99 Wine

On Murisa's birthday this past week, Murisa, Bill and I headed up to Santa Barbara for a day trip. Little did we know what we had in store for us.

We arrived just in time for lunch in the town of Solvang, which happens to be the Danish capital of the U.S. We dined at a charming Danish Inn, of course ordered the cheese plate, then strolled the town with it's cute shops ... and delicious bakery. Seriously, this place was amazing. See the cookie near the bottom half dipped? Yeah, that one. Amazing.

After our cookie coma, we headed over to the town of Los Olivos. We did a few wine tastings, Bill was kind enough to buy Murisa and I two bottles of wine, which I believe we will be enjoying this weekend since our boys are out of town. Scratch that, we will definitely be enjoying them this weekend!

While at Consilience, a local by the name of Patrick walked in. Ironically, Murisa had met Patrick a few weeks ago and they remembered one another. Patrick invited us all to his restaurant where the town was having a celebratory dinner for a local wine maker, Joey Tensley. Tensley Wines had just been scored, that day at 3pm, a 99 by Robert Parker, which is apparently a big deal in the wine world.

So of course we took Patrick up on his offer and headed over to his place. When we got there, Patrick had out over 10 bottles of wine and simply said "grab a glass, pick a bottle, but pick this one, it's the best." Murisa and I followed his advice, without even looking at the bottle. We followed Patrick to the kitchen area of his restaurant (which was closed for the evening), he showed us the tomatoes he grows in his own yard. They were so beautiful, all bright vibrant heirlooms -- reds, purples, yellows. And the funny thing is, I used to despise tomatoes. It's only in the past year I've started eating them (I know my mom is laughing while reading this thinking "I knew you'd like them one day!"). Makes me look forward to the day I have a garden of my own.

A few moments later, Joey Tensley arrived. He had in his hands two bottles of his wine, both Syrah's and both just rated -- one a 99 and the other a 98 (but who's being picky here?).

Bill and I with Los Olivos wine makers

We headed over to the table, a little timid at first, but then Joey simply said "Here. Have some wine." Of course, he's drinking a Corona (the best wine makers NEVER drink wine). There we were, sitting, drinking, talking and hob-nobbing with these Santa Barbara townsfolk. Yep, that's right, I said townsfolk. I'm from the South, I know townsfolk when I see them. Everyone was so friendly -- every random local walking by was invited to join us out on the patio, and of course, grab a glass. No biggie, it's just 99 rated wine.

Patrick had disappeared for a while ... turns out, he was in the kitchen ... prepping a HUGE meal in honor of Murisa's birthday. He brought out on a silver plater a huge summer salad, with butter leaf lettuce, grilled chicken, corn, and of course, the heirloom tomatoes. But he wasn't done there. After the salad had been demolished, then next dish was a delicious duck paella. And of course there was dessert. Fresh berry cobbler, key word fresh. (It's needless to say that we were spoiled to the max, and I'm still feeling a little afraid to put on the brand new skinny jeans I bought last weekend...it's probably more of the Danish cookie than then fresh food from Patrick's!)

What an amazing night we had. Who could have even had planned for this? As the night began to die down and we said our thank you's and goodbye's, I did a little sneaking (this is so my mom coming out in me). The lights were off and the table hadn't been cleared. I decided to go for it. I stole the empty 99 bottle.

As soon as we were on the road and on our way back to Los Angeles, I reached my arm through the center console up to the front seats to proudly display my thievery. "SURPRISE!" Of course Murisa was cracking up, but Bill, well he was up to his own no-good. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the missing piece -- "What's the bottle without ... it's cork?!" Bill and I had stolen pieces of wine history, but more importantly, pieces of our little family's history.  

Murisa a little flustered over her birthday meal, and of course, the wine.

Happy Birthday Murisa, enjoy the memories from the wonderful day and empty bottle and cork - which I hope will serve as a "mantle" piece in our office one day. 

Game Day In "The Loveliest Village On The Plains"

This morning as I was prepping my kit and washing my brushes, my blackberry chimed. It was an email from my personal account (each account has a different chime). I took a moment to reach over my mess of products and grab it, and what a moment it was -- a very charming, heart warming email from my dear friend Brittany.

Brittany and I have been best friends since we were kids. Some of my fondest memories with her include high school homeroom, choir ... and Auburn football.

This weekend marks the beginning of "that time of year." My dad has been counting down the days since January 8. I admit, as much as I love L.A. and know that I'm in the right place, my heart yearns for the South during the fall. There's nothing like college football (SEC of course). I was truly blessed to be a part of the Auburn family. What an experience it all was, and the memories will stay close to my heart throughout my life.

For this post, I have a guest blogger. I'd like to share Brittany's email -- the subject line entitled "Memories." As I go about my day, prepping for a weekend on-set, I will take moments to remember "War Eagle!"

"I was driving into work this morning with the sunroof open and windows cracked half way listening to my new fav CD thinking what a nice morning it was out. The weather was cool and the sun was warm. As I drove down the highway I kept seeing cars with college flags attached to the windows. It was only a few years or so ago that we'd be waking up in Auburn, slightly hung over from the Friday night before. Oh how excited we would be to get dressed in our perfect orange and blue game day outfit with matching Auburn accessories. This was the day we lived for, FOOTBALL!! And of course, tailgating. I remember worrying about saving parking spots and moving cars around, where the boys were at, and bringing everything we might need for the day.

The best part of the morning was finding your parents; they had food. Magic cookie bars, pasta salad, and layered dips were among my favorites and always made for a great breakfast. The day would continue with friends, more food and beer. Toomers Lemonade, burgers, Jimmy Johns and Amsterdam Cafe were always a game day treat! Okay I wish I was there now for some food. I remember not having any inhibitions hardly. We were carefree and felt safe amongst thousands of strangers. Getting tispy was our mission throughout the day as well as finding the boys -- being in public underage was never a concern.

Tiger Walk was the start of the game festivities, the excitement in the air would increase. Soon we would file into the stadium for the BEST part of every game, watching the Eagle fly. It still gives me chills thinking about it seeing the bird. It was so surreal at the time. Singing the fight song, pumping our shakers to the beat so hard the tassels would be falling out, and cheering like crazy are some of my best memories.

I think about it now as I'm at work with no ESPN to even have the sounds of crowds cheering and bands playing familiar fight songs. I miss those days. However, I don't necessarily want to be there today. Young drunk kids being obnoxious, stupid college boys, and the feeling of being "old." It's not where I'm at anymore. I do wish I could be 19 again, just for game day and to relive those good times.

As you go about your day, remember WAR EAGLE! and the fun years we had :) Happy SEC Game Day!!"

Let The River Run

Another post on inspiration --

But very random, not as thorough as my last.

First thing.  I got to watch one of my favorite movies the other day, Working Girl.  Not only is it one of my favorites, it's one of my mom's as well.  The Carly Simon song, "Let The River Run" -- featured in Working Girl (it won the Oscar and Golden Globe in 1988 for Best Song) is also a favorite song of mine.  And one of my mom's as well.  It really is a song that always gets me going.  I always belt it out no matter what I'm doing when I hear it.  The best is in the car ... with my mom (on the beach, Daytona, driving, with my best friend Brittany and I sitting on the back of an opened SUV with our toes dragging through the sand ... "We're coming to the edge, running on the water...").

If you haven't seen Working Girl (or heard "Let The River Run"), it's a must.  It's a go-getter movie.  A true inspiration.  And of course has a little bit of love thrown in.  But to be quite frank, the absolute number one reason to see this movie isn't to get inspired, nor is it to laugh, or be swept off your feet with the love story.  The number one reason to see this movie is clearly Joan Cusack's performance (which landed her an Oscar nom).  Oh and her make-up.  Phenomenal-1988-New-York-City.  Could it get any better?  I think not.

Ok I'm joking.  Number one reason is inspiration, but Joan Cusack comes in in a very close second.  

Second thing.  I spent this past weekend, a little four day getaway, just mere blocks away from the beach.  It was completely refreshing.  The breezy air, bright sunshine, and of course my friend sweet pea Aggie.  What a ball of pug love she is.

I needed a break from my normal routine.  I needed a break from my own apartment, which I love and adore.  When I was driving home to West Hollywood on Sunday night around midnight, it felt different.  Not so much in a strange way -- but more in a "something new is happening" way.   When I finally graced my presence (my roommates missed me, but mostly Ag) to apartment 103, my inner jukebox was playing Tears for Fears "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" -- specifically the first few lines -- "Welcome to your life ... there's no turning back ... "

I sat down at the kitchen table/production office/writers desk with two of my production family members, Murisa and Bill.  We began concepting (yep at 1am) on an already previously discussed concept.  I took it all in for a brief second, realizing that this is what I'm doing with my life.  My whole life.  Tears for Fears was now on the highest volume blasting in my head ... "It's my own design ... help me make the most of freedom and of pleasure ... "

This is the second time that I've had this powerful energy overcome me.  The first time it happened was back in April (Saturday night, the 10th, well actually the 11th because it was 3am, so that would make it Sunday morning) ... again while I was concepting ... only this particular time with my writing partner Em.  And I was so overcome with emotion I started storming around the kitchen (yes the same one as the production office/writers desk) screaming (in a happy way) "THIS IS WHAT I'M DOING WITH MY LIFE!"

Both of these moments were so intense.  Like my soul was resonating with my dharma.  Major soul growth happened in these small glimpses of time.  I truly hope everyone has had or will have moments like these.  I cannot imagine not having them now that they've happened.  I think to have these moments, one must be inspired -- by anything.  Love.  Creativity.  Passion.  Music.  Movies.  Concepting.  Writing.  Make-up.  These are just some of mine, you can choose your own inspirations, or better yet, choose what resonates with your soul.

"We the great and small stand on a star and blaze a trail of desire through the darkening dawn ... Let the river run, let all the dreamers wake the nation."

Anti-Bridezillas

In June, my best friend Brittany got married. So I got to travel back to my southern roots in Atlanta and play bridesmaid and make-up artist. I've decided that if you're one of my girlfriends, I'm giving you the best wedding day gift ever -- a personal make-up artist. I mean, how many bridesmaids, who are there to be your maids anyways, can be your make-up artist and fix and tweak you for pictures and right before you make the grand entrance down the aisle? It's perfect. And to all my friends, you're welcome in advance. I love what I do and I love why I do it.

I'm not even sure the photographer and I even exchanged names. He just called me "make-up artist" -- which is basically my second name anyway, actually -- more like "MAKE-UP!" It was way hot. It was Atlanta, in June, at 2pm. And as my mother keeps telling me, this years June was the hottest it's been in a zillion years. Thank goodness for my Hollywood make-up artist sweat tip ... Viva Kleenex paper towels. I called my dad a few days before coming home kindly requesting he pick up a roll. Between the bride and her three bridesmaids, we devoured the roll.

I've only done a few weddings as a make-up artist. But I've decided I really enjoy them -- I mean who doesn't like being around a day of love? I might have enjoyed them because the brides I've worked with have been the extreme opposite of Bridezillas. So calm, so chill. Which I can only hope I will be that way, but I want to have my wedding in Malibu with 300+ guest (What? I have BIG dreams. And as we've learned, I clearly don't dismiss my dreams, I turn them into reality) ... so we'll see how chill that day will be (apologies to my future husband ... really, I promise my mom and I will deal with all the details).

I've decided to update my website to market to weddings. I think it will be a perfect way to expand my creativity as a make-up artist, as well as participate in love energy. <3

BFF

A Little Doll

Typical B & H moment

What's Your Favorite Color?

Like I mentioned in the first blog, Murisa and I often have fancy dinner parties. For one our more recent dinners (which was lovely because I had been on-set all day and came home to an amazing dinner already prepared and on the table thanks to Tiny and Miney, aka Murisa and her mom :), our guest was Bill's college roommate, Keith (Bill is Murisa's boyfriend).

Before

This picture to the left is our Cookie Monster dresser. It's a solid wood piece that an old neighbor was throwing out that I rescued. My West Coast Mom (WCM) Em and I, along with two other friendly Sherman Oaks neighbors, moved this huge piece from the back of the parking lot into my apartment by literally flipping and laying it side by side. A very Ross Geller "pivot" moment, if you will. This is when the four of us decided that this is how the pyramids were built, and of course by women. Then a month later, the Cookie Monster got moved again from Sherman Oaks to West Hollywood, thanks to my dear friend Daniel's help and my WCM. The original plan was to have it in my bedroom as my dresser, but it didn't fit through the narrow hall leading into my room, so it ended up in our kitchen and one of our most visual pieces. Murisa and I decided to paint it this beautiful, bright teal color. Bill, our very own comedy screenwriter, nicknamed it the Cookie Monster. It also stores our wine fridge, which let's face it, makes it that much cooler.

The reason I'm writing about this piece is because it had an extra addition on it the night we dined with Keith (and I also might be proud of this piece and want to show it off ... especially to my mom and dad :). Murisa's mother was in town and on a grocery shopping trip, they found me the most perfect little treat -- a wine bag with a Star of David on it. If you know me, you know my love of the Jewish culture. I tend to have many Jewish friends, date Jewish men, and am continually fascinated by Judaism. But we'll get to the reason why in a minute. So naturally, this wine bag is a conversational piece just as much as the Cookie Monster is.

Keith asked "why the Jewish bag?" Bill, Murisa and her mom chuckled.

Murisa said "Keith...what's your favorite color?"

Keith looked at Murisa like 'what does this have to do with a Jewish bag?'

Murisa continued ...

After

"Heather's favorite color is Jew."

There could not be a truer statement.

I love Jews and the idea of being Jewish ... which brings me to past lives ... I believe in past lives ... I have dreams where I'm speaking Hebrew ... I clearly don't speak Hebrew in this current life, which brings me to believe many of my lives have been spent in a Jewish culture (except for the lifetime when Murisa and I were nuns together, but we were rabble-rousing against whatever we were nunning -- but that's a whole other blog entry and astrology reading).

So the point of this post is to clarify that I am proud of my love for the Jewish culture and I am proud of my piece of furniture. Not only do I paint faces, but also large pieces of solid wood furniture. Not surprising since my dad is such a craftsmen.

Vanity Village in 1943 Algeria

I met Lorena on the set of "No Time For Holiday" -- I came on as Key Make-up Artist (a big XoXo for Stacie Munoz, a frequent employer of mine, her productions are always a treat to be on :) and Lorena was the hair stylist. After spending many years in a salon environment, it was Lorena's first on-set experience, and we made quite the team together. We decided to apply for productions together, and appropriately named ourselves Vanity Village.

In November of 2009, Lorena and I joined the crew of "Fortress" (trailer)-- a WWII film with a cast of crew of ALL men, what a delight being the only two women on-set.  This was my first feature as Department Head, so naturally I was excited. We arrive on-set the first day in Aqua Dulce, about 45 miles NE of Los Angeles. Julian, our producer, was instantly our favorite, quite the comedic relief. We spent four days and one freezing night in the middle of nowhere. Week two and three were luckily in a warehouse in North Hollywood. The cast was very unique, all of them blossoming with talent. Any one of them could explode into Hollywood stardom at any moment, with some of them already well-known from childhood roles.

Vanity Village with Bug Hall, bringing him back to his Alfalfa days

Actor Tim Hade

I'm blogging about this particular project because it has been my favorite project I have worked on so far in my year and a half professional make-up career (and I just might be giving it some much deserved PR -- because who am I if I'm not a publicist?!). Some of these boys I'm sure I will remain life-long friends with and I hope to see them on the cover of US Weekly one day, hopefully not for something ridiculous -- unless it's Julian, then it's completely understood if it's total ridiculousness.

Probably shouldn't mess with us...

Actor Edward Finlay

Vanity Village found some wardrobe props!

Actor Edward Finlay

Actor Tony Elias

Producer, in wardrobe, Julian Moss

You're Going To Let A Girl Beat You In Football Knowledge?!

I was on set not too long ago for a filmed called "Between The Wish And The Thing" -- absolutely wonderful cast and crew. Two of the lead actors were southern boys -- Shawn Parsons from Dothan, Alabama, and Josh Waters, from my hometown of Marietta, Georgia. So naturally we bonded. The Big Chicken. Sweet Tea. Chick-fil-A (which was a surprise treat while filming in Barstow, California). The SEC. Shawn went to Bama. Now if you're reading this and you're located in the south and an Auburn fan, you're probably thinking "Oh no." But actually, here on the West Coast, when you run into another SEC fan, regardless of the team, you're instantly football family.

Notice the cup -- it was sweet tea :)

The West Coast simply does not do football like the SEC does. Part of the reason we as SEC fans love our teams is because of the southern traditions that go along with game day. Tailgating at any SEC game is bound to be a great time. I've tailgated at of course Auburn (can I get a WAR EAGLE?!), University of Georgia and Louisiana State University and each one of these schools knows how to do it right. Then there are other game day traditions. At LSU, Mike the Tiger has a beautiful habitat that fans will flock to on game day. At Ole Miss, fans tailgate at The Grove. At UT, there's the famous painted rock. At Auburn, there's Tiger Walk, Toomer's Corner and the flight of the eagle (which I still get chills watching!).

Auburn vs. Georgia 2004

Not that I'm saying other teams not in The SEC don't have similar traditions, but there just seem to be less of an enthusiasm for game day here on the West Coast. In the south, each campus has it's own Bodhi Tree, or Western Wall, or Church of Holy Sepulchre -- the football stadium. I have been on USC's campus at least a fifteen times ... I've never seen the stadium. I've driven around campus looking for it. I've asked a handful of USC students where it is located, non of them could even point me in the direction. See? Lack of enthusiasm!

On set for "Between The Wish And The Thing," the three of us "southerners" met a lovely young man named Cameron. Cameron is a student at UCLA, which is a great public school here in Los Angeles. I had on an Auburn sweatshirt ... Cameron asked if I was an Auburn fan. I said yes and that's where I went to school. He said he was sorry ... which lead me to say that The SEC is the best football conference in the nation. Cameron said he could vouch for two of The SEC's teams being good -- Alabama and Florida State. Yes you read that right, Florida State. I then went on to a five minute argument (I would say debate, but a debate is two-sided and clearly this "debate" is actually fact) that Florida State was not in The SEC, it's in The ACC. Clearly our friend Cameron had confused Florida State with University of Florida ... but needless to say, I got to use the phrase "you're going to let a girl beat you in football knowledge" (it's really the simple statements like this that make my father proud).

Cameron took on the challenge to debate three southerners, well-educated southerners I might add (we can count the top 25 most winningest college football division 1A teams and see that there are seven SEC teams and two Pac-10 teams -- seven is clearly larger than two, thank you Auburn for teaching me math) by saying that the Pac-10 is better than The SEC. This is ludacris, and you don't even need to know a thing about football to see this, you just have to be able to count to 25. Here's the list ... enjoy the seven SEC teams that clearly dominate the list.

Division 1A Top 25 Most Winningest Teams (*=SEC **=Pac-10)
1. Michigan
2. Notre Dame
3. Texas
4. Oklahoma
5. Ohio State
6. Alabama *
7. Southern California **
8. Nebraska
9. Tennessee *
10. Penn State
11. Georgia *
12. Louisiana State *
13. Auburn *
14. West Virginia
15. Georgia Tech
16. Syracuse
17. Virginia Tech
18. Texas A&M
19. Pittsburg
20. Arkansas *
21. Colorado
22. Washington **
23. Florida *
24. Stanford
25. Miami Ohio

Poor Cameron was in such a tizzy. He then tried to spread his word about the Pac-10 with the director, who went to Tufts, Division III ... not hating on Tufts, just saying it's Division III, there's no comparison in football. In the mean time, the three of us southerners were really being quite defensive about our conference. It's moments like this when an Auburn fan teams up with an Alabama fan to unite the glorious beauty of The SEC. Josh came up with a fair compromise -- The SEC is the best conference for football in the nation and the Pac-10 is the best at recruiting Asian students for academics.

And thanks to Cameron, you really are a sport for dealing with the three of us :)

Everyone and Their Southern Mothers (and New Jersey Mothers)

I've finally sat down to start this blog that I've been asked to create for almost two years now. Ironically, I am currently the busiest I've been in the past two years, but I have somehow found the time to do this. All of my friends and their mom's continually ask me what's going on in my Hollywood life, so I decided to document it along with some of my on-set experiences. I left my home town of Marietta, Georgia and moved to the big city of Los Angeles on July 1, 2008. Not that Marietta is a small town, it's not actually. It's quite large, close to Atlanta, very middle to upper class suburban, overall not at all a bad place to grow up. I don't miss living there though (sorry Mom). Ok, I do miss a few things -- Chick-fil-A, Zaxby's, Williamson Brother's BBQ, Scalini's, Atlanta Bread Company. Although, it has been confirmed (through Twitter of course) that Chick-fil-A will be opening a location on Highland and La Brea in early 2011 -- that news totally rocks my world. It means I don't have to drive all the way down past LAX anymore, although I can imagine this will be the busiest place in Hollywood the first few months it's open ... they should probably re-think the whole closed on Sunday thing and maybe consider staying open late night, it is Hollywood after all.

So here I am living in Los Angeles. When I first arrived here in Summer of 2008, the make-up school I first attended had a house in the Hollywood Hills. I had the "privilege"of living literally right under the infamous HOLLYWOOD sign. By privilege, I mean lack of cell service, and by lack of cell service, I mean absolutely none. And let's not forget the loud coyotes that were on the patio yelling at 4am, power blackout on my birthday, plumbing issues and just overall irritation (much of it from the school). The first month I lived here was a major test, and I passed with a perfect score.

After living the the "glamorous" hills for a month, I then moved to Sherman Oaks. Quite the lovely suburban area, but in "The Valley." Not that The Valley is bad, it's not at all. There's less traffic and always parking. I met my West Coast Mom, Em, in my apartment building, so that alone was totally worth the year and a half I spent there. And it was my first big girl apartment. I had a few places in college, but this was the start of my adult life, moving 2300 miles away from home and beginning my career. I cherish apartment 131 at Sonoma Gardens, it will always have a little piece of my real estate heart.

I recently made the transition from Sherman Oaks to West Hollywood. I moved in with my soul tribe mate, bestie, and past life sister, Murisa. I met Murisa on a film set over a year ago and we instantly bonded. Living with her has been a treat. We're in an amazing location, right off Sunset Boulevard and Laurel Canyon. We painted our living room purple because we like to act like we're Monica and Rachel. We cook elaborate dinners together, throw themed parties and fancy dinner parties, and our favorite -- try new wines and cheeses. We naturally fit into the Glamorous Hollywood lifestyle.

In this blog, I will be telling my "Glamorous Hollywood" stories and on-set adventures for everyone and there mom's to read. As much as I am spreading around my Southern Belle Hospitality here in Hollywood, I hope this blog brings a taste of Hollywood to the South! XoXo