Surfers, Smashbox and Santa Monica

What do surfers, Smashbox, and Santa Monica all have in common you ask? Besides looking sexy, they are all about keeping the beaches Pretty! Since Smashbox cosmetics is an LA native they're partnering with Malibu based non-profit, the Surfrider Foundation to clean up Santa Monica. They're hosting a beach cleanup Earth Day (April 22) from 9-11 am. Two hours isn't very long, so hopefully a lot of people show up or the beach isn't as dirty as presumed.

If you'd like to join the action you're welcome to show up and lend a helping hand. It really is all about the community and keeping the environment Pretty.

For more information visit the Surfrider Foundation's website.

image source.

Organic Pharmacy Opening!

As you know we attended the opening of The Organic Pharmacy's first US location in Beverly Hills the other evening. Upon first arriving we were in awe of the amazing smell of the place. We walked around and scoped out the scene - snacks were provided by the farm and bubbly was flowing.

There were a bunch of ladies gathered around a laptop in the back, so of course we had to find out what the fuss was about. The Organic Pharmacy has software which will scan your body for toxins; therefore they can tailor products and skin care treatments to your specific needs. We weren't able to try it out, but it's amazing none the less. In the back behind this small consultation office is their treatment room.

All the action was in the store's front. We took our time going through the various products. The Organic Glam cosmetics seemed to be a popular attraction, of course we had the scoop on those first.
We mingled with Rebecca who works for The Organic Pharmacy, she introduced us to their rose products, hence where the wonderful aroma was emerging. I really can't express how unbelievable all of their products smelled. We were really enthralled with the Antioxidant Face Firming Serum. You only use a few drops of this product in lieu of a night cream on damp skin. Seriously, for hours after I could smell the product which was tested on the outside of my hand. Simply fabulous!

Rebecca also filled us in more on the toxin scan. Apparently, when any of the staff is feeling a bit unwell, they scan themselves and find out where their body needs assistance. Hormone levels also attribute to outcome and can pick up on menstruation cycles and pregnancy. Even an unnamed celebrity was shocked when she got herself scanned and the results picked up on her pregnancy which she hadn't announced to anyone yet, not even her family. That just goes to show that The Organic Pharmacy means business if you're ready to purge your body of toxins and lather only the finest organic products on your face.

With all this talk of being healthy and detoxing we gladly chomped on tiramisu, cheesecake, and champagne along with the rest of the crowd.

The Organic Pharmacy 453 N Beverly Dr. Beverly Hills, 90210

Don't get frisked by the law

Vehicle citations are Not So Pretty, so contributing writer, Pretty Kim gave us all deets on how to get out of a ticket without being frisked by the law.

How To: Get out of a traffic citation, and score better parking free of tickets after 6 PM

In Los Angeles there are 527 miles of freeway and 382 miles of conventional highways. Every last mile of them are patrolled by traffic cops with nothing else better to do than give you a ticket. And when you DO get a ticket, you risk higher insurance premiums, headaches, and the possibility of getting runny eyeliner as you cry to get out of it. Here’s my guide to getting out of a ticket if you do get one and getting better ticket-free parking.

Use your cell phone camera to take a photo of the dashboard AND the clock in your car. As soon as you get pulled over, snap these photos, especially of the clock! If you camera phone logs the date and time of each photo, even better.
Why this works: When you contest your ticket, if the date or time is incorrect on the ticket, you can successfully challenge the ticket either in court, or via Trial-By-Mail or Trial-By-Declaration. Provided your ticket is for a simple infraction or moving violation, more likely than not, the judge will toss out your ticket! Simply print the photo, attach a copy of the picture to your statement as evidence.

Take a photo of your car ASAP after you get the violation.
Why this works: I successfully got out of a ticket when I noticed that the officer incorrectly indicated that my car was silver in color. My car is unmistakably bright white. Again, you can usually successfully contest your ticket with this technique. If the officer can’t even tell what color your car is, how can they tell if that really was you talking on your cell phone?

Request a trial in traffic court.
Why this works: Most officers are reluctant to go to court over small violations. For example, a HOV or carpool lane violation will run you about $450-600 plus fees. That’s serious scratch that I would rather not part with. Although you will still be required to pay the bail amount, odds are very much in your favor that your citing officer will not appear in court. Also, once your citation is dismissed, you get your money back in the mail, less a $10 processing fee. Less than 25% of citing officers appear in court for non-felony traffic cases.

Park in Yellow or Green Curb Zones after 6 PM.

Why this works: http://ladot.lacity.org/tf_Colored_Curb_Zones.htm

TIP:

Take Fountain Ave.

Why this works: Not the most direct route between Silverlake and West Hollywood, however, the LAPD seems to be much more interested in the goings on of Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards during the day. If you’re OK with 4-way stops, Fountain is OK with you.

Tampons.
If you get pulled over by a cop for speeding, whip out a tampon and mention it's your time of the month, right here. Right now. And you urgently need to... ahem!Why this works: Male officers are still male and usually completely grossed out by periods, period. They don't really want to know what goes on in your no-no-zone. As a dude, they also want to avoid being on the receiving end of PMS. I mean, EW Listen, THIS WORKS VERY WELL VERY VERY WELL. No one else will know except you and the cop who is NOT issuing you a ticket.

Aveda celebrates Earth Month with fundraising candle

Pretty headquarters is all abuzz what with coverage of LA Fashion Week(end) and The Makeup Show - stay tune for more Pretty stories on those events! - but luckily we are staying calm because of the soothing aroma of organic French lavender, lavandin, and clary sage that's filling the office. We have Aveda to thank for that as their Light the Way, 2009 Earth Month candle is truly intoxicating!

Available in April (that's Earth Month for all your eco-Pretties!), 100% of the profits Aveda earns from their Light the Way candles will be donated to Global Greengrants Fund, a provider of community-based water projects around the world.

And did you know that Aveda is turning 30 this year? (I swear, they don't look a day over 25!) Instead of spending the day at the spa (which is what I'm planning on doing on my bday) Aveva is celebrating their big 3-0 by trying to raise $3 million on 30 days for global and local organizations working to support and preserve clean water. This would bring Aveda's total Earth Month dollars raised to day to over $14 million since 1999!

Available for $10 beginning April 1, get yours at Aveda in Century City or at The Beverly Center.

Mrs. Meyer's has a new book!

We're all fans of the one and only Mrs. Meyers cleaning products (my doggie's a fan too!) so we were delighted to hear that the Mrs. Thema A. Meyer is bringing her cleaning tips to the Pretty masses with the her brand new book Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home: No-Nonsense Advice That Will Inspire You to Clean Like the Dickens. Hooray, just in time for Spring Cleaning!

Budget friendly and eco-Pretty, this book has tons for beauty-related tips that Mrs. Meyer's has learned from raising four daughters. Here's a few samples:

• To get hairspray off of mirrors: Pour rubbing alcohol on a cloth and clean in small circles. You can also use a baby wipe if you have them handy. Then grab club-soda that you’ve put in a spray bottle and give the mirror a spritz, wiping it clean with bunched-up newspaper

• Cleaning up broken glass: If your makeup mirror falls on the floor, you’ll want to remove all those little pieces from the floor. Dab a piece of bread on top of them, vacuum, then wipe down the floor with a water-dampened cloth

• Removing Mascara from clothing: Mix a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid with two cups cold water, apply the solution to the stain, and then blot until it’s gone.

• Makeup Expiration Dates: If you have trouble keeping track of how old things are, start writing the dates on them with a permanent marker when they’re new.Mascara lasts only three months, and it’s important that you remember when you opened it, because that wand gets a buildup of bacteria that you don’t want in your eyes. Sunscreen lasts one year and lipstick up to three.

• Keeping the Bathroom Smelling Fresh: Fill a spray bottle with water, three drops of lemon oil, and two drops of eucalyptus oil. Shake this really well before using.

The rivalry of our time: Slanket vs. Snuggie

Forget about Angelina vs. Aniston, it's all about the Snuggie vs. the Slanket.Yes, the more famous Snuggie, the blanket with sleeves that's taking the world by storm, has a higher-end competitor in the Slanket. Like Angelina, the Slanket is pricier, more refined, and alluring while the Snuggie has Aniston's girl-next-door accessibility. Both are perfect for couch-potato evenings in a cold apartment: a blanket to keep you warm with sleeves to keep your hands free so that you can use the remote or your laptop to browse LA Pretty (let's stop kidding ourselves about the free book-light for reading, who reads?).

But how do you choose between the two? The great debate has unfolded on MetaFilter, and it points out distinct differences besides just the higher price tag of the Slanket. I got my Snuggie for $15 at Bed, Bath & Beyond, while the Slanket is available for $38 on their website and $30 from QVC.

While the Snuggie is made of fleece, the Slanket is made of thicker (therefore, warmer) Polyester Microfiber. I also find that the fleece of the Snuggie is super staticy and catches everything. It's pretty thin and, well, cheap. Plus there's a significant difference in size. The Slanket's official website says it's 60 X 95 inches, while QVC claims that it's 57 x 98. Either way, it's much larger than the Snuggie's dimension of 48 x 71, the better to keep your toesies from being exposed to the cold.

The higher priced Slanket comes in more colors and is bigger, softer, and warmer.

MetaFilter commenter "cowbellemoo" points out that this cumbersome size means that it will be more difficult to take part in any off-the-couch activity whilst wearing the Slanket:
I can confirm that it's impossible to get up and do anything else when 'wearing' the slanket. It's simply too heavy/long/baggy. I see this as a feature, not a bug.
This could impede one from the "I'm wearing this ironically" activities that have cropped up with the Snuggie as featured in a New York Times article and will be again played out in the Los Angeles Snuggie Pub Crawl (date still TBA).

So in a nutshell, if you're serious about staying warm and getting cozy on the couch, it's all about the Slanket, but if you're into this "Ha HA it's funny and if it were brown and I wore it backwards, I could be a Jedi Knight" mode of thinking, then I'm sure you'll be fine with the Snuggie.

But to make things more complicated, an LA Pretty (of course!) created a more chic, higher-end, and expensive version of her own called the Nuddle. Nap + Cuddle = Nuddle, get it? Debra Messing, Angie Harmon, Rebecca Gayheart, and Lauren Conrad all adore their Nuddles. And they should, since they cost about $100 (though there's a 20% off sale going on right now).

Smaller than the Slanket (it's 55 x 71) the shorter size is made up for because it has a pocket for your feet - hooray for warm toesies! And instead of sleeves, the blanket has slits for your arms to go through and a built-in muff to keep your hands warm while your arms are free. Available in two colors, chocolate and latte, it's a more glamorous alternative to the Snuggie and Slanket, but is it worth the price? We'll have to try it out and see.

More on Barbie's Malibu Dream House!

Yesterday we posted about Jonathan Adler's redesign of Barbie's Malibu Dream House. Well some more images have been released and bloomacious has the goods!

Check it out here!

Barbie's Dream House is getting a makeover!

Forbes landed probably the biggest interview get of all time! (Barbara Walters, eat your heart out.) That's right, they got to interview the one and only Barbie. And if there's anyone who can help us figure out how to maintain a Pretty life in these hard economic times, it's her. After all, she did have 108 different careers!

And how has her dream house been affected by the real estate crash?

Luckily Malibu is a pretty stable market ... and my Malibu Dream House just had a fabulous re-design by my good friend Jonathan Adler.

Yes, that's right, the one and only Jonathan Adler of Top Design fame is giving her Malibu Dream House a makeover. An real Malibu beach house will serve as the backdrop to Barbie's 50th blowout party on March 9th, and Adler will be updating her bedroom, living room, and closet for the occasion. Here's a peek courtesy of Mattel:

And in addition to Stila, Adler will also be launching a “Jonathan Adler Loves Barbie” collection in the fall of 2009, including designer pottery, pillows, decorative objects. Plus there will be a Jonanthan Adler-designed Barbie that comes with her own matching furniture!

Want more doll inspiration? You really must check out Michael Williams' homage to Jonathan Adler and Barbie through these stunning dioramas:


Images via Apartment Therapy

Delirious for candles

With Valentine's Day coming up we know the perfect way to set the mood. Even if you don't have someone to snuggle with we suggest picking up some comforting scents from Candle Delirium. This West Hollywood shop is full of intoxicating aromas that'll sweep you off your feet. The store is small, but carries scents for every occasion. The Delirium & Co. Candles are our fave! They're $38, but will last around 55 hours making the price reasonable.



Delirium & Co. Candles come in two styles representing the Silver Period and Blue Period in a chic contemporary box that just screams "classy decorative piece." The rich fragrances will leave a lasting scent that will invoke moods and create memories. The Silver Period represents a sultry time when raw beauty co-existed with strength, vulnerability and femininity. The Blue Period is all about invoking European splendor, capturing the essence of royalty and sophistication, a time when men were brave, suave and chivalrous. That sounds Pretty Sexy to me! The store also has a ton of other candle brands to choose from as well!

visit CandleDelirium.com or 7980 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, 90046

Pretty Scandalous

Does your BF give you massages? We didn't think so; but now he'll be eager to give you a rub down using Scandle's Massage Oil Candles. Yes they're quite self explanatory, the burning candle melts the massage oil. Now this is no typical candle wax either, unlike actual candle wax or other massage oil candles, Scandle's has a defined difference:

"Unless you put your finger or other body part directly in the flame, the Scandle is ouch-less and actually feels quite nice. By using cosmetic grade soy oil rather than traditional waxes, such as paraffin or beeswax, we are able to offer a candle in which amounts of the safe, comfortable, and warmed oil can be directly massaged into the skin , leaving the skin smooth, soft, and pleasantly scented. Hypo-Allergenic."

The Scandle Originals come in a reusable ceramic candle holder that allows you to easily pour out the massage oil. Also, candle refills come with a plantable hang tag that sprouts wildflowers. All of the candles have wonderful scents, but aren't overwhelming either. The oil isn't messy and rubs into skin like a lotion, leaving you full of moisture and healthy oils. So get one for yourself or to use with someone else; what you do after the massage is up to you. They also have travel sizes.


Scandle Massage Oil Candles available online.

Woof woof! Some hot packages!

We are on cute overload here at Pretty headquarters thanks to Bluedogz Designs. This company can make anything Pretty by attaching one of their 'teeny tags.' These can help you get organized and will dress up any gift. The tags are made from recycled wood with lines on one side and a playful design on the other with a classy satin ribbon tie.


Bluedogz Designs also makes clipboards and boxes of various sizes and patterns. We can not express how adorable their creations are in real life - it's like love at first site. We are especially liking the 'big button boxes' that have a long satin ribbon you must twist around the button for the box to stay securely closed.



The company believes that a simple gift with fabulous packaging and presentation goes a long long way, especially in these times when we are careful about what we are spending but still wanting to share little luxuries with the people we love.

Awe - very true! These are the perfect little boxes to share luxuries, no matter the size!

Get them online, bluedogzdesign.com.

Who's making the White House stylish and comfortable?

The answer is Los Angeles based interior designer Michael S. Smith. He is currently one of the most sought after designers in the country and finds inspiration through international flair. Whether it be from Russia to the Mediterranean old world, influences seem to play a pivotal part in Smith's creation process.


Examples of Smith's previous work can be found on his website and throughout his new book, Houses. According to his website's description of Houses, "Smith's Exquisite tastes and laid back sensibility are avidly sought by clients who want to unpretentious interiors filled with style and comfort." Below is the book's cover.


That gives us some insight as to how he was chosen to liven up the White House. I'm sure the Bush family kept it drab and with young kids around the Obama's are in need of "style and comfort" in their new landmark home. We look forward to seeing Michael Smith's interior designs shine.

Images courtesy of Michael S Smith Inc
Story via Domino Mag

WTF is CB2?

That's what I've been asking myself for awhile as one will be gracing our presence in 2009 off Sunset & Crescent Heights. Apparently, CB2 is Crate & Barrel's answer to affordable cool. They are said to have, "smart designs, clever materials. Neat stuff, cool colors. Modern furnishings for apartment, loft, home. Ideas for the 24 or more hours in your day."


From browsing their website, the furniture seems way better quality than Ikea. The price points are obviously more than Ikea, but less than Crate & Barrel. CB2 sells everything you could need to furnish the inside of your living quarters, and unlike Ikea it wont fall apart when you move it.

Green your clean!

Since today is a Saturday, I had many Pretty things to do, but alas the BF was keen on getting our place clean. So when it came to cleaning my messy bathroom counter full of makeup spills, powder, hair, and whatever else accumulates whilst getting Pretty, I turned to TerraCyle All Purpose Cleaner.



This stuff really works and I can use it all over the house on counters, desks, tables, and whatever else I manage to get dirty. It's ALL naturally derived so perfectly safe for furry friends and plants. The products are more than eco-friendly - their environmentally responsible!

The active ingredients are: Purified water, grease cutters (natural minerals) performance enhancer, essential oils derived from natural sources, utilizing micro penetrating action.

TerraCycle has other cleaning and home products as well. I haven't tried them yet, but I'm sure I will soon. The company is all about recycling and keeping our planet Pretty! - loves it!