Diva Night Made Possible by 28 Bobby Pins

That's how many it took to create my girls night out hair style Saturday. 28...that's a lot of bobby pins, but it was so worth it!

I could not have timed things much better Saturday and it was all by chance. I scheduled my usual hair cut with Eleanor at Embellish (go see her...she is simply amazing!) weeks ago. Then, a few days ago found out about Willow's Photography Diva Night with all sorts of fun stuff and gift bags, and on the spur of the moment got tickets for Michelle's birthday. Went with an experience gift this year.

Thanks to lucky timing I had amazing hair for a night out. Seriously if you want amazing hair for any reason Eleanor won't stop until it's perfect. This up do was the 3rd attempt at a style for the night. The first two looked great to me, but Eleanor wanted perfection and kept at it until it was exactly how it should be. Every woman needs a stylist like that in their corner!

Aptly called "The Walk of Shame" because it's so messy, but it's an up-do so it's fancy too! And, it's a style I never would have thought to try myself, so it was totally different which made it even more fun. The fun part was Eleanor and Embellish were at Diva Night doing hair and makeup consults and quick styling, so it was super fun getting my hair ready with her earlier in the day, then being at the event for the final product.

We had so much fun. This event was totally outside my comfort zone for sure. I just don't do things like this very often. Room full of ladies, hair, makeup, polarity consultation, nutritionist, tarot card readings, henna, manicures sponsored by a business I have no connection with. It was a total whim but I had a hunch it would be a fun experience for Michelle for her birthday. And, I was right. Willow's Photography went the extra mile to make sure we had fun and felt pampered.

Photo: Michelle with her mad selfie skills!

The swag bags were amazing and among other things (pretty great chap stick, lotion stick, calming spray, and laundry soap recipe made by Willow herself) contained false eyelashes. I was a bit unsure about them as I have never worn false lashes before. I know, I'm late to the game, almost 40 and never faked it with my lashes. Thank goodness Athena, makeup artist with Embellish, was there and putting lashes on, and doing makeup touch ups. She did an awesome job walking me through step-by-step how to put them on myself, how to care for them, tips and tricks and now I feel 100% confident I can do the lashes again myself. I also got some great advice on eye makeup and how to handle the changes to my eyelids that have taken place over the years. 

We both fancied up our eyes with our lashes and then Eleanor worked her magic on Michelle's hair and we were set for the night. Honestly we had so much fun with the makeup and hair, enjoying the margarita cupcakes, and taking selfies that we didn't even make it to anything else. Some of it I wasn't interested in anyway, so don't mind. The polarity therapy session would have been interesting. It may sound sort of whoo whoo to some, but she also does craniosacral therapy and that was the only thing that made the headache I had for months go away after I got kicked in the head a few years ago. I would have liked to see what she could have done, if anything, to help with my car accident recovery. 

Final Product...wow those lashes are amazing, just so much fun!

Since the event was over at 7 we decided to hit the town, and go somewhere fun for dinner, and opted for Marrow which has a most eclectic food and drink menu. I was excited Michelle chose Marrow...it was her birthday so was totally her choice...but I LOVE Marrow and don't get to go there often.

The drinks oh man the drinks! Everything is made in house. The Tonic, Simple Syrup etc...all made in house, all fresh, and all take your drink to the next level. Michelle had the Beatrice and I had the Samsa. Fair warning it's one of those places you want to try everything, but there is no possible way you can try everything you want in one night and make it home. Don't be afraid to let the server choose for you. I've been twice now and their choices have been spot on both times. 

Once you settle on your drink it's time to get started on the food. We were both starving, and everything looked so good! Sharing is the best option here so you get to try more things. We started with the Toast (Hedgehogs are a mushroom btw) and then I ordered the Charcuterie and I wish I could tell you which meats I picked, but I actually didn't know what any of them were so had the server pick her two favorite for me, and Michelle ordered the Root Vegetable Pot Pie which was so fancy and so good! 

I ended up with liver pate which I never would have ordered myself, but I'm so glad the server picked it. It forced me to try something I had a mental block about and it ended up being my favorite thing! The mango chutney helped I'm sure, but regardless it was really good.

I had so much fun, and am thankful Michelle was excited about this since it was a birthday gift for her. I can not wait for Willow's Photography  to do another Diva Night because I'll be there, and hope some of my girlfriends will be there with me!

Readers local to the Tacoma area go like the Embellish FB page and keep an eye and ear open. There are some very exciting things brewing for them, big changes. I'm so excited to see how it all unfolds! While your on FB go ahead and like Willow's Photography page as well. I love how much she loves helping others feel and look amazing! And, Willow is just a lot of fun, great personality and want's to help others be the best they can be.

P.S. I didn't take a ton of pics because for one I was too busy having fun. But, I'm learning that if the lighting is dim don't bother with my phone at least. I would rather have zero pics than have bad ones. Second I'm really aware of not posting pics of others on the blog if I don't have permission, so crowded event with others in the background is a no no. Third, food photography is hard, and a true art form. It's really hard to take food photos in a dim restaurant and have it look as yummy as it is. And, we were at a long table dinning elbow to elbow with strangers so didn't want to be annoying with the phone photos. I'm surprised actually that the above photo turned out at all.

P.P.S. - No one asked me to do this post, I'm sharing the links/business info because I want to and believe in the businesses myself.