Karma Draws A Crowd; Launch Party For New Erwin Gomez Beauty Lounge Attracts 400+

WEST END -- The streets of the tony West End were literally teaming with the District’s bold and beautiful on Wednesday evening, as celebrity makeup artist Erwin Gomez feted the grand opening of his newest salon imprint, artfully christened Karma Beauty Lounge.

While the beautifully decorated space spans an impressive 4,000-squarefeet, even such a considerable footprint couldn’t accommodate the more than 400 guests who turned-out to help celebrate.

Luckily, the streets surrounding the salon were literally brimming with Karma for the occassion as well (a Fisker Automotive Karma luxury sedan was parked outside) and the party soon engulfed the bordering sidewalks.

While none of his most recognizable celebrity clients, such as Eva Longoria, Jennifer Garner, Stevie Wonder, Barbara Streisand or Garth Brooks, were able to attend, many of the District’s local notables happily stopped-by to raise a glass in Gomez’s honor.

Spotted mingling amidst the beauty lounge’s floor-to-ceiling mirror murals was Top Chef Spike Mendelsohn, NBC 4's Angie Goff and Richard Jordan, ABC 7's Pamela Brown, Natasha Barrett, Scott Thuman, and Jummy Olabanji, Carmine’s CEO Jeffrey Bank, and Washingtonian magazine's Kate Bennett, among dozens of others.

Joining the party, naturally, were Gomez’s Karma business partners Vinoda Basnayake, Brook Rose, Kunal Shah, and Charlie Paret.

Emboldened by a lively soundtrack courtesy of DJ Biks and, no doubt, seemingly bottomless glasses of Belvedere Lemon Tea vodka and Terrazas wine as well, guests stayed long past the announced 10:00 p.m. party end time, which only seemed to delight the ebullient host even more.

If what goes around really does come around, then, judging by the sea of support and smiles emanating from Karma last night, Gomez’s posh new beauty destination has a bright future ahead of it.