Holiday Gift Guide: Sweet Treats

Need a gift for a real sweetheart? These fun and irresistable gifts are great for little ladies and grown up ladies alike. 

 1.  L’OCCITANE Limited Edition Creme Caramel Candle: $28, usa.loccitane.com; To create a calm and relaxing atmosphere, light this decadent scented candle to find your own comfort and joy this holiday. 

2. Fossil Candy Dome Ring Size 7: $40, fossil.com; This pretty metal and gemstone ring will be sure to please even the most finicky of recipients.

3. Hard Candy Just  Nails Polish; $5, select Walmart stores; The newly reinvented Hard Candy line is now exclusively sold at Walmart. With a larger color selection and variety of finishes (cream, shimmer, glitter) there is something for everyone. These also still include the signature ring in a coordinating color. Tip: Online is almost always sold out of these so input your zip to find a store nearest to you. 

4. Lush Creamy Candy Bubble Bar: $6.65, lush.com and stores; This bubbling bath treat smells so yummy you’ll want to eat it but it’s best enjoyed crumbled into your warm bath water for a deliciously scented bath-time escape. Bath bars can be crumbled into pieces and used for multiple baths. Best when kept in an air-tight bag or container. 

5. Sephora Sweet Candy Gloss Trio: $13, sephora.com; These glosses are slick and never sticky while having a slight shimmer and shine to make your pucker look irresistable. Set includes Guava Passion (my personal fave), Apple pomegranate, and Tropical Jasmine. Glosses are also sold individually in 8 different flavors for $7 each. 

6. Girl’s Juicy Couture Eat Candy Hoodie: $74.00 for toddler and child size 2-6, $98.00 for girls size 7-14, juicycouture.com; This soft velour-feel hoodie features glittery “eat candy” print on back. Matching pants and candy tee also available separately. 

7. Dylan’s Candy Bar Birthday Cake Batter Lip Saver: $8, sephora.com; DCB best-selling flavor “birthday cake” scented lip balm is hydrating and smells delish.

Holiday Gift Guide: The Hip Gentleman

Confession: I know more about men’s fashion then I do about women’s and love to style guy’s outfits (when they let me, which is rare). Here are my fave picks for the hip, modern gentleman:

 

 1. KRIS VAN ASCHE – Elongated waistcoat: $500, farfetch.com; Want to spend a little extra change on your fashionable guy? Try this “waistcoat” that he can wear with everything from tee shirts to a suit. I’m also a fan of the John Galliano Double Vest Jacket. Look for similar styles at Nordstrom and Macy’s. 

 2. Fossil Analog Silver Dial Watch: $75, fossil.com; This modern cuff watch features a sleek dial, date window, is water-resistant up to 5 ATM and has an 11 year warranty. Look for similar, less expensive styles at Target. 

 3. Pinstripe Paisley Tie Mens Fedora: $16.99, tillys.com; This cool grey fedora features a subtle paisley print that will look smart with any look from casual to dressy. 

 4. D & G 6 L’AMOUREUX & 1 LE BATELEUR: $65 each, sephora.com; This series is modeled after tarot cards and features simple yet elegant 3.3 fl oz bottles at an affordable price. The collection is genderless (for neither man or woman) and each fragrance is designed to be worn alone or layered with another in the collection. L’Amoureux is the “lover,” sensual and romantic with notes of musk, woods, bergamot, and cardamom. Le Bateleur is the “magician,” is seductive and features notes of an aquatic accord and coriander, vetyver, and cedarwood. I really like the advert for these fragrances, especially Le Bateleur with Tyson Ballou. Click here to see it on youtube. 

 5. BKE Argyle Skinny Tie, $24.50, buckle.com; This grey, black, and white silk tie is a go with anything essential. Also available in blue argyle. 

 6. Banana Republic Black Split Leather Belt: $49.50, bananarepublic.gap.com; Sizes 32-46, 100% leather, 1 inch width. Look for similar, less expensive styles at department stores, discount stores and Target. 

7. Personalize your gift with a mixtape or mixcd. Or, if you can get ahold of his mp3 player, a special mix playlist.

Holiday Gift Guide: Eastern Influence

 

1. Eastern Inspired Throw Pillows: $14-$24.99, worldmarket.com; With several patterns, colors, and styles, World Market is a great place to shop for unique decorative pillows. Check out more styles in-store and stop at the sale section.

2. Carved mirror: Various prices in-store at World Market. See store finder for the location near you.

3. Blue Velvet Mary Janes: $21, amazon.com; Other material options include cotton, silk, and velvet. This pair only in size US size 5-7. See seller for other styles, colors, and sizes.

4. Woven Tray: $39.99 sale price, westelm.com; This 24″diam x 14″h woven tray is perfect to use as a table, as a breakfast tray, catch-all, magazine, tray, the possibilities are endless. Stand not included.

5. Cargo Eastern Eye Pencil Set: $18 for five, sephora.com; This set of five mini eyeliner is perfect for any fashionista, girl on the go, or anyone that likes to emphasize their gorgeous peepers. Make sure to pick up a pencil sharpener, too.

6. 1928 Middle Eastern Style Jet Black Filigree Hoop Earrings: $15, 1928.com; Polished, textured hematite is finished with grey and black crystals.

7. Chinese Nylon-Cloth Fan: $11.99, amazon.com; Also available in yellow, magenta, and black.

8. Japanese Cherry Blossom Hanging Paper Lantern: $13.95, amazon.com; 10 mini paper lanterns are lit by 10 mini lightbulbs (included).

Beauty: Save vs Spend

 

In an ideal world where money is not an issue, I wouldn’t mind all of my beauty products to be the creme de la creme of their category. In the real world, I am more prone to spending a lot on some items, while others make no sense for me to drop a small fortune on. Here are some of my suggestions on when to shell out the big bucks and when to be thrifty.

Invest in:

• Quality brushes: Trust me, quality makes all the difference. “Quality” by the way, does not necessarily equal pricy. I have a $15 blending brush by brand A and the same one by brand B that was $25. I like brand A the best and it’s $10 less!
• Foundation: Go to a counter or beauty store and get matched for color. Some places will even offer you a sample to try first so you can see how it will look on you. If they don’t do samples, see if they will apply it for you so you can see how it looks.
• Fragrance: Even this little luxury can brighten the gloomiest of days. If you can’t afford the whole bottle a lot of lines now offer less expensive travel sizes or rollerballs for much less. It you love the scent and want the best value, look for gift sets because they offer a lotion (and/or shower gel) along with the fragrance. Tip: Sometimes places like TJ Maxx or Costco will have the same fragrances at a lower price.
• Skin Care: Spring for acne or anti aging products.
• Sun protection for your face with both UVA & UVB protection (or broad spectrum).
• Brow, face, or body waxing: You usually get what you pay for in this category.
• Clothing staples: Investment pieces that are timeless, high quality, and go with everything.
• Handbag/Purse: Choose a style that is durable and has structure. Neutral colors are best. Or buy designer at a lower price from stores like TJ Maxx or from websites like Hautelook (membership is required and is free).

Save on:

• Sun protection for the body: Drug store is just fine. Still look for UVA & UVB protection (or broad spectrum).
• Lipstick: This age old mood enhancer is very cheap for companies to manufacture. A lot of drug store colors and textures are very similar to higher end lines.
• Brush Cleaner: Make sure to purchase brush cleaner to protect your investment. Most brush cleaner is fragrance and alcohol, so I say why spend $20 on a bottle when a $10 bottle has the same ingredients?
• Body lotion: Look for hydrating butters (shea, coco, etc.) and essential oils on the label.
• Shave gel, lotion, or cream: There isn’t a huge difference in expensive vs cheap.
• Clothing trends: Why spend $200 on a piece that will be out next year?
• Handbag/Purses that are trendy: Target usually has a good selection of trendy bags.
• Manicures (if not getting faux nails): Basic mani’s are done the same way at pricy salons and budget friendly salons.

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

It’s my fave time of year- time for the Nordstrom anniversary sale! My vices at this sale are always shoes and jewelry and I am allowing myself to buy one of each. I have to keep myself away from the purses and Nordies exclusive makeup because my closet is overflowing with both! You can get more info about the sale and check out a sneak peak at the catalog here.

Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish

A few months ago, I was wondering down the cosmetic isle at Target and, on a whim, decided to buy a new nail polish. I very rarely paint my nails and thought it might be fun to pick up a summery shade to play around with. Per recommendation of a friend, I picked up a Rimmel 60 Second nail polish in the color Sunnyside, a bright, shimmery, pinky-coral. It looked pretty in the bottle and I loved the promise of quick dry time.

I just used it today and I am disappointed. The formula was really goopy and didn’t paint on evenly at all. I always use my trusty Sephora base coat and top coats, and even with those it still looks uneven and streaky. The shimmer is also more of a glitter and looks strange. On the plus side, it did dry quickly. I will probably remove the polish tomorrow as I’m too lazy to do it today. I didn’t really blow a lot of cash on this item (I think it was under $3) so I’m not too disappointed but I will not purchase Rimmel nail polishes in the future.

Even Though It’s Still Only July…

Lets talk about a Fall trend that kind of creeps me out: Matte nail polish. To me, this feels entirely all wrong. I tried it once and it felt like I painted my nails with chalk. While it’s been slowly coming on for the past few years, I think the trend will really hit full circle in Fall 09. Brands like Zoya (above) and Man Glaze have been doing the mattes for a while, and I hear OPI will follow suit soon with a new version.

If you are into nail art (ala Konad and the like) I can see this bringing a very cool textural element to your mani, especially tone on tone (matte black with shiny black). We’ll see how the trend pans out and if it sticks around.

Etsy: Current Things I Heart

 

Top row, left to right:

1. Vampiress Couture Wrap from Lolashowgirl, $49

2. Small Aqua “Nest” from Heatherpalmer, $60

3. Michael Miller Print Purse from Mabels, $35

Bottom row, left to right:

1. Aceo Seaweed Print from Woolandpaper, $4

2. Wizard of Oz Ruby Slippers Scrabble tile Pendant from Tinytreesboutique, $6

3. Purely Sweet Necklace by Itsbeautiful, $25

Chica Girl Magazine

I did makeup for a photo shoot a while back for this awesome online magazine, chicagirlmagazine.com. You should definitely check it out if you get the chance. The issue won’t be out for a little while, although you can register for the site and read back issues. It features real women and girls with real stories to share.

Also, check out the newscast as well (I’m mentioned in the very end!) http://gooddaysacramento.com/features?articleID=55996

I’m Back! + Ugly $1100 Shoes

The sickness was much more serious then I thought, involving a trip to urgent care and the good old E.R. Oh, joy! After two shots in the bum, nearly three weeks of rest, eating nothing but soup and saltines, and three different medications, I am finally feeling somewhat normal again. Hooray! My health insurance actually turned out to be fairly decent, too.

I ate “real” food (not soup) for the first time in a while on the 4th of July and it was glorious. Other then that, my 4th was pretty uneventful as I was still feeling pretty out of it. I spent the majority of the party laying down and trying to avoid “excessive” sunlight (thanks, meds, for taking away what could have been a wonderful day floating in the pool).

I can tell that I’m feeling much better because I developed the strongest urge to buy shoes. I purged my closet of all of my shoe sins recently. Farewell, four inch pointy toe heels that I can’t even walk in! Goodbye, cute eyelet wedges that would slide off when walking. Adieu, Marc Jacobs knock-off sandals that were falling apart after only one wear (note to future self: don’t do knockoffs). I know there’s no point in buying new shoes right now, with all of the work I’ve missed, but it is very nice to “window shop” (er….browse online).

I was checking out my really bad super secret addiction (Hautelook.com) for designer shoes. Some were cute and some were really ugly, for example, these Bruno Frisoni Pertol sling backs. Horrid! Or! Perfect for your Little Bow Peep Halloween costume. I can’t even fathom paying $330 for these (and that’s the 70% off sale price), let alone the original $1100!  If you add up the combined total of all the shoes I’ve owned in my entire lifetime, it would not even be close to $1100!

*Insert space for dramatic effect:

I don’t even know what to think. Would you wear these?