Best of Beauty & Style

Tanning Salon

1st place
Summer Breeze
2360-E Las Posas Road, Camarillo
383-2333

1772 Avenida De Los Arboles, Suite F
Thousand Oaks
241-4400

2nd place
Endless Summer
611 W. Channel Islands Blvd., Port Hueneme
985-8267

5722 Telephone Road, C16, Ventura
644-3555

3rd place
Mr. Lyle’s Summer Tan
315 Arneill Road, # 208, Camarillo
388-1556

Best local hairdo thingie designer

Over the Top Fascinators
217-3299, www.overthetopfascinators.com

The ladies of the VC (similar to ladies of the OC but not as drama filled) are flipping their lids over the latest fashion trend. Margaret Winters’ fascinators are turning heads, but few have even heard the term.

“If you ever watched a Hugh Grant movie, there are feathers on everyone’s heads!” says Winters, who describes the fascinator as a simple hair adornment or, more specifically, a small hat that fits on the side of the head with a flower, “some sort of bling,” fabric, veil netting and/or feather coming off (“something that wafts in the breeze”), which is held on with a comb securely tucked into the hair.

Winters started her business, Over the Top Fascinators, at the first of the year, something that came about when she helped a friend.
“I had seen them in Europe, and I was asked by a friend of mine who had gone to school in Europe to make one for her wedding.”

After that, an avalanche of referrals had her designing fascinators full time. Although the bulk of her business is bridal, these beautiful hair accessories are certainly not just for brides or wedding attendees. Fascinators are all the rage on the club scene, says Winters, adding, “The pin-up and rockabilly girls are really into this ... my daughter rarely goes out without one.”

Winters does a lot of custom work, consulting with clients (and even their hairdressers) to incorporate keepsakes like vintage buttons and rhinestones into the designs. She also hand-tints fabric flowers to match bridesmaids’ dresses or other outfits. Prices start at $20 for a simple ready-made casual headband. Custom bridal designs usually run $75 on up to $125.

Winters works out of her home in Ventura and sells most of her fascinators through her Web site. She also keeps a handful of designs at Alayna’s Bridal in Camarillo and Le Monde and Cara Mia in downtown Ventura.

— Lisa Snider
 

Cosmetic Surgeon

1st place
Dr. Michael C. Pickart
428 Poli St., Suite 2c, Ventura
648-4567

2nd place
Dr. Brian Brantner
3555 Loma Vista Road, Suite 200, Ventura
653-6765

3rd place
Dr. William Starr
1801 Solar Drive, Suite 150, Oxnard
983-1999

Day Spa

1st place
Cara Mia
424 E. Main St., Ventura
641-2556

2nd place
Ojai Valley Inn
905 Country Club Road, Ojai
800-422-6524

3rd place
Sweet Surrender
2713 E. Main St., Ventura
643-1772

Hair Salon

1st place
ArchiTexture
25 S. Ventura Ave., Ventura
641-3900

2nd place
Alejandro’s
2460 E. Main St., Ventura
652-2299

3rd place
Pin-Ups Hair Design
2280 E. Main St., # B, Ventura
648-2344

Best person to hipify your Members Only jacket

Lindsay Miller/Sassy Sally’s
www.sassysallys.com

Members Only jackets may already have made a weak comeback a few years ago, but the point is that designer and seamstress extraordinaire Lindsay Miller makes magic with her sewing machine. That is to say, she can take virtually anything and make it cool. Your great aunt’s housework shift becomes a sexy floral frock. Your dad’s disco-era shirt is now a wallet. That vintage tablecloth you’ll never find a use for is a handbag. Miller, who has a degree in environmental science, reworks and restyles vintage and other recycled garments with a “whimsical and feminine” touch. Her eye is keen for everything fresh and innovative in fashion design, and even though the stupid economy forced her to close her trendy boutique in Ventura’s El Jardin courtyard, her one-of-a-kind designs, as well as unique clothing and accessories by other local indie designers, are available through her online store.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Miller moved to Ventura in 2000 and continues to enjoy the abundant life that coastal Cali offers. Her biggest influence is her grandmother, whom she spent untold hours observing at the sewing machine.

According to her mission statement, Lindsay founded Sassy Sally’s on a “philosophy of sustainability, individuality, originality and all things made by hand in the U.S.” If items aren’t unique, they are part of limited-edition runs. Whether it’s an eco-friendly newspaper baguette handbag, a belt buckle crafted from an old skateboard or a chocolate linen skirt with toile trim, when you sport something from Miller’s collection, you can be fairly certain you won’t see someone else with it.

— Michel Cicero
 

Hair Stylist

1st place
Erika Harding — ArchiTexture
25 S. Ventura Ave., Ventura
641-3900

2nd place
Robert Ramirez — Pin-Ups Hair Design
2280 E. Main St., # B, Ventura
648-2344

3rd place
Stacy Wright — ArchiTexture
25 S. Ventura Ave., Ventura
641-3900

Hair Colorist

1st place
Erika Harding — ArchiTexture
25 S. Ventura Ave., Ventura
641-3900

2nd place
Robert Ramirez — Pin-Ups Hair Design
2280 E. Main St., # B, Ventura
648-2344

3rd place
Stacy Wright — ArchiTexture
25 S. Ventura Ave., Ventura
641-3900

Barber

1st place
Smooth’s
2676 S. Ventura Road, Oxnard
240-3222

2nd place
Legend’s
1419 E. Santa Clara St., # A, Ventura
641-3232

3rd place
Buena
2694 Loma Vista Road, Ventura
643-7180

Children’s Haircut

1st place
Lucy in the Sky
20 N. Fir St., Suite B, Ventura
652-1988

2nd place
Jack ‘N’ Jill’s Cuts For Kids
1984 E. Main St., Ventura
648-1976

3rd place
Kathy’s Hair Shack
239 S. Catalina St., Ventura
643-1239

Nail Salon

1st place
Professionail
4990 Telephone Road, Ventura
642-1145

4693 Telephone Road, Ventura
676-1983

2nd place
Sweet Surrender
2713 E. Main St., Ventura
643-1772

3rd place
Elements Nail Spa
4255 E. Main St., # 10, Ventura
644-7446

Best Facial

1st place
Cara Mia
424 E. Main St., Ventura
641-2556

2nd place
The Skin Hut
35 S. Oak St., Ventura
652-1699

3rd place
Alejandro Salon
2460 E. Main St., Ventura
652-2299

Bikini Wax

1st place
Cara Mia
424 E. Main St., Ventura
641-2556

3rd place
Joy Soderstrom
2045 E. Main St., Ventura
643-5699

Eyebrow Wax

1st place
Cara Mia
424 E. Main St., Ventura
641-2556

Joy Soderstrom
2045 E. Main St., Ventura
643-5699

Med Spa

1st place
Coastal Skin Care
428 Poli St., # 2C, Ventura
641-2345

2nd place
Rachel Rowen Perfect Skin
144 S. California St., Ventura
643-2550

3rd place
La Nouvelle
1700 N. Rose Ave., Suite 230, Oxnard
484-6878

Tattoo Parlor

1st place
Red, White & Blue Tattoos
2347 E. Main St., Ventura
804-6230

2nd place
Jimi’s Tattoo
407 E. Port Hueneme Road, Port Hueneme 488-9190

3rd place
Scratch the Surface
1779 E. Main St., Ventura
648-5933

Body Piercing

1st place
Ink House
614 E. Main St., Ventura
641-3350

2nd place
Scratch the Surface
1779 E. Main St., Ventura
648-5933

3rd place
Jimi’s Tattoo
407 E. Port Hueneme Road, Port Hueneme
488-9190

Tattoo Artist

1st place
Jimi Angelo (Jimi’s)
407 E. Port Hueneme Road, Port Hueneme 488-9190

2nd place
Billy Benson (Red, White & Blue)
2347 E. Main St., Ventura
804-6230

3rd place
Luis Ruiz (Pain Parlor)
2660 S. Ventura Road, Oxnard
487-6513