Marc Jacobs Nail Polish

I bought two Marc Jacobs nail colors last week....

Fluorescent Beige

Sally

The Fluorescent Beige is such an interesting color - it's like a pale pink, but a tad darker due to the beige/nude undertones.  And the Sally is also a very cool teal color, but just a heads up that it looks mostly black when applied. 

Either way, both colors have lasted wonderfully.  I highly recommend!  

Golden Globes 2012 Recap

The Golden Globes red carpet is always the best... maybe a close 2nd to the Met Gala. Either way, this is an event where celebrities take chances.  Sometimes it works... and sometimes it doesn't.  Here are some examples of each, in my opinion.

Rocker Chic - these ladies put a little extra 'bad ass' into their looks on Sunday!

Selma Hayek in Gucci

Claire Dane in J Mendel

Rooney Mara in Nina Ricci

Weird. Sorry. - these are the looks that were just horrible.  Chances gone wrong, perhaps?  Or just bad stylists...

Kelly Osbourne in Zac Posen - unflattering. gray hair. that is all.

Piper Perabo in Theyskens' Theory - she seemed drunk on the red carpet, but at least she was having fun!

Sarah Michelle Gellar in Monique Lhullier - I love a good tie dye, but not in an evening gown.

Angelina Jolie in Versace - I know a lot of people probably disagree with me here, but I just do NOT like this combination of Ivory and Red.  I think it washes her out and she's not curvy enough to pull off that cut.

Simply elegant - just beautiful ladies in simply beautiful dresses!

Emma Stone in Lanvin - the make up, the color, the accessories! Love. Her.

Charlize Theron in Dior

Heidi Klum in Calvin Klein

We'll see if I get around to recapping any of the other award shows... Happy Tuesday!

Berry Lipstick

So, I finally took the plunge this weekend, and I purchased some berry lipstick for Fall.  I ended up with Dior's Hypnotic Red, which is a deep eggplant color. 

Here's a fun photo of my friend Amanda and me with the new shade on!  It's a little scary at first, but I love the look of it.  Lipstick might be the new eyeshadow, dare I say.

Put a flower in your hair...

I was in lovely San Francisco all last week for work.  I definitely got to see many different parts of the city thanks to my local friends and coworkers who gave me rides everywhere!

The first night I was there, I poked around downtown Burlingame - my home base for the week.  I found this great shop with unique (but affordable) clothing called Therapy.  They have several locations, so you should check them out if you're in Cali.

The next night, I went to a Giants game. I made it a point to ride The Guzzler (a Coca-Cola slide usually reserved for children).  It was totally worth it!  They also had a Fist Pump Cam that I thought was pretty genius.  Everyone got really into it!  Please notice the brilliant graphic...

I had the wonderful chance to hang out in beautiful Sausalito!  We had the most delicious meal at Fish, a seafood restaurant right on the water dedicated to serving sustainable fish.  The crab roll was absolutely splendid.  It melted in my mouth... like butta'.

After spending the afternoon in Sausalito, I spent my evening in the Marina District.  There was some great shopping - including a whole Benefit store.  A WHOLE STORE of the stuff!!  If you know me, you know my love for Benetint (see here and here).  I stopped in and fell in love with their new lipstick shade for Fall called No Competition.  It's a nice berry color, but not toooo dark that it scares me.

After I finished my shopping, I met a dear old friend and her lovely family at a taco place in the area called Mamacita. It was wonderful!  I had the fish tacos (I couldn't get enough seafood on this trip), and my friend raved about her carne asada tacos.  Here's a cute pic her husband took of us outside the restaurant (notice all the shopping bags I'm holding. Oopsies!).

All in all, it was a fun trip!  It reminded me how much I love true urban life. Can't wait for the next time I'm back in this blissfully foggy metropolis - hopefully, I can bring the hubby along (he was super jealous of all the amazing asian food and seafood I was having).  There's just so much more to do and see!  Alcatraz, anyone?!  

Scotchy scotch scotch scotch....

Not the liquor.  But the nail polish from Scotch Naturals!  I love nail polish. We know this. Non-toxic and eco-friendly nail polish? Even better.

Plus, Scotch Naturals nail polish comes in some amazing colors. And isn't the packaging super stylish?! You can visit their website to order (free shipping over $35) or find a distributor near you.

Fall Nail Polish

I love love love nail polish.  As I'm packing up my toiletries to move into our new house, I'm quickly realizing my obsession may be somewhat unhealthy.  But you know what? I don't care. 

I love Refinery 29's round-up of Fall Nail Polish today.  I think my first purchase will be in the "Rust" realm.  Here are a few examples from the hip color guide, but head over to Refinery 29 for the whole shebang.

Enzyme Peel?

Yes, enzyme peel.  I was at Sephora the other day picking up a new bottle of Benetint, when the saleswoman offered me a free sample of AmorePacific's Treatment Enzyme Peel.  She told me it would remove about 5 or 6 layers of dead skin.  Say what?! It's just a powder that you mix with a little bit of water.  Then, you rub on your face for about 45 seconds.  Easy peasy.

And um, it's AMAZING.  My skin felt tremendously soft, and I could see an immediate difference after I used it.  Also, the product didn't feel the least bit abrasive like a lot of "peels" do.  So, needless to say, their little sampling ploy worked for me!  It looks like the sample bottle will last me a while (you only have to use about a dime size of powder for each use).  So, $60 for the full size bottle sounds like a steal!

Happy Friday!  I'm going to see The Help this weekend.  SO EXCITED.

Wedding Sneak Peek

So, we got back from our wedding last week.  No honeymoon just yet - we'll most likely go to Croatia next summer, so don't feel too bad for us ;).  We had such a great time seeing all of our closest friends and family in the same beautiful place.  If it works for your families, I can confirm that a destination wedding is definitely the way to go!  Hands down!  We were able to have so much fun and spend quality time with the majority of our guests.  It made the actual wedding day that much more spectacular and memorable.

My photographer Alison White posted this photo to her facebook site, so I thought I'd share...

 

And yes, I wore a birdcage veil.  I absolutely loved the vintage look of it! But instead of buying one of those expensive ones on Etsy, I found a really affordable one here.  I used those savings to buy the brand new Chanel makeup that I'm wearing in this photo. I went the "peach and spices" route, even though I was initially thinking dramatic red lips. The reason I changed my mind is that I just didn't look enough like myself with the super red lips and dark shadow.  I've decided that look is better for a night out, rather than my wedding day (but if you feel comfortable in it for your wedding, please go for it! I'm just a whimp). Regardless of color, I ended up being very pleased with how my "face" lasted throughout the night.  Go Chanel!

More wedding recaps (and many more photos) to come...

Coming in June...

Benefit has announced that it will be coming out with a mango tinted version of one of my favorite products - Benetint.  This one will be called Chachatint, and it looks perfect for summer!  If you haven't heard me rave about this product before... I love it because you can use it on cheeks AND lips. It is also so long-lasting, especially on dewy summer skin!

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend, everyone!

I miss H&M.

One thing about NYC that I'm definitely missing right now is H&M.  And WHY, God why, do they not allow you to order online?!?  Here are a few shots from their Fall 2011 Lookbook that I'm just loving.  Perhaps, I need to make a weekend field trip to St. Louis...

Also, don't you just love the dark lipstick? I bet Chanel's Rouge Noir would do the trick!

Currently...

I'm listening to (and thoroughly enjoying) the new Camp Dory album from indie darlings Tennis.  Fun fact: the album was inspired by a sailing trip the husband/wife duo took along the Eastern Seaboard.

I'm also currently lusting after this nail polish shade from NARS - Schiap.

PS - It comes in a lipstick too!

Can you tell I'm ready for Spring to be here already??

New Nail Polish!

I bought some new nail polish for Fall/Winter. Sooooo excited!

Glitzerland by OPI - a nice gilded shade

Ski Teal We Drop by OPI - a gorgeous deep tone of teal

Merino Cool by Essie - just enough purple in this taupe-y color

Now, if only I could figure out a way to wear them all at once...

Things I know: Cosmetics.

I've decided to start a series about, as the title suggests, things I know.  These are things that I feel highly versed in.  I might not be an expert, but I think there are a few areas where my advice can be somewhat valuable.  And the size of my makeup bag definitely suggests that cosmetics would be a good place to start.  My eyeshadow collections covers the entire spectrum of ROY G BIV and beyond.

First, let's start with cheeks.  Because nothing does wonders for your complexion like a little rouge!  This and mascara are the two things that can quickly make you look more alive than you might feel (hello, happy hour that went until 3 AM, oops!).  The longest lasting product you can buy is Benefit's Benetint - a wonderful cheek and lip tint.  Just brush a stripe or two on each cheek, rub it in along your cheekbone and the apples of your cheeks, and you have the perfect amount of natural looking color.  Not only does the color last all day, this bottle will also last you for. ever.

Ok, on to the eyes.  For mascara - the smaller the brush, the more separation you can get between lashes. Nasty clumps are not the same thing as fullness. Just a small tip ;). So that you don't waste your money, make sure to buy eyeshadows with heavy pigment.  I love MAC makeup for this reason.  Their eyeshadow pots with loose pigment provide the most options.  You can easily use the shadow dry or wet depending on how heavy you want the color.

Lips! One of my new favorites.  I can't commit to the super bright stuff yet, but I've been loving Lipstick Queen. Medieval is my favorite because it contains vitamin E, so it doesn't dry up on your lips while you're wearing it.  Deep red lips are the perfect Autumn accessory, methinks.