy!

Let me tell you a little more about each of these wonderful services. First, I had Diamondtome Microdermabrasion, a gentle yet effective microderm treatment. This got rid of my surface flakes and unevenness.  Next, was my personal favorite part of this facial, the Hot Enzyme Three Layer Peel (sounds scarier than it is, I promise.) This consists of three different Epicuren products that are layered on the skin to pack a powerful punch. I liked the spicy zingy first step and how smooth and supple my skin felt after all three steps–this was a pretty unique feeling treatment to this savvy beauty junkie. And the last step and icing on the cake was the Echo2 Plus Oxygen Treatment, which gently sprays vitamins, minerals and oxygen right into the skin and gave my skin a fantastic and youthful glow, a perfect special occasion treatment.

Gayle has a delightful demeanor and I would highly rec giving her facial a try, especially if you like a more gentle and renewing facial with beautiful skin results.  And here’s the BEST part: Right now she is offering Romy Raves readers a special introductory price of $65 which includes a classic facial with all the trimmings PLUS ANY 2 of the special treatments I have reviewed above. That means you can get a facial with microderm and/or a three layer hot enzyme peel and/or an awesome oxygen treatment all for for a steal. These treatments typically cost about $100 each or $20 to add on to a regular facial which is regularly $85, SO needless to say this is a fabulous bargain not to be missed!

Guy Matthew Salon and Day Spa is located at 30115 Agoura Road in Agoura Hills, California. To book a facial with Gayle call (818) 889-0212. And remember to tell her Romy Raves sent you!