Lifestyle — Page 17

The Now Massage in West Hollywood

June 17, 2016

Something I’ve taken a liking to in 2016 is getting massages. I’ve gotten two so far this year, and I see more in my future for sure. I bookmarked The Now Massage Boutique in West Hollywood after seeing Marianna Hewitt post on Instagram it (p.s. follow @oliviafrescura on instagram if you aren’t yet!). After checking out their site and prices, I was pleasantly surprised that they offer affordable massages in such a luxe space.

Something that stood out to me was their add ons- including an eye mask, aromatherapy, or abdominal massage. I opted to do some aromatherapy as it was cheap and I love a good fragrance. They use Jiva-Apoha oils, which seem really high end, and the scent I picked was Baby Jiva which had lavender and chamomile to add to the relaxation factor. The massage that I got was their signature Now massage, a swedish inspired massage. I got 50 minutes for $60, which is 10 minutes less for the same price of the last massage I got, but in a much better environment. They have massages for children, athletes, travelers, anyone!

The receptionists are very welcoming, I had read a few yelp reviews that stated otherwise, so I was a bit nervous, but I didn’t have a single issue. I would just recommend that you show up at least 10 minutes early in order to fill out their form. If you show up late, they aren’t going to extend your time slot so you’ll likely get a shorter massage!

The massage rooms are not individual rooms, but one large room separated by cloths. So, you can hear the occasional noise like coughing, but I didn’t find it irritating. I thought my massage was great. My first massage experience was a lot more painful, but after my massage at The Now I felt a lot more relaxed and rejuvenated! I’ll admit that massages are pretty painful for me- but the results are great. If you’re in the West Hollywood area, definitely check out The Now, as I will for sure be going back!

Introducing Origami Rack | Furniture For The Ikea Inept

June 9, 2016

Since I moved into my apartment almost a year ago (!), I thought I would be doing a ton more posts on home decor & apartment living. But, the life happened. But, today I’m excited to introduce you to Origami Rack, a line of home furniture that takes little to no building yourself…for idiots like me! Seriously, I couldn’t be more grateful, as, recently, I built a set of dresser drawers, and despite doing everything correctly, it’s falling apart. I love that Origami Rack strives to take the stress out of finding furniture at an affordable price.

They sent me their Butcher Block Kitchen Cart in White ($149.99) to try out and I’ve been loving it. It’s such a great utility piece and also is very aesthetically pleasing in the kitchen. At first, I thought I’d use it as a bar cart, but who am I kidding? I don’t drink at home. So, it’s taken it’s place in my kitchen as extra counter space, because my place literally has *none*. All you have to do to build it, is unfold it, flip up the butcher block, and add the wheels by screwing them in. No additional parts, no 50 steps- so easy.

If you’re on the hunt for some great furniture for your kitchen, living room, or even garage- check out Origami Rack. There’s nothing better than being able to set a piece of furniture up in under 5 minutes- talk about piece of mind! Also, save 15% with code OLIVIA15 at OrigamiRack.com ~ and no, I don’t make anything off of it! 🙂

**This post contains products that I have received for free-for more information, please read my Disclosure Policy**

How to Photoshop Smooth Skin for Instagram Makeup Looks & Blog Selfies | Video Tutorial

May 27, 2016

I always see bloggers using Gaussian blur to blur their skin, so, I thought I’d put out my own PSA to tell people to cut it. Not a good look. So, I decided to do something constructive and do a tutorial on how I photoshop my photos to ensure that I have the smooth skin that still looks real. In this video, I teach you basic methods to get rid of blemishes (and stray brow hairs), lighten up a dark photo, and effectively blur skin without completely airbrushing. These tips are easier to do than playing video games with elo boost services or sites like overwatchboostpros.com for your shooting games.

Smooth Blur Skin Photoshop Tutorial Before and After — Before & After

Here are the tools you need to use:

Brightness/Contrast: take down the contrast in darker photos before or after lightening. Pro tip: you can do this more than once, as there is a limit to how much you can take it down. But, if you hit okay and go back to Brightness/Contrast it will let you do more.
Curves: I use curves to brighten photos, rather than using Brightness/Contrast. I like to pull up the highlights by making a point towards the top of the line and dragging it upwards. I don’t make it an S-curve!
Spot Healing Brush Tool: Using this makes removing blemishes and other things like stray eyebrow hairs a breeze. All you have to do is draw where you want to be erased & the content-aware tool corrects it based on the surrounding pixels.
Clone Stamp: Similar to spot healing, the clone stamp is used for the same thing but requires more work. You simply copy a section of pixels and paste it to cover any imperfections. It can take longer and some practice to get the hang of it as you need to make sure what you are stamping is identical in shade to what you’re covering up!
Surface Blur: this is the blur I use instead of Gaussian blur. This blur is a lot more natural. After blurring, erase sections that shouldn’t be blurred like eyes, eyebrows, hair, (sometimes) background, lips, etc. Then, take down the opacity to somewhere between 30-60%, I feel like this is the best range where it will improve your skin while still looking natural.

Anyways, let me know if these tips were helpful- I’m not a photoshop genius but I think my photos have drastically improved throughout the years. Let me know if you’re interested in seeing more photoshop, instagram, or flatlay tutorials!

Verve Coffee in Downtown Los Angeles | Espresso Fix

May 10, 2016

Verve Coffee is definitely one of my favorite places to get coffee in Los Angeles. What makes them special is that they actually roast their own coffee. There are probably a ton of cafés here with a good cappuccino that just use Stumptown- but that makes them just like everyone else. So, I try to find places that have different coffee so I know it’ll be worth my time.

I’ve only been to Verve a few times- but I love the ambiance there from the plants on the wall inside, to the very lofty & clean interior. I’m a classic cappuccino + croissant type of gal, and walking down the street with the Verve versions in hand definitely took me back to studying abroad in Italy.

The great thing is now they have a location closer to where I live, in West Hollywood, so I’m definitely adding that to my list! They also serve nitro cold brew (something I want to try although I prefer espresso), tea, and juice from Juice Served Here. They have Juice Flight that I’m dying to try! If you’re looking for a cool & trendy coffee spot to try- definitely hit up Verve, whether you’re a local or just visiting!

The Broad Museum in Downtown Los Angeles

April 28, 2016

The Broad Museum Downtown Los Angeles Jeff Koons Tulips 1995-2004 — Jeff Koons “Tulips” (1995-2004)

If you’re planning a trip to LA, one thing you won’t want to miss is The Broad Museum in Downtown. I finally got the chance to visit this past weekend as tickets are hard to come by and I’m not down to wait in that standby line. Although the Infinity Mirrored room was booked, we plan on going back for another chance to see that, along with seeing their next installation. All these photos are from their inaugural installation which ends May 1st, so I didn’t want to miss out on these pieces!

Urs Fischer "Untitled" (2012) — Urs Fischer “Untitled” (2012)

Even the architecture at The Broad is super artful- it was designed by Diller Scofidio +Renfro in collaboration with Gensler. The interior is almost cave-like and looks really cool.

The Broad Museum Downtown Los Angeles Robert Therrien Under The Table 1994 — Robert Therrien “Under The Table” (1994)

Something interesting about The Broad is that admission is completely free. You won’t find that at many museums! This is great because it makes art accessible to anyone and everyone. Also, although some of the art seems to be interactive, like the above set of massive table and chairs- it’s not. Don’t touch…the employees will come at you if you get too close!

The Broad Museum Downtown Los Angeles Christopher Wool Untitled 1990 — Christopher Wool “Untitled” (1990)

The Broad Museum Downtown Los Angeles Andy Warhol Two Marilyns 1962 — Andy Warhol “Two Marilyns” (1962)

I was super excited to see several Warhols on display, including Two Marilyns. I think Andy Warhol is one of my favorite artists because he is from Pittsburgh, PA just like I am.

The Broad Museum Downtown Los Angeles Roy Lichtenstein I I'm Sorry 1965-1966 — Roy Lichtenstein “I…I’m Sorry” (1965-1966)

There’s plenty of contemporary art on display and surely there’s something for everyone. I loved all the pop art by Roy Lichtenstein.

The Broad Museum Downtown Los Angeles Ed Ruscha Heavy Industry 1962 — Ed Ruscha “Heavy Industry” (1962)

The Broad Museum Downtown Los Angeles Mark Grotjahn Untitled Dancing Black Butterflies 2007 — Mark Grotjahn “Untitled (Dancing Black Butterflies)” (2007)

The Broad Museum Downtown Los Angeles Glenn Ligon Double America 2 2014 — Glenn Ligon “Double America 2” (2014)

Next time I’d definitely bring my nicer camera instead of just using my cell phone- as I really wasn’t that happy with my photos (this iPhone 5s isn’t doing it for me anymore…)

If you live in LA and haven’t gone to The Broad yet, make it your mission before the infinity room is gone in the fall. It’s a really easy museum and you can do the whole thing in about an hour, so even the least artsy in your group can handle it. Make a day out of it and spend some time Downtown while you’re at it!

I got broads in Atlanta ✨

A photo posted by Olivia Frescura (@oliviafrescura) on Apr 24, 2016 at 4:53pm PDT