hair

OUR FAVORITE PLACES

PHOTOS/POST: KRISTIN ESS

Hey, hey, LA! We are incredibly lucky to have so many epic resources for the beauty industry around Los Angeles. Remember our last post about all of our favorite beauty supply stores and sources? Well we thought we would follow that up by telling you about a few other semi-secret spots that we love to hit which are a little more off-the-radar. Next time you’re in Los Angeles, print out these posts and make a whole day of it! We’ve included places to find products and tools as well as a couple of places that just get our beauty engines going for obvious reasons…

Long Beach Flea Market: I love going here when I have a wedding coming up. It’s much less crowded than the very popular Rosebowl but has many of the same vendors. I used to search ebay & etsy for vintage brooches to put in a brides hair but eventually I realized I needed to see them in person before I could buy. There are many vendors that carry hundreds of brooches. You have to search for the vendors because they’re always in a different location, but you can’t miss that glittery glow.

Japanese Beauty Supplies: I go to various Japanese stores on Sawtelle Blvd to get bobby pins + hair clips when I’m in a pinch and can’t order from Shear World (which I linked to in the last post). Japanese beauty supplies tend to carry bobby pins and hair pins that are significantly stronger than the average pin. They’re much more durable and have some not-so-average colors. There is a whole strip of shopping centers on Sawtelle and Olympic but my favorite is called Make Asobi. (This is also where I got the gold clips you see in the bottom middle of the header photo up top.)

The Makeup Show: This is only open to professionals and students attending cosmetology school. You can view the dates on their website. Trust us… it’s worth scheduling your trip around these dates if you’re in the industry. There are new launches from various makeup brands and more nail polish colors + textures than you could ever dream of. You can also watch some of the best makeup artists in the world get up on stage, do their thing, and then participate in a Q & A. It’s pretty much the happiest place on earth for us.

VISIT THEMAKEUPSHOW.COM

Luxelab // Studio DNA //  Space NK: As we all know, I am obsessed with Oribe products for styling hair and I’m constantly running out of one bottle or another. Mapping out where you can get the product you need is essential for any freelance hairstylist on-the-go. I try to order ahead but sometimes it just doesn’t work that way. Luxelab is a hair salon on Montana Avenue on the westside, Studio DNA is a salon on La Brea closer to Hollywood and I go to the Space NK located inside Bloomingdales in the Century City if I need something in the middle. These 3 spots always seem to have a full stock and they always have the new stuff, which is very helpful!

Violet Grey: If you want to know which products are being sprayed, blended + applied to some very famous faces before they hit the red carpet, stop by this sparkly spot on Melrose Place. I love that they directly connect with celebrity hairstylists, makeup artists + manicurists to get the inside scoop and then they stock their shelves with the specific products that the artists are currently obsessed with. They also carry a lot of beauty classics. Let’s just say, I learn (and spend!) a lot here.

TINI (also know as “This is not Ikea”): I love this massive vintage/antique store on Fairfax near The Grove. I’ve purchased so many rad vintage beauty items here for my private studio. I’m a big believer in being inspired by your workspace so I like to have things around me that are new and cool in addition to things from past decades. It’s amazing to see how beauty has changed over the years and makes you wonder what the beauty industry will be like in the future. Fill your workspace with things that make you love working.

The Hair Shop + Wilshire Beauty: These two are across the street from each other. I’ve written about them before, but I always like to recommend them to people who are visiting LA. Let’s say you wanted to pick up some simple clip-in extensions that you can’t get where you live– go into the Hair Shop and someone will walk you through the walls and walls of hair, wigs, extensions, etc. It’s way better than ordering them online and hoping for the best. They’ll even show you how to put them in and secure them properly. Then, pop over to Wilshire Beauty across the street to check out the newest beauty buys as well as many classic products. (Inside tip: I like Wilshire Beauty much more for hair and nails than I do for makeup.)

Griffith Park: We’re big fans of feeling pretty on the inside as well as on the outside. Peace of mind is a must. If you’re visiting LA, you’re sure to hear about the very popular Runyon Canyon. Alternatively, we are huge fans of Griffith Park. It’s not as crowded and we like the view a lot more. Depending on which way you go, you can see downtown LA, the Hollywood sign, and all the way to the beach. It’s magical.

BookSoup // Henessey + Ingalls: You guuuuys, please don’t forget about bookstores. I’m not trying to sound like a grandma right now, but we NEED books. Know what the thing is about the internet? We only see recycled things! Unless someone chooses to add something new, we see the same images posted over and over in different places. Bookstores are WAY better than that. There are things in bookstores that will never be on the internet. Those are my kind of gems. Some of the best hair inspiration I have ever laid my eyes on was found while sitting in a pile of books on my day off.

Blick Art Store: This is one of those spots where I can just go and get inspired for hours. Try popping in without a plan and just find new things to create. It’s good for the artist in you! Last time I was there, I bought a small thin canvas, went home, made a bunch of kiss marks with various lipsticks, labeled them and created our favorite new piece of art for the office. Buy some colorful pencils, sketch out some hairstyles or makeup looks or create a color palette you love for summer 2014 using only water colors! The possibilities are endless at this place. There are 2 stories of art supplies to gawk at.

Pampered Hands (Melrose Ave): We’re pretty open about our obsession with nail art. A favorite spot to go for fun nail art in LA is Pampered Hands on Melrose. You can literally take a photo of anything you’ve ever seen on the interwebs and they can do it. They do nail art with both polish and gel. It definitely gets crazy busy so don’t go if you’re in a hurry, but if you’ve ever been saving a photo of a cool mani in a pinterest file, this is the place to take it. Top off your perfect nail art with rings + things! Our favorite sites for those:

Malibu, Ca: There is no better natural light on the planet, if you ask me. If you’re coming to LA and want to do a shoot for your blog or just because, make the drive out to Malibu. Early morning and evening are best, but Malibu is often overcast with a “marine layer” in the early afternoon which diffuses the hard sunlight and gives you the warmest glow in your photos. That’s the reason nearly every campaign and editorial in this town are shot in Malibu.

Los Angeles Flower Mart: This is not that big of a secret anymore, but definitely something that can brighten your day. Get inspired by all the colors and the infinite types of flowers. We love going down here in the beginning of the week to get flowers for the office. Walking around the LA Flower Mart has inspired many of our DIY projects at TBD. They’re only open to the trade in the wee-hours of the morning but open to the public shortly after. Check the hours of operation HERE.

If we were visiting LA, this would be the pretty lil round of stops we would make. If you’re from here and want to leave some additional cool spots for people (or even for us!) to check out, please feel free to leave the info below!