Odds and Ends and Tavi’s Hat

This week (and next week for that matter) is planning week. First, I am planning my outfits, what shoes I should bring, what make-up I should bring, and what bag I am packing everything into for our Vegas trip this week. The boyfriend and I are still (sort of) up in the air on what exactly we are going to be doing, so I am planning for all occasions. Thursday or Friday I will do a quick “what’s in my bag” post to show off my packing skills.

Second, I am trying to figure out what I should wear from my Grandparents 50th wedding anniversary and vow renewal ceremony. While it’s not going to be flashy or extravagant by any means (my Grandma wanted to wear a vellore pant suit and my Grandpa wanted to wear a t-shirt that looked like a tuxedo… which were both vehemently exnayed by the immediate family), I want to look somewhat put together. I am debating on buying a dress from Modcloth for the occasion and here is what I am torn between:

One of these four will be the winner and, weather permitting, I will only have to wear a light sweater instead of a full coat. Let me know which one you guys would pick!

In fashion news, I read on several blogs yesterday about Tavi’s “hat” at the Dior show at Paris Fashion Week. Here is the photo that took the couture world by storm Monday (originally tweeted by Grazia, who just so happened to be sitting in the second row, behind Tavi):

As many of the fashion related bloggers and magazine readers know, Tavi is one of the most fashion forward thirteen-year-olds (yes people, 13!) that this generation had ever seen. Her eye for cutting edge fashion, her own quirky sense style, and her influence over the fashion world is taking people by surprise. So why people got all huffy over her wearing an oversize pink bow (designed by Stephen Jones, no less) on her head to one of the most coveted fashion week shows known to man is beyond me. This is who she is, this is what makes her blog and her style so great. Just keep doing what you are doing Tavi, thats why we love you!

On a quick personal note, I am not sure how many of my readers are from the Southern CA area, but my cousin Becky (of beckylynnphoto.com) is running a special for a Valentines Day mini shoot.

She is any amazing photographer, and that is not a biased opinion because I am her cousin, promise! Her work speaks for itself and can check it out on her blog (and her other blog)!

Tavi Photo: Jezebel

The Dailies: 01.26.10

• Primer: Benefit That Gal
• Concealer: Benefit Boi-ing in Light (01)
• Your Name pressed powder in Tender
• NARS blush in Orgasm
• CoverGirl Black Liner (the soft pencil one)
• CoverGirl Lash Blast mascara in Black
• Your Name lip liner is Tearose
• Your Name lipstick in Tenderness
• CoverGirl eye enhancers in Coffee Shop (darkest color for brow filler)
• Your Name Winter/Spring 2010 palette – platinum, pearl, silver (pic of palette to come soon!)

The rain is starting again. Kind of bummed. I was loving the sun for the last few days. But I am glad that this latest onslaught will have come and gone before this weekend – BECAUSE the boyfriend and I are going to Las Vegas! I am so exciting and very appreciative to have this alone time with him.

We are going to eat great food, take in a show, gamble, and just relax. Hopefully I can get a little shopping in to0, but shhh… don’t tell him!

Now time for last week’s Grey’s! BTW, very excited about LOST starting next week!

The Dailies: 01.25.10

• Primer: Benefit That Gal
• Concealer: Benefit Boi-ing in Light (01)
• Your Name pressed powder in Tender
• NARS blush in Orgasm
• Maybelline Stiletto Liquid Liner in BlackeSt Black
• CoverGirl Lash Blast mascara in Black
• Your Name lip liner is Tearose
• Your Name lipstick in Paris (it is very much faded here).
• CoverGirl eye enhancers in Coffee Shop (lightest three on lid and darkest for brow filler).

I wasn’t feeling very photogenic today, but I was determined to get a decent shot. Aside from looking a little buck toothed and my roots clearly showing my natural color, I am a-okay with this shot.

What I love most about this is that I didn’t touch up my make-up at all after 9 hours of work and a quick snack when I got home.

Now I am off to walk the dog!

Drugstore Beauty Review: Mabelline Line Stiletto

I am a BIG fan of the black liquid liner. While more beauty vlogers gravitate to the gel or cream liners (like Bare Escentuals and M.A.C.), liquid liners will always have a place in my heart. They can add a little umph to a simple day look and add definition to a smokier/heavier night look.

I probably use liquid liners 80% of the time. I seem to go through “testing” phases where I will buy a liner that has been raved over, realize I hate 2 weeks later, then buy a new one (and so on and so on). The hunt never ends.

Mabelline’s Line Stiletto is one part of the Stiletto duo. You can pretty much find this in any drug store (or supermarket – where I got mine) and it is  reasonably priced at $6.99+tax.

Packaging: the packaging for this product is pretty sleek. Simple, classic, and fits into my make-up bag.

Applicator: this is a longer, felt tipped applicator. While the sponginess of the applicator holds a lot of liner (meaning you do not need to dip it back into the liquid over and over), the tip of the applicator comes to a funny point – kind of bulbus at the end, but only slightly. To get a perfectly tapered wing, you have to hold the applicator down, almost parallel to your face – which can be kind of awkward at first. After a few times, you get used to it, but I thought it was odd and it can be time consuming if you are in a hurry.

The liquid: the “blackest black” is amazing. The color is a real true, dark, bold black. The liquid is thick enough to deposit the true color the first time. I have had liquid liners in the past that have been so thin that they have to be applied a few times to get correct look that this liner gives. My only quam with the liquid itself is that it runs in the inner corners of my eyes when I put it on. It actually bleeds to the inner waterline on the bottom – which gets irritating when I have just lined my waterline with white.

Wearability: this will stay all day if you don’t touch it – meaning the wing you put on in the morning will be gone if you touch the corner of your eyes a lot, which I tend to do in allergy season. I am not sure if Maybelline has made a waterproof version of this yet, but the one I have it not waterproof. So, stay away from pools and water-balloon fights cause you will turn into a racoon.

This is probably the best drugstore brand liquid liner I have ever used – which is saying a lot. Despite the weird applicator and the smudging when I touch my eyes, it is a really great product.

Let me know if you have tried this and what your results were like.

Some day soon I will post a makeup look using this liner. Some day.

Photos: Overstock Drugstore and Maybelline

** Disclaimer – I was not given or gifted this product by anyone or any company. I bought this of my own free will and the review is solely based on my opinion. I would not suggest you buy a product if I didn’t like it myself **

New Directions

It has almost been 5 months to the day since my last blog post. I think I sort of just let it go because I was in a crazy place in my life. School, work, Germany, holidays, moving, etc just left little time for blogging and journaling.  I miss it. And I was reminded that I miss it by my cousin, today! So here I am.

I have had several “new” blog or vlog ideas cluttered in my brain for some time now. After consolidating, my goal is to take my existing blog in a new direction (er, directions). In the past, I have mostly just posted outfits and whatnot. Occasionally, I would do inspiration posts and designers/blogs I loved, but it got very mundane.

In this last few month, I have  renewed my affinity for make-up and a daily beauty regimen, furthered my yoga practice, and have focused much less on fashion. Not sure why. Maybe is the ridiculously cold weather California is experiencing the last couple of months, or my general lack of a clothing budget, but I really like where I am right now.

So, in the months to come, you will see more reviews on products I am using in my daily life, some special (and healthy!) recipes, postures I love in yoga, and an occasional outfit post and may a video or two!

Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things and post at least once a day! Now I am going to be on the hunt for a free/cheap movie editing software. Any ideas – send them my way!

As for now, I will leave you with of the BF and I (back in December)!

A Treat For Me and My Sweet

The Boyfriend bought our first “Munich Tour” book yesterday – complete with map.

There are so many places we want to see in short time we are there. We are going to have to be stellar planners to fit everything in. But, how are we to document it all?

A while ago I broke our Canon point-n-shoot. Lets just say there was a counter and a unintentional nudge and… splat; the camera broke with the lens out. Now it makes this horrible noise when I turn it on. Frustrating as heck. Luckily, we have a pretty awesome friend who has been letting me borrow his SLR. However, we don’t want to be responsible for his big, expensive camera in Germany, so we buckled down and got a new baby today!

I have yet to charge it and take some snaps with it, but I will. ASAP. Like when I get home from work. Excited.

This was my outfit for work and running errands Tuesday. Not sure how I feel about it. I am in a weird stage of not appreciating my wardrobe. I know I need to work with what I have, but some days  I get frustrated. Yesterday was that day. I blame my blond roots. They kill me.

Luckily, I am getting my hair done this week so maybe I will get some much need confidence.

Tee: F21, Dress worn as a skirt: AA, Shoes: Steven Madden, Hat: Thrifted (I didn’t wear it all day).

The Road Trippers

I am so glad yesterday’s debut of the Inside Interviews went so well. Record numbers for the ole’ blog. Thank you all who enjoyed it. There is another interview scheduled for next week, so stay tuned!

The photos above are stragglers from our wedding road trip to Northern California back in June. I am particularly fond of the one showing the Boyfriend driving. You know he means business when the hat is sideways. Always.

On Me (first pic): Sun glasses: swapmeet, Tee: F21, Sweater: Thrifted, Denim Cut-off’s: thrifted and altered.

On Him (third pic): 1965-1970 Angels Hat: Mickey’s Place, Glasses: Swapmeet, Shirt: Thrifted, Jeans: Levi’s.

Inside Interview with The Clothes Horse

I have been blogging for just about 2 years now – and following blogs for even longer. Over the years, I have accumulated more than a few blogs that I consider my “daily reads”: the ones I constantly go through the archives of just to soak up some much needed inspiration. It dawned on me a few weeks ago that I would like to get to know these people a little more: know what inspires them and how they translate that inspiration into their everyday lives and blogs.

So, the Inside Interviews were born. Once a week I will be featuring a new interview with a blogger. Exciting, non?

My first interview will be with Rebecca from The Clothes Horse. I have been following her blog for the better part of a year and she constantly amazes me. She mixes vintage and second hand with her own artsy/eclectic style. Plus, she loves old movies! You can see why I simply couldn’t resist the chance to ask her a few questions.

How did you start blogging?

I started by reading street fashion blogs and then discovered personal style blogs. One summer I returned to my college in rural PA to work in the cafeteria after living and studying for a semester in Japan —I was in culture shock! I started my blog then as a creative release and a way to connect to the larger world outside of my secluded school.

When did you decide that fashion, blogging, and designing  was your calling?

I’m still not certain it’s my calling! All I know is that I enjoy writing, taking pictures, and playing with my style. I have a hard time deciding what my “calling” is at all, I’m torn in all sorts of directions…

What people have inspired you over the years fashion wise?

Characters in old movies are probably my number one fashion inspiration—I keep on coming back to Bonnie and Clyde starring Faye Dunaway. In high school I was really into Japanese street fashion because of the Fruits books which were compiled from the original Fruits magazine. My father is in the military so he wears a uniform most days and my mother isn’t very into style either, but both encouraged me to be frugal and shop secondhand–that nurtured in an interest in vintage through the years..

Are there any bloggers that inspire you in that same way?

So many! Stylebytes was probably my number one inspiration; Agathe had a distinctive look but she also experimented with a lot of trends and managed to always look fresh. I also really admire Style Bubble and Liebe Marlene–bloggers who seem fearless and very comfortable with their own unique style.

What are your favorite stores to find vintage on the East and West coast?

Is online a fair answer? I love Etsy and eBay, but I like to do searches over particular shops. My favorite vintage shop in WA recently closed so I don’t know on the West coast anymore. On the East coast I love Fairey Godmother’s in Mechanicsburg , PA , but the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market in NYC is great too.

What is the best part of living in Washington?

The scenery; Washington state is absolutely gorgeous and really diverse. You can visit the ocean, climb a mountain, or even see a petrified forest on the East side. There’s also this wonderful sense of individuality that the west of the United States seems to foster—we aren’t explorers living on the edge anymore, but there’s still a sense of freedom and open-mindedness out here..

If you could have a lunch with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

My grandfather; he died when I was too young so I never really got the chance to know him. He worked as an illustrator and did a lot of black and white drawings like I enjoy doing now. Our house is filled with his watercolors and to top everything off he was color blind, which made his use of colors so interesting and unusual. I’d love to talk to him about art and have him as my “mentor.”

What is one essential item that all wardrobes should have?

Comfortable shoes? I really don’t know if one item works for everyone–even a little black dress for women could be in nearly any shape or style to suit the particular owner. Everyone has their own item that is essential for them.

If you were in charge of a fashion magazine for one issue, which one would it be and what would you like to see in it?

I’d love to get my hands on US Vogue and do a blogger inspired issue! There would be an editorial on street fashion featuring various street fashion photographs of real people, other bloggers could style a shoot, and some would write various articles. Overall, I’m interested in seeing more real people in magazines and more vintage and secondhand clothes—things that are affordable and realistic. I know we love the fantasy element in a magazine like Vogue, but I don’t think we have to sacrifice our imagination or whimsy by finding items that are within most people’s budgets.

Thanks so much Rebecca! You are such an amazing girl and I am glad to know you!

You can see more photos (plus the ones you see here) of Rebecca at The Clothes Horse.

Not So Plain Jane

When I was browsing through the blogroll over at BlogLovin’ this morning, I was completely taken with Jane’s (Sea of Shoes) new photos. I really don’t think she could be any more gorgeous. I mean, not only is she radiant, but she has mad skills with a camera too. Click the link above to see more photos from this set.

On a complete side note: tomorrow I will be debuting the new feature of Knockout Niki Presents – Inside Interviews.  I will have more details for you tomorrow!

Photo: Sea of Shoes

Mad For Plaid

I found this dress on a thrifting spree a few weeks back. With a good shortening (it was almost to my ankles!), it has become a wardrobe staple.

Dress: Thrifted and altered, Belt: Thrifted