(From FrolicHawaii.com 02/13/2015) – Amanda Stevens

Valentine’s Day can affect your mood depending on your relationship status, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I went through a single phase once where Cupid, red roses and chocolates were nowhere in sight, but I found a few things to do – with the help of my friends – to keep my mind preoccupied and entertained.

Here are a few anti-Valentine’s Day activities I recommend for you:

Plan a girls’ night out

Since “Fifty Shades of Grey” opens on Valentine’s Day, many of my single friends are checking out the flick together and turning it into an anti-Valentine’s Day girls’ night out. I suggest having dinner and a couple cocktails at a not-so-romantic restaurant, like Dave & Buster’s, then watching “Fifty Shades of Grey” and gossiping about it afterwards. It should be a great bonding activity – pun intended.http://www.youtube.com/embed/SfZWFDs0LxA?enablejsapi=1

Throw a house party

Celebrate your singleness by throwing a ladies-only Valentine’s Day party with themed martinis, appetizers and music. Here’s a list of girl power songs you should add to your playlist: “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift, “Run the World (Girls)” by Beyoncé, “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson, and “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.

Stay off social

If you’re staying home on Valentine’s Day, steer clear of Facebook and Instagram. The last thing you want is to see a barrage of couples posting in your feeds about how much they love each other, or worse, flaunting their gifts.

Watch a scary movie

Avoid the Lifetime and Hallmark channel’s rom-com movies completely and do what I did:  binge-watch “Walking Dead” or any good scary movie. Trust me, it will keep you entertained and your mind so focused on its suspenseful plots that you’ll forget what day it is.

Spoil yourself

Get your makeup, hair and nails done with your friends while chatting about the fun things you’re going to do this weekend. A bunch of my single gal pals and I did this in the past on Valentine’s Day and it lifts your spirits and makes you feel great.

(From FrolicHawaii.com 1/30/2015) – Amanda Stevens

A tiny bit of harmless trash talkin’, high fives with strangers who are suddenly your good buddy, and the electricity that comes from a crowd all in the same zone; that’s Super Bowl Sunday!

My good friend and fellow sports enthusiast Sheldon Nagata from ESPN1420 and I came up with this list of favorite places to catch the big game. Our top picks are based on well-placed flat screen TV’s, great food, drink specials, friendly servers, and for extra points – game day prizes. Some places even offer reserved seating packages at a steal.

No. 5: Big City Diner

3565 Waialae Ave.
808-738-8855
bigcitydinerhawaii.com
Other locations – Aiea: 808-487-8188, Kailua: 808-263-8880, Waipio: 808-678-8868, and Ward: 808-591-8891

• What we like: Sheldon and I agree that the Waialae location has the coolest local sports archives.
• Super Bowl specials: $4 Miller Lite pints on tap, plus a special on pupu platters of noodles, ribs and chicken wings for $21.99.
• Prizes: THE best Super Bowl Sunday prizes. All five locations are giving away a grand prize package for two to Las Vegas plus a Char-Broil charcoal BBQ grill.
• What time: Specials begin at 11 a.m.
• Reservations? It’s first come, first served. If you have a big party, call ahead when you’re on your way to let them know.
• TV Situation: All locations have TVs scattered around the restaurant, but Waipio, Ward and Pearlridge have the most. Kailua, Pearlridge and Waipio have additional TVs on the patio. Either way, get there early for a seat.

No. 4: Rivals Sports Bar

2211 Kuhio Ave.
808-923-0600
rivalslounge.com

• What we like: Sheldon claims Rivals has the most sports memorabilia in the state. I just can’t get over the mega nachos.
• Super Bowl specials: Reserved seats are $25 and include all-you-can-eat wings and pizza. Drink specials include $3 Bud Light draft, $3 Budweiser bottles and Jameson shots for $4.
• Prizes: Word’s out that they’ll be doing drawings to give away sports memorabilia.
• What time: The action begins at noon.
• TV Situation: There’s about 16 flat-screen TVs with a good view for all.

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No. 3: Murphy’s Bar & Grill

2 Merchant St.
808-531-0422
murphyshawaii.com

• What we like: The home-style cooking is what draws me. Sheldon is intrigued with the Irish sports pub’s manly atmosphere.
• Reservations? Recommended but not required.
• Super Bowl specials: There will be $2 oysters, and drinks start at $4. Mr. Murphy will also be cooking up a few surprises.
• What time: Restaurant opens at noon.
• TV Situation: There are six screens in the dining room and eight in the bar area. Everyone should have a good view.

No. 2: Giovanni Pastrami

227 Lewers St.
808-923-2100
giovannipastrami.com

• What we like: The restaurant area has a high-energy, glitzy feeling. Sheldon can’t stop talking about the personal sound systems at the tables, perfect for hearing big plays.
• Super Bowl specials: Drink specials include $5 Fireball, $5 Jagermeister, $6 Crown Royal, $8 Patron and $4 Bud Light.
• Reservations? Required for a table, but you can walk in to try to get a seat at the bar. Note that there’s a minimum purchase of $25 per person.
• What time: If you have a reservation, you need to be there by 1 p.m. If not, then plan to be there around 10 a.m. to claim a bar stool.
• TV Situation: The restaurant has wall-to-wall TVs. Everyone should have a great view of the game.

No. 1: Dave and Busters

1030 Auahi Street (Ward Centers)
808-589-2215
daveandbusters.com

• What we like: I love that the entire Viewpoint Bar and Sports Lounge had a mega makeover, perfect to watch the big game. Sheldon adores the Las Vegas sports book feeling, with a massive walls of screens.
• Super Bowl specials: Paina Hale on the second floor offers VIP treatment for $45. This includes a reserved seat, $10 Power Card, pupu buffet, Mexican food buffet, dessert and two drinks. If you want to downsize, you can still get a pre-reserved seat in the Sports Lounge and Viewpoint Bar for $10 and get a $5 Power Card and a chance to win a surfboard.
• What time: All the action begins at noon.
• TV Situation: It’s epic! There are entire walls of giant TV screens – a killer view for everyone.

(From FrolicHawaii.com 12/30/2014) – Amanda Stevens

Committing to getting in shape or updating your wardrobe in the new year are typical resolutions, but how many times do you hear people say, “I need to update the way I apply my makeup?” Perhaps, for some of us, it’s time.

Personally, I want to step up my game for Wednesday’s New Year’s Eve House of Cards soiree at The Modern Honolulu and steer clear of my usual makeup shortcuts. So I decided to partner with master makeup artist Jonathan Freitas and Eva Blacker of Premier Models & Talent to present seven makeup tips for 2015.

1. Skin: If you can commit to any one beauty regimen in 2015, it should be to take care of your skin, and hydrating is key. Drink plenty of water, especially if you are consuming alcohol. This will help make your skin glow from the inside. If your skin is dull or needs a little help to look soft and dewy, try a tinted moisturizer or foundation that has a soft glow to it. There are many foundations on the market to give you this look, but I like Motives Cosmetics custom blend foundation. Their beauty advisers can make you a perfectly matched foundation. They can even add your skin primer to your foundation. Freitas recommends not adding a powder over the foundation for the evening. If you are coming straight from work to your party, he suggests spritzing a little alcohol-free moisturizing toner (he likes Skintelligenceʻs Ph Normalizer) or a makeup setting spray to add more moisture and keep your skin hydrated and glowing.

2. Eyebrows: Be sure to keep the brows clean and neat. I see many gradient brows in editorials or on Instagram, but for 2015, let’s keep it simple. Just fill in your brows following your natural line. If you need help in the brows department, Iʻd suggest getting them waxed first and you can keep your brows clean by tweezing as the hair grows in. By the way, we tweeze our brows, plucking is for chickens.

3. Eye shadow: We still want the eye shadow to be a soft color like a warm latte-like color or a nice soft brown just one or two shades darker than your skin tone. Take the color and sweep it across the lip from your crease to your lash line. Be sure to blend, blend, blend. It should give your eyes a little definition without looking harsh or smokey. It’s about being fun and flirty, not dark and twisty. Take a richer brown or hazelnut like color, and starting from the outside of your crease, sweep it towards your inner eye using a windshield like motion back and forth in the crease. Again, blend, blend, blend. You do not want to see where one color begins and the other ends. Be sure to keep the darker concentration of color on the outer two-thirds of your lid. The combination of these colors should be light and soft. We will be defining the eye with some dark liner and mascara.

4. Liner: Use a dark espresso or black color eye pencil to line both your top and bottom lashes. Take a similar color eye shadow and a liner brush and smudge the color over the eye pencil to create a little smokey look around the eye. If you prefer, you can take the eye liner and color in the bottom of your waterline to give the eye some definition.

5. Finish the eyes by curling your lashes and adding some mascara, being careful not to apply too much to make your lashes look like spiders.

6. Cheeks: Some people aren’t sure how to pick a blush. Hereʻs a great trick Freitas teaches his clients: Squeeze your hand into a fist for a few seconds. Open your fist and look at the tips of your fingers. Have a few color blushes and compare your finger tips to the color blush. The one closest or a match is the blush color you should use on your cheeks. Be sure to smile and apply the blush to the apples of your cheek and again blend back towards your hairline.

7. Lip color: Here’s where you can really add the dramatic touch. In this photo Freitas used Orchid, the Pantone color of 2015. This shade of lipstick called Times Square by Motives Cosmetics is bright and bold, the perfect pop of color to ring in the New Year. He finishes the look by applying a clear lip plumper to fill in and add a little volume to Eva’s lips.

Voila! So now you have the know-how to step outside of your comfort zone and revamp your make-up application techniques in 2015.

(From FrolicHawaii.com 11/24/2014) – Amanda Stevens

Kitty Wo (Emma’s mother), Emma Wo – 2015 Miss Hawaii USA, Kyla Hee – 2015 Miss Hawaii Teen USA, and Luana Alapa (Kyla’s mother and former Miss Hawaii 1987)

Emma Wo was crowned the new Miss Hawaii USA, while Kyla Hee captured the Miss Hawaii Teen USA title on Sunday at the JW Marriott Ihilani Ko Olina Resort & Spa.

The 24-year-old Wo, a PR account executive and model, is the daughter of Kitty and Buzz Wo, (local business leaders and philanthropists). She also won the Miss Hawaii Teen USA 2008 pageant and will represent Hawaii at the next Miss USA pageant. She aspires to own her own PR and marketing firm specializing in fashion.

The 17-year-old Hee, who will represent Hawaii in the next Miss Teen USA pageant, is a student at Mid-Pacific Institute and would like to become an actress and entrepreneur. Her parents are Mark Hee, and Luana Alapa who won the Miss Hawaii crown in 1987.

We had a chance to chat with the new title holders:

Emma Wo during the swimsuit and evening gown competition at the JW Marriott Ihilani Ko Olina Resort & Spa. Photos courtesy of Dale Mills.

When did you know you wanted to compete for this pageant?
Wo: When I was Miss Hawaii Teen USA in 2008 I knew back then that I wanted to do what I could to give back to the community, and one way to reach even more people is to become Miss Hawaii USA someday.

Hee: Up until recently, I didn’t think this was for me. My confidence wasn’t there, and it could have been because of my dyslexia; I thought I wasn’t good enough. But prepping for this has given me newfound confidence, and I feel like I am really becoming the person that I was meant to be.

Kyla Hee during the swimsuit and evening gown competitions. Photos courtesy of Dale Mills.

Besides winning the title, what has been the best part of your experience?
Wo: It has been my family, no doubt. I couldn’t have done this without them. They’ve been there for me through everything, from the time I competed for this title two years ago, they’ve helped me emotionally, financially and mentally. I’ve also enjoyed growing with the other contestants and have made many new friends.

Hee: My family. I couldn’t have done this without them. They have calmed me down when I needed their strength. They’ve supported me and helped me to be more confident and to believe in myself. I also loved that two of the other contestants were my friends from middle school. It was great to spend time with them, and make new friends.

A little about the 2014 title holders…

The outgoing Miss Hawaii USA Moana Hara is no stranger to competition, prior to winning the 2014 title, she was Hawaii’s Most Outstanding Teen in 2007. Since then she has gone on to model locally and internationally. She continues her community service raising awareness about dyslexia.

The outgoing Miss Hawaii Teen USA Mariah Gosling is an avid runner and a former high school valedictorian who aspires to be an orthopedic surgeon. She will continue her studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

(From FrolicHawai.com 11/1/2014) – Amanda Stevens

Photo by Travis Okimoto

Coming off a successful first year, Hawaii Fashion Month co-founders Melissa White and Toby Portner recently announced at a press conference the month-long activities that aim to cultivate, elevate, celebrate and promote Hawaii’s fashion industry. Fashion heavy hitters, including “Project Runway” Season 13 phenom Kini Zamora, converged at The Modern Honolulu along with Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who proclaimed November as Hawaii Fashion Month.

Portner and White made it clear that last year’s month-long event was a success because it was community driven. This year, the focus will be on elevating Hawaii fashion and taking the industry to the next level. One way is through mentoring workshops that provide hands-on professional development opportunities. Hawaii Fashion Exchange (HFX) mentors are fashion professionals with international experience and ties to Hawaii. Their range of talent is pretty vast. Here’s a glimpse of what to expect: Mark Arbeit, a fashion photographer who’s shot for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar; Louda Larrain is a couture, art and textile designer; Bliss Lau, a jewelry designer teaches at Parson’s School of Design; and Roman Young specializes in model talent and scouting from Wilhelmina New York.

There is an eclectic range of event offerings this year, as part of Hawaii Fashion Month. They include:

Nov. 1: Fashion ForWARD – the opening event takes place at the IBM Building and coincides with the opening of the HFX photography exhibition at Ward Village throughout the month of November.

Nov. 1: Grey Goose Social Club at The Modern Honolulu.

Nov. 2: “Your Dapper” menswear launch party at Aston Waikiki Beach Coconut Club.

Nov. 2, 3:  Roque Cozzette bridal and beauty make-up techniques at the Hifi Coop.

Nov. 6-9:  Honolulu Fashion Week presented by Honolulu Magazine will assemble a creative team of industry experts to produce the event week to include fashion show producer/director (and HFX mentor) Lynne O’Neill and wardrobe stylist Don Sumada.

Nov. 6: Honolulu Fashion Week VIP Preview Night – “Live Aloha” runway show.

Nov. 7: Honolulu Fashion Week Neiman Marcus runway show.

Nov. 8: Honolulu Fashion Week “Active” runway show, and Hawaiian Airlines presents Maoli Arts Month Wearable Art Show

Nov. 9: Hifi Connects at Honolulu Fashion Week – Industry panel and networking presentations. Honolulu Fashion Week closing events.

Nov. 15: Kailua designer showcase with Hannalei Taylor at Global Village.

Nov. 20: Indie Visual List presents Iconica – Fiber Hawaii Meets Fashion at the Honolulu Museum of Art School.

Nov. 22: Waikiki Roots and Royal Style fashion show and reception at The Grove at Royal Hawaiian Center. The event will honor the achievements of Hawaii fashion designers, stylists and business owners at Royal Hawaiian Center. Ensembles styled from locally owned businesses from the center. The event will begin with a special kick-off, followed by a runway show and VIP reception.

Nov. 22: Our Night Out – Kona at the Brewery Block at Kona Brewing Company in Kailua, Kona.

Nov. 28: Fishcake presents Fishmarket – features a designer marketplace and fashion show curated and produced by Reise Kochi at the Fishcake gallery.

Nov. 29: Art+Flea present Outfit at Ward Village – this event features local designers and artisans, perfectly timed for Small Business Saturday.

Follow Frolic Hawaii and I’ll take you behind-the-scenes getting you the latest scoops about Hawaii Fashion Month.

(From FrolicHawaii.com 10/22/2014) – Amanda Stevens

With the “Project Runway” season finale happening tomorrow, Thursday, Oct, 23, it looks to be a close race between the top four designers. Yes, I have been able to interview Hawaii’s Kini Zamora after the challenges, but I really have no clue as to who took home the prize. The last two episodes of season 13 were intense, and it was clear that no one is safe. In preparation for the big finale, here’s a short recap and my prediction:

Who’s In and Who’s Out (episode 12)

The challenge was to create a street-chic look inspired by New York City, and a new look from a losing challenge. The judges loved Zamora’s red, one-shoulder dress (described as “extraordinary”) that he repurposed from Mitchell Perry’s losing design. In the workroom, mentor Tim Gunn told Zamora to ramp up his denim skirt. It proved to be bad advice; the judges weren’t impressed with the ruffles and said, “less is more,” but they loved the trench coat.

There was no winner in that episode, but Zamora, Sean Kelly, Char Glover and Amanda Valentine moved on to show at New York Fashion Week.

Finale Part 1 (episode 13)

The designers went to Rome on an inspiration tour to create their final collection. Gunn served as their guide, and it was great to see the friendly rapport between the designers as they toured Italian monuments and sipped wine.

All fun aside, after returning home, each designer had five weeks to complete their 10-look collection. Gunn visited each designer in their hometown. Needless to say, the Hawaii visit was the most entertaining. In true local fashion, Zamora’s family and friends threw a heartfelt authentic luau and even gave him a short hula lesson.

While in his garage/design space, Zamora confessed that upon his return, he had a bit of designer’s block. Gunn was encouraging and loved his beginning pieces. Fast forward to the judges’ reaction of a sneak preview of three looks. Zamora seemed to have the harshest criticism and was asked to basically do-over his collection. If anyone can pull out a new chic collection with little time, it’s him. Take a look at the montage of looks above from Zamora’s original collection. Stay tuned to see how he revamps it all. I can’t wait!