(Here’s another blog post I wrote for Click by Lavalife.com from Nov. 2007. I’m going back in time to read these and add to my blog. Probably a terrible idea.)
One of Vancouver’s sexiest success stories this past year is Blo Blow Dry Bar.
Located amidst a row of boutiques in condo-dominated Yaletown, Blo offers a number of blow-dry styles under 30 minutes for busy socialites and party girls on the go.
Last night, the small, sleek beauty parlour hosted a party for a group called Young Executives for Success (Y.E.S.). In layman’s terms, this meant the wingman and I got to mingle with about 50 women. What were we doing there? I’m still trying to figure that out.
Young Executives show up for Blo
Anyway, it was all for a good cause – Y.E.S., as it’s known, is a social networking group that also sponsors Dress for Success, an organization that helps prepare economically disadvantaged women return to the workforce. The evening also marked the unofficial launch of Back Bar Beauty Lounge, a new business billing itself as the city’s only “a la carte beauty lounge.” Groups (of women, presumably) can rent out the space and order pampering packages like The Bender (manicures, pedicures, hair and makeup) and The All-Nighter (“A special cocktail of services mixed just for you and your guests”).
Needless to say, the idea of being the only two guys (there were three others by my count, but they all worked there) in a roomful of women fried poor Wingy’s brainpan big-time. He couldn’t stop talking about it for days prior (“Can you believe we’re going to party with 50 women?”) to the day of (“Do you really think we’re going to be the only guys partying with 50 women?”) to afterwards (“You’ll never guess what we just did—we partied with 50 women!”). The phrase “kid in a candy store” pops into mind.
Anyway, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t fun, or that I didn’t take advantage of at least one of the services offered – including mini-manicures and makeup by staffers from neighbouring businesses Pure Nail Bar and Beauty Mark – by getting a “Bro blo” at the delicate hands of Breianne Z. (pictured).
Networking over manicures
But it wasn’t all hair-fixing and Champagne-guzzling, no sir. Between complimenting women on their newly puffed-out locks (such as the “Bardot updo”, for instance, modeled here by Giovanna A.) and filling my flute I put on my journalistic hat long enough to learn a little more about Y.E.S. and Dress for Success from organizer Louise Weston.
“We want to bring professional women together, to sip Champagne and get manicures and network, and help disadvantaged women,” she said. “Men get together to golf and talk business. But if women want to get their nails done and network, why shouldn’t they?”
Naturally, leaving was difficult, and it wasn’t until Breianne, Blo Blow Dry Bar’s Val Litwin and other staffers and organizers started putting away the leftovers that we finally tore ourselves away. We caught the tail end of another social networking event at Metro, a Coal Harbour restaurant. There, we ran into French-restaurant chef Matthew Keebler and his leggy friend Janine (who knew resource mining software could be so hot?), and ended up at Six Acres.
It was in this Gastown beer den/ bistro Wingy came through with the best line of the night. Still flapping his gums about Blo, he finally got around to asking, “So what was that event for, anyway?”
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