What It’s Like to Go to the Academy Awards

There’s nothing quite like the experience of going to the Oscars. You feel like you’ve just won life. I got the honor of being able to attend the annual show this year, and just as you would imagine, it was nothing short of glamorous.

Here’s how I got ready for the 2018 Academy Awards.

After you find out you’re going to the Oscars, the first question anyone will ask you becomes “what are you wearing?!”. To which I reply, “I have no idea!” Followed by, “Shit!” And so the search began. Cue the glam, because somehow I was lucky enough in life to be invited into Chanel to pick out the dress of my dreams. How. Did. That. Happen.

As I walked inside their stunning new showroom in midtown, I was presented with an array of dresses that I could choose from. “Pick one,” said the coordinator. “Except that one, because that is for Louise Roe.” I settled on a silk cream frock covered in chandelier beads. I was in heaven.

Fast forward to Oscars weekend and I was off to LAX. I stayed at the famed Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for the weekend, which is quite literally steps away from the Oscars red carpet. Because if you’re going to attend the Oscars, why not get right in the action, no? My suite overlooked the rolling hills of Hollywood. Not bad. Also not bad was a custom dessert tray and bottle of wine that was waiting for me upon arrival.

I woke up early on Oscars morning, because it’s a 3 hour time change and I was WAY too excited. I did an early morning workout at Hot 8 Yoga, my favorite workout in LA, then I headed to urban sweat lodge Shapehouse for a quick detox wrap and lymphatic drainage massage. I felt like a new person. And a Kardashian. I can’t rave enough about the benefits of sweating. It’s the ultimate detox. Afterwards, I headed over to the adorable little lash boutique Blink Bar on Melrose for a set of voluminous lashes. I left feeling like a celebrity. I’ve never had better lash extensions in my life, and all I could think about is how I won’t be able to survive in New York without them.

Then it was back to the Roosevelt and time to get glam. Makeup service Vensette arrived at my door and got to work creating a smokey eye and nude lip (per my request), plus some loose Hollywood waves to compliment my dress. 90 minutes later, I was in full hair and makeup. I fueled up with room service (essential, because you don’t eat for a LONG time at the Oscars), put on my dress and headed to the carpet.

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The Oscars red carpet is quite unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Everywhere you turn, there is someone famous. Everywhere you go, someone is screaming for Margot Robbie or Armie Hammer. Another thing that I didn’t realize is that the red carpet at the Oscars is very, very long because all the guests are stopping to try to get a glimpse of any celebrity, it takes me about an hour to walk the whole thing. And I am loving every second of it. I swear Meryl Streep was looking right at me when she said “hi.” Heaven.

Inside, the show begins. And it’s a long one. The show proves to be pretty uneventful, and the most enjoyable part is the snack box that Jimmy Kimmel left everyone underneath our seats. I inhale some gummy bears as I await the Best Picture announcement, which means that the 4-hour show is almost over.

The show wraps, and now it’s time for the partayyy to begin. Up the stairs right inside the same building as the show is the official after-party of the Academy Awards – The Governor’s Ball. This is where all the winners come to celebrate, drink champagne, and get their Oscars engraved. This is also where all the celebs who haven’t eaten since 2017 in preparation for the Oscars attack passed apps like ravenous wolves, and chef Wolfgang Puck is prepared with 400 pizzas, seafood towers, individual chicken pot pies, mac and cheese, and a dessert bar that makes you want to call the Gov Ball your permanent home.

It was at this point in the evening, with a glass of wine in my hand and an Oscar-shaped chocolate statue stashed in my purse, that I took a minute to really absorb where I was and what was happening. I was at the OSCARS. To my right was Francis McDormand (no, I didn’t see her Oscar get stolen, but it happened right then and there in that room), to my left was Margot Robbie. What in the world was I doing there and how did I get so lucky?

With that, I took my 4-inch heels off and hobbled home, because I couldn’t feel my toes. And because I had a 6 am flight to catch and it was way past midnight. Perhaps it was the fact that I hadn’t slept in several days, or the fact that I was living one of the most glamorous nights of my existence, but I was in a state of total euphoria.

Days later I still can't fully feel my toes. I don’t know if I will ever fit in that dress again. And I definitely don’t know if I’ll be lucky to attend another Academy Awards. But it will exist forever as the most glamorous night of my life.