I'm Pining Away Over Here

In spite of my repeated claims that I am not a watch collector. There is another watch that I have decided that I really really must have right now!

I want the Hermes Kelly watch in orange and stainless-steel.



I'm not even sure why I like it so much because I typically don't even like a leather banded watch and prefer to wear mine loose, almost bracelet-y.

So, I now am up to needing the two Michael Kors watches and this one.

Le Sigh!

Miu Miu, I love you

I am so smitten. I must must must get these sunglasses. I think I love these even more than the Chanels.



And when, oh when will I be able to wear this dress. If I had the opportunity I would find a way to buy several of these adorable little dresses.



I mean, I just don't get that much lying around time.

Loeffler Randall for Target

While I'm not a fan of the Loeffler Randall shoes for Target this season, I am kind of smitten with this hobo tote in cream.



I think this is the nicest piece in the line. Granted, I haven't seen it or felt the material in person but it looks like a nice large size and I am a sucker for a white/vanilla bag. Since it's leather it should wipe down fairly easy.

It also comes in brown and is only $39.99

If you see one or get one let me know what you think of the material.

Not Zubbles!

I have a big tendency to, if' I'm really in love with a style of something, to get it in multiple colors. And now JCrew is trying to take advantage of that fact, darn them!

I love this space-agey-yet-vintage-looking "Bubble" necklace that comes in three lovely colors.

Sweet Papaya:



Brilliant Blue:



Turquoise (my favorite!):



They're each $150 and brand new, so get 'em while they last.

P.S. What the heck are Zubbles???

A little weird... A lot wonderful

As you know, I am a total Etsy convert and I placed an order not too long ago. I finally got to order some pieces from Paraphernalia, which I think is the coolest store.



How they describe their work is:

We at Paraphernalia design beauteous and wholesome accoutrements for both Ladies and Gentlemen.

We are much inspired by both vintage illustrations and 19th century magicians. We also enjoy the odd, the unusual, the uncanny and the bizarre, in all the aspects of beauty.

If you haven't seen their work, you have to go check them out.

What I love about them is that you can wear them with so many levels - very seriously or you can wear them very tongue-in-cheek. I have chickens, so this Fauna Chicken Claw Necklace can be just weird or, if you know that we have them, it's kind of funny.





I also got this Anatomica Arm Bracelet. I like that you are wearing this on your arm but you are also wearing an image of the musculature of the arm. Okay, so yeah it's a bit weird.



I also got the Anatomica Red Heart Necklace. And I don't think I need to say anything about it, just look how freakin' cool it is.






Would it be too dorky to say I ♥ them?

Yeah, I guess it would.

But I soooo do!

Christmas for thee and me

I am newly in love with Banana Republic's jewelry. I haven't checked out BR in a while because I tend to shop their less expensive sisters, Gap and Old Navy, but had read some good reviews of the quality and style of their jewelry offerings lately.

I have say that I agree with them.

I like them so much I ordered two for Christmas gifts. I got this lovely vintage yet modern looking bracelet for a very stylish friend. I also got one for me. Is that bad???



I got another friend, one who tends to be quite minimalist in her dressing, this lovely white enamel cuff. Is it wrong that I was severely tempted to keep it for myself. I think it would look great with my new white clutch....

But no! No! It will look great on her. Must. Ship. Out!



They also have some great items on sale. I think we will see me trolling this site much more often.

Emerald City

I've decided that I need a new bag (okay want). And because I don't like to be too trendy and I don't get get all into logos and labels and "it" bags, I tend to favor solid bags with strong colors.

And right now I really really want this Dooney & Bourke Alto Medium Rounded Satchel in Emerald.



It's kind of pricey at $525 but I know I would wear it for years and years. I have a light blue Dooney Alto in a kind of structured hobo shape and I still wear it and get compliments on it. This is even eclipsing the Brahmin bag I want.

Grab and Clutch

I've started to see large clutches slowly creeping in as a new style, probably exploding in spring. I like the idea of a large day clutch and decided that I wanted a large envelope style in white.

Because they are not really popular yet, I've been doing my searching on Etsy and eBay, but when I was on Saks the other day I saw this Brian Atwood Mattie clutch.



Now, it's pretty at all, and except for the gold corners, pretty much exactly what I wanted.

But it's freakin' $1660!!!!

That is ridiculous.

In my searches I found this very similar vintage number on eBay for about $14. It has two pockets and is real leather.



I bought this bag here from eBay for $16. It's white croc embossed leather and I would say it is a pretty large size as well as being in good vintage shape. I think it is even more interesting than the Brian Atwood bag. Plus, I'm not a fan of those gold accents.



So, get searching. Large clutches for day will be popular, especially white or light colors - in leather or a reptile of some sort.

Smoochable

I just love red lipstick. I think it is the whole retro thing but it amazes me how in the 40's and 50's a woman would wear red lipstick with everything and it always looked great.

The problem is, red lipstick can be a pain. At least for me. But that doesn't mean that I don't still get seduced by a new color or formulation every so often. Despite the fact that they linger in my make-up case for months.


Photo source: brtsergio, Flickr

Don't you just love the contrast and don't her lips look so pretty?



I've bought red lipstick from Revlon to Chanel and then I just never use it. But I may have a new option that can convert me into puckering up more often.

It's NARS lip gloss in Bloodwork



They say this lip gloss is pigment-rich and they aren't kidding. I had no idea how bright this stuff was until I got it home and tried it on.

Whoa, Baby!

This is screen-siren red! What is great about it is this is not a sheer gloss. It is very opaque. And the color is described as red vinyl and that is spot on. Being a gloss helps it to go on very easily. You can just swipe it on and be all sex-ah or you can blot it to matte it down and give you perfect carmine lips.

I blotted it when I put it on this morning and then topped it with a sheer sparkly brown-ish gloss. It was very wearable.

It would also be great for leaving red lipstick kisses on collars, necks and sealed letters.

Available at Sephora- $23

Pink French Sunglasses

Here's a better picture of those last pair of sunglasses.



Love them!

Rose-tinted glasses

So I have this very bad tendency to see something on someone or somewhere, fall head over heels in love and then go absolutely crazy and overboard trying to incorporate whatever it is into my life.

Case in point - large sunglasses in pink and/or round with gradiated lenses. I lurv Miss Gala's glasses here. It's back to that desire for pink hair and color coding.



Another big part of it is the Chanel sunglasses. I bought these and then ended up selling them. For more than I bought them for at least but, even thought they looked somewhat comical on me, I kind of miss them but, damn!, they were expensive.



So off I went trolling on eBay to see what I could find searching pink, round, gradiated, vintage, etc. Here are some of what I found and bought.

You think these look crazy here? You should see them in person.



These are kind of a pinkish-peach color frame with amber gradiated lenses, but the arms don't go very wide.




This last pair are the best and this picture is totally useless, I know. I was going to swipe the picture from the auction and they're all down so I need to take some more. I promise to do so asap, but it would be remiss to not include them because they are the best of the bunch. They are HUGE and the lenses are a gradiated pink. I look like I have a giant pink butterfly on my face. I luv them mucho.



I promise, more pics to come soon. Maybe I'll dress all in pink tomorrow. That would wake you up in the winter!

Summing up my weekend

So this pretty much sums up my weekend:

Wore this:


Bought this:



Saw this:


Now on sale for $6293 from $8990! Run right out! Get two!

Went in to a covetous delirium for this:



And I'm spent.

I feel so frickin' cool

Way back in August I talked about my love for my ToyWatch watch (I actually got my acrylic one last December and love the ceramic one too).

Now it seems Vogue has finally caught on because they ran an e-article yesterday saying "Forget Cartier and Rolex, a ToyWatch is the only timepiece to be seen in this season:

ROLEX MEETS SWATCH
THEY say that the watch you wear can define your personality so, be it Cartier or Rolex, wearing a deliciously expensive timepiece makes a statement. This season, however, Italian company ToyWatch has manufactured the must-have watches; fun timepieces that have been described as "Rolex meets Swatch". The one that has everyone talking is the Solo Tempo - a stylish, oversized ceramic face that comes in black, white or navy – and it has already found its way onto the wrists of the likes of Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman. Sold at Browns, which automatically gives it fashion kudos, ToyWatch's collection contains five unique styles - so even if the £635 Solo Tempo is not for you, the fun blue Perspex version, at £112, could be a great alternative. Check out the range at www.toy-watch.it or call 0207 287 5431 for more information.

I love setting the trend!

; )

Finally!

Me and my glasses cruisin' down the road...

Designer Focus - Diane vonFurstenberg by H. Stern

I find it interesting the Neiman Marcus has a Luxury section of their website (isn't that the whole site???) but they do have some amazing pieces in their. I don't usually look at the jewelry sections, but I wanted to see what was new in ring designs.

I really like this quartz ring from the "power ring" collection. It is a Diane vonFurstenberg by H. Stern ring and it has great modern lines but is very classic looking as well.





Swarovski also has some great crystal chunky rings like this that are around $200.

Baby did a bad bad thing...

All I can say is - Chanel 5018 Round Half Tint Sunglasses.









Yes, I got them! More images to follow when they are in my hot little hands!

Honey, Plum, Raspberry, Raisin

Just like everyone in the known universe, I love Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. It has that perfect sheerness and makes you look like you've spent the afternoon stuffing yourself on the ripest of blackberries.

Since I like to pump up my eyes but have pretty fair skin I need some color to my lips. If I do a nude lip color I look like the lower half of my face fell off.



So I was excited to see that Clinique was doing a line of three limited edition (my favorite words!!!) Black Honey-related colors: Black Plum, Black Raspberry, and Black Raisin. I needed a fresh tube of the Black Honey anyway and it was Clinique Bonus Time, I just ran down to the mall at got them all!

I can't wait to wear them and see which is my favorites and how well they work layered.

See ya later, Alligator!

In my humble opinion, the more bold and colorful an item is, the better you can pull off a either a high end look with an affordable option. I doubt anyone would think that this purple alligator clutch is work thousands of dollars, but it does have a punchy color and, because it has a very streamlined shape (the wrist loop can be tucked in) it can be dressed up or down.


Target Xhilaration Clutch - $13

Or you can go very very high end. Again, it's "out there" but the classic lines and material will ensure this is never out of style.


Gucci Couture

Just as long as you are bold enough to wear it!

Cat Eyes

Since I started wearing make-up I've always loved a really smokey cat's eye look. I probably have about fifteen different articles from different magazine the show how to do the perfect smudgy eye look ripped out and stuffed in my bathroom closet.

To date, I've had little success with the whole eyeliner deal because I just don't do well with the lower lid eyeliner. Especially when it's on the inner rim of the lower eye. I've tried it and I either have to re-apply it all night or it makes my eyes look all squinty. Not gorgeous like this.



So I rarely wear eyeliner of any sort. If I'm going out at night I sometimes use my Chanel Catwalk Kit to do an upper eye liner at the base of my lashes. I like it because it makes my lashes look really thick.

But I've been inspired to wear eyeliner more because of these inspirational photos from some of my favorite bloggers - The Coveted...



and, of course, Miss Gala.



Doesn't that look great on them. What's also helped is that I've found a new eyeliner that I'm just loving. It's Cover Girl's Line Exact in Brown. LOVE IT!

It's so easy to use. I actually had someone ask why I was looking good, etc., etc., and I think it was because I started using this eye liner!

So I'm all inspired to wear it more often. I was reading my Lucky magazine and they were talking about "Major Rocker Eyes" in their Fall Make-up Update (I know another magazine article for my collection!) and they featured this Clinique brush on liner cream. Since I was going to go get some lipstick anyways, I got some and am going to give it a try.

I got it in Black but I just saw there was a limited edition Grey. I may have to go back and get that if the black works out okay.

Yeah! Make-up!

The smell of Apathy

I think perfume makers have finally reached the bottom of the barrel for names. Is it just me or does calling a perfume Insolence seem a little, well, odd to you? For all of those vocabulary lovers out there, the definition is:

in·so·lence
–noun
1. contemptuously rude or impertinent behavior or speech



I would think of smells like old cheese, body odor or teenagers as being insolent, not a pricey perfume from Guerlain.

It's described as: "In a break away from the traditional pyramid structure, Insolence is constructed around the first olfactive spiral. Rather than a slow progression from head to base, the notes spiral and continue to circulate so that your favourite notes remain prominent from flight to finish. The notes include violet, raspberry, red fruit pulp, rose, orange blossom, iris, tonka bean, musk and sandalwood.

Sound okay, but it was also described by a reviewer as "Après L’Ondée with nail polish remover". Sooooo, maybe not so okay.

I think when I have my perfume created, I'm going to name it "Apathy". Seriously, when did the Despair, Inc. posters become fashion inspiration? (By the way, I love Despair Inc. When I worked at my majorly huge perpetually cheerful-or-else former company, a few of us wanted to put these posters around to be subversive. Their delicious negativity makes me happy.)



And am I missing something here? Hillary Swank just doesn't do it for me as a perfume-hawker. And she's supposed to broaden the audience and appeal to a younger consumer for Guerlain. The price tag of $100+ doesn't seem to be available to a broad audience and do more "established" women want to go around responding to compliments by saying "Thank you. I'm wearing Insolence." Or maybe in keeping with the name they'll just ignore you.



The bottle's pretty, however, you have to give them that.

P.S. If you would like to by a limited (only 30 made) 1 liter collectible bottle of Insolence Eau de Toilette signed by Hillary Swank for £2500 you can visit the Guerlain counter at Selfridges or call: 020 7318 1358. Plus, you can meet Miss Insolence Swank herself at the Beauty Hall, Selfridges, Oxford Street, London on Thursday 27 September at 12.30pm.