Thursday, March 31, 2011

GOOD THINGS: [diy | flower | pin]

Today's Good Thing is this DIY fabric flower pin. I still thing a flower pin is a cute accent to certain outfits. A few years ago, i was actually going to buy one from Nordstroms that looks almost exactly like this one. Good thing i didn't because now I can make it myself with Made By Lex's How-To. love!!

xoxo
j

Monday, March 28, 2011

LOOK FOR LESS: [azzedine alaia | cut out | sandals]

Hello Lovelies!

This weeks LFL goes to Azzedine Alaia's cut out sandals. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find the flat versions of the sandals online but i was able to find the high heel version.
For those of you that know Alaia, know that the cut out is what they're known for. The replicas are made by Joe's and Steve Madden. Obviously you get for what you pay for and when it comes to the replicas you can tell that 'Leo Cut out' by Joe's is definitely nicer looking than the Steve Madden 'Paiigge's'. But if you're on a budget and like the Alaia-esq look go for the steve madden, definitely a look for less.

xoxo
j

Friday, March 25, 2011

LOVE: [esty | mauve rose | scraf]





LOVE this tie-die scarf with leather embellished loop at scoutandcatalogue's Esty page. This Lovely is called 'THE LASSO mauve and rose'. The only down fall is the price tag. $118 for a cotton tie-die scarf is a little steep for my wallet.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

GOOD THINGS: [diy | pom pom | flower]

These are ADORABLE! I'm so in love with these DIY pom pom flowers. Super cute and they'll last forever.

You can also just make the pom poms and use them as decor or vase fillers. This is definitely a project I'll be doing soon.

For step by step directions on how to make these little lovelies, head on over to Domestifluff.com.

xoxo
j

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

WISH LIST: [pantone | capture | color]

This is absolutely genius and I want it. As a graphic designer, I'm always trying to pick the perfect Pantone color to match with something else. This device scans it and tells you which Pantone color matches with the color swatch you're trying to match to.

The only problem is that it'll cost you $649.

{source: Pantone}

Monday, March 21, 2011

LOOK FOR LESS: [christian loubutin | almeria | espadrille wedges]

Hello Lovelies!

This weeks LFL goes to the Christian Louboutin Almeria 120 Espadrille Wedges.
The amazing replica is made by Vince Camuto and is exactly what I think a replica should look like. They kept the important details and made minor changes that you wouldn't be able to notice with a quick glance. This Espadrille wedge is perfect for Spring and Summer and for only $79, this is definitely a look for less.

xoxo
j

Friday, March 18, 2011

LOVE: [esty | vintage | scraf hat]





LOVE this vintage scarf hat. enough said!

Head over to Buffalump's Esty page to purchase this lovely item for only $40.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

GOOD THINGS: [diy | cell phone | pouch]

How cute is this felt DIY cell phone case that Evie S. made for herself?! I just thing it adorable. If I had the discipline to be able to take my phone in and out of the pouch I'd definitely make one for myself.

such an easy/cute concept.

xoxo
j

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

INSPIRATION: [pop art | superhero | bday party]

A few weeks ago my friend Krista Mason introduced me to this vintage style pop art superhero kids birthday party blog post on Hostessblog.com via twitter.

Let me just tell you, when I have kiddies... definitely throwing them a party as cute as this one. I absolutely LOVE all the little details they put into this kids party. From the whole concept to the masks, capes, to the super cute cake, the labels for the sandwiches, cookies, candy jars and more.

The party planner was Maureen (of talented party planning duo of Anders Ruff) for her very own son's 3rd Birthday.





To see more photos and get all the vendor info, head over to Hostessblog.com

xoxo
j

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

WISH LIST: [lanvin | canvas reptile print | peep toe wedge]

If you fallow NBD on facebook, this is an oldie but i love it so much i had to make it official and post it as a wish list item.

Who doesn't love a statement shoe?! I'm not normally a animal print fan but i definitely love how Lanvin has added it into this wedge. And for you animal lovers out there, you don't have to worry because it print canvas and not actual snake skin. Gotta love that right?!

These lovelies will set you back $1120.00

{source: barneys new york}

Monday, March 14, 2011

LOOK FOR LESS: [yves saint laurent | platforn | sling-backs]

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. This week's LFL goes to Yves Saint Laurent's platform high heel sling-backs. Let me just tell you, there might be a little adjusting to do while walking in them but all of the platform heels from YSL sure do make a women's calves look AMAZING!
It was only natural for there to be a replica, like the one from Steve Madden 'Staciee'. The platform isn't as high and the heel isn't as sexy but the over all look is definitely there.

So if you don't have the $795 to fork out for these sexy things, go get the Steve Madden 'Staciee'. Which is definitely a look for less.

xoxo
j

Friday, March 11, 2011

BEAUTY: [happy nails | review | bad]


I've been going to Happy Nails for almost 10 years now (on and off of course). Most of the time I've gone to the one in the South Bay Galleria location and found an talented manicurist named Tiffany. When it comes to acrylics, she was the person I went to. She even did my nails for my wedding.

Of course acrylics are awful on your really nails, so I don't really like to do them that often. Well recently they've come out with colored nail gels that aren't as harsh on your nails and last up to two weeks. Of course when I found this out I wanted to try it. Unfortunately when I went into the salon, Tiffany was busy and I was sent to a different lady or should I say two different ladies.

The first lady I was sent to, I had seen many times while Tiffany was working on my nails, her name was Donna and she did my manicure. After Donna was done, I was handed off to a girl named Yuki. Yuki had cute petite hands with full set of acrylics on, so I was excited... if her nails were that well kept, I figured she'd be able to do a good job on mine as well. Boy was i wrong!!

My manicure looked amazing but I think because they were so busy Yuki was bouncing in between clients when she was applying my nail gel. The nail gel uses UV rays to dry each layer/application. It was my first time trying to nail gel that i didn't know what was right or wrong. So i found out the hard way that Yuki didn't know how to put on the nail gel properly.

After Yuki was done, my nails were still dull and sticky so I showed the Salon manager since Yuki was busy with another customer and the manager informers me that it just needs old and puts more cuticle oil on my nails. Needless to say that didn't work but I let it go and went home and applied a top coat over it instead. Two days later the nail color on my right index finger started to peel. Keep in mind this nail gel is suppose to last up to two weeks. Of course I get a little irritated at this but just let it go hoping its just that one finger and it wont peel to badly. By the third day almost my whole right hand's nail color was peeling off. Unfortunately, I was out of town and couldn't get back to the nail salon to have them fix the problem.

Once I got back home a week later I decided to head straight Happy Nails from the airport in order to have them fix my nails. When I arrived at the nail salon, the salon Manager tells me that Yuki couldn't do it that day and made me an appointment 3 days later. Being that Yuki applied them the first time of course I was really hesitant to have her redo them but the Manager wouldn't let anyone else do my nails.

So I went back 3 days later to have Yuki fix my nails. Apparently there was some miscommunication bewteen Yuki and the manager about having my nails fixed. Instead Yuki redid everything as if I wanted to pay for her to apply the nail gel on again. She took off the nail gel on the left hand (since there was no nail gel left on the right hand by that time) and have me a manicure as well as applying the new nail gel. After she was done I was about to just tip her and leave when she tells me I owed her the full amount. Of course I was confused and told her no I came in because my whole right hand peeled off starting after the second day.

Yuki went on to say that I peeled off my right hand and that the nail gel isn't guaranteed to last two weeks. In no way did i expect it to last two weeks, but my WHOLE right hand was peeling/peeled off while my left hand was fine in less than a week?! Also when i told her that it started peeling after two days, she basically implied that I was lying. Let me remind you that the day she applied my nail gel she was going back an forth between me and other clients so she wasn't paying attention to how she was applying the nail gel. In the end I told her that I'd pay but that I will definitely not be coming back ever!!, which didn't seem to matter to Yuki and/or the Salon Manager. At that point I realized that at Happy Nail salons they don't care about the customers happiness, it's all about the money. And even after she redid my nails they were still dull and sticky because she didn't apply them correctly, but I was over the whole situation and had to get out of that nail salon.

I probably don't need to tell you guys but I will NEVER be going back to Happy Nails. After that horrible experience with not just Yuki but also the awful nail gel, I decided to try a different nail salon that I normally go to for pedicures (Bellagio Nails) for the nail gel and let me just tell you.. SO much better! it lasted two weeks no problem. I'm actually going to get them redone this week before I head off to Hawaii.

So the moral of the story is... AVOID happy nails at all cost!

xx
j

LOVE: [esty | vintage | pocket watch]



LOVE this vintage lace pocket watch by Esty Designer, Beadix.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

ART: [rodarte | state of matter | exhibit]

For those of you that love the Academy Award winning movie 'Black Swan' and/or if you just love fashion in general, might want to head on over to MOCA in the Pacific Design Center in LA.

The Amazing Designers and now Costume Designers, Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte has installed featured pieces from Rodarte’s Spring 2010, Fall 2010, and Fall 2008 runway collections, as well as original ballet costumes designed for the feature film Black Swan.
This is one exhibit I'm sure not to miss. It's FREE and it's open until June 2011. So go check out the amazing work of art that is Rodarte when you get a chance.

xx
j

{source: MOCA}

GOOD THINGS: [diy | party | banner]

This DIY banner is adorable for bridal and/or baby showers. Head on over to Evie S. to learn how to make the flowers and pinwheels. I might have to make this just a decor... loves!

Have fun!
xoxo
j

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

BEAUTY: [make up | brush | cleaning tip]

I'm not a make-up artist but I have invested in some nice make-up brushes over the last 9-10 years. I really like to shop around to find the perfect brush for me and what I need.

So far my favorite brushes are by:

Trish McEvoy :
I love the over all look for her brushes. The clear handles give it this nice clean look. What I love most of all are the hairs that she uses on her brushes, they're so soft and i LOVE it! Beware, her brushes aren't cheap but if you take care of them they'll last a very long time. If i had the money, i would definitely invest in every brush she makes.

Bobby Brown:
I only have one brush from Bobby Brown but i love it and I also took a look at their brushes last week. They have nice soft brushes as well. So I might have to start investing into some more BB brushes.

Laura Mercier:
I believe I started my collection of brushes with Laura Mercier. She has a good solid set of brushes. I'm in love with her pony tail blender brush and her smudge brush.

When you start investing your money into anything you definitely want to take care of them to make sure you're able to get the most use out of them for you money. So of course I've ALWAYS bought make-up brush cleaner and I've tried a bunch of different ones. But the brushes were never as soft as when I first bought them.

Recently I was at my friends house and she has the same Trish McEvoy powder brush as me but hers was still super soft. So she told me her little secret to how she keeps her brushes so soft.... Baby shampoo! I was socked because I've been spending money on actual brush cleaners by the make-up companies. So of course I went home and tried washing my brushes with baby shampoo (good thing thats what i wash my dog in, so i had some lying around).

The baby shampoo actually made my brushes soft again and it's cheaper. What an amazing tip and money saver. I love it! Thanks Mina!

xoxo
j

INSPIRATION: [esty | necktie | belt]


obviously this isn't a piece someone could wear everyday. But i love the concept of this belt and it could be an amazing accessory for a photo shoot... amazing!

{source: esty - Storied}

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

GREAT FIND: [derek lam + ebay | collaboration]


Who doesn't love some affordable fashion?! Well at least, more affordable that is. ha!

For those of you that haven't heard yet... Derek Lam & ebay has teamed up!

At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, Derek Lam presented an exclusive dress collection for eBay Fashion. The 16 pieces, from crisp shirt dresses to feminine black-tie gowns, highlight Lam's intuitive feel for elegance combined with ease. The 5 dresses with the most votes will be available for a limited time on eBay.

To vote head on over to Derek Lam + ebay to have a part in which dress will become available for purchase. This capsule collection will range from $125 to $295, for purchase exclusively on eBay and will be available in May 2011.

My favorite dress from the collection is actually a surprising one for me. I'm not usually a person to love flower print, but I'm absolutely in love with the dress images on the right.

{source: glamor.com}

WISH LIST: [ mypantone | iphone app]

lookie lookie what i found! I LOVE the idea of this. who need Pantone swatches now if you have an iPhone app?! You can even take a photo and it'll tell you the Pantone swatchs in the image. AMAZING!!

My only concern is... how accurate can the colors really be via iPhone? Plus obviously the metallic swatches wouldn't work very well via iPhone, so I'm assuming the swatches are going to be limited.

But it's a very good idea. I wish there was a free trial to test it out though.

{source: Pantone}

xoxo
j

Monday, March 07, 2011

LOOK FOR LESS: [burberry prorsum | shearling aviator | booties]

This weeks 'Look For Less' goes to the lovely Burberry Prorsum Shearling Aviator booties.
The Aldo 'Griem' and Dolce Vita 'Josh' are the two closest replicas that I've found that are half way decent. My favorite replica out of the two definitely has to go to Dolce Vita's 'Josh'. Which are actually son sale right now for $139.95. So go get them if they have your size.

Aldo also has the knee high Burberry Shearling high heel version called 'Nitkowski'.

xoxo
j

STYLE: [polyvore | pink & champagne | style set]

Hello Lovelies!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

As for me, this past weekend I did another photo shoot with my good friend and very talented photographer, Krista Mason. She's the best and referred me to her client to have me style her for the shoot. It was a really cute idea, the client is turning 30 and wanted to do a photo shoot with her and her 4 closest friends for the day.

Unfortunately, the other four ladies didn't use my services. So I thought that I'd do this weeks Style set with the inspiration from the shoot.
Girls Night Out | Pink & Champagne

The color theme of the this weekends photo shoot was pink & champagne and this is some thing similar to how I would've loved to have styled the other ladies.

Stay tuned for the images from this weekends shoot. Can't wait to see what Krista photographed.

xoxo
j

Friday, March 04, 2011

TGIF: [happy friday | everyone]

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!
Have a lovely weekend everyone.

xoxo
j

{source: Eric M Martin}

LOVE: [esty | baby | headband]



Esty is definitely a great place to find talented creators/designers. Today's LOVE goes to Esty designers Little Town Boutique. I'm also in LOVE with these newborn photos.

How adorably cute are these little felt flower headbands for newborns?! They even make them for adults.

Thursday, March 03, 2011

GOOD THINGS: [diy | yarn | monograms]

This week's good thing is this DIY yarn wrapped monogram. How adorably cute is this?!

To find out how to make this cute yarn letter head over to Evie S.

Have tons of fun!

xoxo
j

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

BEAUTY: [mac pro | palette | tip]

Here's a little money saving tip for you fellow MAC cosmetic pro palette users.

With using the pro palette 15 as an example (photo on the left). You normally can only fit 15 MAC eyeshadows in each palette and with the recession and all you might not want to spend the extra money to fork out for another palette once filled.

Will don't fret, all you have to do is pop off the plastic grating that houses each eyeshadow in place in the palette and you can fit 6 additional shadows. So instead of fitting 15, you now can fit 21.

Also, once you pop off the grating you can now mix the shadows and blushes onto one palette instead of having to purchase a separate blush palette which only houses 6 blushes.

INSPIRATION: [quote | dreams]

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

GREAT FIND: [target | re-release | collaborations]

For those of you that have missed out on a lot of the Target designer collaborations... good news! They're re-releasing a number of dresses from most of the collections. To check out the selected dresses head on over to Fashionista.com.

I personally haven't been impressed with most of the collaborations with target. They're either nothing like what the actual designers would really design and/or the quality for the price is actually awful. But don't get me wrong I have purchased a select few items from some of the collections. Like this Rodarte dress...
it's a very cute dress but not everyone can wear satin bows on both of their shoulders. So I had to remove them, because I personally can't pull that look off.

But there is one dress that i didn't get a chance to get when it was first released at Target and that's this Takoon dress...
Hopefully I'll be able to purchase it once Target releases it on March 13th.

xoxo
j

WISH LIST: [ long | feather | earring]

I want these long feather earrings.... absolutely love! They're amazing and fun. You can wear one or both. You can wear them as earrings and/or pin them in your hair.

This would also be amazing to use in a photo shoot. I might have to definitely get this lovelies. Not bad for $16.

Go check them out, they come in all different colors.

{source: Esty- DaintyDamselfli}
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...