This Weekend: Absinthe Tasting, German Beer Fest, Fred Segal Sale

— by Caroline on Crack

This weekend is going to be awesome: 70+ degrees and sunny. Gotta love winter in L.A.

Friday, January 14

Fred Segal Sale Starts
Hopefully you’ve had enough time to financially recover from the holidays to take advantage of the Fred Segal sale where everything from men’s and women’s designer clothes, jewelry, shoes, accessories and even apothecary items are 50 percent off. Sunglasses are also discounted with 20% off all prescription jobs.

  • Through January 30. Fred Segal, 500 Broadway, Santa Monica (map).

Makeup&Go! Award Season Pop-Ups
Love getting your makeup done at the department store counter but hate the hard sell? Brentwood’s popular Makeup&Go makeup studio has a couple of new pop-ups in key social spots West Hollywood and Beverly Hills for the award season so you can get your face and hair did in a jiffy. They use Tarte and Smashbox among other makeup lines. A quick makeup app is $35, $60 when you include “evening eyes.” A wash and blowout is $35, airbrush is $20 a body part, lashes $18.

  • Beverly Hills 12-7 daily, WeHo 12-7 Wed-Sun. 152 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills (map) and 8654 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood (map).

PhotoLA 2011
Fans of photography will flock to the 20th anniversary of this prestigious photo art fair which will feature over 70 galleries. Wish I could also tell you more about the opening party celebration and after party but LACMA’s Web site is screwy with incorrect links. Looks like the opening party will also celebrate Eat LA: a retrospective of food from local restaurants/pastry shops with participants like BLD, Cube and Bread Bar.

  • Friday-Sunday. $10-$80. Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main Street, Santa Monica (map).

Saturday, January 15

BockFest 2011
For $35 use your 16-oz. souvenir beer mug to taste 65 beers from Germany and Austria, as much as you can drink. This BockFest showcases the best German Bocks and will also include German-style beers from Beir Bitzch in Orange County and Bootlegger’s Brewery from Fullerton.

  • 1-5pm. $35. Olympic Collection, 11301 Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).

Wednesday, January 19

Silverlake Wine’s Absinthe Tasting
Absinthe aficionados, better get your tickets to this absinthe tasting hosted by Silverlake Wine at the Griffin. Not only do you get to taste five absinthes from the U.S. to Switzerland but you get to learn about the process and ritual of this infamous spirit as well as take home your own nifty absinthe spoon. Absinthe list: Vieux Pontarlier (France), Obsello (Spain), Kubler (Switzerland), Vieux Carre (US) and Marteau (U.S.).

  • 7pm. $25. The Griffin, 3000 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles (map). Reservations: (323) 662-9024.