Every year I look forward to going to Miami for Art Basel. It’s been nice in NYC as of late but usually by this time it’s freezing and I’m itching for the beach and some warm weather. And Art Basel is the most fun time to visit Miami! There are art shows happening non-stop (not just Art Basel, but Scope, NADA, Pulse and many others), plus so many brands are out throwing parties. And it’s a great meeting point for bloggers across the country, I love seeing everyone in Miami!
I traveled with Kristi from Currently Crushing, Joel from What Do Men Wear and my bad a$$ makeup artist bestie, Jenny Smith. We stayed at the cutest boutique hotel, The Beacon on 7th and Collins, which is a very central part of South Beach.
We covered a lot of ground in our 5 day trip with so many exciting parties and events. We met so many amazing people and saw incredible art throughout the week. One of my favorite events included a piece of art, I got to take home… my eye! LensCrafters hosted an amazing private brunch at the The Delano hotel to celebrate art and their CLAIFYE Digital Technology — basically it’s an eye exam where they scan your eyes to detect your prescription. No more crazy drops and blurred vision, it’s a total game changer — I did a few months ago (check out my experience HERE). If you’re overdue for an eye exam, definitely read that article before making an appointment. The event also featured artist Jose Vergara, who specializes in drawing eyes, how amazing is the one he did of mine!?!?!
Style Icon and my dear friend, Patricia Field was out in Miami doing a series of events and fashion shows to promote her ArtFashion initiative. Featuring one of a kind pieces hand painted by some of her top artists on display at the White Dot Gallery, you can view the current collection on her site: patriciafield.com
Wilmer Valderrama or as I like to call him Fez from That 70s Show! (I also loved him in From Prada to Nada), hosted Men’s Night Out for Macy’s private label, INC at The Oasis at The Raleigh Hotel. Lets just say there were a lot of good looking guys, a trampeline and open bar, which is pretty much the perfect recipe for fun.
Easily one of the craziest parties was the 50 Parties Ryan McGinness Book Launch. Hosted in the garden at the Standard Hotel, the event served to recreate some of the memorable parties Ryan McGinness hosted, including a tattoo parlor — yes, live tattoos happened! And that wasn’t even the craziest part… I won’t elaborate further, you can click the site for that, but it was wild!
Vanity Projects hosted the CND Art Basel Design Lab where they flew in top nail artists from around the country including my girl, @MissPopNails who gave Kristi and I the most bad a$$ manicures.
Jean-Claude Biver, President of the LVMH Watch Division and CEO of TAG HEUER announced their partnership with street art star, Alec Monopoly! Hosted at the Mondrian South Beach, his work was on display and I fan girled out for a minute when I got to meet him.
It wouldn’t be a trip to Miami without a Kyboe! party. Marc Bell the founder hosted a super fun pool party at SLS which also served up a pop-up shop for the watch brand. They were featured in Oprah’s Favorite Things and I’m wearing THIS MODEL in the photo above.
Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim hosted a special celebration featuring the work of Laura Kimpton at the Skydeck Miami. I hadn’t been to that location but it was a fabulous roopf top space overlooking all the shops on one of the main drags in South Beach.
I take no convincing to go to a champagne party, and PERRIER-JOUËT hosted back to back events at CASA FUENA. Featuring creative, acrobatic performances and bubbly flowing on every floor, it was a sexy scene and a complete blast!
LuluLemon hosted LuluLemon [om]eBASEL, which was the cutest space ever! Hosted at a private residence that is dream home status, it opens to a private deck and water where guests had the opportunity to do everything from meditate, yoga classes to paddle board. And the interior featured good for you snacks and beverages to recharge and an art room, which I pretended was my makeup studio in the shot above. It was the calm in the storm that was my Art Basel experience.
And because no trip to Miami would be complete without a beauty interview I chatted all things fillers with the specialists at Botox LABB. They specialize in Botox and are strictly a Botox and filler bar (no plastic surgery), so we chatted about the latest ‘it’ treatment, Kybella! It’s the only FDA injectable treatment that destroys fat cells under the chin and basically takes all the fat away. It’s only done once and lasts forever! I fortunately don’t have neck fat yet, but they suggested that the earlier it’s done, the better since taking up a few centimeters is easier then an inch or so. Also be ready for 2 weeks of intense swelling, like hide your neck in a scarf or don’t leave the house. You can learn more about it at Kybella.com and if you do it, I expect an email telling me everything!