Party Makeup from TBD!

I always have trouble with the smokey-eye makeup look. It's hard to get it just right, without looking too dramatic or intense. The post below from TBD is the perfect alternative to the classic look, incorporating glitter for a much less dramatic, but still glam effect!

VARA or VARINA

Growing up, customizing your own Nike sneakers was all the rage. All the colors and designs available made the task a never ending daydream. I remember going to tennis practice and seeing everyone's kicks, all so different and so unique. A simple way to bring color to life and pump up the game.

Today, I have found the equivalent for every working girl: the Ferragamo make your own shoe event! It's brilliant, it's beautiful, and it's BRIGHT! With the fun colors and combos available, I feel like a kid in a candy shop. Who said you can't have a different pair of Varinas for every day of the week??

Click HERE to design your own and go crazy with your creations! I'm loving the teal, lavender and bisque colors!! Write back with photos of the shoes that you create - I'm just dying to see!!

Easiest Iced Coffee... PLUS, Froth Your Own Milk!!

Have you ever desperately wanted a delicious, frothy iced coffee, only to realize your Starbucks card is empty and that you're over spending $4 on your morning pick-me-up? OH WAIT... that's EVERYday. I realized that making coffee at home is not only cheaper and time efficient, but it's way healthier (I recently found out that my favorite holiday latte contains a whopping FIVE PUMPS of syrup!! FIVE?! Get OUT!!). That being said, a fancy coffee machine is pricey in itself, and I've heard the argument that depending how often you use it, it might not net out either. Ohhh for coffee problems. If you're okay with the office coffee pot and a dash of freeze-dried creamer, I praise your simplicity... but seriously, there's a world of gourmet deliciousness out there that can really bring such simple joy to your life! The sequence below gives you no reason NOT to indulge.

1. Start with your favorite coffee K-Cup (I decided to use a Keurig because they've gotten so popular and affordable that they are for sure the best do-it-yourself coffee option out there. Plus, there's like an infinity of options for K-Cups, so you'll never find yourself at a loss for new coffee, latte, or tea flavors! In my opinion, a lot of the pre-made latte cups are way too sweet and taste a little fake, so I like to make my own! ALSO, on a side note, Keurig Machines are now going to be SOUP COMPATIBLE!? Say WHAT! This is the best news since the invention of the Keurig Machine itself! I can't wait to make some tomato soup this winter as an afternoon snack in my mug at the office!)

2. It's time to FROTH YOUR MILK! I like to do this with almond milk while I let the coffee sit for a second to cool. You can use whatever proportion of coffee vs. milk vs. ice that you like, just remember that it's better to make a small strong shot of coffee so that your drink is nice and cold when you add the milk and ice. Anyways, to frothing your own milk! I thought it was a joke when I read it for the first time but the best thing to do if you don't have a fancy espresso / milk frothing machine is to shake milk in a water bottle really fast for a minute! (extra bonus: this doubles as a workout!) You might laugh, but it totally works. I had just a little bit of almond milk left, so I kept it in the box to shake it (otherwise an empty water bottle works just fine!)

3. Throw some ice into your cup of hot coffee, and top it with your frothed milk!

4. Add a tablespoon of Vanilla Extract for a delicious hint of vanilla (this lets you avoid high calorie creamers and sugar!)

AND VOILA! Enjoy!!

Purse Perfection

I can't stop drooling over this new bag. It's like the best of Celine meets Louis Vuitton for a distinctly classy look that isn't overdone with monogram. I love the way the cool brown offsets the black accents and LV stamps to achieve perfect balance and sophistication. The thing has 2 large interior pockets, suede lining, and must-have brass metallic feet to keep the bottom of the bag clean and in tip-top shape. The body is made of Cuir Orfevre calfskin leather and is of course embossed with the Louis Vuitton signature. 

The impact on your wallet? This puppy comes in at a cool $4,000.

(But really, isn't a bag of this beauty priceless?)

Vintage Labor Day Treasures

I was thrift shopping uptown this week for a pair of those classic, fits-your-ass-like-you've-been-wearing-em-in-for-years high waisted shorts, and low and behold, I found this gem. The suit is so vintage and adorable, I couldn't help but get it as the perfect garb to celebrate labor day in! The neck line is wired into that cute low cut shape, making it structured and stable and just a little risque.

I hope this encourages you all to embrace your own sense of style through vintage finds!

FitBit vs. FuelBand

I've been on a health challenge with the friends, and I've been using my phone to track my progress! I love Map My Run for monitoring my morning jogs, and even use it's nutrition features to log what I've eaten (OK - I only do that some days... if ever). But I do like that the app has a feature that allows me to see how many calories are in certain items, and it's really nice to finally delete all the other nonsense apps that do pretty much the same thing! Now, it's all in one: from calories consumed to workouts completed and weight tracked, I'm seriously into Map My Run. The best part, you ask? I get weekly congratulatory emails telling me how great I am and that I've been killing my workouts. Seems silly, but hey! At least someone's noticing.

Anyways, as much as I love the app and having everything easily accessible via smartphone, I decided it's time to look into the concept of the fitness arm band. Many friends of mine are either sporting the Fit Bit or the Nike Fuel Band, and they swear by it. Personally, I think the things are hideous and can't quite get over the thought of wearing such a fashion faux-pas all day, everyday. But if the health benefits are truly there, and they help me to stay on track, could it be worth it? Let me know what you think based on the research below!

Fit Bit

Cost: $99.95

Pros: Colors, Tracks Sleep, Acts as an Alarm

Cons: Doesn't have screen, Doesn't act as a watch

In my opinion, this is for sure the cuter of the two. The light up "tracker" is actually removable, and you can switch it out for the colorful accessory bands pictured! The band tracks steps, distance, and calories burned. Your daily progress automatically interfaces with the Fitbit Website or App, where you can also log food consumed and see how this correlates with daily activity and ultimately impacts your long term goals. The band also measures how long and how well you sleep, and even has a silent alarm to get you going again in the AM! (Haven't you always wondered how many REM cycles you go through, or how restful your sleep really was?) Fitbit also sponsors a sharing platform where you can compare progress to that of your friends and family. Another cool plus: Fit Bit has partnered up with these apps, allowing you to export your Fit Bit data their way if you're already a long time user (and lover) of one of these other programs!

Nike Fuel Band

Cost: $149

Pros: Has screen, acts as a watch, interfaces with advanced Nike technology

Cons: Doesn't track sleep

Definitely the uglier, more expensive cousin, if you ask me. But the Nike Fuel Band has awesome reviews, and everyone really seems to love it. In addition to tracking calories burned and steps taken, the thing acts as a watch and actually has a screen that shows your results throughout the day! (The Fit Bit doesn't have a screen and requires you to look at the App or Website to see your progess) The Fuel Band also has the App and Website interface, and also allows you to join the social realm and compare progress with friends and family. The advanced Nike + FuelBand Mobile App works in conjunction with the band to yield optimum results. Downside: as far as I can tell, this one doesn't track sleep or act as an alarm.

Conclusion?

I'm still torn. Not sure if these puppies are worth the money or the ugly arm candy. For now, my phone works just fine, though the thought is on my mind and with the holidays approaching, I might have to make a decision and add one of these bands to my wish list! 

Lapiz of Luxury

I was at the drugstore today and fell victim to the colorful rainbow that is the display of new Essie nail polish colors! After a serious internal struggle, I finally came to a decision and picked "Lapiz of Luxury" as the color to purchase. It's a soft purple-ish blue, the perfect color for the the final fading days of summer. Most of all, I was reminded of the beautiful sunsets that we've been having: I love the way this purplish color mimics the deep hughes of the sky as the blue of day mixes in with the pinks and yellows of sunset. Poeticism aside, when I got home I was sad to realize that I've never been very good at nail art, so I decided to come up with something simple enough for me to master, but artsy enough to give this color the appreciation it deserves. Turns out, I came up with an easy fix, as detailed below!

I started off with a simple Sally Hansen base coat, then painted my nails as usual with my new color! Then, I grabbed a skinny brush bottle of white (one of the silly ones intended to help you master the at-home-french-mani), and literally just layed the long brush down along my nail to create a straight line! This works way better than attempting to paint a straight line, which is practically impossible. I did this three times on each thumb, then decided to leave well-enough alone! It looks super cute and is beyond easy! Of course, follow up with a good top coat... my fave is Essie's "No Chips Ahead" topcoat.

And voila!