February Slow Down and Josie Maran

It is looking to be a quiet month for me in terms of going to shows, so I will be focusing on getting some product reviews done instead.  Not that I really have any ready for you right now, lol.

At a recent gathering, I did get to try a fabulous sunscreen from the Josie Maran line: the 40 spf Moisturizer.  Of course, it's not currently available, as Josie tells me with a smile that it is being revamped.  I'm already a huge fan of her Whipped Argon Oil in Vanilla Apricot, so am anxious to try the new sunscreen when it is released.  It smelled heavenly, and absorbed beautifully with no greasy residue.  I hate how most sunscreens feel on my skin, so really loved how this one felt, and honestly, the scent was intoxicating.  I wanted to eat it, lol.  And, it kept my skin from burning after being out in the sun for several hours with only one application

I used the Whipped Argon Oil before my boudoir shoot last year (and again this year!) after every shower for about a month so that my skin would be well hydrated in the photos.  (Yeah, dry patchy skin does not look so great in sexy photos, imagine that.)  The scent is a bit stronger than the sunscreen, has a bit of a sharper quality, but I still like it.  It also absorbs beautifully, and leaves your skin feeling supple and luscious.  Unfortunately, Kenny has now discovered it, so my stash is rapidly depleting. 

There are numerous other products in her line that I'm interested in trying soon.  I know that Josie is passionate about the quality and sustainability of the ingredients she uses in her products, which just makes me even more interested in using them, as I am also trying to live a more green lifestyle.

Do you have a favorite JM product?  I would love to hear about your experiences with the line.

Busy Week Recap

The last week absolutely flew by -- last post I was just getting ready to leave for the Whisky A Go Go, and now it is 2 shows and a Super Bowl party later, lol. I wish I had more photos to share, but sometimes photo ops are a little hard to come by, or maybe it's suitable light that is hard to come by?
First up is the show at the Whisky -- happily I was able to get dressed in the bathroom at the venue (strangely, neither of the band dressing rooms have doors) and put my makeup on in the dressing room. That was a challenge. The walls are painted black, there are only a couple narrow mirrors not set up for makeup application, and very little light (and what there is has a strong yellow cast). I imagine most guys in a band don't notice these things, but all of us ladies certainly did, lol.
Soundcheck was a bit different for this show, because the guys also had to do a rehearsal for the taping, with a much more structured set up than a regular concert would have. It was interesting to watch, and I was really glad that I didn't have to try and remember all the little details that go into making a smooth televised concert. I managed to sneak in a few shots of the guys before the show -- loved catching Kenny getting spruced up -- they had a makeup artist to do some stage makeup for the guys, which helps when you're going to be on HD tv.

The performance was great-- and the floor was jam-packed with people. I was very glad I had a table in the upstairs loft area that they had set up for VIPs. (In this case, that means friends and family of the band, as well as other musicians who have been on the show, and I imagine some production people as well. David Spade and Amy Adams were even in attendance that night!) Visibility from up there isn't great, but not having to stand in a crush of people and still be able to enjoy the music was a huge perk to me. I was bummed that my friends were not on the VIP list, so they were downstairs for the show, but, after the show Kenny sweet talked the bouncer at the VIP entrance to let them come upstairs to celebrate my birthday -- he even arranged with one of the other band wives to get me birthday cake!! It was embarrassing and wonderful to be the center of all that attention, lol. Definitely made me feel special.  A few of the TLR ladies decided to try the photobooth before we left -- wish I'd remember that sooner and gotten one with Kenny!

All the guys and wives decided to go out for food afterwards (none of them ate much of the pizza that was provided before the show --- I think Kenny had been served pizza 5 out of 6 nights that week, because every venue seems to just order pizza. I guess it hasn't dawned on them that singers tend not to eat dairy before a show, and that pizza gets old, very old, when that's all there ever is). We went to the Rainbow, which was a block or two away and easy walking distance. Won't be in a big hurry to go back there again, lol. They win the award for worst service EVER. Took 20 minutes for a waitress to come give us menus, then it seemed she would never bring the food. Once the food did arrive, it came for one person. Seriously. About 15-20 minutes later, our food came (with a coffee we didn't order but that did show up on the bill, and no salad dressing on my salad), but the last guys food did not come. He had to ask for them to bring it. I had to ask for salad dressing, two or three times. Some of our peeps at the next table were having the same experience. The water I asked for at the beginning of the meal came at the end. Thank heavens this is such a fun group of people to hang with, because we didn't need good service to have a good time! And, at least the food was good when it finally did show up. We didn't get home until about 3:15 and we were all wiped out the next day.

Here are some videos on Youtube promoting the show, and fan reaction afterwards:

This last weekend Kenny had another show with The Long Run at Pala Casino near San Diego. I had a baby shower to go to that afternoon, so Kenny drove down with one of the guys and I came later after sitting in massive traffic for three hours. Sigh. Sometimes LA sucks. One of my girlfriends who lives in SD came up and met me for dinner, which was so great. The show was very energetic -- the crowd was huge, and I heard they had about 100 people who couldn't get into the venue, so they had to watch from the casino bar that is at the edge of the showroom. Nice! There is a real connection between the energy of the band, and the energy of the audience. If the audience comes ready to have a good time, the band draws from that, and the show is even better. It's like a continuous loop of positive momentum between them that just makes for an incredible show.

We had some delish Mexican food with the band afterwards -- Pala has a small Mexican eatery called Amigos with decent food -- not gourmet, but reasonably priced and tasty, with good wait staff. Works for me, and the margarita I got there was better than the one from the bar inside the showroom. I was doing the happy dance that Kenny had decided to book a room in Fallbrook that night, rather than doing the 3 hour drive home. You can not imagine how much it sucks to make a long drive like that after a full day. Literally, we left the house at 11, it's a three hour drive, then you unpack the gear, set it up, do soundcheck, grab a bite, get dressed, do the show, visit with some fans, tear down the gear and pack up. If you're lucky, you're ready to leave the venue by 11:30-midnight. It's the worst part of being a musician or one of the wives, and is a big reason why I go along to as many shows as I do-- want to help keep him awake and get home safe. A motel room is a much nicer way to end the evening!

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