“I think developed countries – so-called developed countries – should reflect upon the way of living and the waste of energy.”- Hugo Chavez.
Just so you know, ownership is an illusion. Because, we can’t take anything with us when this life reaches its final chapter. Therefore, this means you are pretty much a custodian of inanimate objects. The question is, how big of acustodian job do you want? The more stuff you have the bigger the burden. So much of our time(and life) gets eaten up by working for, shopping for, and paying for said items, and then taking care of it all! AfterI nearlydied these inanimate objects lost nearly all their value to me. I began not only going through the loads of things I owned but also giving away and selling much of it. I no longer foundas much value inobjects as I once had.Simply put, you assign value to things, they don’t assign value to you. Our culture is unbelievably wasteful to the point of insanity. I still marvel at the hoards of things that occupy giant shopping malls. What happens to it all? Where does it all go? Furthermore, do wereally need any of it!? Just watch the video below. Also, avoid regular trips to Forever 21, H&M, and the website Modcloth.com!
A designer purse will not make you happier, just asno inanimate object was going to restore thephysical functions I nearly lost in my body. Therefore,I saw no point in becoming a collector of things that would only burden me. At some point I even questioned a bewildered friend, what the point of saving money was. Since it really didn’tserve me at the time or hold as much value anymore. When younearly lose everything, lets just say your perspective changes a bit. The continual dancethat people do, to obtain and maintain essentially useless objects became very unnecessary to me. Instead of petitioning for a better environment, perhaps we should quit dumping tons of unnatural materials into theEarth.Our time would be better spent on experiences that create incredible memories, rather than objectsthat cause us grief.Additionally we could use our resources to help another person either financially or with our time. Now that is something very worth doing!
This Easter is going to be the best yet.I’m not talking about the candy either, but the fashion! Since I’m a well established “shopaholic,” not many things evade my radar. I also find that I’m normally one step ahead of the trends(hate that sometimes) so of course I’m all over this new collaboration that Target is doing with Marimekko. The Finnish design store has been one of my favorites for awhile. Even better one very cool visionary woman began it all, see that here. They are so reminiscent of the swinging 60’s and I love that style scene. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Target is sidling up to this brand and right into my mod loving heart. Since shopping at Marimekko will nearly bankrupt you, this is a welcome and affordable opportunity! I’m sure it will sell out. So, don’t sit too long on this one or you’ll be finding it on Ebay for triple the price. I don’t know about you, but I’m so getting that flowered dress. The line will be available in stores and online April 17th check it out below!
So, there you go now don’t trample anyone on your way to the store!
There’s just something iconic about lipstick. While your Aunt Fanny with Her lipstick smeared teeth may have put you off to it,you’ll find that the right swipe of this pigmented beauty product has a strange way of making you feel better and more powerful, even sexy. Whether it’s a red lip announcing your presence in the room or the icing on your makeup sundae, lipstick changes lives. Not literally of course, but something about it harkens back to the more glamorous days of Woman kind. I’m telling you, put on a pair of big glasses and a swipe of rouge and someone will mistake you for a movie star on the local bus(true story). Not enough Women realize or “harness,” the power of lipstick. Many old Hollywood stars took advantage of its benefits and during the war in the 1940’s “Rosie the Riveter,” was coined to describe the power woman who had Her hair and lipstick in place to do any job regardless of difficulty. Now if that’s not some badass feminism I don’t know what is! It’s about time more of us besides Marilyn Monroe and Gwen Stefani enjoyed the “power of lipstick.” Therefore, continue on to check out some shades!
“‘The rhino is now more or less extinct, and it’s not because of global warming or shrinking habitats. It’s because of Beyonce’s handbags.”
-Steven Patrick Morrissey.
I have spent many a day inside of a Sephora, and pride myself on being quite the product aficionado. I even applied for a job to be a cast member(see here) at one in Times Square out of sheer desperation, for the discount, and because why not? While perhaps thankfully I didn’t get the job, I don’t mind dishing out my knowledge for free. However, the discount would’ve been nice. Not to mention adding more unnecessary pretty things to my makeup arsenal. Sadly I mostly bought it all because I’m a sucker for well designed packaging and pretty colors(kinda like a kid in the sugar cereal aisle. These days, I have gone either bare or for the “no makeup, makeup.” That being said, without further ado.. here are my must haves all spilling out ofthis bag.
I have always loved the style and when I discovered a class at one of my favorite bars taught byBettina May I HAD to go ! It was a fun day as expected. It ran from 12-6pm with a Happy Hour after !
Clothes and accessories were brought in by Meredith Peltz ofVintage Variety in New Jersey that you could rent or buy if you wanted something just for the photoshoot or to add on to what you already had. Hair was done by the lovely Monica Lopez.
We each received a handbook with all the tips and more that were given in class. Also besides what you were going to wear in your shoot we had to bring a small list of items as we were learning makeup and hair it’s best to use your own tools ! I didn’t have hot rollers but luckily those were provided if you didn’t bring (or forgot to bring) them. Bettina also sells a DVD version of the class if your not able to come in person or want a refresher. (I recommend the class!! SO FUN)
Once we were given the tips and instruction (aka live demo of makeup and hair) it was time to begin ! All the women there were so different and it was so fun meeting them all, seeing the transformation of everyone was even better! What a bunch of bombshells ! Not to mention there was even a mother daughter duo in attendance that rocked out a shoot together! I love seeing things like that, it made me want my Mommy too.. hahaha…
Once everyone was a blast from the past we each began our individual shoots and while waiting shopped, ate, and got to know each other, it was a unique group of women indeed, all enjoyable company. Once the class was finished the bar opened and cocktails and music (provided by Miss May) carried the days atmosphere into the night perfectly.
Overall it was a great time and I’d gladly do it again, I made some wonderful contacts and got some pictures to prove to people when I’m old and grey I was once young… haha.
Also I have been obsessed with learning how to curl my hair to do all the hairstyles (Now that I finally know the secrets!) So I bought this set today from Conair.. I haven’t mastered it but today was the trial run and it went well considering I have…. shall we say…. limited hair skills, basically I’m lazy..but.. NO MORE ! Hey, if I can do it, you can do it. Cheers all you Ladies and Gents! Stay Beautiful. Stay Dapper.
(After.)
P.s. An era appropriate video from a band I re-discovered and will be playing all beachy summer long. All you need is leather and hairspray. A cute boy ain’t bad either.
Happy Weekend ! Well I hope you all had a happy one (= This weekend the weather was lovely save for a bit of cold Saturday but thats okay.. Today made up for it. I was lucky enough to have a stellar weekend with the beau. Since its springtime I have caught spring fever and my usual black clad self actually went the flower route… Naomi from Hello Beautiful Salon fixed me right up.. I met her years ago on a visit to Brooklyn and was fortunate enough to find she still works out of HB sometimes, appointments have to be booked a month in advance however because since I last met her she has blown up and does nails for the likes of Madonna, Lady Gaga, Courtney Love (!?!?) Topshop Makeup and various publications… needless to say I stumbled upon a nail genius ha. The inspiration for these were Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and spring..of course.
Magnolia Bakery Orange Chocolate Cupcake.
My weekend was filled with good eats, good friends and good weather. I couldn’t ask for more !! Besides springing up my nails I recently restocked my parfume supply with Daisy… Anyone ever try it ?? Its much lighter and less spicy then I usually go but its… nice and clean.. not to mention I got a free umbrella covered in cute flower illustrations to keep the April showers at bay.
Now not everything I did this weekend involved flowers … All Saints is basically the best thing ever ha. Really though, a place that bases their design aesthetic off of Jack the Ripper and Old London?? Sold. Below is a video of their Soho shop..
I highly highly recommend their leather jackets and boots, they are great quality and not over priced PLUS their Damisi Boot is perfect and you can just get it resoled when it wears out, I am done with cheap boots. Investment pieces are a better.. well.. investment ! Don’t waste your money on multiple cheap pairs when you could just have one awesome pair….. makes more sense.
Also if your ever in the Brooklyn area please stop by Muddy Pawson a Sunday and adopt a kitty !! AND grab a spicy mexican mocha from the tasty coffee cafe next door.. cats & coffee= RAD! And swing by Enidsin Greenpoint if you want a mimosa and brunch.. make a day of it !
Sweet Potato and Wild Rice Cakes.
Cheers! Flowers and Leather,
P.s. Here is a picture from a gentleman that uses his pet lizards, positions them like humans on little doll couches and photographs them. Apparently when they are warm enough and comfy they “just sit still like that.” Entitled- Lounge Lizards. Hilarious.
A person who evokes being affected by the recession because it’s the ‘in’ thing to do, especially if they have no real need to. They may even pay more for the privilege of having just the right down-market accessories or habits. (Reference the evolution of the hipster.)
I found the above on urban dictionary, hahah. I don’t personally like the term, if anything one should aspire to be a trendsetter, therefore never following anything but your own drum beat, however I commend those who can stick to a budget.. which brings me to our main point.. Fashion on a budget !! Its very easy to spend a lot in NYC, leave me in Soho for a couple hours and I’ll manage to drop a small fortune… BUT its also easy not to spend a fortune here… How?!?!? you ask… Well first of all there are a TON of sample sales if you know where to look and what newsletters to sign up for (Betsey Johnson is constantly having sales!) and in general good bargains to be had. Lets not forget as soon as a season changes all those high priced items are slashed and thrown on the sale rack and being that I could care less about what is “In” or “Out” .. I have a field day with it.
What prompted me to write this piece were two things: Currently I am on an actual grown up budget and secondly, I realize I have scored some pretty big deals and today on my day of girl fun (I shopped, I manicured, I bought makeup, I even dyed my eyelashes) I know my need to be more disciplined might come in handy….. ha. SO here is a little list of recommendations and good finds.
Recently my best find was this:
A reworked dress from Reformation… I actually ordered this online using a coupon fromRefinery29, a great website that covers fashion and events in major cities. Overall I paid $60 for this and a pair of earrings from Bing Bang which should have cost me $225… nuff’ said. This site as well as LivingSocial.com have garnered me many a great deal. Last year I went to an amazing Oscar party at W Hotel for sooooo cheap because I bought tickets thru Refinery29, a site that is not unlike many other bargain sites, you can find some specific to your city, I suggest signing up and get ready for a good time !! Also if you want one of a kind finds check out Etsy.. I always type in a designer I like or whatever random thing I’m thinking of and sometimes a treasure will pop up in your search results.. For example, I typed in Chanel and found this !
Also on a side note: Buy Warpaint The Fool, I love it and can’t stop listening to it!!! Shannyn Sossamonwas an original member…Below I left a sweet vimeo for you, I actually have passed by this Man’s place thinking it was a boutique, it looks like a few I have seen, you can see his bed thru the front window !! Now that I know its an apartment I’m going to try and see it inside…
This month I’m going to try and be consistent with Holiday themed posts…Lo and behold its already December 4th ! Lets talk about something Christmas-y haha.
So naturally I’m on foursquare and I keep seeing a friend check into the “Lady Gaga Window Display” and my curiosity is somewhat peaked, but not until I see it happen a few more times coupled with my Mom texting me that Lady Gaga has a Christmas Special on T.V. do I investigate further. Lemme tell ya’, this Lady is good at marketing. It’s almost difficult to wrap my head around the level of success she has had on such a large-scale. Almost like when I think about the J.K. Rowling empire and how that came to be, regardless of its mainstay in popular culture that people have grown accustomed to it is still crazy. I believe I read something about Rowling’s publishing company when she was unknown and just had the first book out, in a matter of a year or two she skyrocketed their profits from some low number to MILLIONS… in a very short time period. THAT IS CRAZY !! So at the ripe age of 25 (sarcasm) Stefani Germanotta has done something similar in pop music. The first time I heard of her was a few years ago I had visited a friend in Brooklyn before I lived in New York and was getting my nails done and randomly the nail tech asked if I had heard of Lady Gaga (which I hadn’t) she then informed me that she did her nails too. I asked if this Lady Gaga came in to see her, she laughed and said “Oh nooo I go to her apartment.” Naturally when I got home I looked her up and I liked her style/dance music. Of course she still looked like this then:
And not yet this:
SO back to the story… I was off of work and a wandering kid yesterday, feeling under the weather and decided to google this Lady Gaga at Barney’s stuff and found out it was a “workshop” a.k.a a pop up store a.k.a one entire floor in Barney’s transformed into Gaga Consumerism Land. So of course I wanted to see….
The Opening Ceremony, Gaga with a collaborating designer on the workshop in a big poufy Chanel ball gown.
(FYI This sculpture is BIG and cool.)
cookie?
(Under the “Gaga Spider” were cases with jewelry and costume memorabilia)
I read a few articles and comments online slamming the concept and the prices… However, yes, it is overpriced but not everything is crazy. The price range is from about $6 to potentially $600 … so a wide range, and lets not forget its BARNEYS people. Also 25% of all sales go to the “Born This Way” Foundation. All in all, a marketing win for the Gaga Team. I did purchase one overpriced item purely because I am a capitalists dream a.k.a sucker for gimmicks and packaging. At least I’m self aware. I bought this:
Its a colaboration made with Deborah Lippmann for the workshop and is a two bottle set called “Edge of Glory.” Here is a math breakdown:
2 bottles of DB normally would cost 32$ maybe 35$ with tax.
This cost me 49$ with tax. HOWEVER since 25% is going to charity (and Barneys/Gaga/Deborah Lippmann must make a profit somewhere..) that means 12$ of this went to charity, great. So I paid 37$ with tax and a 12$ donation. That makes sense. So people should think about those details before complaining about the prices, it is what it is and its once a year maybe never again so just enjoy looking or buying if you choose to. Its worth a stop in to see the bustle (and if your lucky a Lady Gaga Impersonator walking airily around the store you can get a picture with)
I leave you with a “throwback” haha, of one song of hers I really like.
I don’t generally review or recommend products because I think women get told enough about how to look better but not feel better… we need more feeling, less “self improvement” shoved down our throats…However these products are not necessarily to mask who you are or what you look like but enhance and be as natural as possible. After YEARS of being a sucker for packaging and hunting for the perfect foundation that looks and feels like I’m wearing nothing… the end result is this so far. If your anything like me and prefer as little make up as possible if any then this is for you.. I like to keep it simple. Minimal is the name of the game, and while I have procured a small arsenal of shadows and glosses these are the basics that will always stay put.
Love the skin your in:
I have recently boarded the wagon of Philosphy’s Purity Cleanser (works even better if you have a Clarisonic Mia !) I tend to have oil/acne prone skin so finding products that work for me is always a battle, I can’t even begin to think about the amount of money I have spent on products for my skin…. so to find something that keeps me balanced is a blessing!
I use this in conjunction with my mia and wash twice as well as a daily regimen of vitamins (fish oil is key) Vitamin B, Vitamin D (for those who are in low sunshine states..) a Multi and a general Hair,Skin,Nails Vitamin. If you can buy Whole Food Vitamins, they are less processed and absorb more efficiently into your body as oppose to just going right thru your system. In other words, you actually will feel and see the difference, its worth the damage on your wallet, you only get one body.
Also I recently discovered Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (SPF 20 Oil Free) which is great and light weight and her translucent setting powder over that.. no need for heavy foundation. This evens out olive skin tones especially (I use nude) and feels good. I was previously using MAC’s Studio Sculpt but wanted less… less is more.
Eyes:
I keep it simple here too, eyeshadow when you go out but in a daily basis mascara and a simple eyeliner is perfect. Think pin-up girl eyes! I discovered MAC’s Penultimate Eyeliner (built in tapered tip for the easiest application ever!) and Benefit Cosmetics “They’re Real !” Mascera that has a pokey brush that separates and builds on what you already have, doesn’t clump up and look fake, one or two applications is all you need!
Don’t forget to fill in your brows as they really do frame your face and your eyes. I find a pencil works best. Any brand will do but Estee Lauder’s works well and stays on all day.
Lips:
I change this everyday, just depends on your mood.. here are some of my favorites though that I have found stay on/don’t dry you out and feel good !
Urban decay’s lipsticks are nice, this dark plum being my favorite.. not to mention the packaging is rad (be careful though because the top has a tendency to want to come off in your bag if not secure…)
Nars Chelsea Girls. Great for everyday, good consistency, and especially good if you are doing a dark eye or Mod Twiggy Eye look, then all people see are EYES !
ANY of the Korres Lip Butters, come in about 6 different colors, full of good natural ingredients, just pick your poison and your off!
I don’t care how chapped your lips are, use this for a couple days and its as if it never happened… I swear by this stuff.
Hands down the best your lips will feel ever ! Use this scrub in conjunction with the clear balm afterwards and prepare to be one smooth talker. Another lip scrub worth checking out is Sugar’s Brown Sugar Lip Scrub, you’ll want to eat it.
And just for fun…..
Any of Duwop’s Lip Venoms. They make you feel all tingly (a topical poison?? Ah well.. the things women do for beauty) and it just feels cool, doesn’t look too bad either, put on under or over your other lip products.
Smell???
Just for the hell of it, I’m wearing this until the bottle is drained of its smelly goodness. Maybe you’ll like it too… its not another flowery mess (like many girls parfumes are) Just simple, clean, basic. I also tend to like scents that are sexy, dark, woodsy. Almost like a Mens scent but if a man liked wearing dresses occasionally.
If you have any questions feel free to ask! Chances are if there is a method or skin care product for oily/acne prone skin your thinking of using/trying, I’ve done it, so just ask, I’ll probably be able to save you some serious $$cash$$ or at least point you in the right direction. Cheers! Stay you, stay beautiful, and please, quit buying Cosmo (if you are or are considering it)
