Zora

Remember these? Who knew they'd be so comfortable! They are the Donald J. Pliner "Sportique" which means it has a sporty rubber sole. I wore these so much this summer that I went back to Shoe Pavillion to buy some more. Unfortunately, they were all out so I had to order them online instead. (shoepavillion.com, $49.99) They are out of the brown, so I opted for a black pair instead. (Maybe they look more Fall/Winter? Paired with some capri's and a pea coat?)

My friend who is a little bit "girlier" than I am bought another in the white:

Shaving Intuition

Some of you may think that this article is a little bit "late" (after all, the Shick Intuition shaver has been out for months now) but if you've ever heard my shaving horror story (think 7th grade, generic razor, lotion and unstoppable bleeding for a half hour) then you'll understand my hesitance in trying new shaving products.

I've learned my lesson. NEVER shave without shaving cream. So even with the allure of this all-in-one razor I stuck by my Gillette Venus + Satin Care Shaving Cream combo. That and the fact that I bought a ridiculously large family pack of Venus refills at Costco. Oh and also because the Intuition is kinda pricy.

But last night I put the Schick Intuition to a test (endangering my limbs in the process) and tried it for the first time. Although nothing compares to the feeling of thick lathered up shaving cream, the Intuition really impressed me. There wasn't a time when I felt like I could get a nick or a cut (which actually comes quite often with the Venus) and I got a very smooth, very close shave. I love the convenience of the all-in-one, it made shaving quick, smooth and painless. Even on tough spots like the knees and underarms (where you would normally go over it at least a few times in different directions), the Intuition excelled. Not needing to reapply the shaving cream really cuts down the time and ups the convenience factor.

Soo... if you haven't tried it yet, you really should. ~.~

P.S. I just saw online that there is a new cucumber melon scented solid... my favorite scent! I'm going to have to check at home to see if mine is this new scent. =)

Eyelash Extensions Pt III

Okay so I went for my 2nd Refill. I went for about 2 1/2 months without a refill and my eyelashes were BARE. Well, not any thinner or shorter than my original lashes before all the extensions but after being used to long lush lashes... my own lashes looked bald without the boost :(

This time I wanted a more dramatic look... She gave me 3 options.

1) She could use thicker lashes which will immediately make my lashes look much fuller, but this will compromise longevity of the lashes and I will need a refill in 2-3 weeks as opposed to 4-6 weeks. No can do.

2) She could coat the regular lashes to give it a permanent "mascara" look.... BUT... it can look a little "clumpy" Um, no thanks.

3) She could use longer lashes. LONGER lashes? All this time you had even longer lashes? So of course I agreed!

So she mixed in long, longer, and longest lashes. Towards the insides of my eyes were just the regular long lashes. Towards the middle she mixed in the long with longer, and the corners of my eyes were a mix of the longer and longest. Results? Wow!

Now everyone notices right off the bat that I have longer lashes.... but they still look natural. In the way that they don't look like clumpy mascara'd lashes. When you look up close you can tell that they're not completely my lashes.... they're just too long. But from a conversation distance (like 3 ft+... anyone closer than that to you is too close) they're much more subtle and look really good. They curl up much better than the ones I had last time and they really open up my eyes, making them much bigger.

I will post pictures soon. Unfortunately I forgot my camera cable at work :(

P.S. I've seen pictures of extensions done at the Jim Wayne Salon in Beverly Hills (reported in US Magazine as $295 a session) and they look HORRIBLE! Well, not in just the picture of Kimberly Stewart but I saw some pictures up close and it looks like they are very messy with the glue, giving it a very clumpy mascara look. I think Asian salons (Korean ones, in particular) still do the best job. My extensions fuse smoothly with my own eyelashes so they look like a single eyelash... you cannot see the glue at all.

==
For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about...
read Part I ... and Part II.

**edit:
Here are some pictures that I took of a poster at my eyelash gal's salon. They're *not* of my eyes but my before and after are VERY similar. The same dramatic difference. My eyes just aren't as prettily shaped as hers. ~.~



Notice how much bigger her eyes look in the after? I think the weight of the lashes makes the double eyelid more prominent and therefore opens her eyes even bigger. It's been 2 weeks so far with these new "extra long lashes" and so far they're still long and curl up! :)

P.S. If you've had your lashes done and you are satisfied with the salon that you go to, please e-mail me the location, phone number and price of your extensions. I would like to put together a little directory for everyone so I'd appreciate the submissions. Thank you!!!

Halt on Summer

Okay first of all I apologize for the halt on summer.... the weather just started getting cooler and I was thinking... I should concentrate in the "now" for now. Spring/Summer's great and all but it's time to focus on Fall!

First of all I had a lot of great jeans come in at the office... so I've added another 6 pairs to my wardrobe. I don't have THAT many jeans... I just counted the other night, this brings my total to 38 pairs. Leading the pack are my True Religions (5), Citizens of Humanity (4), 7 for all Mankind (5) and Rock & Republics (4). So recently I added a pair of 7 for all Mankind Havana's, Rock & Republic Scorpions in a dark wash [my old one in vapor was butchered by the tailor] and a pair of Capital Tailors denim trousers I'm planning on cutting into capri's. These 3 I bought on sale for $69, $59, and $10 respectively. Good deal!

The other 3 pairs I got were from a recent shipment for my office. I absolutely love them for Fall.


This is a pair of Antik's, new for fall with the copper stitching. I love the contrast of the whipstitching on the hem in a copper/yellow thread. Also this pair is in a much thinner and softer fabric than most Antik are. Kind of dressy but very "fall".


These are my favorite. They are a new special edition featuring embroidery in Japanese Style Art. It's a gold hawk in a pine tree... around the waistband and near the front 2 pockets are little pine leaves which look like soft white dandelions. Very cute. Very dressy and surprisingly very flattering when you put them on.


These are my first pair of Joe's Jeans. [Socialite in Light Credence] Well... actually my second but my first I bought over 2 years ago so those don't count. They didn't even have style names back then. Anyhow I have to admit these jeans are not that cute nor special... but once I tried them on I never took them off. Who knew Joe's Jeans were so comfortable? So these I've dubbed as my comfy 'everyday' jean.

[P.S. For those of you who live outside of Southern California, e-mail me at closettherapy@gmail.com if you are interested in any of the items we had at the warehouse sale...]

Meanwhile... my other obsession besides denim? Handbags of course :)


Remember this? Finally, huh? After... how many months on the list? Although I was told I got the "first one Saks in San Francisco has ever seen".

And also for those days I want to give my shoulders a rest, I picked up this cutie Marni shopping bag on sale:

I'm still getting used to those oversized handles.

Now it's time to shop for some Fall tops. Hopefully I'll have time this weekend to hit the shops!

TWS @ Sunset Stages 9/9 - 9/10

Pictures from our last event!

This was our first weekend event at the Sunset Stages on Sunset Blvd.


The crew at Sunset Stages kindly put up a couple of dressing rooms for us... and set up some racks for the jeans...


Well... turns out we needed triple the amount of racks for all the inventory we brought with us!


Rows and rows of denim... and corduroy. And twill too. And actually... errr.. some velvet :P


Our C&C California table... most girls' first stop...


My two favorite racks in the whole sale... our selection of Grail T-shirts, ribbed tanks, thermals, dresses, hoodies, you name it.


The Frankie B. corner covered by the Grail.


Open for business! Look at the ladies walking around with a stack of denim on their arms... talk about a work out.

In the works: an OC event, San Diego, then back to LA in time for Christmas!

Carolina Herrera, S/S 06

Most guests to a show are happy to wear the host's designs... but I wonder how these ladies felt at the Carolina Herrrera show? They all toted the Mercer needlepoint bag from CH's Fall line. And it wasn't just these 5 ladies here.. you can see orange straps in the backgrounds of all of these pictures! Looks like Carolina could probably account for every bag sold that season right here at her show! ^.^

Nevertheless..
Carolina's show was filled with easy chic pieces that allegorizes Spring's ultra pretty theme. Charming details in tailored dresses, skirts and shorts dominated the runway.

This is the closest I would ever get to the "suspender" trend emerging this Spring. I love the tailoring of the shorts and the proportions of the knit tank.


Again, proportions are key! We will see more of the short-sleeved blazer, much cuter now with the petite cropped waist and puffed sleeves.


My favorite combination of colors for floral prints; the empire bust is accentuated with a large girly ribbon, simply pretty!


More "tongue" action on heels! I'm liking this criss-cross look, but I'm more likely to buy Marc Jacob's version.

Marc by Marc Jacobs, S/S 06

And the band keeps marching on...


There it is! Perhaps they sent the marching band to the wrong show?

The show felt a little high school didn't it? What, with the dancer, the drum major, the cheerleader and the wrestler... it felt somewhat like a pep rally.



But once you get past the teen spirit, we are reminded why it is we like Marc.

This skirt is so a-dor-a-ble. I love the flare yet the ruching at the waist because of the folded down waistband.


Hooray for spring prints. Flowery and delicate. I can't wait to try on this jacket.


Simple, elegant, so wearable!

P.S. Will all accessories go overboard next season? [har, har] Navy stripes, duffle shapes... looks like we'll be stuck with more canvas and rope.

Fall Layering Rules

Autumn is on its way and we automatically think to layering. It's the best way to transition our summer pieces into the Fall. For example... the Gold Hawk lingerie-style cami's I bought on Scoopnyc.com (BTW - on sale for $19, no tax + free shipping) will be layered under thick scoop-neck knits. But here are some layering tips for things outside of our usual wardrobes.

What to do with our ridiculously long strand necklaces from this summer?

Layer them short! Take your super-long pearls and other trinkets and loop them around your neck 3-4 times to get a multi-strand layered look. Don't variegate the lengths, loop them so they are the same length!

And now on to make-up.
I got some really good tips from my last Shu make-over!

Layer blush with a highlighter for a more natural flush. I use Shu Uemura's Water Blushers in peach (middle) and mauve (right). They go on sheer and leave a cooling sensation on the skin.



Use the peach high on the cheekbones to the corner of the eye. This will reflect more light from the cheekbones to brighten up the complexion. Just smooth it on and blend up and back with your fingers. Then use the darker/pink color right on the apple of your cheeks and blend down and around (but not up) with your fingers.

Layer your eyeshadow with a similar shade for a multi-dimensional finish. Now that summer is over I try to stay away from bronze or orange golds and I stick to natural peach golds.

I start with a neutral beige to cover up any redness on my eyelids. Then I smooth on the peach (left) all over my eyelid, layering it thicker towards the inner eye. Then I layer on the gold near my crease and towards the outer eye. This color adds a very subtle but noticeable radiance to the eyes.

Layer your summer glosses on darker lipstick/lip liner for a new Fall look. Don't get rid of your pale, peachy colors.

I use a medium-toned caramel sheer lipstick as a base then I use a lip brush to blend this gold (Jasmine) gloss on top. It softens the lipstick and adds just the right amount of shine. (Not to mention it smells really good ~.~)

Marc Jacobs, S/S 06

The opening marching band spectacle had me fearing yet another season of military-style marching band coats, but thankfully we were blessed with a sophistcated collection that breathed an airy elegance. Large, oversized collars and tie-belts dominated the runway with lofty and invigorating silhouettes.

This seemingly blank canvas holds all of Marc's S/S attributes, the oversized (but not overpowering) collar and lapel and the airy loftiness of the body. Does so much for such a simple shirtdress.


Two basics that embody this season's silhouette~ a high-rise skirt holding a tuft of air.


A trench with just the right amount of sheen and baggy bermudas seem to be next season's staples.


Also we get a peek into Marc's [fine?] jewelry line. I've been on the hunt for dainty minimalist necklaces (after this season's chunky woodsy necklaces I need something girly) and these are the perfect fit. I absolutely love, need, and want the one on the left.


The lift in these sandals and wedges are perfectly balanced with the thick cross-straps and small tongue.


And finally, Marc Jacobs' long-awaited launch into the world of time. As promised, his first pieces are dainty and lady-like with a strong vintage sense.

Luca Luca, S/S 06

On a lesser note, one show that did not fare so well (in my opinion) was Luca Luca: an extravagant mix of frilly, overdone pieces in unflattering cuts. After all, if it doesn't look good on a model, then who will it look good on? Some of the dresses reminded me of a prom with a really bad tropical theme. Well, not even prom... some of the dresses were a bit junior high. (i.e. the first two) Even the separates managed to make the model look fat.

The only piece I did like, was this one: