Grammy Awards Diary 2015
True Life: I Got Glam and Went to the Grammy Awards
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I'm a massive music junkie — my Twitter bio includes "avid concertgoer" to describe me — so when I was invited by Olay to attend the 57th Grammy Awards, I jumped at the chance. Before starting at POPSUGAR three years ago, I worked at the PR firm that puts on the show and helped out at Grammys-related events: MusiCares, Clive Davis's Grammys party, etc. And, of course, I worked on the massive red carpet before the show, walking artists like Bruno Mars down the press line. So you can imagine my excitement when I learned I would actually get to attend the show for my enjoyment (a first!).
The day started early on Sunday with a primping session thanks to Glam Squad, a beauty booking app that schedules hair and makeup services in the comfort of your own home. After light bites and a few glasses of bubbly, we were whisked away (via party bus, natch) to Staples Center to enjoy the show.
Here's everything I learned and experienced during my day at the Grammys!
Starting the Day Off With Some Glam Time
A car service picked me up from my apartment around 9:30 a.m. to take me to The London hotel in LA, where Glam Squad was equipped to paint my face and transform my hair. Alix, my makeup artist, was gentle with my skin but gave me exactly what I was looking for: a dewy, glowing complexion with a warm bronze color palette.
She used Olay Regenerist eye and face creams to hydrate and then had her pick of various CoverGirl products to give me a golden glow.
After Hair and Makeup
Martin, my hairstylist, added a little bend to my hair to create slinky waves using a Hot Tools iron and finished the 'do off with Herbal Essences Wild Naturals Dry Oil Spray ($8) to smooth my ends. My favorite part of my makeup look was my lashes. It was my first time using CoverGirl's new Full Lash Bloom mascara ($9), and I had multiple people asking me if my lashes were fake!
The Dress
POPSUGAR x Byrdie
I posed here with my gorgeous editor friend Alina Gonzalez from Byrdie Beauty. We loved how my nails (white with gold accents) matched her dress and her nails matched mine.
Finishing Touches
We're Here!
Staples Center
The show is held at Staples Center every year, where people like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Justin Timberlake have hosted sold-out shows.
Inside!
We had pretty sweet seats, although my phone's camera was lacking. Doors for the show opened at 3 p.m., and Ellen K requested everyone take their seats around 4:45 p.m. We were on the right side of the stage about three rows up, which was a prime spot, since we were able to see all the artists walk to and from their seats.
Horned and Ready to Go
Preshow Announcement
Rihanna!
Rihanna strolled in late, during the first commercial break. She looked like a gorgeous confection.
AC/DC's Highway to Hell
Ariana Grande
The Grammys are one award show where you hope the artists choose to sing live. I saw Ariana perform at iHeartRadio, and she, without a doubt, didn't have a backing track (like most artists). Same was the case here. Her voice belted out each note of "Just a Little Bit of Your Heart," a song cowritten with One Direction's Harry Styles, with ease! Side note: I heard that during her rehearsal, she asked for her backing vocals to be removed because you couldn't hear her voice.
Kanye
Kanye West made plenty of headlines last night! During the commercial break before his performance, dancers with what I can only describe as embellished reindeer masks lined the sides of the audio/video booth. I presumed they might be for Kanye, but it turns out they were for Madonna's performance, which immediately followed.
Jessie J and Tom Jones
Here's Tom Jones with Jessie J! During commercial breaks, artists would walk around and mingle. We saw John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Nick Jonas holding hands with his girlfriend, Olivia Culpo; Nick's presenting partner, Meghan Trainor; Weird Al; and Mary J. Blige.
Queen Bey
Pharrell
Pharrell Williams's remix of "Happy" was the most lively performance of the night. After his performance, my phone was near death, and I was starting to get hungry, so we decided to move locations — up to the StubHub Suite to enjoy the show from there.
On our way up, no electrical outlet was left unused. Artists and fans were standing awkwardly against the walls waiting for their phones to charge.
A Suite View
With my phone recharged and some food in my belly, it was time to enjoy the last hour and a half of the show. To be honest, the viewer at home really gets the best end of the show. Sure, watching all these performers — Hozier and Annie Lennox, Ed Sheeran with John Mayer, Herbie Hancock and Electric Light Orchestra, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett — is once in a lifetime. But you don't get to see everything clearly! And, truth be told, because the audio was formatted for a TV broadcast, I feel like I missed out on how great some of the performances really were.
