Archive for August, 2010

In all the years I lived in Seattle and on all my subsequent trips, I always thought that the city was getting younger, trendier, and less “sleepy.” Certainly in the past few years as more and more young professionals, taste makers, and trend setters have moved to Seattle, I feel like I’ve watched the city evolve to keep up with the demand to stay fresh and sophisticated. On my recent visit, I decided to check out (and check into) Hotel 1000, a relatively new boutique hotel, that to me, really embodied the newer, younger, Seattle- sleek and modern ambiance meets luxurious and uncompromising service. (more…)

I hadn’t tried a lot of DuWop’s products until recently, but now I’m a total fan girl of the line.  My newest foray into the brand is their Eyecatcher Shadows.  There are three of these shadow duos, each meant to flatter a different eye color (blue, brown and green).  The pans have two contrasting shadow shades in them, which are supposed to bring out the color in your eyes when you apply them.

My eyes are green, so I tested out the Green Eye Intensifier and then also played around with the Blue Eye Intensifier, just for fun.  The shades are really pigmented, which makes application a cinch since you don’t have to put on five different layers of shadow just to see the color.  (I hate when that becomes an issue).  They blend well and don’t crease much, so they get bonus points from me for that.  It’s hard for me to tell just how much they helped bring out my eye shade – it seemed like both shades made my eyes stand out equally as much, but I think that’s a good thing.  (Although I do have to admit that the eggplant shimmer in the Green Eye Intensifier was definitely the standout – my eye practically glowed when I based a look around just this shade with a light highlighter on my brow bone).  If you’re a fellow eyeshadow obsessive like me, these are definitely worth checking out.

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Last week, I thought, it’s almost midnight, I’m wide awake and I have nothing to do. Why not go crash a swim party?!? So a friend and I drove over to a rented mansion in L.A.’s Hancock Park district and indulged in Havaianas’ third Midnight Swim Club, filled with good-looking people and celebs like Jack Osbourne, Devon Aoki, Mekhi Phifer and more. (In the past, Kevin Connolly, Nicky Hilton, Elijah Wood, Shenae Grimes and David Arquette have been spotted.) We oohed and aahed the hanging Havaianas sandals, the bedazzle-your-sandal tent, the make-your-own-photo-book tent and, of course, the bar while gazing at a table full of Crumbs cupcakes.

The Cobra Snake shot gawkers (these are his photos you see) as people debated whether or not to go into the pool (For most people, the answer was no since it was dominated by Havaianas models in teeny swimsuits). But we spotted several brave souls and at least one skinny dipper as we grooved to the DJ’s sounds of everything from Axel F to Jay-Z. This got me thinking, if you and/or your building have a heated pool, or even just a hot tub, why not throw your own pool party … at night? A novel idea. And the perfect excuse to show off my favorite swimsuits of the season … in your best Havaianas flip-flops of course.

Don’t have a pair yet? Score a limited-edition pair by throwing your own Midnight Swim Party and post pictures of it to your Facebook or Twitter account (tag #midnightswimclub). Every week, Havaianas will award the best pool party picture with special Midnight Swim Club Havaianas.

On my recent visit to San Francisco, I decided to escape the cold and the city with an overnight trip to Sonoma. California wine country boasts some of the world’s finest dining and drinking experiences- so it’s really a shame to go out for only a day trip. We decided to make Healdsburg, a beautiful, centrally located town our home base, and drive to all the vineyards surrounding it. After having done some research on lodging options in the town, I decided to check into Healdsburg Inn, a very charming, chic, and best of all comfortable hotel that is centrally located right in the town’s main plaza. (more…)

I have great memories of my time in Switzerland, so when I heard that OPI’s new fall/winter shades were called the Swiss Collection, I was really hoping that I liked them.  And after seeing them in person, not only do I adore them, I kind of can’t imagine anyone else not finding at least a few colors that they’ll want to wear over and over again.  It’s that kind of collection.  When describing the shades, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI’s Executive VP and Artistic Director, said that “Switzerland provided the inspiration for this season, with a backdrop of snow-peaked mountains, lush glacial valleys, and glittering lakes.  With luxurious hues across the color spectrum, the Swiss Collection features jeweled tones from ruby red to shimmering gold and everything in between.” (more…)

Stila’s new fall collection is in stores now and no matter what sort of products are your favorite, you’re sure to find something that you’ll be obsessing over.  I’ve been playing around with a few different things and so far, the Backstage Eye Shadow Palette and the One Step Correct are my standouts.

The Backstage Eye Palette is interesting because it’s not one of those palettes with a few coordinated shadows.  Rather, it’s made up of six very different shades, giving you the choice of what kind of look you’d like to create and what other eye makeup you’d like to combine with it to achieve that look.  Here are the jewel-tone shades in the palette: (more…)

I totally love the word boudoir.  Every time I hear it, I just picture Blanche Deveraux from “The Golden Girls” inviting a man into her bedroom and saying the word in her southern drawl and it makes me smile.  Fusion Beauty has just introduced a new collection of shimmer glosses called the “Luxe Boudoir” Capsule Collection and they totally capture that sultry, bedroom look.  Here are the new shades that you can pick up:

• Vixen – a shimmering mauve
• Lolita – an innocent baby pink
• Coquette – a flirty rosy coral
• Princess – a shimmery plum

All of the glosses are colorful and shimmery, but they’re not so pigmented that you can’t just slick one on and go.  They all have Fusion Beauty’s well-known lip plumping ingredients in them as well.  (It’s a non-stingy plumper – those of you who don’t like “strong” plumpers won’t have to worry about your lips being in pain).  The glosses are kind of a splurge at $29 apiece, but for each one sold, Fusion Beauty will donate a dollar to a non-profit organization that raises funds to help assist women in the United States who live below the poverty line.  I think out of the two shades I tried, Princess is my favorite.  It’s just such a gorgeous shimmering purplish-pink.  Love it!

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