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Last night, I caught a glimpse of the always-gorgeous Jamie-Lynn Sigler with Joe Jonas, as well as Dominic Monaghan, while sipping champagne at the ultra-chic, intimate Sayers Club in Hollywood. The occasion: a private celebration of the GQ November music issue and the new GUESS online miniseries with the fashionable, Brooklyn-hip-hop-style-inspired Theophilus London, who gave a special live performance. Also in attendance were TV stars and hosts galore, such as 90210′s Shenae Grimes, and of course GQ Luxury Advertising Director Brendan Coolidge Monaghan.

Check out the miniseries exclusively on the GUESS Facebook page. And thanks to GUESS for inviting us to this amazing event!

I am so starved for a shopping spree, I’m obsessing over way too many things to count right now. But the cotton blend Emerson Black Suit has been lingering on my mind the longest. Each piece, sold separately, is bound to stay in my wardrobe forever.

Of course, at $594 (that’s $188 for the ankle-length Little Black Pant, $228 for the jacket and $178 for the belted skirt), I might have to wait. Of course, I’d also have to get the Emerson White Shirt, $128, the currently sold-out Oil Linen Cummerbund Belt, the Bag-O-Turtlenecks, $58, and every blouse on the site … oh, and the new London Coat, $368, and the Emerson hot-pink-lined Camel Coat, $315, and … gee, is there anything Emerson makes that I don’t want?!?

All summer and now into fall, I’ve been seeing red … spots. On my face and back. Usually, my skin is pretty dry and my acne exhibits self-control, but occasionally I get these nasty flare-ups. Could be stress. Could be hormones. Could be both. Who knows. All I do know is that only one thing has been working consistently to get rid of them–and it’s under $10: Alba Botanica Natural Acnedote Deep Pore Wash.

I don’t think I would have tried this product if I hadn’t gotten a sample in the mail to review, but I’m glad I did. It’s one of the few over-the-counter solutions I’ve seen at drugstore prices to contain maximum strength 2% Salicylic Acid via willow bark extract to deliver results right away, whether it’s a simple lessening of the redness or a soothing effect. And the non-comedogenic (uh, better be), 100% vegetarian, sulfate-, paraben-, phthalate-, petrochemical- and artificial-fragrance/color-formula even smells good, thanks to quite a few other “natural” ingredients such as lemon balm and green tea extract. I’m so impressed I’m actually singing. Seriously.

If you’re having acne problems, get this … and cross your fingers that you’re with the 70 percent of people the bottle claims saw improvement. I haven’t tried the rest of the line yet, but if it’s anything like the cleanser, I’m sold.

In the ongoing process that is decorating my humble new abode (aka circa 1950s apartment), one of the most delightful additions has been Skeem Candles, in particular the Night Jasmine Pillar. I have it burning in my bathroom right now and the calming woodsy jasmine, orange and incense notes have wafted at least 15 feet over to where I’m sitting. Mmmmm.
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I recently went to a blogger event at the Rossano Ferretti Hairspa in Beverly Hills, where I had the pleasure of getting a Shu Uemura Art of Hair conditioning treatment and a blowout. Let me tell you, they sure know how to treat a client. I was immediately impressed by the staff’s honesty, grace, personal attention and passion for hair.

While I didn’t have time for a haircut, I did watch lead stylist Michele Finessi work his magic on another blogger’s hair, and I was extremely flattered when he began spontaneously studying my face I was getting the conditioning treatment. “I want to cut,” he said in his heavy Italian accent, gesturing with his hands. He recommended taking off some weight (I’m in that weird in-between stage) and keeping the length just above my chin in the front to expose my “beautiful” jawline. (Seriously, I wanted to hug him.)

Then, when it came time for my blowout, stylist Christian Serafini used a diffuser on my naturally straight hair to bring out whatever slightly wavy, sexy texture he could find. During what felt like a 45-minute hair massage, I thought, “Wow, my hair looks messy.” But afterward, I thought, “Wow I feel like sex on a stick!” (I have NEVER used a diffuser on my hair. I’m buying one right away.)
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We think she’s pretty … without any makeup on ...

Well, this weekend I saw Katy Perry in concert, courtesy of Proactiv, and she had a LOT of makeup on. But I still left the show with three things on my mind: the lyrics to “California Gurls” (unavoidable), Katy’s Snow White complexion and her lust-worthy sequin mary janes. (more…)

My face and I are not getting along. She hasn’t been pleased with the sudden moodiness in weather; and I haven’t been pleased with her tendency to flake, shine and erupt into painful blemishes. It’s like, seriously, “Please make up your mind about who you want to be!”

Up until last month, she responded to the soothing moisture in Kiehl’s Ultra Facial collection, and I was able to keep her temper at bay with the occasional tea tree oil spot treatment. But since summer hit, it’s like we haven’t been speaking the same language. And once you add hormones to the mix, you REALLy don’t know what kind of drama is going to go down. Clearly, we need help. (more…)

So, I’ve spent the past month moving apartments and trying to clear my mind of all the clutter that I’ve amassed over the last decade. While that means I’ve (shockingly) been spending less time obsessing over clothes and beauty products, it also means that I’ve had plenty of time to obsess about furniture and textiles. Which brings me to my latest fascination: Dekor, yet another reason to avoid IKEA. (more…)

So, I invited my good friend Jen of Happy Healthy Belly to CoverGirl’s pre-MTV Movie Awards Beauty Bar at Nine Zero One Salon in West Hollywood this weekend. And as you can see by the photo-booth shots above, a great deal of fun was had by all!

Highlights of the day included: celeb sightings (a feather-haired Demi Lovato, Rumer Willis, Aubrey O’Day, Karina Smirnoff and Stephanie Pratt, to name a few), as well as purple sweets, purple cocktails made with Hpnotiq Harmonie, a massive amount of braid action (those stylists are braid EXPERTS, let me tell you), hair services by Wella, bold (mostly red) lip color applied by celeb makeup artists such as Amy Nadine, and mani-pedis galore! FakeBake was also on hand to get everyone summer ready with fake tans but I didn’t have the nerve (better to try the rinse-off bronzer they sent me home with instead).

I did get the chance to try out Mermaid Tears, the beautiful sea green in the latest OPI Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides collection, above. Like it? Next up to try: Wella’s Brilliance hair care line for fine, color-treated hair, as well as CoverGirl’s new NatureLuxe Gloss Balm (Anemone 225 is gorgeous!). Very excited. Stay tuned!

Last week, I stopped by the L.A. press event for the launch of ULINX, a new jewelry line that lets you create your own jewelry using powerful magnetic pieces. As I noshed on cupcakes and cake pops from Sweet E’s Bakery (yum!) and sipped a Svedka vodka tonic, I got the lowdown on how to create my very own ULINX masterpiece out of LINX, aka tiny silver-plated neodymium magnetic spheres, and CLIX, modular magnetic pieces that look like printed rectangles and doughnut-shaped circles.

Sound like a science project? Yes, especially when you find yourself fighting with the positive and negative poles of the magnets. But really, it’s more like a space-age arts and crafts project.

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