Celebrate Hollywood Going "Hollyweird" at LUCHA VAVOOM for Halloween Madness.

By Laura Medina

They say that Halloween or All Hallow's Eve is when all the "freaks" come out in night.

That's as ignorant, "Muggles" response to outliers, the insular culturists, and the die-hards who keep the locality's history and culture alive....say Lucha VaVoom.

It's been growing into a Los Angeles insider tradition, especially for Halloween, since 2002.

The founders,  Rita D'Albert and Liz Fairbairn blended early Los Angeles history of burlesque, which played on Olde Hollywood classic silent and early talkie movies, and the established Mexican culture; and it's own twist on wrestling, Lucha Libre, Mexican freestyle wrestling.

Blending Mexican freestyle wrestling with old-fashion, old-glamour burlesque, Lucha Libre was born.

How does it work? The burlesque performers are the openers, the closers, and the intermission acts while the wrestlers take a much-needed break.

Now, these burlesque performers are the top-of-the line.  Siobhan Fahey (Bananarama, Shakespeare's Sister) of her new collaboration with Mexico's TITAN, opened the show.

This two hours show got it's first wrestling round with a mixed-gender duos battling it in a good-ole-fashion "good vs. evil."

The elemental "Good vs. Evil" has evolved into ethnic clichés satire on vacationing Americans, "gringos," versus the stereotypical "dirty Mexican."

Mind you, like any slick performance wrestling, this is pure stunt work.  The wrestlers make sure they land on the band of their shoulder blades, not the back of their necks, before they roll back up.

They leap and flip and the more advanced flips are standard and heavily choreographed for their own safety and the audience's entertainment.

Warning, this second round of ethnic clichés did got nasty, that the audience flinched away for certain aspects.

The advisory screening by Peaches, warned folks not to puke and when security screams "Get the fuck out," you really get the hell out...why?

Lil' Chicken is a real-life Angry Bird.  That tiny but tough powerball was flipping wrestlers three-times his height and weight.

Lil' Chicken flinging into the audience, only to keep on fighting, is what the security mean when they scream, "Get the fuck out of the way!"

The chaotic craziness is what makes Lucha VaVoom special from the slicker, more mainstream WWE.

Within Mexican culture, the masked wrestlers are their idea of a masked super hero or master-mind villain.

If not, then the rest, like Lil' Chicken, are real-life cartoons animated in flesh and blood, injected with a lot of humor and vim and vigor, that gets the audience riled up and wild.

As a scribe who has witnessed and wrote about true Hollywood's love and admiration of traditional burlesque that had helped built the city and it's identity, this scribe has never seen and watched so much burlesque underneath one roof in one night.

No wonder, insiders in the know, buy their Lucha VaVoom tickets early then lined up, wrapping around the block, as their own Halloween treat.

The burlesque-as-intermission wasn't just paying homage to Fifties to Sixties' "Hollywood Exotica" that would make Ed Wood at home.  Some of the burlesque performers who dance and strip mid-air, doubling as flying aerialists, which is double risky, dangerous, and awe-inspiring.

Like anything else, Lucha VaVoom saved the best for last.

The most buffed and muscular wrestlers with the slickest moves were saved for last.  Again, it was good versus evil, the 666 Demon and Hellboy versus an USC Trojan-like figure and a gorgeous figure in gold and navy blue velvet.

Lil' Chicken was a real-life Angry Bird cartoon come to life.

These wrestlers were different.  When they stage-dived into the audience was at whole other level.  The audience parted like the Red Sea when these full-grown, bodybuilder-sque wrestler bounced ringside where their fans sat a few seconds ago.

One of the wrestler climbed atop an amplifier then took a flying leap into the rival wrestler.  The wrestlers came out fine then continued the match back into the ring.  Audience went back to their seats.  But, a poor security guard got injured when he got mingled into wrestling melee.

Again many a times, they saved the best for last.

VIOLET CHACHKI wasn't just RuPaul's Drag Race Season 7 winner.  She wasn't just she performed burlesque.  Nope, these aren't adequate enough.  She was the cherry topping the sundae by stripping burlesque as an aerialist, stripping mid-air, spinning and a stripping.  Most mere mortals can't image this, much less do this.

They shut down Lucha VaVoom by flying it's freak flag with pride.  All it's burlesque performers party-ed on stage as a closing celebration.

Let mainstream Hollywood believe their releasing inner desires and freak by posing in scanty and silly costumes, dancing the night away in a over-crowd nightclub or a jam-packed street festival.

The real Halloween happens in the Mayan Theater, in Downtown Los Angeles, by Lucha VaVoom, a magical mish-mash of Mexican Freestyle Wrestling with tons of Classic Hollywood burlesque.

Hollyweird and proud of it.

Halloween Help that will go beyond the Holidays.

By Laura Medina

Halloween goes beyond suffocating rubber masks.

For an easier breath so you can party with the party monsters, you can go to  the ­MAKE UP FOR EVER Boutique at the Westfield Topanga Canoga Park, CA is offering up some unique Halloween makeup services to make sure your look will wow party guests and trick-o-treaters alike.

Whether you’re going glam or ghoul,  the MAKE UP FOR EVER makeup artists can do it all. Their unique menu of services range from face painting, to body painting with looks that can be chosen between their list of signature looks or a look you’re your own inspiration – the makeup artists are dedicated to making these bone-chilling looks come to life.  

DIY Halloween/Costume makeup doesn't have to be toxic to be affordable.

It can be relatively heathy as it is cheap, as is the case with Palladio...

MERMAID

Even Ariel would be jealous of this easy and enchanting under the sea style.  To achieve this look:

·         Place fishnet stockings on face

·         Apply Palladio Crushed Metallic Eye Shadow in Blue Moon ($6) and Silk FX Eyeshadow Palette in Garde ($12) over the fishnets to create scales

·         Line eyes with Immortal Kajal Cream Eyeliner in Dynasty ($6) and Line Out Loud Intense Shimmer Liner in Sparkle ($7)

·         Add a subtle sheen to lips with the Butter Me Up! Sheer Lipbalm in Sweet ($8)

·         Finish off your look with Keratin Complex Sweet Definition Texturizing Sugar Mist ($17) for bombshell beachy waves

DEER

Oh dear! This adorable doe is easy to recreate with the following steps:

·         Shadow your forehead and cheeks with the Palladio Matte Shadow Duo in City Lights ($7)

·         Create spots with the Immortal Kajal Cream Eyeliner in Purity ($6)

·         Use the Fifty Fifty Liner ($15) to create thick winged eyeliner and a black nose

·         Highlight and strobe with the I’m Glowing Creamy Stick Luminizer ($8) for a dewy finish

·         Add a neutral lip with the Velvet Matte Lipcolor in Raw Silk ($7)

·         Complete the look with two top knot buns sprayed with Keratin Complex Flex Flow Hairspray ($25) and insert decorative antlers

DAY OF THE DEAD SUGAR SKULL

Sugar skulls are beautiful and haunting, get the look with the following steps:

·         Create a base with white powder or a light foundation

·         Line and fill the entire eye socket with Palladio Immortal Kajal Cream Liner in Royalty ($6) and Crushed Metallic Shadow in Nebula ($6)

·         Detail out fine lines with the Palladio Glam Intense Gel Liner in Black ($9)

·         Vampy lips are a must, so try Dreamy Matte Lipstick in Darling Damask ($7)

·         Complete your look by making killer waves with the Keratin Complex Transformer Interchangeable Styling Rod ($169)

Let the expert makeup artist design on you while you chill and relax...

HALLOWEEN SERVICES: 

Book your Halloween appointment and choose from our Halloween looks or create your own

$75

Dramatic beauty makeup

40-60 minute application

$100

Face with light special effects

60-90 minute application

$150

Full face with neck and arm special effects

90-120 minute application

Pricing valid from 9/15-11/1

*Reservation fee redeemable in product. Payment required upon booking.

 Much rather be Cleopatra and have the makeup artists come to you, get GLAMSQUAD.

A makeup artist can arrive at your doorsteps and do Halloween makeup, here's the list.         

• HALLOWEEN CUSTOM$200
• HALLOWEEN MAKEUP$125

http://www.purcosmetics.com/transformation-scultping-palettehttp://www.purcosmetics.com/transformation-scultping-palette

Since you're aware that Halloween jump-starts the holiday season and you know what that means, you're going to spend a lot of money.  For those earning living and living in Hollywood, you also have to spend even more time and money when Awards Season hits immediately after New Year's Day, why not invest in this PUR Mineral Transformation Sculpting Eye Shadow and Cheek Palette for both Halloween for outrageous looks then use it again for classic chiseled Hollywood look later down the line for Awards Season.  For mere mortals, you all can continue to use this palette seamlessly for Thanksgiving in a lighter effect and Christmas for a polished, sculptured look.  

Want a Kitty Kat Look? Follow Bare Minerals' guide, using their everyday makeup collection.

http://www.bareescentuals.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-BareEscentuals-Site/en_US/Video-GetVideo?videoName=Cat&cgid=BM_SUB_VIDEOS&view=null&cm_ven=email&cm_cat=commerce&cm_pla=all&cm_ite=HalloweenCatLook&cyEmail=bGFyaWdlbmVAYW9sLmNvbQ==

Isn't it great to use Bare Minerals' everyday makeup for special Halloween looks and offer tutorials on how to do it?!

http://www.bareescentuals.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-BareEscentuals-Site/en_US/Video-GetVideo?videoName=Mermaid&cgid=BM_SUB_VIDEOS&view=null&cm_ven=email&cm_cat=commerce&cm_pla=all&cm_ite=HalloweenCatLook&cyEmail=bGFyaWdlbmVAYW9sLmNvbQ==

http://www.bareescentuals.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-BareEscentuals-Site/en_US/Video-GetVideo?videoName=Unicorn&cgid=BM_SUB_VIDEOS&view=null&cm_ven=email&cm_cat=commerce&cm_pla=all&cm_ite=HalloweenCatLook&cyEmail=bGFyaWdlbmVAYW9sLmNvbQ==

http://blog.bareminerals.com/2015/10/halloweenmakeup-scarecrow-tutorial/?cm_ven=email&cm_cat=commerce&cm_pla=all&cm_ite=HalloweenCatLook&cyEmail=bGFyaWdlbmVAYW9sLmNvbQ==

For those who are really organic, you can make your own Halloween makeup from scratch...

Sophia Ruan Gushee, author of A-to-Z of D-Toxing: The Ultimate Guide To Reducing Our Toxic Exposures, has created the ultimate recipe for nontoxic DIY face paint that the whole family can have fun making together!

There are many dangerous toxicants found in conventional paints, including lead, nickel, cobalt, and chromium. This recipe is quick, easy, and a great alternative to the common varieties out there:

Ingredients

·         1 ½ tbsp cornstarch

·         ¼ tbsp all purpose flour

·         2 tbsp honey

·         ½ tbsp water

·         Natural food color (seek nontoxic products on Amazon, or use household food items that can act as natural dyes)

1.       Mix the cornstarch and flour in a bowl. Add the honey and water to your mixture. It should create a thick, gluey substance that resembles a paste. If the paint is too thin, add more cornstarch and flour. If too thick, add extra water.

      Divide the mixture into separate bowls, and add your coloring. For example, you can use turmeric for yellow, and paprika for red.

      The paint comes out a bit more thick and gooey than conventional face paints, but the colors come out beautifully and stay on for hours.

While the paint dries well, the honey component makes the paint slightly sticky to the touch. Avoid touching the paint after it is applied.

Since people are jumping on the manicure bandwagon and you need a subtle way to celebrate Halloween at the office, go Candy Corn Manicure, thanks to Lauren B.

                                                                                  

   

1.       Paint one half of the nail in white (Lauren B. Beauty in Hollywood Land) and the other in yellow (Lauren B. Beauty in Coachella Valley Sun).

2.       Apply nail art stickers (hole reinforcers cut in half). Apply two on each nail as shown below.

3.       Working with one nail at a time, paint the area inside the stickers with orange nail polish (Lauren B. Beauty in The OC).

4.       Carefully remove the stickers.

5.       Repeat on all other nails. Allow 5 minutes for your nail design to dry and finish it with a coat of a top coat (Lauren B. Gel-like Top Coat).

Now, that you're all done up, where to party and celebrate?

The Lincoln in Venice has a good sense of humor and know how to twist pop culture.

For this Halloween weekend, from Friday the 28th to Halloween, they're offering

Silent Scream!—The Lincoln’s cinematic take on Halloween features silent showings of classic and obscure horror films all Halloween weekend.

On the heels of Halloween, The Lincoln makes a play on words and pop culture.  This is their twist on Day of the Dead, celebrating the Grateful Dead on November 1st.

By the way, The Lincoln doesn't have a kitchen.  They're okay with you bringing party.  Shoot, you can throw an impromptu together there.

You can bring...

Sweet E's Halloween cake pops and of course, cupcakes, for easy, quick, last-minute treats.

Here you go, Halloween easy-pleasy.

Moby's Circle V Food & Music Festival, Coachella for Vegans, Thanks to Goldenvoice.

By Laura Medina

Moby really does rock.  He loves playing disco guitar (made popular by Chic's Nile Rodgers); and he plays the bangos for beats.  Percussion beats that are as real and organic as the vegan food trucks as his ethos, his Circle V Food & Music Festival.

As the star headliner and Moby is very conscientious about him being a preeminent electronic dance pioneer, he used his Hollywood, reached out to fellow vegan celebrities then used his influence as a platform for a vegan lifestyle and animal rights platform.

Using his influence and connections and being in the middle of the storm called "music festivals" being fueled by some really cool, gourmet food, Moby called up the founders, organizers, and owners of Coachella, Goldenvoice, to set-up and organize his vegan festival.

They named it Circle V.  Circle for grouping together the vegan lifestyle. V is for vegan.

Moby is an humble man.  He started out with low expectations.  He is one of those "Charlie Brown" types, if you start a party and nobody shows up.

He was happy to be proven wrong.  Moby walked down to his own festival, expecting no one.  But lo and behold, he encountered folks lined up for a block, wrapping around the corner.  People really did showed up for him!

There's a reason he took the Fonda Theater and the parking lot.  Moby lives nearby as a proud Los Feliz resident.

Fellow celebrity vegans showed up as moral support.

Kat Von D. swears eating a vegan diet cleared her skin but she and Moby knows that being vegan isn't for everyone and plunging deep into it ain't easy.

Kat Von D. is just happy that people can participate in the vegan lifestyle, just by dabbling in vegan makeup like her.

Yes, her rockin' goth chick, edgy makeup is vegan and only her and her assistants are the only guinea pigs.  Her vegan makeup busts the stereotype of what it means to be vegan.  Kat Von D makeup is not only rockin' edgy as it is vegan, it is durable and tough for fellow vegan rock musicians to sweat it out and it never budges.  There is quality in vegan makeup.

Kat Von D. also proves you can still be sweet and nice and edgy.  Kat Von D. is equally influential in providing her pop-up salon/boutique where people can get a lip and eyeshadow makeover.  People can also shop her vegan makeup at a festival-day only discount.

At the end of the sale line, folks are treated to Kat Von D café lattes with a sprinkled "V" and foam and specially-printed cookies as treats to participate in the vegan lifestyle, dispelling the myth that to be vegan means granola and wonky-tasting meals and weak, limited makeup.

These vegan rockers kicked that cliché crap to the curb.

Another vegan rock to rescue, on behalf of Moby, Donut Friend.

From producing Blink 182 and Jimmy Eats World, this music producer turned donut hipster, Donut Friend, from Eagle Rock, was an hit.

They run out of: strawberry, mixed-berries, and Boston Crème doughnuts.

This scribe grabbed what they had left, Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze Doughnut at $4 a pop.

They proved that vegan food is not weird and doesn't taste icky.

Moby's restaurant was also there, Little Pine.

Let's cut to the chase, everybody was there for Moby!

Moby knows this.  Him headlining his own music and lifestyle festival was him performing his greatest hits.

But, he did debut a new song, joking that this is the time when people go to the bathroom and text but his new song is good, as always.

Moby jokingly provided backstories to each of his songs.

For "We Are All Stars," he said it's about quantum physics and dim-witted celebrities.

He joked about being an electronic dance music legend, joking he's as old as Luke Perry and that both of them qualify of AARP.  He learned that while watching his stories, another joke on being a Los Angeleno. You watch your stories, not read them.

Earlier that afternoon, Moby took a break from his own festival and chilled at a pet shop on wheels.

For such a simple, humble man, Moby made a big impact in one day and night, yet he hopes he makes changes in a small steps.

Simply Smashbox.

By Laura Medina

It may not be the most organic foundation on the market.  But, it is the lightest studio-quality foundation on the market, Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water Foundation with SPF 30.

It's gives smooth, full-coverage without suffocating the pores.  You can run around in it but it wouldn't budge, yet the texture is so light, that you don't notice you're wearing it.

Light but durable.

Smashbox may give MAC a run for its money when competing for studio photo shoots and filming but thank god, they think about real-life people who want to look fabulous in a snap without being loaded down with tons of products and the time consuming it.

Smashbox L.A. Lights Blendable Lip & Cheek Color sticks, are their riff on NARS' iconic Multiple Sticks.  If NARS is New York-centric, Los Angeles native, Smashbox pays homage to the beautiful sunsets, sun rises, and the range of natural light dappling through-out the whole city, from beach to mountains.

Fairfax Fuchsia pays homage to the city's mid-district of edgy and creative district of the young people and the rebels who made the Fairfax their home with an edgy, in-your-face shocking pink, that when dappled and blended right, imparts a healthy pink flush on your cheeks and lips.

If you want "L.A. Film Noir" with Angeleno makeup, go no further than Smashbox L.A. Lights Blendable Lip & Cheek Color stick in the appropriately-named, "Sunset & Vine."

It's a rich, deep pinot noir, a vampy red, in a stick that goes both ways, a wine-rich blush and wine-ripen lips.  With a simple swipe of bold, black mascara, you can be a Forties film noir' Lauren Bacall in a trench, ready to whistle.

Whether it be simply sweet with Fairfax Fuchsia or film noir elegant with Sunset & Vine against the backdrop of Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water Foundation with SPF 30 , you can be simply sophisticated with Smashbox L.A. Lights Blendable Lip & Cheek Color Sticks.