Lash Extensions

SKIN WORSHIP
9001 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 206
For appointments, click here.


One afternoon, while strolling across Melrose Place, I caught sight of my friend Taylor. We hadn't seen each other in a while so our meeting was a moment of serendipty. She looked amazing, as usual, though, her lashes looked outrageously lustrous and full. I was mesmerized. 

"I just got them done!" she exclaimed. 

"Oh my god, where?!" I inquired. 

"Over at Esnail–they're the best!"

I hadn't had lash extensions since the mid-2000's, so I decided to do a little bit of my own research when I got back to The Clubhouse. Taylor told me that she had gotten the "Semi-Glam" set on herself, which looked great on her but a level of lashes I felt I had to work up to. I needed some oomph, yes, but more in a "toning up with Pilates" way rather than "pumped with steroids".

I kept thinking back to a post I saw on Caroline Vreeland's Instagram page where she tagged @skinworship on her eyes. Caroline's lashes always looked full but not too thick and were always perfectly fanned out. I decided to make an appointment with her lash girl Madison De Clercq and was surprised at how quickly and delicately she worked. On top of that, she had a lovely personality which made the conversation natural and pleasant. 

"What look are you going for?" she asked, gently placing a false eyelash on top of one of my own.

"Well, I definitely want to walk out of here feeling like there's a difference," I replied, trying my best to keep my eyes closed and still.

"They're definitely going to look longer and fuller, but still natural," she explained. "I specialize in a 'natural yet noticeable' look."

When she was done, I checked in the mirror and they were exactly that. 


Madison charges $175 for a full set and the service takes 1.5 hours. Refills are $85 and take up to 1 hour. While I loved the initial effect, I learned after three weeks that they were simply too high-maintenance for a girl like me!

Espionage

ESPIONAGE
7456 Beverly Blvd. bet. N. Vista and N. Gardner Street
323.272.4942


Two years ago, on a short visit to L.A, my boyfriend and I had a tug-of-war on where to go for breakfast. I wanted the soft boiled egg and crispy bacon from Joan's On Third; he wanted the ricotta blueberry pancakes from BLD. No dice.

"Joan's On Third has pancakes! BLD doesn't have soft boiled eggs!" I pointed out.

"Yes, but they're not ricotta blueberry ones!"

"Keep it classic," I said, persuasively, "Can't beat classic buttermilk pancakes."

"I promise, you'll love these pancakes. They're the best pancakes in town."

"I don't like ricotta in my pancakes, though," I sighed, "OK, how about we go to Joan's on Third first for my egg and then we can go to BLD for your pancakes?"

Yeah, it was getting ridiculous.

Eventually, I gave into his insistence. We parked the car and were walking toward BLD when he stopped at a shop window and said, "You need these boots." I turned around and saw a pair of beautiful black leather riding boots. We pushed through the door. 

"Hi, can I try on these boots?" I asked the owner.

Turns out, they were Balenciaga boots, in nearly new condition, and at only a fraction of the retail price. I ended up wearing them out of the store that very day. 

What's cool about Espionage is that, not only is there a treasure trove of designer and vintage consignment items in the back, but it's filled with all sorts of great gifts at every price point. I've found unique greeting cards, delicious scented candles and even a bottle opener fashioned from a real bullet. I visited this store every time I made it to L.A. and eventually became friends with its gorgeous and charming owner Taylor. 

It's really amazing how much I got out of giving up on a soft boiled egg!

 

The L.A. Mystique

A door in West Hollywood

I learned about L.A. from Sex and the City, just as I had learned about toxic bachelors, Manolo Blahniks and the importance of having good friends. Los Angeles, it seemed, was populated with a mix of Paris Hilton clones, aging bachelors and vegans. Surely, it was no place for someone like me–someone who relishes wearing long sleeves year-round, has introverted tendencies and orders steak like a Texan. 

I remember when my boyfriend took me around L.A. for the first time. We got a car wash, went to a denim store, had lunch at a sidewalk restaurant, drove around, and ate dinner at a hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant. The day felt like a cardboard cut-out of itself. I had no connection to any of it. I thought to myself, I could never live in L.A.

If L.A. were a fabric, it'd be rayon, something that's not natural yet not exactly artificial. There's a strange sense of detachment that pervades this city. It feels like a village composed of millions of closed societies. There are canyons and strip malls and magnificent homes behind hedges and ivy-covered walls. The weather is eerily nice nearly all of the time. 

I didn't know if I would like L.A. but, now, I'm unexpectedly loving it. 

I enjoy going on morning hikes at Runyon Canyon with Taylor, strolling along Melrose Place, hanging out with Bill at his apartment while we cook dinner and watch TV shows, having lunch at Croft Alley, browsing the book selections at Book Soup, grabbing happy hour at Marvin or Terrine, and reading or writing back at The Clubhouse.

All of the places that I've been frequenting and all of the people who have become friends happened through an organic gravitational pull. Because of that, I'm experiencing this city authentically for myself. It's through the little choices and decisions that you make everyday that create your world, your reality. 

I don't know when or if I'll ever qualify as an Angeleno. To be honest, I still consider myself a New Yorker when people ask where I'm from, even though I haven't lived there in nearly three years. However, I'm finding myself easily trading in New York's dynamic energy for L.A.'s relaxed vibes. Instead of being pulled together, I now feel comfortably unraveled, like a head of beachy waves.