Comic book stuff

Growing up, I always thought that Batman was a complete and total bad ass. And Superman never did it for me but that was sort of the extent of my venture into comic books. (Aside from Calvin & Hobbs) If you've ever looked at a comic book you don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize how awesome they are. Leave it to the geniuses over at nOir Jewelry to create a line around some of DC Comics' best!

Here are my picks:
Cat Woman inspired, this ring displays a claw holding a Cubic Zirconia stone on a rhodium band. A definite way to spice up your everyday cocktail ring! ($150)

I'm not really sure if there could be anything cooler than Gotham City on a ring. This is such a cool piece although, it looks quite heavy to me. I'd be curious to know how wearable it actually is. ($225)

While this bracelet seems to be obnoxiously large, it's awesome. Awesomely gawdy. Which is the best kind of awesome :) ($215)

I hope you are all finding some new inspiration from some of your childhood favorites!

For swimming?

I know it's mid-December, but hear me out. A friend of mine is a serious gamer and self proclaimed nerd. He recently sent me a link to BlackMilk after hearing about it on a blog that he reads. To me, the site seems like nerd icons meet American Apparel.

I took a look around this site and here are some of the things that stood out to me for various reasons.

The "huh?" category:
While I am a huge Pulp Fiction fan, I can't imagine having such a critical scene displayed on my swim suit, courtesy of Sesame Street.
This just seems provocative in the weirdest way. Not sure I would want to be laying poolside sporting this.

The "awesome" category:
I love this. End of story.
My nerd friend geeked out on this R2D2-like swim suit. It's fun. I agree.
This Darth Vader suit is pretty awesome. A little Pink Floyd and a little Star Wars. That's going to make a lot of nerds happy.

Helpful note: These suits start at about $80 and are already seeing a lot of orders so they are a bit backordered. Yes, in December. So order up if you see one you like!

Happy tanning :)

Monochromatic days

I feel like this blog is morphing into a makeup blog over time. Oh well. Do tell if you have any complaints.

So I found myself uninspired yesterday morning getting ready for work with the melodramatic colors of the outside world. You see, it's December in San Francisco which means each day is almost guaranteed to be nothing like the previous. These past few days have been gray. That's all. As a sort of "so there!" moment, I decided to have my eye makeup match the weather. Gray on gray. I have never attempted such a thing, nor would I have suggested it to someone who asked. The end result was shocking. I really liked it. Not sure how many other colors you could successfully pull this off with though. Purple? I think it'd look too costume-ie. In a bad way. We all know I love costume. So ya. I'm living testament that this can be done.

Here is how I did it.
- I primed my eyes with light per my usual.
- Then I layered on idol eyes shadow. (light makes this shadow POP and it has the prettiest sheen to it)
- I took my greyprint Technakohl Liner and did a thick layer to my bottom lashes.
- To finish and give just a little more depth, I took my smolder Eye Kohl and lined the middle part of my upper eyelids. This move is tricky, tricky.


Here's what you'll need:

Green smoke

I am one of those people that go through makeup phases. I'll discover a new look and wear it for a while and then change it up again. The idea of wearing my makeup the same way everyday seems horrible. Not to mention boring. My recent move has really thrown my wardrobe into a bit of a mess so I feel like I'm compensating with my makeup more than ever. I recently rediscovered a couple of items in my makeup bag and have styled a new look that I am quite fond of.
*Please note that a darker eye during the day is NOT for everyone. I just don't like wearing neutrals :)

While I purchased a Superslick eyeliner in on the hunt a few months back, I hadn't really used it since liquid liner tends to intimidate me. That all changed when I couldn't find my Fluidline pot.

I tend to favor shimmery eyeshadow in golds and silvers, but when I saw juxt, it was love at first site.
(I, of course, prime my eyelid with Prep & Prime in light before applying eyeshadow). To get the best look, I pack on juxt to make sure it really shimmers. It's such a gorgeous color! Then I use the on the hunt liner on my top lash line only. For the bottom lash line, I smudge in silver ring.
So pretty! Add some mascara, and you're done.

I hope you are all finding new inspiration in your makeup bags!

*It should be noted that all the makeup listed in this post, and in my makeup bag for that matter, is from the always glorious MAC.

Fashion Don't - You are NOT a genie in a bottle

Whoever decided that it was remotely ok to bring back harem pants needs to be taken out back and slapped! Seriously. I cannot get behind this look whatsoever. They were barely ok on the runway which means the pants were 100% not going to translate well to real life.

Exhibit A:
No you are not seeing things. This woman is actually wearing pink SATIN harem pants! Yes. Pink. And satin. Sigh. Awful. What's worse, if you ever thought something could be worse, is that she is wearing a plaid shirt AND a vest with the hideous, ill-fitting pants! I can't even say anything else. Ugly! Ok, that's it.

P.S. I totally had to do a minor jog to catch up to this woman this morning to capture this picture. Haha. I really hope no one noticed.

If I...

While shopping for some Christmas presents, I came across some "if I" items. Enjoy!

If I...lived in NY:
I'd own these mittens.
Seriously. How cute are these Kate Spade mittens?!

If I...owned an iPad:
I'd buy these cases.
While I'm not convinced how practical they would be in a bag, these are awesome. So cute! And reasonable! ($20 for both)

Spiked with envy

I would like to high five whoever decided that shoes should have spikes and studs on them. I am completely beside myself with the shoes out this season. The plan for this Winter is, how do I manage to purchase a pair of studded Christian Louboutin boots? Practical. Totally practical.

This was a simple case of love at first site. While I'm still not sure how I will manage to come up with the $1500 for these boots, one thing is clear. I need them! The strap along the backside of the boot is also studded. Amazing.

While these are a little Hellraiser-ish for me, I still think they are quite fabulous.

This delicious pair of studded oxfords are from Sigerson Morrison and I think these are also a must have. Love the detailing and the simplicity.

Hope you are filling your closets with spikes and studs!

Some Friday pretty

So I've been bummed this week since the bf and I can't seem to find an apartment. With the worry of homelessness fast approaching, I've decided to start packing and getting rid of things that aren't necessary. This of course excludes clothing. (Do you know how much stuff you can accumulate when you've lived in the same place for 5 years?!) I have a random collection of old magazines I told myself I must part with. Before I went through the painful process of giving them away, I went through and took out the pages that inspired me for one reason or another.

These 2 pages are from an Elle issue back in September 2005. Some of you may know that I absolutely love JLo. Like, LOVE her. This is one of my favorite editorials she's done. She looks like an adorable party girl that you want to know.

Her hair and make up in this shot are absolutely flawless! She looks amazing. I tore out this page in particular because I have taken a liking to her make up. I will definitely be recreating the look. And can I just say how fantastic her hair is?! It looks like a giant bundle of awesome sitting on top of her head. I can only dream of getting my hair that big...

I want this dress. It haunts my dreams. As if anyone ever doubted Oscar de la Renta's ability to make amazing dresses that make women look impeccable, this is just confirmation the man is a genius. And again, that hair is wonderful!

Hope you're finding a little pretty before the haunted weekend :)

Sketeltal delight

Happy Monday everyone! So, I'm super excited that Halloween is just around the corner, even though I have no clue what I'm doing. Rest assured, I have a costume. I will be fulfilling a lifelong dream of dressing as a bumble bee. Don't ask. It's harder than you think when you buy the costume as separates. Note to self. Anyways, my costume was made complete after I found my yellow wings yesterday. Oh happy day.

Enough about costumes. What about the build up to Halloween?? I am a firm believer in slightly dressing up while leading up to the actual day. However, I could be biased since some of the things I will wear this week are in regular rotation in my wardrobe but who cares.

Here are some ghoulish delights!

These 3 shirts are all from Urban Outfitters and equally fantastic. I love the idea of the skeletal sternum shirt and tank. So cool and fun. (fun fact: the back of the tank top shows the reverse view) And that giant skull stripped shirt is so unexpectedly chic.

McQueen. ALWAYS a favorite of mine and this scarf is no exception. I have wanted one since the first day I saw it. Love the sheer fabric. Love the Dia de los Muertos style skulls. Everything. Perfection.

This is something out of my personal collection of skulls. I can't remember where I bought this but I love his facial expression and the placement of the rhinestones. Such a creepy cool addition to any outfit. I wore this last week with a cobalt blue shift dress to a work dinner. Fab.

Hope you find some haunting additions for your closet.

We like to party!

The holidays are fast approaching and I can't sit around and expect a wonderful dress to just fall into my lap at the last minute. I have taken it upon myself to start scouting for dresses now. And once again, Nordstrom read my mind and sent out their latest catalog highlighting just that! What's better than a holiday party dress?!

Let's start the show.

Great lighting would be the perfect accessory for this dress. It just looks like a party. Loves.

While this dress does not have one fleck of glitter or a single trace of sequins, I desperately want to own this dress. Its the perfect combination of a little vintage meets a little modern.

The simplicity of this dress is just perfect. At first glance there isn't anything really special happening but if you look closer, you notice all the details. I love the interesting folds and the hint of sequins. (I would take the hem up just a smidge)

I hope the holiday rush doesn't sneak up on you!

Maybe evil isn't so bad...

I have literally been waiting months for MAC's Disney Venomous Villains make-up collection to come out and the wait was over Thursday, September 30th. Coincidentally this is also the bf's birthday so my Villain make-up dreams were put on hold until Saturday morning. While I'm not sure how many of you were anxiously waiting for this collection to come out, I can't say that I wasn't surprised when I found out that most of the collection was sold out at the stores and online. The Filmore MAC store came to my rescue and delivered the exact items that I was wanting.

Before I show you said awesomeness, I would like to point out that when I woke up on Saturday morning and wanted to lounge around, the bf insisted I go to the store immediately so I wouldn't be mad if everything was sold out. He's a keeper.

Now, behold!
My ultimate all time favorite villain is Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. I always thought she looked so awesome and had the best "don't mess with me" attitude. And I'd be lying if I didn't admit to letting out a shriek of delight when I heard she'd be one of the featured villains.

This eye shadow was really my only focus point for the entire collection. This is the mineralize eye shadow duo in She Who Dares. It is truly amazing. I used the blue shadow over my entire lid and then used the green as eyeliner on the bottom. Amazing!

As you may have gathered, I have a slight obsession with the color purple. When I saw this in person, I knew it was game over. This is an eye shadow from the Evil Queen's collection called Her Alter Image.

So my current favorite effect is to prime my eye with the primer cream and pack on Her Alter Image. (This makes it show up brighter) Then I use Prussian eye liner on my bottom lashes, smudge it in and pack on the blue from She Who Dares. The colors work so well with each other. I love it. New fav combo!

Hope you are all feeling a little villainous.

Runway dreams

Hello everyone! I'm back from my glorious vacation (sadly) and I owe you guys some blog posts!

My favorites over at Project Rungay, Tom & Lorenzo, are so great to their minions and post full collections from Fashion Week on their blog for us to drool over. While I'm obsessed with many of the collections they have featured (Jason Wu, Prada, Versace to name a few), the shoes from the Prada and Versace collections stand out firmly in my mind. I can't stop looking at these shoes!

Here are a couple of my favorites.

Prada


Versace

*pictures courtesy of TLo

Let's just have a moment of silence for this level of pretty.

Top Gun?

For as long as I can remember I have been a fan of aviators and leather bomber jackets (I own this one). For reasons unknown to myself, I can't seem to just purchase one nice pair of aviators instead of buying a "disposable" pair every 6 months or so.
I decided that a new pair of disposable aviators were a must have for my upcoming vacation to Mexico. For a cool $5.80 I purchased these for my trip. They are quite fabulous and stylish, but I do feel like I might need to just take the plunge and purchase a real pair.

After looking at a couple of sites, I realize that I tend to favor the droopier, metallic lens as opposed to the more butterfly shaped lens. Here are my favs:

I'm a sucker for the classic Ray-Ban.
Gucci aviators? Why not?! I think these have some great style to them and are just modern enough.
Ok, McQueen aviators are completely impractical but I die for that little skull on the side. And this chocolate brown color is simply to die for. Perfection, Mr. McQueen.
I think I've got some good candidates to choose from. Hope your sunglass hunt is going well!

This one is for the boys

I saw this shirt and thought it was hilarious and awesome. Thoughts??
So great. You can pick one up here.

Taste the rainbow!

It is a shockingly nice day in the city and I have been inspired by all the color I am seeing. (I, on the other hand, opted for black and white with yellow jewelry. Oh well.)

Here are some fun and bright shoes for your viewing pleasure!

There is a fun oxford feel to these shoes and as you know, I love some oxfords! This particular pair is from Anthropologie. This mustard yellow has such a great hue to it and the chocolate brown and hounds-tooth only add a feminine touch to the seemingly menswear look.
A practical pump is too practical in my book. I prefer a pump that has some edge to it and what better way to spice up an outfit than teal pumps? These are so fantastic and I can speak from experience as I have the same pair in nude! The sole is completely padded making them easy to be in for hours on end. Who doesn't love that in a shoe?
And as if any of us needed to be reminded that Kate Spade makes beautifully fantastic shoes, there are these gems. ADORE this color and the cluster of cuteness on the toe. Such a wonderful way to pep up your everyday look!

I hope you are all paying attention to the plethora of color that is surrounding your day!

Hot Hot Heat

It's hot outside. Like, really hot. And not just by SF standards. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to pick out one of my tank dresses to wear today but it made me just want more cool clothes to compliment this heat.

This dress would be a super cool and causal addition to my closet. Pair this with some metallic sandals and some earrings and you're good to go.
I know this is another black tank top, but how can you resist that chiffon detailing?! So cute! Great with any bottoms you can pair it with. Perfection.
These shorts from J.Crew have such great style and can be dressed up or dressed down. My favorite shorts are of the versatile variety.
And just because I'm in the mood for dresses...The print on this dress is great. The shoe options are endless. Not to mention the cinched waist will only do you favors.

Hope you're filling your hot Summer days with cool outfits!

Saddle up!

When I entered Kindergarten, I was thrilled to show off my brand new saddle shoes. I wonder if that set off any red flags to my parents about my fashionable years to come? Anyway, they looked something like this:
Imagine my excitement when saddle shoes made a comeback for adults. And not only that, they have heels! Exciting. I recently bought a pair and I absolutely love them. In fact, I'm wearing them today. See for yourself.

Right? Adorable. They are mostly black with slate gray. The little trim around the gray is navy blue.

Today I paired them with a black shift dress, seen here, black tights, and a simple silver necklace. Perfect!

Gaga Inspired

I was in San Jose last night for the Lady Gaga concert, and couldn't help it to be inspired by all the crazy outfits people were wearing at the show. It was like a more fashionable Halloween. How could you not love that? Anyway, here are some pieces I like inspired by Miss Gaga.

Shoes - Calvin Klein 'Chelsi' Sandal
Top - El Salvador Lace Tee
Headband - Metallic Sequin Bow Headband
Tutu - Mermaid Tutu Skirt

Lace. Studs. Sequins. Tulle. Yep, I think that about covers everything.

Shin guards

Even though I have 3 pairs of great knee high boots, one of which I plan on ditching this fall, I still find myself looking at all the offerings for the upcoming season. Despite my greater efforts, I feel as if I will be purchasing another pair. So goes life. Here are some of my favs.

These seem to be the front runners as the replacement to the over the knee boots I currently own. They should fit in nicely with my wardrobe and add a bit of ruggedness. As the owner of regular cowboy boots, I love the idea of a tall cowboy boot. The color on these are great as well. The distressed chocolate color is both striking and muted at the same time. I'm not typically a fan of brown, but I can make an exception for these. Very enticing.

A few years back it was almost impossible to find boots that did not have a heel. I find that I tend to gravitate toward flat boots knowing that I will be able to walk the distances in SF and handle the hills with ease. Having said that, I came across these boots that may make me think otherwise.
LOVE the fold-over look on these! And then the strap detailing is very military, which I also love. The heel height is definitely higher than I would like, 3.5in, but depending on the comfort factor, it could be doable. Miss Sixty tends to be a little pricey however, they are on target with the other pair of Steve Madden's that I'm currently crushing on.

Similar to the Miss Sixty's, these Steve Madden boots have that fantastic fold-over effect that I favor so much. The wedge is 3in high on these which is slightly shorter than the other pair. On the back of the boot, there is a short zipper feature right above the heel. Just another point of interest.

Decisions, decisions.

Wrapped up with a bow

I went to Sacramento over the weekend to hang out with the parental units. My mom enthusiastically asked if I would like to go shopping. Well, sure. Why not? Thank goodness I managed to pick up some items that I "needed."

Exhibit A:
This glorious bow belt! The second I saw it I knew I had to have it.
I just had to wear it today! I am wearing a long t-shirt with a deep v-neck and skinny jeans. I put the belt on and "untucked" the shirt a little so it hangs over the belt just a tad. I love it! Such a great way to spruce up a black t-shirt.

The fabric on the bow is very rough and has zipper trim. Loves. The actual belt is stretchy fabric, so it fits everyone.
I'm sure I will be unveiling more of my finds throughout the week but I needed to start off the week right with a great accessory! Happy Monday!