Painting the Town-and Your Nails-Red
Hollywood hot spots are fleeting and beauty trends change with the seasons, but after a year and 1,000 manicures, the Beauty Bar’s $10 martini-and-manicure happy hours are still packing them in. At owner Paul Devitt’s pretty-in-pink cocktail lounge, preening players can drink amid vintage hair dryers, retro posters and other ‘60s kitsch salon fixtures. We stopped by to see who’s getting polished.
Raynard Pearson
36, Retail Sales, West Hollywood
Drink and color of choice?
Apple martini; black.
Why drink during a manicure? A cocktail is nice, and having your nails done is nice, too. But the two together is ....
If you could only afford one, would you go for a martini or manicure?
Martini. I can do my own nails at home.
What does your nail color say about you?
Black is beautiful, black is basic.
Outfit to go with your manicure?
A silver-sequined evening gown with my tiara. I’m so much of a princess, honey, I’m a queen.
Person in need of a manicure?
Most people I know already get manicures.
Who’s going to do the dishes? The dishwasher, as usual.
Tuesday
27, Manicurist and Painter,
Hollywood
How’d you get the gig here?
I used to hang out at the Beauty Bar in New York. I get really dolled up and wear wigs and stuff. When the owner found out I was moving to L.A., he asked me to do manicures here. Do you also have a day job?
I have a store in Silver Lake, Headless Designs, where I hand-paint furniture and toilet seats.
Who gets manicures?
We do a lot of guys, believe it or not. Half are gay, half get talked into it by their girlfriends, but all of them love the [hand] massage.
Done any recognizable hands?
Neve Campbell, Drew Barrymore and Ray Liotta.
Were they more high-maintenance?
No, because I’m not star-struck. We’re all stars.
Stephen McClure
32, Animator, Los Angeles
Drink and nail color?
Greyhound; I just get a clear coat.
Why drink during a manicure?
Why not?
If funds were low, would you go for a martini or manicure? The alcohol. I’m Scotch-Irish, so I have drinking in my blood.
What do your nails say about you?
I’m a subtle guy.
Outfit to go with your manicure?
A nice shirt and jeans works for almost any occasion.
Person in need of a manicure?
Billy Bob Thornton. He seems unruly.
Who’s going to do the dishes post-manicure?
The maid.
Liza Moran
28, Singer and Recording Artist, Los Angeles
Drink and color of choice?
Apple martini; I skipped the manicure and got a henna tattoo.
Why drink during a manicure?
All the more entertaining.
If funds were low, would you go for a martini or manicure?
I care about my nails, but not as much as I like holding a martini.
What does your henna tattoo say about you?
I told the artist to create something that says singer, strong-willed and Scorpio. It’s my rebellious side.
Outfit to go with your henna tattoo?
Black leather boots and hot pants would lend nicely to the rebellious tattoo feeling I’ve got going on.
Who’s going to do the dishes?
I don’t do dishes anyway.
