Vacation Time = Swimsuit Time

Just in time to save me from my January ennui, I am headed out on vacation next week! Yes, I'm heading down to Puerto Vallarta for some sand and sunshine with the boyfriend. I've never been, and I'm excited to take some time to charge my batteries.

The other night, after telling my coworker I was headed to the beach, she asked, "have you bought a new swimsuit?"

You all know I'm a sucker for a new swimsuit just like I'm a sucker for boots and coats, and because I'm a sucker for boots and coats, that's what I've been focusing on lately. I haven't been thinking about swimsuits at all. Tisn't the season, and all. But now I'm thinking, well, yes, I do kind of want a new swimsuit...

But where does one buy a swimsuit in January? According to Karen, the bikini displays are already out at Nordstrom, to which I say WHAT. And, of course, swimsuits are available online, but considering my flight takes off Monday, I'm not willing to risk the shipping not arriving in time. That said, I am mighty, mighty tempted by the Esther Williams Bathing Beauty Retro Swimsuit as sold by ModCloth. I love the Esther Williams swimsuits so, so much. And apparently Delia's Swim 2010 section is live. In January.

I realize that I could just head to PacSun and check out their swimsuit selection, which is always cute and leans to the surfer-chic look that I enjoy. How cute is this buffalo plaid bikini? And if I strike out there, I might have to see what American Apparel has... but I swear, some of those things are NOT swimsuits.

Seriously, though -- I know the retail seasons are screwed up (I think coats are already on sale for "end of season" now), but will I actually find swimsuits in San Francisco, The City With No Summer Except For Maybe A Nice Couple of Weeks In September and October, in January?

The truth is, of course, that I don't need a new swimsuit -- the ones I have are fine, cute, and still fit. Also, this way I can hold off and wait until it's really truly swimsuit season and have the full variety/availability (and budget, ahem) to shop...

I'll catch you on the flipside! Don't do anything I wouldn't do while I'm gone...!

image from modcloth.com

Antiques Extravaganza

Lately, I've had a lot of success shopping for vintage. Either I have a good eye for this stuff or I am just focusing my shopping adventures on retro/vintage style, because in the last month, I have managed to find about five times as much great vintage clothing/accessories as I ever have before in my adult life. Having a mother who collects vintage aprons and hats (1920s-1960s, she does not discriminate) certainly helps, and a long-standing fascination with interior design, architecture, fashion history, and obviously, independent fashion businesses does not hurt! Great antique stores seem to find me and want to show me their hidden gems.

Since I've traveled back and forth amongst the East Coast, California, and Tokyo, Japan frequently over the last few years, I've got a pretty solid list of great antique/vintage clothing stores I always love to hit up. It's really like a treasure hunt, first finding the shop, then digging through its wares to find what really calls to you. In my mind, when I visit all of these fabulous stores, I make up a eidetic encyclopedia of the types/eras of design I particularly appreciate--a cheap way to educate yourself on design possibilities for fashion and home.

So, to share with all of you lovely readers, I've created an easy Google map featuring my most favorite places in the world.

View Favorite Antique Stores, Periodic Elements of Style in a larger map It may stretch across thousands of miles, but each place is close to my heart!

-Halltree Antiques, Salinas, CA:
When I used to drive from Silicon Valley to get back to school in Monterey almost every weekend, I HAD to stop at Halltree to check out their vendors' furniture, vintage jewelry, and great collection of weird little knick-knacks. If you're into it, they have loads of vintage embroidered linens and tablecloths. I've personally found awesome 1940s-1950s sewing patterns for a pittance, including a 1950s young lady's 4-H dress pattern that I promptly made for my college graduation. Downtown Salinas itself is dying, sadly, but has great historical significance for you fans of Steinbeck, including the National Steinbeck Museum.

-The Garment District, Cambridge, MA
A local favorite, hidden just beyond the edge of MIT's campus and a brisk walk away from the Kendall T-stop on the red line. The basement is their dollar-per-pound extravaganza, freshman year of college I found a huge black velvet vintage overcoat there that I still wear today. According to my sources (aka my cousin who was in Boston recently), the dollar price is now more like $1.25. Upstairs at the Garment District is a veritable cornucopia of 1970s vintage, used denim, and cheap/schlocky clubwear that college girls go crazy for. It's really more of a go-to place for frat party and Halloween costumes, but the odd gem can be found with a sharp eye.

-The Globe Antiques & Cafe, Mishuku, Tokyo, Japan
When I lived in Tokyo, for the first six months I rented a room in an apartment outside of Shibuya, one stop away on the subway and a twenty-minute bus ride from that glorious hub of humanity. Walking around the rather boring but quiet residential neighborhood of Ikejiri-Oohashi, I discovered the fabulous Globe Antiques and Cafe. It quickly became my go-to spot for reading on the weekend (despite being bilingual and spending all my time reading in Japanese for my schoolwork, I desperately missed reading English books) and perusing their stock of antique farm tables, lighting fixtures, and prints. They are inspired by Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, of course, and managed to create a veritable English countryside oasis in one of the world's most hectic cities. If you visit the cafe, get one of their homemade mango and white chocolate muffins for me. All of the furniture in the cafe is rotating inventory in the shop, so it's all on sale.

-Shimokitazawa, Tokyo
If you ever wonder where all of the U.S.'s great vintage clothing has gone, this is where it ends up. Shimokitazawa is a twenty-minute train ride west from Shinjuku and Shibuya, and the absolute mecca for Tokyo's hipster scene. There are underground bars with live music from Japan's up and coming rock bands, jazz and wine bars, indie art galleries, and the best vintage clothing stores you'll ever experience...if you are a size 00-6, max. Tons of polyester, crazy colorblocked 1980s sweaters, and acid-wash jeans to be found here. I spent many evenings pounding the pavement here as a young, spry 19-year-old and shopped my little heart out in the accessories shops. When I went back last year, more foreigners had discovered my little corner of heaven in Tokyo but there was still a very hush-hush, don't-let-the-tourists-in vibe about the place.

-Junkees Antiques & Clothing Exchange, Reno, NV
A more recent discovery from my roadtrip to Reno from California (Grandma loves playing those slot machines!), Junkees is turning into a real Reno institution since business at the casinos is way down. Its owner Jessica just published the inaugural issue of Reno Style Magazine, which does a great job of styling outfits with affordable options and vintage/thrifted items. Junkees itself is half antiques mall, half used clothing store, and they only accept good quality, non-stinky clothes! Can you imagine a fashionable thrift store with clothes that don't smell of BO and death? I found a great 1940s black dress, a funky vintage sexy-secretary blouse with a very Pop Art flower pattern, and a nearly new 1950s beaded wool cardigan that is going to get a lot of use this winter.

-Vintage Playclothes, Studio City, CA
We've linked to the glorious fashion paradise that is Vintage Playclothes before, and as you may know, it is the go-to store for Hollywood TV and movie wardrobe departments, including the costume designers of Mad Men and The Closer. They even had a party for the Mad Men third season premiere, could you die? Being a modern-sized woman, I've always had trouble finding the lovely vintage clothes my daintier friends could, but Vintage Playclothes has up to size 16 for women. Everything is well curated and very organized. I saw a black and white oversize houndstooth coat from Playclothes in the second to last episode of Mad Men!

-Addison Antiques, Palo Alto, CA
A bit pricier than your average warehouse-sized antiques mall, Addison Antiques caters to the quirky tastes of suburbia. A lot of their vendors' stalls don't change much, while others are continuously turning over and bringing in new, fascinating little items. I've seen a Napoleonic Maltese military hat with medals and huge feathers, Civil War compasses, and bought a sequined bow pin with pearl accent and a freaky little broken babydoll head with a hole in it.

-Reincarnation Vintage Clothing, Pacific Grove, CA
There was a time in my life when sleepy little Victorian fishing town Pacific Grove, California, was the most exciting place to visit. Reincarnation is just a half a block away from Lighthouse Avenue in what is Pacific Grove's historic, residential downtown district, hidden in a row of small restaurants. The owner is a chain-smoking lady who will hand you armfuls of things to try on and accessories to match. Reincarnation has a great selection of truly unique vintage bags and dresses in particular, I still wear two cotton day dresses that are tres Peggy from Mad Men (are we sensing a theme here?), and picked up a crazy straw bag with an owl made entirely of sequins on it. FABULOUS.

-Fabulous Fanny's, New York City, NY
Which brings us across the country to the East Village's notoriously funky vintage glasses destination, Fabulous Fanny's. It's basically the world's greatest closet of amazing vintage glasses from the 1920s through the 1980s, if you want fly sunglasses like all the hip kids are wearing or pearl-inlaid cats-eye frames. It's wall to wall, floor to ceiling glasses, HEAVENLY. Miss C. and I visited one afternoon and while crowded, it's definitely worth it. I must have tried on every pair of frames in the store, and I walked out with a pair of robin's-egg blue cat's-eyes with gold and pearl inlay, and sides that look like birds' wings. They'll even direct you to their preferred optometrist to get your new glasses set with prescription lenses within the same day.

-Housing Works Thrift Shop, New York City, NY
These local non-profit thrift shops are all over the city and are known for celebrities and socialites donating their gently used high fashion goods to benefit low-income housing in NYC. The Upper East Side location on E. 77th Street is particularly fetching, the interior design of the store is pretty much like an Anthropologie, with window displays to match. They always have the greatest furniture and vintage luggage, plus your standard fancy business clothes on the racks!

-Lee Alex Decor, Denver, CO
One of my recent discoveries in Denver on my trip there this past August, Lee Alex Decor is a quiet little treasure trove of midcentury interior design greatness. Immediately upon walking into this shop in an up and coming Williamsburg-esque Baker neighborhood, you face a wall full of every kind of bar and martini-related item your little heart could desire. (Friend of the blog Miss C. was over the moon since they had highball glasses with both medieval knights and card suits on them.) They have a steady Flickr stream (link above) and Twitter feed with all new merchandise and nifty furniture finds you can check out if you don't make it to Denver very often!

-Janakos & Company, Burlingame, CA
A perennial favorite of my boss', Janakos is more of a museum-type store for those of us of more modest means. Excellently curated, with items on display ranging from Art Deco vases to full rows of antique movie theatre seats (oh, be still my heart!!) and Bauhaus-inspired bent wood furniture from midcentury European designers. On weekends, they hold estate and junk sales in an old storefront next door with some interesting, if overpriced, pieces--check out the pins and antique necklace pieces if you stop by. I've picked up cuckoo costume jewelry for a song there. It's dusty, but if you dig with an eye for DIY remakes and design value, you'll find something you love.

-Antiques Unlimited, San Carlos, CA
This is one of those neighborhood places that's been around forever, yet I only just stopped by last week after an afternoon of outdoor skate practice with Jeanne in Belmont. Don't be deterred by the freaky mannequins modeling the vintage clothes in the crazy front window, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I walked straight into the giant African mask section myself. Antiques Unlimited has a condition that all sellers must only have items that are pre-1950s, so my search for tiki items for Miss C. was futile--I did find a couple of fabulous vendors chock full of luxurious furs, vintage skirt-suits, and HATS GALORE. Etsy's Booty Vintage (a.k.a. Anna Newman) had some cards there, although I didn't see any patterns. I found an incredible navy and cream polka-dot skirt suit from the 1950s in perfect condition, it fits like a glove if anything, double-breasted lapel with self-covered buttons...you'd better believe I took one look at the beauty and said, COME TO MOMMA!

Speaking of suits, I love incorporating vintage pieces into my daily wardrobe for work in particular--it breaks up the monotony of black pants, solid top, heels that is so easy to fall into. I came close to pairing the navy and cream polka-dot suit jacket with a pair of wide leg navy/grey herringbone slacks for work the other day, but one look in the mirror had me hearing Tim Gunn say it was "too much look." I say unless you are going full-on retro/vintage in your hair, makeup, eyewear, shoes, whole hog femme fatale, keep your vintage pieces as the highlight to your wardrobe basics.

Jeanne's advice is to shop for accessories, as the old solid real leather handbags, hats, bracelets, and rings, which always a great deal for the quality and style. For years, I watched other girls buying armfuls at Haight Ashbury thrift shops in smoking jealousy, and it's taken me this long to find the few styles, fashion trends, and shops that will suit my taste and fit/size. I know for a fact that you just can't find the quality in beading on a pure wool, made in the U.S.A. cardigan at Macy's like the one I found at Junkee's in Reno. It's a hunt to find the best and brightest of previous generations, but if we don't preserve and celebrate vintage fashion, who will?

(I promise to do a couple of outfit shots with my various vintage scores soon! Keep your eyes peeled, darlings.) Where do you go for a truly unique, fabulous vintage treasure? What do you keep an eye out for at random estate sales in your neighborhood? I am a sucker for ornate Victorian keys and straw/Bakelite handled bags...oh, sweetness! There is a big Art Deco show coming up at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco, December 5-6th, maybe we'll see you all there!

Los Angeles Noir

I have always been fascinated by police, private investigators, and the dark underworlds of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Maybe I just love the 1940s, the World War II angst of the troubled, hard-drinking male detectives who maybe had survivor's guilt, or carried scars of previous battles. I love their plucky female sidekicks, usually the girl-journalists, whose tight little sweaters and sharp wits usually win over the dogged detective...unless he's already head over heels for the requisite femme fatale. See? I even have a copy of Dashiell Hammett's The Continental Op sitting on my bureau right now, waiting for me to finish, um, this other book about crime.

I'd like to think that if I could travel back in time, I would go back to 1940s Los Angeles--the Black Dahlia murder, the Hollywood glamour, the slim suits, the birdcage veils--and I came close, a few months ago. My friend Courtney and I took a roadtrip down from San Francisco (after an epic trip to the ill-fated Tonga Room, and a little roller derby) all the way to LA via Highway 1. We made a point of mapping out all of the LA landmarks we wanted to hit, and the majority of our list was historical: we ate at Musso and Frank Grill (disappointing), Bob's Big Boy (awesome), we took a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House, drove up to the Ennis House, drank cocktails and had tacos in Los Feliz, drove around Silver Lake with jaws dropped, and generally soaked in the fabulous architecture. As badly as I wanted to Dita von Teese it up and dress like a 1940s vixen, it was all shlumpy jeans and t-shirts for us for that magical week. So, to inspire you but mostly myself, I've created a little slideshow of film noir goodies:

The hardboiled film noir detective world of Los Angeles, circa 1925-1950, is the subject of an upcoming coffee table photography book by Catherine Corman. Daylight Noir: Raymond Chandler's Imagined City documents the very real Los Angeles that Raymond Chandler based his noir fiction on, and creates an iconic vision of the mystery and beauty of Chandler's time in LA.
Raymond Chandler may have imagined his hardboiled city around these architectural landmarks, but the noir-ish effects of Los Angeles are still intoxicating. I left thinking that sure, I could live there, but the city of broken dreams is a fairly apt description, don't you think? All those people coming to look for fame and fortune in Hollywood, only to end up as Pilates instructors and waiters...in Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler's time, they were the fallen women and low-life gangsters of Hollywood.

Los Angeles will, I hope, preserve what's left of its glorious, dark, dirty, fabulous noir history. There's just an air in the city that fills me loathing yet draws me back again--obviously, I have no Hollywood dreams, my tastes run more along the lines of driving up Laurel Canyon ogling the amazing houses. (I may have driven around the neighborhood in Studio City where Lee Pace apparently lives, with no luck on that front...we went and had onion rings instead of befriending that adorable man and living happily ever after.) Los Angeles is blinding in its rapid turnover of lost souls, the pervasive wannabe culture with the rare glimpses of the real, everything is fleeting and tenuous at best. I expected to feel nervous and fat in Hollywood, but I found myself to be much more grounded and self-confident than the people I met there. It's easy to imagine the girls who flocked to LA in the 1940s, looking for love and fame on the silver screen. I wish I could capture that spark of history's hopes and dreams in a bottle and wear it as a perfume--it would smell of sunlight, honeysuckle, the sea, and shadows. It's the scent of a city full of people convinced they are on their way to something better.

modern noir by periodicstyle featuring Revamp Vintage

I just couldn't help myself but to make a little Polyvore palette to inspire myself--I love all of those pulp novel covers. In terms of 20th century fashion history, you could make a case that American fashion was never so politically driven as in the 1940s. Women gave up their silks for nylon and rayon to support the war effort, cut down the shape of their dresses and separates to ration fabric and notions (thus was born the huge-skirted 1950s New Look as recovery), and went to work looking as smart as their husbands, brothers, and fathers. It was a era of advancement for women, strength, and struggle. We still have a lot to learn from America's past, in fact and fiction, it's worth the dignity of preservation and value.

For now, I want to go back to LA and put together my own (driving) tour of Ms. Corman's Raymond Chandler sites--check out her website above for Daylight Noir, where she's paired black and white photographs with snippets of classic Chandler.

I'm on a lake!

I'm officially on vacation! (I really wanted/asked for a laptop-free vacation -- I fulfilled my part, by not bringing *my* laptop but my parents brought theirs and here I am, sitting on "Big George's Network". Sorry, Big George. This is the only time I'll be swiping your wifi, I swear.)

I'm at the lovely Lake Tahoe, yearly vacation site of my youth, up in the Sierra Nevada. So far so good, but here are a couple of highlights:

- I got sunburned (again). This is what happens when you go outside! The sun! I did not bring the Birdy's Botanicals hydration lotion, so I've got a giant bottle of aloe the color of blue raspberry jello.

- I was told, in the car, that we would be going bicycling (and possibly hiking). I, planning for a week of beach time, beach time, and beach time, brought four pairs of sandals. Needless to say, there was some quick work of "where can we find basic sneakers??" done, and I came away with a pair of Vans oxfords from a board shop. ("If they sell snowboards, they have to have Vans!")

- I have not been eaten by a bear. (Yet.) Always a plus.

- I forgot that high altitude makes chip bags puff up and tubed beauty products squirt everywhere. (!!) Ladies in places like Denver, how do you deal?

- I spent easily a couple of hours on a boat and didn't even realize -- I'M ON A BOAT:



I'm about to head out to the beach, and I probably won't be checking in again until after I'm back from the mountains, but until then, have a great week!

image from the_tahoe_guy on flickr

Science Fair for June 2nd-7th

This week, I'm avoiding the extreme weather by catching up on TV shows I've missed out on in the last few years, like Freaks and Geeks and Gordon Ramsay's plethora of programming. I just can't get enough of that John Francis Daley and the abrasive but strangely pleasing Gordon Ramsay, my goodness.

I haven't had a lot of time lately to catch up on my favorite blogs or really contribute to this one, but I have discovered a few new favorites to share--isn't that the great thing about blogging? No real content, just "hey! check out this interesting so-and-so!" I love it.

-First up is the newly discovered Midtown Lunch, which as you can imagine, covers only one thing: where to find great food in Midtown Manhattan. It's my new guilty pleasure at work when mornings are slow (or I'm just slow in the morning, it happens) to check out what everyone else is eating in midtown. Seems to me that Midtown East, where I work, is even more of a wasteland than everywhere else! Still, I've found some great places for lunch, gathering intel from Yelp and even from a lady in line for the Treats Truck.

-Second is the ingenious Ikea Hacker. As many of us youngsters do, I furnished my first apartment with all Ikea furniture and scrounged from my family a bit. I'm not so creative with furniture--barely able to put together the furniture as it comes--but the hacks some people submit are crazy! Hidden TV screens, moving room dividers, chairs out of bathroom sinks, lamps out of wastebaskets! Truly inspirational, if you love design and tinkering.

-Third, I have new glasses! Well, truthfully, new glasses and new sunglasses. I was in desperate need for new sunglasses since the frames I got two years ago at my HMO optical place are absolutely crap-tastic. Now, I have these frames from LaFont for my regular, everyday glasses and these from L.A. Eyeworks as new sunglasses. I am still getting used to the LaFonts, they are definitely different from my one-of-a-kind, vintage-inspires grey and black cat's-eyes I've had for two years. Glasses do wear out, though, and I am so ready for a change!

-Fourth, I love Ciao Bella gelato. I get quite excited when I see it in the grocery store (and it has to be a bit of a fancy grocery store, which is also exciting for a pretentious glutton like me). They have new flavors out for the summer, in addition to my old favorite, their green tea with white chocolate chunks. Yum yum yum. I am a big ol' softie when it comes to graham cracker crusts, not to mention cookie crusts or even just regular pie crust. Mmm. So, of course I have gone out and tried Ciao Bella's two new cookie flavors for Summer 2008 for you, dear readers--the Key Lime & Graham Cracker Swirl and the Maple Ginger Snap. The key lime is not as tart as a key lime pie filling, but is a pleasingly smooth, creamy combination of sharp citrus notes and good old fresh cream. The graham cracker swirl is more of a well-distributed graham cracker dust, which is delightful for my inner child, who wants every bite of her food to have even flavor distribution. The Maple Ginger Snap is great, all warm and spicy, I bet it would be amazing on some apple or pumpkin pie a la mode, just to be decadent. Look at me, this heatwave is making me into an ice cream connoisseur!

-Fifth, I've had a tragedy involving my stove/oven unit this week. Long story short, the gas to my stove and oven has been shut off, so all I have to work with is a toaster and a small rice cooker. (No microwave! Damn sublet, who doesn't have a microwave in this day and age?) Obviously, I can just eat out all the time, but seriously, I am not made of money. I'm stuck making salads, sandwiches and rice for the rest of the summer, unless you can help! Any ideas for no-cook meals?

-Sixth, Newsweek has put out an intriguing feature article on the influence of the economy on fashion, and vice versa. Time to dust off that basic econ course you took way back when, but use it to think about mini versus maxi-length skirts! (This week's edition also has an interesting piece on Afghanistan's lost treasures, for those of you who, like me, harbor secret dreams of being archaeologists.)

-Seventh, this new Tokyu Fukutoshin subway line in Tokyo is totally exciting. You have no idea. Like Gwen Stefani (homegirl gaffled my styles), my heart lives in Tokyo--I seriously have three t-shirts with "I <3 [insert district of Tokyo here]" printed on them. Tokyo Metro was just breaking ground on the Fukutoshin Line when I was studying in Tokyo in 2004, part of the new line will replace an old rickety rail running from Ikebukuro through Zoushigaya (where I used to live! In a dorm!) and south to Shibuya. It's going to be amazing. The best part about all the new subway lines is the shiny new cars--last summer, half of the JR Yamanote line was covered in cherry blossoms for the special-edition cherry blossom-flavored white chocolate Kit-Kat. (The matcha flavored Kit-Kats also taste like baby angels made of clouds and sunshine.)

-Eighth, are you neurotic? Reading other people's nervous tics and obsessive-compulsive habits has me torn between feeling totally normal and nervous that I am, in fact, bonkers. I think the only neurotic thing I do is worry about the number of stairs in a staircase--I have long legs, and like to go up stairs two at a time--so much so that when choosing colleges, I counted and tested the staircases on campuses. Obviously, I chose the college with an even number of steps, and it pleased me immensely.

Well, I'm off to watch more television and prepare for another work week. Have a great week, everyone, try to stay cool!

Viva Lost Wages!

I have had an extremely busy weekend -- there was excellent thrift luck to be had in the Mission, an awesome tech party on Saturday, and CupcakeCamp on Sunday. (Here's an elusive photo of me sans sunglasses with my newly thrifted jacket and a tiny delicious cupcake.)

Needless to say, while there's always something neat going on in San Francisco/Silicon Valley, I'm going to be heading out of town again! This weekend I'm headed down to Las Vegas with my family and the boyfriend, and I'm pretty excited! I've only been to Las Vegas once, and I was nineteen -- alas, too young to really take part in Las Vegas. I don't think I'll really be gambling much, though -- my concern is the shopping! (Las Vegas Sephoras are open until eleven PM or midnight! Amazing!!)

And, as we're really heading into summer, everyone's talking about packing for traveling! The newest edition of The Beauty Ideal has a whole bunch of articles on beauty on-the-go, especially the ones written by
Jamie of The Beauty of Life and Lilan of Daily Cookie. There's also hints on packing a carry-on at Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog today, too. (She recommends the Bliss Travel/Trial essentials, which I have and I love. Definitely going in my bag.)

So I know I'm squared away with my beauty products, but what about fashion? The last time I was in Las Vegas, I packed one pair of flip-flops. Total. And they broke. I had to go to a Rite-Aid (!) and buy a pair of platform (!!) backless (!!!) sneakers (!!!!) in order to have a non-broken pair of shoes. As the Manolo would say, Ayyyy! So I'll definitely be avoiding that this time. (I don't even know where those shoes are now. Long gone, to say the least.) Still, I don't know what the weather will be like (besides, um, hot), and shoes are still going to be an issue, as I don't want to clomp around in sneakers or break my ankle (or a flip-flop).

I'm also thinking of getting a new swimsuit, since I do plan on spending a little bit of time by the pool, but a. I don't really need one and b. I could use a little help with some ideas...

What do you suggest for jetting off to Vegas for a weekend? I'm thinking cute sundresses, but I'd love to hear what you have to think, especially if you have experience with Vegas in June. (I also need some suggestions on new toenail polish colors!)

And if you're thinking of going to Vegas yourself, check out LUSH's new Viva LUSH Vegas contest and gift set -- if you buy the gift set and redeem the code that comes with it, you can be entered to win a trip to Las Vegas for a LUSH opening. (And even if you don't win, you now have a shiny box of LUSH stuff! Which is just as good! Maybe!)

image from usa.lush.com

Extra Credit: Top Ten Basics

I do love a good challenge! And so when Susan Wagner asked for bloggers to contribute their top ten basics, not only did I have to answer with my list, but I asked Kati and Karen to contribute their favorites, too. So technically it's thirty basics... with a ton of overlap!

Jeanne's Top Ten Basics:

I approached this by thinking about what I packed to wear in both Europe and Japan this past year -- in looking through my photos, you can definitely see what I picked to wear. (Check me out by Big Ben!)

These are things I'd wear to the office and basically every day; I also considered the factor of mixing and matching, like if you're on a trip and suitcase space is at a minimum.

- solid color tops -- sleeveless, short-sleeved, or long-sleeved. I have several of the "Perfect Fit" tees and tanks from Old Navy in various colors and various sleeve lengths. You can always get them in white and black, but I like colors like navy and raspberry, too.
- tunic-length or longer tops -- I have a couple of long striped shirts from the Gap (as seen above, naturally!) that I wear all the time. While technically not a tunic, and really a mini-dress, I have a deep love for the American Apparel fine jersey leisure dress, which is basically a very long polo shirt. Great for wearing over jeans or, if you're feeling bold, over tights. I also like gauzy tops for the summer; I know Karen's not a fan of tunics, but I love them.
- dark jeans -- particularly if they're black/dark denim and skinny or straight-leg. I live in my jeans, and if they're dark, they're easier to dress up. I do like the skinny jeans look, but again, that's my preference.
- black sneakers -- I wear Saucony sneakers, but it used to be Converse. I'm not a huge fan of white running shoes (I think they make my feet look big!), so I go for more of the dark casual sneaker look.
- cardigans in basic solid colors -- I covered the need for a cardigan in my quick and dirty business casual post, but just to reiterate: solid cardigans are awesome.
- black sheer jersey shirred knee-length skirt from American Apparel -- I'm not a big skirt wearer, but I love my jersey skirt from AA. It's soft, comfortable, and cute; it's like wearing yoga pants, but it's a skirt! I wore this all over Europe and to Japan, including to Nara, where I was antlered by a deer while wearing this skirt. True story.
- nude or black camisoles -- Always good to have on hand, especially if you're wearing a gauzy tunic.
- black heeled Mary Janes -- Dresses up the dark jeans, goes with the skirt, and pretty much go with everything.
- opaque tights -- Do I really need to tell you how much we love our opaque tights, particularly the colorful ones? Great for under your leisure dress or your jersey skirt.
- flats that aren't sneakers -- these can be ballet flats, can be sandals, but they MUST be comfortable for walking in. I brought so many cute shoes in my suitcase to Europe, thinking of how cute I would be walking around Paris, and wound up in Converse the whole time because my feet were so blistered. For Japan, I brought my navy Saltwater sandals. I know, I know, both the Manolo and FabSugar have declared them ugly, but if we're not allowed to wear flip-flops as our casual sandals, what are we allowed to wear? Either way, comfortable casual flats are on my list.

Kati's Top Ten Basics: (Jeanne: Remember, Kati covered her travel must-haves in July!)

- Black v-neck anything (sweaters, tees, tanks, you name it, it gets worn.)
- Purple/grey striped wrap dress from Charlotte Russe (this is my favorite day-time dress, I wear it a lot.)
- CONVERSE.
- Hoodies, esp. of the zip up variety (it rains a lot here, hoods are vital)
- My turquoise 3/4 length sleeve cardi. (it goes with all the black and makes my skin and eyes pop!, works for work and casual time.)
- Headbands (easiest way to look like I care about my clothing ever.)
- Enell sports bra (I don't know how I worked out before I had this.)
- Jeans that fit
- My trusty Old Navy black tights (I have had these for YEARS and they are still not dead.)
- Boots (flat, heeled, ankle, knee, black, brown, whatever. Love them all, and they can pull together an outfit like no other.)

Karen's Top Ten Basics:

- A great pair of glasses, plus sunglasses for the horrible light of day. Other accessories need not apply -- sometimes a necklace will slip through the cracks.
- Ribbed cotton tank tops (mostly from Old Navy, oh the colors!) for working out and as undershirts.
- Long sleeve, solid saturated color crewneck shirts (Target's Mossimo line has a good rotation of varying styles and colors).
- Warm but light cardigan or V-neck sweater for colder, almost-spring days.
- A-line skirts, too many in black and a few in colors or patterns. I have a kooky vintage grass-green A-line wrap skirt with white rick-rack trim and white lace pockets on the front, purchased of $5 at the Garment District in Boston. Simple A-line skirts are a nice, safe way to spice up your casual wardrobe.
- Solid tights in brown, black, and grey. H&M puts out passable "hipster" black tights with a nice soft, low waistband -- I've already worn through about six pairs this winter.
- Straight-leg slacks in brown, black, and grey. I vary on the straight-leg theme by going with wide-leg for a more Annie Hall look.
- Comfortable non-athletic sneakers. These can be some cutesy-wutesy sugary sneaker-style flats, Converse, or even just some grimy old gym shoes you schlump around to the grocery store in when you have the flu. Your feet, knees, hips, calves, and back will thank you in twenty years' time, I promise!
- Sturdy, low-heeled pumps. It has been said that I sometimes dress like a World War II-era German schoolmarm (see above: A-line skirts, black, brown, and grey, etc.), but nothing works for a lazy office outfit like 1.5-inch wooden heeled shoes do. Always helps to be able to walk those ten blocks in an emergency because of a subway shutdown without blisters and arch spasms.
- UNDERWEAR. Hello. How basic, am I right? If I have cash to burn, I'll do a little splurging at the Gap Body store and get their black cotton hipsters, so comfy! They're a little pricier, but worth it for their durability and kind sizing -- who knew I was a size M in undies?

We're all different girls in different places with different bodies, but some things are clearly universal -- and that's why they're our basics!

images from periodicstyle.blogspot.com and store.americanapparel.net

Ready to go?

Ah, yet another trip for me where I lugged around a lot of cosmetics and found that I really only relied on the basics. What made my trip to Japan different, however, was that I purposefully didn't bring any of my special/limited-edition items for fear of losing or breaking them. This means my beautiful new Smoking Eyes quad stayed home.

So it was a good excuse to get reacquainted with some of the things in my make-up kit that I don't use on a regular basis. Instead of bringing my Tarte cheekstain this go-round, as it got super-melty the last trip I went on (nooooo! also, unacceptable for hot'n'humid Japan), I brought Smashbox Skin Tint in "Heat". Great for putting on under bronzer, this is a near match to the DuWop cream blush in the June Bronzerush, but with the added benefit of not getting icky due to finger-swiping (mine appears to be full of lint -- um, ew?). I also found that my powder didn't rub off onto the Skin Tint as much as it does to the gel Tarte cheekstain, which was unappealing. Since I like applying it directly to the cheek versus swiping it onto my fingers and then to my cheek (granted, it gets on my fingers either way -- I just like blending it with fingers versus applying it), I was pleased that it didn't suddenly turn beige a la Tarte.

I also brought a new shiny toy, because why not? Alas, this didn't make it out of the bag in Japan, but I've already used it at home for going out. If you haven't already heard about NARS putting out their Multiple (lips, cheeks, eyes) in their famous shade "Orgasm", well then. I bought this when I should have been saving for Japan, but I knew I had to have it, and had been waiting for this since I first heard about it months before (from, I believe, Beauty Addict). While I haven't used it on my eyes yet, and I think it might be too pale for my lips, it's a great cheekbone highlight on top of bronzer and (surprise) Heat. Great for stashing in the bag for some extra night-time glow after work.

So now that I'm back from Japan, and back to earning a regular paycheck, you can expect to be hearing more from me (hopefully). Things I'm looking forward to picking up once the funds start flowing in again: no! no! from Sephora (has anybody reviewed this? at all? because I really, really want it), P.S. Kiss from Lancome (already on its way to me!), and getting ready for the holidays! Can you believe it's already October again? Any plans for super-awesome Halloween costumes?

Both Smashbox Skin Tint and NARS The Multiple can be found at your local Sephora or Sephora.com; the Multiple in Orgasm is a Sephora exclusive.

images from sephora.com

Postcards from Japan

Dear everyone,

Sorry to have posted in a while, but you see, I am in Tokyo. There was a little issue of not being allowed to post on blogs at work, and the no-internet-at-home thing, but all has been resolved and I am back in the game. I'm sure you're expecting the usual tourist-y OH MY GOD YOU GUYS I AM IN TOKYO photo-journal post, but I'm so, so sorry. Unfortunately for you, I am as they say at my workplace, an "old Japan-hand" AND terrible at taking photos. That said, it's great being back here and I am braving the brain-scrambling/hairstyle-ruining humidity to take photos of my favorite places in Japan. The above photo is remarkably un-Japan-ish, you might say, but ah! Ah! That is me, sitting next to the conveniently larger horn-playing statue, in Kobe's Kitano neighborhood.

Kobe (yes, Kobe Bryant is named after it) is one of those cities that was irreparably burned to a crisp by U.S. planes (sorry) during World War II, subsequently pretty much crushed in the Great Hanshin Earthquake a few years ago, but manages to be vibrant and gorgeous throughout. The Kitano area was spared U.S. firebombing because of its historical significance--it's where all the foreign merchants and diplomants lived since Japan opened up to Western trade and influence. Many of the houses have been preserved in their Victorian/Meiji-era condition and are now owned by the city, so it's a wonderful blast-from-the-past sort of cutesy Euro-hood. I love that part of Japan, and Kobe in particular...it's still traditionally Japanese but with the most fascinating Western influence, like women wearing Victorian high-necked dresses with bustles, but made out of kimono fabric. AWESOME.

Of course, Kitano is just one enclave of "old" Japan left. If you walk down the hill to Sannomiya, you're in downtown Kobe (all rebuilt since the earthquake AND war), but head back up towards the old railway station next to the ruins of the castle and there is an old, dingy, formerly black market area that sells little old toys and things American GIs would hawk. Everywhere else is, as you might imagine, neon lights and dancing girls and robots. Seriously. It's getting harder and harder to find areas of Tokyo and Kobe that aren't all TV screens and automated drink dispensers and department stores groaning under the weight of shoppers chasing after that Louis Vuitton overnight bag.

Back in Tokyo, there is another neighborhood lost in time--Shimokitazawa. My heart aches to tell the world about it, but since my last visit, someone's spilled the beans because my beloved Shimokita was just full to the brim with confused-looking tourists. Shimokita, as those who know and love it say, is a funky little area to the west of Shinjuku where Vietnam War protestors and jazz artists hung out back in the day, sort of a rabbit-warren beat poet sort of version of Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood. Nowadays, it's all used/vintage clothing stores, record shops, cafes, boutiques, and ethnic restaurants. There's been a huge revival in the area of Shimokita history, all the jazz bars that have been around since the 1970s and funky-hippie shops pulling ahead of the brand-name boutiques. When I was a student here, I spent a lot of time sitting in Shimokita's cafes and buying hat after hat, plus some bags. It is just too cute. Unfortunately, the city is trying to mow down a good bit of the neighborhood to put in a highway. We may lose the Williamsburg of Tokyo, people!

More half-assed photos of Japan later. If you're curious, my sunglasses are Kate Spade, tank top from Uniqlo, pants from Old Navy, and shoes by BC footwear. Not that it matters.

Love,
Karen

My Top Five Travel Must Haves: Clothing Edition

So by now you all have read all about my beauty must haves. Here's the list of clothing to complement them. This list is going to differ a little from the beauty favorites in that this is a general list of articles of clothing that will take you everywhere you need to go. While I will mention my personal picks for each piece, since clothing is notoriously difficult to fit and we all have vastly different body types, I'll leave the individual fit preferences up to you guys. These are just the items that I think every suitcase needs.

Well-fitting tanks in differing colors:
I have tons of old navy ribbed tanks in different colors. They're super cheap on sale (2 for ten bucks, hello!) and they're modest enough to wear to work, without being frumpy and high necked and boring. And it's easy to throw on a hoodie or cute cardigan when it's cold and still be stylish. They're just so easy and cute and cheap, which is my absolute must for any wardrobe staple.

A pair of dark rinse blue jeans, and one in a lighter rinse:
Jeans are pretty much universal where ever I end up traveling. (and I've been to a lot of places.) I would recommend the classic pair- straight-legged or slight boot cut, just below the navel, and well fitting- because it never goes out of style. The dark rinse can dress everything up, and the lighter rinse is great for action-adventure days (hiking, horseback riding, open-air market shopping.) Plus, you always want to have more than one pair of pants. Trust me on this.

As far as brands go, everyone has their own brand that fits them best, so check out zafu.com and truejeans.com for a better idea of brands to check out.

Comfy chic flats:
I know, I know. We've all wandered around Europe in our Converse. I mean, David Tennent wanders about the Universe in his. But the fact still remains that Converse are a tomboyish shoe if you're a girl, and really don't have that much cushioning. It's a hard habit to break, but someone has to advocate for the flats. Otherwise we're all going to be wearing Converse by 2020 and the cute shoe industry will die up and my BC flats with the one inch wedge heel actually have better cushioning than my Converse. Yes, I said it.

Now go find some cute shoes, you crazy hipster. (and put down the leggings, for pete's sake.)

Sundresses:
A good sundress can take you from day to night with a minimal of accessory changes. You want something that is comfortable and flattering, and for one-stop casual dress shopping, I've yet to find a store better than Charlotte Russe. Every time I walk in there, I find a cute dress to take home. It's gotten to the point where I have to stop walking in there since I currently have more dresses than I wear on a regular basis (yeah, I totally dress like a tomboy most of the time.) But they're so cheap yet adorable. I just can't help myself.

A light-weight hoodie, and a cute cardigan:
And finally, where would you be without a good sweater? Fashionwise, I should just be advocating for the cardigan, which is a super versatile piece- chic during the day and night- but my little Northwestern heart demands practicality. Who wants to drag an umbrella everywhere? Not me. And hoods also come in handy when you're trekking across windy plains and you don't want to mess up your hair completely.


And don't forget to pack your accessories!

image from http://www.charlotterusse.com/.

My Top Five Travel Must Haves: Beauty Edition

One of my good friends is jaunting off to England for a couple of months, and while assisting her in wardrobe selections over the weekend, I started thinking about what clothes and beauty products are essentials to me, and would get packed in my own suitcase no matter what. I am a total low maintenance girl, and usually, these five picks are all the product I wear on a daily basis. Yeah. You heard me. This is it!*

In no particular order:

1. Purity Made Simple Cleanser
This is a recent addition to the routine. I've avoided cleansers for years, because every single one made me break out. I felt like, "why bother? I'll deal with the once a month breakouts and skip that step." But every so often I'd get the desire to try again. Everyone is so adamant that washing your face is deathly important and just water won't cut it. Which, by the way, it will- But this stuff is better. I use it every morning in a shower, and there was a huge difference in my skin this month. I feel like one of those clearisil ads- clean, clear and under control.

2. Lush Moisturizers (Celestials for face, Dream Cream for body)
It's no secret that I love Lush. I have mild eczema, which for me means moisturizing every day, unless I want scary rashes and red patches. No thanks! But until my friend Jennie introduced me to Lush three years ago, I had the hardest time finding products that a) moisturized enough, b) didn't have a ton of irritants, and c) didn't leave that icky greasy feeling, and d) I liked the smell of. Celestials smells like vanilla frosting, (yum!) and the only time it gets greasy is if I put way too much on and it's hot outside. It really is my favorite.

3. Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock
I'm all Northern European Ancestry, all the way back. Which means I burn like a lobster anytime I get near the sun. Luckily, I'm not all Irish so I do eventually tan. But in the meantime, who wants to look like a lobster? Not me. This stuff is the best. I don't break out using it, the sunscreen smell is really faint, and it rated top of the Consumer Reports sunscreen test this year for protection. It's kind of expensive for Sunscreen, but Target often has it on sale, and seriously? I am wearing it everyday now because it doesn't make me breakout. Not getting skin cancer is worth it.

4. Softlips Chapstick
Softlips has been my go to chapstick since I was a Freshman in high school. It's comparable to Burtsbees or Natural Ice chapsticks- fun and tingly, but it comes in a slim tube, which is great for stuffing in girly tight pockets. They've also just boosted the SPF to 20 from 15, so everybody wins. And they make a French Vanilla flavor, which will forever endear them to me.

5. Boots no.7 Tinted Moisturizer, Boots no.7 Longer Lashes Mascara (tie.)
I don't use either of these every day, but I use them often enough that at least one of them needs to make it on the list. I like the tinted moisturizer to cut down on redness if I've gotten a little too much sun- or for a little added sunscreen protection if I don't want to use the Neutrogena that day. And as I've blogged about before, Boots no.7 Mascara is my absolute favorite mascara. It's not great for super-intense eye looks, but it's perfect for everyday, and won't clump or smear off even on your lower lashes.

YES. EVEN YOUR LOWER LASHES CAN WEAR IT.

And of course they're British, which means all their products suit my complexion really well. Good work, Boots.

Next in the series? My summer wardrobe staples that would go in my suitcase no matter what.

Where to buy: 1 can be found at sephora.com, 2 can be found at lush.com, 3-5 at your local target.

*Obviously I have just outed myself as the worst beauty blogger ever, and will be banished to posts about tv and music from now on.


Images from sephora.com and drugstore.com

2 Beautiful 2 B in America?

I admit to being a little late on the Lush bandwagon. It's taken me a couple of trips to the store, a couple of times trying things out, and a couple of mishaps by not remembering if it's a soap or a massage bar I've got in my little plastic bag. (Note: When water starts beading up on you in the tub, it's not soap.) But slowly and surely, with some help from Kati, I've been building up my Lush collection. I love the Floating Island bath melts, and I've switched to Angels on Bare Skin for my evening face wash with great results.

So what's missing? The beauty line, clearly -- why not a beauty line with the same principles of Lush? Surprise! There is one -- B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful. With highly pigmented (!) vegan (!!) products and amazing packaging (part of the fun of picking out your eyeshadow is picking out the case it's in), the two London stores are bursting with color and style. Alas, there are only the two London stores as well as a store in Poole. While the online shop ships to the US, it's at a hefty price -- the equivalent of $50 to ship one eyeshadow to California.

Cross your fingers and hope that Lush expands out this line; surely the worldwide success of their bath and body products will make them realize that their cosmetics should spread out and conquer, too.

Until then, you can find B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful at their London shops in Covent Garden and Carnaby Street, their Poole shop, and online at BNeverTooBusyToBeBeautiful.com. Sigh.

image from bnevertoobusytobebeautiful.com

Keeping the suitcase light!

I have returned from Europe, having lugged a nearly-50 pound suitcase around Paris, Belgium, and London -- long story short, I found I only really wore one pair of shoes (lesson learned: break in all shoes before traveling!) and all of the make-up I toted around went unworn except for the following essentials. What's more, they're all great for summer. (Did spring just not happen this year?)

1. Jonathan Product's Redo Freshen-Up Mist for Hair & Skin

I must admit, I do not much like showering in places that are not my own shower or sitting in bathtubs that are not my own. Having short hair, I can get away with not washing it every day (sounds gross, but it's actually better for you -- overwashing strips your hair of natural oils and kicks it into over-producing oil. Vicious cycle!). But sometimes you need to freshen up your hair without jumping in the shower, like when you're heading out the door. While I also bought some delicious-smelling hair powder to blot my hair, I found that I've really been relying on Jonathan Product's Redo spray at home and on the road. Sometimes I wake up with my hair going every which way and there's just enough time to spritz my roots and smoothe down my hair.

2. Fresh Soy Face Cleanser Makeup Remover

When I'm home, I tend to have a set routine for my face if it's a good night and I've got time to scrub, tone, mask, and moisturize. But sometimes, when you're coming home too late and you've got make-up on and all you want to do is wash your face and go to sleep, you've got to have a back-up plan. This was the only cleanser I used, morning and night, in Europe, and it's increasingly become my reliable buddy on my make-up-wearing nights. Just put it on your dry face (hooray! one more step you don't have to do!) and rinse it off. Sometimes I've found that I need an additional eye make-up remover for mascara and eyeliner (I use Almay pads), but it takes care of everything else. Easy and quick!


3. Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15

Let me tell you about my friend, Sam. Sam is the most well-put together girl I know and has been for as long as I can remember. I was walking up the street in Paris, on my way to her apartment, when I saw a girl from behind with such jaunty hair and such a swing in her step that I thought, "That girl reminds me of Sam." Sure enough, when she turned around, it was indeed Sam. When Sam asked for a care package from home, this was in it. This has been my daily moisturizer (except for days when I need more coverage, then I go for DuWop's Revolotion Face) for almost a year now. It's noncomedogenic (hooray!) and has a slight bit of shimmer to give you a bit of a glow. I put this on, let it set in while I brush my teeth, and then put on my cheek stain for the day.

4. Tarte Cheek Stain for Cheeks, Flush

Speaking of cheek stain, this is my travel buddy cheek stain. When I'm at home, I use Benefit's Benetint, but when I'm jaunting off, I don't like carrying around a little glass bottle (my first Benetint was knocked off the counter and smashed) with an easily breakable lid (if you try to twist it too tightly to prevent spilling, it can snap) and what is basically liquid dye. Probably not the best thing to put in your suitcase, right? But Tarte's cheek stain is a fairly-solid gel, so no spilling, no worries about security, and the color is great. It's easy to apply and blend (though you may get some under your nails!) and, of course, easy to pack. It also comes in lots of colors, versus the one pink of Benetint, but I find Flush to be the one I like best.

5. Mascara, eyeliner, and tinted lip balm

I brought so much eyeshadow and lip gloss that I wound up not needing, it's a shame. While I wanted to look good in Paris, I also discovered that I didn't need to overload on the product, and that a simple, fresh look with only mascara, eyeliner, and tinted lip balm (plus said sunscreen and cheek tint!) worked best. While you may find you need more product, summer's coming and nothing's worse than a melting face, especially if you're taking lots of pictures. I use Fresh's SuperNova mascara, but an equally good (and much cheaper!) mascara is CoverGirl Lash Exact. Yes, the one that Joanie, Danielle, and Jade had to do their commercials for. ANTM made me buy it. Besides, would Queen Latifah lie to me?

I've already talked about my Benefit sable eyepencil before, so there's nothing new there. And I've already told you that the one problem I have with Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers is the lack of SPF. Luckily, TerraTints from Alba Botanica are practically the same thing -- right down to the peppermint -- but with added SPF. Hallelujah! I've been using Bloom, but there are six shades in all.

Keep it easy and light this summer, both in your bag and on your face! All of these products can be found at Drugstore.com/Beauty.com.

images from beauty.com/drugstore.com and albabotanica.com

Au revoir until May!

Earlier this year, my mother and I went to a double-feature of An American in Paris and Singin' in the Rain. She leaned over to me at the beginning of An American in Paris, during the stock footage of Paris, and said, "Just think, you're going to be there!" I whispered back, "I think it's filmed on a soundstage!" Which it was, of course, but that didn't make the reality that I'd be in Paris any less true. (And just look at Leslie Caron's New Look outfit!)

Tomorrow I'm finally heading off on my two-week trip to Paris, Antwerp, and London. I've got a brand-new big suitcase, my Brooklyn-bought blue trenchcoat, black eyeliner (Urban Decay's 24/7, naturally, in Zero), red lipgloss/balm (Lancome Juicy Tubes in "Cherry Burst" and C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint in 1138), and French lessons on my iPod Nano. I haven't packed a thing, but I've certainly got a list of what will go in that new big suitcase for the way there. I'm definitely planning on having more things in it on the way back.

Thanks to Susie at Style Bubble, I am set for London shopping for days, especially as I arrive in London the same day Kate Moss' Topshop collection launches. I may have an inside peek at Prada while I am in Paris (it's all about connections!), and I am definitely planning on a trip to Versailles as well as to the Champs-Elysees Sephora.

I'm leaving the laptop behind in America, as there is just too much goodness in Europe for me to distract myself with the internets. I leave the blog to Mlles Kati and Karen, and I will be back in May with pictures, stories, and finds!

Au revoir!

image from filmreference.com

Bonjour, darlings!

I am now less than two weeks away from jetting off to Paris and London, and so the beauty buying has (regrettably!) stopped until I hit international shores. I already have a full shopping cart at Beauty.com waiting for my return, when I am allowing myself to start buying things again.

But ah, one must prepare one's self for a trip abroad! And for a trip to France, what better than French perfume? Crazylibellule and the Poppies is an excellent little brand of solid perfumes that easily fit in your purse, your pocket, or your carry-on bag -- they're no bigger than a lipstick or lipgloss. I've brought them to work and out dancing.

Because they're solid, there's no worry of spilling liquid or breaking glass in your bag. My purse still smells like the Bond no. 9 sample cards I got in New York -- and I didn't even put the cards in this purse! (The scent was absorbed by my calendar and Moleskine notebook, and so when I transferred those to my new purse, they transferred the scent too.) And, with luggage restrictions on liquids as well as general packing space, it's great to have something portable and non-fragile. On my return from New York, I dreaded the thought that my perfumes would be smashed on my checked luggage, yet knew I couldn't carry them on either.

In addition, they stay close to your skin -- perfect for when you want someone close up to you to smell you, instead of overwhelming the entire office or dance floor with perfume. As someone who's very sensitive to other people's perfume, I try to keep my coworkers in mind when I do decide to wear fragrance to work. I had a close call at the San Francisco ballet when an already-strong perfume offender felt the need to touch up (and by touch up, I mean "take a bath in") her perfume at intermission. Nobody likes that.

So what scents do I recommend? There are three collections, and I own two scents from two of the collections. From Shanghaijava, the first collection, I have Blue Orchidee and Ananas Imperial -- Blue Orchidee is a great go-to scent for me, while Ananas Imperial is a juicy tropical one I'm hanging onto for this summer. From the newer collection, Les Divines Alcoves, I have Amoureuse and Aux Anges; today I'm wearing Amoureuse, a warm spicy rose, while Aux Anges is very similar to Blue Orchidee, but in a sweeter, more floral way for spring.

For more reviews besides "it smells pretty and doesn't break!!", check out the reviews at Now Smell This and Bois de Jasmin for the Les Divines Alcoves perfumes (the entries also contain links to their Shanghaijava reviews).

I've ordered my fragrances from La Creme Beauty, which is based in Seattle (and gives out free samples with your order!), but you can also purchase Crazylibellule and the Poppies at b-glowing.com and BeautyHabit.com. In addition, you can find the Shanghaijava collection at Anthropologie.

Ooh la la!

images from b-glowing.com

New York finds!

I have returned from New York and the shopping was great!

First things first, I did manage to make my way to both the Bond boutique (on Bond Street! with the Bond car parked out in front!) and to Barneys on Madison Avenue, just as I'd planned. I picked up two fragrances from Bond, where I was helped by Blogdorf Goodman's favorite, Shawn. I picked out Eau de New York (neroli, white lily, vetiver), as it reminds me of a grown-up version of Demeter's Tomato. Shawn also helped me pick out So New York (mirabelle plum, chocolate, espresso). I came away with two one-ounce bottles, instead of the big fancy Bond bottles, because I needed the space in my suitcase, after all!

Then it was on to Barneys on a drizzly day, where I went to the Frederic Malle counter first -- it's hard to miss it with those red-trimmed air tubes running from floor to ceiling. I was helped by a very kind store assistant (very kind -- I was wet from the rain and running around in my snazzy-yet-not-New-York-snazzy Converse) who shared several scents with me, but Bigarade Concentree is the one I came home with -- bitter orange with some additional notes of cedar and rose. It's a very interesting, just-on-the-femme-side of unisex, scent that stays close to the skin. I like it quite a lot -- not enough to get the matching shower gel and body lotion, but I do like it. On thinking about it, it's like a lighter, more feminine version of Terre D'Hermes, which I gave my brother for Christmas. (Edited to add: As well it should -- both were created by Jean-Claude Ellena! Which, silly me, I didn't realize until I googled "Jean-Claude Ellena" and realized he's the man behind Hermes' fragrances.)

Then I went to the Lipstick Queen/Fresh counter, where the darling Sheryl helped me pick out the right shade of lipstick. Lipstick Queen is a very small collection of twenty lipsticks: ten shades, two formulas. The "Saint" formula is 10% pigment, while the "Sinner" formula is 90% pigment. I bought Saint Natural, which is the perfect "my lips but better" lipstick for wearing to work. The lipstick is great and moisturizing (I wore it when running around on Canal Street on Saturday in the slush!), and the packaging is lovely too. Sheryl also introduced me to Fresh's face wash (and I'm a sucker for a good face wash) and Supernova mascara (and a sucker for a great mascara), so, while they're not New York exclusives, I'm glad to know I can pick those up at my local Sephora.

I will say this, though: I'm absolutely thrilled that they're going to be opening up a Barneys in San Francisco. I can't wait until September!

But what about the fashion? Sure, of course I went for perfume, but what about the clothes? While I did spend a lot of time in Noho/Soho/Nolita and did a little boutique shopping in both Nolita and the East Village, my greatest triumph has to be the KingFisher trenchcoat from Brooklyn Industries. I have been searching for the perfect trenchcoat, and this very well may be it. I was close to buying the Viktor and Rolf trenchcoat when they released their H&M collection this past fall, but I just didn't love it. This coat? I love it. I absolutely love it.

I love it so much, in fact, that I'm fairly disappointed that the weather on returning to California has been so nice, and I don't really have any excuse to wear this fantastic coat. Needless to say, this is the first thing that's getting packed when I jet off to Europe in four weeks. Ooh la la!

images from barneys.com and brooklynindustries.com

My Spa Week-Days

I recently went on a little trip of my own, admittedly not cross-country like Jeanne, but only a few hours upstate into Napa Valley for a two-night spa retreat. The Silverado Resort has a charming, if slightly bloated and rosy manor feel to it, albeit with "condos" available to guests and the hotel attendants driving around in golf carts and Ray-Bans. During the week, the hotel-spa was just quiet enough for us to relax and drink in the beautiful (if unseasonably) warm weather and orange sunsets over the hills every evening. Several swimming pools are scattered around the grounds, and believe me, swimming at dusk with a view of Napa is nothing to sneeze at.

The purpose of this little getaway was to renew and refresh a couple of slowly burning out minds and have a real spa treatment to boot. She chose the Lavender Sugar Scrub with a massage, while I had a gorgeous Ginger-Cinnamon-Tangerine Wrap with jasmine face, scalp, and foot massage. Oh, my goodness, it was like being slathered in a giant bowlful of gingersnap cookie dough and curling up in a pile of fluffy towels fresh out of the dryer. One of the goals of this wrap nonsense, I gather, is to break a sweat without feeling completely claustrophobic and deathly, and the fifty-minute treatment was right on the money. Just as I was starting to feel uncomfortably warm and constricted, I was brought a glass of cool water (flavored with fresh pineapple, other areas of the spa had cucumbers and basil leaves, YUM). If you're worried about nudity in front of strangers as I was, the spa will provide you with disposable "privacy panties"--despite my shyness, I had to decline, as wearing a diaper in front of another woman would be more embarrassing than nudity. Anyway, you are covered at all times with nubbly warm towels, no worries to be had!

I asked for a "Make-Up Consultation" in addition to the spa treatment, in a never-ending effort to increase my cosmetic prowess, so in my state of complete relaxation and ginger-y deliciousness I was led off by an older, gangly redheaded Tammy Faye Bakker lookalike who immediately looked displeased with my sweaty countenance. She informed me that the Make-Up Consultation was usuallly done for brides about to be married at the resort--gee, thanks for telling me that when I booked it, Silverado. Taking a cue from one of Jeanne's recent makeover adventures, I had brought with me a small make-up bag containing the cosmetics I'll wear if it's absolutely necessary that I don't just wash my face and go somewhere: two Neutrogena MoistureShine lipglosses (in Chic and First Blush), Benetint Lip Balm, Nars eyeshadow in Nepal, Neutrogena Weightless Volume mascara in black, Prestige Let Loose eyeshadow in purple, and Benefit Dallas face powder. When I asked her for advice on how to use what I had to make myself look pretty, she looked befuddled and said she'd never had to do that kind of thing before, sort of rifled through my stuff, and then began to apply a crazy brown eyeshadow from her merchandise. The concealer was even worse--yellow, cakey, and managed to make the normal insomniac circles under my eyes look like deep pools of slate-grey mud. They do this to brides? Unbelievable. Of course, as has every make-up artist I have encountered, she finally applied fifteen coats of mascara to my eyelashes to form me into a reasonable fascimile of herself, which in this case was a spikey, zombie-eyed version of Tammy Faye.

That said, the make-up consultation was really the only unpleasant part of the trip. The fitness room was superb, with weight machines that were so comfortable they felt as if I was lifting clouds through the air. The outdoor heated pool at the spa was surrounded by a ring of blooming trees, and several hawks soared overhead while we swam in the afternoon warmth. Until I got all that nasty make-up off, showered in their swanky all-amenities-provided bathing rooms, and dried out in the sauna, I'd never felt so healthy and refreshed in my entire life.

An additional bonus was the adorable little Thai restaurant we discovered a five-minute drive away from the resort, Thai Kitchen on Trancas Avenue--their grilled vegetable platter was to die for; sliced potatoes, zucchini, carrot, onions, eggplant, and whole mushrooms with a lime-basil-garlic sauce that we wanted to drink straight out of the bowl. All in all, a getaway to Napa with delicious food and delicious spa treatments (I could drink that pineapple water for the rest of my life) doesn't need any wine to perfect it, and I did end up getting some school reading done!

Little blogger, big city!

This Saturday, I'm taking off for New York City -- my first trip to the East Coast! Can you believe I've never been further east than Colorado? The last time I had to deal with a three-hour time difference, I was eleven and in Hawaii. Now, not only am I not eleven anymore (thank goodness!), but I'll have to deal with Daylight Savings as well. Hoo boy, four-hour time difference.

I'm taking tomorrow off from work to sleep in, pack, and stock up on some of the things I need to take with me. For example, I need to get travel-sized bottles from the Container Store (surprisingly, one of my favorite stores -- I'm chronically disorganized, but I wish I weren't). I also want a larger cosmetics bag -- mine tend to be freebie Gift-With-Purchase ones, which are just not big enough. (The new one I got from Gloss is great because it has a separate pocket for brushes, and it holds all of my DuWop palettes, but I'm going to need more space, I'm afraid.)

I also need to get full-sizes of the Suki Lemongrass Cleanser and Chamomile Serum. I've been using the mini sample size, which is a great size for travel, but I'm nearing the bottom of the cleanser and would hate to run out in the middle of my trip. So, if I buy the full-size tomorrow and fill my little jar back up, it will work out perfectly. (This is my plan, please do not discourage me from it.)


But here is the most important thing of all: what do I buy? It's New York, after all. I'm already making lists of places to go. I'm searching for perfume, so I am following Blogdorf Goodman's recommendations and checking out both Bond's boutique and Frederic Malle at Barneys. I also want to find some boutiques and surprises, so I'll be keeping my eyes open. While I'd love to bring home a fantastic leather bag, I am very picky about my leather goods, whether it's boots, bags, or jackets.

Ultimately, though, my plan is to have a great time. And maybe to, just a little, see some celebrities.

images from containerstore.com and movies.yahoo.com