This past Friday my good friend Tierney and I treated ourselves to a fun little staycation at the Palomar Hotel in D.C. The Glamsquad team did an amazing job at putting together a fun “Galentine’s Day” itinerary that kept us wondering why we didn’t do this sooner!
The Hotel: Hotel Palomar is located in the heart of Dupont Circle, which is central and close to so many good restaurants. The front desk was super helpful and checked us in in no time. They also let us know about their complementary bike service (which sadly was too cold to take advantage of) as well as their lobby wine happy hour that all the Kimpton hotels partake in every night at 5 p.m.. Our room was SO BIG! We loved the preppy decor with vibrant colors, which are an ode to the neighboring modern art museums. Another fave part was the huge selfie mirror, because every girl wishes to have one their home. Other perks of the hotel include in-room yoga mats and a modern on-site gym that’s open 24 hours. It overlooks a seasonal outdoor pool not many people know about!
Makeup bag class with Glamsquad: One thing I can honestly say I kind of suck at doing is my own makeup! I’ve learned to master the cat eye and the foundation/powder application, but anything else past that I wouldn’t know where to start. The Glamsquad team is genius enough to understand that, like me, there are many girls who need help on this area so they offer a makeup bag class to teach you how to use your own makeup. The class lasted about an hour and it was very informational. I learned that eyeshadow is def a must if you don’t want your cat eye to rub off on your eyelids (specially if you have small eyes like I do). We also learned about all the different types of makeup brushes out there (Wet & Wild has some good ones right now). We were also told that primer is a must before applying foundation. Tierney and I def walked away from this class feeling a bit more like beauty bloggers! Lol
Getting Brunch Ready: Any time I know that I have a Glamsquad appointment booked for the next day, I go to sleep feeling extra pumped! LoL I’ve used Glamsquad before for fun evening events but was excited to use them for a daytime event such as brunch. I went for a natural day look, with California blogger Sincerely Jules being my inspo (who doesn’t love Jules?!) and for hair I decided to keep it wavy, thanks Lola for the amazing hair! The end result was perfect. The makeup artist actually suggested to use a brown eyeliner for my signature cat eye, and I was hesitant but totally loved it! Tierney’s look was fab too! She opted for super straight hair and a smokey eye. She also asked to bump up the volume at the root for a retro 1960s effect, and she says the results lasted all day long (the smoky shadow didn’t budge either!).
Brunch at Urbana: Once we were all dolled up, we headed for a fun brunch at Urbana — the restaurant located inside the Palomar Hotel. We were seated by the chef Ethan McKee’s bar area, where we were able to see him make fresh pasta and pizza in real time! The brunch also includes bottomless mimosas and a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar complete with celery sticks and bacon strips. Next week the chef’s got a special Valentine’s Day menu planned at the bar as part of his rotating “Cicchetti” dinner series; get tickets here.
The mini staycation was overall was an amazing experience and we can’t wait to treat ourselves to something similar again soon! Read more about my Glamsquad experience HERE!
Photos By: The Dining Traveler
This post is in partnership with Glamsquad and Hotel Palomar. All opinions are my own.
