Nothing Says "I Love You" Better Than Louboutin.

If I had a boyfriend this Valentine's Day, then this is what I would be wearin on V-Day... yes, ALLL DAY! Just sayin. LOL!

Pizza Face.

Today's lesson is on ACNE. Yes, I know, what does acne have to do with style? Well, generally, when someone looks at you they give you the full head to toe look (at least I do). They start at your shoes and work their way up... leaving the last stop at your face (and hair, that's a different post though). The last thing you would want to stand out about your face is acne. Acne truly ruin any look. I'm honestly not trying to sound like a complete bitch (not that I ever try! Hah!) but acne is such a downer and really sucks. It can bring destroy your self esteem and confidence (and we all know that true style starts with confidence). Plus, no one wants to have to use make up to cover up acne (which in turn would possibly cause more acne, such a vicious cycle!). So here's my little story in hopes that it will help anyone out their with acne.

I'm the the first to admit that I've had to deal with acne since high school, at which I would just cover it up with lots of foundation (it worked because in all old pictures of me I look like I had clear skin!). Then about a year after high school all of the acne magically went away! I don't know if it was because 1.) I moved to San Diego and they have magical air, 2.) I was stress free, or 3.) I started using Proactive. It was probably a combination of all 3. After a few years on Proactive and moving back to Los Angeles, I still had clear skin. Eventually, I decided I didn't need Proactive any more and stopped using it... and no more acne! I was cured.

Lately, I started getting acne again (because I'm a chronic face-toucher)! I sure as hell didn't wanna fork over the cash to start using Proactive again so I went to a long lost semi-disliked friend, Tea Tree Oil (I initially tried Tea Tree Oil in high school but hated it because it smelled gross).

Yeeearrrssss later, I'm back. I started using Tea Tree Oil on my face and let me tell you, seriously, I noticed a difference the next morning! Less inflamed, smaller and obviously going away. I am in love. The smell isn't as offensive as I once thought it was, maybe it's because now my brain is associating it with clear skin : )

Now, let me clarify (hehe, get it... "clarify" = "clear skin" LOL ok last corny joke, I swear!) I'm not saying that I wake up every morning with model perfect skin that everyone should and does envy, but here is my nightly face routine that seems to be working pretty darn well for me.

(from left to right)

1. I wash my face in the shower with St. Ives Apricot Scrub Blemish & Blackhead because I love how it smells and it exfoliates just enough, not too rough, not too weak.

2. Then I wipe my face with Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil Facial Pads. It's definitely a smell that not everyone can get accustomed to, but it works wonders. I promise.

3. Then I slather on Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch 100 SPF Sunscreen TWICE every morning just to make sure I didn't miss any thing. I put the first layer on, then after it dries (do something meanwhile, like getting dressed or do your hair), I slather on another layer. Don't be stingy with sunscreen, it's easier to prevent wrinkles then to get rid of them.

Then I put on my make-up if I'm wearing any that day... at the rate I'm going... I may not need to any more! Hopefully!

Rain Rain Don't Go Away!!!

For any of you that don't live in Los Angeles, it's raining cats and dogs this week! It's quite exciting (for most of us at least) since we rarely have rain around here! It's always sunshine and cool breezes! Yes, be jealous. ;)

Well, this sudden surge of rain has sparked the idea that maybe I need some rain boots (aka galoshes, wellies, ect.) to help me look put together through this up coming week. Plus, it will help banish my UGGaholicism.

What's a "wellie" you ask? A "wellie" is from the British rain boot company Hunter. They seriously have wellies available in every color of the rainbow! I know, I know... what the eff is a "wellie"? Obviously, since most of us aren't British this isn't common knowledge to us Americans. So let me commence a brief impromptu history lesson: The creator of the popular rubber rain boots was Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, which then caused his new popular boots to be dubbed as the "wellington" or "wellie" for short. :)

The downer about these great functional boots that ooze British appeal and style is that they will run you about $100+. So here's a few alternatives and faves:

Alright, we'll I'm off to go find me some wellies!

Turquoise. Teal. Sky Blue. Seafoam Green. Robin's Egg Blue. Aqua.

Photo Credit: RachelZoe.com

During fall and winter my favorite splash of color is always red. However, spring is around the corner and well... red doesn't exactly scream "SPRING!"

The gorgeous color turquoise makes me ignore my heightened Spring-time induced allergies and actually be excited for spring so that I can lighten up my usual funeral chic wardrobe.

Please don't confuse this with dressing like an Easter egg. Happy Spring!

Clearance On Aisle 5!

I don't really ever go to Old Navy but yesterday me and one of my girlfriends were shopping for snow clothes (see previous post ;) and thought we check to see if Old Navy had any thermals or beanies. They didn't. But they did have these cute gold ruffle flats! Again, only ONE pair and in MY SIZE! I'm having some crazy luck lately! There wasn't a tag on them but I took them to the register any ways. The woman looked up the price... $4.25 later, I owned these cute babies! Pretty sweet, huh?! I LOVE surprise clearance finds!

Post Script:

I wore them all around town today and (thankfully) they are very comfy! Kinda wish they had more than just the one pair!

Meant To Be.

Back in October I posted this about a snow jacket from TripleNickel (555) that I completely fell in love with but was unable to convince myself that spending $130 on something that I would literally only use a handful of times a year was even close to worth it.

After a long day of all kinds of errands, I passed by a Big 5 and I decided to stop in to just to see if they even still had it. I walked in with only my keys and BlackBerry in hand... yes, I was that convinced that nothing would be on sale enough for me to buy. Well, lo and behold, the gorgeous red TripleNickel snow jacket that I was so in love with was ON SALE for $75! There was only 1 size left and it fit me perfectly! Within seconds, I was in line with my purse and soon-to-be my jacket (this was of course after a quick sprint to my car to grab my purse!).

I CANNOT wait til my first upcoming snowboarding trip so that I can rock this amazingly gorgeous snow jacket. :D

Headgear.

Photo Credit: Caspell.

In case you are unaware, I work at a place that does not allow me to wear a hat to work. Why? I'm not sure. Maybe it's preceived as unprofessional? I'm not sure how hats are considered more unprofessional in comparision to... uhm, let's say... super baggy jeans? I don't know. So the next best thing to hats are headbands! Here's a few of my faves:

Aren't they all to die for?!

I Think I'm Turning Japanese!

Photo Credit: Jeff Harris.

Everything completely crazy and yet amazingly awesome seems to come straight outta Japan... including Kawaii Nails (yes, from Japan... not Kawaii). Kawaii Nails are fake nails that have been bedazzled to death! Cute death! They've been decked out with everything from bows, flowers and hearts to cupcakes, bumblebees and skulls! Basically, over the top art pieces for your nails! If you know anything about me by now, I have a special place in my heart for anything that is completely rediculous and flashy!

The best part about these babies is that you can apply them yourselves (you all know how I'm a sucker for anything DIY!) and they are reusable! They run between anywhere between $14.95 to $34.95. I definitely wouldn't be wearing these on a daily basis but they're perfect for a special occassion. The only downer to these gorgeous nails would be trying to decide on which ones to get!!!

Fanged & Forever Young.

Photo Credit: Odes-To-No-One.

I have a confession to make.

I am completely and utterly enamored with the whole Twilight Saga. Yes, I know what you are thinking, "Holy shit! This chick is one of those stupid teeny-bopper Twihard or whatever they are called lameasses! HOW PATHETIC!" Let me briefly explain...

You either love it or hate it. If you love it, it's likely because you've actually read the books or seen the movies. If you hate it, it might be because anything that gets a 13 year old teeny bopper screaming at the top of her (and possibly, "his") lungs and bursting into tears is reason enough to NOT like it... which even I agree with. However, you probably haven't seen the movie or read the books. If you have and still don't like it... well, I guess you can skip over this particular post :)

Here's a handful of reasons why I love the this whole Twilight series:

• Every girl (I don't care how much you argue that you don't, deep down, you do) wants/misses/dreams of those incredible romances that are unarguably ridiculously crazy, erratic and unreasonable but has inexplicably swept you off your feet because this person says, does and is everything that makes your heart melt. This causes you to believe* that you two were meant to spend the rest of your human lives together (*I say "believe" because you very well may be meant to spend the rest of your lives together but one of you will likely fuck that possibility up). Most of us have experienced this at least once in our lives. Twilight reminds us of this amazing unabashed kind of love that we all need a little more retrospect on.


• That being said, watching Twilight makes me feel like I'm 14 years old all over again.


• Let's face it... our everyday lives aren't always the most exciting so, naturally, escaping into fantasy every now and again helps us get over the repetitive and mundane details of our own lives. More importantly, it secretly helps knowing that even the supernatural would have just as much drama in their everyday lives as well... if they had one, of course.


• What can I say?! I'm a sucker for any good looking guy that happens to say all the right things at all the right times and is fiercely protective of the one he loves. Edward Cullen does this. I can dream, right?!

I know, I know... how the hell does this tie into anything remotely close to style?! Well, believe it or not, but these vamps (+ one wannabe vamp) all happen to dress pretty damn good and can take some pretty incredible pictures. And plus, who doesn't like looking at great photos of great looking people?! Enjoy. :)

For Heaven's Sake, Put Down The UGGs!

Photo Credit: Pickerel.

As much trash talking I do about wearing UGGs out in public, I am guilty of wearing mine this very second because it's rainy in Los Angeles today. You see, I used to be one of those girls that wore my UGGs with E V E R Y T H I N G. Eventually, I saw the light and realized that I looked horrifically sloppy whenever I wore my UGGs (UGGs just happen to make any outfit look sloppy). Since I wore my UGGs everywhere (including but not limited to: camping trips, to the beach, in the rain, in mud, ect.), they started to look completely tore up. As a recovering UGGaholic, I only wear my UGGs when it's raining and for late night trips to the store until find a suitable replacement for them. Just in case you are also an UGGaholic, here are some alternatives:

Yes, there are a few pairs of UGGs up there... however, they are less bummy looking then the traditional UGGs that you would think of when you hear the word "UGG."

PostScript: After finishing this post, I saw this at DailyCandy.com. Great minds think alike?