Yoga Things

The best thing about a new hobby? Stocking up on all the accessories :) [muhaha]


Gaiam Retro-Stripe Mat in Fern
I am not sure about what effects stripes and patterns have on your yoga experience, but when I was shopping for my mat they told me to look for a mat that inspires you, makes you happy, and for me it was this green one. :)


Nuala yoga bag by Marc Jacobs
Since these were from way back when, I haven't yet got one. I haven't got one yet. I don't have one yet. Whatever. But I'm avidly searching eBay.


Stella McCartney dance shoes
Okay, okay. I don't actually wear the shoes IN the yoga studio (we have to leave them outside) but these make for a good pair to walk around Montana Ave in, they complete the 'yoga' look :)


Yogitoes Skidless Towel
In color combos that represent the healing energies of color, these towels are skidless and extremely asorbent (micro-fiber)... great for Bikram yoga! They come in a mat size for a layer of protection between you and your mat, and also a smaller size for personal use during your yoga session. Mine is Blue/Ether: Communication and Self Expression.


Glaceau Smart Water
The best way to recharge and quench your workout during and after a workout. Electrolyte-charged water that tastes waaaay better than Evian.

These are a few of my favorite things...

New weather, new routine... the environment has done some unforgivable things to my skin and hair. First of all with the weather being hot one minute and cold the next, my skin has become parched and confused. Same goes to my dehydrated hair (which has been bearing the gruesome task of being washed twice a day because of my new workout schedule). Dull skin is NOT what I when summer weather comes. So... the best way to stay moisturized and looking fresh?

Body:
There is an urban myth that you need to switch products for them to stay effective. At first I thought this was a marketing ploy to get us to keep buying and trying new prodcuts... but now I'm beginning to think it's true. I *loved* Kiehl's Instant Satin-Soft Body Rub Moisturizer but I am not getting the same results as I did 3 weeks ago. I did an experiment... I switched lotions for a week and then I switched back... I got the same super-soft skin I did when I first tried it! So... now I keep 3 body lotions in stock (Kiehl's, L'Occitane, and DDF) and I switch whenever it feels like the lotion isn't doing its job.

Hair:
The frequent hair washes, the harsh midday sun, and the dry night winds have reduced my hair to tough stickly strands. The repair remedy? A quick 3-step solution.


After the shower, spray this Frederic Fekkai reparative spray on damp hair, and twist into a bun to let it soak in. I have to admit I am not a fan of the scent (a little bit powdery) but it does wonders to soften up your strands to look smooth and healthy.


After five minutes (i.e. leave the Fekkai spray in your hair as you put on your body moisturizer, face moisturizer, etc), I pump two servings of Kerastase smoothing hair foundation into my palms and I work it into my damp hair. This not only smells GREAT, but it protects your hair as you blow dry while using the heat to smooth out your hair.


The last but crucial step is the Kerastase Serum Nutri-Sculpt which is kind of like an oil. I warm it up in my hands (two squirts in to my palms and rub it around) then I slowly comb my fingers through my hair to apply it evenly. This provides "Lustrous Repair for Damaged and Sensitised Ends" and it gives your hair a smooth, shiny finish.

Face:

Les Quatre Ombres de Chanel in 'Influences'.
I'm always looking for ways to make my eyes look 'big' and 'awake' but 'natural' and 'fresh'. This palette definitely does the trick!

The top left color looks like a shimmery white... a great highlighter for the browbone and the insides of the eye to make the eyes look bigger and brighter.

The pink and peach are just the way I like it- not too pinky and not too peachy. They are light and not shimmery at all... a great way to freshen up the eyes with a little bit of color.

The brown can be used as a wet or dry liner, or I like to smudge it close to my eyelashes for a naturally smoky look.

These colors work great for during the day when you don't want to look like you have too much on, but combined with an eyeshadow primer you can get a nice bolder look at night.

The Ivy Chronicles

How better to spend Spring Break than outdoors at a Santa Monica cafe sipping a Chai Tea Latte and reading the latest "guilty pleasure" novel? Even though the subject is one we've seen before, it's not one I'm tired of yet. Along the lines of The Nanny Diaries, this book also shows the ups of being the Manhattan elite and the downs of being employed by them. However, Karen Quinn infuses her own sense of humor making this a lighthearted and captivating beach read. The only complaint I have is that there are too many dated cultural references (i.e. Paris Hilton) making this book too "six months ago".

When turbocharged Park Avenue mom Ivy Ames finds she's been downsized from her high-powered corporate job and her marriage, she swiftly realizes that she's going to need a whole new way to support herself and her two private-school daughters. At first she does the obvious thing: she panics. Then she decides to put her years of marketing savvy to work and dreams up a brilliant new business-helping upscale New Yorkers get their little darlings into the most exclusive kindergartens in the city.

Ivy enters a parent-eat-parent world where the egos are directly proportional to their owners' enormous incomes, peopled by her only-in-Manhattan clients. From the backstabbers of corporate America to the leading toddlers of Fifth Avenue, The Ivy Chronicles is more than an insider's look at this elite and utterly preposterous universe. It is also a tale of midlife reinvention and unexpected romance - for anyone who has ever lost what she holds dear and had to start over again.

24-Hr Shopping

Ever since the post about fitness, amazingly I've been sticking to it and I've been busy gym-ing during the week. So busy, in fact, that I've only been to the mall once this past 2 weeks. (shocker!)

But of course I haven't left it at that-- I've been busy online browsing at nights to satisfy my craving. Even though I promised myself I wouldn't buy new clothes until I get fit (for size reasons- don't want another wardrobe full of clothes that don't fit)... well this time I couldn't resist. Besides, Rachel Pally's boleros are a one size fits all so it doesn't really matter whether I buy it now or later ;)

You've seen it in my earlier post about Rachel Pally's Spring line in persimmon:



Unfortunately most colors were sold out everywhere but I did get one in sand (). I bought it at TheFashionPulse.com (great site for hard-to-find labels). I got 15% off with a coupon code (they always have some type of promotion going on) plus free shipping so it was a great deal! But the one thing I dislike about purchasing online is how long it takes for your package to come. As opposed to real-life shopping where you get instant gratitude (usually in the car on the ride home where you can't help but take a look at the item again), online shopping is roughly 4-5 days of checking your tracking number on ups.com in the hopes that the package will arrive early.

But I'm happy with my purchase! Even though the color is lighter than I expected (I was expecting California/Santa Monica beach's dirty brown sand, instead I got a much lighter sand, the clean type you would get at tropical resorts like in Maui, hehe) the bolero is a very good fit. It is loose around the shoulders and body so it is a very flattering shape. The longer sleeve is great for hiding the upper hand. And also, who doesn't love Rachel Pally's springy, soft fabric? Once my shopping hiatus is lifted, I will definitely be going back for some dresses and skirts.

Spring Fever

The best thing about Spring?

You can step out in a white ribbed tank and your favorite jeans and still look great. Just add some fancy-schmancy earrings and a hot pair of shoes and you're all done!

earrings courtesy of anthropologie.com
shoes courtesy of eluxury.com

Chloe Paddington

Sigh.

I <3 heart this bag.


Click on image to zoom.

By the way, does anyone recognize who these jeans are by? I am loving the cut & wash.

Springy cotton

The first thing I'm going to do once I achieve a "longer, leaner" body is to stock up on some Rachel Pally! I love her Spring/Summer 2005 collection. Here are some of my favorites:


*I love that the proportions of the top and belt elongate the torso, creating an even leaner look. Also I love the color of the gauchos, perfect to wear with espadrilles and other earthy sandals.



*I really like the flare of this dress, making it a fun option for both weekend lunches and casual nights out.



*I am in love with these boleros... they don't drape across the front of your chest like cropped cardigans do, which sometimes make you look top heavy. Also the stretchy fabric doesn't constrict movement. I can't wait to see one in person to try on!



*I especially love the cut of this tank top because even though it is dainty on top, it hides the midsection with a slight empire bustline. The shorts here are cute too although I'm not sure many people can pull that off. I also love the necklace the model is wearing, does anyone know where I can find necklaces like these?



*Even though I love Rachel Pally's gauchos, I think I may like these capris even more. The detail at the hem give the pants some weight so the fabric is pulled down, giving the thighs a slimming illusion. They are great to pair with lace-up "greek" flats or even with high-heel platforms.



*The cut of this dress looks is flattering around the midsection yet the color combination of the fabric gives it a casual elegance. Again, does anyone know who these necklaces are by???


for stores:
http://www.rachelpally.com

Marc by Louis Vuitton

Okay I'm still on pins and needles waiting for the Louis Vuitton Manhattan to come out (I'm on the list at 2 different stores for the smaller size) but then I saw this...



?!

LV in the Venetia too? I wish I can see what the front of this looks like. Or is this the larger size of the Manhattan? The small Manhattan definitely doesn't have the middle strap so I'm not too sure. Oh well, I'll have to make a trip to the LV store and find out.

Health & Fitness

Fashion exudes from what you wear and how you wear it. I've been giving too much attention to what I wear... and definitely have been shunning how I wear it. In 2 weeks I have a formal wedding to attend. I have a gorgeous gold backless gown that I bought a year ago but haven't found the right occasion to wear it to, until now. Unfortunately, over the past year I've filled out in places unforgiven by the gown. So I have 2 weeks to shape up.

But, of course, this isn't my only excuse. I've generally been ready to start a new healthy lifestyle but Lay's Baked Potato Chips have always gotten the better of me. My new plan: no crash diets, no promises that are nearly impossible for me to fulfill. Just take things one step at a time. Just focus on the light at the end of the tunnel... I'm hoping my entire wardrobe will look like new once I have a new bod. :)

Health:
I was watching E!'s Celebrity Super Secrets... and there was this part that went something like "To fatten up for her role as Bridget Jones, Renee Zellweger indulged in a diet of pizza, bread, pasta, chips, chocolate and french fries." Wait- that's MY diet! There are so many diets out there... there's Oprah's "No whites" diet to avoid pasta, white bread and rice. There's the raw diet that seems the least appetizing. Then there's the zone and the south beach diet which are way too complicated to attempt without a nutritionist or a personal chef.

So I decided to mix the best of all the diet worlds and came up with a feasible plan for myself. First of all, I rarely eat vegetables. I've committed myself to drinking a bottle of green veggie juice every morning. No, no more of those thousand-calorie Jamba Juice smoothies. I'm talking about the individually bottled green veggie juices you see in the produce section that make you go "ewww". I figure... do I want to make a meal of boiled vegetables or just down a bottle of juice? I'll take the juice.

The rest of my diet is a little bit stricter. I am going to stay away from whites. No pastas, white bread or rice. But I will allow myself brown rice, or whole wheat/grain pastas and breads. No obviously unhealthy foods which means use common sense and cut out junk food, chips, fried chicken, cheeseburgers and all those other foods that go straight to the waistline. I'm going to try to stick to as much raw food and veggies as possible... juice, salads and sushi.

And of course the toughest part of dieting are the cravings. So now as soon as a new snack craving pops into my head, I rush into the bathroom and brush my teeth, floss, start cleaning my teeth until I forget about In-n-Out's animal style french fries. Then I pop in a tictac (lime flavored!) It's amazing what minty fresh breath does to a food craving!

And last but not least, no late night eating. I've been known to make a Jack in the Box run in the middle of the night... but no more. 8pm is the absolute cut off. Dinner is my last meal. So I'm not completely starving myself... in fact this diet should be feeding me more of the nutrients I need to gain more energy for the fitness portion of my two week transformation.

Fitness:
I guess it makes me feel better that celebrities have to work out 5-6 times a week to get their lean figures. I didn't think they had to work so hard at it, especially after Gisele Bundchen's comment "I never work out. I never go to the gym. I've never gone to the gym in my entire life." Thanks Gisele. So knowing that Jessica Simpson's Daisy Dukes body took her 2 hours a day, 6 days a week makes me feel somewhat better. It's fueled my motivation to start working out more regularly. That and the fact that I really don't have much else to do during the day.

I've done Pilates here and there, I've done strength training... but there is one thing that I have been avoiding... cardio. So for now I'm going to start playing tennis again as well as go out and discover new fitness classes. There are some new fusion fitness classes in West LA that I've been dying to try like Core Fusion's Pilates/Ballet/Cardio in Venice or absolution's spy school. Also I have a gym right here in my building so I really should take advantage of the treadmill. And of course, I live across the street from Winsor Pilates so there really shouldn't be any excuse for me to make the 1 minute walk across to my prepaid mat classes. Really, no excuses.

Well I've completely strayed from my usual posts... I am taking somewhat of a short shopping hiatus until I get back into shape. This cold/hot/then cold again weather transitioning us from winter to spring is the perfect time to live in sweats and concentrate on working out. In a week or two, when the sun comes out, it'll be time to step out in marc jacobs printed skirts, james perse cotton dresses and skimpy great wall tank tops.

But for now, who says you can't sweat and look fashionable at the same time? I'm getting ready to head out to adidas to check out Stella McCartney's new line.

http://www.adidas.com/stellamccartney

Polling the masses

I'm thinking of adding polls to this site... to gather opinions such as 'do or don't', 'yay or nay', 'which color', etc... so what do you think? Yay or nay?

I'll start with a test poll first... and we'll see how the results are!

... drum roll ...

Absolute favorite fashion magazine you can't do without? Allure Vogue InStyle Harper's Bazaar W Lucky Elle Glamour Cosmopolitan

Results.

The post about the magazine about shopping.

Any Lucky readers? I am not really a big fan of Lucky Magazine (it really is just a marketing conspiracy... exclusively geared towards shopping and not at all to fashion) but I had a subscription a couple of years ago that just never stopped coming.

Anyhow there IS something I am addicted to... those "YES!" and "MAYBE?" stickers. They've gotta be the second best thing next to shopping. Okay make that third, online shopping is second. So... what is your sticker method?

As for me, I have altered the meanings of yes & maybe just slightly. They never give enough maybe stickers so my "YES!" stickers now mean "Yes, I will make it a point to check out this item at a later time and buy it if I love it." and my "MAYBE?" stickers mean "Man this is so expensive but I will keep in mind to lust after it again later by marking it with a maybe."

So, with that said, here are my Yes!'s and Maybe?'s for this month:

I've always loved the look of delicate hoops but the position of my ears can make them point outwards instead of straight... so these should solve the problem! Not sure yet about shelling out $80 for a pair of earrings without trying them on first... so we'll see.

I love the look of this sweater wrap... now that it's almost spring it's time to put my BCBG cardi-wraps away and look for a lighter version. However, at $430 this one deserves a "Maybe?" sticker instead of a "Yes!" one.

Won't these look cute paired with light cotton tank tops? For casual white tank and jean days, these will pop out a little bit of color... kind of a new "layered but not really" look. After all, layering tank tops is so last year.

I like this look. I tried some similar shorts at A&F but vowed to shed a few pounds before I take this look to the street. Unfortunately, it only looks good on stick-thin people. (i.e. Nicky Hilton)

Tanning beds dry out my legs. Tanning creams look blotchy as skin cells die and shed. Tanning outdoors in LA? That's not until I get my body bikini ready. So for now, I shall experiment with this mist. :)

The more I see this satchel the more I love it. Of course all of you should know by now I love my bags with lots and lots of pockets. But the price is kind of steep for a Coach bag... I'll have to see first if I'm going to get my LV Manhattan since it is a little bit similar.

This is a maybe that I am probably never going to own, but I thought it deserved a mention.

I like sweet, girly, pinky-beige prairie skirts. I do NOT like printed ones that look like quilts gone bad.

This I will definitely have to check out. I thought these earrings were cute (maybe with a messy bedhair bun? you know, the one that takes me about 45 minutes to style :P) and at $18... can't beat that deal. Not to mention you get $10 off a $30 purchase for mentioning luckymag. Yay!

And if none of the above items make it into my closet, then I shall stock up on these. I like polos, I love Le Tigre colors, but up to now I've been passing them by. Polos are tough to actually purchase because they're just basics... there's always something more attractive in the store that grabs my attention so I've never had the chance to buy these polos. But here they are 25% off so maybe this time I'll buy some.

Back from Beauty School!

The Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills only had the Beauty Gift bag left in a black. I took one home along with two things:


YSL's Touche Eclat in Light Peach
So many of you have raved about this concealer that I had to try it for myself!


Chanel's Ruban Perle in Moonlight
Since this is a limited edition item, you need to stock up before they run out! Great as a shimmery creamy shadow at night, also doubles as a highlighter during the day!

I haven't tried the Touche Eclat yet... but I will have the YSL vs. C.Dior verdict tomorrow after I play around with both!

I was in a bit of a hurry during my NM visit but I did notice that they had a LOT more "gift with purchase" offers at the store (even more than the website). So if you have yet to go to NM, I would suggest you go soon before these are all snatched up!

My favorite gift with purcahse:

This La Mer travel set with a $250 La Mer purchase.

Kate Spade and Blisslabs also had good gifts with purchase that are available in store only.

Also, this was my first time really browsing through NM's beauty department and they have such an extensive Shu Uemura counter! I love some of their eye colors... does anyone have any experiences they'd like to share with Shu eyeshadows? Do they come on nicely, do they stay put? I might have to go back sometime to try some on.

Website Discovery

Sure I love girly things, but as you all can see I'm really into gadgets as well. Cell phones, digital cameras, mp3 players: I always crave the newest one in the game. So what better than to mix the wonderful world of girly fashion with the latest technologies? I found a website that does a great job of finding the coolest gadgets out there with a femme twist.

Shiny Shiny

P.S. Pet owners : My dogs LOVE this treat ball. Go check it out!

Another rainy day favorite...

Last week I went to Kitson and I picked up an A. Kurtz hat. I usually have a tough time finding hats because even though I have a medium sized head, I have a pretty small forehead. That means almost any hat makes my head look twice bigger. And of course that especially means no trucker hats for me (thank God).

One thing I liked about the Kurtz hats was that they come in sizes. I went a size up to a large and it was the perfect size for me to cap over my ears and it did not make my head look too big. I think it also has something to do with the flat military shape.



Of course on my way home I picked up a copy of US magazine and what do you know inside is Lindsay Lohan wearing my hat. Oh well. Then later that night while browsing shopkitson.com I saw that the hat is actually dubbed the "Paris Hilton" hat. Great.

But whatever. This hat has saved me from numerous raindrops and I'm still loving it. Especially to wear with my new Project E "Preppy" Polo shirts. (I bought a blue and a pink) Rainy weather is all about comfort clothes.