May 21, 2013

The Do List: San Francisco Fashion Events July 25-31

If you’re in the mood to celebrate local style, this is your week to shine, thanks to a bouquet of parties in honor of worthy Bay Area fashion and beauty destinations. And as always, the week ahead brings ample opportunity to shop from local sources. You’ll find the details on the SF Indie Fashion Calendar, and we’ve called out a few of our favorite upcoming San Francisco fashion events below.

  • On Tuesday, the self-tanning experts behind Beautisol join forces with Russian Hill’s Beauty Company for a Facebook Fan Appreciation Party. To partake, just “like” both hosts on Facebook, then head over for an evening of food, drink, goodie bags and self-tanning tips from Beautisol’s Sinead Norenius.
  • On Wednesday, longtime local jewelry line viv&ingrid celebrates the opening of its first retail shop with a party at the new Oxford Hall location in Berkeley.
  • SoMa, the Mission and Pacific Heights each play host on Thursday night to oh-so-stylish events with appeal for different crowds. Retail studio and fashion production house The Factory toasts to its first six months with a Warhol-themed shindig on 4th St., while Clary Sage Organics clinks glasses over its three-year anniversary on Fillmore Street. Last but not least, avant garde fashion is on display at the Mission’s Five & Diamond shop during a Pure Vile trunk show, which promises the New York label’s far-out, one-0f-a-kind accessories made using such macabre materials as doll parts, lace and bone.
  • Top the week off with the array of vendors selling local apparel, accessories, food and much, much more during the latest Treasure Island Flea.

You can find details on all of these events and more happening this week on the SF Indie Fashion Calendar.

Heavenly Hair: A Trip to Palo Alto’s Halo Salon

Dryers suspended from the ceiling, white chairs, ample mirrors and tangerine hues set the stage for stylish 'dos at Palo Alto's Halo.

With six hairdryers strung from the ceilings, Halo, a blow dry bar located in Palo Alto, is one of many such locations opening around the nation. For a relatively affordable $35 (compare that to $50 and up at traditional salons) hair can go from boring and lifeless to sleek and sexy without an accompanying cut.

Like many, the best my hair ever looks is after a trip to the salon, when all the crunchy ends are cut off and nicely curled. When I leave, I feel like Farrah Fawcett in her feathered-hair glory, but a couple of days later, when I attempt to recreate the look at home, I end up with the wild mane of Jessie Spano in Saved by the Bell. I know I’m not alone. For the other hair-challenged who just want to feel like Farrah more than once every few months, there is hope, and it’s popping up in more and more Bay Area places.

“It’s fun, it’s fast and it’s affordable,” says Halo’s Manager Tashina Torres. “And we can pretty much do whatever you want.”

There are four menu items at Halo designed to cover all hairstyles: Give it to me Straight, Pretty, Please, Me, Only Better and Glam-A-Rama. Customers also have the option of ordering an up-do, wedding hair, prom hair or a Brazilian blowout.

“Most people want Kim Kardashian hair,” says Amanda Ellenwood, the stylist who performed my first blowout. “People don’t realize she has a ton of extensions.”

After I told Ellenwood that I had no specific events to attend, she spun me around in the salon chair and decided on giving me a cross between the Glam-A-Rama and Pretty, Please. What followed felt like a manicure for the head: my scalp was massaged, my hair washed and in 45 minutes every follicle on my head appeared shiny and new. Farrah was back.

Know before you go: Insider Tips from Torres

  • Don’t wash your hair before you go—that is part of the experience.
  • If you’re looking for the best time for walk-in appointments, try Monday through Wednesday. Weekends are the busiest.
  • Blowouts typically last two to three days with the use of a shower cap.

Multiple brushes are part of the magic at Halo.

Photography by Lindsay Harte

SF Salon Deal: Keratin Complex Express Blowout

Johnny in his Union Square salon

When a Brazilian Blowout is too time-consuming or too expensive, the Keratin Complex Express Blowout may be exactly what you’re looking for. Luckily for SF Indie Fashion readers, Johnny Bueno is offering this new-to-his-salon treatment at a discount.

Ringing in at about half the price and requiring half the time of a Brazilian Blowout, the one-hour service is similar in its ability to smooth, de-frizz and reduce curl, but requires much less in the way of commitment. The results of the treatment last anywhere from a month to six weeks.

It’s a summer-friendly hair strategy that cuts frizz and reduces the need for styling right when added humidity, beach trips and it’s-too-hot-to-blowdry moments take over.

So here’s the deal: book a color appointment with Johnny Bueno Color Studio this month, and you’ll save 20 percent on a Keratin Complex Express Blowout (reg. $145-$165). Another perk for readers: Tell ‘em we sent ya, and you’ll score a super-soft Johnny Bueno logo tee for $5 (reg. $25).

More San Francisco beauty

Lasting Beauty: Captain Blankenship Balms and Solid Perfumes

Rosy Red for lips and cheeks, $15, from Captain Blankenship is made using Beeswax, California organic almond oil, organic jojoba oil, wildcrafted shea butter and essential oils.

Beauty products that not only deliver welcome results, but last and last and last get our shatter-polished thumbs up every time. We recently discovered such tandem benefits in Bay Area-based beauty line Captain Blankenship.

Priced from $15-$30 and packaged in reusable metal tins, the balms and solid perfumes from this local line can easily last over a year, says owner Jana Blankenship (the woman behind notable Mission art spot The People’s Gallery).

Begun as a small side project by Blankenship, an art curator who also works with the Wattis Institute, the homegrown beauty company’s growth has been steady in recent months, though strictly organic, not unlike many of its wild-crafted ingredients. These days, the line also includes liquid scents, bath salts and aromatic sprays.

Our favorite scent during a recent sniff session at The People’s Gallery? Mantra, an earthy fragrance designed to aid meditation and concentration made using jasmine, vetiver, sandalwood, blood orange and spearmint.

More San Francisco beauty

Flex Time: Try San Francisco Midweek Beauty Deals

Russian Hill's Beauty Company frequently offers midweek specials via its Facebook page.

At Cavallo Point, midweek spa deals accompany to-die-for views.

Got some midweek flex in your sched this summer? Then these midweek deals at local day spas are just for you. Even better, you’ll avoid the Saturday masses and get your look in line before the weekend hits.

Cocoon Urban Day Spa Midweek Mani-Pedi Special: Through the end of June, score $10 off all mani-pedi combination treatments when you book appointments Tuesday through Friday before 4 p.m. Insider tip: if you drive to this Rincon Hill location, hunt on Guy Place for one-hour, unmetered spots.

Cavallo Point Midweek Spa Special: Yes, there are many other reasons for locals to hit this just-across-the-Golden-Gate destination than the postcard city views. Head here Monday through Thursday, and you’ll save 15 percent on any facial, massage or body treatment (excludes tandem massages). Add a yoga class ($15) or spring for a full day pass ($65) to enjoy the bucolic lodge’s full suite of fitness offerings, including a eucalyptus steam room and a heated meditation pool.

Zaza Nail Spa Midweek Special: Book your appointment Monday through Thursday before 4 p.m., and you’ll be rewarded with $15 off the classic mani-pedi combo, as well as skincare and massage treatments this month. Afterwards, if more me-time is required, get sucked in by the deals across the street at Jeremy’s.

Beauty Company: Those who “like” this Russian hill shop-slash-salon on Facebook will be happy to find an ever-updating assortment of midweek deals posted on the shop’s wall. Recent deals have included a free mani-pedi with purchase before 4 p.m. offered to those who check in using Facebook and 40 percent off waxing done before 4 p.m.

More San Francisco beauty….

Photography courtesy of Beauty Company and Cavallo Point