When Jeremy Fleener purchased the Tonga Hut in 2005, he also bought a lot of history. The bar, with it’s Polynesian décor that was the trend in 1958 when the place first opened its doors, has endured a few rounds of generations rediscovering Tiki culture and coming to the otherwise sleepy strip mall in North Hollywood for fruity libations and a good dose of relaxed escapism. In the 10 years that Fleener has been in charge, the bar has grown in popularity, boosted by theme parties that include vendors and cookouots in the back parking lot, bands playing, a killer jukebox, great bartenders, and adding names to its Royal Order of the Drooling Bastard club who drink from the legendary “Grog Log.” They’ve even expanded to a Palm Springs location.
To celebrate the 10th year of its “reawakening,” Tonga had, what else, a big ol’ party with a parking lot vendor sale, coconut-themed art show, Durangos Tacos and DJ Tonga Tom spinning outside while DJ Dan Moses kicked off an evening 60s dance party inside. I went to check it out and came across some great Tiki fashion while hanging with pal and fellow writer Lina Lecaro. Check out the scene:
Tonga Hut is located 12808 Victory Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91606
**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.
Attention, wedding belles and gorgeous guests – spring is at our feet and that means wedding season is right around the corner. Whether you are a bride to be or wedding guest, Modcloth’s Wedding Styles Collection has what you need to make the day as stylish as it is lovely.
Explore Modlcloth for beautiful dresses such as these to wear as a guest, which also work for great bridesmaid dresses that can be worn again long after the big day. Click the images and links below to shop:
For the bride herself, I love unconventional wedding dresses, especially when they are far more affordable than extravagant wedding gowns that will just sit in the closet after the event because they’re just not wearable in real life. Why not invest in a dress you can wear again and again, especially on special occasions such as your anniversary? Here are some styles I adore:
It was a sinfully fabulous night in Hollywood when Masuimi Max threw a party to celebrate her I Am Sin makeup line, now available at the Hustler Store in Hollywood.
The store, named after the magazine, has been a staple on the Sunset Strip for sexy toys and clothes. Masuimi Max’s makeup line, which feature cosmetics to give you dramatic, sultry looks, will certainly fit right in.
The party featured models dressed as the 7 Deadly Sins and burlesque performances from Ruby Champagne, Vanessa Burgundy, and Aziza Kyebasuuta. The place was packed with a mix of the pinup and rock ‘n’ roll crowd who lined up at the bar for free cocktails while DJ Lina Lecaro, writer for the LA Weekly, kept the party rockin’ with some sinfully good glam and punk tunes.
I had a great time hanging with gal pals, Jenni Black and singer/model Jenny Éloïse Rieu. And I was excited to meet YouTube Personality/ Pinup Model Pinup Doll Ashley Marie, who I’ve learned so much from by watching her hair and makeup tutorials. She’s just as gorgeous in person as on the web.
Pinup Model/YouTube Personality Ashley MarieWith pals Jenny and Jenni – Photo by Jason Kamimura Photography
Masuimi is proving to be quite the entrepreneur as a performer, pinup model and now cosmetics maven. She also throws a great party! Wishing her the best of luck!
The Hustler Store is located at 8920 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Ladies, how many times have you received gifts with purchase of mini eyeshadow palattes only to have them pile up in your makeup drawer unused?
I had loads of little black compacts, mainly from Lancome because I’m a regular buyer of their fabulous eye cream that’s so expensive I only feel justified in splurging on it when they offer a gift with purchase. As a result, I have a rainbow of eyeshadow colors I rarely use because I never have time when I’m getting ready to break open all those little black compacts to see what’s inside.
So while at the beauty supply, I picked up a couple of Z-Palettes and magnets and decided I’m going to depot those babies so I’ll use them!
I’m a newbie to depotting so for other newbies like me, I thought I’d share how my experience went. Depotting is basically pulling out the makeup pan from the packaging, putting a magnet sticker on the back of it, and then putting it into a Z Palette compact which has a magnetized back panel and clear top so you can see what you have. This cuts down on amount of space loads of tiny compacts take up in your makeup drawer, lets you see all of the makeup you have so you can use it all, rearrange the colors however you like them (grouping mattes and shimmers or by color shade etc.) and put the ones you want to take in your purse or traveling into a small Z Palette compact.
Here’s what you need, click the image to *shop:
Z Palette LargeZ Palette Compact SizeZ Palette Small Square MagnetsZ Palette Large Circle MagnetsZ Palette Depotting Tool
I went to YouTube, my go-to source for learning everything, and viewed a couple of videos on depotting. Most recommended putting the compact on a piece of wax paper and setting on a heated flat iron for a few minutes to soften the glue that holds the pans into the packaging. I’ll admit I was a little impatient and skipped this step. I found most of mine lifted out of the packaging pretty easily and the glue residue just helped the magnet stickers stay on better. Also note, I bought the small square magnets that worked perfect for these sample-size makeup pans. The magnets are also available in larger circles for full-sized shadow products such as the kind purchased from MAC, which incidentally are cheaper in the refill pan than buying MAC shadows with the full packaging!
Z Palette sells a tool that helps with depotting that can get into the tiny space between the pan and packaging. I had a thin, pointed nail file that worked pretty well. A small Swiss Army knife would work too. I found the biggest challenge was being careful not to accidentally stab the cake of makeup while trying to get into the tiny space or stick my finger in the makeup cake and break or crack it. The whole process of depotting about 15 little compacts took roughly an hour.
There were a couple of compacts I had trouble getting onto so I decided to save them for later or just keep them in the packaging. But I was really happy with my new big palette of eyeshadows. I decided to group my colors by the palette they came with in the packaging since it prompts me to try the color combination intended by the makeup designer.
To celebrate I came up with this new shadow look using Lancome shadows of light and medium shades of blue shimmer on the lid, a matte rust color shadow blended in the crease and pearl shimmer on the crease to brow area.
And I’m really excited to use what feels like a brand new eyeshadow palette to try new looks in the coming days and weeks!
When Jeremy Fleener purchased the Tonga Hut in 2005, he also bought a lot of history. The bar, with it’s Polynesian décor that was the trend in 1958 when the place first opened its doors, has endured a few rounds of generations rediscovering Tiki culture and coming to the otherwise sleepy strip mall in North Hollywood for fruity libations and a good dose of relaxed escapism. In the 10 years that Fleener has been in charge, the bar has grown in popularity, boosted by theme parties that include vendors and cookouots in the back parking lot, bands playing, a killer jukebox, great bartenders, and adding names to its Royal Order of the Drooling Bastard club who drink from the legendary “Grog Log.” They’ve even expanded to a Palm Springs location.
