Oct 1

Oct 1 Treat Yourself to Luxury at This Luxury Nail Care Salon in LA

T.K.

One of my girlfriends from Louisiana, that’s also a content creator, has been preaching about living a life a luxury lately. And she’s not spewing hopeless aspirations of a fantastical lifestyle sometime in the unknown future when she “makes it.” She’s talking about changes she’s making to her lifestyle right now, minor changes that you can make no matter your current tax bracket.

Be like Bria.

For example, during my visit to Minneapolis, where Bria now resides, when I entered her home, it smelled delightful. Each living space, bathroom, and bedroom had its own fragrance. She says air freshener plug-ins changed her life and kickstarted her life of luxury. Glade plugins, life-changing?? Okay, that may seem a bit hyperbolic, and the girl is dramatic, but Bria’s point is that small changes can make big differences.

Being a lady of luxury is in your hands.

Pun intended. It’s “in your hands” figuratively, as in your choice, and literally, as in your actual hands, your fingertips.. your nails!

sheer pink dip powder manicure done at Powder Beauty | photo : @aroundLAwithTK

Implement luxury into your LA lifestyle by becoming a regular at Powder Beauty, a luxury nail care salon located in Row DTLA.

Row DTLA is a precious pocket of upscale dining, shopping, and leisure in downtown Los Angeles. When you enter Powder’s suite in the plaza, your senses will be pleased by the sleek, fashionable aesthetic, the vibe-y jams, and the clean air. Your nose won’t be attacked by the usual toxic smell of nail shops.

Powder Beauty has all organic products, and doesn’t even offer acrylic sets, allowing for there to be little-to-no chemical odors. Not wishing pregnancy on you, my girl, but when you are with child, this is a pregnant-lady-friendly nail shop.

Upon arrival, you won’t be stared at and then assertively told, “go pick color!” You’ll be acknowledged pleasantly. And if/when you become a returning client, you may even be greeted by name.

When I walked in today, the first nail tech to see me nervously, but politely, grinned from behind her mask and asked, “do you have an appointment?” I responded that I do, and then I heard a voice come from the back saying, “hey, T.K., are you doing your sheer pink again?”

This is what I call luxury.

It’s about the experience, and what seems minuscule is major in creating that luxury experience. Friends, y’all know I know luxury; my four years working in luxury retail in Beverly Hills wasn’t in vain. And, if you’ve taken a look at my opinion column, you may also find that I’m critical. Powder Beauty passes my test.

Even though high-end restaurants can get away with charging an arm and a leg for subpar food, because you’re paying for the location, the product and/or service still matters.

Powder Beauty isn’t simply some cute spot doing shabby work. Los Angeles Magazine ranked this nail shop on their Best in L.A. list for the longest-lasting manicure! Listen, my dip powder set before last was about to grow off my fingers and hadn’t chipped a bit around the tip.

photo from @aroundLAwithTK InstaStory archive, showing how nails had grown out for weeks without chipping, on the way to Powder Beauty located DTLA

This visit, I went with a muted orange on my fingers and a vibrant orange on my toes. I wanted the sheer pink to be my signature nail color, but I have to admit that the sheer powders don’t hold up nearly as well, so I don’t know if I’ll be doing that one again.

Another new aspect I tried this time was having some wine during my visit. Yes, baby, keep the luxury coming! Pause, don’t think I’m saying I’ve never had wine while getting my nails done. I have. And I’ve had it at Powder’s previous location (in LA’s Hancock Park area, that was walking distance from my house [inserts growl about them moving away.. grrrrr!]), but I’d never had it at their new location since I tend to ride my bike DTLA. I’d never tried this particular wine either. It was a little aluminum can of sparkling rosé, accompanied by a paper straw. [heart smiles] Hey, true ladies of luxury love saving the earth.