Doggie Couture

Someone on Lux asked me how much I'm into doggie clothes... here you go ~.~

This is Moley, he's an American Cocker Spaniel and he's two years old now. I've been dressing him since he was a pup. (He didn't like it much back then)












And I just NEEDED a girl to dress in pink so this is Lulu, Moley's half sister from his dad's side, and she is now 5 months old:

Enough of summer...

Now that I've a renewed faith (addiction) in clothes...

Now that the nights are starting to bring a breeze...

I've begun to think about what outfits I am going to pull together for this Fall/Winter. It has been hard to get into a fall-state-of-mind because (1) we've just barely finished summer in LA (2) I've spent the last couple of weeks shopping summer sales and (3) I spend my nights browsing the Spring 2005 looks online.

But enough of summer, it's time to really think about Fall. Before I layer on outfits, before I shop for scarves and other for-warmth accessories, I usually browse through looks to get inspiration for the Fall. Here are the pieces I'm collecting for Fall:

This look from the Marc Jacobs runway sums up a lot of what I've been thinking for Fall. First must-have: a good pair of trousers. I'm going for the longer, wider leg these days, looking for whatever makes me look taller. I need a dark pair (not black), a light pair, and a denim pair.

Also I'm liking the color teal for accents, and I love little blazers that pop out either by color or texture. (No tweeds for me, though) I'm looking more towards magenta or violet velvets, chocolate or burnt reds for cords, or smooth teals and mustards.

Things I love about Marc by Marc... rounded collars... girlie purply velvets... I chose this look as a point of inspiration not because of the pieces, but more for the colors. I'd love to get some feminine tops in soft, touchable fabrics in different shades of pink and violet to layer over a vintage grayish structured denim.

For the more serious "at work" looks... I am going to pair my "manly" gauchos, cropped pants, and tailored dress pants with lighter sherbert colors. Fall to me used to be so drab and dark with mixes of browns and oranges, so I want to stay away from that this season.

And I've promised myself... no more leaving the house in sweats. No more jeans and C&C T-shirts. At the very least, I will dress up tee+jeans with many accessories, not just one. And who knows, I may even try a capelet.

Hair this season: I'm going to pump out the full volume spray and try for looks that are full, messy, yet pulled together.

To answer a.'s comment:

Do you stick to one brand of clothing? ;)

If I do have an addiction- it is trying on new/different skincare products. I do not completely stick to one line, however I do have my favorites. If I come across a product that dramatically improves my skin, I keep it in my daily routine. Currently, this is what I use:

Peter Thomas Roth Botanical Buffing Beads, $35
So far, this is my favorite exfoliator for the face. It isn't harsh- actually it's gentle enough for everyday use. Also, a little goes a long way, so the large bottle actually lasts you a long time. I use mine in the shower, it's a great way to leave your skin feeling fresh!


When I actually do need a good cleansing (to wash off make-up, for instance) I've switched over to Kiehl's Foaming Non-Detergent Washable Cleanser. (8 oz, $15.50) I love that it foams, has no scent or anything irritating, and it does the job without stripping your face of oil. You get a nice soft and clean finish rather than a tight, filmy feeling that some cleansers leave behind. Again, a little goes a long way and because it foams up, you can feel that it's working.






Kiehl's Cucumber Herbal Alcohol-Free Toner, 8oz $15.
When I'm feeling a little drab, I use this toner to freshen up. To be honest, I'm not sure what toner does. All I know is that ever since I started using this about 2 years ago my skin has dramatically improved. Of course, it could be something else, but I prefer not to take a chance :). This is really good to freshen up the face in the middle of the day too.






Peter Thomas Roth Environmental Repair Hydrating Gel, $35.
I use this as a moisturizer. I like that it has no scent and doesn't leave behind any residue, but I noticed 15 minutes after putting this on that my skin isn't as moist or hydrated as I would like. However, my skin used to be visibly dry. After using this daily, I noticed that my skin does look fresher and newer. But, it might be because I'm starting to use SPF now.

Sun Wrinkle Control Cream SPF 15, $25.
I don't like the way this smells or the way this feels when you put it on, but I'm scared to death of wrinkles so I force myself to use it. It actually works great after the PTR hydrating gel because this will definitely leave your face moisturized. The thing is, you won't be able to tell if this is working until you're 40. But why take chances?

I actually used to have pretty dull skin. I had uneven skin tone and my skin looked "thin". That's when I decided to start trying different products to improve my skin tone. Now I get a lot of compliments on my skin and I don't really get breakouts or anything anymore, so and I think I've found a good combination that I'm going to stick with.

Funny thing is, it really did happen almost over night. Everybody's heard of La Mer, and how JLo and Oprah can't live without it... and I thought it was just hype until I actually tried it. Actually, I only had one of those small .25oz sample packages but I used it every night for a week and I really did have new skin afterwards. And the best thing about it is... I didn't have to use it again, ever. But I got sucked in and I bought the lip balm and the eye balm and those didn't really work. ~.~

Waiting for "Fall"

What can I say... it's been a slow fashion month. The weather still screams summer yet all the shops display furry tweeds and other cold-weather items. How can you buy a cute winter coat or shawl when it's 90 degrees outside?

I went shopping on Saturday, visited South Coast Plaza + Nordstrom Rack and I just didn't feel like shopping. (I know- I checked my temperature as soon as I got home) I checked out the vintage sweaters at RH... it was just too hot to put one on!

Finally in the evening I went to Old Town Pasadena for dinner. We waited around for an hour outside for a table at Il Fornaio. I was only wearing a tank and short denim skirt... it finally got a bit chilly! Chilly enough for me to pop into AX and buy this:



Actually it looks much different on me, more of a short tux jacket feel in a smooth suede-y cotton. The shape reminds me of the SJP GAP velvet blazer but I thought this one was made of a much better fabric.

It may have gotten me in the mood to start dressing for Fall.

Marketing Gimmicks

I am a complete sucker for Neiman Marcus Beauty Events. They always have the best samples put together in a cute tote and I just can't resist :) Well, this time around I was in bad need of Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer anyway (Fred Segal has been out of these for weeks now) so I decided to check out the NM site. They're having their Fall giveaway so I took advantage! (Or did they take advantage of me...)

The deal is... buy $85 worth of beauty and get free shipping and the Fall gift:

• FRESH Sugar Blossom Hand Cream
• PAUL SMITH London for Women for Men Eau de Toilette
• NATURA BISSÉ Inhibit-Dermafill
• DARPHIN PARIS Purifying Balm
• PRADA Eau de Parfum
• LAURA MERCIER Eye Basics in Linen
• FRÉDÉRIC FEKKAI Glossing Cream Shampoo and Conditioner
• MOLTON BROWN Invigorating Suma Ginseng Bath & Shower Gel
• ORLANE PARIS Pure Jeunesse
• KIEHL'S SINCE 1851 Ultimate Strength Hand Salve
• LANCÔME PARIS mascara

They always happen to be items I want to try anyway... like the Prada perfume or the Kiehl's hand salve.

But then, they also have a special beauty offer with Laura Mercier where if you buy $100 worth of Laura Mercier, they give you this gift:

• Full-size Eye Colour
• Mini Lip Colour in Amaretto
• Mini Primer
• Mint Leaf Gel Body Wash

So, you can essentially spend $100 in Laura Mercier and take home both gifts with free shipping! :)

Of course, there is a sneaky side to all of this. You can't really piece together a shopping cart of exactly $100 in items you want. I absolutely needed the tinted moisturizer ($38) and a regular moisturizer ($38) so I had $24 to fill and the items I wanted were Lip Silk ($18) but then I was missing $6. I could have gotten the bronzer for $30 but then I'd go over AND I don't really need a bronzer. I decided to shell out $35 for the eyedration cream since it's an anti-puffy anti-dark circles cream and, well, being the big cry baby I am, puffy eyes are pretty regular :)

So... Neiman Marcus got a few extra dollars from me (I guess if you really count it that way, they got an extra $73 since I originally planned on buying just the tinted moisturizer) but I am walking away with 2 more products and 2 bundles of gifts. We both win right?

I can't wait for my goodies to come.

Celebrity Shopping

I visited Kitson on Robertson this Sunday, since I haven't been there since before their expansion, a couple of years back. I used to love Kitson for their eccentric and original accessories, but this last visit left me very disappointed.

Kitson used to be very original with their buying. There would be great finds hidden in every corner. Now they've changed their buying rules... "Buy a little of everything. Mark it up 300% (unless it is a very cheaply made item, then mark up by 500%). If Paris or (insert celebrity name here) purchases one, stock up like no other and display a picture of Paris wearing the item." Yay, so Kitson has turned into Shop Intuition!

I was a bit worried when www.shopkitson.com launched because they seemed to stock all of the obnoxiously wanna-be celebrity items like the Mrs. Timberlake tank tops or the I love Botox cosmetic bags. But I figured, maybe the website is utilized to dump all of the unwanted items from the store, and the store has all the fresher, cuter stuff. But nope... in the store there were Clooney and Pitt shirts left and right, they were fully stocked on Betty & Veronica (I'm guessing ever since it showed up in US Magazine) and of course the "hot and trendy" Juicy Couture bags everywhere.

But I guess that makes Kitson very business savvy and just not a leader in finding the "hottest and newest trends." Which, sadly, is starting to become the trend in fashion these days. It's not about originality or sharing your artful sense with the world. It's about lowering quality, raising prices and rolling in the dollars. You have Marc Jacobs who is working on a "lower" line that is more accessible to those who cannot afford his Marc by Marc Jacobs line. In other words, GAP and Express are making all the fashion dollars and he wants a piece of the pie. You have Isaac Mizrahi who seemingly introduced the world of couture to the average day American via Target but in actuality cut his quality and raised his profit margins enough to generate billions of dollars for Target annually. (Imagine Mr. Mizrahi's cut?) Then you have Karl Lagerfeld, who is in my mind the most brilliant of them all, fading slowly into the sea of designers as younger and equally-talented artists are emerging into the scene. What does he do? Join with cheap-fashion conglomerate H&M to put together a 30-piece winter wardrobe that every woman can "afford"... hence will buy... hence make more money than he ever has with a single season of Chanel. What's one $50,000 couture dress compared to 10,000 Americans buying a $50 jacket? Exactly.

Wedding Weekend

Well, it's been a while since I've had any time to myself. This weekend my best friend of 12 years just tied the knot. She originally hired Randie Pellegrini of Cordially Invited to plan the wedding... (she did Carmen Electra's wedding) but when you are a non-celebrity and you hire a celebrity planner, unfortunately you are not high up on the priority ladder and the planner ended up doing a horrible job and generally not being around when she was needed to, you know, plan.

So my friend ended up planning the entire thing herself. All of the bridesmaids stayed at her place the night before to go over all the last-minute things. Here are a couple of tips I've learned from her wedding:

1) Hire a wedding planner. Interview a few, find out about their other commitments, and then hire one! You do not want to a be a blushing bride in a beautiful dress running around the wedding site the day of and taking care of last minute things.

2) Have them come to you. Always do all hair and make-up on site. Unfortunately our hair and make-up lady requires that we come to her, so even though we looked perfect at 12pm, by wedding time at 5pm we were in bad need of a touch-up.

3) Follow the groom. Have an assistant tail the groom the entire day so that he can be where he needs to be. Boys have a tendency to feel uncomfortable at a wedding site and will find excuses to do everything (smoke, go to the bathroom, schmooze with family, visit the open bar, etc.) except for what he's supposed to be doing (rehearsal, taking pictures, getting the groomsmen together, etc.).

4) Bring 2 extra pairs of shoes: one comfortable pair of flip-flops for getting ready and in-between events, and a more comfortable pair of shoes for the reception. When your foot is stuck in one shoe the entire day, that angle can be extremely tiring. By changing shoes, even if you are changing into heels of a different height, the position of your foot changes and it will be less painful.

5) Refuel. Have smoothies or power shakes available for the bridal party in-between events. Since we were unable to sit down and eat at the reception because of the activities, some of us were too hungry and tired to go on. Refueling is necessary!

6) Speech well. Force the bridesmaids to write out an entire speech beforehand and practice it before the reception. Unfortunately, even though I wrote shorthand notes of my speech, the tears welled up and I was unable to read the rest of my speech or to think of what to say. Groomsmen are okay, since they are not as emotional.

7) Tissue up. Do not let the bride see -anyone- in her family before the ceremony. The emotions connected with seeing your grandmother right before the ceremony is enough to cry all your make-up off. Instead, greet them after the ceremony so you can cry as much as you want and still have a chance to touch-up your make-up before the reception.

8) Make room. Make sure the wedding site has a comfortable bridal room. Most outdoor sites have a building that houses only catering and bathrooms so they squeeze the bridal party in a small 7' x 7' room to get ready. This is nearly impossible to do anything in. Request one of the larger reception rooms or to take over one of the inside offices, even if it sacrifices guest space.

Saturday Outing in Beverly Hills.

Shopping! Caroused LA's (only?) sample sale: Billion Dollar Babes. This time around there were a lot more quirky LA-based designers but there was great stuff! Well, I'm disappointed that in order for BDB to grow and have larger sales, they have decided to start selling seconds and overruns in addition to samples, so 60% of the merchandise were irregulars, damaged or items that were over-produced and not-too-cute. But still I managed to find some things, here and there ~.~ I got some super-soft 1/2 sleeve tees from Tululah and a silk chiffon dressy top from Black Halo. My friends were first-times and left with a lot more goodies than me... they were pretty excited about the sale :D

Afterwards we made a stop in Beverly Hills to get our brows done by who else but Anastasia. Going there on a Saturday is NUTS! The wait for Anastasia, who hadn't even arrived yet, was 3 hours! We decided to settle for Jasmine who had a more manageable 30 minute wait. Well, while I was waiting for my friend to get her brows done, guess who walked in! Oprah!

I've always known that Oprah was a long-time fan of Anastasia but I'd heard that she flies Anastasia to Chicago on her private jet every other week to get her brows done, so I didn't expect her to walk in! Anyways, as soon as Oprah (and her mini entourage) walked in all the girls in the place were speechless. Jasmine's station is right next to Anastasia's little nook so she stood right next to me as she waited while watching Jasmine's handiwork on my friend. I got a chance to say hi to Oprah and chat a little about the frozen yogurt place next door. There was a limo and a bunch of bodyguards outside on the sidewalk, and a crew of papparazzi on the street trying to get a shot of Oprah in the store. Well, she was much taller than I expected and that woman really has a presence! She looks awesome for her age and is very friendly. Actually, she walked into the store acting like she owned the place, but with her money I don't blame her. I bet she tips Anastasia a thousand bucks each time she gets her brows done.

Make-Over!

It's nearing my best friend's wedding (hah!) so in the car today I made a mental list of things I need to do before next weekend.

1) Make an appointment with my hair expert, eran.
2) Get my eyebrows done by either jasmine or carolina at anastasia. (Can't stand that walk-in line for anastasia)
3) Get a french mani.
4) Buy eyelashes. (Gosh- the last time I wore fakies was for my prom)
5) Get nude-colored high heeled shoes!!

So to celebrate this make-over mood I was in, I stopped by Sephora

I was looking for a good palette of make-up, an all-in-one with great colors that I could actually use. I settled on the Lorac Greatest Hits CD in the warm tones:

I was actually hesitant at first because the casing is so large (and doesn't fit in half of my purses) but I really like every single shade in this thing. It comes with 5 eyeshadows (1 highliter, 3 general, and 1 liner) a lip/cheek tint, a blush, and a lip gloss. I can go from casual day to medium to evening. The SA showed me how to do a smokey eye with the garnet & black shadows... I'm feeling very Michelle Branch right now. All of the warm tones work good for basic looks and it is actually a really good palette for Fall.

I also picked up the new Chanel Fluid Iridescent Eye Shadow. I chose the Bay which is a warm, glittery gold tone with just the right amount of shimmer. I love how you can either wear it thick or blend it in, and it lasts all day. (Well, so says the SA) It has a nice, smooth powdery finish. I think this will look great with my "jewel tone" outfits (plums, turqs, darker gold tops)

Wishin I was in NY right about now...

Click here for show schedule.

Tomorrow's line up include:
Kenneth Cole - Do we ever see any change from season 2 season?
Imitation of Christ - First time joining mainstream fashion... should be interesting.
Tracy Reese - No doubt more of her flawless ultra-feminine and vintage-inspired style.
Sass & Bide - Can't wait to see these Australian designers' hand-made custom accessories for their show tomorrow.
Heatherette - Always fun, but I guess since Paris is promoting her new book out today, she won't be on the catwalk?

Will post pics as they come out!

UGG-LY

So this is how it is to look on a person:

Bloomie's Labor Day Sale

I got a Bloomie's coupon for extra 15% off sale merchandise in the mail and since their sale started today I decided to stop by.... I picked up a few things:

Theory pink super-soft oversized short sleeve hoodie (looks cute with skinny jeans!)

Mint applique tank top

Juicy layered flared skirt in Happy Face (I know this is such a summer item but they're so comfy for around the house!)




Marc Jacobs jeweled spa sandals in blue (I actually wanted to buy this for my trip to Hawaii, just my luck that it doesn't go on sale until now! Oh well, they were only $40 I had to take 'em)

Marc Jacobs canvas shopping bag with colored zebra

A lot of the things that I bought were discounted, then extra 40% off, then extra 15% off coupon... so it was pretty nuts

... there was also a really cute Marc Jacobs red clutch (the one with red hearts on it) that was on sale for about $80... I was going to get it but it looked a bit too retro and didn't think that I'd get a lot of wear out of it... but it was kinda cute. I dunno.. thinking of going back to get it. What do you think? Is the 80's glittery thing totally out?

In case you're thinking of stopping by, this is what they have a lot of:
Juicy mini skirts and tube tops
Marc Jacobs capri pants and mini skirts
Sanctuary pants
Miss Sixty variety tops & colored capris
Diesel Jeans
Theory basics in bright colors
James Perse short sleeved tees
Hard Tail in that pink and green camo print
Marc Jacobs canvas bags

And on my way out... I saw the scariest thing on earth... rows upon rows of these ugly UGG Ponchos...

Shopkitson.com & shopintuition.com are both claiming that their "first order" is sold out... oh come on! I seriously dread the day I see these on the streets........

Finding "The One"

As always, after a shopping binge I get sick of clothing and I temporarily move to beauty products. I've been looking for new colors to add to my fall make-up as well as some good-smelling bath products.

While I was at Wal-Greens waiting for a prescription today, I decided to take a tour down the make-up aisle. I've never tried drugstore make-up but I've always been curious about Maybelline mascara since they seem to get praise from everyone. After careful deliberating, I settled with the Maybelline Sky High Curves Mascara Waterproof.



I think I've seen this one in one of those commercials... and I've always wanted to try it. The girl starts out with short stubby eyelashes and one whisk of the wand and her eyelashes grow longer, thicker and curls at the end. Well, I've always figured this was bullshit, but decided to give it a test run anyway.

And yup, just as I thought, they make eyelash curlers for a reason! I do have to admit though, at $6.99 -$1.50 coupon it was a good buy. This was actually better than most of the more "boutique" mascaras I've tried. It went on smoothly, doesn't clump, and does give you a good length. However the overall look at the end was not as natural as I hoped it to be. The ends are just as thick as the base so lashes look a bit fake, and it doesn't curl smoothly. Maybe I'm just putting it on wrong? Anyways, here are some other previous mascaras I've tried:


MAC Pro Lash, $9.50.
Smooth, gets clumpy if you take too long to apply it. Takes a long time to dry (very smudge-able) It thickens almost too much, which can straighten out just-curled lashes. Lasts almost all day.


Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara, $18.
Comes on smooth, good volume (not too much), takes a while to dry. What I like most about this one is the wand, which makes it easy to separate your lashes and makes it less clumpy. Smudge factor is high at the end of the day though.


Shu Uemura Mascara Basic, $27.
So far my favorite, doesn't come on too strong, dries fast, and doesn't clump. Lasts pretty long and doesn't smudge. Looks very natural. The only con is that it is pricey.


Bourjois Coup de Theater False Lash Illusion Duo, $16.
This is similar to a Japanese lash extender I've used before, but this one is a bit messier. The white fibers that are supposed to lengthen your lashes break off and don't really stick, especially when it comes time to put on the colored layer. I used it a couple of times thinking practice makes perfect but then gave up.


Shiseido The Make Up Curl Mascara, $19.50
Second favorite of the bunch, goes on nice and smooth and doesn't clump. However, it will make your curl droop and doesn't last very long. Smudges within several hours.