So, a few weeks ago, I posted this picture on instagram.  Don’t even try to pretend that you didn’t love it. The patron saint of hairdressers, Vidal Sasoon, wrote this “manual” with his wife:

A legend and his wife!

So, this book, as you can see, is a must have for everyone.  I thought it would be appropriate feature some of the incredible advice that these two wonderful people were so gracious to share in this book.

The book is didvided into seasons, and then into months.  There are so many little nuggets in here, from makeup and meditation tips to (of course!) hair.  It would be a shame not to pass these on!  So.  I will be posting one tip per day on our facebook page, but here’s the first one for you:

“February – Beverly on makeup, the oldest, most personal art:
It may not be one of the major arts but it is one of the oldest and most personal. The nice thing is that you don’t hang your finest creation in a gallery but wear it for the world to enjoy.”*

HOW AWESOME IS THIS????  Thanks, Bev.  I feel better about myself already.  Anyway, stay tuned to our facebook page for updates, and get ready for a year of beautiful!

*Beverly & Vidal Sasoon with Camille Duhe, A Year of Beauty & Health, New York, New York: Simon & Schuster, c. 1976

Marie Antoinette had nothing on the Queen Bee.  Not sure what I mean? Here’s a little nature lesson for you:

The Queen Bee is IT.  She lazes around, eating bon-bons all day and mating with every male drone in sight, while the sterile female worker bees take care of everything else.    While the plebes eat the honey they manufacture, the Queen gets only one luscious snack option for her entire life: Royal Jelly.  This special sauce is pretty much the best thing to ever happen the the planet – who knows how the bees have kept it a secret for so long? – and consequently, your hair.

Royal Jelly is full of all kinds of nutrients, and its complex benefits allow the Queen to live longer and grow larger than all the other bees (I told you, it’s all about her, every day, all day).  Anyway, to bring it all around, those amazing chemists at Davines have managed to harness the magic of the bees in one of my favorite products, the Nourishing Hair Royal Jelly.

This treatment is great for dry, irritated, or itchy scalp and hair.  It’s applied at the shampoo bowl (which means it includes a fantastic extended scalp massage!) and left in to nourish long after you leave the salon.

So, next time you’re in, treat yourself like the Queen you are.  We promise to spoil you for at least a little while!

Yes, it’s true.  Valentine’s Day is one of our very favorite days of the year.  We can forget the Hallmark cards, forget the overpriced date night, even forget the champagne and fancy undergarments – for us, it’s all about the CUTENESS!  Just roll up a ball of fairy dust,  pop a few hearts and puppies on it, and we’re swooning halfway to the moon already.  I know, I know, we styleyour hair, not Katy Perry’s, but we just can’t help but spread the (adorable, candy coated) love! Here, a few things we’re cooking up for tomorrow:

Mini Davines Products!  What could be cuter?  Plus, put a bird on it!  M Bird Studio lives up to it’s name.

Happy New Year everyone!   It was a crazy holiday season, and we loved every minute of it!

We have hit the ground running in 2013 and were very excited to attend the insanity known as ISSE this past weekend.  ISSE (the International Salon and Spa Expo) is basically a huge exhibition with vendors, presentations, education, and hairstylists from all over the country showing off for each other.  We walked in – and I am not even kidding – it was the 80′s all over again.  Glitter. Was. Everywhere.  It was like we’d stepped into my Caboodle case from middle school.

There was a lot of this:

And we couldn’t resist these:

Mariah Carey even got in on the action:

And last but CERTAINLY not least, a half naked man was serving up real cotton candy and advertising these:

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed this Gem and The Holograms-meets-Cyndi Lauper-meets-early RuPaul extravaganza, but I think we may have to find a more subdued approach to this year’s trend, no?

A little gift to our readers today – Blogs We Love! Warning:  this may also play into your New Year’s Resolution to finally quit your web addiction.  sorry ’bout that.

Wore Out: A Burlingtonian Style Blog by Caitlin Pierce
This adorable redhead has that Haute Hippie thing going on, like Kate Hudson and Penny Lane met somewhere in the blurry folds of reality. Burlington, VT is her base of operations, which means she’s got your fashion needs covered for all seasons. Though clearly a clotheshorse, she regularly features plum finds from Urban Outfitters, Levi’s, and Goodwill, proving that style doesn’t have to be measured with your wallet.  Check out her Pinterest page as well for a glimpse of your dream life.

 LA In Bloom by Heather Taylor
Confession Time. We have a huge girl crush on Heather Taylor, co-owner of Culver City’s Taylor de Cordoba, for the following reasons:  1) She does everything, from running a highly successful gallery with her husband, to writing “Chef Speak,” a bi-monthly column for the Huffington Post, to recently branching out with her own line, Heather Taylor Home.  2) She’s fantastically domestic and stylish, inspiring women everywhere to host dinner parties, gift-wrapping parties, and every other kind of just-happy-to-be-alive-with-loved-ones parties.  3) She’s just radiant.  Not because of anything tangible really, but because it’s so very clear that she lives her life with gusto.  And looks gorgeous doing it.

Los Angeles, I’m Yours,  Kyle Fitzpatrick, editor in chief
Yeah, we know you already know this one, but how could we leave it out? From features like The Hollywood & Highland Character Count, to this story on the original Forever 21 store, this blog cracks us up, makes us think, and lets us fall more in love with LA every single moment.  Fitzpatrick has a relatable and thoughtful voice that inspires us to go on urban adventures and witness the beauty that he sees everywhere in this dear city of ours.

There you have it, dear readers.  Happy Holidays and we’ll see you in 2013!!!

Get excited folks!  It’s that time of year again.  The holidays are upon us, and we are welcoming a new artist to our walls!

Michelle Rose hails from La Jolla, CA, and currently resides in Los Angeles, where she pursues all types of creative endeavors.  After a childhood of competitive ice skating, she attended UC Santa Barbara, traveled the world, and eventually settled in the City of Angels to hone her skills in stunt work and acting for Film and Television.  While painting is more of a hobby for Michelle, her work has been seen all over Los Angeles from the Angel City Brewing Company downtown to Buffalo Exchange, to various movie sets!  We are very excited to be featuring her art this Holiday Season.

For more on michelle (and to check out her totally hilarious webseries!) visit http://www.michellerose.net/

We’ve been here long enough now that we almost feel like locals.  Or at least like we might be someday.  As the holidays approach, we’d like to send out a little love to our Culver City neighbors – plus, we really do love it here, and we want to share it with you!

Below, a few of our favorite spots for the holiday season!

1. Ice Skating!  While we love the Culver Ice Arena all year round this holiday ice rink at 9300 Culver will be adorable!

2. Platine Bakery:  Hands down, our favorite cookies in town.  Chef Jamie Cantor is one of the nicest people we’ve met, and we are seriously addicted to her camées and other scrumptious treats.

3.  Stone Candles: You know that great smell wafting down Washington just before National?  Yeah, that’s Stone Candles, the best spot for specialty candles – we’ve even heard that they’ll fill any container for you to make a beautiful custom design!

4. Lupicia:  Okay, so this isn’t in Culver City, but it’s still our go-to spot for gifts this holiday season.  The staff is so friendly, and they’ll brew up any sample for you, on the spot.

5. The Conservatory for Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa:  THE most adorable place in Culver City!  A great selection of hot beverages will get you going in the morning, or help you wind down with a good book on a cold day.

6.  Arcana: A fairly new addition to the Helms Bakery Complex, Arcana is a world of wonder for anyone interested in the arts.  The beautiful collection of books (like this one, about none other than our patron saint, Vidal Sassoon) will keep you browsing for hours.

What are your favorite local haunts?

As you all know, I am more than a little obsessed with spy-culture.  Nothing gets my mind racing like the promise of a good covert op, a juicy CIA conspiracy, or a dashing MI-6 agent in a tux.  So it practically gives me HEART PALPITATIONS to think about this Saturday, and our incredible James-Bond inspired celebration! We’ll be featuring the artwork of Otha ‘Vakseen’ Davis III and music by our fave, Johnnie Roll.  Stop by on the way to your Halloween Shindig, or spend the evening with us and our Bond Girls.

Here’s the flyer:

Fall is my favorite season, especially in this land of perpetual summer.  Sure, spring is the time of flowering and new growth, but fall…FALLLLL.  Just the word brings on visions of warm blankets, mulled apple spices, and sipping hot toddies by the fire.

Here at M Bird we’ve got all manner of cozy luxuries in store for you this season.  A few highlights:

Sustainable Beauty Day!
Davines and The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation have teamed up for their second annual Sustainable Beauty Day. Last year’s event involved 54 salons across the US and Canada and raised over $25,000 for the planting of trees in Mozambique. This year’s proceeds will go toward a similar planting in Brazil. M Bird Studio will be offering $40 blowouts from October 9-13, with 100% of proceeds going to The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation. Mention Sustainable Beauty at checkout for the special pricing!

Diamond Crew Clothing Line Release party:
Our fave artist, Alexander DCD Smith, has multiple projects going on – this time, he’s designed some rad T-shirts for the online skate company/magazine Diamond Crew! They will be showcasing their newest T-shirt line and featuring art by Alexander on November 10th at the salon!

So we get asked this question all the time: “What does the M stand for?”
Of course, we are honored to present the answer. In fact, M stands for Michelle, who is Jen’s sister, and one of the most important people in her life!
Imagine our surprise when we were searching for artists and stumbled upon the work of none other than Michelle Bird. Not only do we share the same name, but we ADORE her photography and digital art. It’s subtle but interesting, and fits in quite nicely at the salon. She’s showed all over LA, and we hope to see much more of her work in the future.
Check out her work showing now at the salon – we are open 12-9pm Tues-Thurs, 10-6 Fri, and 9-5 Sat.

For more photography from Michelle Bird, visit her website at http://www.spreadthabird.com