Norwegian Wood

Yesterday, I bought a great new necklace by Norwegian Wood to wear on my trip to New Orleans next weekend! It's made of leather and coconut pieces. I think it looks very voodoo-esque, don't you?

If you're in Kansas City, some Norwegian Wood pieces are available at Birdie's.  You can also find this necklace and other clothes and jewelry on NW's etsy shop.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

You saucy minx...

I've been loving Minx Nails for a while!  Now that Spring is on it's way and I can finally show off my toesy-wosies, I'm excited to think about the pedicure in my near future.  Minx nails are different from any polish.  The way I understand it, it's more of a foil they apply to your nail.  But the end result ends up giving you this mirror-like metal look.  So HOT.  Hopefully, my toes will end up looking similar to this...

If you're interested in Minx Nails, find a salon near you here.

Make a statement.

I always talk about how I love statement jewelry - especially a good necklace.  A little secret that I've been keeping for a while now is Erica Weiner Jewelry.  She has such a wide range of new and vintage pieces at a variety of price points; you are bound to find your new favorite everyday accessory.

Here are a few of my current favorites. Ready. Set. Want.

Downward Facing Chevron Necklace $45

Twig Necklace $30

Victorian Enameled Earrings $245

Name Bracelets 5-pack $20

(Note: These bracelets are not personalized, but they are still awesome no matter what your name is.)

Puppy eats a grape.

Here's a video of our cute puppy eating a grape.  It's so entertaining to watch!  I'm such a bad mother for letting him play with his food, but it's just too damn cute. Enjoy!

Monday Hair Fun!

So, I've been loving these hair how-tos from A Cup of Jo. You will definitely want to bookmark these puppies!

Three Pretty Buns

Messy Side Ponytail

Messy French Bun

Also, I've had some questions about my recent Curl Stick post.  I think people are wondering how it differs from a curling iron.  So, here's a photo of my hair from this weekend after I used it (please excuse the awkward self-portrait).  I'm still in love with the perfectly messy waves the Curl Stick creates!

Speaking of my hair, I've heard of a lot of brides cutting their hair post-wedding.  I'm not really growing my hair out for the wedding, just keeping it the length it's been for a while now (which is pretty loooong). I hadn't really thought about cutting my hair until I saw an article on Jennifer Aniston's new haircut!  I really like this longer bob look!  Adding this to the "Potential Haircuts" file...

Fun inexpensive specs!

I love that there has been a proliferation of companies offering inexpensive, but trendy, glasses!  Eyewear is definitely a primary part of a wardrobe (at least for those of us who can't see well), and I've always wanted more options.  Wouldn't it be fun to change things up, depending on what you're wearing? If nothing else, you can try out "geek chic" without too much commitment. Here are a couple places I'm thinking about ordering from...

Warby Parker

Not only does Warby Parker provide great deals on cuuuuute designs, they also have a philanthropic model similar to TOMS shoes.  For every pair of glasses purchased, another pair is given to someone who needs to see better. What a great excuse to buy some new glasses! Each pair of glasses comes with polycarbonate lenses, anti-glare coating, and anti-scratch.  You can also request to have up to 5 designs sent to you (without lenses yet), so you can see what design really looks best before ordering. Did I mention their glasses are only $95 a pair?!

Classic Specs

Classic Specs provides $89 glasses that also include polycarbonate lenses, anti-glare, anti-scratch, and free shipping both ways!  They design most of their specs in-house in order to keep the costs down.  Such a great way to add to your eyewear arsenal!

Another great thing about these kind of online stores - they have such helpful websites and great customer service.   Even if you wear contacts or have perfect eyesight, I bet you'll want some new glasses now!

Oscar Fashion 2011

So, like most, I didn't really enjoy the award show.  I love love love Colin Firth and The King's Speech, so I'm very glad they took home the top awards.  But after the Golden Globes debacle with Ricky Gervais (an award show that I ACTUALLY found entertaining), I'm completely annoyed with how serious Hollywood takes itself. I will say, however, that I do enjoy seeing all the fun dresses! So, let's discuss some of the highlights, both good and bad.

FANCYYYYYY

My absolute favorite from last night was Mila Kunis' Elie Saab dress.  It's so creative, yet feminine.  I think she looked absolutely beautiful! It made me wish she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

There was another lilac number I found intriguing - Cate Blanchett's gown from Givenchy.  At first, I thought it was super weird and maybe a bad idea.  However, the intricacy of all the bead work and the yellow accent caused the dress to grow on me. I can understand why she picked it - definitely a risk that worked out for the best.

Jennifer Lawrence looked stunning in her red Calvin Klein!  The 20 year old maintained her youth by not covering herself in ridiculous amounts of jewelry.  So simple, elegant, and sexy too!

Gwenyth Paltrow surprised me when she, too, wore Calvin Klein!  She normally goes for a bigger dress, but I loved this sleek silvery shape on her.  It goes so well with the modern hairdo she's been sporting lately.

Ok, onto the highlights of horror...

BLAHHHHHH

I honestly don't care that Marisa Tomei's dress was vintage Charles James, it just did not fit her well!  Look at all that puckering and pulling.  It just didn't look right to me...

Ohhhhh, Melissa Leo - that dress is a f***ing nightmare (I'm referencing her acceptance speech here, so please don't think I'm being crass).  I think the shape is really flattering on her, but the gold lame with a super thick lace overlay?? Eeeeeek! Risk gone wrong.

And who lied to Nicole Kidman?  I don't know in what era or world this Dior dress would be cute in... I understand the idea behind the structure.  But to add all that tacky beading on top of it just ruins the lightness, and makes it look super heavy and frumpy.  Not to mention her styling is SO off - what's going on with that 1980s bang?

OK, I've reached my Oscar limit. Let me know which dresses you liked/disliked!

Kisses in the Rain.

Well, first of all, I chose some of my favorite rainy kiss photos because I wish it was raining right now.... instead of SNOWING.  Springtime, where are you?!?! 

I've had a few minor breakdowns this week while trying to figure out where I "fit" in this new city, and I've reminded myself to focus on the good things.  It's really hard to find your groove when you move to a new place.  I went through similar ups and downs when I moved to NYC after college.  My friends and family have shown me so much love and support that I can't help but feel better.  Sometimes we get too caught up in what's missing from our lives, whether it's something like having a job, finding a significant other, or even owning a home. But I'm learning not to dwell on the difficulties of life (easier said than done, I know). My mom told me last night that going through these times of immense change will only make me a more compassionate and understanding person, and I think that's a great way to look at it. Nobody's perfect. Sometimes you have to let go and live with reckless abandon. I want love. I want passion. I want kisses in the rain.

So, I hope you have a LOVE-ly weekend!  Try not to worry too much about what the future holds, and I'll do the same ;).

Don't be a Drag, Just be a Queen.

This video inspired me this morning...

Grammy Recap by an Arcade Fire fan.

It has been SO interesting to see all the intense reactions to Sunday's Grammy Award broadcast.  There are mainstream fans who feel like Eminem was robbed for Album of the Year because they have never heard of Arcade Fire.  Then there are the less-mainstream fans who actually saw a glimmer of hope when artists like Esperanza Spalding and Arcade Fire went home with big ticket awards.

I have to admit that I am of the latter mindset.  And to those more mainstream music fans out there, I hope seeing performances by artists like The Avett Brothers, Janelle Monae, and Mumford & Sons will push you outside the bandwidth of your mix radio station.

And to address the upheaval of opinions about Arcade Fire... first, the main song the band performed is definitely not my personal favorite (and TV sound mixing definitely did NOT help). Also, just because you don't understand the style of their music, doesn't mean they aren't incredibly talented.  Let's take modern art, for example... just because you don't understand the meaning of a Rothko painting, does not make his contribution to the art world any less important.

(Rothko)

(Arcade Fire)

This was the first Grammy Award show in quite a few years that I was actually excited to watch, because somewhat obscure artists that I LOVE were surprisingly nominated.  As awards were handed out, I noticed there was a balanced mix of both mainstream acts and more under-the-radar artists that were recognized. The artists with massive sales this year such as Eminem, Lady Antebellum, and Lady Gaga took home plenty of little gold phonographs.  And the hipster darlings snagged a few too (much to my delight).

Please don't misunderstand... I own and enjoy pleeeeeenty of popular music.  In fact, I find myself with the urge to admit that I, too, have "Bieber Fever" (ultra-hip NYC friends, disown me now). What can I say? The kid's got talent!  Do some of his lyrics sound like they were written by a 15 year old? Yes, but they are supposed to.  Are some of his hooks catchy as hell?? Of course!  I've had "baby baby baby ohhhhh" stuck in my head for a good eight months now.  On Sunday night, it was just nice to see that a more diverse group of musicians was represented in the performances and the award recipients.

So, let's hear it for, what some might call, a minor paradigm shift in the music industry this last Sunday night.  I just hope it pushes some people to start exploring new music via websites such as Pandora or Last.fm.  And if it's local artists you happen to discover... even. better.