What was under the Christmas tree?

I'm preparing a Christmas Gift post (with pictures!) with all of the gifts I received this year... it's taking a bit longer than I thought. (You know, with the picture-taking, cropping and, well... remembering) So I thought in the meantime we could all share what our favorite gifts were this year, as well as our worst!

You start!

A phone for the rest of us!

The Nokia L'Amour collection debuted this month with one goal in mind: to please women. All 3 phones in the collection are compact and have feminine components in the design, like the brown leather backs or the floral etched pattern. I fell in love with the color palette and lucky for me it's time for a new cell phone. (My razr was not going to survive the holidays)

I had a hard time deciding between the 7370 (middle) and the 7380 (right). The girl in me wanted the 7380... the new jog dial acts as the centerpoint of the entire phone, much like the ipod click wheel does for the ipod. The color display is hidden behind the mirror in the front of the case. And this phone is seriously small. But could I live without the conventional keypad?

I was ready to settle for the 7370... the keypad swivels down from behind the display, so it is very compact when it's closed. This phone is a little more practical and has a larger and more vibrant display. Until I found out the entire phone only holds 10 MB of memory. How can a phone that can play video ringtones (yes, that's right, imagine a music video as your ringtone?) hold only 10 MB of memory?

So do I go for the practical phone with no memory to do my practical things (like take pictures, store mp3's, etc) or do I go for the novelty phone and give up functional things like SMS Text Messaging, playing games and browsing the internet?

This deliberation nearly killed me. So I let my boyfriend decide... and he went with the 7380!

This phone is small, and more importantly, it's cute. It's like the Nano of cell phones. :D

My favorite features:
-2.0 MB camera with zoom and flash. So now when I'm at the mall and need a 2nd opinion on those Marc Jacobs shoes I can shoot it in digital-camera-quality and send it to my bff via MMS or e-mail.
-The jog dial. It really makes life simpler than trying to scroll through a million menus. The user interface is very intuitive so it makes doing anything easier. Except for dialing. I've gone back to the rotary-dialing days. :p
-Predictive text. I thought I'd have to give up text messaging but this phone has a built-in predictive text dictionary that will put all the others to shame. The scroll goes through the alphabet, but once you choose a letter the dictionary gives you the 5 most likely letters to go after your letter (based on the English dictionary) and so on. Makes texting so much easier =)
-Voice recognition software. Rather than creating a "voice tag" of everybody's name in order to use the voice dialing, the Nokia 7380 has voice recognition software built-in so everything is automatic. You can even use your voice for commands like putting the phone on silent or checking the battery meter. You can use this when the phone is in your purse and you have your wireless headset on your ear.

So now I'm just waiting for Nokia to come out with the matching bluetooth headset.

:)

Daily Routine

I've done more switch and swap and I have a new daily routine now. Check it out on the left column. ~.~

An apple a day keeps the oilies away.

To combat the winter oilies, my friend gave me the Frederic Fekkai Apple Haircare set for Christmas this year. I haven't been this excited for shampoo since... well since ever. And I have been known to get pretty excited over smell-good beauty products.

First of all, the Apple Shampoo does what all shampoo should do: clean. Unfortunately most shampoos nowadays are too focused on scent or color preservation or thickening and they forget to clean. This clarifying shampoo cleans very well without drying out the hair. It also leaves a light "real" apple scent.

Once or twice a week now I use the Apple Rinse. It leaves the hair feeling very naked and light~ perfect for day-afters. You know, "day after I put all that gunk in my hair"

After using the Apple Conditioner I had a revelation. (Really) Whenever I use a new conditioner I immediately feel the softening effect on my hair. After using the Apple conditioner however, I realized that every other conditioner I've used up to this point coats my hair with its ingredients so it doesn't necessarily make my hair softer: it adds stuff to it to make it feel softer. So that "soft effect" you get after trying a new conditioner? That's not your hair honey, that's build-up. With this conditioner your hair feels clean light and soft. And this time I'm sure it's my hair.

Merry Christmas!

I've been sick with the flu but getting better.

I'll be back after the new year.

See you all then!

More than Gravity

If you are like most women, then you don't give a second thought to the way you put on moisturizer, especially in these dry winter months. Most of us have developed the quickest possible way to slather that lotion onto our faces and off of our fingers. Unfortunately for our skin, that's usually a top-down motion.

The physical tugging down of our facial muscles combined with gravity takes a quick toll on our skin... making it prone to the signs of aging: wrinkles, sagging, etc. After all, the skin and muscles on our face are the most sensitive! And to think... we do this twice, sometimes three times a day! And if you take toner, make-up remover and foundation into account... that's almost 5 times a day of pulling down on our facial muscles, stretching out our skin.

Kick in a new habit in the coming year: apply your moisturizers, night creams and foundations in an upwards motion. Start with the jawline and use your fingers to spread the cream upwards into the cheek, then use your fingers to "fill in" the rest of your face like the forehead, chin, and especially the throat.

And now for the delicate eye area: there are a gazillion theories about how you should apply eye cream. First of all what most people don't know is that you don't need to apply the eye cream too closely to your eye... just around the eye area (about 1 cm away from your lashes) is enough for your entire eye area to suck in the moisture that it needs. So you should never get eye cream too close to your lashes! And #2... you have to be even more careful about pulling the skin around your eye area. The best way (at least for me) to apply eye cream is with my ring fingers and patting it on gently. This way I never use more than I need and I use the most gentle pressure possible. You'd think it was the pinky right? Nope- I've learned that the pinky can actually exert more pressure and it's actually more inaccurate (yes, I've poked my eyes a couple of times testing this).

Website Trouble

P.S. The website hosting I used for all my logos, pictures and background just expired so unfortunately it's not working! No worries- I am working on a new redesign so sit tight until then. Meanwhile we'll enjoy the simplicity and I will continue to post throughout the weekend.

Rachel Pally Sample Sale

Sample Sale weekend! This weekend and next are VERY BIG for sample sales in Los Angeles. Anybody who gets Daily Candy has probably scrutinized the long list of sales before the Holiday Season. Even we (The Warehouse Sale) are having ours next Sunday at the Sheraton Delfina in Santa Monica.

So today I kicked off the weekend with Rachel Pally's cozy sample sale in Van Nuys. It was held at a private residence (hers, I believe?) and was actually better than I expected. The living room held items from this season, yes, that's this Fall and Winter, which were discounted to about 40-50% off. The back room was filled with colorful items from Spring/Summer which were discounted 70-90% off. Seriously. I was in Rachel Pally heaven. I mean this stuff is hard to find as it is... Planet Blue is almost always out. And it's tough to order online too... with the fabric and the shape of some of the pieces, you definitely have to try it on first.

Unfortunately my friend and I didn't decide to go until about 7:15pm... we got there in 15 minutes and only had about a 1/2 hour to shop. Actually, that may have been fortunate for my wallet :) Here is what I picked up:

This blousy top is 3/4 sleeve. I got it in a pretty mauve/nude pink color. They were only $55! They also had a cream and plum color available, but the cream was too big (medium) and the plum was too plum. F/W 05 Collection.


One of my favorites that I couldn't resist, even though I'm not sure when I'll have the guts to wear it (especially in the cold weather). This slip dress was $70 and in kind of a muted dark peach color... almost orange. (It doesn't come with the sash, but it is empire waist) It looked really cute over jeans and my Kors boots, so I figured I can try throwing my grey wool knitted vest over it and use it for Winter! F/W 05 Collection.


One of my favorites from this past summer, I got one in a Kelly green color with bird print and a soft grey one... only $25 each! I will use them as tops (not dresses) over skinny jeans... thinking of throwing a black BCBG shrug over the grey one and the green one will look great with a big, gold chunky necklace. Or even a black cropped blazer. S/S 05 Collection.

The basic tees were ridiculously priced... $15 each or $12 each if you buy two or more. These retail for $88 and are super-soft. The only downside is that they come in super bright colors... I found a safe green one. I had to size up to a Large for this, otherwise it's way too clingy. They also had colors and prints available from the F/W collection but those were $40. :)

LA Ladies... they will be around tomorrow (Saturday) 9AM - 6PM and Sunday 11AM - 5PM.

Tomorrow I will be stopping by Billion Dollar Babes (esp. to see what they have from Goldenbleu), James Perse, one with Ya-Ya and Meli Melo, and if I wake up early enough the 12th Street Cynthia Vincent and the one with Paige Denim & Ella Moss.

Caption This!

I've always loved those make-your-own-caption contests... so here's one for you!

I'll start... "Victoria Beckham's got balls!"

For me, winter brings an unexplained phenomena... skin hands and feet become ultra-dry while my scalp gets oilier. Time for a change of shampoo!

Ever since I dyed my hair mid-summer I've been using Kerastase's Chroma Reflection line for colored hair. Okay, I'll admit it. I colored my hair just so I could use this shampoo- it smells incredible. But now with the change of leather I am getting oily roots much too quickly between washes. Switch.

The bain divalent is specially formulated for oily scalps and dry sensitized lengths. In other words, long dry hair with oily roots like me. Then as a conditioner I use the Ciment Anti-Usure (which is for dry, damaged lengths) only at the ends of my hair.

Works like a charm.

Typically I have very heavy, very straight hair. Without care, my hair falls limp & flat against my head. I've tried numerous ways to combat the "Demi Moore" hairstyle and I've finally got a tried-and-true method. Forget the Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream, forget the Kerastase Leave-In's... my hair is heavy enough and all that extra weight just makes my hair straighter (albeit shiner).

Now I just spritz some Frederic Fekkai volume spray lightly into my roots, turn my head upside down and blow dry. I know- we've all read this a million times right? Well the trick is after your hair goes from damp to stiffly dry, get your head right-side-up again, use a round boar brush to brush out the hair starting from the sides (ears) from underneath and blowdry again from underneath... much easier than trying to master salon-style blowdrying from above.

Wishlist Season

It's almost Christmas which means it's time to start thinking about Holiday wishlists & gift-giving! Yay!

So over the next few weeks I'm going to be listing a bunch of different things, kind of like an ongoing wishlist. :)

Let's start with these Margaret Nicole cable-knit clutches. If only I were talented enough to knit these myself =) They come in either wool or cotton and in two sizes: large (14 in. across, $150) and small (11 in. across, $130) They are lined in cotton and have a magnetic snap closure.

Perfect for gifting or a great winter accessory. My favorite is the chocolate with the blue satin ribbon.

The Start of Winter...

is when the peeps up North fly down South in search of warmth..

and is also when the peeps down South fly North in search of snow..

I, from down South, have opted to fly even more South in search of a tan.

I'm off to Maui!

I will be back soon!

My turn to ask you...

You bought a pair of boots.

You've been looking for boots like these for a while. They are perfect in every way- great color, comfy, great price.

They are a size too big. Not a half size, an entire size. And you have size 9-10 feet, so you are already self-conscious about how large your feet are. You are convinced these boots make your feet look even larger. In actuality, they are about .5 cm too long and maybe a little too big all around the foot/ankle. But you can wear the boots. Especially with socks they are pretty comfortable. They're just big. And what if they stretch out?

And now the store is sold out of them. You cannot exchange them for a size smaller, but you can return them or exchange them for a different style.

What would you do?

Thank you O.C.!

What a great turn-out!

Even though the line went around the block, everybody was happy, friendly and cheery.

The Ballroom of the Holiday Inn @ Costa Mesa. The calm before the storm!

We're in business! As always, the jeans are organized by size. People are busily stocking up their Fall denim wardrobe!

Some happy campers patiently awaiting their turn in the dressing room.

Our next stop... SAN DIEGO!!

Swing by this Sunday, November 13 from 10-5pm at:
Courtyard by Marriott
San Diego Old Town
Fiesta Terrace
2435 Jefferson Street
San Diego, CA 92110

www.the-warehouse-sale.com to RSVP for free.

Stella McCartney for H&M

Yay for Stella, boo for living on the West Coast. Today Stella McCartney's line for H&M is out in selected H&M stores. Being stuck in Los Angeles, I can only drool at the pictures online. So if I were in New York, I'd wait in line early in the morning to pick up:


Knitted Blouson, $79.90.


Tulip Dress, $99.90.


Strap Silk Blouse, $59.90.


Chiffon Dress, $99.90.

Today Only -- 40% off at Saks & Saks.com!

Jimmy Choo bag, 1450 -> $870.


Luella tote, 1100 -> $660.


Tanner Krolle hobo, $1085 -> $651.


Marc Jacobs satchel, $995 -> $597.

There's an even better selection in the stores! At the BH store I saw some cutie Western Mulberry + Luella bags, flap-pocketed leather totes by Marc Jacobs, Celine and Rafe. I picked up a tweedy Stella McCartney... perfect for winter!

Saks Fifth Avenue

After-Gym Wipes

Stila Petal Infusions H20ff

Works great (even on eye liner). Pretty packaging. Not too wet and sudsy. Doesn't smell too bad. Doesn't leave your skin dry. No lingering scent.

Very clean. Love it.

Weekend Summary

In stock at Barneys New York. On Saturday I got a call from Barneys just as I was leaving that the Paddington Flats came in! In addition to this dark brown leather they also had black and tan. Tan was too matchy-matchy with my bag so I stuck with black. I figured it's a good classic color that will last me a long time.

They also got the loafer flats in-- very cute but not so cute in a size 10. Those were in dark brown and in the light beige. I loved the light beige! They also pinched my toes in a funny way. :(
...and... they restocked on the black boots! They were ridiculously gorgeous. I didn't dare try them on.

In other waited-all-fall-for-these-fall-items-to-come-out news, the Chanel Mademoiselle line is out. I'm not too into the bags (a bit mature for me) but I do love this clutch!

At $795 it is not a bad price for a Chanel, although somewhat steep for a clutch I'm not sure I need. They are having a Cruise Trunk Show at the Chanel in Beverly Hills this Thursday (12-4pm) so if I don't see anything there, then I'll reconsider the clutch. Meanwhile I've satisfied my Madamoiselle craving with a tri-fold key ring. ~.~

Also the Louis Vuitton Trapeze is out! Do you remember that post I wrote a while back about the page in Bazaar mag? Well turns out it was a Trapeze PM in Caramel. The Trapeze comes in 2 sizes, PM and GM. The PM is a slightly too-small tote and the GM is a slightly too-large tote. : Also comes in 3 colors, caramel (like in the magazine), rose (in the picture below) and beige which is a silvery-grey beige and looks almost white from far.

Bag shopping is endless! This season I'm going to skip the McQueen Novak bag (no matter how hot this bag is, it still reminds me of my childhood bowling bag) but I am starting to really like the Lanvin Kansas bag.

Does anybody know where in LA I can find one?

Do-It-Yourself Palette

Neiman Marcus finally got the Limited Edition Shu by Ai palette/compact in! (It's already sold out on shuuemura.com) I've just finished putting together my Fall Day-to-Night compact:

IR Rainbow 900Y - Highlighter
Gold Silk - Fall's gold eyeshadow duo
M Brown 875 - Liner

The best thing about this compact is that it's compact. Smaller (and prettier) than Stila, MAC, or any other do-it-yourself palettes out there.