Stephanie Hobgood Hair Grand Opens on Abbot Kinney!

New Year, new endeavors! I'm so happy and proud to report that my BFF, Stephanie Hobgood, is opening the doors of her very own private hair studio today on Abbot Kinney! After living and working in Venice for years, then switching over to Sunset Plaza (in between styling the locks of you name the celeb, all over the place), she is back in the neighborhood for real, with Stephanie Hobgood Hair.


The very first time I walked in the light, airy bare space to just check it out with Steph, I immediately said, "This place has good vibes." It does. One whole wall is windows looking out toward the sunset sky over the beach a few blocks away. The rest of the room feels exactly like you're in the room getting done up before you head out to the set of a late night show. Steph has Henry Diltz rock photos around the room, because she is rock, and you can feel the Venice of the place as you look at The Doors walking down The Boardwalk back in the day. Black and White and Metal sums up the interior, but the warmth of Steph and the bright sunshine cozy the place right up.


But what you're really here for is the best hair cut/color/style of your life. Stephanie has been in the hair biz a long time, and has a loyal clientele. Over the years, many of these clients have become friends, and it is so exclusive and private now (Just Steph!), that it will be like going to your friend's pad to get your hair done and talk and chill with total anonymity ("It's like therapy!"), and without the hubbub and noise of a busy salon. Steph is so on the go, moving and shaking, between red carpet gigs for Oscar nominated actors, extreme sports heroes, etal ..., magazine shoots, special events, film festivals/junkets and all of that, that her schedule is always changing, and having her own space now allows her to take control of her own environment, and booking (by appointment only!). It's the perfect set-up, and she made it happen.

The location is so great for people hooking up a day of beauty too: the front space is Alexandra Wagner Skincare for you to get a facial. Next to her is Lavish Tan for a spray tan. Next to them is Kelley Baker Brows - the best. And now, in the back space is Stephanie Hobgood Hair, Ta DAH! You could walk in the front door, work your way back, and emerge out the back door looking the best you've ever looked. Try it!


Steph loves Venice, and a real perk of her new studio will be bringing her little Boston, Nico, with her to work, looking out at the tangerine sunset, and then loading Nico into her bike basket and heading out for a post-work day breath of fresh air. Dope. She loves the Abbot Kinney neighborhood and all its creative excitement. When I asked her, Why Venice? She shut her eyes and smiled and said, "Venice is my Homegirl."


Stephanie is MY homegirl. Who I couldn't be more proud of and excited for. If you would like her to make you look all hot, and have it done in the coolest rocking space, call for an appointment now, before it gets as busy as it's going to. New Year, new looks!


Cheers & Congratulations to my hair do-er, and dear, darling friend!!! Wow.




Stephanie Hobgood Hair
1636 Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Second Floor
Venice
(310) 775.0299


*Studio photos by Jennifer Everhart

Kelley Baker Brows Grand Opening on Abbot Kinney!

Update 12/2/13

Happy 2nd Birthday to Kelley Baker Brows! Wow, time flies when you're making everyone look gorgeous!

In the last two years, things have grown in leaps and bounds for Kelley Baker Brows, with her brow styling getting attention all over the country. You can now buy her products online, and in Fred Segal's New Beauty store. She has two more brow artists working with her, Vanessa Ceballos and Tinel Carapia. They now also offer makeup for special events, and Kelley herself has even been doing makeup for HBO red carpets for show like Game Of Thrones. Kelley had a pop-up brow studio in the Gansevoort Hotel in New York by popular demand, and finds herself being begged for classes by people that follow her Instagram account. Stay tuned for those. Kelley is also going to be training brow artists and placing them out in the big, brow world. Busy lady!

As busy as the last two years have been, the priority is still her eight year old son, Travis, who Baker clearly dotes on. She also has no plans to leave Venice, where she loves the people and the vibe. "Venice is home", she says, and I'm so thankful that it is.

The new Kelley Baker Brows hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 8 pm.

Happy, HAPPY 2nd Birthday to everyone at KBB - and many more!


The Original Story:

Kelley Baker Brows has a brand new location, all to itself and it is GORGEOUS. As will your eyebrows be the minute you see brow guru to the stars (Venice and International), Kelley Baker. After 6 years of beautifying Abbot Kinney at other venues (Mathis Murphy, Trim), Kelley has struck out on her own, in a beautiful new location that is a one stop shop for day of beauty needs ... Facial (Alexandra Wagner), spray Tan (Lavish Tan), now brows (Kelley) and soon, the very best hair (Stephanie Hobgood Hair!!!) - all on one floor in a dope building across from Wabi Sabi. So convenient. So nice.


You can read up on Kelley's history here, but just know that she is a gem, and your brows will never look so good. If you think eyebrows are no big deal to your face, go see her just once, and you'll see the difference it makes to your hotness. This includes dudes (as Kelley says, "Men. You're supposed to have TWO eyebrows". Two.).


The new location is all white and sunny and inviting, and smells good too. Emily Hogan will welcome you at her reception desk, and you will sit and chill with Kelley, and she will proceed to change your face for the much better.

I asked Kelley how she felt about the new space, and the smile she gave me was all the answer I needed. I agree. It's so great. The entire place practically throbs with good energy.



Kelley held out to find just the right place to open for herself, but knew it had to be Venice - the people and the vibe were crucial to her dream. When things are meant to be, they have a way of working out just so. This location opened up, she went for it, and as I stopped by on opening day, it just had the feeling of RIGHT and HAPPY. I couldn't be more proud of her, or more thrilled to make my own appointment, pronto. Kelley will also do your make up for special events, and seeing how absolutely flawless she always looks, that will be my choice for the next super gala. Of course.


Kelley would like people to know that even if you have that deal where you have no hair or plucked your eyebrows beyond reason 'til you have to draw them on, there's always something that can be done. I've seen those results (on other people), and it's pretty darn miraculous. Have faith!

I asked Kelley what the most important thing she'd like people to know about her and her new space, and she simply said, "Peace and Love". Now you know for certain why I'm such a fan.

Kelley Baker Brows is there for you by appointment, or the lucky walk-in. Call 310.314.BROW to get shaped up right.


Kelley Baker Brows
1636 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, 90291

Kelley Baker Brows at Trim

I'm really not that high maintenance of a girl, but one thing I feel pretty particular about is my eyebrows. It took one gruff Russian lady a bunch of years ago in San Francisco to compliment me on my hair, "but awful eyebrows", before I had a whole new appreciation for the art of the arch. It really completes one's face, and for people who have it done freshly, it's almost like a face lift. So after the Russian lady tore my brows into stream-lined magnificence, I had to find someone local. For years that was my lovely Tracy at Anastasia (who I still love and hope isn't reading this) in Beverly Hills. I figured if Oprah was down with the place, it had to be good. It was.

When I stopped working in Hollywood though, it started being a drag to haul myself to Beverly Hills for a 15 minute brow wax ... and it's not cheap either. My friend Steph cuts (gorgeous) hair at Trim in Venice, and kept telling me how great the eyebrow lady was there, Kelley Baker. Habits die hard though, so it took me a while to book an appointment, but once I did ... I was sold.


Kelley was born and raised here in Los Angeles. She was always into doing makeup, and had a talent for it from a young age. She wasn't really feeling college, so she went to beauty school and learned all the ropes. That led to working on indie films, working at the Christian Dior counter, a whole range of things that kept her busy and honing her skills. The long set hours weren't that fun for her though, so she decided to get her license and look into salon work. Damone Roberts ("The Eyebrow King" and a protegee of Anastasia) was in her class at the Culver City Beauty College. He opened his own salon in Beverly Hills, and brought star pupil Kelley along with him.

She observed and learned from the best, and it shows. She helped him open the salon, doing everything from sewing curtains to painting the place, and then the fun began. Damone took her along to do brows in Japan, to Golden Globes parties, all sorts of adventures, that introduced her to a celebrity clientele (Mandy Moore, Kelly Rowland, Jaime Pressley, etc.). All the jet-setting around had to relax a bit when Kelley became a single mother to her darling little boy, Travis, and she started looking around for a salon gig on the West Side. After bouncing around a bit, she has now been at Trim in Venice for a year, and we're all looking better for it.

She does the whole shebang, brow shaping and tinting, eyelash tinting ... all in a super calm and friendly manner, so that you find yourself actually looking forward to the Band-Aid-like ripping off of eyebrow hairs. Weird, but true. She's confident, and can tell just by looking at you what needs to happen with your arch. Guys too ... I don't know if you all know how much better you can look by just a quick little "man-scaping" session. She said most of her male clients are "Manly Men" too, like tattoo artists and big burly type guys, that feel a bit nervous the first time, but then soon become addicted to the cleaned up look a groomed brow presents.

Some female clients have been too over-zealous in their self-plucking and think there's nothing to be done with their balding brows. Kelley said, "There's ALWAYS something you can do", to salvage a crazy eyebrow scenario. She just did mine, and even without a lick of makeup on, I still feel fancy and fresh. It's pretty amazing, really, how such a seemingly little facial feature can brighten up your whole deal.

Kelley has started her own eyebrow product line, Kelley Baker Brows, with a whole range from shadows, highlighters and gel, to brushes and a fresh new Tweezer that puts Tweezerman to shame. She is the new brow guru, having just won First Place in the FOXLA Hot List for best Eyebrows in L.A. That recent honor follows her winning best Eyebrow Shaping in L.A. on Citysearch last year.

Kelley loves her work, and you can tell. She's happy and fun, and so soothing when piling hot wax on your head that she said she's even had clients fall asleep in the chair! The atmosphere has a lot to do with it too ... comparing the people and vibe in Venice to that of Beverly Hills, we were commenting on how everyone down here is so much more themselves and comfortable seeming, making it so much more of a joy for her to come to work.

She loves the Abbot Kinney neighborhood too, frequenting the Habit, Skylark ("they have the best tops"), Casa Linda, Firefly, and The Brig on Tuesday nights for the music. I'm so happy to have found her, and to be able to just roll up the street when I start looking like a grizzled old man above my eyes. I came out of there the other day feeling like a brand new lady. And you can too (or a gentleman, of course).

Kelley is at Trim:

Wednesday 10:30 - 2:30
Thursday 12 - 5
Friday 9:30 - 2:30
Saturday 10 - 5

... But she's also real cool about squeezing you in if you have a brow emergency and she has time.

Just call Trim (310) 396-3330 to set up an appointment, and you'll be on your way to looking Holidazzling for your million Christmas parties.