So, so wrong

I recently decided to go indulge myself in a Chanel nail polish color.

I typically stick to the Essie/OPI section, since they are (a) a lot cheaper, and (b) they have really good colors, and (c)they are a whole lot cheaper.

However, armed with my Bloomie's promotional gift card which was set to expire, I trotted off the the Chanel counter and forced the saleswoman to pull out all of the nail polishes so I could pick one.

I was debating between Ballerina and Pink Satin after deciding that Black Satin, the shiny black polish that caused blog-steria last year but is now totally available everywhere, was way too Goth for my day job and my skin tone.

Ballerina is a soft pink matte shade, very similar to Essie Mademoiselle or OPI Sweetheart, and Pink Satin was a baby pink color with silver sparkles.

Well, let's just say I chose poorly.

Pink Satin won the prize of getting toted home with me and discretely admired on the bus. With the little sparkles floating in the bottle, it looked like a baby lava lamp.

I did a home manicure when I got home and started realizing that I made a bad decision.

First of all, the polish is totally sheer. As in, almost a topcoat sheer. I put on two coats and I could still see straight down to anything that happened to be caught under my fingernail.

Second, the pink color on my fingers was a horrible shade of pink. Like Hello Kitty My First Nail Polish pink.

And third, the sparkles overwhelmed the color, making it look like I had little disco balls on my hands. I felt like I was going to a rave, not a markup, the next morning.

I wore it for a few days, fighting the urge to GET IT OFF ME, which was being screamed by every fiber in my being, but it didn't improve.

So, ladies and gentlemen, back to the store it goes. But now I'm at a loss...what to try next? I think I'm off nail polish, maybe I'll splurge on a pricey mascara recommended by the Beauty Addict in her new Encyclopedia of Mascara?

Help a sister out!

As God as My Witness

i have grey jeans too. can we be friends?

I refuse to be ashamed of my love for Gossip Girl.

That's right, I said "suck it!" naysayers!

I also refuse to hide my cubi-giggles* at one of the greatest features on New York Magazine's site, the Gossip Girl recap where they judge how accurate the episode was.

Some of my favorite accuracies that totally take me back to high school:

Playing field hockey at Asphalt Green. Been there, done there, nursed turf burn. Man, I miss my field hockey outfit...

Elevators that open into the foyer of the apartment. That's how you know exactly how loaded these people are.

Parties where boys play video games and nurse watered down booze.

Ahhhh, Elizabeth Street. How I miss you and your shopping wonders.

* cubi-giggle: to burst forth with a snicker when reading something while at work in a cubicle. Often related to procrastinating/non-work related items on the internet. If work makes you cubi-giggle, well, you are a dork. My condolences.

photo courtesy of nymag.com who got it from someone else.

Bobbi Brown-anza!

Ok, I completely apologize for sitting on this post for a few weeks now, but with the impending fall weather, I'll just claim that I intended it that way.

So, I received an invitation from Diron at the Bobbi Brown counter to come check out the new fall colors. Now, thinking that, sweet Jesus, it's still like 92 degrees out, I was in no mood to slather on dark and vampy colors on my own, I dragged my friend to Nordstroms in Pentagon City with me.

Actually, she dragged me since she knows how to drive there and I don't. The Virginia roads remain a complete mystery to me.

We plopped ourselves into the makeup high-chair and let Diron get to work.

He did a fabulous job on both our makeup, was patient with my incessant blinking when instruments get near my eyes, and talked my friend down off the ledge when he started putting bright pink blush on her cheeks. He explained how Bobbi's line is first and foremost about skin, and when your skin looks beautiful, all the other makeup will look great.

He also gave me a great tip about layering two kinds of blush. He says that Bobbi always teaches them to put the base color on as normal and then dust a bright shade just on the apple of the cheek for a "pop" of color.

We both walked away with products galore. I chose the Pot Rouge in Blushed Rose, which looks great on my cheeks and lips, the Corrector for undereye circles, and my absolute fave, Galaxy long wearing cream shadow.

rouge!

Seriously, I don't know if I can rave enough. This is an exclusive color to Nordstrom, a grey shadow with gold flecks and almost a green undertone. It sounds bizarre, but looks like heaven.

First of all, it lasts for. ev. er. Much like Donald Rumsfeld, it just doesn't know when to quit. It doesn't crease and fades after about 8 hours in the heat, but leaves only a hint of the gold shimmer. Second, it is such an interesting color, and it happens to bring out the green in my eyes, which is pretty rare.



My friend walked away with one of the eyeshadow palettes that everyone raves about each season...Midnight Metallics. A gorgeous trio of silver, blue and white shimmery shadows, it's perfect for a night out on the town.




Now we just need to figure out a place to go!!



photos courtesy of nordstrom.com

Help Me Help You

Ok, I've been in a little rut lately since I've been running around working non-stop for the past few weeks.



I keep taking breaks to run into a Sephora or Blue Mercury for inspriation but find myself walking out emptyhanded!



So, I want your help, dear readers.



I have a $25 credit at Bloomingdale's and I'm stopping by the Chevy Chase store tomorrow evening for a registry party. Sooo, tell me what you think I should buy!



New mascara? Yet another lip gloss? Maybe a new Chanel nail polish color so I can fit in with the girls on "The Hills?"



Let me know!!



Also, here is the info on the registry party for all you brides-to-be out there!

A Little Light Reading

Just in case you were worried about how you would slog through another Tuesday at the office...





Entertainment Weekly has posted a guide to the new season of Project Runway.





It features each designer and give you a glimpse into Tim Gunn's take on their style and chances of winning, oh-so-cleverly entitled "Gunn-entary."

There is also an interactive Project Runway dictionary for those of you who really have too much time on your hands.

It is certainly getting me pumped up to watch the new season, although I thought last year's was killer.





Also, while you are over at EW, check out their high-larious recaps of many TV shows, especially the well styled train wreck that is "The Hills."

photo courtesy of ew.com

Found It!

The perfect white camisole.

Yup. That's right. It's all mine....


Ok, so most of you are probably all, "This chick is out of her mind. All she hears about all day is doom and gloom, the world is ending, there is no money for brilliant school children whose talents are wasted in below average schools and they are getting fat because the evil Farm Bill subsidizes high fructose corn syrup and then we have crappy health care to take care of their diabetes and then no one pays for their elder care because we are at war and she is concerned about a freaking TANK TOP?

Well, yeah, kinda.

I don't like to have to have those meetings and worry that I am contributing to the downfall of society because people are staring at my see-through shirt.

Anyhoo, Club Monaco has recently debuted a stretchy camisole in white and black that is just phenomenal. It's thin enough to fit under a button down, but isn't transparent. Nice spaghetti straps that don't cut into your shoulders. Comfortable, and minus the completely superfluous "shelf bra" found in most of these so-called camis.

Seriously, wear a bra! We live in a civilized society!

Not exactly cheap at $29 a pop, but I would warrant that one white and one black should last you solidly through a few seasons of sheer blouses and itchy sweaters.

If only they came in nude....

Well, I guess that's like wishing for world peace and for everyone to have access to 5 fruits and veggies a day.

Bloomies!

I've been totally stuck in hearing hell the past few weeks, so to my total delight, I received an invite to the "private opening" of the new Bloomingdale's in Chevy Chase.

Let's just say that the place was packed, despite my efforts to make an early departure from work.

However, the place is fantastic.

Seriously.

I had recently been going to the Bloomies in White Flint which...well, it blows. This one...it's like night and day.

The merch is gorgeous, and they carry pretty extensive selections of designers that are harder to find in D.C. Big Sonia Rykiel section, loads of M Missoni, and a Tory Burch section I plan to hit like a ton of bricks once my birthday gift money starts rolling in.

The shoe and bag section is notably good. Spotted: Mulberry and Anya Hindmarch, two of my favorite stops in NY, and a solid collection of Theory shoes. And yes, they are as cute and classic as the clothes.

Also, my mother will be so happy, I checked out the home section and liked it enough to pick up some information about registering.

Not that I've ACTUALLY registered or anything (unlike Heidi on "The Hills," who feels the need to shop for a dress and register in the same week) don't get crazy....

If you are in the hood...stop by and check it out.

News! News!

I've been hearing grumblings from people who are in desperate need of some Project Runway.

And by people I mean me.

Well, some others too.

I noticed that Bravo has been doing some sneak peeks at the Season 4 designers during Tim Gunn's new show and that just whetted my appetite for all manner of sewing and bitchy craziness wonderful. A quick Google seach for the new start revealed nothing official.

But, I did a little digging on my favorite place for all things PR, Blogging Project Runway and hit pay dirt.

They state that Heidi Klum got all out ahead of Bravo and posted that the start date is November 14. They quickly issued a ceasse and desist and she took it down.

Sooo...Nov. 14th people! Set the Tivo! And tune in here for loads of my early morning cranky recaps!

So, so guilty...

Of watching "Gossip Girl" on the CW last night!

I can't help it! As an alumna of a New York City private school, I had to check it out.

My verdict...definitely guilty pleasure trashy tv worth watching. It's like "Cruel Intentions" with out the knowledge of what happens to Ryan and Reese in real life. I also appreciate the unfake shots of the characters at my favorite haunts, like Bergdorf's and Bendel's.

Also, the clothes are fabulous! I'm dying for everything in Serena's wardrobe, especially that leather jacket and the sparkly dress.

I never could have gotten any boys I knew in high school to wear a tux though....

Oh Zoe.

For a little light reading with your coffee this morning, I recommend heading over to an article printed in the New York Times Magazine section this Sunday about stylist extraordinaire Rachel Zoe.


And by "stylist extraordinaire," I mean, freakishly skinny wrinkly woman who has some how transformed actresses into walking billboards for her friends and managed to talk them into dieting until they practically make Holocaust victims look rubenesque.


Some of the highlights:


Rachel will only drink Starbucks coffee. Even in Paris. A city with one of the greatest cafe cultures in the world. But, if you don't drink it there, you may as well just be a terrorist and hate America. You pinko Commie freak.


Zoe brusquely sends back a plate of steamed vegetables at a Paris restaurant because there is a small dollop of some kind of sauce. Rachel, apparently, cannot tolerate sauce or calories of any kind.


Also consumed in the article: diet Snapple and tea.



Rachel is in shock to hear that vegetables actually DO contain calories.

Readers are informed that her last name is pronounced "Zoh," like "No." However, when she was just a babe in Jersey, people pronounced her middle name "ZOH-ee" like everyone else. Oh, she also dropped the surname "Rosenzweig."

Clients will not be dressed in any color that does not flatter the stylist herself.


We discover the mystery of the Marchesa explosion. It's what you thought. Harvey Weinstein decided that people should wear his girlfriend's clothes and Zoe made it happen.


Her ring tone is "Riders on the Storm" by the Doors. 'Cause that's not cliche in a look-at-how-highbrow-recherche-I-am way.


Nicole Kidman is one demanding crazy person.


The author of the article does not seem to disguise a sense of amusement and distaste for Zoe. Great reading though....

photos courtesy of nytimes.com

Emmylicious

Ahhh...the Emmys.

A total non sequiter in the awards season, as it occurs months ahead of all other awards shows, but whatevs! On to the snark.

This list is in no way exhaustive. I have opinions on lots of other gowns, but these are some of my own highlights and lowlights.

Here are my least favorite ensembles of the evening.

Seriously? I swear Debra Messing wore this exact same dress two seasons ago.

I think Hayden Panettiere might be hiding small children under her skirt like Mother Ginger in "The Nutcracker Suite."

I see Rebecca Romijn rocking the Tyra arm chub. I can't figure out where it came from though since she usually has such a slamming body. It's like stunt chub or something.

Again with the dress you've worn a thousand times before?!? What the eff? Ugh, I'm so bored with Teri Hatcher with her pneumatic boobs and botoxed forehead.

Ok, this really hurts. I have loved Elizabeth Perkins since "Big" and adore her show "Weeds." Basically this was fabric for a skirt at Anthropologie gone awry.

The outfits I liked!

While I'm a little confused by the massive influx of mermaid tail gowns and I stopped watching Grey's Anatomy when they started interviewing a neurosurgeon and a cardiothoracic surgeon for the chief of the GENERAL surgery department (hint, the chief is usually a general surgeon. Couldn't they find a real doctor to consult on that show?). I happen to love Katherine Heigl in this gown. The red lip was nice, but not scary and the neckline is super sweet.



My feelings on Wisteria Lane extend only to the following noise: (insert cacophonous vomiting sounds here). However, Eva Longoria looks stunning in this dress, I love the spangles and I happen to think short for evening is so modern.

Whoa, Heidi's not preggers! For once! Well, she looks amazing and I think this is the best color ever. I would wear a muumuu in this color. The neckline is more interesting than a typical strapless gown, and she was the only person who pulled off the leg-poking-out-of-her-slit look. I just wish Seal had buttoned his collar.

I happen to think Edie Falco looks good at most ceremonies. Not breaking ground or anything, but also doesn't look like mutton dressed as lamb. Just classic elegant and beautiful looking. See also: Sally Field.

So, office faves? People you trashed? Because, let's face it, no one is doing any work today.

photos courtesy of style.com

Quick Question

I was curious to see how people who read the blog found me, and I am experimenting with polls!

Look at me all down with technology and such.

Anyhoo, if you wouldn't mind...



Off to New York this afternoon for some shopping and a meet 'n greet with my florist!

Wish me luck!

UPDATE: So, clearly I forgot to add that a way to find me was through another blog! Also, please let me know where you read about me...unfortunately, people in publishing don't seem to keep you updated when they write about you. I'm always the last to hear!

Your Civic Duty

Not about beauty, but I could help myself from sharing this article in the Washington Post:

"It would be hard to find two bigger advocates for jury service than James and Maxine Moore.

They met 17 years ago while serving on a jury in D.C. Superior Court. They got to know each other in the middle of a medical malpractice case, later fell in love and have been together ever since.

The trial ended in a hung jury. But the Moores offer themselves as Exhibit A that something good can come out of jury service.

Yesterday, they returned to the courthouse to help unveil a new U.S. postage stamp depicting 12 multicolored silhouettes and framed by the words, "Jury Duty" and "Serve With Pride." The Postal Service has printed 40 million of the 41-cent stamps and began selling them nationwide yesterday."

As an attorney, I fully believe in jury service. DC has a terrible time filling juries and I encourage everyone to fulfill her civic duty and show up for jury duty.

And NOT because you might meet your future husband there!

Seriously?

If people start showing up to jury duty looking like they are ready for a skanked out night at Tom Tom because they think they can hook up with someone during the voir dire, I might just have to hand in my bar card and call it a day.

Maybe the couple should have spent less time making mooney faces at each other and paid attention during the Allen charge. Maybe they wouldn't have had a hung jury.

Oh, also, what's with the Post using the term "rap session?" That's like your grandmother saying that she's "jiggy" with something. It's just wrong.

Back to the Republic

I don't know what's going on, but I'm heavily in lust with Banana Republic's fall line.



Don't get me wrong, I own plenty of BR staples, but lately I've found their stuff a little lame. The colors always seemed a shade off...like they had been washed too many times before being put on the hanger. Or they were pushing those uber long shorts as a work outfit. And that's something I just can't condone.



But I was in the store recently on one of my fall shopping recon missions and found myself grabbing at things like Bob Packwood on three Viagra with a Cialis chaser.



Back at work, I began perusing the website for more lustworthy togs and stumbled upon a neat perfect "work" bag.



A little background:



Work bags for professional women have to be one of the most difficult fashion conundrums. Do I buy a man's briefcase and try to rock the androgeny like Madonna in the "Express Yourself" video and basically end up looking like a huge dork? Or do I carry a purse which simply looks wildly inappropriate in most professional settings and can't carry half of my essentials for surviving a day in the urban jungle?



Oh, and I also want to be able to fit a redwell in there. Maybe even, gasp!, a laptop.



GOOD LUCK!



Well...hello, Somerset Vertical Tote!




Isn't she pretty?



Available in black and brown, it also looks suspiciously like the Mulberry Elgin tote that I wish I could afford. While this one isn't exactly cheap, I think it looks like a nice addition to any fledgling professional woman's wardrobe.



Start making Christmas/Chanukah/Whatever lists now!

photo courtesy of bananarepublic.com

A Green Pioneer

I was really sad yesterday when I read a small blurb in the New York Times about the passing of Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop.

Like most girls of my generation, or anyone who was interested in beauty during the early to mid 90's, I was head over heels for The Body Shop products when they first came out. Not only were they just the coolest products that you just HAD to have, you felt even cooler knowing that they were "green" before green was cool.

Or at least, before it was as cool as it is now.

Anita Roddick was always the driving force behind the brand that promoted all the ecofriendly-fair trade-sustainability ideals. She was a cool, rebellious looking woman who was always traveling and protesting. She was like your hippie mom, if she hadn't grown up and become a Republican.

I recall visiting the big store in Boston during day trips from my summer camp, and spending my daily allowance on vanilla perfume oil (I thought smelling like a cookie would make the boys come running!), multicolored bath beads, and that pink peppermint foot lotion that would spawn a million copycats for years to come.

The article talks about the sale of The Body Shop to L'Oreal just last year. It was always an odd choice, since L'Oreal is widely known among environmentalists for their not-so-super animal testing policies, but Roddick stated that she hoped the sale would spur the company to change their policies.

Honestly, I haven't been in a Body Shop in years, but I will always remember the brand for making me aware of issues bigger than my middle school life and for being the first to make it cool to be green.

You can read the full obit here for another week or so.

Any classic beauty faves or favorite memories from The Body Shop?

I think I'm in Love

with this jacket...

and it makes me kind of nervous to say so.

mostly because of the price tag. ouch.

photo courtesy of bananarepublic.com, lyrics ripped off from Beck.

Shoes, Glorious Shoes!

I have a teensy weensy confession to make.

I've never actually been in a Payless Shoe store.

Maybe there are others out there too, but a girl in my office looked at me like I had three heads when I told her this. Seriously, three heads. And maybe as if I had acne on them too.

Honestly, I've always been a shoe snob. I walk a lot, I don't want disposable shoes, and frankly, I just plain like expensive shoes.

But when I heard Lela Rose did a collection for Payless, I began reconsidering my boycott. So yesterday, I mustered up all my energy and headed out to Wheaton, Maryland, to find these shoes.

WHEATON, Y'ALL.

As I've said before, as a full blown east coast girl, things have to be dire for me to use the word "y'all." So, you know I'm serious here.

I was hoping that my tackling a far away store I might be able to snag a pair of the T-strap pumps from the collection, but alas, that was not to be.

I don't actually think they exist. They were a myth, like the Loch Ness Monster or a compassionate conservative.

But I did try on the other shoes from her collection. I really liked, and actually purchased, the Finsbury pump in black and the Chancery peep toe in red. They were surprisingly comfortable.

Ah, ha ha ha. Soon you will be on my feet my pretties!

What were not comfortable were the Addle Hill flats. Ugh! I pitied the modeles who had to wear these for the collection.



But all in all, I think I'm most excited about the Finsbury pumps. They play into the menswear, buttoned up theme for fall and will certainly be worn around work as soon as the weather turns crisp. I'll wear them with pants for a little masculin-feminin action, and with pencil skirts and stockings for a sexy-librarian chic vibe.



And they cost less than my weekly latte-habit. And less than the amount of gas I probably used getting to Wheaton. Oh well, maybe they weren't such a good deal after all...

photos courtesy of payless.com

Oblivious to the World

Oh, wow, sorry...hi.

I've been totally out of the blogging loop because I have been deeply engrossed in my gadget selection of the year.

Yes, I get to buy a new cell phone! The Q is so cute! And I could keep in touch with my friends, instead of being forced to plod along with my government issued Blackberry, not emailing anyone fun for fear that someone subpoena my emails and then will haul me before Congress and make me testify as to why I made fun of Chris Dodd's eyebrows.

But the new iPods are on the way!

Crap, so many decisions. This is why I own three billion lip glosses.

Anyhoo, there has been big news in the world of bargain fashion!

First up, Lela Rose for Payless has debuted.

I'm not usually a fan of bargain shoes, but I am a HUGE fan of Lela Rose. (Loved loved loved her wedding dresses.) The pictures below look adorable, but I don't know how good they look in real life. Also, the T-strap pump is the one that everyone is all hot and bothered about and it's already sold out! What the F?

On deck is the Simply Vera by Vera Wang collection for Kohl's.

While this line was eagerly anticipated (well, at least by me) the response from Winona at Daddy Likey , who checked it out early, makes it sound pretty craptacular. How disappointing. (I also didn't like her wedding dresses.)

Ok, so, batting cleanup in this festival of low priced surprises is the Alice Temperley line for Target! Definitely a line for fall. With all the greys and blacks, it's just about perfect for all those upcoming funerals and sitting shiva that I've got planned.

Just kidding! I know that grey is the new black and that black is the new grey. I mean, duh, I invested all my spare time this summer reading about fall clothes in the air conditioning while it was a 100 degrees outside.

Ahhh, so now, if I could only bring myself to try on some fall clothes...

Nevermind...I'm going to go read some more articles about which iPod is actually worth $400.

photos courtesy of nitrolicious.com

I'll Never Go Hungry Again (in Georgetown)

So yesterday I celebrated my last day of freedom...errr...recess, with a quick spin around Georgetown.

Mind you, this was simply a scoping mission as the 85 degree weather puts a little damper on my eagerness to try on wool and faux fur. Look, they can AC the tar out of the place until I can see my breath, but sorry...not trying on long sleeves just yet.

I did get over to the currently-under-renovation Sephora, where they have kindly moved the makeup to the lower floor, thereby eliminating my last excuse to not browse any time I'm in the 'hood (Sometimes, even a short flight of stairs is an Everest I'm not willing to climb for the sake of makeup. Yes, I am truly that lazy.)

My favorite find of the day was the Vincent Longo Eyeshadow Trio in Biscotti. The single pot contains easily wearable colors, for both day and night, and they have great shimmer. I really like the idea of getting three shadows in one little jar...I feel as though it will help me pare down my makeup bag (Insert snort of derision here).

I also discovered that Le Pain Quotidien is opening on M Street next Saturday! For those of you who haven't been privy to the carbo-holic wonders of this Belgian chain, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Fantastic breads, yummy tartine sandwiches, lattes served in bowls the size of my head, and a praline spread that I would sell my unborn children for.

A staple for refueling on New York shopping excursions (they are convienently located near my favorite shopping haunts), I"m delighted that they have opened in Georgetown because (a) it's so close to my house! and (b) because I swear to God if I had to endure one more veggie cobb salad at J. Paul's I might scream.

Now, if only I could do something about the dearth of cheeky cupcake spots and frozen yogurt...

photos courtesy of sephora.com

Tumbleweeds

Just a little something to get you through the last day of August...

New York Magazine has an online article about the top five runway falls!

because who doesn't like watching a supernaturally thin unbelievably tall woman take a tumble?

It also proves that if they can't walk in these shoes...no one can.

And, yes, it makes me feel better watching Jessica Stam fall knowing that I didn't actually plunk down for those Chloe shoes that looked so awesome on the runway.

Also...get psyched for Fall Fashion week...

The rest of September is guaranteed to suck.

photo courtesy of nymag.com

Wait a Minute Mr. Postman

I think my mailman is mad at me.

I have yet to receive my September Vogue and Elle magazines.

Maybe they gave him a hernia?

Line 'Em Up

Keeping with my "scrimp versus spend" mentality right now, I have to confess that another area where I'm not inclined to break the piggy bank is when it comes to eyeliner.





The reason?





Well, it's really three fold:





1. I rarely use it. Mostly because I'm just plain lazy.





2. I get off on the idea of being able to be frugal and multipurpose my eyeshadows.





3. Ummm, because pound for pound, I'm not using as much of it as I do, say, foundation.





It's all a numbers game.





However, I do enjoy a good liner just as much as the next gal. I love my Bobbi Brown Gel Liner because it stays on for about three days, therefore allievating aforementioned concern number 1. I also like amping it up for a Saturday night by breaking out my teal eyeliner, prompting many a man to ask, while squinting at my face, "Is that like, green? On your eyelids? Are you feeling ok?"





So let's just say I'm not going to plunk down the big bucks for that reaction.





So, one solution I've found particularly useful are the Brightening Eye Liners from e.l.f. Cosmetics. They go on smoothly, come with their own sharpener and come in a variety of wearable shades.

And they cost one smackaroo.

You can't even get a lead coated toy for that price.

I'm particularly enamored with the Plum shade for fall (I am so planning on rocking an all purple wardrobe this season. It'll be like Prince is testifying on the Hill everyday.) and the technique of lining the underside of the lash line is pure genius.

Other faves include Coffee and Midnight.

What else are you doing with that dollar? Except waiting for the light to go on at Millie and Al's?

Yes, I have a sick obsession with a bar where you can buy dollar Jello shots. Don't ask why, because I really don't know.

photo courtesy of eyeslipsface.com

Fiscal Matters

Today Meghan over at Faking Good Breeding posed the question, "Are fashion and beauty blogs contributing to overspending?" She then goes on to discuss the trend of higher prices for luxury items in stores and the blogs that make a pricey bag seem like a food/shelter necessity which can make the average girl go a little luxe-crazy. Even when her lust exceeds her means.

I think Meghan makes some excellent points, and I started to think out the products I feature.

First, I would like to say that most of the people I know work for the government or are similarly enslaved to a price fixed salary system by which they make just enough to live in DC, not look like a slob at work, and afford a weekly binge drinking session at whatever dive bar is happening at the time (somehow last week was Millie and Al's?)

Second, I would say that, while I love drooling over the pages of Vogue and fantasizing about a life where dollar Jello shots are not a way of life, I certainly splurge a lot when it comes to beauty and fashion.

So, in honor of the upcoming end of the fiscal year, I present some tenets of my personal budget balancing philosophy, and how I choose products for my blog so as not to drive you all to the poorhouse.

Try before you buy. I think this is essential. Not only could you have some horrific allergic reaction to things, it could look just plain awful. I wholeheartedly endorse companies that are liberal with the free samples (hence the multiple references to Kiehl's products in my blog) and I am never shy about asking for a tester to take with me.

Know what's important. Don't ever scrimp on stuff like sunscreen. You may think you are being frugal by saving money by applying teensy amounts of sunscreen and splurging on Creme de la Mer, but the joke will be on you when you have spend all that money on reconstructive surgery after they take out that melanoma and half your head.

Also know what is important to you. I love lip gloss. Love it. And I like expensive ones. And I'm willing to cheap it out a lot of other things to get the fancy lip gloss.

Buy drugstore mascara. I know people rave about DiorShow. I love bloggers who swoon over Lancome. But honestly, the best way to save money is to spend less on the thing you are (hopefully) throwing away every three months. However, refer to the aforementioned rule if mascaras make you weak in the knees with lust and maybe use Chapstick instead of Chanel on your mouth.

Body wash. Honestly? It's soap. I don't fuss around here. There are some sick ass generic moisturizing washes that are just as nice as the expensive stuff. It just doesn't look as pretty in your shower.

Shampoo and conditioner. Ditto. Pantene is God's gift to my head.

Forever 21. When it comes to clothes, I swear to all that is holy, I get more compliments on the stuff I bought here than anything I picked up at Barney's.

Lastly, I would like it to be known that I do actually buy and use many of the products on my blog (which might explain the lack of posting lately). I try to keep in mind that not everyone has access to a Sephora, 24 hour drugstores, and relatives who know me well enough to give beauty gift certificates at every possible holiday (well, Starbucks too) and promote products accordingly.

So...let me know...do you carry a Balenciaga bag and wear Payless shoes? Use Wet n Wild exclusively on your face but get weekly manicures? What is your biggest beauty or fashion splurge and where do you pinch your pennies?

Left Out

It was a big beauty weekend. Just not for me.



I spent the past weekend up in New York with my family, mainly to pick out a wedding dress. But I had a hidden agenda...



I was planning on heading directly to Barney's, do not pass go, do not stop to pick up Pinkberry, and spending the gift card that has been burning an enormous hole in my pocket since I received it in DECEMBER.



So I dragged my mother and sister and found, to my shock and dismay, that they loaded up on goodies while I left the Empire State with nothing! Nothing!



At the Bobbi Brown counter, the salesman loaded up their eyes with the Longwear Gel Eyeliner in Espresso. My sister took to the stuff like white on rice, due to the interesting technique of the makeup artist of feathering the liner underneath her lashes instead of on top.




They also both tried out the Corrector, which works with concealer to even out dark circles and liked it. I think my sister even wheedled her way into a compact powder ("It gets so hot in the subway! I need something to keep shine at bay." Seriously, hostage negotiators have nothing on my sister.)





While they left, bags in tow, I watched enviously as my sister played with the shiny new boxes and laughed while my mother squirmed and rubbed her eyes (she hates eye makeup. I swear that my sister and I were adopted).



But I left empty handed.



ME!!!



Something is wrong with this world when I can go to a beauty floor like Barney's with money that isn't even mine, and not find a single thing to buy.



I'll blame it on the August blues (sick of summer, not ready for fall) but next time I'm up there, I swear...things will be charged.



I did get a wedding dress though...

photos courtesy of bobbibrown.com

Do as I say, not as I do

This weekend I got a pretty nasty sunburn.

For those of you know know me, I'm whiter than the whitest white available from Benjamin Moore, and it doesn't take a whole lot to turn me the color of a stop sign.

Oh, and also, it in that super sweet farmer's tan look that is all the rage now. Yay for me.

So, for all future excursions into the outdoor environment when I'm not wearing head to toe clothing, I'm picking up vast quantities of Kiehl's new UV protective Suncare Sunscreen Cream.

It contains a combination of Parsol 1789 and the newest sunscreen ingredient Mexoryl, which is also found in the famed European version of La Roche Posay and was recently approved by FDA. It helps stop the agin effects of sun damage and something like eight out of ten dermatologists recommend it.*

The other two were too busy performing liposuction because it reimburses better.*

They have one for face and body and they will work together like He-Man and She-Ra, Princess of Power, to fight the next impending sun burn so hopefully I won't end up looking like Warren Christopher in three to five years.

*all statistics totally fabricated.

photos courtesy of kiehls.com

Just Clean, Healthy Living...

After the deluge of work that has been the hallmark of the past few weeks of my life, I have finally woken up with a new sense of purpose.

To clean myself up.

No, seriously, I need like a Swiffer for my soul.

So, I plan to devote some of my (hopefully increased frequency) posts to sort of a detox plan which I'm sure will head to crap the minute Congress resumes after Labor Day.

No worries, why clean anything unless you can muck it up again?

I've been spending a ton of time on this Self Magazine blog called "Eat Like Me" It's written by a nutritionist who blogs about everything she eats during the day. She is insanely healthy, of course, but it's fascinating in a slightly voyeuristic way.

Every day I think, how awesome would it be if she downed a HUGE slice of chocolate cake. I'm so twisted. It's why I work in government.

It also has given me tons of ideas for healthy lunch options, snacks and breakfasts which will hopefully counteract the eight tons of crap I've snarfed down while working non-stop during July. Not to mention all the "reward" snacks for making it through yet another hellish day. Oh, and let's not forget the distillery I've certainly been a boon to in Ireland.

So, I'll do a cheers to hoping that healthy eating will go one step farther to clearing up that sallow tinge to my complexion and those Tumi sized bags under my eyes.

And let me know what you think of her blog...

Everyday Idiocy

Poor poor Giada.

I'm going to say it again.

Poor, poor Giada.

I've always had a sort of soft spot for Giada De Laurentiis in that sort of "Look! A pretty woman who is a decent cook! And she (allegedly) eats! And her nails are so pretty!" way. I have a few cookbooks, I'll watch her show, especially when it involves recipes with Nutella, my post about her nail polish is far and away the most popular thing I have ever written.

But lately, I think she is making some bad bad choices.

Most upsetting to me personally, was her trip to DC on her travel show where it seemed like everyone in her crew had dropped acid and then wrote the script. A detailed list of her offenses was catalogued in the Washington Post's Reliable Source.

Most offensive: Georgetown is NOT outside of DC, you loser!

Most hysterical: The thought of Giada actually in Adams Morgan on a weekend night.

As one of my friends stated so succinctly, "You'd think she'd have room for some facts in that giant head of hers."


More recently, I noticed a thread on Chowhound dissecting her most recent exploit. Namely, the "Women We Love" section of Esquire magazine.









Yechhhh.






Look at the melon on her!

If we were on America's Next Top Model, this girl would be packing her bags and leaving the house tonight.

Ok, I get it. She's supposed to look edgy and sexy, yet in homage to her Italian food persona in sort of a Sophia Loren way. My problem is mostly that she looks insanely awkward, insanely retouched, and, well, insane.

Honestly, I think I'm just still scarred from the whole Rachael-Ray-in-FHM spread that still haunts my dreams.

But I do love the shoes...

Oh, and her chicken saltimboca.

photos courtesy of esquire.com

An Open Letter to That Girl on the Bus Yesterday

Dear Unknown Chick on the Bus Yesterday:

I know you don't know me and I don't know you, but I wanted to let you know that certain things are simply not acceptable in a polite society when you are above the age of fifteen. One of those things is walking around on a Monday with a neck so full of hickeys that it looks as though you were attacked by a vacuum cleaner.

Now, I know that you may having been living it up on Saturday at Town Hall, The Deck, Smith Point (for old times sake) or wherever else the Late Night Shots crew has decided to grace with their presence. And I know that perhaps that last sour apple martini may have clouded your judgment enough that you hooked up with that guy wearing Topsiders and the pink polo.

And that's all well and good.

Kudos!

But here's the deal. It is no longer okay to make a half hearted attempt at covering up the hematomas of early Sunday morning with a popped collar.

So, unless you have a clotting disorder or something (and even if you do!), heed my advice....get thee to some concealer!

Seriously. I heartily recommend investing in some Dermablend if you are ever planning on hooking up with Mr. Hoover Mouth ever again. But honestly, just go with what you've got in the house! Spackle it on. At least it will look like you made an effort.

Okay, so anyways, I liked your bracelet watch, but do something about the neck. Unless, of course, I have this all wrong and you have some sort of cancer or something. In which case, I apologize and take back everything I just said. Get well soon!

Peace out.

Caphillbarbie.

Feel Free to Ogle the Lawmakers

The Hill has released the annual 50 Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill Issue!!

Wow, sometimes I think my standards for "news" are super low...

If you are on the Hill, or just wandering around the Hill aimlessly as a tourist (someone at the corner of Independence and New Jersey Aves yesterday asked me, "where is the Capitol?" I refrained from laughing at her openly as she seemed sufficiently sheepish when I pointed at the huge white dome right in front of her) pick up a copy!

Or, if you are stuck at your desk until hell freezes over check it out online at the link above.

logo courtesy of thehill.com

Sheer Insanity

In the weeks before the blitzkreig that has been my job lately, I was sampling lipsticks.

Not just any lipsticks. Sheer lipsticks.

I have a certain phobia about putting a heavy matte color from a tube on my mouth. I blame my mother and the time she dressed me up as a clown for Halloween.

It's probably not the reason, but it could be!

For that reason, I've always gravitated towards glosses. Their sheer sparklyness just fit my expectations of what my lips should look like.

But there are downsides, namely: the stickiness, the constant need for reapplication, the fact that my boyfriend refuses to kiss me when I wear it, you know, the usual. But the alternative was too much to bear.

So in recent months, I have noticed a proliferation of sheer lipsticks that seem like the answers to my prayers. Sheer, lightweight, color with some sparkle that goes on with the elegance of a lipstick without the spine tingling fear that usually accompanies it.

Here are a few of my favorites in the category:

Vincent Longo Baby Balm - it's called Baby Balm! How cute is that? And it has SPF...

Clinique Almost Lipstick - the Black Honey color is a true classic, and looks good on everyone. While that is rarely true, it's dead on here.

NARS Sheer Lipstick -not all of them are sheer, but the ones that are are fantastic. I love Dolce Vita and Roman Holiday which gives a beautiful baby pink mouth WITHOUT the chalky-ness of the Proenza Pink.

Laura Mercier Lip Stain - Ok, this one isn't in a stick, but the colors are cool and elegant looking, and that makes up for it.

I'm thinking about buying myself a new color for fall as a present once recess starts, but I'm definitely going to save the glosses for girl's nights out, that way, it will have worn off before I ask for a goodnight kiss.

photos courtesy of lauramercier.com and sephora.com

Necessary and Proper

My beauty necessities to get through the next few weeks before recess...

Neutrogena Acne Stress Control Treatment

Jameson Irish Whiskey

Is that wrong?

photos courtesy of drugstore.com and winebeers.com

A First Time for Everything

Yesterday, I bought my very first piece of a Target capsule line!

Yay for me!

While I dutifully have checked out almost all of the GO International lines, and even tried on a few items, nothing has grabbed me by the shoulders, shook me around, and screamed "Buy Me!!"

Until I was in the tomato red dressing room in Rockville slipping on a pair of Libertine navy blue shorts with embroidered skulls and whales on them.

First of all, I don't really look great in shorts. But I love the concept and the look on others, therefore I try them on in stores all over the world, look terrible and get depressed. Much ice cream eating and self flagellation shortly ensures.

Second of all, I usually don't like what J. Crew affectionately calls "critter shorts." I leave them to interns and pages from New England liberal arts colleges who think they are appropriate for casual Fridays (they aren't!).

But these were so different...they looked good! And the "critters" were slightly subversive, the skulls tempering the sugary sweet whales (Ha ha! Listen to my mad Top Chef skillz!)

Totally high off of my victory over shorts-dom, I kept on wandering and stumbled on the Devi Kroell accessories collection. While I've been drooling over her snakeskin bags at Barney's since they showed up (note to all, the salespeople at Barney's do not look fondly on plebians drooling on expensive handbags. Actually, they would probably prefer that you not engage in any bodily functions in the store, like sneezing, coughing, or breathing) but it would take me selling an egg or a kidney or some other organ to be able to afford one.

Unfortunately, the bigger bags in the collection were not great looking. But there was one pochette left in the dark grey and I snapped it up. In the smaller size, the metallic faux skin looks great, but it doesn't translate to the ginormous big bag.

So...I considered this a successful afternoon. In fact, no ice cream or whip necessary!

photos courtesy of target.com

Tis the Season

Everywhere I look lately, I see pregnant women! Seriously, it looks like it was a very busy winter in Washington!

And while motherhood is wonderful, blah blah blah, I cannot imagine being stuck in this insane heat carrying a whole extra person, nevermind the increased blood volume, the 1 lb placenta, amniotic fluid, etc. (I had a friend who would break out her weight gain during pregnancy just about every week. The numbers stuck.)

So, I would like to give a big shoutout to all the mommies-soon-to-be and wanted to compliment one in particular that I saw on the elevator.

While this woman looked as though she was about to burst forth with a wee one between floors two and three, she also looked cool, calm, and comfortable in her blue madras tank dress and chic flat gladiator sandals.

Kudos to you, mystery chic pregnant woman! I hope you give birth soon...at least the hospital will be super air conditioned.

Lessons Learned

I'd say that June was kind of an odd month for me. Due to a kidney stone "the size of an M&M" (I think I asked the doctor, plain or peanut?) I spent a lot of time on my couch watching tv.

Well, June is apparently bride month on TV. Especially the Style Network.

So I've pretty much watched every episode of Whose Wedding is it Anyways ever created. As I'm someone who generally thinks of the Big Day as that Tuesday in November, it was quite informative. And I learned some valuable lessons for planning my own wedding.

• If anyone uses the words "princess," "diva," or "bling" in my presence, I will shoot first and ask questions later.
• I don't care who considers this a tradition, there is no way my fiance is sticking his hands up my dress in front of 180 people
• Color coordinated tie backs make me gag.
• The "theme" of my wedding will be "I'm getting married"
• Fondant. Yecch.

On the slightly less misanthropic side of things, here are some other details I gleaned:

• Every girl looks beautiful when she pops out in her wedding dress, and her mother will cry.
• The tasting is clearly the most fun part of the entire planning process, if only because it will be the only thing my fiance gets excited about.
• Lighting is KEY. Apparently. Everyone tells me this.
• Mani-pedi is a necessity so at least I'll be forced to make time in my schedule before the Big Day.
• Wait a second, people give you gifts? Awesome.

For those of you who've done this before (or several times before, I don't judge!) let me in on a key secret to a successful wedding plan. Besides first getting lithotripsy and hoarding the Vicodin.

P.S. Also totally excited by niche beauty market like this Bridal Palette from Bobbi Brown....

Nice & Easy

This weekend I did something I almost never do.

What, you ask? Sleep til 11? Pretend to clean my apartment and end up watching TV and reading magazines? Drink white wine in place of dinner? Nope, I do that stuff all the time!

I returned a beauty product.

Insert gasps of shock and awe here.

Typically, when I don't love a beauty product, I sort of suck it up and move on, or try to find another home for it with a friend or loved one. Somewhere where it will have lots of room to run around and play. Or, I leave it languishing underneath my sink until I move and throw everything away in a fit.

But not this time. This time, I was mad.

I saw an article about Bumble and Bumble's Curl Conscious Curl Creme in the July issue of Washingtonian magazine and got all hot and bothered about it. It seemed so effortless to make easy frizz free waves! But this is also the magazine that devoted an entire issue to how rich Washingtonians are without a single mention of how the other half (actually, a lot of DC) struggles to make ends meet.

So, the Curl Creme sort of made me look like that time I accidentally washed my hair with hand lotion instead of shampoo. I think I'll just stick to trusting their restaurant reviews from now on.

So, I returned the offending hair product and coughed up a little extra to trade up to the Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Colour (yes, British spelling. I can't get Blogger to make the accent grave in "creme" though.) I originally had my heart set on Mercury, a silvery purple, but they were out of it, so I picked Titanium, a grey-purple, instead.

I've been pretty pleased so far. The creme goes on easily and blends really well, leaving a light veil of shimmery color that doesn't crease or smudge. With a little extra layer or a swipe of my purple crayon-esque Sephora liner, it morphs into a fast evening look, which will make it tops on my list for travel and for those days when you have to go all day to different events and can only carry one small purse. (seriously, they should have a beauty Olympics. that kind of day would be like the biathalon, a.k.a. the awesomest event EVER)

So, I guess the moral of my story is, if at first you believe the lousy beauty advice of a magazine and buy a dud, return it and try, try again!

photo courtesy of lauramercier.com

Paradise Found

I've been thinking a lot about traveling to some tropical places. Like those hotels in Indonesia where you have your own bungalow or jetting off to Aruba. Places where you never change out of a bathing suit and you eat fresh fruit for like a week.

Riiiight. I watch way too much Travel Channel.

I burn under the moonlight, so scratch the frolicking in the sun is out. I actually don't even own a bathing suit that isn't from 1993. And I practically have scurvy from the mistaken belief that I can get all my daily vitamins from ingesting 3 double tall skim lattes a day.

Sometimes I supplement with peanut M&Ms!

So, maybe my island getaway vacation is pure fantasy, but I recently re-discovered a product that makes it feel like I've jetted to paradise.

After a long bike ride on Saturday during an absolutely gorgeous morning, I was inspired to, you know, look good that day. Actual effort here, people! Be proud of me.

I dug around in my scads of bottles on the bathroom sink (oh, fiance's foot has been firmly placed down. get rid of some of the stuff on the counter, or else!) and came up with my long lost sample of the NARS Monoi Body Glow II.

I wrote about this before, but this is a body oil that smells like you've died and gone to heaven. An island paradise where no one ever sunburns type of heaven. I slathered myself with the oil, hoping it hadn't gone rancid in the year it languished on my shelf.

Two minutes later, my fiance showed up to see if I was making any progress on the getting dressed so we could get on with the eating of brunch.

(oh, also, for all the DCites in the house, the ONLY time to go to Two Amys is lunch on the weekends. Heed my advice or be cast down into Dante's lost tenth circle of hell where you will be forced to wait two hours for a table while being shoved by waiting pseudohipsters threatening to spill wine on you, have your toes run over by mammoth double-wide strollers and then smacked in the knees by the children who should be in the strollers but are walking and carrying toys in a restaurant. At 10 pm.)

He starts sniffing around. I think I yelled something about promising to clean the counter soon, but he cut me off.

"What smells so good?"

Oooh. How unexpected. My fiance typically only comments on smells when we are fighting about who will take out the trash this week, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear him comment on the Body Glow.

And the accolades continued! By Sunday, I gave in and ran down to Blue Mercury to buy a bottle of the Monoi Body Glow. I may have to forgo a few lattes this week to pay for it, but I consider it an investment in the future marriage.

And hey, he's stopped commenting on the products in the bathroom. And that is paradise to me!

photo courtesy of sephora.com